Recaps

Zhao Er escaped the two Meridian Opening Realm pursuers with the Dragonblood Horse after poisoning and disabling many fighters in the courtyard. Once safe, he used the settlement’s experience, variant beast essence blood, and spirit ore stones to withstand a surge of power and began guiding his inner force toward his dantian.

• Zhao Er unleashed a burst of toxins that incapacitated many courtyard fighters, then used the two Meridian Opening Realm experts’ attacks to propel himself toward the Outer City.
• The blue-robed leader and his companion pursued Zhao Er, while Li Qi refused Xiang Zheng’s offer of help and continued fighting the growing number of gu worm puppets.
• The Dragonblood Horse rescued Zhao Er just before the pursuers caught him and carried him beyond the Prefectural Seat; the pursuers turned back to defend other strongholds.
• After seeing the settlement panel, Zhao Er smeared variant beast essence blood over his body and endured the energy surge as it healed and strengthened him.
• Zhao Er swallowed another bottle of essence blood, absorbed spirit ore stones to reinforce his golden body, and began driving his inner force toward his dantian.

Zhao Er used the energy within him to break through into the Meridian Opening Realm, then spotted the two experts who had pursued him and flew toward them to test his new strength. The two experts noticed his approach but did not recognize him.

• Zhao Er gathered the energy in his dantian, compressed it into mist, and combined it with his five-element inner force to achieve the Meridian Opening Realm.
• Zhao Er checked his panel and saw that his cultivation and two cultivation arts had reached new levels, while the Thousand Mechanisms Eye Art had also advanced.
• Zhao Er spotted the two Meridian Opening Realm experts entering the Inner City and decided to confront them instead of entering seclusion to stabilize his realm.
• Zhao Er flew toward the pair with his killing intent exposed, and they turned to face him, mistaking him for another expert.

Zhao Er broke through to the meridian opening realm and killed two Gu Cult elders by combining a powerful halberd strike with poison, then absorbed their potent Gu worm poison. He joined Li Qi on the central battlefield and slew three Gu worm puppets, but the chapter ended as Xiang Zheng cried out in pain.

• Zhao Er wounded two pursuing Gu Cult elders with his thirty-foot Twin Halberds, then used tranquilizing giant bee venom to incapacitate and kill them.
• Zhao Er killed the Gu worms that escaped the elders and absorbed their potent vitality-corroding poison, but received no settlement because more enemies were targeting him.
• Zhao Er let incoming attacks blast him toward the City Lord's Residence, where he found the Ningjin Prefecture Martial Academy reinforcements under siege.
• Zhao Er's poison weakened three Gu worm puppets attacking Li Qi, allowing Li Qi to restrain them before Zhao Er destroyed their dantians and killed them.
• Li Qi discovered Zhao Er's body cultivation and realm had both advanced during combat, and Zhao Er explained what had happened.
• Xiang Zheng, a steward of the Headmaster's faction, cried out in pain nearby.

Zhao Er helped Li Qi and the Martial Academy fighters clear the battlefield, then warned that the Gu Cult was infesting the Inner City and might spread across Myriad Scenery Prefecture. Li Qi sent teams to investigate and contain the outbreak, while she and Zhao Er began using poisonous mist to eliminate the parasitized hosts.

• Zhao Er killed Gu worm puppets and used tranquilizing giant bee venom to leave Gu Cult disciples vulnerable to the Martial Academy fighters, turning the battle in their favor.
• After the nearby enemies were defeated, Zhao Er warned Li Qi that parasitized martial artists could be part of a plan to raise Gu worms across the Prefectural Seat.
• Li Qi sent Xiang Zheng and Tong Yu with attendants to search for Inner City strongholds, and ordered the remaining attendants to inspect the Outer City and guard the gates if they found a widespread infestation.
• Li Qi sent a report to the Martial Academy with its black eagle messenger, then learned Zhao Er had brought poisonous mist but not Little White Marten.
• Li Qi and Zhao Er split responsibility for the Inner City, and Li Qi released the Redfire Centipede as black mist spread through the buildings and people screamed in pain.

Zhao Er helped Li Qi’s group eliminate the Gu Cult’s strongholds across the Prefectural Seat, then joined the attack that ended the battle at the City Lord’s Residence. As the mission continued, he withdrew to consolidate his cultivation and claim the battle’s settlement experience, hoping to prepare for the looming conflicts at Medicine King Valley and the Martial Academy’s base.

• Zhao Er poisoned the parasitized people in the Inner City while Li Qi’s group destroyed its Gu Cult strongholds, and Xiang Zheng reported that no one there had survived.
• Zhao Er explained that he had reached the Meridian Opening Realm while fleeing pursuit, and Li Qi and the other Attendants praised his breakthrough and his help uncovering the Gu Cult’s plot.
• An Attendant reported that the Outer City had no parasitized civilians or martial artists, so Li Qi led the group to surround the City Lord’s Residence.
• Zhao Er and the reinforcements overwhelmed the wounded Gu Cult fighters and puppets, ending the battle at dusk.
• Li Qi stayed behind to handle the Prefectural Seat’s aftermath while Zhao Er and the others rested outside the city.
• Zhao Er went to a rocky hollow, opened the Settlement Panel, and claimed experience from the battle.

After the battle, Zhao Er used his settlement energy to open acupoints and clear an entire meridian in less than an hour, astonishing the attendants. He stopped to absorb the rest of his spirit ore, then took over the watch and realized the Gu Worm toxins around him could help prepare a stronger poison for future fights.

• Zhao Er received nearly seven thousand cultivation method experience and a large influx of energy, then began opening the Ren and Du meridian acupoints to relieve pressure on his dantian.
• Tong Yu noticed Zhao Er’s rapid cultivation and moved closer to guard him while preparing to purge the Gu Worm toxins in his own body.
• Zhao Er opened acupoints at extraordinary speed, cleared one whole meridian in less than an hour, and stopped when the attendants’ attention made him self-conscious.
• Zhao Er absorbed the remaining spirit ore to complete the fine-gold energy needed for his Nine-Turn Golden Body Art, then reflected on his dwindling supplies and his need to improve his halberd art and movement technique.
• Zhao Er took over the watch from Tong Yu, who advised him to purge the Gu Worm toxins; Zhao Er instead recognized them as useful material for strengthening his poison options.

Zhao Er absorbed the Gu Worm toxins from the attendants, earning their gratitude and valuable pills. Li Qi then gathered the stewards and attendants to plan attacks on Gu Cult bases occupying the Myriad Scenery Prefecture Martial Academy’s resource sites.

• Zhao Er removed Tong Yu’s Gu Worm toxins and accepted a Meridian Opening Pill as payment.
• Zhao Er detoxified the other attendants, received cultivation resources, and pretended to meditate afterward.
• Li Qi returned and told Tong Yu, Xiang Zheng, and Zhao Er that inspectors were handling the Gu Cult’s plot.
• Li Qi proposed seizing Gu Cult bases at the academy’s occupied resource sites, and the three stewards agreed.
• Li Qi persuaded the attendants to join and selected the large fishery and spirit ore vein as targets.
• Tong Yu and Xiang Zheng agreed to Li Qi’s plan and urged the group to set out quickly.

Li Qi divided the Martial Academy’s forces to strike the Gu Cult outposts at the Fish Pond and Ore Vein simultaneously, and Zhao Er joined Tong Yu’s group to scout the mine. As they waited for the agreed assault time, Tong Yu explained why the Attendants had volunteered and described the power of True Astral Realm Martial Artists.

• Li Qi proposed splitting the group to attack both Gu Cult outposts at once, and Zhao Er, Tong Yu, and Xiang Zheng chose their destinations.
• Li Qi sent herself and Xiang Zheng with ten Attendants to the Fish Pond, while Tong Yu led Zhao Er and ten Attendants toward the Ore Vein.
• At the mine, Tong Yu asked Zhao Er to use the Thousand Mechanisms Eye Art to scout, having noticed signs that Zhao Er had cultivated the secret art.
• Zhao Er prepared to examine the mine from high ground while Tong Yu explained that the Attendants sought resources for their Lineages and did not expect to fight a True Astral Realm Martial Artist to the death.
• Tong Yu described how True Astral Realm Martial Artists tempered their bodies with the power of heaven and earth and could wield immense strength.

Zhao Er and Tong Yu identified the core of a Gu Cult stronghold hidden in an underground spirit-ore mine and led a group of twelve Meridian Opening experts toward it. At the agreed time, they attacked the building where Gu Worms were being cultivated, with Zhao Er staying behind the front line.

• Tong Yu explained the True Astral and Mystic Profundity realms, and Zhao Er considered how his Settlement Panel might help him reach higher cultivation.
• Zhao Er identified Gu Cult puppets at the mine and, with Tong Yu's guidance, deduced that the central building was likely where the Gu Cult cultivated Gu Worms and stored spirit ore.
• Tong Yu led Zhao Er and ten others toward the stronghold's core, and the group agreed to stay together in case a True Astral expert appeared.
• At the agreed time, Tong Yu ordered the attendants to lead the attack and warned Zhao Er to stay with the group and avoid the front.
• The group crept to the building without alerting patrols, heard dense cracking sounds inside, and launched their assault as Zhao Er condensed True Qi over his Twin Halberds.

Zhao Er used Bewitching Flower toxin to neutralize a swarm of gu worms, then helped his companions bring down a True Astral Realm martial artist. After Tong Yu finished the poisoned opponent, Zhao Er survived his injuries and told the attendants to check on the six others.

• Zhao Er warned everyone that the black cloud emerging from the collapsed building was a swarm of metal-devouring gu worms.
• Zhao Er spread Bewitching Flower toxin, which incapacitated the gu worms, while five attackers emerged from the ruins and their True Astral Realm martial artist charged him.
• Tong Yu and six attendants attacked the True Astral Realm martial artist, but he knocked Tong Yu and all six attendants away.
• Zhao Er hurled his Twin Halberds and wounded the martial artist, whose pain and attempt to expel the poison left him exposed.
• Tong Yu struck the incapacitated martial artist down with his greataxe, then learned Zhao Er had survived and was urging the attendants to check on the six others.

After Zhao Er and the Attendants defeated the Gu Cult’s True Astral Realm martial artist, Zhao Er used settlement energy to purge the lingering Sword Qi and heal his wound. By dawn, he had absorbed Spirit Ore Stones and refined Gu Worm venom, giving him a new way to threaten True Astral Realm opponents.

• Tong Yu and the returning Attendants confirmed that no one had died, and Zhao Er warned them that Gu Worms and Gu Worm Puppets might still remain in the mine shafts.
• Four Attendants entered the shafts to eliminate remaining threats while the others searched the area, guarded the group, and looked for Spirit Ore Stones.
• Tong Yu examined Zhao Er’s chest wound, and Zhao Er explained that lingering true astral Sword Qi was preventing it from healing.
• After the threats were cleared, Zhao Er received settlement experience and directed the energy from it against the Sword Qi until his wound closed.
• Zhao Er absorbed Fine-Gold Energy and Gu Worm venom through the night, then condensed the venom into a potent liquid that he believed could trouble True Astral Realm martial artists.