Chapter Summaries

Mo Yun emerged from three days of seclusion having reached transforming force, stunning Lin Qingxue with how quickly he had achieved intent-force unity. After lunch, he returned to his room to test whether an origin crystal could help him condense black points more efficiently.

• Lin Qingxue found Mo Yun after he had stayed in his room for three days and learned that he had broken through to transforming force.
• Mo Yun told Lin Qingxue that he had perfected his martial intent about a month earlier, leaving her dismayed by how quickly he had completed intent-force unity.
• Lin Qingxue accepted that Mo Yun was far more talented than she was and resolved to work harder so she would not fall behind him.
• Mo Yun and Lin Qingxue ate lunch together, but Lin Qingxue chose to return to her room to cultivate instead of visiting the deck with him.
• Mo Yun briefly watched the sea of clouds from the deck, then returned to his room and prepared to test an origin crystal's effect on condensing black points.

Mo Yun discovered that the Demon-Subduing Scripture could not help him absorb Origin Crystals because he needed a transforming force foundational art. Lin Qingxue gave him the lineage’s True Essence Chapter, and after studying it for an afternoon, he made his first progress.

• Mo Yun failed to absorb energy from an Origin Crystal and realized he needed a transforming force foundational art.
• Lin Qingxue brought Mo Yun the Demon-Subduing Scripture: True Essence Chapter, which Lin Yanshan had given her.
• Lin Qingxue urged Mo Yun to study the art and strengthen himself before the Five Elements Sect’s entry examination.
• Mo Yun carefully studied the book’s diagrams and Spirit-Intent Diagrams, unconsciously adjusting his breathing to its methods.
• The Virtual Panel reported that Mo Yun had reached First Glimpse of the Way in the True Essence Chapter.

Mo Yun quickly grasped the Demon-Subduing Scripture: True Essence Chapter, gained two white points, and calculated how long his cultivation would take without more points. After increasing his life value, he headed to dinner with Lin Qingxue and planned to ask her about Central Province and the Five Elements Sect.

• Mo Yun realized his rapid progress came from the True Essence Chapter sharing roots with the Dark Force Chapter, and saw that his attributes had risen and he had gained two white points.
• Mo Yun cultivated with an origin crystal and estimated that reaching peak Transforming Force would take about ten years without further help from his points.
• Mo Yun calculated that he could condense a black point in about a day by combining origin crystals with pills, but his current supply of crystals would last only a little over a month.
• Mo Yun spent his two white points on life value, raising it to sixteen, then lit an oil lamp and left for the dining hall.
• Mo Yun met Lin Qingxue outside their rooms, and they went to dinner together as she resolved to work harder and he planned to ask about Central Province and the Five Elements Sect.

Aboard the airship to Central Province, Lin Qingxue explained the Five Elements Sect’s seven lineages, their martial arts, and the origins of their own school. Mo Yun learned he had already met the prerequisite for White Tiger Slaughter and asked Lin Qingxue for its cultivation method.

• Mo Yun asked Lin Qingxue about the Five Elements Sect’s seven lineages and One Tower, and she explained how the Thunder and Wind Lineages arose from the original five.
• Lin Qingxue described the difficulty of cultivating two lineages and said masters who fused them beyond Primordial Unity could become virtually invincible within their realm.
• Lin Qingxue told Mo Yun that the Thunder and Wind Lineages had their own methods, though their disciples needed exceptional aptitude and Mo Yun could not join them after entering the Metal Lineage.
• Lin Qingxue clarified that their Tiger-Subduing Lineage was her father’s name for his school, while its true lineage was the Metal, or White Tiger, Lineage.
• Lin Qingxue explained that Tiger-Crouching Fist and Demon-Subduing Scripture were prerequisites for White Tiger Slaughter and the Geng Metal Art, respectively, and Mo Yun asked whether she had the White Tiger Slaughter method.

Mo Yun learned that he could not access the Five Elements Sect’s inherited martial arts until he became an Inner Disciple, so he planned to keep improving Tiger-Crouching Fist while preparing to enter the sect. The next morning, he gained eleven Black Points and used them to raise the technique toward Pure Mastery, hoping to earn enough White Points to bring his Life Value close to twenty.

• Lin Qingxue explained that her father, Lin Yanshan, had left the Five Elements Sect as an Outer Sect Disciple and never qualified to learn its inherited martial arts.
• Lin Qingxue described the Five Elements Sect’s ranks, five main lineages, and the neighboring Blade Tower to Mo Yun.
• Mo Yun accepted that he would keep practicing Tiger-Crouching Fist until he could reach the rank of Inner Disciple, and he and Lin Qingxue ended their conversation and returned to cultivate.
• The next morning, Mo Yun absorbed the accumulated dark radiance from the Black-and-White Seal and received eleven Black Points.
• Mo Yun used the points to advance Tiger-Crouching Fist, expecting it to improve the Tiger-Crouching Saber Technique and bring his Life Value close to twenty.

Mo Yun brought the Tiger-Crouching Fist and Tiger-Crouching Saber Technique to Pure Mastery, then used White Points to raise his Life Value to 19 and gain new insights into refining the Nameless Fist Technique. He realized Black Tiger Leap was close to a breakthrough and hoped it could help him cross the 20-point Life Value barrier before reaching Central Province.

• Mo Yun raised the Tiger-Crouching Fist to Pure Mastery and found it stronger than the Nameless Fist Technique, though he could not yet figure out how to refine his own style.
• Mo Yun noticed the fist breakthrough had supplied enough energy for 1.2 White Points and began practicing the Tiger-Crouching Saber Technique.
• After four hours of practice, Mo Yun brought the Tiger-Crouching Saber Technique to Pure Mastery and gained another White Point.
• Mo Yun raised his Life Value from 16 to 19, gaining clearer insights into martial arts and possible refinements to the Nameless Fist Technique before hitting a limit in his thinking.
• Mo Yun remembered that Black Tiger Leap was close to a breakthrough and decided that practicing it might raise his Life Value beyond 20 before he reached Central Province.

Mo Yun raised his Life Value to 20, awakening a vastly expanded perception and enabling him to combine three related martial arts into White Tiger Slaughter. As the airship neared Central Province, Lin Qingxue told him to prepare to disembark.

• Mo Yun cultivated Black Tiger Leap aboard the airship and reached Mastery, condensing one White Point.
• Mo Yun spent a point to raise his Life Value to 20, which expanded his perception to two thousand meters without obstacles diminishing it.
• Mo Yun spent four days combining the Nameless Fist Technique, Tiger-Crouching Fist, and Tiger-Crouching Saber Technique through deduction.
• Mo Yun created White Tiger Slaughter, a martial art perfectly suited to him, and gained five White Points.
• Lin Qingxue knocked and told Mo Yun the airship was about to reach Central Province and that he should prepare to disembark.

Mo Yun and Lin Qingxue traveled toward the Five Elements Sect while Mo Yun assessed his new martial art, White Tiger Slaughter, and its steep advancement cost. The flying ship reached the sect, leaving the pair ready to disembark.

• Lin Qingxue told Mo Yun that the flying ship would reach the Five Elements Sect in about an hour and urged him to rest from his intense cultivation.
• Mo Yun quietly added five white points to Life, raising the attribute to 25, then tested White Tiger Slaughter and considered the strength it gave him.
• Mo Yun checked the Virtual Panel and learned that advancing White Tiger Slaughter required 108 black points, so he decided to cultivate it gradually and save it as a trump card.
• Mo Yun estimated that practicing eight hours a day would take about half a year to raise White Tiger Slaughter to minor mastery, while Lin Qingxue noticed he was pondering martial arts again.
• The flying ship stopped and descended toward the mountains, and Lin Qingxue told Mo Yun they had arrived at the Five Elements Sect.

Mo Yun and Lin Qingxue arrived at the Five Elements Sect, where Mo Yun sensed that the powerful Chu Qian was dangerous and resolved to avoid her. After spending the night in the Market District, they reached the sect’s mountain gate the next morning, with Lin Qingxue warning Mo Yun that her intuition also told her something was wrong with Chu Qian.

• Lin Qingxue pointed out the Five Elements Sect’s seven peaks, and Chu Qian introduced herself as a cultivator from the Wu Kingdom seeking admission.
• Mo Yun sensed Chu Qian’s hidden strength and vicious aura, and decided to keep his distance from her.
• Lin Qingxue took Mo Yun to an inn in the Market District, where she paid for two superior rooms and ordered food, wine, and hot water.
• Mo Yun cultivated overnight, noted that he was running low on origin crystals, and hoped to earn more after joining the Metal Lineage.
• The next morning, Lin Qingxue told Mo Yun that her intuition warned her about Chu Qian, and the two traveled to the Five Elements Sect’s mountain gate.

Mo Yun and Lin Qingxue arrived at the Five Elements Sect, where Li Xinghe was astonished to learn that Mo Yun had reached Transforming Force at sixteen. Li Xinghe arranged outer sect residences for both of them ahead of next month’s entry examination.

• Mo Yun presented Lin Yanshan’s letter and a gift of Great Zhou spirit medicines to Li Xinghe at the Metal Lineage side hall.
• Mo Yun revealed his initial Transforming Force cultivation, and Li Xinghe recognized him as a sixteen-year-old genius.
• Li Xinghe registered Mo Yun as an outer sect disciple and explained that he still had to pass the entry examination in a month.
• Mo Yun said Lin Qingxue expected to reach Transforming Force in about twenty days, and Li Xinghe let her stay in the outer sect until the examination.
• Lin Qingxue asked to live next door to Mo Yun, and Li Xinghe agreed to arrange a nearby residence before leading them to their lodgings.

Mo Yun and Lin Qingxue settled into the Five Elements Sect’s White Tiger Lineage, where Li Xinghe provided guidance, resources, and a promised Pill Dao inheritance. After a month of intensive cultivation, they prepared to take the entry examination.

• Li Xinghe praised Mo Yun, while Lin Qingxue learned that her father had not mentioned her to him and lamented that love had faded.
• Li Xinghe arranged residences for Mo Yun and Lin Qingxue and gave Mo Yun five origin crystals as a cultivation allowance.
• Li Xinghe explained sect missions, merit points, rankings, and the differences between Outer Sect Disciples and Registered Disciples.
• Mo Yun asked Li Xinghe for a second-tier Pill Dao inheritance, and Li Xinghe promised to send him the materials while urging him to prioritize Martial Dao cultivation.
• Mo Yun and Lin Qingxue cultivated intensively for a month, then Lin Qingxue told him it was time to go take the entry examination.

Mo Yun and Lin Qingxue waited at Purple Gold Mountain for the Five Elements Sect Entry Examination, while Lin Qingxue tried to steady her nerves. Mo Yun reflected on his recent breakthrough to middle Transforming Force and resolved to ask Lin Yanshan about his nascent inner core when he returned to Great Zhou.

• Mo Yun reassured the nervous Lin Qingxue that she could try again after two years in the Servants' Court if she failed the examination.
• Lin Qingxue calmed herself by circulating the Demon-Subduing Scripture: True Essence Chapter as Mo Yun rested.
• Mo Yun reviewed his progress after allocating thirty-six black points to the True Essence Chapter and slowly building up thirty-six drops of true essence over four days.
• Mo Yun assessed his new strength and considered how peak Transforming Force martial artists with nascent inner cores surpassed ordinary cultivators.
• Mo Yun recalled Li Xinghe's account that Lin Yanshan had unexpectedly condensed a nascent inner core that cut off his path to further advancement.
• Mo Yun decided to ask Lin Yanshan what had happened when he next returned to Great Zhou.

Mo Yun prepared for the Five Elements Sect entry examination, using his white points to raise his life value and improve his abilities. Li Xinghe explained that examinees had to survive four hours on Purple Gold Mountain while avoiding or killing demons, and Mo Yun eagerly saw them as opportunities to gain experience.

• Mo Yun reviewed his grade-two Pill Dao ability and worried that an outer sect disciple’s monthly supply of five origin crystals would not meet his cultivation needs.
• Lin Qingxue alerted Mo Yun that Li Xinghe had arrived, and Mo Yun spent five white points to raise his life value to thirty.
• Mo Yun surveyed the examinees and recognized Chu Qian, whose hidden vicious aura and strength made him wary.
• Li Xinghe announced that examinees had to stay on Purple Gold Mountain for four hours and warned that starving demons hunted there.
• Li Xinghe handed out bamboo tubes for emergency withdrawal and explained that scores depended on performance, urging the examinees to hunt demons before entering the mountain.

Mo Yun entered Purple Gold Mountain for the outer disciple assessment and killed a boar demon with one punch, gaining three black points from its corpse. As he set off to hunt more demons, the vein masters watched the assessment and began comparing their promising disciples.

• Li Xinghe warned Mo Yun to stay near Purple Gold Mountain's outskirts, while Lin Qingxue offered to find him so they could work together.
• Mo Yun learned that the assessment zone contained about twenty demons, then entered the array and was transported into the mountain.
• Mo Yun sensed a boar demon from three thousand meters away and killed it with a single punch.
• The Black Seal absorbed the boar demon's energy, filled completely, and granted Mo Yun three black points.
• Mo Yun began searching for more demons, while Jiang Ruolan, Zhu Lie Kong, and Ling Chongshan discussed their lineages' promising talents, and Gu Changqing mentioned one from the Metal Lineage.

The Vein Masters discussed the promising new disciples, including two Metal Lineage talents from Gravel Province, and argued over whether their origins would limit their prospects. As they watched the disciples fight demons on Purple Gold Mountain, Mo Yun stunned them with his strength, leaving them shocked to learn he was only sixteen and from Gravel Province.

• Gu Changqing revealed that the Metal Lineage had a sixteen-year-old talent at transforming force and a young woman who reached that level at twenty.
• Jiang Ruolan considered asking Xiao Changfeng for the young woman, but Xiao refused to give up either disciple and Zhu Lie Kong pointed out that both came from Gravel Province.
• Xiao Changfeng defended the Gravel Province disciples, saying they would receive the resources they were entitled to and would be judged by their own fortunes.
• The Vein Masters watched He Wuyi and Xu Wei fight demons, while Jiang Ruolan wondered where the Water Lineage's promising disciple was.
• The Vein Masters watched an unknown disciple kill demons with single punches and rush toward more, then Xiao Changfeng identified him as sixteen-year-old Mo Yun of the Metal Lineage, from Gravel Province.

Mo Yun hunted demons in Purple Gold Mountain, harvesting their mystic energy with the Black Seal while other examinees struggled to find any. After he killed a Middle Third Tier Flame Demon with one punch, the Vein Masters questioned how his strength could have been recorded as Initial Transforming Force.

• Mo Yun killed an Early Third Tier Ironclad Rhino and raised his available black points to 28.
• Mo Yun heard other examinees wondering why they could not find demons, then spotted Chu Qian pretending to struggle against a Blackwater Mystic Serpent and left without confronting her.
• Mo Yun concluded that the perimeter demons had mostly been cleared and raced deeper into Purple Gold Mountain.
• A Middle Third Tier Flame Demon accused Mo Yun of killing its younger kinsman and attacked him, but Mo Yun killed it with one punch and raised his black points to 31.
• The Vein Masters watched Mo Yun's fight and Zhu Lie Kong angrily questioned why Mo Yun had been registered as having Initial Transforming Force.

Mo Yun stunned the Vein Masters by killing four Middle Third Tier Demons with ease, while Xiao Changfeng explained that his extraordinary combat strength came from transcendent comprehension. Mo Yun continued deeper into Purple Gold Mountain to hunt Late Third Tier Demons, eager to gain more black points.

• Zhu Lie Kong panicked over Mo Yun's apparent strength and age, and Jiang Ruolan hypnotized him and laid him down to sleep.
• Xiao Changfeng told the Vein Masters that Mo Yun had mastered Tiger-Crouching Fist and several other martial arts through transcendent comprehension.
• Ling Chongshan compared Mo Yun with Xu Wei, while Lei Jun praised Mo Yun but worried that his origins in Gravel Province would hinder his core condensation.
• The Vein Masters watched as Mo Yun killed all four Middle Third Tier Demons and headed farther into Purple Gold Mountain.
• Mo Yun checked his Virtual Panel, saw that he had accumulated forty-one black points, and continued deeper to seek Late Third Tier Demons.

Mo Yun entered the Late Third Tier demons’ territory on Purple Gold Mountain and killed a Silver Moon Wolf with one punch, drawing astonished reactions from the watching Vein Masters. As he resumed hunting and found another Late Third Tier demon, the Vein Masters began considering how to recruit him while Yan Fuyao warned that he might wipe out all the demons.

• Mo Yun sensed a Late Third Tier demon and charged toward the Silver Moon Wolf, which attacked him with its Silver Moon Claw.
• Mo Yun endured the wolf’s attack and killed it with one punch, then let the Black Seal devour its corpse and gained 3.5 black points.
• The Vein Masters watched Mo Yun’s victory and struggled to explain his extraordinary physique and strength.
• Jiang Ruolan considered recruiting Mo Yun into the Water Lineage, but Xiao Changfeng said Mo Yun was already a Metal Lineage disciple and that he would visit him himself.
• Yan Fuyao warned the Vein Masters that Mo Yun might kill every demon on Purple Gold Mountain if they let him continue.

Mo Yun fought his way deeper into Purple Gold Mountain, killed a Peak Third-Tier Giant Centipede, and gained four black points. Near the summit, he sensed a powerful Tiger Demon with a Nascent Demon Core and considered hunting it, while branch masters watched with concern.

• Mo Yun entered the Peak Third-Tier Demons’ area and dodged an ambush by a poisonous Giant Centipede.
• Mo Yun resisted the centipede’s poison and fought it, then killed it before it could complete its secret art.
• Mo Yun absorbed the centipede’s Mystic Energy, raising his available black points from 51 to 55.
• Mo Yun approached the summit and sensed a Tiger Demon whose aura suggested it had formed a Nascent Demon Core.
• Several branch masters wondered whether Mo Yun planned to hunt the Tiger Demon.

The Vein Masters watched Mo Yun approach the summit tiger demon and prepared to teleport him out if he was in danger. Mo Yun judged the demon too strong, retreated safely from Purple Gold Mountain, and left the other examinees wondering who had killed the demons they found.

• The Vein Masters debated rescuing Mo Yun from the summit tiger demon, but Yan Fuyao argued that his strength could keep him alive long enough for them to intervene.
• Mo Yun turned away from the summit and descended Purple Gold Mountain after deciding he could not yet defeat the tiger demon, which he hoped to hunt later for its demon core.
• After about a quarter of an hour, the examination array teleported Mo Yun out of the mountain when his two-hour trial ended.
• Mo Yun overheard examinees say they had found few living demons and several that were already dead, leading them to suspect a powerful fighter had cleared the outer area.