Chapter Summaries

Zhou Feng returned to his room and assessed his cultivation, skills, and weapons as he considered how to prepare for the Martial Arts Tournament. He decided Soul-Bewitching Incense could give him an opening against stronger opponents, but his plan to hunt a Qi Condensation Realm disciple remained risky.

• Zhou Feng weighed hunting a stronger disciple to advance his cultivation but recognized the danger of facing a battle-hardened opponent.
• Zhou Feng reviewed his Passive Skills and found that few of them directly improved his combat strength, with most combat abilities having long cooldowns.
• Zhou Feng considered his limited mastery of the Demon Devouring Art and Bitter Bamboo Peak’s Three Demon Devouring Arts, noting that he had cultivated for less than half a year.
• Zhou Feng concluded that lime was ineffective against spiritual defenses but that his poison immunity let him use Soul-Bewitching Incense without harming himself.
• Zhou Feng devised a plan to daze an opponent with Soul-Bewitching Incense, then attack with Full Charge Slash while relying on Bone Plating to reduce counterattacks.

Zhou Feng decided to hunt Senior Brother Sun, unaware that Sun Gui was a powerful killer who had also chosen him as prey. Both planned to strike that night, leaving Zhou Feng in grave danger.

• Zhou Feng noticed that his Blood Cicada Jade Pendant had grown brighter but found no other change and kept wearing it.
• After assessing his strength, Zhou Feng decided to hunt someone in the Qi Gathering Realm and selected Senior Brother Sun as his target.
• Sun Gui prepared for his own hunt, speaking to a decaying woman's head and promising that another person would witness their wedding.
• Sun Gui secretly revealed his true strength: Ninth Level of Qi Condensation, with a dozen or more victims' heads hidden beneath his bed.
• Zhou Feng and Sun Gui both planned to hunt each other that night, but Zhou Feng did not know how strong Sun Gui was.

Sun Gui ambushed Zhou Feng with sleeping gas and a hidden incense, but Zhou Feng survived the knife attack and escaped after using Soul-Bewitching Incense to disorient him. Sun Gui pursued him down Bitter Bamboo Peak, leaving Zhou Feng facing what felt like a deadly crisis.

• Sun Gui approached Zhou Feng's room at night and released sleeping gas followed by a more potent blended incense.
• Zhou Feng pretended to sleep, recognized the trap, and remained unaffected by the incense because of Immunity to Poisons.
• Sun Gui entered and stabbed Zhou Feng in the chest, but Zhou Feng's Bone Plating helped him survive as he used Soul-Bewitching Incense to muddle Sun Gui's mind.
• Zhou Feng recognized that Sun Gui had reached the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation and fled using Ghost Shadow Steps.
• Sun Gui regained his senses, shouted for Xiao Huahua, and chased Zhou Feng down the mountain as other residents stayed inside.

Zhou Feng fought Sun Gui in the mountains, using the Demon Devouring Gu and Sun Gui’s fixation on Xiao Huahua to defeat him. After learning that Sun Gui had become unstable following Xiao Huahua’s death, Zhou Feng swallowed the Demon Devouring Gu from Sun Gui’s body.

• Sun Gui caught up with Zhou Feng, and the Demon Devouring Gu erupted to protect Zhou Feng and restore much of his chest wound.
• Zhou Feng and Sun Gui fought with the Demon Devouring Combat Method, but Zhou Feng’s spiritual power began to run out as the Demon Devouring Gu weakened.
• Zhou Feng tricked Sun Gui by claiming Xiao Huahua was behind him, creating an opening to pierce Sun Gui’s back and throat and behead him.
• Zhou Feng realized Sun Gui’s fixation came from losing his lover Xiao Huahua, though he felt little grief for their fate.
• Zhou Feng cut open Sun Gui’s chest, removed his Ninth Level Qi Condensation Demon Devouring Gu, and swallowed it.

After swallowing Sun Gui's Demon Devouring Gu, Zhou Feng rapidly advanced to the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation and recovered from his injuries. He looted Sun Gui's strange knife and drew the offensive passive Armor-Piercing Spear, which let his attacks ignore part of an enemy's defense.

• Zhou Feng swallowed Sun Gui's Demon Devouring Gu and endured the chaotic spiritual energy and vital energy it released.
• The Gu recognized Zhou Feng and fed him pure energy, raising his cultivation to the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation and healing his injuries.
• Zhou Feng searched Sun Gui's corpse and took the small, unusually sharp knife he had used in their fight.
• Zhou Feng checked his Skill Panel and drew the Level 1 passive Armor-Piercing Spear, which let his attacks ignore one percent of an enemy's defense, except across a major realm.

Zhou Feng prepared to compete in the Three Gu Sect’s Martial Arts Tournament, confident in his ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivation and Armor-Piercing Spear. He registered as number ninety-nine and waited as the tournament’s brutal, no-rules fights began.

• Zhou Feng realized his Armor-Piercing Spear could bypass protective spiritual power and headed back to rest before the tournament.
• The chapter explained that the Three Gu Sect used the tournament to select elite disciples to compete for resources and earn the chance to leave Gu Mountain.
• Qian Shang bought a booklet about promising Inner Sect disciples, but found no information about Zhou Feng; Qian Qianqian stayed calm about their investment.
• Zhou Feng arrived at the crowded mountaintop, observed the Five Poisons Gu branch disciples, and signed up for the tournament.
• Zhou Feng received token number ninety-nine and watched disciples begin fighting under rules that offered no recovery time or protection from serious injury.

At the Martial Arts Tournament, Zhou Feng gathered information about powerful disciples and their Gu insects, including Lin Xiaojiao and Hu Feng. He finally saw his old rival Zhao Wu, whose Third Level of Qi Condensation seemed far below Zhou Feng’s own Ninth Level.

• Zhou Feng watched Lin Xiaojiao defeat her opponent and learned that her Peerless Gu was nearing completion and could forge her an unmatched body.
• Zhou Feng learned that Green Bamboo Peak used cruel dual cultivation to feed the Peerless Gu and that Lin Xiaojiao had received substantial resources.
• Zhou Feng watched Hu Feng of Five Poisons Peak kill his opponent with a venomous Flying Giant Centipede and heard that Hu Feng had reached the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation in less than a year.
• Zhou Feng heard Zhao Wu named as the next fighter and sensed that he had reached only the Third Level of Qi Condensation.
• Zhou Feng compared Zhao Wu’s cultivation with his own Ninth Level and concluded that his old rival no longer seemed much of a threat.

Zhou Feng watched Zhao Wu demonstrate the Bloodthirsty Demonic Art, then entered the Inner Sect Martial Arts Tournament and defeated a Myriad Poisons Peak disciple with ease. He advanced without being harmed by his opponent’s poison.

• Zhao Wu displayed blood-red spiritual power, and the onlookers discussed his perfected Bloodthirsty Demonic Art and evolved Blood Gu.
• Zhou Feng wondered why the Five Poisons Gu lineage dominated the Bloodthirsty Gu lineage and questioned the Sect Master's lineage and its Ice Spirit Gu.
• Zhou Feng was called to fight and faced a black-clad disciple from Myriad Poisons Peak.
• The opponent poisoned Zhou Feng and released Green Smoke, but Zhou Feng's Immunity to Poisons and Demon Devouring Armor protected him.
• Zhou Feng charged through the Green Smoke, killed his opponent with a punch, and won the match.

After Zhou Feng won a match, Wei Guang secretly poisoned him to test whether he possessed the Myriad Poison Body, but found that Zhou Feng merely expelled the poison. Zhou Feng resolved to cultivate more aggressively, then faced Zheng Zhu in his next match as Liu Yan was shocked by his rapid rise to the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation.

• Wei Guang tested Zhou Feng with poison, discovered he was not a Myriad Poison Body, and left without trying to recruit him.
• Zhou Feng realized someone had secretly poisoned him and decided he needed to advance faster, despite the dangers of indiscriminately devouring spiritual items and Gu insects.
• Zhou Feng was called to fight again and faced Zheng Zhu, a feared Five Poisons Peak disciple known for his disfigured face and vindictive nature.
• Liu Yan insulted Zheng Zhu and drew attention to Zhou Feng, then recognized that Zhou Feng had reached the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation since their previous encounter.
• Liu Yan was deeply shocked by Zhou Feng's sudden advancement and sensed a faint danger from him.

Zheng Zhu targeted Zhou Feng after being intimidated by Liu Yan, whose Love Gu made her both powerful and dangerous to her admirers. Zhou Feng attacked Zheng Zhu with his Demon Devouring Combat Method, but after a tiny spider bit him, Zheng Zhu expected to have the upper hand; the chapter ended as his cruel smile froze.

• Liu Yan humiliated Zheng Zhu, who feared her Love Gu and the danger of becoming her next target.
• Zheng Zhu secretly sent spiders to assess Zhou Feng and decided to torment him for seven days.
• Zhou Feng unleashed his Demon Devouring Combat Method, forming armor, a Demonic Shadow, and regenerating spiritual tentacles before charging Zheng Zhu.
• Zheng Zhu evaded the tentacles with Spider Silk and sent a large spider toward Zhou Feng's face while a tiny Essence Breaking Spider bit his leg.
• Zhou Feng continued his charge and flung the large spider aside with his tentacles, causing Zheng Zhu's smile to freeze.

Zhou Feng survived Zheng Zhu’s poison and tore him apart in battle, then noticed Liu Yan had been provoking the conflict. He added Liu Yan to his Kill List as his wounds began to heal.

• Zheng Zhu’s Essence Breaking Spider bit Zhou Feng, but Zhou Feng’s poison immunity left him unaffected.
• Zheng Zhu unleashed the Thousand Spiders Ten Thousand Poisons Technique, and Zhou Feng charged through the swarm to seize him despite being covered in bites.
• Zhou Feng’s tentacles tore Zheng Zhu into pieces, and he crushed Zheng Zhu’s head to finish the battle.
• The onlookers marveled at Zhou Feng’s toughness as his minor wounds rapidly healed.
• Zhou Feng decided Liu Yan had deliberately stirred up trouble and put her on his Kill List.

Zhao Wu decided to spread a rumor that Zhou Feng possessed a cultivation-aiding spiritual treasure, while Liu Yan planned to use Bewitching Incense to make him her Dao Companion and nourishment. As Zhou Feng continued winning in the Martial Arts Tournament, the market began reacting to the new dark horse, and Qian Shang discovered who it was.

• Zhao Wu recognized Zhou Feng as the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation disciple he had once clashed with and decided to spread a rumor about a spiritual treasure rather than confront him directly.
• Zhou Feng sensed that someone was plotting against him, rejected disciples who sought to attach themselves to him, and returned his attention to the Martial Arts Tournament.
• Liu Yan decided Zhou Feng was a suitable Dao Companion and planned to prepare more Bewitching Incense to make him her nourishment.
• Gamblers and shop owners gathered at the market to discuss the tournament's new dark horse and buy the latest intelligence.
• Qian Shang paid for the news, then realized that Zhou Feng was the dark horse.

After Zhou Feng reached the top ten in the Martial Arts Tournament, Old Man Niu brought him to the Myriad Gu Tower and explained that the sect had selected him as a potential Spirit Platform Realm cultivator. The Three Gu Sect intended to use Zhou Feng as bait to lure out a White Bone Monastery cultivator, offering him a Spirit Nurturing Pill and breakthrough guidance if the plan succeeded.

• Qian Shang learned that Zhou Feng was his investment and became excited, but Qian Qianqian persuaded him to keep their business dealings unchanged for now.
• Zhou Feng advanced into the tournament's top ten without facing any of the rumored formidable Inner Sect disciples, and Old Man Niu declared the tournament over.
• Old Man Niu took Zhou Feng to the Myriad Gu Tower, where Zhou Feng saw people raising and studying Gu insects.
• Old Man Niu explained that the tournament identified disciples with potential to reach the Spirit Platform Realm, and that Zhou Feng had drawn the sect's attention despite lacking support at Bitter Bamboo Peak.
• Old Man Niu told Zhou Feng that the Three Gu Sect wanted him to bait a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator from the White Bone Monastery at a mine, promising him breakthrough guidance and a Spirit Nurturing Pill if the plan succeeded.

Zhou Feng agreed to leave on a Three Gu Sect mission, but Old Man Niu implanted a Heart Connecting Gu in his chest to keep him under control. Before the mission began, Zhou Feng went to the Scripture Repository to learn about the Spirit Platform Realm and the Spirit Nurturing Pill.

• Old Man Niu offered Zhou Feng a Spirit Nurturing Pill and a chance to leave the Gu Mountain Range on a sect mission, and Zhou Feng accepted to improve his chance of escaping and avoid Senior Disciple Brother's return.
• Old Man Niu implanted a child Heart Connecting Gu in Zhou Feng's heart and warned him that the gu would react if he tried to flee or remove it.
• Old Man Niu told Zhou Feng that the mission would begin in three days and that someone would deliver his Martial Arts Tournament rewards.
• Zhou Feng entered the first floor of the Scripture Repository and searched its miscellaneous cultivation books for information about the Spirit Platform Realm.
• Zhou Feng learned that a Spirit Platform housed Soul Power and that cultivators could forge one through a Meditation Method or, more commonly, with a Spirit Nurturing Pill.

Zhou Feng learned about Spirit Platform breakthroughs and grades, then returned to Bitter Bamboo Peak with his Martial Arts Tournament rewards. After cultivating to fill the Skill Panel’s progress bar, he began drawing another Passive Skill, leaving the result unknown.

• Zhou Feng read that Spirit Nurturing Pills and Meditation Methods were common ways to forge a Spirit Platform, and learned how its grade affected its power.
• Zhou Feng wondered whether the Demon Devouring Gu could help him break through, then decided to investigate Senior Brother Sun’s residence after returning to Bitter Bamboo Peak.
• Zhou Feng received more than five hundred spirit stones from the Martial Arts Tournament rewards.
• Zhou Feng absorbed spiritual energy from a spirit stone until the Skill Panel’s progress bar filled, then started drawing a Passive Skill.

Zhou Feng stole Senior Brother Sun’s belongings and began hunting people on Bitter Bamboo Peak to strengthen himself by devouring their Demon Devouring Gus. After killing four targets, his spiritual power grew chaotic, his meridians were damaged, and his Demon Devouring Gu could absorb no more.

• Zhou Feng gained the Night Guardian passive and used it to sneak into Senior Brother Sun’s residence under cover of darkness.
• Zhou Feng found Senior Brother Sun’s Storage Bag, which contained spirit stones, books on poison and medicine, and the Turtle Breath Art.
• Zhou Feng decided to kill people below the Qi Condensation Realm on Bitter Bamboo Peak and devour their Demon Devouring Gus to grow stronger.
• Zhou Feng silently killed his first three targets, then killed a fourth who had been cultivating and raised an alarm with his scream.
• Zhou Feng felt bloated as the devoured spiritual power turned chaotic, damaged his meridians, and overwhelmed his Demon Devouring Gu.

Zhou Feng devoured disciples across Bitter Bamboo Peak to rapidly increase his strength, then discovered that recovering from injuries might repeatedly strengthen his defense through Old Skin's passive. He left himself poised to exploit the clashes between his mixed spiritual energy and the Demon Devouring Gu’s purer energy to keep triggering the ability.

• Zhou Feng struggled to contain the chaotic spiritual energy and blood qi in his body, so he urged the Demon Devouring Gu to absorb them.
• After recovering, Zhou Feng resumed hunting and devoured more than a dozen disciples on Bitter Bamboo Peak in one night.
• At dawn, the remaining disciples found the peak unusually deserted and nervously wondered what had happened.
• The Demon Devouring Gu nourished Zhou Feng with purer spiritual energy and blood qi, causing them to clash with the mixed energy already inside him and injure him.
• Zhou Feng realized that recovering from those injuries appeared to trigger Old Skin's passive and increase his defense.
• Zhou Feng swallowed injury pills from Senior Brother Sun's Storage Bag to recover faster and try to stack the passive ability.

Zhou Feng deliberately injured himself to trigger and strengthen his passive skills, then hunted down every disciple on Bitter Bamboo Peak’s front mountain. After killing Zhou Tong, he realized the attacks had gone far more smoothly than he expected and had not yet entered the back mountain, where the Grand Elder cultivated.

• Zhou Feng repeatedly damaged his body and used his healing to consume excess vital energy while trying to merge the spiritual energy within him.
• Zhou Feng absorbed spirit stones until the Skill Panel let him draw Unyielding Heart, which made his healing stronger when his injuries were severe.
• Zhou Feng spent two days injuring and healing himself, then began hunting Bitter Bamboo Peak’s disciples at night and became more ruthless from the third day onward.
• Zhou Feng defeated Zhou Tong, tore out his Demon Devouring Gu, and confirmed that every disciple on the front mountain had been killed.
• Zhou Feng noted that no one had interfered or attacked him in a group, and he had not yet approached the Grand Elder’s back mountain.

Zhou Feng joined a Three Gu Sect mission to seize a mine, where leader Jiang Jing used a Heart Connecting Gu to punish him and establish control over the team. Zhou Feng hid that he could endure the pain and set out toward the mine, hoping to earn a Spirit Nurturing Pill and break through to the Spirit Platform Realm.

• After killing every disciple on Bitter Bamboo Peak’s front mountain, Zhou Feng saw no response from the sect and considered how divided its factions were.
• Zhou Feng arrived at the main peak for the mine mission and sensed the powerful spiritual energy of Jiang Jing, the Spirit Platform Realm leader.
• Jiang Jing activated the Heart Connecting Gu paired with the one inside Zhou Feng, causing intense pain, then ordered him to follow the group.
• Zhou Feng pretended to suffer while secretly enduring the Gu’s effects, and focused on completing the mission to obtain a Spirit Nurturing Pill.
• Jiang Jing led the group away from Gu Mountain, and Zhou Feng listened as the others explained that they were heading to a small mine near the Myriad Insect Cave.

After Zhao Wu spread rumors about Zhou Feng’s rapid cultivation and supposed spiritual artifact, Zhou Feng disappeared from Bitter Bamboo Peak, where its disciples had been killed. Unaware of the rumors, Zhou Feng traveled through the Gu Mountain Range with Jiang Jing’s group, and Jiang Jing ordered him to feed a Blood Mosquito Gu.

• Zhao Wu publicized Zhou Feng’s advancement and claimed he possessed a spiritual artifact, drawing attention from powerful cultivators.
• People found Bitter Bamboo Peak deserted and its disciples buried in a grave, while Old Man Niu feared the returning Grand Elder’s reaction.
• Zhou Feng traveled with Jiang Jing’s group through the dangerous Gu Mountain Range, where poisonous insects and demon beasts threatened them.
• Jiang Jing summoned Zhou Feng and Yu Ming to feed his Blood Mosquito Gu, which drained Yu Ming until he became skeletal.
• Jiang Jing demanded that Zhou Feng come forward, believing his abundant blood essence would benefit the Gu.