Recaps

Chu Bai and the others fought three Shadow Beasts in the Grand Canyon while Lin Xuewei and Dong Feng recovered. After Chu Bai defeated the beasts, his Mind-Link Mark displayed 4,830 points and first place, though he wondered whether the mark had ever malfunctioned.

• Chu Bai held off the Qi Refining Third Layer Shadow Beast while Jin Changyu distracted another, and Lin Xuewei and Dong Feng recovered.
• Lin Xuewei froze the Qi Refining Second Layer Shadow Beast attacking Chu Bai, and Chu Bai finished it with a Spirit Water Needle.
• Chu Bai fused hundreds of Spirit Water Needles into a powerful spear and pierced the Shadow Beast leader as it launched a black fireball.
• The three Shadow Beasts disappeared, and Dong Feng told Chu Bai he would challenge him for first place once they escaped.
• Chu Bai saw that his Mind-Link Mark listed 4,830 points and ranked him first, then questioned whether it had actually been broken.

Chu Bai and his classmates fought the Shadow Beasts in the Spirit Realm, where Lin Xuewei, Dong Feng, and Jin Changyu appeared to die before Chu Bai defeated the last beast and collapsed. He awoke at the Martial Training Ground and learned that the danger and injuries had been real, but the apparent deaths were projections created when students were teleported out, leaving him the undisputed winner of the Half-Year Grand Competition.

• Chu Bai accepted Lin Xuewei's Jade Sky Essence Pills, recovered, and returned the Golden Scale Armor to Dong Feng before the Shadow Beasts attacked again.
• Chu Bai and his companions fought five Shadow Beasts, then organized a plan to keep the two Qi Refining Third Layer leaders occupied while Chu Bai and Jin Changyu killed the weaker beasts.
• Lin Xuewei was engulfed by shadow flame, Dong Feng sacrificed himself in an explosion, and Jin Changyu was killed after helping defeat one of the leaders.
• Alone against the remaining leaders, Chu Bai drew in poisonous Earthsmoke Flame Fiend Qi and destroyed the final Shadow Beast with a giant Spirit Water Needle spear before collapsing.
• Chu Bai awoke at the Martial Training Ground as Superintendent Su healed him and learned the injuries were real while the deaths were projections of students already teleported out.

After winning the Midyear Examination, Chu Bai received generous rewards and learned about three possible Dao Foundation paths. Despite Zhou Changkong's warnings, he chose to pursue the dangerous Unsteady Root and prepare for the Five Phases path.

• Superintendent Su praised Chu Bai, announced him as the examination champion, and awarded him Dao Merit, a cultivation method, and three hundred double-hours in the Spirit Pavilion.
• Zhou Changkong explained the dangers and grades of Foundation Establishment, then advised Chu Bai to choose between Scattering Spirit Dust and Misty Dew.
• Supervisor Chen proposed the perilous Unsteady Root path, gave Chu Bai a black-iron token, and urged him to seek Geng Metal Baleful Qi in the Spirit Pavilion.
• Zhou Changkong warned Chu Bai that the Five Phases path could cost him his cultivation or life, but Chu Bai decided to take the risk.
• Zhou Changkong accepted Chu Bai's decision and urged him to go to the Spirit Pavilion and pursue the path.

Chu Bai cultivated Innate Geng Metal Qi in the Spirit Pavilion, then learned from Supervisor Chen that his conduct during the assessment had earned him a chance at an Immortal Clerk appointment. The appointment would grant a White Ordination and a direct path to Foundation Establishment without the Heavenly Examination.

• Chu Bai chose Innate Geng Metal Qi, absorbed a wisp of it in the Spirit Pavilion, and advanced his Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation.
• Chu Bai returned to the dormitory, discussed Dong Feng's change with his roommates, and treated them to Spirit Cuisine during the academy's three-day break.
• Chu Bai visited Supervisor Chen after choosing the Five Phases path, and Supervisor Chen recognized the Innate Geng Metal Qi within him.
• Chu Bai explained that the assessment tested the students' character and judgment, and Supervisor Chen praised his choices during the trials.
• Supervisor Chen told Chu Bai that he qualified for one of the class's Immortal Clerk appointments, which granted a White Ordination and bypassed the Heavenly Examination.

Chu Bai learned that the cosmic cycle wheel was the ultimate five-phase Dao foundation and began cultivating metal energy to build toward it. After choosing Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker as his offensive spell, he mastered the first stage of innate Geng metal qi and prepared for practical combat training.

• Supervisor Chen explained the five virtues chariot and cosmic cycle wheel, then advised Chu Bai to cultivate innate Geng metal qi before seeking withered-and-flourishing azure qi.
• Chu Bai visited the Spell Transmission Pavilion and chose Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker for its powerful attack and ability to see through illusions and perceive energy.
• Over the next month, Chu Bai spent a hundred double-hours in the Grade A Blessed Land and established a foundation of innate Geng metal qi.
• Chu Bai ate spirit cuisine to recover and support his cultivation, reaching Qi Refining second layer with twenty-seven percent progress and improving his spell arts.
• Chu Bai reviewed his progress and headed to the Martial Training Ground, intent on using his remaining blessed-land time to strengthen Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker.

Chu Bai defeated Zhang Shan in a practical spar, demonstrating his improved techniques and precise control. Instructor Lei then hired Chu Bai to help train the freshmen, and the chapter ended with Chu Bai earning ten points of Dao Merit after an afternoon of sparring and instruction.

• Instructor Lei invited Zhang Shan to spar with Class Three and chose Chu Bai to face him first.
• Chu Bai overwhelmed Zhang Shan with empowered Spirit Water Needles and Formless Cloud Hand, then blocked Zhang Shan’s Greenwood Bone-Piercing Nails with Origin Guard Shield.
• As Zhang Shan charged, Chu Bai used Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker to narrowly miss his head and pierce the stone wall behind him, prompting Zhang Shan to concede.
• Instructor Lei praised Chu Bai’s remaining strength and recruited him as a sparring assistant for ten points of Dao Merit.
• Chu Bai trained the freshmen for four hours, improving his Formless Cloud Hand proficiency while Zhang Shan struggled with hesitation.
• Instructor Lei paid Chu Bai ten points of Dao Merit when the practical combat lesson ended.

After deciding to attempt the academy’s Immortal Clerk selection as a first-year student, Chu Bai began cultivating Withered-and-Flourishing Azure Qi to strengthen his Five-Element Dao Foundation. His Origin Return Formula reached Perfected Level, greatly increasing his cultivation speed and improving his chances of reaching the Qi Refining Third Layer in time.

• Zhang Shan thanked Chu Bai for sparing him during their spar and said he planned to enter seclusion to break through to the Qi Refining Third Layer.
• Zhang Shan told Chu Bai that talented second-year students could try the Immortal Clerk selection early, prompting Chu Bai to plan an attempt at the examination in five months as a first-year.
• Chu Bai entered the Withered-and-Flourishing Blessed Land and carefully balanced the wood energy with the metal and water energies in his Qi Sea.
• After cultivating for more than ten days, Chu Bai sensed a breakthrough and raised his Origin Return Formula to Perfected Level.
• Chu Bai found that the perfected technique more than doubled his absorption efficiency and estimated that another fifty hours would fully establish his Withered-and-Flourishing Azure Qi.

Chu Bai absorbed Withered-and-Flourishing Azure Qi, reached Qi Refining second layer, and joined a demon-hunting squad to earn dao merit. After proving his combat abilities to the team, he prepared to hunt Burrow Rats in the Abandoned Mining District.

• Chu Bai absorbed Withered-and-Flourishing Azure Qi and completed the metal, water, and wood qi triangle in his dantian.
• Chu Bai saw that his cultivation expenses had left him with only a few dozen dao merit points and decided to seek a paying mission.
• Zhang Shan invited Chu Bai to join a squad hunting Burrow Rats in the Abandoned Mining District, offering dao merit for each kill.
• Chu Bai demonstrated that his Spirit Water Needle could pierce black ironwood and displayed his proficient Origin Guard Shield, winning the squad's approval.
• Wang Qingli accepted Chu Bai onto the team and assigned their tactics for the mission beginning the following morning.

Chu Bai joined Wang Qingli’s team to hunt Burrow Rats in the Abandoned Mining District, where he learned how the former Spirit Stone mines had become a Demon Beast lair. After the team defeated its first ambush, Wang Qingli led them toward the mine’s deeper, more dangerous tunnels.

• Chu Bai obtained leave from Zhou Changkong, bought Qi-Replenishing Pills, and set out with Wang Qingli’s team for the Abandoned Mining District.
• Wang Qingli explained the team’s plan and the history of the mines, while Chu Bai learned that Spirit Stones had once powered Great Wall Prefecture’s prosperity.
• Wang Qingli’s Demon-Seeking Mirror reacted as the team entered the district, and the group followed the strongest demonic aura to a main entrance of the D-Character Mine.
• Three Burrow Rats ambushed the team, but Zhao Gang, Wang Qingli, Chu Bai, and Zhang Shan defeated them in a few breaths.
• Wang Qingli warned that the rats showed intelligence and urged the team to rest briefly before advancing into the mine.

Chu Bai’s team fought through a large pack of Burrow Rats, and his powerful Formless Cloud Hand earned the group’s trust. After tallying their gains, they met Lü Qing’s team near a suspected rat nest and agreed to join forces against a Qi Refining Mid-Stage Rat General.

• Wang Qingli formed a defensive position against fifteen or sixteen Burrow Rats while her team attacked, and Chu Bai crushed one elite rat with his Formless Cloud Hand.
• The team defeated the remaining elite rats, and Wang Qingli praised Chu Bai’s overwhelming Spell Power as the others accepted him as a dependable ally.
• Wang Qingli tallied the team’s bounty earnings, and the group rested before pressing deeper into the mine.
• Wang Qingli’s team encountered Lü Qing and his companions near a cavern that might contain a rat nest guarded by a Qi Refining Mid-Stage Rat General.
• Zhang Shan, Zhao Gang, Lin Xiaoyun, and Chu Bai agreed to the dangerous raid, and Wang Qingli and Lü Qing settled on a fifty-fifty split of the spoils.

Chu Bai led Wang Qingli's squad through the Burrow Rat nest faster than Lü Qing's squad by using Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker to reveal hidden enemies. After both squads reunited, Chu Bai identified the Two-Headed Rat General's weakness and helped the group defeat it, leaving Lü Qing to deliver the final blow.

• Wang Qingli and Lü Qing agreed to split the cavern passages and wager that the losing squad would clean the battlefield and buy Hundred-Flower Brew.
• Chu Bai used Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker to expose and draw out hidden Burrow Rats, letting Wang Qingli's squad kill them rapidly and win the race.
• Both squads reunited in the cavern's deepest chamber, where the Two-Headed Rat General and its elite guards attacked them.
• The Rat General's poison disrupted Lin Xiaoyun's healing, but Chu Bai spotted an old wound and told Lü Qing where to strike.
• Lü Qing wounded the Rat General, Zhang Shan bound it with vines, and Chu Bai pierced both heads' eyes with golden rays.
• Lü Qing cut off the Rat General's head, killing it.

After the rat-hunting mission earned Chu Bai over two hundred Dao Merit and activated his fourth Fate Destiny, he struggled to add a fourth element to his five-element Dao Foundation. He found a possible method using Jiang Kuo’s Thick Earth Bottle alongside a fire-aspected blessed land, and prepared to attempt it.

• Lü Qing awarded Chu Bai the Rat General’s fangs and led both teams in celebrating their successful hunt.
• Wang Qingli’s team received 630 Dao Merit, and Zhao Gang, Zhang Shan, and the others gave Chu Bai an extra 48 points for his contributions.
• Chu Bai’s Fate Destiny, [Seal and Ribbon Mutual Generation, Forge Fate Through Merit and Fault], activated after the mission’s merit became known.
• Chu Bai’s attempts to absorb fire or earth energy separately failed and nearly damaged his meridians.
• Chu Bai asked Jiang Kuo to lend him the Thick Earth Bottle, then planned to combine its earth energy with a fire-aspected blessed land to complete his five-element cycle.

Chu Bai completed his Lesser Five Elements cycle by harmonizing earth-core glazed fire and primordial virtuous earth, then demonstrated astonishing spell control and reached the qi refining third layer. After Zhou Changkong praised his progress and predicted success in the first-year Graduation Examination, Chu Bai declared that he wanted to apply for the Immortal Official Examination instead.

• Chu Bai used the Thick Earth Bottle and earth-core glazed fire to form a harmonious Five-Element cycle and complete the foundation of his Cosmic Cycle Wheel.
• At Spell Arts practice, Chu Bai claimed he could control about three hundred Spirit Water Needles, while his perfected-level skill actually let him command far more.
• Chu Bai defeated five challengers in practical combat, impressing Instructor Lei and inspiring his classmates to keep fighting.
• Chu Bai told Zhou Changkong he had reached the qi refining third layer, and Zhou sensed that all Five Phases circulated harmoniously within him.
• Chu Bai explained his Lesser Five Elements cycle, then told Zhou Changkong he wanted to apply for the Immortal Official Examination rather than wait until next year.

Chu Bai asked Zhou Changkong to submit his name for the Immortal Official Examination, and Zhou agreed despite the risks. With less than a month to prepare, Chu Bai learned two new Spell Arts and arranged to share a Grade A training room with Wang Qingli, where he began intensive practice.

• Chu Bai convinced Zhou Changkong to submit his application for the Immortal Official Examination, though the three academy overseers still had to approve it.
• Chu Bai reviewed his Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation and Spell Arts, then chose a fire-aspected movement art and a wood-aspected healing art to fill gaps in his combat abilities.
• Chu Bai asked Wang Qingli to share a Grade A training room, and she agreed to split the cost and train with him.
• Chu Bai formed his first Spring-Rejuvenation Seal and practiced creating more seals while the Spirit-Gathering Array replenished his spiritual power.
• Wang Qingli struck Chu Bai with her Earth Spike Art, and a Spring-Rejuvenation Seal automatically healed his chest wound within moments.

Chu Bai and Wang Qingli trained relentlessly for the Immortal Official Examination, and Chu Bai revealed that his combat strength far exceeded what he had shown in their sparring. Wang Qingli accepted the gap between them, while Chu Bai’s preparation hinted that he might be aiming beyond the freshman exam.

• Chu Bai used his improved Firestep Dash and Formless Cloud Hand to challenge Wang Qingli’s defenses, convincing her that his strength might match or surpass hers.
• After Wang Qingli left to replenish her pills, Chu Bai destroyed the cultivation chamber’s strongest Qi Refining Early Stage target with a barrage of Spirit Water Needles and a Formless Cloud Hand.
• Wang Qingli returned, saw the shattered target, and realized Chu Bai had been holding back; she asked him to stop limiting himself during their practice.
• Chu Bai agreed and placed Spring-Rejuvenation Seals on Wang Qingli before they began intense, near-real combat sparring.
• Across the day’s rounds, Chu Bai repeatedly defeated Wang Qingli, who acknowledged that his combat experience, spell combinations, and Spell Power surpassed hers.
• Wang Qingli concluded that Chu Bai could rank among the strongest students beyond his year and wondered whether his ambitions reached beyond winning the freshman graduation exam.

After a month of sparring with Wang Qingli, Chu Bai learned that he had been approved to enter the Immortal Official Examination despite being a first-year. Instructor Zhou warned him about elite competitors and strict rules, leaving Chu Bai eager to face the challenge in three days.

• Chu Bai and Wang Qingli left seclusion after a month of training, with Wang Qingli’s defenses and Chu Bai’s Spell Arts greatly improved.
• Wang Qingli learned that Chu Bai had registered for the Immortal Official Examination, and she promised to meet him there as a rival.
• Instructor Zhou gave Chu Bai his Exam Admission Token and warned him about powerful third-years Lü Qing and Ji Li.
• Zhou explained that a Merit Office Judge would oversee the examination and that entrants could use no personal magical implements, talismans, pills, or other external aids.
• Zhou told Chu Bai that the examination’s trials would remain unknown until the Judge revealed them, and Chu Bai prepared to face the challenge.

Chu Bai entered the Immortal Official Grand Examination, where Judge Li announced a three-round contest beginning with a race to control Magical Artifacts. As competitors clashed and pushed into the Wasteland, Chu Bai stayed measured and prepared to claim more than one artifact.

• Chu Bai arrived at the Heavenly Spirit Martial Training Ground with Zhou Changkong, and Zhang Shan learned that Chu Bai had qualified to compete.
• The headmaster introduced Judge Li, who explained the Object Control, Demon Hunt, and Arena Battle rounds of the examination.
• Chu Bai used Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker to identify a high-grade Fire Element Ring and a defensive suit of armor as promising targets.
• Judge Li started the first round, and the competitors raced toward the Wasteland while using spells to hinder one another.
• Wu Jianfei broke free from an earth-wall cage and kept charging, while Chu Bai stayed among the crowd and conserved his spiritual energy.

Ji Li dominated the artifact race with his Magnetic Spirit Power, while Chu Bai secured a high-grade Fire Element Ring and refined it as he fled Wu Jianfei. The ring amplified Chu Bai’s Firestep Dash enough to leave Wu Jianfei far behind, and Chu Bai set his sights on finding another artifact.

• Lü Qing and Wu Jianfei tried to stop Ji Li, but he walked through the air, evaded their attacks, and trapped them with his Magnetic Gravity Seal.
• Ji Li summoned a silver sword from the artifact grounds and began refining it, while the other students avoided challenging him.
• Chu Bai overtook the slowed Lü Qing and Wu Jianfei, reached the artifact area, and claimed a Fire Element Ring.
• Wu Jianfei chased Chu Bai and demanded the ring, but Chu Bai fled while continuing to refine it.
• Chu Bai attuned the ring enough to wear it around his ankles, boosting his Firestep Dash and leaving Wu Jianfei far behind.

Ji Li and Chu Bai seized multiple high-grade magical artifacts during the first round, with Chu Bai taking an Origin-Bearing Cauldron after defeating two cultivators and fending off another. As he began refining the cauldron, Chu Bai considered hunting for yet another artifact.

• Ji Li completed refining a silver sword, failed to take Jiang Yingqiao’s bronze mirror, and took a golden bell from a student who surrendered.
• Chu Bai finished refining the Fire Element Ring and learned that Wu Jianfei had abandoned the chase to claim a fire hammer.
• Chu Bai used his speed and Spirit Water Needles to defeat two cultivators fighting over a bronze cauldron, then took the artifact and sped away.
• Chu Bai struck down a water-element cultivator who tried to stop him, while Wang Qingli recognized him and hurried to refine her Profound Wood Shield.
• Chu Bai identified the cauldron as the Origin-Bearing Cauldron and began rapidly refining its restrictions, eyeing more treasures in the distance.

Chu Bai joined Ji Li, Lü Qing, and Wu Jianfei in the fight for the last high-grade artifact, the Metal-Bearing Seal. After the others withdrew, Chu Bai and Ji Li fought to exhaustion and began refining the seal simultaneously, leaving its ownership undecided.

• Chu Bai saw Lü Qing claim the Metal-Bearing Seal and fight Wu Jianfei before Ji Li joined the clash.
• Chu Bai snatched the seal and challenged the three contenders, but Ji Li slowed his escape with the Magnetic Gravity Seal.
• Chu Bai struck Ji Li with Formless Cloud Hand, then let Ji Li take the seal and drew Lü Qing and Wu Jianfei into attacking him.
• Wu Jianfei withdrew after being injured, and Lü Qing conceded after Ji Li and Chu Bai wore him down.
• Chu Bai and Ji Li fought alone for the seal until both were exhausted, then began refining it at the same time.

Chu Bai turned the Metal-Bearing Seal contest against Ji Li by transforming his spiritual power into Innate Geng Metal Qi, then finished refining the artifact first. He left the first-round showdown as the victor, with the second-round Demon Hunt still ahead.

• The dean and Judge Li learned that Chu Bai had enrolled only a year earlier and marveled that he could contend with Ji Li.
• The crowd rallied behind Chu Bai as he and Ji Li continued fighting to refine the Metal-Bearing Seal.
• Ji Li explained his advantage in metal affinity, but Chu Bai revealed that he could cultivate Metal Energy too and transformed his power into Innate Geng Metal Qi.
• A student tried to seize the seal while the two were exhausted, but Lü Qing threatened to target him in later rounds and sent him fleeing.
• Chu Bai's purer metal energy overwhelmed Ji Li's control, and Chu Bai completed the refinement first and claimed the seal.

Chu Bai won the first-round Object Control assessment by taking Ji Li’s golden seal and returned to the Dao Academy with three high-grade magic artifacts. As the Demon Hunt assessment approached, he chose to face Ji Li again rather than avoid risking his unbeaten Dao Heart.

• Ji Li admitted defeat to Chu Bai, accepted that Chu Bai had won the first round, and vowed they would settle their rivalry in the next two rounds.
• Judge Li ended the Object Control assessment, confirmed that the artifacts students had obtained would carry into the remaining rounds, and announced the Demon Hunt in the Projection Spirit Realm.
• The students learned they could use any means in the Demon Hunt, and Chu Bai attracted hostile attention because he possessed three high-grade magic artifacts.
• Zhou Changkong and Instructor Lei checked on Chu Bai and warned him that Ji Li might seek him out, but Chu Bai said he would accept the fight.
• Chu Bai explained that he would not sacrifice his Dao Heart to avoid a possible defeat, and Zhou Changkong accepted his decision and advised him on countering Ji Li’s techniques.
• Chu Bai recovered with the Origin Return Formula and planned to use Rejuvenation Seals before entering the Spirit Realm.

Chu Bai hunted through the Projection Spirit Realm, using his artifact and perfected techniques to destroy an Ironclad Boar pack and absorb its killing intent. After defeating all five beasts, he decided to climb higher for stronger prey.

• Judge Li began the demon-hunting examination and teleported the students into the Projection Spirit Realm.
• Ji Li killed a One-Horned Wild Boar and absorbed its killing intent, strengthening his body and spell arts.
• Chu Bai crushed a Shadow Leopard with Formless Cloud Hand and discovered that killing intent enhanced him in the Spirit Realm.
• Chu Bai used Golden Eye Illusion-Breaker and the Fire Element Ring to find a pack of five Ironclad Boars in a mountain hollow.
• Chu Bai used Origin-Bearing Cauldron to crush three Ironclad Boars, then killed the remaining two with Spirit Water Needles, Formless Cloud Hand, and Mountain-Crushing Shoulder.
• After absorbing the pack’s killing intent, Chu Bai resolved to climb higher and hunt stronger demon beasts.

Judge Li explained that the second round rewarded cooperation and survival skills, while Killing Intent gave strong fighters the power to break through numbers. Chu Bai continued hunting higher up the mountain, defeated four powerful Azure Savage Bulls, and approached the threshold where Killing Intent became Astral Force.

• Judge Li told Vice Dean Lu He that unrestricted alliances tested survival skills and that Killing Intent let powerful contenders overcome groups.
• Chen Wangming led two classmates in a coordinated hunt, and the three defeated five Shadow Phantom Cats and shared their Killing Intent.
• Chu Bai recovered quickly, climbed higher, and used his growing Killing Intent to strengthen his combat ability and artifacts.
• Chu Bai formed a golden fist blade with the Metal-Bearing Seal and used it with his Spell Arts to defeat four Qi Refining Third Layer Azure Savage Bulls.
• The Killing Intent from the bulls turned faintly blood-red around Chu Bai, signaling that he was nearing the threshold of Astral Force.

Ji Li defeated a classmate and absorbed his baleful intent before deciding to hunt other contenders, while Chen Wangming led a seventeen-person alliance toward the summit. Chu Bai reached the summit first and pinned a powerful Tiger Demon with his Origin-Bearing Cauldron, leaving it trapped beneath the artifact’s force.

• Ji Li ignored his classmate’s pleas, defeated him with Magnetic Force, and absorbed the baleful intent he had gathered.
• Ji Li decided that hunting other examinees would be faster than killing Demon Beasts one by one.
• Chen Wangming persuaded his seventeen-person alliance to target the strongest contenders as they climbed toward the summit.
• A terrifying roar from the summit shook Chen Wangming’s group and filled them with dread.
• Chu Bai reached the summit, found a Qi Refining Mid-Stage Tiger Demon, and fought it with his spells and artifacts.
• Chu Bai activated the Origin-Bearing Cauldron and slammed the Tiger Demon to the ground, pinning it in place.