Chapter Summaries

Xu Yang provoked Huo Xiaochэнь on Dragon Ascension Street, where the no-fighting rule forced Huo to retreat, then kept his distance from Ye Qiuling and followed Yue Zhong’s advice. As registration closed and the Cloud Ascension Rankings remained pending, Xu Yang continued cultivating while prioritizing his physical strength over a breakthrough.

• Xu Yang mocked Huo Xiaochэнь on Dragon Ascension Street, and Huo restrained himself to avoid losing his selection eligibility before leaving with the Iron Sword Gate disciples.
• Ye Qiuling warned Xu Yang about Huo, but Xu dismissed her concern, while Sun Tao and Lin Jingyu praised Xu Yang’s defiance.
• Yue Zhong summoned Xu Yang, cautioned him that Huo might target him during the Second Dragon Ascension, and told him to avoid Huo and wait for news about Xiong Wan Hai.
• Xu Yang helped receive visiting sect disciples as Cloud Province City filled with participants, and the Heavenly Strategy Academy closed registration with more than 2,300 applicants.
• Xu Yang waited for the Cloud Ascension Rankings, then resumed cultivating and focused on strengthening his body rather than advancing to Second Heavenly Origin.

Xu Yang planned to trade Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills for spirit iron, then heard news about rival geniuses and encountered Fang Xinghai with Li Yunzhou. Fang Xinghai asked Li Yunzhou to cripple Xu Yang during the Second Dragon Ascension.

• Xu Yang realized he lacked enough spirit iron to advance his Diamond Glazed Body and planned to make money refining Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills.
• Xu Yang found Sun Tao missing, while Zhang Hanzhou, Qi Xuancheng, and Ye Qiuling discussed Xu Yang's isolation and Huo Xiaochен's threat.
• At a restaurant, Xu Yang heard that Li Yunzhou had fought Huo Xiaochен and that Lin Jingyu had comprehended a martial dao phenomenon before reaching Heavenly Origin.
• Xu Yang met Fang Xinghai and Li Yunzhou, recognized Fang Xinghai's suspiciously friendly behavior, and left wary of them.
• Fang Xinghai told Li Yunzhou to cripple Xu Yang during the Second Dragon Ascension if he got the chance.

Fang Xinghai paid Li Yunzhou two Spirit Origin Pills to target Xu Yang during the Second Dragon Ascension, while Xu Yang helped Sun Tao with money. The Cloud Ascension Rankings were published, placing Xu Yang ninety-eighth and Sun Tao ninety-ninth, and revealing Xu Yang's Golden Astral Skill to anyone who read the list.

• Fang Xinghai asked Li Yunzhou to cripple Xu Yang, and Li Yunzhou agreed to target him in exchange for two Spirit Origin Pills if they were matched.
• Xu Yang gave Sun Tao a thousand taels of silver after learning he had run out of money while waiting for the Second Dragon Ascension.
• Xu Yang and Sun Tao joined Zhang Hanzhou, Ye Qiuling, and Qi Xuancheng to see the newly posted Cloud Ascension Rankings.
• The rankings placed Xu Yang ninety-eighth and Sun Tao ninety-ninth, listing Xu Yang's cultivation of the Golden Astral Skill.
• Zhang Hanzhou suggested that too few geniuses had entered the rankings, while the group congratulated Xu Yang and Sun Tao.

Xu Yang and his companions examined the preliminary Cloud Ascension Rankings and learned why Li Chuyang, Jiang Fan, and other geniuses ranked above them. The rankings sparked outrage and doubts, especially after Lin Jingyu appeared at eleventh place despite having previously lost to Xu Yang.

• Xu Yang noticed that Li Chuyang ranked eighty-fifth and Jiang Fan forty-third, and Qi Xuancheng explained Li Chuyang's Silver Moon Phenomenon and powerful cultivation art.
• A man in moon-white robes explained that Jiang Fan's future Young Marquis status reflected a formidable ancestral bloodline that could place him among the top ten if awakened.
• Xu Yang spotted Li Yunzhou at fifty-second and Huo Xiaochэнь at fourteenth, prompting shock from onlookers and anger from Huo Xiaochэнь and the Iron Sword Gate disciples.
• The rankings showed Li Feiyun at thirteenth and Lin Jingyu at eleventh, surprising Qi Xuancheng and revealing that Xu Yang had once defeated Lin Jingyu.
• Onlookers questioned whether Lin Jingyu had deliberately lost to Xu Yang, and a Yellow Maple Valley disciple asked Lin Jingyu about the defeat.

Xu Yang and the others examined the Cloud Ascension Rankings, where Xu Yang was listed ninety-eighth and six Spirit Bone Prodigies drew attention. At the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, Shen Qianshan learned that Fang Xinghai had mishandled Xu Yang’s recruitment and reconsidered rewarding him with a post at headquarters.

• Lin Jingyu admitted he had accepted defeat against Xu Yang, while Luo Ying and others dismissed the result as a product of their age and cultivation gap.
• Xu Yang studied the rankings, and the group learned that six Spirit Bone Prodigies were listed among Cloud Province’s top geniuses.
• Xu Yang left with Sun Tao, while Zhang Hanzhou asked Ye Qiuling to discuss finding partners, and she agreed to talk somewhere quiet.
• Shen Qianshan praised Li Yunzhou’s fifty-second-place ranking and considered rewarding Fang Xinghai for recruiting him.
• Tao Xiancai explained that Fang Xinghai had demanded Xu Yang apologize to Li Chuyang instead of mediating, causing Xu Yang’s recruitment to fail.
• Shen Qianshan grew angry at Fang Xinghai’s handling of Xu Yang’s case, while Tao Xiancai doubted Fang Xinghai would still be transferred to Cloud Province City.

Li Chuyang dismissed Xu Yang’s ranking while the Violet Sun Gate celebrated its four disciples making the Cloud Ascension Rankings. As Xu Yang prepared to refine pills, Xiong Wan Hai revealed that Huo Xiaochен’s recruitment by the powerful Xiao Family had defeated his attempt to settle their conflict, leaving Xu Yang’s path to the Heavenly Strategy Academy in jeopardy.

• Li Chuyang decided not to expose Xu Yang for killing Jade Butterfly and obtaining the Golden Astral Skill, believing he could handle Xu Yang himself.
• Bai Shaoling and Yue Zhong celebrated the Violet Sun Gate’s four ranked disciples but worried that Huo Xiaochен might prevent Xu Yang from entering the Heavenly Strategy Academy.
• Xu Yang investigated the spirit herb market, rented a courtyard, and ordered an Alchemy Furnace so he could trade spirit iron for Spirit Currency and prepare to refine pills.
• Yue Zhong introduced Xu Yang to Xiong Wan Hai, who praised Xu Yang’s physical cultivation and accepted the letter from Xu Yang’s master.
• Xiong Wan Hai explained that he had failed to mediate because Huo Xiaochен had been recruited by the thousand-year-old Xiao Family, prompting Yue Zhong to ask whether anything could still be done.

Xiong Wan Hai offered Xu Yang a chance to gain the Kong Family’s protection by attending its banquet for geniuses, and Xu Yang accepted the invitation. He also delivered an invitation to Sun Tao, leaving Zhang Hanzhou and the others stunned by the Kong Family’s attention.

• Xiong Wan Hai explained that the Kong Family could shield Xu Yang from Huo Xiaochен and said he had already discussed Xu Yang with them.
• Xu Yang asked about the Kong Family’s terms, accepted its invitation to a banquet, and learned that Sun Tao and Ye had also been invited.
• Yue Zhong urged Xu Yang to seize the opportunity and accept the Kong Family’s offer if its terms were not too poor.
• Xu Yang returned to the courtyard and gave Sun Tao his pure-gold invitation from the Kong Family.
• Sun Tao wondered whether the Kong Family intended to recruit him, while Zhang Hanzhou reacted with jealousy and Xu Yang clarified that the invitation alone was not a recruitment offer.

Xu Yang and Sun Tao attended the Kong family's banquet for geniuses, where they met Kong Cheng and observed the other guests. As the banquet began to fill with ranked geniuses and young ladies from prominent families, Xiao Ya approached Xu Yang to introduce herself.

• Xu Yang gave Ye Qiuling one of the Kong family's invitations and refused Zhang Hanzhou's assumption that he had received the other one.
• Xu Yang and Sun Tao accompanied Ye Qiuling to the Kong family's settlement, rejecting her request that they drive her carriage.
• Xu Yang and Sun Tao presented their invitations at the Kong Residence and were welcomed by Kong Cheng, who ranked thirty-ninth on the Cloud Ascension Rankings.
• Xu Yang and Sun Tao sat apart from the other guests, sampled the refreshments, and recognized several ranked geniuses at the banquet.
• Xiao Ya approached Xu Yang and asked his name.

At the Kong Family banquet, Xu Yang drew attention from potential recruiters but remained isolated because of his feud with Huo Xiaochен. Kong Shuyuan offered the Kong Family’s support on the condition that Xu Yang marry into the family or become a woman’s husband, leaving Xu to decide whether he would accept.

• Xiao Ya withdrew from Xu Yang after learning his identity and his conflict with Huo Xiaochен.
• Ye Qiuling arrived at the banquet, while Fang Xu offered Xu Yang a place with the Fang Family if his dragon ascension failed; Xu Yang refused.
• Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei joined Xu Yang and Sun Tao’s table, and Lin Jingyu and Huo Xiaochен arrived to widespread attention.
• After the banquet meal, Kong Jie took Xu Yang to meet the Kong Family’s tenth elder, Kong Shuyuan.
• Kong Shuyuan told Xu Yang that the Kong Family would support him only if he married into the family or became a husband to one of its women.

Xu Yang refused the Kong Family’s marriage alliance, then returned to the banquet as Kong Cheng held a sword-comprehension contest. The contest revealed Xu Yang’s extraordinary progress, and Fang Xu challenged him to disclose how many moves he had mastered.

• Xu Yang told Kong Shuyuan he would not marry a woman he had never met, so Kong Shuyuan ended the recruitment talks without offering further help.
• After Xu Yang left, Kong Jie criticized him, but Kong Shuyuan said the Kong Family had only offered him a chance for Xiong Wan Hai’s sake.
• Kong Cheng unveiled a nine-move sword technique and offered a Spirit Origin Pill to whoever comprehended the most moves within an hour, with a tenth move to be deduced by the most talented.
• Li Chuyang announced he had comprehended three moves after fifteen minutes, while Xu Yang learned all nine, deduced a tenth, and began developing an eleventh.
• Li Yunzhou and Li Chuyang each reported comprehending six moves, while Fang Xu reported five and then asked Xu Yang how many he had comprehended.

At the Kong Family banquet, Fang Xu tried to embarrass Xu Yang by asking how many forms of a sword technique he had comprehended, but Xu Yang demonstrated six forms and revealed his A-Grade comprehension. The chapter ended with Lin Jingyu astonishing the guests by comprehending all nine forms and deriving the outline of a tenth.

• Fang Xu challenged Xu Yang, who said he had comprehended six forms and then demonstrated six streams of sword qi.
• Sun Tao also demonstrated six forms, leaving Fang Xu ashamed and prompting Kong Cheng to praise Xu Yang and Sun Tao.
• Liu Rumei said she had comprehended six forms, while Ye Qiuling admitted she had comprehended only two and was mocked by the young ladies.
• Huo Xiaochен revealed that he had comprehended seven forms, impressing the banquet guests.
• Lin Jingyu said he had comprehended all nine forms and only a rough outline of the tenth, astonishing everyone.

Xu Yang rejected the Kong Family’s marriage alliance and formed an alliance with Sun Tao, Zhang Jun, and Liu Rumei against Huo Xiaochен. He prepared to refine Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills for profit and headed to the Spirit Treasure Market to buy herbs.

• Lin Jingyu impressed the banquet guests with perfect comprehension, and Kong Cheng took him aside to discuss the Kong Family’s offer.
• Xu Yang and Sun Tao compared their comprehension, learned they had each grasped eight sword moves, and discussed finding a spirit herb for Xu Qing.
• Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei proposed joining forces against Huo Xiaochен, and Xu Yang and Sun Tao accepted.
• Xu Yang told Yue Zhong and Bai Shaoling that he had refused the Kong Family’s marriage alliance and had allied with Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei.
• Xu Yang collected his custom Alchemy Furnace, set it up in his courtyard, and went to the Spirit Treasure Market to buy herbs for refining pills.

Xu Yang bought spirit herbs at the Spirit Treasure Market and refined three batches of Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills, then struggled to sell them for Spirit Currency in Cloud Province City. He set up a stall at Wu Family Fort and attracted buyers by offering premium-grade pills at a discounted price.

• Xu Yang bought Dragon Whisker Root and tiger-soul scarlet sun fruit from Yan Bing at the Spirit Treasure Market, paying with spirit iron and receiving Spirit Currency in change.
• Xu Yang refined three batches of Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills, producing thirty-two pills, and decided to sell them in small quantities to avoid drawing attention.
• Xu Yang found that city pill shops offered poor prices, then learned from an elderly shopkeeper about Wu Family Fort's market for independent sellers.
• Xu Yang registered at Wu Family Fort, rented a stall, and advertised nine Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills for four Spirit Currency coins.
• A middle-aged man inspected Xu Yang's pill, confirmed it was premium-grade, and paid four Spirit Currency coins for nine pills.

Xu Yang sold his premium Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills at Wu Family Fort, drawing attention from buyers who wanted to know their source. After leaving, he was ambushed by the middle-aged man who had bought the first nine pills, and Xu Yang began powering up to fight him.

• A burly man offered to buy all the pills, but Xu Yang honored his deal with the middle-aged man and sold him nine before selling the rest to the burly man.
• Xu Yang refused to reveal where he had obtained the pills and left Wu Family Fort after attracting several onlookers' attention.
• The middle-aged man ambushed Xu Yang in the forest and tried to capture him alive, demanding the identity of the pill refiner or Xu Yang's cooperation.
• Xu Yang repelled the man's first attack, and the middle-aged man summoned a flaming Demon Bull martial dao phenomenon and threatened him.
• Xu Yang revealed his perfection-level Immovable King Body and activated Eight Fiends Subduing Dragon Force to increase his strength for the fight.

Xu Yang killed Xie Jin after the man ambushed him over Dragon-Tiger Great Golden Pills, then returned to Cloud Province City and used spirit currency to cultivate the Diamond Glazed Body. After learning that the Crouching Tiger Gang was searching for him, Xu Yang decided to deal with the gang before selling pills again.

• Xu Yang overwhelmed and killed Xie Jin with a single powerful attack, then recovered the pills and spirit currency Xie Jin had taken from him.
• Several men from Wu Family Fort witnessed the aftermath but fled when Xu Yang warned them off.
• Xu Yang returned to the Violet Sun Gate's lodgings, cultivated the Diamond Glazed Body with a spirit currency coin, and learned that the coin advanced his progress to 849/10000.
• At a wine house, Xu Yang overheard that Huo Xiaochэнь had moved into the Xiao Family estate and that Jiang Wang visited him there.
• Xu Yang returned to Wu Family Fort and learned from two men that Xie Jin belonged to the Crouching Tiger Gang, which was offering a reward for information about Xu Yang.
• Xu Yang obtained the gang's address and decided to deal with the Crouching Tiger Gang before resuming pill sales.

Xu Yang gathered information about the Crouching Tiger Gang and Cloud Province City before encountering Zhang Baoqing on the road. When Zhang Baoqing tried to rob him, Xu Yang revealed his strength and drove him into a desperate fight.

• Xu Yang learned that Yang Zheng and his mount were both Second Heavenly Origin powerhouses, then gathered more information about Cloud Province City's factions and the Imperial Court.
• Xu Yang encountered Zhang Baoqing on the road, and both men agreed to travel together while secretly planning to kill and rob the other.
• Xu Yang and Zhang Baoqing launched simultaneous attacks, and their fists collided in a blast that shattered the surrounding area.
• Xu Yang recognized Zhang Baoqing as the man who had fled after witnessing Xie Jin's death, then activated the Immovable King Body and Eight Fiends Subduing Dragon Force.
• Xu Yang pursued Zhang Baoqing and struck with overwhelming pressure, while Zhang Baoqing gathered his astral energy and manifested an azure giant wolf phenomenon.

Xu Yang killed Zhang Baoqing after Zhang tried to ambush him, then returned to quiet cultivation. After learning that Huo Xiaochен’s wedding had excluded the Violet Sun Gate, Xu Yang argued with his companions and waited in ambush near the Xiao Family estate, hoping to kill Huo Xiaochен when he returned to Cloud Province City.

• Xu Yang overpowered Zhang Baoqing, killed him, and took his Spirit Currency before leaving the scene.
• People returning from Wu Family Fort and the Crouching Tiger Gang identified Zhang Baoqing’s killer as the person who had killed Xie Jin.
• Xu Yang considered earning Spirit Currency by killing ambushers, rejected the idea, and resumed cultivating at the Violet Sun Gate residence.
• Xu Yang’s companions blamed him for the Violet Sun Gate not receiving an invitation to Huo Xiaochен’s wedding, and Xu Yang mocked them for assuming they would have been invited otherwise.
• Xu Yang concealed himself near the road to the Xiao Family estate and watched wedding guests depart, but Huo Xiaochен never appeared.

Xu Yang ambushed and killed Jiang Wang after the wedding, then burned his body and returned to the Violet Sun Gate. The next morning, he learned the panel had awarded him 200 points for killing Jiang Wang, confirming how dangerous the old master had been to him.

• Jiang Wang left the Xiao Family estate alone, while Xu Yang decided to kill him rather than risk losing his chance to strike.
• Xu Yang ambushed Jiang Wang on the road and killed him with a slash combining the Eight Fiends Subduing Dragon Force, the Hell-Prison Heaven-Slaying Art, and the Blood Prison Heart Saber Scripture.
• Jiang Wang recognized Xu Yang by his voice and realized Xu Yang had likely killed Liu Qingyuan before his body fell apart.
• Xu Yang carried Jiang Wang's corpse into the mountains, took his money and spirit currency, buried his spirit weapon, and burned the corpse to ash.
• Xu Yang returned to the Violet Sun Gate's quarters and slept instead of trying to kill Huo Xiaochен.
• The next morning, Xu Yang saw that Jiang Wang's death earned him 200 points and concluded Jiang Wang had been a major threat.

After Jiang Wang disappeared following Huo Xiaochен's wedding, Huo Xiaochен and the Xiao Family searched for him while Xu Yang quietly avoided suspicion. Weeks later, Xu Yang was approached by a stranger who hinted at a connection to the Demon Sect, and Xu Yang tried to leave.

• Huo Xiaochен learned that Jiang Wang had vanished after leaving the Xiao Family estate and hurried to investigate.
• Sun Tao, Zhang Jun, Liu Rumei, and Xu Yang discussed Jiang Wang's disappearance and suspected that the Xiao Family's enemies had killed him.
• Huo Xiaochен and the Xiao Family found no clues, and Huo Xiaochен concluded that the attack was likely aimed at the Xiao Family.
• Xu Yang stayed on Dragon Ascension Street for half a month while continuing to cultivate the Separation Fire Art.
• A middle-aged stranger invited Xu Yang to talk without revealing his affiliation, and Xu Yang suspected he belonged to the Demon Sect and walked away.

Xu Yang refused a Demon Sect member’s offer to help him against Huo Xiaochেন and later warned Sun Tao to be cautious of Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei. At a meeting with two senior disciples from the Heavenly Strategy Academy, the Violet Sun Gate learned Han Yingjie had declined to attend, and Bai Shaoling began asking the visitors for help.

• A middle-aged Demon Sect member offered to help Xu Yang against Huo Xiaochেন and Lin Jingyu if he joined the sect, but Xu Yang refused.
• Sun Tao told Xu Yang that the Demon Sect had approached him too, and Xu Yang warned him to watch Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei.
• Xu Yang and Sun Tao went with the others to meet Yuan Chengji and Lü Fengxing, who had visited the Violet Sun Gate’s quarters.
• Yuan Chengji and Lü Fengxing treated some disciples coldly and showed greater warmth to Ye Qiuling, while avoiding Xu Yang because Huo Xiaochেন was targeting him.
• Lü Fengxing said Han Yingjie was too busy to attend, and Yue Zhong condemned him as ungrateful.
• Bai Shaoling told Yuan Chengji and Lü Fengxing that the sect had a favor to ask, and they agreed to hear him out.