Chapter Summaries

Xu Yang defeated and killed Pang Xiong and the Twin-Horned Tiger at the Crouching Tiger Gang, then collected the tiger’s essence blood, horns, and valuable treasury goods. He left the gang’s remaining supplies behind for the Fang Family and disappeared.

• Pang Xiong recognized Xu Yang’s Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist and tried to hold him off until the Twin-Horned Tiger arrived.
• Xu Yang doubled his combat power, shattered Pang Xiong’s saber attack and protective astral energy, then killed him with a punch to the temple.
• The Twin-Horned Tiger attacked Xu Yang, but he broke its jaw in a head-on clash, caught it in midair, and killed it with two blows to the head.
• Xu Yang collected the Twin-Horned Tiger’s essence blood and horns, then decided he could not carry away the entire corpse.
• Xu Yang raided the treasury for pills, spirit currency, spirit iron, and other goods, leaving the rest for the Fang Family before disappearing.

Xu Yang robbed the Crouching Tiger Gang after killing Pang Xiong, then learned the Fang Family had mistaken Han Yingjie for the masked attacker because of the Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist. The Fang Family confronted Han Yingjie at Heavenly Strategy Academy, leaving him in danger while Xu Yang stayed hidden.

• Fang Xu worried that Pang Xiong might fail to kill Xu Yang and expose the Fang Family, but Fang Yongnian insisted the plan would succeed.
• Fang Wei reported that the Crouching Tiger Gang had been destroyed and Pang Xiong killed by the masked man who had killed Yang Zheng, not by Xu Yang.
• Xu Yang collected the gang's resources, bought cultivation pills, and returned with his loot to Heavenly Strategy Academy.
• Fang Yongnian found the gang's treasury looted and learned the attacker had used the Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist, prompting Fang Xu to identify Han Yingjie as the suspect.
• Fang Xu publicly accused Han Yingjie of attacking the Fang Family's property, while Xu Yang realized Han Yingjie was taking the blame for him.
• Han Yingjie denied responsibility, but Liu Yuanqing believed the evidence implicated him and warned that the Fang Family could retaliate without consequence.

Xu Yang refined the Twin-Horned Tiger's blood essence and broke through to the second layer of the Azure Dragon Tyrant Body, then spent half a month consolidating his cultivation. He joined a crowd at the Battle Tower to watch Huo Xiaochэнь challenge it, where Xiao Yun publicly confronted Wu Xiuyuan over Ye Qiuling.

• Xu Yang swallowed the Twin-Horned Tiger's blood essence, broke through the bottleneck to the Azure Dragon Tyrant Body's second layer, and gained enough strength to expect an easy victory on the Battle Tower's ninth floor.
• Xu Yang consolidated his breakthrough for half a month while Lu Wei and Tu Gang reportedly cleared the Battle Tower's tenth floor and Yang Ao approached the same feat.
• Sun Tao and Jiang Fan told Xu Yang that Huo Xiaochэнь had reached second Heavenly Origin perfection and invited him to watch Huo challenge the Battle Tower.
• Xu Yang, Sun Tao, and Jiang Fan arrived at the crowded Battle Tower, where they saw Huo Xiaochэнь arrive with Kong Cheng, Xiao Yun, and their associates.
• Ye Qiuling appeared beside Xiao Yun, and Xiao Yun approached Wu Xiuyuan to ask whether he considered Xiao Yun's support for her an act of enmity, leaving Wu Xiuyuan under the crowd's scrutiny.

Xu Yang stood his ground against Xiao Yun after Ye Qiuling tried to use her new backing to humiliate him, and Xiao Yun left without starting a fight. Huo Xiaochén entered the Battle Tower and reached the tenth layer, where his attempt to surpass his previous limit began.

• Xiao Yun confronted Wu Xiuyuan over Ye Qiuling, then brought her to challenge Xu Yang and Sun Tao.
• Ye Qiuling mocked Xu Yang for refusing to help her before, but Xu Yang called her a schemer who had attached herself to Xiao Yun for status.
• Xiao Yun threatened Xu Yang, who calmly challenged him to try; Xiao Yun left with Ye Qiuling rather than fight inside the academy.
• Sun Tao and Xu Yang said they were not afraid of the trouble ahead, while Jiang Fan noted Xu Yang had already reached the third Heavenly Origin.
• Wu Xiuyuan praised Xu Yang for standing up to Xiao Yun, and Huo Xiaochén entered the Battle Tower after Du Ziming confirmed his Azure Dragon Tyrant Body had reached its second stage.
• Huo Xiaochén rapidly reached the ninth layer and then advanced to the tenth, where he had stopped on his previous attempt.

Huo Xiaochен reached the eleventh floor of the Battle Tower and ranked above Lu Wei, while Xu Yang continued cultivating and considered how to gather resources and conceal his identity. After receiving a letter from Xu Qing and perfecting two martial arts, Xu Yang headed to the Hall of Heroes to take a mission.

• Huo Xiaochен reached the eleventh floor but was forced out, placing fifty-first and above Lu Wei and Tu Gang.
• Wu Xiuyuan, Gu Qingfeng, Li Yunfei, and Sun Tao reached second Heavenly Origin perfection and improved their Battle Tower rankings, while Lu Ren later broke through to second Heavenly Origin.
• Xu Yang received a letter from Xu Qing, learned she was attempting to break through to Heavenly Origin, and sent a reply with Ma Jin.
• Lu Wei and Yang Ao broke through to third Heavenly Origin, while Huang Yi grew anxious that Xu Yang remained inside the academy.
• Xu Yang perfected the Formless Thousand Illusions Art and the Swimming Dragon Sky-Escaping Steps, then went to the Hall of Heroes to take a mission.

Xu Yang accepted missions to gather starlight grass and other resources before entering Jade Dragon Mountain, hoping to find herbs he could cultivate for himself and Xu Qing. As he cautiously ventured deeper into the mountains, Huang Yi and others began plotting to ambush him, while Xu Yang moved toward the roar of a powerful exotic beast.

• Xu Yang chose the starlight grass gathering mission after Zuo Mu warned him that the elusive herb vanished when it sensed disturbances in stellar power.
• Xu Yang accepted missions for starlight grass, Fire Bear Gallbladders, and Dragon-Horned Deer antlers, then left for Jade Dragon Mountain.
• Huang Yi recruited Peng Lianyun to help kill Xu Yang, and Han Yingjie arrived offering to join their plan; Fang Xu also decided to ask his father to send experts after Xu Yang.
• Xu Yang traveled cautiously through Jade Dragon Mountain, searching for resources by day and cultivating in caves at night, and swallowed a spirit herb more than three years old.
• After hearing a roar that suggested a powerful exotic beast, Xu Yang crept toward its source in search of essence blood.

Xu Yang hunted a Stone-Cracking Pig, refined its essence blood, and spent more than twenty days gathering resources in Jade Dragon Mountain. As he headed for Moon Peak to find Starlight Grass, Huang Yi, Han Yingjie, and Peng Lianyun waited in ambush along his route.

• Xu Yang killed a Stone-Cracking Pig with three punches, collected its essence blood and tusks, and took meat to eat.
• Xu Yang refined the Stone-Cracking Pig's essence blood, then continued deeper into Jade Dragon Mountain to search for resources.
• Xu Yang gathered spirit herbs and hunted two more third heavenly origin exotic beasts over the following days.
• Xu Yang decided to head to Moon Peak for Starlight Grass before the people waiting there gave up and left.
• Huang Yi, Han Yingjie, and Peng Lianyun concealed themselves along the only route to Moon Peak, and Huang Yi sensed Xu Yang approaching.

Xu Yang walked into an ambush set by Han Yingjie, Huang Yi, and Peng Lianyun, who attacked him to avenge their grievances and eliminate a threat. He revealed his overwhelming strength, shattered Huang Yi’s arm with one punch, and blocked the other two attackers’ strikes, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Han Yingjie, Huang Yi, and Peng Lianyun concealed themselves around Xu Yang’s route to Moon Peak and prepared to kill him.
• Xu Yang detected all three attackers but deliberately entered their encirclement, hoping to draw out Huo Xiaochен.
• Han Yingjie, Huang Yi, and Peng Lianyun launched attacks from three directions, with Huang Yi charging Xu Yang directly.
• Xu Yang unleashed his techniques and punched Huang Yi, shattering her arm and sending her crashing into the mountainside.
• Han Yingjie and Peng Lianyun’s strikes hit Xu Yang’s protective astral energy, but the Dragon Elephant Heart Sutra shattered both attacks, and Peng Lianyun recognized the Azure Dragon Tyrant Body.

Xu Yang revealed his Azure Dragon Tyrant Body and Dragon Elephant Heart Sutra as Han Yingjie and Peng Lianyun tried to kill him, then defeated and killed them and Huang Yi. He found no academic credits on the bodies and disposed of all three corpses in a nest of exotic beasts.

• Xu Yang revealed his Azure Dragon Tyrant Body and Dragon Elephant Heart Sutra, terrifying Han Yingjie and Peng Lianyun into fleeing.
• Xu Yang used the perfected Swimming Dragon Sky-Escaping Steps to catch Peng Lianyun and crush his back with a palm strike.
• Xu Yang caught Han Yingjie, rejected his plea for mercy, and killed him after breaking his sword and crushing his chest.
• Xu Yang discovered that Han Yingjie and Peng Lianyun carried no academic credits, then killed the dying Huang Yi.
• Xu Yang searched Huang Yi, carried all three corpses away, and threw them to a nest of exotic beasts.

Xu Yang waited on Moon Peak for starlight grass, failed to gather it several times, then seized a valuable stalk when it appeared directly before him. Two martial artists followed him from the mountain and demanded he hand it over, leaving Xu Yang surrounded and facing a fight.

• Xu Yang climbed Moon Peak, concealed his aura, and repeatedly failed to gather starlight grass that vanished underground whenever he approached.
• After several days of waiting, Xu Yang watched a group of martial artists fight over a gathered stalk, then successfully seized a twenty-year-old stalk that emerged at his feet.
• Xu Yang fled Moon Peak with the starlight grass, while a fourth heavenly origin martial artist and a third heavenly origin martial artist secretly followed him.
• More than twenty li from Moon Peak, Yu Hong and his companion surrounded Xu Yang and demanded that he surrender the starlight grass.

Xu Yang fought Yu Hong and Wang Heng over the Starlight Grass, revealing himself as a Spirit Bone Prodigy and using his spirit bone to seize control of the power of heaven and earth. After their first exchange left both Xu Yang and Yu Hong injured but standing, Yu Hong attacked again as Xu Yang’s fighting spirit rose.

• Xu Yang warned Yu Hong and Wang Heng to leave, but Yu Hong launched an attack and Wang Heng joined him with his saber.
• Xu Yang activated his hidden spirit bone, seized the surrounding power of heaven and earth, and struck Wang Heng hard enough to shatter his protective astral energy and send him flying.
• Yu Hong recognized Xu Yang as a Spirit Bone Prodigy, overcame his hesitation, and attacked with a powerful fist technique.
• Xu Yang countered with the Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist, and their collision blasted apart the surrounding terrain and injured Wang Heng with its shock waves.
• Yu Hong and Xu Yang both retreated from the clash, and Yu Hong dismissed Xu Yang’s strength before launching another attack toward his heart.

Xu Yang fought Yu Hong in a prolonged battle over the starlight grass, then used his saber intent and Hell-Prison Heaven-Slaying Art to kill him. Xu Yang pursued the fleeing Wang Heng.

• Xu Yang activated the Golden Astral Skill and fought Yu Hong for hundreds of moves, with neither able to gain the upper hand at first.
• Yu Hong grew exhausted and asked to end the fight, but Xu Yang refused and kept him from escaping.
• Yu Hong launched a mental attack and tried to kill Xu Yang, but Xu Yang broke through it with the saber intent from the Blood Prison Heart Saber Scripture.
• Xu Yang severed Yu Hong’s arm with the Hell-Prison Heaven-Slaying Art, then struck again and cut Yu Hong in two.
• Wang Heng fled, and Xu Yang chased after him.

Xu Yang killed Wang Heng after defeating Yu Hong, kept the older Starlight Grass for Xu Qing, and continued exploring Jade Dragon Mountain while Huo Xiaochен celebrated his breakthrough and vowed to kill him. After advancing the Hell-Prison Heaven-Slaying Art to its seventh level, Xu Yang encountered a powerful Fire Bear and faced its attack.

• Xu Yang killed Wang Heng, collected his belongings, and found a second Starlight Grass before returning to Yu Hong's corpse to search it.
• Xu Yang decided to save the twenty-three-year-old Starlight Grass for Xu Qing and continued searching Jade Dragon Mountain for mission targets.
• Huo Xiaochен reached the third heavenly origin, learned that the Fang Family's assassins had not returned, and warned Fang Xu that Xu Yang's life belonged to him.
• Xu Yang advanced the Hell-Prison Heaven-Slaying Art to the seventh level and decided to remain in Jade Dragon Mountain another month.
• Xu Yang found a Fire Bear near a volcano, but a second, stronger Fire Bear appeared and lunged at him; Xu Yang evaded its paw with his footwork.

Xu Yang killed two Fire Bears in Jade Dragon Mountain, escaped a Giant Ape, and refined their essence blood to strengthen his Azure Dragon Tyrant Body. As he returned toward the Heavenly Strategy Academy, where others believed he was dead, he found Essence of Earth and came across a masked group ambushing travelers over Heavenstar Tungsten Steel.

• Xu Yang wounded and killed a Fourth Heavenly Origin Fire Bear, then beheaded its companion before collecting their essence blood, gallbladders, and claws.
• A Giant Ape appeared and devoured the dead bears, so Xu Yang fled and later refined their essence blood, raising his Azure Dragon Tyrant Body to 8538/10000.
• Xu Yang headed back toward the Heavenly Strategy Academy, while Du Ziming, Lu Ren, and Huo Xiaochén believed he had died and Sun Tao rejected the rumors.
• Xu Yang found a five-year-old Spirit Ginseng on a cliff and dug deeper to uncover and store a lump of Essence of Earth.
• Xu Yang approached a battle between masked attackers and an unmasked group, then heard someone demand that the others hand over the Heavenstar Tungsten Steel.

Xu Yang ambushed the Xiao Family after they killed the Yu Family for heavenstar tungsten steel, seized the treasure, and returned to the Heavenly Strategy Academy after more than four months away. His safe return surprised the academy, while Huo Xiaochен and Fang Xu reacted to the news, and Sun Tao and Jiang Fan came to see him.

• Xu Yang watched the Xiao Family attack the Yu Family, then struck when the Xiao Family began gathering the spoils and killed its surviving fighters.
• Xu Yang took the heavenstar tungsten steel and other loot, traveled out of Jade Dragon Mountain, and gained 400 points for the rare material.
• At the academy, Jin Yu and Chu Nangui wondered whether Xu Yang had died, while Sun Tao also worried about him.
• Xu Yang returned to the Heavenly Strategy Academy, where Ge Zhiwen and Lu Ren were surprised to see him alive, and news of his return spread.
• Huo Xiaochен was relieved that Xu Yang had returned so he could kill him himself, while Fang Xu was angered that the Fang Family's attempt to eliminate Xu Yang had failed.
• Sun Tao and Jiang Fan visited Xu Yang after his return, and Wu Xiuyuan arrived at the courtyard gate.

Xu Yang returned to the Heavenly Strategy Academy, sold his mission rewards, and nurtured soul-returning grass with essence of earth before using twelve days in the Spirit Tower to break through to third heavenly origin. After silencing those who had mocked his confidence, he sold his remaining goods and began searching for a way to forge a weapon from his heavenstar tungsten steel.

• Xu Yang turned in starlight grass and a fire bear gallbladder, collected his ranking rewards, and used essence of earth to help his soul-returning grass grow into a spirit herb.
• Xu Yang entered the Spirit Tower for twelve days, where he cultivated the Dragon Elephant Heart Sutra and suppressed his aura to appear newly advanced.
• Xu Yang emerged at third heavenly origin, stunning the crowd and embarrassing Du Ziming, Lu Ren, Fang Xu, and the others who had expected him to fail.
• Xu Yang collected his breakthrough reward, sold beast materials and spirit herbs in the city, and rejected weapon shops that demanded half his heavenstar tungsten steel.
• Xu Yang returned to the academy with pills and planned to ask around about forging his steel before traveling to the Violet Sun Gate to deliver starlight grass to Xu Qing.

Xu Yang learned that his Spirit Bone Prodigy status could make him exceptionally talented at weapon forging, so he decided to keep his heavenstar tungsten steel and forge a weapon himself. After Huo Xiaochен and Zhang Bo tried and failed to buy the material, Xu Yang went to the Martial Repository Hall to exchange for the introductory section of the Primordial Dragon Elephant Fist.

• Xu Yang visited the Weapon-Forge Pavilion, rejected Lu Ren as a potential forger, and refused Shen Lian’s demand for half his heavenstar tungsten steel as payment.
• While reading about weapon forging, Xu Yang overheard that Spirit Bone Prodigies possessed the strongest weapon-forging talent because their spirituality was exceptional.
• Xu Yang realized his astral energy was suited to forging and decided to learn a Spirit Bone Martial Art before attempting to make his weapon.
• Huo Xiaochен offered to buy Xu Yang’s heavenstar tungsten steel, but Xu Yang named an exorbitant price and sent him away.
• Zhang Bo offered academic credits and spirit currency for the steel, then threatened Xu Yang when he refused to sell.
• Xu Yang exchanged academic credits for the introductory section of the Primordial Dragon Elephant Fist at the Martial Repository Hall.

Xu Yang studied the Primordial Dragon Elephant Fist, then used his Spirit Bone Prodigy talent to forge a High-Grade Spirit Weapon from his heavenstar tungsten steel. When he emerged from the workshop, Shen Lian tried to seize the saber, and Xu Yang stopped him.

• Xu Yang borrowed the Primordial Dragon Elephant Fist booklet, memorized its first stage, and returned it before reaching the introductory level.
• Xu Yang heard that Han Yingjie had been missing for nearly half a year and learned he could claim Han Yingjie's belongings as a fellow sect member if the academy confirmed his death.
• Xu Yang brought his heavenstar tungsten steel to the Weapon-Forge Pavilion and rejected Shen Lian's offer to forge it, choosing to work on it himself.
• Xu Yang discovered that his spirit bone let him channel astral energy into spirit iron with ease and rapidly advanced his Weapon-Forging Art.
• Xu Yang spent more than half a month refining and shaping the heavenstar tungsten steel into a saber that he was confident would become a High-Grade Spirit Weapon after nurturing.
• Shen Lian tried to snatch Xu Yang's saber as he left the workshop, but Xu Yang blocked his grasp and accused him of robbing a fellow student.

Xu Yang completed nurturing the saber he forged from heavenstar tungsten steel, while Shen Lian and other students mocked his ability. The Ink Saber emerged as a High-Grade Spirit Weapon, stunning the students who had gathered to ridicule him.

• Shen Lian apologized for trying to seize Xu Yang’s heavenstar tungsten steel and compensated him with thirty academic credits.
• Xu Yang rebuffed Wan He’s taunts in the dining hall, where Sun Tao told him that Han Yingjie’s belongings had been divided among their group.
• Xu Yang collected his share of Han Yingjie’s belongings and later rested before beginning to nurture his saber with the Weapon-Nurturing Art.
• Lu Ren, Du Ziming, Shen Lian, and others waited outside Xu Yang’s courtyard and dismissed the possibility that he could forge a High-Grade Spirit Weapon.
• Xu Yang’s Ink Saber drew in the power of heaven and earth and erupted into the sky as a High-Grade Spirit Weapon, shocking Lu Ren, Shen Lian, and Ye Qiuling.

Xu Yang completed the high-grade Heavenly Star Saber, attracting the attention of Grandmaster Tian Mingyuan, but refused to become his disciple and chose to focus on cultivation. After learning Xu Yang had become a Weapon-Forging Master, Li Lingdu sent Qi Xuancheng to investigate and considered killing him, while Xu Yang weighed his next steps toward advancing to fourth Heavenly Origin.

• Xu Yang claimed the completed Heavenly Star Saber and showed the crowd that he had forged a high-grade spirit weapon, then refused to let Shen Lian and Lu Ren examine it.
• Tian Mingyuan offered to teach Xu Yang in the Weapon-Forge Pavilion and promised to make him a Spirit Treasure Grandmaster within ten years, but Xu Yang declined because he wanted to pursue the martial path.
• At the Tian Residence, Steward Tian told Li Lingdu that Xu Yang had become a Weapon-Forging Master and had refused Tian Mingyuan's offer, prompting Li Lingdu to send Qi Xuancheng to verify the news and contemplate killing Xu Yang.
• Xu Yang saw that forging the saber had earned him six thousand Martial Dao Longevity Points, considered learning to make Spirit Origin Pills, and decided to wait until after reaching fourth Heavenly Origin before choosing a recipe.