Chapter Summaries

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were discovered hiding in the inn after Xia Fuli arrived to help search for them. As Wei Bian ordered them taken away, Shi Chun suddenly stabbed him in the heart, leaving everyone stunned.

• Wei Bian led another search of the inn while Shi Chun watched Bian Weiying from beneath the eaves.
• Xia Fuli arrived with Mount Wukang disciples, and Bian Weiying explained the search to him.
• Shi Chun changed out of his Mount Wukang uniform and told Wu Jinliang they had to reveal themselves before the searchers found the body.
• Wu Jinliang broke roof tiles to draw attention, and Xia Fuli tore open the roof, exposing Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang surrendered their weapons and descended with the Mount Wukang group.
• As Wei Bian passed him, Shi Chun drew a hidden blade and stabbed him in the heart, shocking Bian Weiying, Xia Fuli, Wu Jinliang, and the spectators.

Shi Chun killed Wei Bian and accused him of being the assassin who had tried to murder him, forcing the conflict with Bian Weiying into the open. Xia Fuli took Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang away for questioning, while Mount Wukang’s plans to keep Shi Chun at the sect collapsed.

• Shi Chun stabbed Wei Bian, and Xia Fuli subdued Shi Chun and the Mount Wukang disciples while Wei Bian died from his wound.
• Shi Chun accused Wei Bian of being the assassin who had attacked him with Immobilizing Talismans and pointed out the scar on Wei Bian’s hand.
• Shi Chun resolved to leave Mount Wukang and explained that he had attacked Wei Bian to expose Bian Weiying and ensure Xia Fuli would take him away.
• Bian Weiying laughed, left the investigation to Xia Fuli, and departed with her people and Wei Bian’s corpse.
• Xia Fuli took Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang away for questioning, while Feng Chi concluded Shi Chun could no longer remain at Mount Wukang.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were brought up Mount Wukang after escaping a search that left a dead disciple hidden at the inn. Bian Weiying admitted ordering the assassination, while Bian Jixiong’s father urged him to keep the plan to bring them up the mountain unchanged.

• Xia Fuli escorted Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang through Mount Wukang’s gate, while Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan'er returned to the inn and learned what had happened.
• Feng Chi and the innkeeper concluded that Shi Chun had killed a City Lord's Manor disciple and used his robe to evade the search, then ordered the body and traces removed.
• Bian Weikang went to the City Lord's Manor looking for Bian Weiying, but learned she had gone up the mountain.
• Bian Weiying admitted to Bian Jixiong that she had ordered the assassination because Shi Chun had interfered in her brother’s affairs, and Bian Jixiong angrily sent her away.
• Bian Jixiong told his father that Shi Chun could not stay on the mountain after killing Wei Bian, but his father advised him to keep the plan unchanged and find a justification.

Bian Jixiong decided to pin the assassination attempt on the dead Wei Bian and detain Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang at Mount Wukang under a light punishment, preserving his plans for Bian Weikang. Bian Weiying broke down over her parents’ choice, while Xiang Lan'er and the Demonic Path learned the prisoners were already inside the sect; Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang waited anxiously as someone approached their cell.

• Bian Jixiong agreed with his father to blame Wei Bian for the assassination attempt and keep Shi Chun at Mount Wukang for hard labor.
• Bian Jixiong told Yin Huixin the plan, and she angrily objected to sullying Wei Bian’s name but fell silent when he made her choose between that and Bian Weiying’s punishment.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were interrogated, whipped superficially, and put in Mount Wukang’s prison, where they agreed to conceal how the Immobilizing Talisman had been broken.
• Bian Weiying learned the planned outcome from Yin Huixin, erupted at Bian Weikang when she returned to the city lord’s residence, and sent him away.
• Xiang Lan'er, Feng Chi, and a cloaked figure concluded that Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were already inside Mount Wukang and that the plan involving Bian Weikang could continue.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang waited in their cell for rescue until they heard a prison door open and footsteps approaching.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were sentenced to a year of menial labor at Mount Wukang after the sect blamed Wei Bian for the assassination attempt and cleared Bian Weiying. As Zou Xingbao and Duan You sent them down the mountain to fetch water without supervision, the two realized Elder Xia had arranged an opportunity for them to escape.

• Xia Fuli told Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang that Wei Bian had ordered the assassination out of jealousy, then sentenced them to a year of menial labor for killing him.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang changed into laborers' clothes and left the Prison under the Mount Wukang disciples' escort.
• Martial Uncle Pang took charge of the two prisoners and ordered Zou Xingbao and Duan You to teach them their water-carrying duties.
• Zou Xingbao and Duan You explained the labor rules and led Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang to the route down the mountain.
• Zou Xingbao and Duan You told Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang to fetch water without accompanying them, and the two recognized Elder Xia's arrangement as a chance to escape.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang used their water-carrying punishment to scout Mount Wukang before attempting to escape, while Bian Weiying resigned as city lord of Linkang City over the fallout from Wei Bian’s case. The sect sent enforcement disciples after the fugitives, leaving Bian Weiying stranded after her resignation was approved.

• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang carried water through Mount Wukang, learned their routes, and decided they had seen enough to attempt an escape.
• Bian Weiying asked to resign as city lord of Linkang City, and Bian Jixiong accepted her request and began choosing her replacement.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang fled into the woods, but Blue-plumed Magpies spotted them and alerted the water carriers and enforcement disciples.
• Bian Jixiong ordered more teams to surround and capture Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang after a disciple reported their escape.
• Bian Weiying stood dumbfounded after learning the two men had escaped, unable to reclaim the position she had just resigned from.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang’s escape attempt from Mount Wukang ended with their recapture, but their complaints about being forced to work barefoot earned them medical care and a light punishment for Pang Tiansheng. At Anle Inn, Feng Chi told Xiang Lan'er that her superiors had uncovered possible ties between the two men and Wangbo Tower, and wanted her to investigate further while continuing her plan at Mount Wukang.

• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang tried to escape through the river but were caught, beaten, and brought before Bian Jixiong and Mount Wukang’s senior figures.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang complained that Pang Tiansheng had made them work barefoot, and Bian Jixiong ordered them treated while docking three months of Pang Tiansheng’s allowance.
• Pang Tiansheng vented his anger on Duan You and Zou Xingbao by making them take over the prisoners’ water-carrying duties.
• Feng Chi met Xiang Lan'er at Anle Inn and reported that Lan Qiaoyan may have helped Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang survive in the Prison of Life and reach Skyward City with Wangbo Tower’s convoy.
• Feng Chi told Xiang Lan'er that her superiors wanted her to investigate the men’s connection to Wangbo Tower while continuing her efforts to take control of Mount Wukang.

Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er struggled to keep Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang aligned with their plans as the two men were imprisoned again after fighting Pang Tiansheng. Meanwhile, Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan'er reached Mount Wukang, where the sect allowed them to stay under strict conditions.

• The cloaked Masked Man complained to Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er that Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang had escaped, killed Wei Bian, and were too reckless to work with; Xiang Lan'er proposed speaking with them after she went up the mountain.
• Bian Jixiong met his father in the Forbidden Chamber, reported that Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang had been recaptured, and learned that his father had not secretly broken their Immobilizing Talismans.
• Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan'er arrived at Mount Wukang despite objections from the sect; the elders allowed Bian Weikang to return as a low-ranking disciple but forbade him from marrying Xiang Lan'er.
• Xiang Lan'er visited Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang in prison, heard that they wanted to leave the mountain, and persuaded them to stay with the original plan because they could not escape safely in the short term.
• After three days, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang left prison and returned to the Disciplinary Affairs Court, where they fought Pang Tiansheng after he attacked them with a club.
• Patrol Disciples joined the fight and overpowered Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, who were beaten, injured, and carried back to prison.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang repeatedly fought Pang Tiansheng after returning to the Disciplinary Affairs Court, while Bian Weiying tried to protect them by arranging for them to work at her residence. Their disruptive behavior alarmed Xiang Lan'er's undercover contact, and she learned that a major event would be used to move her and the two men away from Mount Wukang temporarily.

• After Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang recovered and were released, they attacked Pang Tiansheng again when he ordered them to carry thirty loads of water, and Patrol Disciples sent them back to prison.
• Bian Weiying visited Pang Tiansheng and arranged for the two men to deliver water to her residence after their release.
• Elder Xia Fuli questioned the men, explained that the heavier punishment had been ordered by the sect, and threatened them against causing further trouble.
• Nightingale reported that the two men threatened the undercover operation, prompting Xiang Lan'er to meet Feng Chi in Linkang City.
• Feng Chi told Xiang Lan'er that a grand event on the Victory Divine Continent would provide a pretext to transfer her and the two men away from Mount Wukang temporarily.

Feng Chi told Xiang Lan'er that she would be sent to a continent-wide competition to secure Xun Gates, while Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were assigned water-carrying duty at Bian Weiying's courtyard. Bian Weiying deduced they sought Mount Wukang's Immobilizing Talisman Refining Secret Art and offered Shi Chun a chance to cooperate with her, leaving him to consider her proposal.

• Feng Chi explained that Xiang Lan'er would represent Mount Wukang in a competition to gather insect core crystals for allocating the remaining Xun Gates.
• After their release, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were assigned to carry water to Bian Weiying's courtyard, a scheme arranged by Pang Tiansheng.
• Bian Weiying confronted the pair and deduced that they had come to obtain the Refining Secret Art of the Immobilizing Talismans.
• Bian Weiying explained the Bian Family's control of Mount Wukang and suggested that Shi Chun could qualify to cooperate with her by obtaining the art's true essence.
• Wu Jinliang unexpectedly offered to pursue Bian Weiying, and Shi Chun asked for time to consider her proposal before she gave them Silver Tokens.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang settled into their duties at the Disciplinary Affairs Court while Shi Chun pieced together the Demonic Path’s plans for Xiang Lan’er and Bian Weikang. When a rare aurora appeared over Mount Wukang, the sect rushed to prepare deep blue bamboo for making Immobilizing Talismans, and Wu Jinliang proposed a way to help Shi Chun see what he could not normally perceive.

• Bian Weiying agreed to return Wu Jinliang and Shi Chun’s confiscated money and cultivation pills when they brought water the next day, and told Pang Tiansheng not to act rashly against them.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang moved into a shared room at the Disciplinary Affairs Court and learned they would carry water in the mornings and clean in the afternoons.
• Shi Chun watched Mount Wukang from the roof and concluded that Xiang Lan’er would have to marry Bian Weikang for real as part of the Demonic Path’s scheme.
• A brilliant aurora appeared overhead, and Duan You and Zou Xingbao explained that it signaled the chance to prepare deep blue bamboo for making Immobilizing Talismans.
• Mount Wukang’s people rushed to soak and spread deep blue bamboo around the lake and buildings while Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang watched.
• Wu Jinliang whispered an idea to Shi Chun for helping him see what he could not normally perceive, and Shi Chun reacted with surprise.

Shi Chun’s strange vision revealed Mount Wukang as the stump of an enormous tree whose roots spread beneath the Eight Directions Mountains, while blue mist descended onto it. After returning to the mountain and completing their labor, Shi Chun went to pursue Xiang Lan'er, as Bian Jixiong announced that Mount Wukang had been summoned to a grand gathering on Victory Spirit Continent.

• Shi Chun entered Bian Weiying’s residence and, as his right-eye vision appeared, saw blue-glowing mist descending and Mount Wukang as a vast pale-green stump.
• Bian Weiying took Shi Chun down the mountain, where he saw the immense roots beneath Mount Wukang extending under Linkang City and the Eight Directions Mountains.
• Bian Weiying gave Shi Chun three days to explain how he had stolen Mount Wukang’s secrets, before disciples arrived to summon him to Elder Xia.
• Shi Chun learned that Elder Xia was unavailable, then told Wu Jinliang about the vision while Mount Wukang disciples gathered the bamboo before dawn.
• Bian Weiying returned their confiscated belongings and tally slips, Wu Jinliang began cultivating with pills, and Shi Chun went to see Xiang Lan'er.
• Bian Jixiong presented a Gold-Edged Letter requiring Mount Wukang to attend a grand gathering on Victory Spirit Continent.

Mount Wukang’s elders discussed the dangers of a continent-wide insect core crystal examination and agreed to let disciples volunteer before selecting five participants. Bian Weiying signed up first, while members of the Disciplinary Affairs Court worried that they might be forced to go if too few volunteered.

• Bian Jixiong told the elders that the examination would take place in the Western Extremity of the North Wilderness, where dangerous competition and fighting were likely, and said Mount Wukang could not refuse to participate.
• The elders agreed that Ke Yizong would oversee selection after disciples had a chance to volunteer, and Ke posted notices warning them of the risks.
• Bian Jixiong tore up one of Ke Yizong’s notices, but Bian Weiying arrived and volunteered first so her father could not be accused of unfairly choosing participants.
• Bian Jixiong said he would consider allowing Bian Weiying to go if Yin Huixin agreed, and Bian Weiying hurried off to persuade her mother.
• At the Disciplinary Affairs Court, Pang Tiansheng and the gathered disciples worried that offenders might be ordered to participate if there were too few volunteers, while Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang mocked the possibility of Pang being picked.

Bian Weiying’s registration for the gathering inspired more disciples to sign up, while she punished Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang by making them carry water. Elder Ke secretly replaced the approved roster with a controversial list that included them and Xiang Lan’er, and the Sect Master ultimately accepted it after consulting the Elder Sect Master.

• News that Bian Weiying had registered spread across Mount Wukang, prompting dozens of young disciples to sign up, and Bian Jixiong planned to appoint her leader of the group.
• Bian Weiying confronted Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, then ordered them to carry extra water when they refused to explain themselves.
• The sect’s senior figures approved a roster of five, but Yin Huixin argued with Bian Jixiong over their daughter’s inclusion.
• Elder Ke revealed that he had changed the submitted roster to include Bian Weiying, Gan Tangyu, Xiang Lan’er, Shi Chun, and Wu Jinliang, and proposed admitting the three outsiders as Mount Wukang disciples.
• Chief Elder Yi Huachun endorsed Elder Ke’s decision, while Xia Fuli refused to handle the replacements and left the task to Elder Ke.
• Bian Jixiong reported the dispute to the Elder Sect Master, who advised him to accept the roster because the Regional Lord had already reviewed it.

Elder Ke forced Xiang Lan'er, Shi Chun, and Wu Jinliang to join Mount Wukang and represent it at the Skyfall Meteor Assembly, using their past offenses to secure their compliance. After Xiang Lan'er assured the two men that the Demonic Path would protect them, Wu Jinliang broke through to the Advanced Martial Realm, and the assembly’s participant list was announced.

• Elder Ke made Xiang Lan'er his disciple and assigned her to attend the Skyfall Meteor Assembly.
• Elder Ke threatened Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang with execution unless they became his disciples and attended the assembly.
• Xiang Lan'er told Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang that they could not flee after their names were submitted, but the Demonic Path would secretly protect them.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang relaxed at the news, and Wu Jinliang later broke through to the Advanced Martial Realm.
• Mount Wukang officially announced the finalized list of Skyfall Meteor Assembly participants.

Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang, and Xiang Lan'er joined Mount Wukang’s team for the Skyfall Meteor Assembly and traveled to Victory Spirit Continent’s royal capital. The chapter left them lodged with the other Life Continent participants as Miao Dingyi learned Shi Chun might have been forced to compete.

• After the participant list was announced, Bian Weikang begged Elder Ke to spare Xiang Lan'er, then asked Bian Weiying to look after her.
• Elder Ke used the Wind Scales to carry Mount Wukang’s participants to Life Continent Prefectural City, where armored officials registered them and escorted them through a Xun Gate.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang marveled at the royal capital’s floating mountains and wonders before the group was taken to lodging reserved for Life Continent participants.
• Miao Dingyi gave Miao Yilan and Lan Qiaoyan a betting slip showing he had wagered one hundred thousand gold on Shi Chun to take first place.
• Miao Dingyi told Lan Qiaoyan that Shi Chun’s Initial Martial cultivation suggested Mount Wukang might have forced him to participate.

Lan Qiaoyan and Miao Dingyi discussed Shi Chun and the other outsiders trapped in the Skyfall Meteor Assembly, while Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang, and Xiang Lan'er settled on Immortal Mountain and met Jieyun Mountain’s Bai Shuchuan. After Bian Weiying agreed to travel with Jieyun Mountain, Shi Chun resolved to disregard the plan if necessary and protect himself and Wu Jinliang.

• Lan Qiaoyan asked Miao Dingyi to help Shi Chun, but he said rescuing anyone in the Betting Pool would be difficult and costly.
• Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang, and Xiang Lan'er arrived on Immortal Mountain and learned they could neither contact the outside nor leave until the assembly ended.
• Bai Shuchuan mocked Wu Jinliang, who hid his anger until the Jieyun Mountain visitors departed, then said he wanted to take revenge.
• Bian Weiying told Shi Chun that Mount Wukang would team up with Jieyun Mountain and support its bid for supremacy.
• Shi Chun warned that the alliance could leave his group in danger, then decided to act independently to help himself and Wu Jinliang survive.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang considered striking out on their own in the contest to pursue the top prize, while Xiang Lan’er secretly cooperated with Sun Shigang to arrange an attack on Wu Jinliang. Their plan went awry when Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang walked away as Sun Shigang harassed Xiang Lan’er.

• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang collected food and studied the contest rules and rewards, including free passage through Xun Gates and large cash prizes.
• Shi Chun urged Wu Jinliang to abandon Bian Weiying’s group and aim for first place on their own, and Wu Jinliang agreed to take the risk with him.
• Xiang Lan’er met Sun Shigang, who told her Falling Moon Valley planned to kill Wu Jinliang in front of Shi Chun to expose anyone secretly supporting Shi Chun.
• Xiang Lan’er lured Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang outside while Sun Shigang approached Bian Weiying about cooperation and then began harassing Xiang Lan’er.
• When Sun Shigang put an arm around Xiang Lan’er, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang ignored them and walked away, leaving Sun Shigang and Xiang Lan’er stunned.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were blamed after Sun Shigang harassed Xiang Lan'er, then joined Bian Weiying and Jieyun Mountain at the Skyfall Meteor Assembly. They entered the Western Extremity of the North Wilderness, where the desolate landscape stirred their old instincts.

• Xiang Lan'er slapped Sun Shigang after he grabbed her, and Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang hurried to fetch Bian Weiying rather than intervene themselves.
• Bian Weiying confronted Sun Shigang, who threatened Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang before retreating with Falling Moon Valley.
• Bian Weiying criticized Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang for abandoning Xiang Lan'er, but they explained they had followed her orders to avoid provoking another sect.
• The Skyfall Meteor Assembly began, and the Royal Court used the Ultimate Mountains and Rivers Map and Sky-Gazing Mirror to show the participants entering the Western Extremity.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang followed Bian Weiying and Jieyun Mountain through a Xun Gate, where the desolate landscape awakened their eagle-like gaze and wolf-like vigilance.

As the Skyfall Meteor Assembly began, Shi Chun used his right eye to search the crowd for members of the Demonic Path and discovered that Sun Shigang had a demonic flame. The golden-armored soldiers opened a gap in the arena’s protective barrier as the participants prepared to enter.

• Shi Chun received a lightproof pouch and learned how the Mother-Child Talisman inside it worked.
• A giant Iron Scroll displayed a terrain map and the moving participants as the Skyfall Meteor Assembly officially began.
• Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang shielded him as he tried to activate his right eye, but Wu Jinliang’s push nearly made Shi Chun touch Xiang Lan'er and brought back his pain.
• Shi Chun saw demonic flames inside Xiang Lan'er and Sun Shigang, then suspected their hostility was part of a hidden plan.
• A man in golden armor used a black Command Arrow to eat through the arena’s protective barrier and widen an opening.