Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Fang Jianhao confronts Qin Wuyou, accusing him of offending the “little she-devil” and demanding that he apologize. His two lackeys threaten to cripple Qin and drag him before her.
• Students gather, assuming Qin is an unauthorized prospective student and expecting Fang to torment him. They describe Fang and the young woman as notorious, dangerous figures.
• Fang reveals that Qin is the year’s top-ranked cultivator on both the Heaven-Ascending Ranking and the Heaven Comprehension Stele. The crowd is stunned, and students from both the Upper and Lower Realms hurry to summon powerful seniors to protect him.
• As students from both camps prepare to intervene, Fang’s lackeys attack. Before they can reach Qin, both are suddenly sent flying, leaving the crowd horrified.

Character developments

• Qin Wuyou remains silent and composed despite public insults and threats. His quiet demeanor contrasts with his extraordinary achievement, while the sudden defeat of the lackeys hints at his strength.
• Fang Jianhao acts smug and entitled, relying on his family position and reputation to intimidate others.
• The students shift from pitying Qin to recognizing his importance; their concern over his safety overcomes the rivalry between Upper and Lower Realm factions.

Significant themes

• Power and privilege: Fang’s status protects his bullying, while students fear challenging him and his equally feared associate.
• Reputation versus reality: Qin appears unremarkable to the crowd, despite being an unprecedented double-ranked champion.
• Rivalry and solidarity: Though divided by their origins, students unite when Qin’s life is at stake.
• Underdog suspense: Qin’s stillness and the unexplained defeat of his attackers build anticipation about his abilities.

Character interactions

• Fang mocks Qin and orders his lackeys to punish him; the lackeys escalate the threats.
• The crowd exchanges rumors and warnings about the two notorious troublemakers, but initially keeps its distance.
• Once Qin’s identity is revealed, Upper and Lower Realm students independently send for senior allies, then step forward together—only to be interrupted by the lackeys’ sudden defeat.

Plot and key events

• Qin Wuyou, a prospective student who has not yet officially joined the Supreme Academy, is confronted by Fang Jianhao and two of his lackeys.
• When the lackeys provoke him, Qin Wuyou knocks both away with a single blow, shocking the students watching.
• Fang Jianhao retaliates, confident that his late-stage Saint King strength will overwhelm Qin. Qin stays calm, criticizes the Academy’s “welcome,” and counters with his Saint Dragon Heaven-Battling Fist.
• The golden-dragon attack defeats Fang Jianhao in one strike, leaving him unable to get back up and likely needing months to recover.
• Students—including two great-saint-level leaders who arrived to protect Qin—are stunned. The crowd quickly realizes Qin’s strength may place him among the Academy’s top fighters.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Wuyou shifts from being underestimated as a talented newcomer to revealing overwhelming combat power. Fang Jianhao’s repeated harassment has made him furious, though he restrains himself from killing him because of Academy rules.
• Fang Jianhao, formerly feared for his strength and status, is exposed as badly outmatched. Despite his bravado, Qin’s presence makes him feel genuine fear.
• The students and senior leaders move from concern for Qin to disbelief and awe. The leaders arrive expecting to intervene, only to witness Qin win the fight himself.
• The clash is a direct confrontation between Fang Jianhao’s arrogance and Qin’s refusal to submit to intimidation.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus ability: The students assume Qin cannot match established Academy fighters because he comes from the Lower Realm; his victory overturns their expectations.
• Power and status: Fang Jianhao’s reputation and connections cannot protect him from a stronger opponent.
• Pride and provocation: Fang Jianhao’s bullying escalates into a fight that exposes his limits.
• Restraint under rules: Qin shows that he can dominate his opponent while stopping short of killing him.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Tian discovers that Qin Wuyou is in the Great Saint Realm and is thrilled by the prospect of recruiting such a powerful Lower Realm cultivator. He holds back, expecting Xiao Yi to make a more attractive offer.
• Xiao Yi approaches Qin Wuyou, warning that injuring Fang Jianhao—the vice dean’s favored grandson—could bring severe consequences. He pressures Qin Wuyou to leave or accept the protection of Xiao Yi and the Upper Realm cultivators.
• Qin Wuyou sees through the tactic and questions Xiao Yi’s claim to be a Divine Son of the Primordial Divine Mountain. Xiao Yi says the mountain has four Divine Sons and identifies himself as the second.
• Instead of accepting the offer, Qin Wuyou says he has killed another Divine Son of the Primordial Divine Mountain. When Xiao Yi dismisses the claim, Qin Wuyou adds that he has killed several of its elders.
• Xiao Yi begins to believe Qin Wuyou may be telling the truth and realizes that Qin Wuyou came from the Xuantian World.

Character developments

• Qin Wuyou remains calm and defiant despite the threat of Vice Dean Fang’s retaliation. His claims suggest he has already fought powerful members of the Primordial Divine Mountain.
• Xiao Yi shifts from confident recruiter and intimidator to suspicion and uncertainty when Qin Wuyou’s knowledge and composure undermine his assumptions.
• Xu Tian is eager to recruit Qin Wuyou but cautious, aware that Xiao Yi’s Upper Realm faction can offer greater resources and influence.

Significant themes

• Power and status: Qin Wuyou’s cultivation and record challenge the Upper Realm’s presumed superiority.
• Recruitment as coercion: Xiao Yi presents his offer as protection, but uses fear of Vice Dean Fang to pressure Qin Wuyou into joining.
• Reputation versus reality: Xiao Yi assumes Qin Wuyou’s claims are impossible, until the connection to the Xuantian World makes them seem plausible.
• Defiance in the face of authority: Qin Wuyou refuses to be intimidated by either Xiao Yi’s prestige or Fang Jianhao’s powerful family.

Character interactions

• Xu Tian watches from a distance, weighing whether Qin Wuyou might join the Lower Realm camp.
• Xiao Yi and his followers jointly warn Qin Wuyou and steer him toward seeking their protection.
• Qin Wuyou counters Xiao Yi’s pressure with pointed questions and startling claims, turning the exchange from recruitment into a confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Wuyou tells Xiao Yi that he killed a Divine Son and elders of the Primordial Divine Mountain. Xiao Yi initially doubts him, since even the weakest Divine Son is exceptionally powerful and protected by a formidable Dao Protector.
• Xiao Yi realizes Qin Wuyou may mean Lin Fan, the Mountain’s recently recognized fifth Divine Son, who grew up in the Lower Realm. Qin Wuyou refuses to clarify whether he came from Lin Fan’s world, leaving the accusation hanging.
• Xiao Yi’s alarm and silence make the students believe Qin Wuyou’s claim. They recoil from him, while Xu Tian regrets having considered recruiting him, convinced that the academy or Primordial Divine Mountain will kill him.
• Pressured by the watching crowd and the need to defend his faction’s honor, Xiao Yi declares that Qin Wuyou’s words cannot go unanswered. Instead of executing or arresting him, however, he offers a test: if Qin Wuyou can withstand one palm strike, Xiao Yi will let him leave.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yi shifts from dismissing Qin Wuyou’s claim to visibly fearing its implications. Though he privately has little interest in Lin Fan’s fate—and might benefit from Lin Fan’s death—public scrutiny forces him to respond. His proposed palm strike may be a compromise between appearing to uphold the Mountain’s dignity and avoiding an outright confrontation.
• Qin Wuyou remains cold and defiant, challenging Xiao Yi to consider whether he can protect someone who has killed the Mountain’s people. His refusal to explain further intensifies the uncertainty.
• The students move from shock to fear and distance themselves from Qin Wuyou, treating him as doomed.
• Xu Tian retreats from his earlier interest in recruiting Qin Wuyou and regards his boldness as reckless.

Significant themes

• Reputation and public pressure: Xiao Yi’s choice is shaped less by personal conviction than by how his response will look to witnesses.
• Power, status, and intimidation: Qin Wuyou’s alleged crimes seem impossible to the crowd because of the Primordial Divine Mountain’s immense prestige and strength.
• Rivalry and self-interest: Lin Fan’s death could benefit Xiao Yi, exposing tension between factional duty and personal advantage.
• Defiance against authority: Qin Wuyou’s audacious claims unsettle a world where powerful organizations are assumed to be untouchable.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Yi offers Qin Wuyou a choice: endure one palm strike and be spared temporarily, or refuse and die. He intends to use the strike to gauge Qin’s strength, not to let him go.
• Qin rejects the offer outright and declares his willingness to fight Xiao Yi to the death. Xiao Yi is furious: Qin’s refusal ruins his plan and leaves him trapped between fighting and losing face.
• Students are stunned and dismiss Qin’s chances, pointing out that Xiao Yi is a late-stage Great Saint and among the academy’s top ten, while Qin is an outsider from the Lower Realm.
• The academy’s six most powerful figures observe from afar. Some admire Qin’s talent and his achievement of topping both rankings; Vice Dean Fang condemns him and wants him killed, largely because Qin badly injured Fang Jianhao.
• Vice Dean Xiao, representing the Primordial Divine Mountain, also threatens Qin, citing the deaths of its Divine Son and Elder.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Wuyou shows defiance and resolve, refusing a bargain he distrusts despite the overwhelming odds.
• Xiao Yi shifts from calculated confidence to anger when Qin refuses to follow his terms; he does not want a direct fight but cannot easily back down publicly.
• Xu Tian, a leading Lower Realm cultivator, is shocked by Qin’s challenge and considers it reckless.
• Vice Dean Fang reveals his personal vendetta and favoritism toward Fang Jianhao, while Vice Dean Xiao makes clear his allegiance to the Primordial Divine Mountain. The other senior figures remain restrained by their institutional roles.

Significant themes

• Pride and public reputation: Xiao Yi feels compelled to uphold his standing before the academy.
• Defiance against power: Qin refuses to submit, even when nearly everyone expects him to lose.
• Political influence and favoritism: The vice deans’ sect loyalties and personal grievances shape their judgments.
• Hidden motives and uncertainty: Xiao Yi’s offer sounds merciful but is really a test—and potentially a way to kill Qin.

Plot points and events

• The academy’s leaders debate Qin Wuyou’s fight with Fang Jianhao. The dean declares that Qin is protected by academy rules, while the Penal Elder confirms Fang Jianhao provoked him and that Qin did not break the rules by leaving anyone dead.
• Deputy Dean Fang argues that Qin’s violence is unacceptable and that his injured grandson cannot simply be left unpunished. The Penal and Transmission Elders counter that Fang Jianhao was at fault and that Deputy Dean Fang should uphold fairness rather than defend family.
• The dean settles the dispute: Fang Jianhao must serve one year of confinement after recovering; Qin Wuyou receives three days; and Xiao Yi is sentenced to confinement as well. The elders accept the ruling, though both deputy deans are displeased.
• Deputy Dean Xiao objects to Xiao Yi’s punishment. The dean quietly warns that he can expose Xiao Yi’s hidden motives, silencing him.
• Below, Xiao Yi waits for Qin Wuyou to attack first, hoping to gain an excuse to kill him. Before the duel begins, the Penal Elder’s intimidating presence arrives, and the students bow in alarm.

Character developments and interactions

• The dean protects Qin from excessive punishment but imposes measured penalties on all involved. He also keeps Deputy Dean Xiao in check by implying he knows Xiao Yi’s true intentions.
• The Penal, Transmission, and Inner Court Elders act together to defend procedural fairness and pressure Deputy Dean Fang to put justice above family loyalty.
• Deputy Dean Fang is angry but ultimately yields, recognizing that Fang Jianhao was at fault.
• Deputy Dean Xiao tries to defend Xiao Yi but backs down when threatened with exposure.
• Xiao Yi is revealed as calculating and potentially murderous: he intends to provoke Qin into striking first so a killing could be disguised as an accident.

Significant themes

• Justice versus nepotism: The elders insist that status and family ties should not excuse wrongdoing.
• Power and institutional authority: The dean and elders control the outcome, while public displays of fairness also serve the academy’s reputation.
• Hidden motives and accountability: Xiao Yi’s planned deception shows that outward justifications can conceal dangerous intentions.

Key plot points and events

• After Qin Wuyou’s violent clash with Fang Jianhao and Xiao Yi, the Penal Elder issues punishments without explaining his reasoning: Qin gets three days of confinement, Xiao Yi three months, and the badly injured Fang Jianhao one year after he recovers.
• Students are stunned by the apparent favoritism toward Qin, who calmly goes with the Enforcement Team. Upper Realm students leave dejected, while Lower Realm students celebrate.
• Xu Tian notices the Enforcement Team takes Qin in the wrong direction for the Confinement Room. He concludes that the Penal Elder is sheltering Qin from retaliation by Vice Deans Xiao and Fang until the Trial Grounds open in three days.
• Xu further suspects Qin has been sent to the Divine Ability Hall Inner Court to study the Heaven-Comprehending Stele. He sees the incident as a chance to bring Qin, a powerful prospective student, into the Lower Realm faction.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Wuyou is surprised by the Elder’s intervention but accepts his sentence without resistance. His conflict with the Upper Realm cultivators makes him a potential ally for the Lower Realm students.
• Xu Tian demonstrates political insight, interpreting the unusual sentence as protection rather than punishment. He confidently shares his reasoning with the Lower Realm students, then frames the conflict as an opportunity for his faction.
• The Penal Elder remains unseen and gives no explanation, but his markedly unequal sentences suggest he is protecting Qin.
• The students react in opposing ways: Upper Realm students are disheartened, while Lower Realm students look to Xu Tian for guidance and become intrigued by his explanation.

Significant themes

• Power and favoritism: The unexplained punishments undermine students’ confidence in the Penal Elder’s impartiality.
• Protection through authority: A sentence of “confinement” may be a cover for safeguarding Qin from powerful enemies.
• Factional politics and opportunity: Xu Tian views Qin’s feud with the Upper Realm as a chance to strengthen the Lower Realm camp.
• Rivalry: Qin and the Upper Realm cultivators are now portrayed as fundamentally opposed—“as incompatible as fire and water.”

Key plot points and events

• After being sentenced to three days of confinement for his clash with Xiao Yi, Qin Wuyou is escorted to the Divine Ability Hall’s Inner Court.
• The Law Enforcement Hall disciples explain that the “confinement” is actually protective: Qin has angered two vice deans, and the Penal Elder is shielding him from possible retaliation.
• Qin discovers that the hall houses the Heaven-Comprehending Stele, which records three thousand heavenly-dao divine abilities. Though it is normally accessible only under limited conditions, Qin is given a rare opportunity to study it for three days.
• The disciples leave him in one of the Inner Court’s eight courtyards. Qin immediately begins meditating, noticing that the stele’s runes are clearer and closer to the source of divine abilities than those he saw in the Xuantian World—potentially doubling his learning efficiency.

Character developments

• Qin shifts from resentment at being prevented from killing Xiao Yi to excitement over the unexpected opportunity.
• He recognizes that the Elder’s intervention was both protection and a valuable reward, and resolves to use every moment of his three days.

Significant themes

• Protection disguised as punishment: Qin’s confinement is a strategic refuge rather than a penalty.
• Opportunity and ambition: A seemingly adverse situation gives Qin access to the knowledge he came to the academy to obtain.
• Discipline and urgency: Knowing he cannot master everything in three days, Qin commits himself to focused study.

Character interactions

• The two Law Enforcement Hall disciples explain the political danger Qin faces and reveal the true nature of his confinement.
• Their reassurances persuade Qin to trust that the Elder has helped him, while their reminder that passing the third trial will secure his student status signals how he may avoid further trouble.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Wuyou activates the Great Heavenly Mandate Supernatural Ability, described as the source of the Three Thousand Heavenly Dao Divine Abilities. Because the other abilities derive from it, it can help him comprehend them far more easily.
• Divine-ability runes begin entering Qin Wuyou’s body as seeds. Facing a three-day limit, he decides to collect the seeds of all three thousand abilities first, rather than fully comprehend each one immediately.
• At Sky-Reaching Peak, the dean orders that his granddaughter, the Little Witch Qianqian, be sent to Heaven-Patrolling City and the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield to temper herself and stop causing trouble at the academy.
• Though Uncle Fu fears for her safety and tries to talk the dean out of it, the dean stands firm. He allows Qianqian to take three treasures from his treasury for protection.
• Qianqian is thrilled by the prospect of going to the battlefield. She and Uncle Fu head to the treasury so she can choose her three treasures.
• The chapter ends with an unnamed person arriving at the Supreme Academy.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Wuyou shows strategic thinking: rather than pursue complete mastery under a tight deadline, he prioritizes acquiring divine-ability seeds that he can develop later.
• The dean balances discipline with concern for Qianqian. He imposes a dangerous trial but equips her with life-saving treasures.
• Qianqian proves adventurous and eager for danger, viewing the battlefield as an opportunity she has long wanted—not a punishment.
• Uncle Fu acts as a worried protector. He appeals to the dean, then accompanies Qianqian despite his misgivings and anticipates the dean will blame him for what she takes from the treasury.

Significant themes

• Foundations and inheritance: The Great Heavenly Mandate Ability is the source of the other abilities, making mastery of a core principle a shortcut to broader knowledge.
• Preparation under pressure: Qin Wuyou adapts his approach to meet a limited timeframe.
• Discipline, protection, and growth: The dean sends Qianqian into danger to develop her, while ensuring she has means to survive.
• Contrasting perspectives: What the dean and Uncle Fu see as a harsh punishment, Qianqian sees as an exciting chance for adventure.

• Plot: A proud young heir of the Qin Family arrives at the Supreme Academy to study the Heaven-Comprehending Stele. In less than fifteen minutes, he comprehends the Great Heavenly Dragon Supernatural Ability, impressing the Instruction Elder. He dismisses the achievement as easy thanks to its resemblance to his family’s True Dragon ability, pointedly insulting the academy. His real goal is the Great Heavenly Mandate Supernatural Ability, which he learns is uniquely difficult: only one person per era can master it, perhaps someone chosen by the Heavenly Dao. He confidently declares that he will be that person. Before the Elder can leave, a dragon’s cry and a radiant star-filled sky erupt from a neighboring courtyard: someone has just comprehended the Great Stellar Divine Ability.
• Character developments: The Qin youth’s extraordinary talent is established, along with his ambition and arrogance. He tolerates the Elder’s displeasure because he values the chance to study the stele more than taking offense. The Instruction Elder initially resents the youth’s contempt, but his pride in the academy returns when the neighboring student succeeds.
• Interactions: The youth addresses the dean respectfully, but later mocks the academy to the Instruction Elder. The Elder explains the Mandate ability’s exceptional nature despite disliking him. When the youth notices the new display, he asks whether its creator is an academy student, showing that the feat has caught his attention.
• Themes: Exceptional talent and ambition; pride and rivalry; the limits of knowledge and control, embodied by the rare, seemingly Heaven-chosen Mandate ability; and the challenge posed by unexpected competitors.

Key plot points and events

• A domineering young man dismisses Supreme Academy’s students and refuses to meet a newly admitted genius, claiming no one is worthy of his attention.
• The Transmission Elder challenges him: the new student placed first on the Heaven-Comprehending Stele. The young man recognizes signs that the student may have mastered both the Great Stellar and Great Heavenly Dragon divine abilities.
• The youth declares that every genius is inferior to him. He is revealed as Qin Batian, the Qin Family’s second Imperial Scion.
• In his courtyard, Qin Wuyou completes the Great Stellar Divine Ability in under fifteen minutes, aided by the Great Heavenly Mandate Supernatural Ability. He continues cultivating and accumulating divine-ability seeds.
• The Transmission Elder visits Wuyou. Initially wary because the visitor is a Supreme, Wuyou learns that the Elder oversees the Divine Ability Hall and helped authorize his access.
• The Elder reassures Wuyou that academy rules protect him from the vice deans he has offended, provided he does not break those rules.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Batian is introduced as fiercely arrogant and determined to assert superiority over Wuyou, whose achievement has nevertheless caught his attention.
• Qin Wuyou remains cautious around powerful figures, but responds politely when he understands the Elder’s goodwill. His exceptional speed in mastering divine abilities further establishes his talent.
• The Transmission Elder shifts from boasting about the academy’s new genius to personally supporting Wuyou. He explains his role, admits he helped Wuyou enter the hall, and offers reassurance. Their exchange builds mutual trust.

Significant themes

• Talent versus arrogance: Wuyou’s remarkable accomplishments contrast with Batian’s boastful confidence.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a gifted student must fear a Supreme’s overwhelming strength.
• Institutional protection and trust: Academy rules offer Wuyou some security, while the Elder’s support gives him a potential ally.

Key plot points and events

• The Transmission Elder assures Qin Wuyou that the Supreme Academy can protect him from the two vice deans, easing his immediate worries. Qin Wuyou suspects the elder had another reason for visiting but chooses not to ask.
• While studying the Three Thousand Heavenly Dao Divine Abilities, Qin Wuyou masters the Great Puppet Divine Ability. It lets him place imprints in the souls of weaker beings, controlling them as puppets.
• He sees the ability as a way to build a loyal force for his eventual return to the Upper Realm, where his current allies may be too weak to help. The imprints can only control beings weaker than himself, but he believes they could still secure powerful followers.
• After three days, Qin Wuyou has acquired more than 2,700 divine ability seeds and mastered over a hundred abilities. His cultivation has not advanced, but his combat strength and Heavenly Dao Diagram have grown substantially. Frustrated that he lacks only a few seeds, he plans to return to the Divine Ability Hall before leaving for the Ten Thousand Races Battlefield.
• Meanwhile, Qin Batian fails to sense the Great Heavenly Mandate Supernatural Ability, despite comprehending dozens of abilities, including the second-ranked Great Creation Divine Ability. With one day left, he clings to the belief that he is destined to obtain it and continues his efforts.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Wuyou grows more strategic: he views the academy as a temporary refuge and the battlefield as an opportunity to gather followers. His interaction with the Transmission Elder is cautious and restrained; he accepts the protection offered but does not probe the elder’s unspoken concerns.
• Qin Batian shifts from confidence to doubt after failing to be chosen by the Heavenly Dao. He then rebuilds his confidence through forceful self-persuasion, determined to keep trying.
• The Transmission Elder’s assurance provides Qin Wuyou security, while the Elder’s apparent hesitation suggests an unresolved concern that remains unaddressed.

Significant themes

• Power through control and organization: Qin Wuyou’s new ability offers an alternative to killing opponents and a means to build a dependable force.
• Destiny versus self-belief: Qin Batian’s struggle tests his faith that he is the one destined to receive the supreme ability.
• Preparation and ambition: Qin Wuyou treats each gain as a step toward larger goals, while both characters measure themselves against extraordinary expectations.

Key plot points and events

• After three days studying the Supreme Academy’s Dao Enlightenment Cliff, the prospective students have improved significantly. Fang Han has advanced from the seventh to the tenth heaven of Saint Rank.
• Qin Wuyou uses the Great Heavenly Mandate Supernatural Ability to divine Fang Han’s fate. Fang Han’s Fate Disc appears, and its light opens a view of the River of Destiny.
• The vision shows Fang Han succeeding in the Trial Grounds—defeating even stronger demonic beasts—before being ambushed near the trial’s end. Ling Yun is working with cultivators from other worlds and drives a sword through Fang Han’s chest.
• The vision ends before revealing Fang Han’s ultimate fate. Qin Wuyou believes Fang Han’s good fortune makes survival likely, and concludes that his ability can currently reveal only the next day’s destiny, and only for cultivators weaker than himself.
• Fang Han calls Qin Wuyou back to the group, unaware of the divination. Qin Wuyou realizes that others cannot see the vision’s supernatural signs and decides to keep his ability secret.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Han displays remarkable cultivation speed and remains unaware that Qin Wuyou has foreseen his coming ambush.
• Qin Wuyou gains a clearer sense of the Great Heavenly Mandate’s power and limitations. He is alarmed by Ling Yun’s attack on Fang Han, but also frustrated that he cannot yet divine his missing parents’ destinies.
• Ling Yun emerges as a direct threat, conspiring with outsiders to kill Fang Han.
• Qin Wuyou and Fang Han interact briefly when Fang Han respectfully addresses him as Grand Martial Ancestor and announces it is time to depart.

Significant themes

• Destiny and agency: Qin Wuyou can glimpse future events, but his ability is limited and the vision does not reveal whether Fang Han will survive.
• Fortune and danger: Fang Han’s status as a Child of Fortune may protect him, yet he is still vulnerable to a coordinated surprise attack.
• Power and secrecy: Qin Wuyou recognizes the significance of his divine ability and chooses to conceal it to avoid drawing attention.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Wuyou realizes Fang Han may be in danger after the trial, when Ling Yun is fated to join others in ambushing him. He cannot explain how he knows without risking severe karmic backlash, so he warns Fang Han only to be cautious of Ling Yun.
• Ling Yun invites Fang Han to join a group of Saint King–rank cultivators. Fang Han declines; Ling Yun hides his irritation behind a polite response.
• Li Qingyuan gives each candidate an Azure Token that records their identity and trial points. Qin Wuyou receives Number One, Fang Han Number Twelve, and Ling Yun Number One Hundred Thirty-Two—rankings apparently based on performance in the earlier tests.
• Li Qingyuan warns that the trial is dangerous and may be fatal, but no one withdraws. The one-day trial begins, and the candidates are teleported to separate locations in a primeval forest, disrupting their planned alliances.
• Many candidates panic, then use Voice Transmission Talismans to locate one another. Qin Wuyou, by contrast, is already killing several demonic beasts.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Wuyou shows concern for Fang Han but is constrained by the dangers of revealing his foresight. He quietly offers the warning without explaining its source.
• Fang Han trusts Qin Wuyou’s advice, despite having considered Ling Yun a potential friend.
• Ling Yun appears friendly and cooperative, but Fang Han’s refusal brings out concealed resentment, foreshadowing his planned ambush.
• Li Qingyuan establishes the trial’s stakes and rules, emphasizing both the candidates’ promise and the real risk of death.

Significant themes

• Fate versus agency: Qin Wuyou knows what may happen but cannot easily intervene; his warning leaves Fang Han to respond for himself.
• Trust and hidden hostility: Ling Yun’s courteous manner conceals a grudge, complicating Fang Han’s assumptions about friendship.
• Competition and merit: The numbered tokens reflect candidates’ earlier performance, while recorded points will determine who qualifies.
• Isolation and adaptation: The unexpected separation overturns candidates’ plans, forcing them to respond independently or find one another.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Wuyou kills three saint-rank demonic beasts with one sword strike and learns that points scale with their strength.
• The Trial Grounds have three regions: saint-rank beasts in the Beginner Area, saint king-rank beasts in the Intermediate Area, and great saint-rank beasts in the Advanced Area. Qin heads toward the deepest region, seeking stronger targets and a way to break a record.
• The Heavenly Dao announces that “Number Two Trial-Taker” killed ninety saint-rank beasts with one strike, setting the most-kills record and earning a Saint Soul Pill and 1,000 points.
• Qin decides to beat the record, partly because the pill could help Elder Xuanji cultivate a supreme primordial spirit.
• Knowing that searching for a large beast gathering would take too long, Qin recalls Rain God Valley’s beast-attracting powder and produces a bottle his mother had given him.

Character developments

• Qin Wuyou is confident and ambitious, treating the record as achievable rather than intimidating. He also shows consideration for Elder Xuanji by seeking the pill for his benefit.
• Number Two Trial-Taker is revealed as a powerful, white-robed youth who is pleased to receive the reward, though his identity remains unknown.
• Qin’s connection to his mother and her heritage becomes clearer: she is the Goddess of Rain God Valley, whose famed medicinal arts include powders that attract beasts.

Character interactions

• The Heavenly Dao’s announcement reaches every trial-taker, prompting widespread astonishment and envy.
• Qin responds to the unknown record-holder’s achievement by deciding to compete for the same title and reward.
• Qin’s plans are also shaped by his concern for Elder Xuanji, whom he hopes the Saint Soul Pill could help.

Significant themes

• Competition and ambition: A public record immediately inspires Qin to pursue an even greater feat.
• Power and reward: Strength earns points and Heavenly Dao rewards, turning combat into a contest with tangible stakes.
• Ingenuity over brute force: Qin looks for an efficient way to gather his targets rather than wasting time searching for them individually.
• Family legacy and loyalty: Qin draws on his mother’s inherited knowledge while seeking a reward for someone he cares about.

Plot points and events

• Qin Wuyou uses a secret powder made by his mother, the former Goddess of Rain God Valley. Its scent is detectable by demonic beasts and is meant to draw them in.
• After a brief delay, the powder attracts far more beasts than Qin expected. Hundreds of Saint Rank beasts—and growing numbers of lesser and greater demon kings—converge on his location, forming a massive beast tide.
• The trial participants panic and hide, realizing they cannot fight the advancing horde.
• Elders monitoring the Trial Grounds discover the crisis through a bronze mirror and alert the Six Great Supremes.
• The Supremes cannot enter: the sealed Trial Grounds bar outside interference until the assessment ends. Their only hope is that participants voluntarily abandon the trial and are teleported to safety.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Wuyou is surprised by the secret medicine’s extraordinary potency; his experiment triggers a disaster far beyond what he anticipated.
• The prospective students shift from confidence to terror, arguing about the threat before seeking shelter.
• The elders and Supremes, normally powerful and authoritative, are alarmed and helpless to intervene. Vice Deans Fang and Xiao are especially angry and distressed over the danger to promising candidates.
• The elders urge the students to prioritize survival and give up the trial.

Significant themes

• Unintended consequences: Qin’s use of the powder produces an outcome vastly more dangerous than he expected.
• Limits of power: Even Great Saint elders and Supreme-level authorities are constrained by the Trial Grounds’ rules.
• Survival over ambition: The chapter emphasizes that passing an assessment is not worth dying for.

Key plot points and events

• The academy’s leaders discuss the sudden Beast Tide and hope no students have provoked it. They explain that such tides are usually drawn to a treasure or spirit herb, and attacking the beasts is a dangerous taboo.
• A golden sword slash suddenly tears through the tide, shocking the observers. Vice Dean Fang angrily condemns the unknown attacker for endangering everyone.
• The attacker is revealed to be Qin Wuyou. His tiny amount of secret concoction attracted far more beasts than he expected, leaving him no choice but to fight because the scent is strongest on him.
• Qin Wuyou unleashes a series of sword strikes with power seemingly rivaling the Supreme rank, destroying the Beast Tide in little more than a dozen breaths.
• The nearby students emerge from hiding and are stunned by the devastation. Most assume an academy Supreme saved them, though one student questions why a Supreme would need repeated sword strikes—and why any beasts would remain.

Character developments

• Qin Wuyou realizes he badly underestimated the secret concoction’s potency. Though initially panicked, he responds decisively and proves overwhelmingly powerful. Once the danger passes, he credits his success to the fact that stronger beasts could not enter the low-level area.
• Vice Dean Fang reacts with fury, blaming the unidentified student and threatening both the culprit and the elders responsible for recruiting him.
• The students and academy officials are shown as unable to imagine that a prospective student could have defeated the tide, highlighting how extraordinary Qin Wuyou’s feat appears.

Significant themes

• Power and misjudgment: Qin Wuyou’s small experiment has enormous consequences, but his strength lets him contain the disaster.
• Appearances and mistaken assumptions: The observers attribute the victory to a Supreme because they cannot believe a student could achieve it.
• Responsibility and danger: The chapter stresses that provoking a Beast Tide can threaten everyone, even when the instigator does not intend to cause such a catastrophe.

Character interactions

• The academy leaders discuss the students’ safety, while Vice Dean Fang lashes out at the elders over the unknown attacker.
• Qin Wuyou confronts the beasts alone, unable to escape the danger he created.
• Afterward, the students debate whether a Supreme intervened, with one skeptical voice challenging the popular explanation.

• Qin Wuyou’s record-breaking feat: The trial participants assume that an academy elder or Supreme dealt with the beast tide. Instead, the Heavenly Dao reveals that participant number one—Qin Wuyou—killed the beasts. It announces a string of records for most kills with a single strike, culminating in a strike that killed nearly ten thousand beasts. He also killed more than one hundred thousand beasts in under ten breaths, setting a new total-kills record.
• The reward and its significance: Qin receives six thousand Saint Soul Pills across the successive records and, for the total-kills record, the Godslayer Spear—an Emperor-to-be Armament containing the slaughter law. Its power impresses him, but he values even more that it may serve as the foundation for forging the Heaven-Slaying Spear, one of the Nine Heavens Supreme Treasures. He hides the spear’s abilities, recognizing it as a potential trump card against the Supremes he has antagonized.
• Reactions and character development: The other prospective students are stunned to learn the feat came from a fellow trial participant, not an elder. They conclude Qin’s strength rivals a Supreme’s and openly admire him, though they do not know his identity. Qin himself is surprised by the scale of his destruction, then thrilled by the reward and its future potential. Elsewhere, a previously record-setting youth acknowledges Qin’s superiority, setting aside some of his pride to admit that there is always someone greater.
• Themes and interactions: The chapter emphasizes overwhelming strength, ambition, and humility before greater ability. Qin’s encounter with the Godslayer Spear also advances his long-term goal of assembling the Nine Heavens Supreme Treasures. The Heavenly Dao’s announcements make Qin’s achievement public, while the crowd’s awe and the rival youth’s respectful reflection show how dramatically his feat changes others’ view of him.

Plot points and events

• At Supreme Academy, the Heavenly Dao announces that Trial Participant Number One has killed 100,000 beasts in ten breaths and stopped the Beast Tide. The six Supremes and academy elders are stunned by the feat.
• The elders try to learn the participant’s identity. The Supremes recognize him as Qin Wuyou, whose top results earned him the Number One spot despite opposition from two vice deans, who favored Xiao Ming.
• The Supremes’ attention turns to Elder Li Qingyuan, who recruited Qin. Li proudly confirms it, sparking a rowdy exchange with his colleagues.
• The dean rewards Li with an unprecedented opportunity to cultivate in the Supreme Hall, recognizing Qin’s actions as having likely saved the other trial participants.
• Meanwhile, Qin leaves the scene to avoid attracting attention and plans to keep his identity concealed as long as he can.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Qingyuan goes from stunned disbelief to exuberant pride, relishing a recruitment success that surpasses his colleagues’ and earns him a major reward.
• Qin Wuyou is revealed as extraordinarily powerful and remains cautious: despite his public trial ranking, he prefers to keep his identity and achievements out of the spotlight.
• The academy elders shift from shock and curiosity to envy and teasing banter with Li. Their rivalry over recruiting talented students becomes clear.
• The Supremes and dean acknowledge Qin’s achievement and reward Li, while the earlier dispute over Qin’s placement highlights tension with the vice deans.

Significant themes

• Merit versus favoritism: Qin’s overwhelming results prevail over attempts to promote a less-qualified candidate.
• Recognition and reward: Qin’s achievement brings credit and opportunity to the elder who recruited him.
• Humility versus pride: Qin avoids attention, while Li openly celebrates his success.
• Hidden strength: Qin’s true power is far beyond what others expected, and he seeks to keep it concealed.

Plot points and events

• After Qin Wuyou suppresses the beast tide with a single sword strike, he vanishes before the others can see him. Fang Han recognizes him as Trial Participant Number One and is awestruck by his strength.
• The Yellow Springs Demon Dragon judges Qin’s combat ability comparable to an early-stage Supreme and privately warns that his potential may exceed even the Yellow Springs Great Emperor’s.
• Fang asks about the Yellow Springs Treasury. The Demon Dragon says its contents could help him reach the Supreme Realm—or perhaps even become a Great Emperor. He also explains that the Yellow Springs Great Emperor might have proven his Dao through the conventional route, but chose to pursue a different path and failed.
• Thinking about how dangerous it is to fight cultivators of higher realms, Fang decides that cautious cultivation and hiding his strength are safer than openly displaying it. He conceals three minor cultivation levels and plans to hide more outside the Academy.
• The Demon Dragon warns Fang that Ling Yun is conspiring with several others to ambush him. The Demon Dragon had already marked Ling Yun with his aura after Qin warned Fang to be wary of him.
• Fang realizes Qin’s earlier warning was well-founded and admires his foresight.

Character development and interactions

• Fang Han becomes more cautious, resolving to conceal his cultivation and avoid unnecessary risks. He is also increasingly impressed by Qin’s strength, judgment, and experience.
• Qin Wuyou remains absent after the battle, but his actions shape the chapter: his overwhelming display inspires Fang, and his warning about Ling Yun proves correct.
• The Yellow Springs Demon Dragon guides Fang with lessons about cultivation, ambition, and self-preservation. His prior suspicion of Ling Yun helps expose the planned ambush.
• Ling Yun, previously perceived as amiable and not an obvious enemy, is revealed to be plotting against Fang, apparently after Fang refused his invitation.
• Fang and the Demon Dragon discuss the Yellow Springs Great Emperor’s failed ambition, with the Demon Dragon urging Fang to follow the established path to becoming an emperor.

Significant themes

• Caution versus open strength: Qin’s conspicuous power contrasts with Fang’s preference for quietly building strength and staying safe.
• Cultivation and realm hierarchy: Higher cultivation usually grants decisive advantage, though exceptional weapons or techniques can allow fighters to challenge opponents one realm above.
• Ambition and conventional paths: The Yellow Springs Great Emperor’s refusal to follow the standard route to emperorship illustrates the risk of pursuing an untested ideal.
• Foresight and trust: Qin’s warning and the Demon Dragon’s vigilance show how careful judgment can prevent betrayal and danger.