Chapter Summaries

Ming Hao and his companions were accused of attacking Zhao Yuan and the other disciples after they fought back, while the elders ignored the bullying that had started the clash. The chapter ended with the group facing a hostile tribunal and preparing for the possibility of death.

• Sect elders arrived at the scene and drove away onlookers, while protective barriers revealed Su Mei, Zhao Yuan, and the others bloodied and wounded.
• Ming Hao stopped the elders’ powerful pressure with his jade ring, and Zhao Yuan and the other disciples taunted him and his companions.
• Lin Yong and the others protested that the elders had ignored Zhao Yuan’s bullying, but Elder Zhao, Zhao Fei, declared them guilty.
• Su Huai, Xu Fei, and other allied elders demanded that Ming Hao and his companions be punished or executed, while a few upright elders were ignored.
• Lin Qi comforted Lin Xue as the group reacted with fear, anger, and resolve; Ming Hao remained calm.

Ming Hao accused the Misty Sect elders of shielding Zhao Yuan and the other disciples after they harassed female inner disciples, but Zhao Fei rallied witnesses to denounce Ming Hao and his companions. As the elders gathered power to strike through Ming Hao’s barrier, Qing Yun, Wang Yong, and the others called for the Giant God Spirit to descend.

• Ming Hao publicly described how Zhao Yuan, Xu Bai, and the others had abused and harassed female inner disciples, while the elders ignored their pleas and declared them guilty.
• Zhao Fei demanded witnesses, and Luo Bai, Xu Shu, Wang Baishun, and other disciples accused Ming Hao’s group of attacking and framing the true disciples.
• Lin Yong, Fatty Zhang, and the others denounced the elders and the crowd for their accusations, but Zhao Fei ordered the elders to attack together.
• Qing Yun, Wang Yong, and the others reached the front, saw Ming Hao in danger beneath his protective barrier, and called for the Giant God Spirit to descend.

Li Shiya and Cui Shan stopped Zhao Fei and the other elders from attacking Ming Hao’s group, then negotiated a sentence of fifteen days in Thunder Prison. As the group faced a punishment that could prove fatal, Ming Hao secretly offered them a choice between escaping the Misty Sect or entering Thunder Prison with his help to survive.

• Li Shiya and Cui Shan appeared and erased the elders’ charged sphere before it could strike Ming Hao’s group.
• Li Shiya condemned Zhao Fei and the others for misrepresenting the incident, while Cui Shan prevented the two sides from fighting by proposing they involve the sect master.
• Cui Shan negotiated a compromise of fifteen days in Thunder Prison, and Li Shiya and Cui Shan each arranged to take some disciples away.
• Zhao Fei announced that Ming Hao and the others would serve fifteen days in Thunder Prison, which Fatty Zhang and the others feared would be a death sentence.
• Ming Hao secretly told Fatty Zhang and the others he could help them escape the Misty Sect or try to keep them alive in Thunder Prison.

Li Shiya and Cui Shan took Lin Qinqin, Little Red, Little Green, Lin Qi, and Lin Xue as disciples while Ming Hao and the others were sent to Thunder Prison. As Zhao Fei's flying ship departed, Ming Hao called out to Qing Yun and the others, prompting those aboard to speculate that he came from a powerful lineage.

• Li Shiya offered to take Lin Qinqin as her disciple, and Lin Qinqin accepted after saying goodbye to Ming Hao and asking to bring Little Red and Little Green, whom Li Shiya accepted as nominal disciples.
• Cui Shan offered to take Lin Qi and Lin Xue as disciples, and the siblings accepted after Ming Hao urged them to seize the opportunity.
• Zhao Fei insisted that Ming Hao and the others go to Thunder Prison, and Lin Yong and the others boarded his flying ship rather than leave the Misty Sect.
• Lin Qinqin and Lin Qi called out farewell promises to Ming Hao and the others as the ship prepared to depart.
• Ming Hao spotted Qing Yun, Wang Yong, and the others below, sent gifts to Qing Yun and Qing Ying, and shouted for them to punish those who had bullied him.
• The passengers heard Qing Yun and the others call Ming Hao Young Master and speculated that he belonged to a powerful lineage.

After Lin Qi and Lin Qinqin left with their masters, they shouted defiant insults at Su Mei, Zhao Yuan, and the others. Wang Yong and the others then confronted the humiliated group, whose interest in Qing Yun and the other women quickly replaced their anger.

• Su Mei, Zhao Yuan, Xu Bai, and their companions celebrated their revenge while Zhao Yuan tried to invite Su Mei to bathe and dine with him.
• Wang Yong and the others waited to punish Zhao Yuan's group, while Qing Yun, Qing Ying, and the other women examined the gifts Lin Qi had given them.
• Lin Qi denounced Su Mei, Zhao Yuan, and Xu Bai, then left with Lin Xue and Cui Shan.
• Lin Qinqin condemned Zhao Yuan and Xu Bai for harassing a fellow female disciple, then departed with Li Shiya and two others.
• The onlookers reacted to the humiliation, while several Misty Sect disciples felt disillusioned by the sect's hidden corruption.
• Wang Yong, Meng Yi, and the others insulted Zhao Yuan's group; Zhao Yuan and Xu Bai then tried to impress Qing Yun and the other women by claiming their status, and Qing Yun suggested they talk somewhere quiet.

Wang Yong, Qing Yun, Qing Ying, and their companions brutally beat Zhao Yuan, Xu Bai, Su Mei, and the others halfway up the mountain, leaving the victims unconscious and badly injured. Their lackeys found them at night, took pictures to sell, and one disciple was beaten after Zhao Yuan and Su Mei regained consciousness and shouted at him.

• Zhao Yuan suggested that he and the women discuss life and aspirations at a secluded scenic spot, but Wang Yong sensed an opportunity to confront him and Xu Bai.
• Wang Yong, Meng Yi, and the others attacked Zhao Yuan and Xu Bai, while Qing Yun and Qing Ying caught Su Mei as she tried to flee and beat her.
• The one-sided beating continued until nightfall, leaving Su Mei and the others swollen, wounded, and unconscious.
• The lackeys found the victims, photographed them from every angle with their Heavenly Mechanism Mirrors, and then asked who had attacked them.
• A sleazy disciple touched Zhao Yuan and Su Mei while pretending to examine their injuries, prompting them to yell at him and the nearby disciples to beat him.

Twelve disciples endured the Thunder Prison’s punishing lightning while Ming Hao remained unharmed and tended to his treasures. The Nine-Turn Divine Lotus drew in spiritual and lightning energy, causing the lightning around Ming Hao to intensify.

• Fatty Zhang, Lin Yong, Zhang Ze, Jiang Lingfeng, Lin Zihan, Qi Qing, Qing Yu, Zhao Bufan, Lin Hao, Xuan Chengzi, Jie Kong, and Ming Hao suffered through the Thunder Prison’s lightning as guards watched them.
• Ming Hao fed three ancient bronze fragments to the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, repairing its cracks, then found it could absorb a steady stream of lightning energy.
• Ming Hao gave unidentified spiritual liquid to the Nine-Turn Divine Lotus, which rapidly grew and absorbed spiritual and lightning energy.
• The lightning bolts around Ming Hao grew denser and stronger, startling the other disciples.
• Fatty Zhang and Lin Yong approached Ming Hao to check on him, were stiffened by lightning when they touched him, and pointed out the increased bolts hitting his body.
• Ming Hao got up, checked himself for injuries, and felt relieved that nothing was missing.

Ming Hao observed that the lightning strengthened and cleansed the bodies of those enduring it, then gave Fatty Zhang, Lin Zihan, Lin Yong, Jie Kong, and the others pills and spiritual elixirs to help them withstand the punishment. As everyone cultivated under the lightning, Ming Hao fed a crystal and a pill to the Jade Bangle and the ring, which began absorbing the lightning alongside his other treasures.

• Ming Hao noticed the lightning tempering everyone's bodies and loosening hidden injuries and blockages, while the Nine-Turn Divine Lotus and Demon-Suppressing Pagoda absorbed its power.
• Seeing Fatty Zhang, Lin Yong, and the others nearing their limits, Ming Hao distributed eighth-grade pills and spiritual elixirs to help them heal and endure the lightning.
• Lin Zihan, Fatty Zhang, Lin Yong, Jie Kong, and the others thanked Ming Hao, accepted the supplies, and began cultivating under the lightning.
• Ming Hao placed the pure-white crystal before the Jade Bangle, which absorbed it, then fed an unknown pill to the ancient-looking ring.
• When the ring and Jade Bangle demanded spiritual energy, Ming Hao directed the lightning toward them, and they resumed absorbing it.

Lin Yong, Lin Hao, and Lin Zihan tried to suppress their imminent breakthroughs so they could fight beside Ming Hao against Luo Junhang and over a thousand disciples. Ming Hao gave them Spirit-Gathering Pills to store their excess energy, and Zhao Bufan received pills as well to prepare for his own breakthrough.

• An Enforcement Hall disciple noticed the extreme lightning striking the people in the Thunder Prison, but his senior brother ordered him to ignore it.
• Lin Yong, Lin Hao, and Lin Zihan began to break through and explained that they were suppressing it to keep the sect’s rules from excluding them from their arranged fight with Luo Junhang’s group.
• Qi Qing, Qing Yu, Zhao Bufan, Jie Kong, and Xuan Chengzi pledged to join Ming Hao in the fight, while Fatty Zhang regretted that his high cultivation kept him from helping.
• Ming Hao gave Lin Zihan, Lin Yong, and Lin Hao two Spirit-Gathering Pills each to absorb their excess energy and stabilize their auras.
• After Zhao Bufan asked for pills to suppress his own impending breakthrough, Ming Hao gave him two Spirit-Gathering Pills.

Ming Hao gave the others Spirit-Gathering Pills to help them endure the Thunder Prison, while he silently plotted to get revenge on Su Mei. Elsewhere, Zhao Yuan, Su Mei, and Xu Bai suffered from their injuries as their families argued and tried to comfort them.

• Ming Hao gave Fatty Zhang and the others two Spirit-Gathering Pills each, and they resumed cultivating through the lightning in the Thunder Prison.
• Ming Hao blamed Su Mei for their suffering and vowed to deal with her for trying to take Lin Zihan away from him.
• Zhao Fei argued with Zhao Yuan's grandmother as Zhao Yuan lay injured and despondent in bed.
• Su Huai promised the injured Su Mei that healing pills and Spirit Liquid would restore her looks, while Su Mei grieved over her setbacks.
• Xu Fei told the motionless Xu Bai that he might regain his former virility, though his recovery was uncertain.
• The injured disciples' residences stayed lit through the night as arguments, threats, and sorrowful complaints continued.

Ming Hao and the other inner disciples endured three days of Thunder Punishment while Ming Hao used the lightning to cultivate. Elsewhere, Lin Qinqin, Lin Qi, and Lin Xue worried about the ordeal, while Luo Bai charmed another senior sister with a fabricated tale of hardship.

• Enforcement Hall disciples marveled that Ming Hao and the others remained unharmed after three days in Thunder Prison, while the watchers sent by Elder Zhao and the others feared being blamed if the prisoners survived.
• Ming Hao absorbed lightning to nourish his treasures and cultivate the Thunderclap Prison-Suppressing Art as Lin Zihan, Fatty Zhang, and the others continued cultivating around him.
• On Ninety-Ninth Peak, Lin Qinqin ignored a senior brother's invitation and offers of medicine, saying she felt unwell.
• On Nineteenth Peak, Lin Xue worried that Ming Hao and the others might not survive, and Lin Qi could not reassure her before a senior sister called them to lessons.
• In the outer sect area, Luo Bai told Senior Sister Liu a sob story about his rise to registered disciple and privately thought he had fooled another naive woman.

Qing Yun and her allies confronted Zhao Yuan, Su Mei, and their disciples after learning they had recovered and were searching for them. The outnumbered group was surrounded by an even larger force and beaten again.

• Qing Yun learned Zhao Yuan, Su Mei, and their companions had healed and ordered Yan Ran to summon Wang Yong and the others.
• Zhao Yuan's group debated whether their previous opponents were only Personal or Inner Disciples, then encountered Wang Yong and five others.
• Zhao Yuan rallied nearly a hundred disciples to attack, but Wang Yong and his companions' auras stopped them in their tracks.
• Qing Yun appeared behind the group, caught Su Mei trying to escape, and rejected Zhao Yuan's offer to end their conflict peacefully.
• Qing Yun summoned nearly a hundred more disciples and ordered them to attack without killing anyone, as Wang Yong and the others charged into the crowd.

Qing Yun, Qing Ying, Wang Yong, and Meng Yi brutally beat Su Mei, Zhao Yuan, Xu Bai, and the other disciples while their elders were held back by twelve figures. Later, Shui Furong drifted into thoughts of a certain lecher, while Fu Su worked in the Eastern Palace and asked Green Bamboo whether she regretted missing the chance to travel with Ming Hao.

• Wang Yong slapped Zhao Yuan while Meng Yi kicked Xu Bai, and Qing Yun and Qing Ying beat Su Mei.
• The disciples’ elders failed to break past twelve figures, while a white-robed youth and the others calmly drank tea and played Chinese chess.
• After half an hour, Qing Yun stopped beating Su Mei and warned that they would return after the disciples recovered; Su Mei fainted.
• Shui Huo'er, Shui Ying'er, and Yu Wanchuan visited Shui Furong, who had spent hours lost in thought before accepting their sweets.
• Fu Su read a briefing in the Eastern Palace, asked Green Bamboo if she regretted not traveling with Ming Hao, and relaxed as she massaged his shoulders.

After ten days in Thunder Prison, Ming Hao and his companions reached new heights in their cultivation, and Ming Hao distributed armor that gave them powerful group abilities. They tested the armor and then settled their argument over whose set looked best by ganging up on Fatty Zhang.

• Ming Hao gave Fatty Zhang, Lin Yong, and the others miraculous pills as they endured the lightning in Thunder Prison.
• Ming Hao brought out the Twelve Sets of Armor he had bought from the Jewelry Pavilion and let everyone choose a set.
• The group activated the armor together and discovered that it boosted their strength and recovery, shared damage, allowed them to switch positions, and consumed spiritual energy rapidly.
• Ming Hao praised Lin Zihan's armor and touched it until she grabbed his hands and kicked him several times.
• After the group proposed a fight to decide whose armor looked best, Fatty Zhang attacked first, but everyone turned on him and beat him up.

Bound prisoners deep within Thunder Prison discussed the twelve youngsters enduring the lightning and agreed to risk their remaining strength to help them escape their fate. The central prisoner contacted Ming Hao, who stopped fighting and sat down while his companions guarded him.

• Prisoners in the outskirts of Thunder Prison watched Ming Hao and the others endure ten days of lightning punishment and debated whether to help them.
• The central prisoner in the deepest part of Thunder Prison proposed using the prisoners’ remaining strength, knowledge, and resources to help the twelve youngsters grow stronger.
• The prisoners agreed to risk everything, and the central prisoner began communicating with Ming Hao.
• Ming Hao heard a voice in his mind, ordered everyone to guard him, and sat cross-legged as his companions formed a protective ring.

Ming Hao heard a powerful voice from the depths of Thunder Prison offer cultivation aid and protection in exchange for being freed later. He and his friends accepted the bargain, and the imprisoned figures began sending a stream of essence toward them.

• A hidden senior offered Ming Hao cultivation guidance, improved aptitude, resources, and three uses of protective power if he would eventually free the prisoners in Thunder Prison.
• Ming Hao questioned the risks of opposing the Misty Sect and asked to consult his friends before agreeing.
• Ming Hao told Lin Zihan, Fatty Zhang, Lin Yong, and the others about the bargain, and they all chose to follow his lead and keep it secret.
• Ming Hao accepted the senior's offer on behalf of the group and promised they would free the prisoners once they were strong enough.
• The prisoners in Thunder Prison gathered strands of essence into a growing stream that became bolts of lightning aimed at Ming Hao and his friends.

Ming Hao and the others absorbed vast amounts of origin power and inheritances in the Thunder Prison, while Ming Hao used rare Thunder Spirit Fruits to refine six external incarnations. After fifteen days, the vortex began to fade, and the group prepared to leave by testing their newly acquired abilities in combat.

• Origin power strengthened the group's bodies, talents, constitutions, and cultivation knowledge, with Ming Hao receiving far more than the others.
• Ming Hao brought out two mysterious treasures and began refining six external incarnations with Thunder Spirit Fruits and other treasures.
• The figures deep within the Thunder Prison increased their supply of origin power as Ming Hao continued absorbing energy and lightning.
• A disciple tried to report the spectacle, but his senior brother persuaded him to stay silent rather than risk being sent inside.
• On the fifteenth day, the vortex began to shrink, and the exhausted figures deep in the Thunder Prison fell into a deep slumber.
• Ming Hao and the others stopped cultivating and sparred, with the group once again chasing and beating Fatty Zhang.

Ming Hao and the others emerged unharmed after fifteen days in the Thunder Prison, and Ming Hao concealed that the one who came out was a clone while the original remained inside. They celebrated with a huge feast, while Zhao Fei and Xu Fei blamed the disciples who reported their survival and sentenced them to three days of Thunder Punishment.

• Ming Hao and his companions left the Thunder Prison, and Ming Hao explained his changed appearance by claiming the lightning and Thunder Arts had altered him.
• The Enforcement Hall disciples watched from afar, astonished that twelve people had endured fifteen days of Thunder Punishment without injury.
• Ming Hao and the others celebrated their release with a lavish feast in the Dining Hall, where Lin Zihan repeatedly ordered more food and cleaned Ming Hao's face.
• Su Huai and Xu Fei disbelieved the report that Ming Hao's group had survived the Thunder Prison, while Zhao Fei accused the reporting disciples of collusion.
• Zhao Fei ordered the kneeling disciples sent to the Thunder Prison for three days of punishment, and they protested as they were dragged away.

Ming Hao and his companions prepared to face the disciples gathering against them on stipend day, refusing to retreat despite being heavily outnumbered. Meanwhile, Zhao Wei's effort to organize the opposition faltered, and the meeting at Luo Junhang's residence ended in conflict.

• Fatty Zhang warned Ming Hao and the others that more than a thousand disciples, including dozens of renowned experts, might oppose them, and advised them to avoid a fight.
• Lin Yong and the others rejected Fatty Zhang's plan to retreat and volunteered for battle, while Ming Hao rallied them to make their names known throughout the Misty Sect.
• Zhao Wei learned that fewer than a tenth of the disciples he had invited agreed to join the operation, and he crushed his teacup in anger.
• Xu Xiu mocked Zhao Wei for invoking his powerful backers and challenged him to produce their orders.
• Zhao Wei could not produce any orders, and the disciples stayed silent as the meeting ended on bitter terms.

Ming Hao and his companions prepared to face Zhao Wei’s group at the Brawl Arena, where disciples from across the Misty Sect had gathered to watch. Shui Furong and others brought reinforcements, while Ming Hao’s friends resolved to fight alongside him despite their fear.

• Zhao Wei gathered his allies at the Brawl Arena early and planned to prevent Ming Hao from escaping the challenge.
• Zhao Yuan, Su Mei, and their companions arrived confidently, while Qing Yun, Wang Yong, and their group prepared to intervene once the fighting began.
• Shui Furong arrived with her siblings and more than two hundred Shui Family disciples, intending to negotiate first and fight if necessary.
• Ming Hao collected his stipend and reassured Fatty Zhang, Lin Yong, and the others, who admitted they were scared but would not back down.
• Ming Hao led his joking companions toward the Brawl Arena to meet the Inner Disciple challengers.