Chapter Summaries

A mysterious sky screen appeared over Glory City and showed Nie Li reliving memories of his previous life, including the city’s destruction by a beast tide. The revelation left the city in turmoil, and Ye Zong ordered efforts to find Ye Mo and summon the major families.

• A thunderclap brought a golden sky screen over Glory City, alarming Ye Zong, Ye Xiu, and the residents.
• The screen showed scenes from Nie Li’s earlier class, including Shen Xiu’s lecture and Nie Li’s bet to reach Bronze One-Star.
• Nie Li recognized the Book of Time and Space Spirit on the screen and feared it would reveal what happened next.
• The screen showed Nie Li recalling how a beast tide destroyed Glory City and killed Ye Mo, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and Ye Ziyun.
• Ye Zong ordered his subordinates to calm the residents, find Ye Mo, and summon the major families.

The sky screen showed Nie Li’s past-life reunion with Ye Ziyun and his confrontation with Shen Xiu, while people in the present reacted to revelations about their city and the Sacred Family. It left Shen Xiu holding Nie Li’s student record and mocking his soul force of five.

• Xiao Ning'er realized why Nie Li had said he liked Ye Ziyun, but resolved not to give up on him.
• Nie Li joked with Lu Piao, then watched scenes of his past life with Ye Ziyun and thanked the Book of Time and Space Spirit for bringing them together again.
• Shen Xiu belittled commoner students, and Nie Li’s claim that the Sacred Family had fled during the beast horde shocked Glory City and prompted Shen Ming to contact the other major families.
• Nie Li decided to keep watching the screen and considered using Ye Ziyun to meet the City Lord.
• Nie Li challenged Shen Xiu by citing Ye Mo’s commoner origins, and Shen Xiu retrieved Nie Li’s record and scorned his soul force of five.

Nie Li challenged Shen Xiu to a bet that he would become a Bronze Demon Spirit Master within two months, and his classmates Du Ze, Lu Piao, Wei Nan, Zhang Ming, and Zhu Xiangjun joined him in standing up to her. As Shen Xiu read out the exceptional soul talents of Ye Ziyun, Shen Yue, and Xiao Ning'er, Nie Li’s family watched proudly and worriedly from below the sky screen.

• Nie Li declared that he would become the greatest Demon Spirit Master and marry Ye Ziyun, provoking Shen Xiu and the students who doubted him.
• Nie Li bet that he would reach Bronze within two months; if he failed, he would leave school, but if he succeeded, Shen Xiu would resign.
• Shen Xiu accepted the bet and ordered Nie Li to stand at the back of class, where he was joined by Du Ze, Lu Piao, Wei Nan, Zhang Ming, and Zhu Xiangjun.
• Nie Ming felt proud of Nie Li, while Xiao Yun worried about him and planned to cook him a meal when he returned.
• Shen Xiu read that Ye Ziyun had a Green Soul Sea and eighty-six points of soul force, while Shen Yue and Xiao Ning'er each had an Emerald Soul Sea and seventy-eight points; Shen Yue smiled smugly at the envy around him.

Nie Li promised to help his friends raise their soul force while revealing the enormous cost of cultivation. After class, Shen Yue bought a pair of expensive engraved bracers while waiting to impress Ye Ziyun.

• Xiao Ning'er learned that in her previous life she had lost her cultivation, broken with the Winged Dragon Family, and entered the Black Devil Forest alone, while Xiao Yunfeng regretted failing to protect her.
• Lu Piao teased Nie Li about which girl he liked, and Du Ze and Zhu Xiangjun joked with him as Shen Xiu mocked the commoners’ chances of becoming Bronze Demon Spirit Masters.
• Nie Li assured Du Ze and the others that they could raise their soul force by following his instructions, then explained that cultivation would cost millions of Demon Spirit Coins.
• After classes ended, Lu Piao admired a pair of Bronze Bracers engraved with a Wind and Snow Inscription but could not afford their 60,000-Demon-Coin price.
• Shen Yue had his attendants clear the crowd, waited for Ye Ziyun, and bought the bracers by handing the vendor six Demon Crystal Cards.

Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Du Ze entered the Trial Grounds to hunt Horned Sheep, using a special anesthetic Nie Li had prepared. After Nie Li saved Lu Piao from a berserk beast, Ye Sheng realized the trio had caused the recent drop in Horned Sheep numbers.

• Shen Yue flaunted his wealth, while Nie Li reassured Lu Piao that Ye Ziyun would not be won over by money.
• Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Du Ze reached the Trial Grounds, where Lu Piao drew attention as Nie Li and Du Ze slipped inside.
• A Horned Sheep chased Lu Piao until Nie Li shot it with an arrow coated in a special anesthetic, knocking it out.
• Nie Li explained that the anesthetic worked specifically on Horned Sheep and told the others to keep hunting.
• Ye Sheng asked Nie Li whether the three of them had caused the recent decline in Horned Sheep, and they sheepishly admitted it.

Nie Li and his friends hunted Horned Sheep for seven nights, earning enough to begin the next stage of their plan. While exploring the Trial Grounds, Nie Li found Xiao Ning'er cultivating alone, and their first encounter ended with her holding a blade to his neck.

• Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Du Ze hunted Horned Sheep through the night for seven days, exhausting themselves and earning more than ten thousand.
• Nie Li decided they had earned enough and went deeper into the Trial Grounds while Lu Piao and Du Ze rested.
• Xiao Ning'er revealed that she had cut ties with her family and planned to enter the Black Devil Forest, prompting Xiao Yunfeng to grieve and Xiao Yi and Shen Fei to consider stopping her.
• Nie Li discovered Xiao Ning'er cultivating barefoot in a pool of water and remembered that her illness would later ruin her cultivation.
• Xiao Ning'er recognized Nie Li, told him to leave, and drew her short blade against his neck when she saw him looking at her bruised foot.

Nie Li diagnosed Xiao Ning'er with extreme cold syndrome, explained how to treat it, and revised the Winged Dragon Family's cultivation technique to protect her meridians. The chapter ended with Xiao Ning'er asking whether Nie Li knew the Guiding Technique, since she had never heard anyone else mention it.

• Nie Li recognized Xiao Ning'er's extreme cold syndrome and warned that it could destroy her cultivation or kill her if untreated.
• Nie Li told Xiao Ning'er the illness could be cured with medicine and Guiding Technique massages, and warned her not to cultivate at midnight.
• Xiao Ning'er trusted Nie Li and handed him her family's cultivation technique, which he criticized and revised to prevent damage to her meridians.
• Xiao Yunfeng and the Winged Dragon Family elders hurried to record Nie Li's improvements, while Ye Zong sent Ye Xiu to fetch him.
• As Nie Li prepared to leave, Xiao Ning'er stopped him and asked whether he knew the Guiding Technique.

Nie Li treated Xiao Ning'er's extreme cold syndrome with a painful massage, and the sky screen's display embarrassed them both while enraging Shen Fei. Afterward, Xiao Ning'er thanked Nie Li and asked about Ye Ziyun, while Xiao Yunfeng received an invitation from the Wind Snow Family.

• Nie Li massaged the bruises on Xiao Ning'er's foot and chest, explaining that she needed treatment every three days and must not cultivate soul force at night.
• Shen Fei grew furious at seeing Xiao Ning'er with Nie Li and ordered that Nie Li be killed, while Xiao Yunfeng considered the betrothal and received an invitation from the Wind Snow Family.
• Nie Li told Xiao Ning'er that Ye Ziyun would eventually fall for him, gave her a prescription, and left after she offered to help him in the future.
• Lu Piao complained that Shen Xiu's class focused on noble affairs and taught the students nothing.

Nie Li’s classmates reacted with shock when Xiao Ning’er brought him breakfast, while officials secretly observed Shen Xiu’s lesson on inscriptions. The chapter ended with Shen Xiu confronting Nie Li after he fell asleep in class, and Nie Li claiming he already understood the lesson.

• Xiao Ning’er brought Nie Li breakfast and asked to sit with him, provoking gossip and angering Shen Yue.
• Ye Zong resolved to watch the Sacred Family cautiously and weaken its influence over time.
• Lu Ye, Ye Sheng, and Ye Xiu secretly observed Shen Xiu’s class, and Ye Xiu noticed Nie Li looking toward them.
• Shen Xiu taught the class about inscriptions and demonstrated the Bronze Blazing Flame Burst Inscription.
• Nie Li fell asleep during the lecture, so Shen Xiu shouted at him, and he replied that he understood everything.

Nie Li exposed the Sacred Family’s Blazing Flame Burst Inscription as a plagiarized version of an older Thunderfire inscription, leaving Shen Xiu and Shen Yue unable to defend their family’s claim of originality. As the Sacred Family’s reputation came under attack, Ye Zong sent warriors to protect the Heavenly Marks Family.

• Nie Li identified the Blazing Flame Burst Inscription’s components and said it was a weak inscription useful mainly for boiling water, angering Shen Xiu and Shen Yue.
• Nie Li named the Thunderfire Sacred Book as the source, and Zhang Ming recalled a transcribed copy from the library; Ye Sheng sent Lu Ye to retrieve it.
• The retrieved book contained the original inscription, which matched the Sacred Family’s version, and Nie Li cited the Demon Spirit Master Code against claiming copied inscriptions as original.
• Nie Li’s hatred of the Sacred Family alarmed those watching the sky screen, while Lu Piao and his companions pledged their support and Shen Ming resolved to kill him.
• Ye Zong sent Gold Rank Demon Spirit Masters and warriors, led by a Black Gold Rank expert, to the Heavenly Marks Family in anticipation of the Sacred Family’s revenge.
• Shen Yue defended the inscription as an ancestral misunderstanding and called Nie Li a lowborn wretch, but Nie Li mocked his excuse and warned that the Sacred Family should protect him from being targeted.

Nie Li’s exposure of the Sacred Family’s stolen inscription led to his appointment as the Holy Orchid Institute’s library custodian, while Shen Xiu failed to get him expelled. After the sky screen ended, Ye Sheng escorted Nie Li and his companions to the City Lord’s Mansion, where Nie Li called Ye Zong his father-in-law and provoked the city lord.

• Shen Xiu demanded that Ye Sheng expel Nie Li, but Ye Sheng refused and Shen Xiu accepted Nie Li’s challenge to reach Bronze rank within two months.
• Ye Sheng appointed Nie Li as the library custodian, and Xiao Ning’er was relieved that he would be safer from the Sacred Family’s retaliation.
• The sky screen vanished, and Ye Sheng took Nie Li and his companions to the City Lord’s Mansion for the city lord to assess Nie Li’s situation.
• Ye Ziyun offered to guide the group, Xiao Ning’er joined them, and Ye Xiu personally escorted them to the mansion.
• Nie Li called Ye Zong his father-in-law, and Ye Zong erupted in anger, insisting that he had not promised Ziyun to him.

Nie Li and his friends moved into the City Lord's Mansion for protection, where he tested their Soul Seas and revealed a cultivation path suited to Du Ze. The chapter ended with Du Ze beginning the Heavenly Kirin Art and his soul force growing.

• Nie Li told Ye Zong he had been reborn and embarrassed Ye Ziyun by nearly revealing an intimate detail from their previous life.
• Ye Zong told Nie Li that Gongliang Shu and other experts were protecting the Heavenly Marks Family, then invited Nie Li and his friends to stay at the City Lord's Mansion.
• Nie Li tested his friends with unused Soul Crystals and identified Du Ze's thunder-fire attribute and heavenly kirin thundercloud-shaped Soul Sea.
• Nie Li explained Du Ze's potential, gave him the Heavenly Kirin Art, and recited its formula.
• Du Ze began cultivating the technique, felt his soul force grow, and thanked Nie Li for his help.

Nie Li gave his companions cultivation arts suited to their Soul Seas, then began cultivating the Heavenly Dao Divine Art while the others followed their own arts. After a day, their soul force had surged, and Nie Li supplied Ye Zong with several powerful pill formulas, leaving Ye Zong eager to deliver them to the Alchemist Association.

• Nie Li assigned cultivation arts to Lu Piao, Wei Nan, Zhu Xiangjun, Zhang Ming, Xiao Ning'er, and Ye Ziyun, while Ye Xiu and Ye Zong marveled at the arts' power.
• Nie Li tested his Soul Sea, explained that it had once been attributeless, and chose the Heavenly Dao Divine Art before the group began cultivating.
• Shen Ming reported that the Sacred Family's attempt to seize people had failed, and Shen Hong reprimanded him after emerging from seclusion.
• After a day of cultivation, the group's soul force had risen sharply, with Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er nearing Bronze rank.
• Nie Li wrote formulas for Soul-Nourishing, Soul-Congealing, and Soul-Tempering Pills, then added the Crimson Flame Body-Tempering Pill and Nine-Turn Pill for Ye Zong to deliver to President Gu Yan.

The golden sky screen returned and showed Nie Li testing his friends’ constitutions and choosing cultivation arts suited to them. After discovering that his own Soul Sea had only five points of soul force and no element or form, Nie Li chose the slow-growing Heavenly Dao Divine Art for its greater potential.

• The golden screen reappeared, drawing Glory City’s attention as Shen Hong worried it would expose the Sacred Family’s collusion with the Dark Guild.
• Nie Li explained that Soul Seas had different elements and forms, and that initial soul force alone did not determine a person’s talent.
• Nie Li gave Du Ze the Heavenly Kirin Art, which suited his Thunder-Fire Soul Sea, and Du Rong decided to name Du Ze the Du Clan’s next leader.
• Nie Li chose the Chaos Sacred Spirit Art for Lu Piao and gave Wei Nan, Zhang Ming, and Zhu Xiangjun cultivation arts suited to their constitutions.
• Nie Li tested his own Soul Sea and found it had only five points of soul force, with no element or form.
• Nie Li considered the God of War Art and Void Divine Art, then chose the slower Heavenly Dao Divine Art for its ability to integrate different cultivation arts and hold seven demon spirits.

Nie Li’s Heavenly Dao Divine Art impressed Glory City, while his friends rapidly advanced under their cultivation arts. After making plans to obtain more spirit medicines, Nie Li approached Ye Ziyun at the library as she struggled with the Thunderfire Sacred Book.

• Ye Zong asked Nie Li whether other cultivation arts could merge more than two demon spirits, and Nie Li said the Heavenly Dao Divine Art was the only one.
• Shen Xiu warned her class that talent mattered, while Shen Yue mocked Nie Li’s wager to reach Bronze rank within two months.
• After a day of cultivation, Du Ze’s soul force rose from 52 to 87, and Nie Li’s friends agreed to spend their remaining money on spirit medicine for him.
• Nie Li told Du Ze he would go out that evening to handle the money situation, then declined Lu Piao’s offer to accompany him.
• Nie Li found Ye Ziyun reading the Thunderfire Sacred Book and asked whether she was interested in it; she admitted that much of it was too profound for her to understand.

Nie Li helped Ye Ziyun understand and repair her inscription scrolls, then Shen Yue attacked him out of jealousy. Nie Li subdued Shen Yue by targeting the joints and pressure points in his arm.

• Nie Li told Ye Ziyun that an unused soul crystal could reveal the shape of her soul sea, and she asked him for help with two inactive Bronze inscription scrolls.
• Nie Li explained the flaws in both scrolls, then rewrote Raging Wind and Sudden Snow so it could regain its original rank.
• Ye Ziyun thanked Nie Li and left, while observers beneath the Sky Screen reacted to their interaction and Ye Zong grew angry when Nie Li brushed her hand.
• Shen Yue grabbed Nie Li by the neck and demanded to know what Ye Ziyun had said, while his Bronze-rank followers blocked Du Ze and the others.
• Nie Li twisted Shen Yue's arm, mocked his reliance on the Sacred Family, and explained that he had used soul force against joints and pressure points.

Nie Li repelled Shen Yue’s soul-force attack with his overwhelming killing intent, terrifying him and the people watching the sky screen. Later, Nie Li visited Xiao Ning’er at the Trial Grounds to continue treating her and asked for her help.

• Shen Yue attacked Nie Li’s soul sea, but Nie Li pierced through Shen Yue’s defenses and frightened him into wetting himself and fleeing.
• The killing intent from Nie Li’s soul sea seeped through the sky screen, alarming Glory City’s experts and frightening his companions and the Sacred Family.
• Nie Li warned Shen Yue to stay away from him and Ye Ziyun, then left to pursue his money-making plans as Du Ze resolved to train harder.
• At the Trial Grounds that evening, Nie Li examined Xiao Ning’er and found her bruises had faded after she followed his instructions.
• Nie Li began massaging Xiao Ning’er and told her he wanted her help.

Nie Li arranged to buy purple mist grass, helped Xiao Ning'er improve her cultivation, and gave her the Wind Thunder Winged Dragon Art. As Xiao Ning'er’s prospects brightened and the Sacred Family faced setbacks, Nie Li received her enormous haul of purple mist grass and prepared to profit from it.

• Nie Li used ten thousand Demon Spirit Coins and Xiao Ning'er's connections to acquire as much purple mist grass as possible, while Shen Ming planned to pressure the Heavenly Marks Family through its businesses.
• Nie Li treated Xiao Ning'er's bruise, tested her wind-thunder winged dragon talent, and gave her the Wind Thunder Winged Dragon Art; Xiao Ning'er cultivated through the night and neared a breakthrough.
• The Xiao Family elders recognized Xiao Ning'er's potential and saw a chance for the Winged Dragon Family to regain independence from the Sacred Family.
• Nie Li sent the Alchemist Association a list of more than sixty uses for purple mist grass, then Xiao Ning'er delivered a Space Ring containing all the grass available in Glory City.
• In the library, Lu Piao joined a crowd watching Chen Linjian give away his Flame Nether Armor to a student.

Chen Linjian recruited an expedition to the Gulan City Ruins, while Nie Li decided to join him to find his first demon spirit and another valuable item. After impressing Chen Linjian with his knowledge of the ruins, Nie Li secured first pick of the expedition’s treasures in exchange for guiding the group to rich rewards.

• Chen Linjian recruited people for the Gulan City Ruins expedition by offering Sacred Nether Grass, while Du Ze pulled Lu Piao away from the crowd.
• The Sky Screen showed Chen Linjian defending Glory City's West Gate against the Sacred Family, prompting praise from the Sacred Nether Family and his classmates.
• Nie Li asked Ye Zong to invite the Sacred Nether Family and resolved to join Chen Linjian's expedition to find his first demon spirit and a treasure he remembered Shen Yue bringing back.
• When people mocked Nie Li for being young, he impressed Chen Linjian by identifying the likely era of the Gulan City Ruins from its architecture and mural.
• Nie Li declined Chen Linjian's offer to recruit him, proposed guiding the expedition in exchange for first pick of its treasures, and Chen Linjian agreed.

Nie Li learned that his plans to visit Gulan City had become public, while Yang Xin discovered that Purple Mist Grass improved alchemy and bathing treatments, sparking a citywide buying frenzy. After an Alchemist Association agent offered thirty Demon Spirit Coins per jin, Nie Li’s group slipped away, leaving their plans for the herb unstated.

• Chen Linjian received a message from his father to build a good relationship with Nie Li, while Nie Li decided he would have to visit Gulan City despite the growing attention.
• Yang Xin tested Purple Mist Grass and found it increased the yield of Soul-Gathering Pills, then ordered Yonggang to verify its other listed uses.
• Yang Xin bathed with Purple Mist Grass and other herbs, and noblewomen across the city began buying up Purple Mist Grass after the Sky Screen showed the treatment’s effects.
• Nie Li led Lu Piao, Du Ze, and others through physical training, explaining that their bodies needed to withstand the soul force produced by advanced cultivation.
• An Alchemist Association man offered thirty Demon Spirit Coins per jin of Purple Mist Grass, and Nie Li’s group quietly slipped away after he explained the buying frenzy.