Chapter Summaries

After returning to Cloud City, Tang Yan and Lin Xiao prepared the Tang Family and the City Lord’s Residence to destroy the Liu Family that night. Tang Yan rallied the clan’s fighters, while Old Master Tang revealed he had reached Earth Tier.

• Lin Xiao agreed to send two-thirds of the City Lord’s Residence’s elite forces to support the Tang Family against the Liu Family.
• Tang Yan returned to Cloud City and told Old Master Tang that the Liu Family had sent Liu Jing to assassinate him and that they would attack that night.
• Old Master Tang summoned the Tang Family’s martial artists and announced that they would wipe out the Liu Family with the City Lord’s support.
• Tang Yan called forward the Tang Family fighters at Origin Tier Eighth Grade or above and promised silver and rewards for victory.
• Tang Yan declared that Old Master Tang had reached Earth Tier, raising the assembled fighters’ confidence.

The Tang Family and the City Lord’s Residence attacked the Liu Family after its attempt to assassinate Tang Yan and Lin Dongxue was exposed. Tang Yan looted the Liu Family’s spirit herbs, returned home, and began cultivating as the City Lord’s Residence issued a second announcement.

• Tang Yan gave the Tang Family elixirs to restore their spiritual qi, and Tang Ling led the family toward the Liu Family while the City Lord’s Residence publicly accused the Liu Family of ordering an assassination.
• Tang Yan killed four Liu Family spies on the road, then hid to watch the Tang Family and the City Lord’s Residence attack.
• Old Master Tang killed the Liu Family gate guards, and Tang Ling led the assault into the grounds as Liu Wuhui learned that the Liu Family was under attack.
• Tang Yan slipped away from the battle, entered the Liu Family Storehouse, and collected its valuable spirit herbs.
• Tang Yan returned to the Tang Family, felt his true qi begin to flow freely, and started cultivating.
• The City Lord’s Residence issued a second announcement, leaving Cloud City residents speculating about Liu Jing’s assassination attempt.

Tang Yan’s championship in the Eastern Region Tournament shook Cloud City and brought relief and pride to the Tang Family after the Liu Family was destroyed. As Tang Yan prepared to leave for Azure Dragon Academy, he decided to license the High Spirit Pill formula to the Wonderful Elixir Workshop and visited Wu Xuan.

• News spread that Tang Yan had won the Eastern Region Tournament and that he and Lin Dongxue had qualified for Azure Dragon Academy, shocking Cloud City’s major families.
• Old Master Tang defeated Liu Wuhui, then learned from Uncle Mo that Tang Yan had won the championship and hurried to read the City Lord’s Residence notice.
• Old Master Tang congratulated and scolded Tang Yan, heard his account of the tournament, warned him against going to the Northern Spirit Realm before reaching Heaven Tier, and asked him to write often.
• Tang Yan decided to license the High Spirit Pill formula to the Wonderful Elixir Workshop so the Tang Family could secure pills in the future.
• Tang Yan visited the Wonderful Elixir Workshop, where Wu Xuan welcomed him and invited him inside.

Tang Yan proposed a new partnership with the Wonderful Elixir Workshop, offering formulas for a Hemostasis Pill and a High Spirit Pill under terms that favored the Tang Family’s internal needs. Wu Xuan accepted the deal and gave Tang Yan a jade token for accessing funds at any branch.

• Tang Yan asked Wu Xuan about cooperating with the Wonderful Elixir Workshop on two new pill formulas.
• Wu Xuan tested the Hemostasis Pill and confirmed that it quickly stopped bleeding.
• Tang Yan explained the High Spirit Pill’s cultivation benefits, and Wu Xuan tested it by swallowing one.
• Tang Yan proposed a thirty-seventy profit split and asked the workshop to sell the pills to the Tang Family at cost for internal use.
• Wu Xuan accepted the cooperation, gave Tang Yan a jade token allowing withdrawals of up to fifty million taels, and promised the Tang Family priority when purchasing future high-grade pills.

Tang Yan left Cloud City after preparing pills for his family and set out with Lin Dongxue for Azure Dragon Academy. After traveling with Mo Bin and the others on Azure Cranes, they reached the academy’s region, with Azure Dragon Academy fifty li ahead.

• Tang Yan signed a pill collaboration contract with Wu Xuan, bought medicinal herbs, and refined Explosive Spirit Pills for Old Master Tang.
• Tang Yan said farewell to the Tang Family, gave Tang Ling the pills, and rode to the City Lord's Residence to meet Lin Dongxue.
• Lin Xiao stayed in Cloud City to oversee the aftermath of the Liu Family's destruction and entrusted Lin Dongxue to Tang Yan.
• Tang Yan and Lin Dongxue reached Fang City, joined Mo Bin and the others, and departed for Azure Dragon Academy aboard three Azure Cranes.
• During the two-day flight, Mo Bin told Tang Yan that fifty thousand candidates had qualified for the selection but no more than eight thousand would remain.
• Mo Bin announced that Azure Dragon Academy lay fifty li ahead as the Azure Cranes flew over a forest.

Tang Yan and his companions arrived at the Azure Dragon Academy's selection grounds, stood up to five hostile candidates, and learned how the selection would be scored. The assessment began the next morning, with candidates needing at least thirty star value to become students.

• Mo Bin brought Tang Yan, Lin Dongxue, Wan Fei, Fang Xuan, and Du Shu to the selection grounds and warned them not to cause trouble before the assessment.
• Tang Yan led the group to an empty place to rest and shared food with them.
• Five profound tier fifth grade youths tried to force Tang Yan's group from their resting place, but Tang Yan dispersed their pressure and refused to back down.
• Fang Xuan regretted provoking the youths, but Tang Yan and Lin Dongxue encouraged him, bringing the Eastern Domain group closer together.
• The next morning, a white-haired old man explained that candidates would be transported into a mountain forest to kill spirit beasts for star value, and that anyone below thirty would be eliminated.

Tang Yan and the others learned that star points could be stolen, then began the month-long selection in the eastern region. When the five youths who had threatened them before confronted them again, Tang Yan struck first and overwhelmed two opponents.

• The white-haired old man revealed that participants could steal star points and divided them into four regions for a month-long selection.
• Tang Yan advised his group to build their strength before hunting other participants, but the five youths who had challenged them earlier approached.
• Tang Yan baited the tall youth into turning around, then hit him with a redirected punch and sent him flying.
• Tang Yan attacked the green-clad youth, whose stronger cultivation could not match Tang Yan's rapid blows and Thousand Mountains Fist.

Tang Yan and his companions defeated five youths who had attacked them, taking their Star Tokens and valuables. After Tang Yan intimidated the onlookers, the group followed him onward, with him now at its center.

• Tang Yan defeated three opponents, transferred their Star Tokens to his own, and took their packs, possessions, and martial technique manual before sealing their true qi.
• Fang Xuan and Du Shu defeated another opponent and, following Tang Yan’s example, searched him and divided his medicinal pills and other supplies.
• Tang Yan stopped Du Shu from joining Lin Dongxue and Wan Fei’s fight, urging them to face their opponent themselves.
• Lin Dongxue and Wan Fei worked together to defeat their opponent, and Wan Fei shared a medicinal pill with Lin Dongxue.
• Tang Yan sealed the last two youths’ Dantians and warned the watching crowd not to challenge his group.
• Tang Yan led Fang Xuan, Du Shu, Lin Dongxue, and Wan Fei onward.

Azure Dragon Academy’s elders compared the promising talents they had discovered while recruiting across the kingdom, and Mo Bin’s report of three candidates from the Eastern Domain surprised them. The chapter ended with Xiao Cangshan asking about Mo Bin’s other two recruits after agreeing that Wan Fei deserved focused training.

• The Second Elder, Fifth Elder, and Ninth Elder described the gifted recruits Jing Wuhen, a formation expert from Watershow City, and Xue Xiao, whose Pure Spirit Physique astonished the elders.
• Xiao Cangshan revealed that Zi Yun might join Azure Dragon Academy and accepted the First Elder’s suggestion to appoint her an honorary instructor.
• Mo Bin said he had found three promising youngsters in the Eastern Domain, prompting laughter because the region was known for producing few talented students.
• Mo Bin explained that Wan Fei was a twenty-two-year-old at profound tier fourth grade who understood martial skills deeply and executed them three times faster than ordinary people.
• Xiao Cangshan said Wan Fei should receive focused training and might enter the inner academy, then asked Mo Bin about his other two recruits.

Mo Bin defended his belief that Tang Yan would place in the top hundred, while Tang Yan's group fought two Giant-Tusked Elephants during the selection. Tang Yan was badly wounded saving Lin Dongxue, who fed him medicine and then returned to the battle.

• Mo Bin told the elders that Lin Dongxue had exceptional comprehension and predicted Tang Yan would make the top hundred, prompting them to agree to review the rankings in ten days.
• Tang Yan assigned Wan Fei and Lin Dongxue and Du Shu and Fang Xuan to attack the two Giant-Tusked Elephants while he stayed back to support them.
• Lin Dongxue's sword strike failed to stop a charging elephant, and Tang Yan shoved her out of its path before being struck and badly wounded.
• Lin Dongxue fed Tang Yan pills by guiding them into his mouth with her true qi, then returned to help Fang Xuan when Tang Yan recovered enough to send her back.
• Lin Dongxue joined the fight, easing the pressure on Fang Xuan, who managed to wound the Giant-Tusked Elephant.

Tang Yan discovered that the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron used Spiritual Qi from Beast Cores to heal his wounds and nourish its herb-growing space, then continued hunting with his companions. After the group killed seven white-patterned tigers, he offered High Spirit Pills in exchange for their Beast Cores.

• Fang Xuan, Lin Dongxue, Du Shu, and Wan Fei helped Tang Yan defeat two giant-tusked elephants, then gave him their Beast Cores while he shared his Star Value with them.
• Tang Yan fed a fourth-tier Beast Core into the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron and found that its vitality healed his wounds before the remaining Spiritual Qi nourished the Chaos Space.
• Tang Yan used his second Beast Core to increase the Chaos Space's Spiritual Qi and absorbed the Cauldron's remaining energy to strengthen his cultivation.
• Tang Yan reassured Lin Dongxue that his injuries had healed, and the five continued hunting for Spirit Beasts.
• Tang Yan and his companions killed seven white-patterned tigers, and Tang Yan offered High Spirit Pills to compensate them for the Beast Cores.

Tang Yan traded High Spirit Pills for beast cores, then split from Lin Dongxue, Fang Xuan, Wan Fei, and Du Shu so they could earn Star Value more efficiently. He headed to a secluded valley to practice martial techniques before the selection grew more dangerous.

• Tang Yan gave Lin Dongxue, Fang Xuan, Wan Fei, and Du Shu High Spirit Pills in exchange for the White-Flower Tiger beast cores.
• Tang Yan proposed splitting up until around the twentieth day, gave each companion a signal flare, and offered to trade beast cores for more High Spirit Pills.
• Tang Yan parted from the group and used Phantom Shadow Steps to leave, while Lin Dongxue resolved to become stronger before they met again.
• Tang Yan searched for a secluded place to practice the Mountain-Crushing Wave-Treading Sword and Divine Soul-Seizing Art, wary after encountering two groups of people.
• Tang Yan found a remote valley with steep rocks, sparse vegetation, and a small stream, and decided it was suitable for cultivation.

Tang Yan abandoned an unsuccessful first attempt at the Mountain-Crushing Wave-Treading Sword and spent nine days mastering basic sword moves with the Wuxie Sword. He then practiced the earth tier martial skill until he unleashed a powerful strike that split the rocks around him.

• Tang Yan tried the Mountain-Crushing Wave-Treading Sword but lost control of the heavy sword and fell.
• Tang Yan analyzed his mistakes, set the skill aside, and drilled basic sword swings until his strikes landed in the same position.
• Tang Yan practiced thrusts and upward cuts, gradually mastering the basic sword moves over nine days.
• Tang Yan resumed the Mountain-Crushing Wave-Treading Sword and repeatedly replenished his spiritual qi with High Spirit Pills as he corrected his mistakes.
• Tang Yan completed a forceful sword strike that sent a beam of white light forward and scattered the surrounding rocks.

Tang Yan hid after leaving a powerful sword scar, refined seven Beast Cores, and discovered the rare Spirit Baleful Orchid growing in a marsh. As a group of people hurried toward him, he had not yet found a way to reach the orchid in the marsh's center.

• Tang Yan fled after his sword technique left a massive fissure, and Young Master Bai and a blue-dressed girl concluded that someone had used a high-grade martial technique and planned to seize it.
• Tang Yan refined seven White-Flower Tiger Beast Cores overnight and reached the peak of Profound Tier Fourth Grade.
• Tang Yan studied the Divine Soul-Seizing Art and learned it was a mental attack capable of influencing or controlling an opponent's mind.
• Tang Yan defeated seven Third Tier Spirit Beasts, earning one point on his mark.
• Tang Yan followed a fragrance to a marsh and recognized the Spirit Baleful Orchid growing at its center.
• Tang Yan turned as a group of people rushed toward him.

Tang Yan retrieved the Spirit Baleful Orchid by crossing the swamp on planks, then escaped the group who wanted it. After absorbing spiritual qi from seven Third-Tier Beast Cores, he broke through to profound tier fifth grade.

• Tang Yan cut a tree into planks and laid them across the swamp to reach the Spirit Baleful Orchid.
• Tang Yan took the Spirit Baleful Orchid and evaded Chen Cheng’s saber attack, leaving Chen Cheng stranded in the swamp as he fled.
• The woman in white ordered her companions to rescue Chen Cheng and search for Tang Yan, but she failed to catch him.
• Tang Yan checked the Spirit Baleful Orchid in the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron and fed seven Third-Tier Beast Cores into it.
• Tang Yan guided the resulting spiritual qi through his body and broke through the barrier to profound tier fifth grade.

Tang Yan advanced his cultivation and made progress with the Divine Soul-Seizing Art before meeting Yu Juechen, a ninth-grade cultivator selling beast cores to support himself. When Tang Yan's old enemy attacked, Yu Juechen intervened, and the White-Clothed Young Woman offered to make a deal.

• Tang Yan consolidated his Profound Tier Fifth Grade strength, refined beast cores with the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron, and began to understand the Divine Soul-Seizing Art.
• Tang Yan found Yu Juechen selling a batch of beast cores and learned that he was a Profound Tier Ninth Grade young master who had been cast out by his father.
• Yu Juechen struggled to sell his beast cores, while Tang Yan considered buying them and wondered about Yu Juechen's background.
• The Blue-Robed Young Man attacked Tang Yan, but Yu Juechen blocked him and refused to let the dispute interrupt his business.
• The White-Clothed Young Woman noticed Yu Juechen's sign and offered to make a deal, prompting him to ask whether she wanted to buy the beast cores.

Tang Yan offered Yu Juechen High Spirit Pills in exchange for his beast cores after Su Ying'er proposed a much less favorable deal. Yu Juechen accepted Tang Yan’s offer, and the crowd began asking to trade as well.

• Su Ying'er offered Yu Juechen one Second-Tier Middle-Grade Pill for every four Third-Tier Beast Cores or one Fourth-Tier Beast Core.
• Tang Yan revealed his High Spirit Pills, and Yu Juechen sampled one and confirmed its exceptional effects.
• Tang Yan explained that High Spirit Pills could be taken repeatedly without losing effectiveness and offered three Third-Tier Beast Cores or one Fourth-Tier Beast Core for two pills.
• Yu Juechen accepted Tang Yan’s offer, and Tang Yan handed him five bottles containing seventy-four genuine High Spirit Pills.
• Someone in the crowd asked Tang Yan whether he would trade for their beast cores.

Tang Yan traded his remaining High Spirit Pills for fourth-rank Beast Cores, while Lin Dongxue, Wan Fei, Fang Xuan, and Du Shu grew stronger and notorious for plundering defeated opponents. At the Azure Dragon Academy, the elders reviewed the selection rankings and turned their attention to Tang Yan's Star Value.

• Tang Yan traded two High Spirit Pills for each fourth-rank Beast Core until he ran out of pills.
• Lin Dongxue pushed herself to grow stronger for Tang Yan, while Wan Fei, Fang Xuan, and Du Shu trained and hunted Spirit Beasts alongside her.
• The four gained a foul reputation for stripping supplies from opponents who challenged them.
• Xiao Cangshan reviewed the selection rankings, noting Jing Wuhen in first place, Lang Qingyun in second, and Xue Xiao in third.
• The elders praised Wan Fei, Lin Dongxue, Fang Xuan, and Du Shu for their Star Values and teamwork, then prepared to check Tang Yan's results.

Tang Yan’s Star Value was only 5, disappointing Mo Bin, but in the forest he proved his combat strength by defeating Chen Cheng and taking his Star Value and supplies. Su Ying’er left with the injured Chen Cheng, vowing to seek revenge later.

• Xiao Cangshan revealed Tang Yan’s Star Value was 5, drawing laughter from the elders and disappointing Mo Bin.
• Su Ying’er decided to leave with Chen Cheng and the others rather than confront Tang Yan over the Spirit Baleful Orchid.
• Tang Yan stopped the group and demanded Chen Cheng’s Star Value, accusing him of ambushing him twice.
• Tang Yan changed the course of his punch and followed with chained strikes, defeating Chen Cheng in two moves.
• Tang Yan took Chen Cheng’s 50 Star Value and supplies, then walked away as Su Ying’er treated Chen Cheng and led the group off to plan revenge.

Yu Juechen mistook Tang Yan’s offer to exchange beast cores for elixirs as a secret favor from his father, then tried to use his Rakshasa Gate token to make Tang Yan reveal his identity. Tang Yan doubted Yu Juechen’s claim and cited his friend Zi Yun’s far greater strength, leaving Yu Juechen humbled and asking Tang Yan’s name.

• Yu Juechen decided Tang Yan was secretly delivering cultivation resources from his father and chased after him.
• Yu Juechen showed Tang Yan his Rakshasa Gate token and demanded that he reveal his identity.
• Tang Yan dismissed the token as a fake, arguing that the Rakshasa Gate’s eldest young master would not be so short of resources.
• Yu Juechen displayed his Profound tier ninth-grade strength, but Tang Yan compared him unfavorably with his Heaven-tier friend.
• Tang Yan revealed Zi Yun’s Purple Bamboo City insignia, and Yu Juechen recognized it and conceded that Tang Yan did not belong to the Rakshasa Gate.
• Yu Juechen praised Tang Yan’s sharp tongue and asked to learn his name.