Chapter Summaries

Su Qing taught Mu Chen a technique to counter Divine Souls, while Ji Yi learned that his brother Ji Yifeng had been badly injured and led a group to confront Su Qing. With Su Qing away, Ji Yi attacked Tang Qian'er at the pavilion and captured her in bindings of black mist.

• Su Qing asked Mu Chen about facing Yang Hong and taught him a move called Subduing Dragons and Taming Tigers to counter Divine Souls and Spirit Beasts.
• A couple found the unconscious Ji Yifeng in the woods, and a figure carried him back to Ji Yi.
• Ji Yi saw Ji Yifeng's injuries and vowed to find out who had hurt him.
• Ji Yi brought six people to Su Qing's pavilion and demanded that Su Qing come out, while Tang Qian'er identified herself as Su Qing's fiancée.
• Tang Qian'er fought Ji Yi with Profound Water, but his black-mist birds wore her down.
• Ji Yi's accomplices grabbed Tang Qian'er, and after she broke free, black-mist tentacles bound her.

Su Qing rushed to save Tang Qian'er after Mo Lun’s group threatened her, then rescued her from Ji Yi and captured the men who had attacked them. He carried Tang Qian'er back to the pavilion, where she clung to him as he comforted her.

• Su Qing encountered Mo Lun and six others, who threatened to make Tang Qian'er pay for Mu Chen injuring their boss's younger brother.
• When Su Qing sensed his mark on Tang Qian'er activate, he killed the seven men with lightning and swept their bodies into the Sleeve Universe.
• Ji Yi restrained Tang Qian'er with black mist tentacles and tried to assault her, but Su Qing arrived and kicked him away, freeing her.
• Su Qing captured two fleeing men with the Tainted Ink, then struck Ji Yi, sealed his spiritual energy, and sent him into the Sleeve Universe.
• Su Qing comforted Tang Qian'er, brought her upstairs to the pavilion room, and held her as she nestled against him.

Su Qing and Nine Nether prepared seven unconscious students to leave the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy without exposing their deaths. After sending them out under Nine Nether’s control, Su Qing headed to the Mission Hall.

• Su Qing decided the seven students had to be disposed of outside the academy and worked with Nine Nether to make their bodies move naturally using his golden threads.
• Su Qing prepared wontons for Tang Qian'er, then turned away Su Ling'er when she visited to ask how his story continued.
• Mu Chen came to mooch breakfast, and Su Qing told him he had permanently dealt with Mo Lun.
• Su Qing and Nine Nether sent the seven bodies out of the building, after which Su Qing left for the Mission Hall.
• Su Qing reflected that low-tier missions offered little reward and that new students could not yet accept high-tier missions.

Su Qing accepted a human-tier mission, met Nine Nether outside the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, and traveled to Green Cliff Town to learn the details of his assignment. He was tasked with killing a troop of ape Spirit Beasts guarding blood-patterned lingzhi west of town.

• Su Qing studied the Bounty Ranking, accepted a human-tier mission, and left the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.
• Su Qing gathered the seven bodies Nine Nether had controlled, erased traces of their spiritual energy, and discussed hiding his involvement.
• Su Qing reached Green Cliff Town and asked a soldier for directions to the Floating Cloud Medicine Shop.
• Liang Xun led Su Qing, using the name Li Feiyu, to an old man who verified his Spirit Value Token.
• The old man explained that thirty or forty ape Spirit Beasts were attacking herb gatherers near the blood-patterned lingzhi, and Su Qing confirmed his mission was to kill them.

Su Qing lured the bloodthirsty apes to the cliff with seven captives, then trapped and burned the gathered apes. As he prepared to hunt down any survivors, a strange voice complained that he was another person from the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.

• Su Qing learned from the old man that fresh flesh and blood could lure the apes, then spent the afternoon shopping in Green Cliff Town and promised Nine Nether he would buy her things once she had a human form.
• Su Qing reached the cliff and used the seven captives as bait to draw the apes together behind a golden barrier.
• After the apes devoured the seven captives, Su Qing sealed them in with Tainted Ink and attacked with Wind-Reversing Fire, destroying the woodland and burning the gathered apes.
• As Su Qing prepared to deal with the apes that had escaped, a strange voice behind him called him another one from the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.

Su Qing fought An Zuo after refusing his offer to join the Dragon Demon Palace. Wounded and outmatched, Su Qing escaped toward the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy after landing a lightning-infused strike, while An Zuo vowed to pursue him.

• An Zuo confronted Su Qing over the monkeys and offered him a place in the Dragon Demon Palace, but Su Qing refused.
• An Zuo attacked Su Qing, who defended himself with his sword and Five Thunder Art.
• An Zuo pressed his advantage with a short blade, injuring Su Qing and worsening his internal injuries.
• Su Qing asked Nine Nether to take over the journey after he created an opening and fled toward the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.
• Su Qing trapped An Zuo in Tainted Ink and struck him with a lightning-infused golden thread, leaving a charred wound across his torso.
• An Zuo stopped the bleeding, found Su Qing gone, and vowed to pursue him.

Su Qing confronted the Mission Hall over a dangerous mission involving An Zuo and secured an Earth-Level reward after Elder Bai acknowledged the academy’s oversight. He then hid in a Spirit Gathering Array to treat his wounds, where Tang Qian’er found him and made him promise not to hide his injuries from her.

• Su Qing accused the Mission Hall of misclassifying his mission after he encountered An Zuo and barely escaped.
• A young man mocked Su Qing’s account, so Su Qing smashed him into the counter and knocked him out with a lightning-wreathed slap.
• Elder Bai heard Su Qing’s account and agreed that the academy had made an oversight, offering to calculate his reward at the Earth-Level rate.
• Su Qing went to a Fifth-Level Spirit Gathering Array instead of returning to the dormitory so Tang Qian’er would not see his wounds.
• Tang Qian’er found Su Qing in a cave, scolded him for hiding his injuries, and agreed to make him duck blood vermicelli soup while he healed.

After recovering from An Zuo’s attack, Su Qing and Tang Qian'er advanced to the Fusion Realm and declined to join the Luo Shen Society. As the Freshman Assembly approached, Su Qing went to investigate a commotion involving Li Xuantong and Mu Chen and Luo Li.

• Su Qing removed the substance on his wound, treated his injuries, and later received four hundred thousand Spirit Value from the academy.
• Su Qing learned that An Zuo had failed to attack Green Cliff Town and had been chased off by Crane Demon.
• Tang Qian'er claimed second place on the Divine Soul Ranking, then she and Su Qing broke through to the Fusion Realm before the Freshman Assembly.
• Mu Chen and Luo Li's followers formed the Luo Shen Society, but Su Qing and Tang Qian'er refused to join.
• Su Qing heard Li Xuantong's name amid a commotion in the square and asked Zhou Ling what had happened.

Su Qing explained the dangers facing Luo Li and revealed that Mu Chen's own burden involved the Buddha Ancient Clan, though he promised to explain the details privately. The next day, the Freshman Assembly began, and Mu Ling led the freshmen to a mountain where senior students had gathered to watch.

• Su Qing teased Mu Chen and Luo Li, then brought them and Tang Qian'er to a pavilion to explain their circumstances.
• Su Qing described the Luo God Clan's external enemies and internal disunity, explaining that Luo Li had been named its next Luo Emperor after her father was killed.
• Su Qing identified the Buddha Ancient Clan as the source of Mu Chen's troubles and began to explain further after the others pressed him.
• The next day, students and senior academy members headed to the Freshman Assembly, where Mu Ling led Su Qing's freshman group to a mountain on a broad plain.

Su Qing reached the summit first in the Freshman Assembly and waited there while the other freshmen fought through the mountain's spirit beasts and lava barrier. He blocked the final six contenders and told them to decide who deserved a place among the top five.

• Elder Zhu Tian announced that the freshmen had to reach the summit and claim a flag, but he deliberately omitted the dangerous obstacles along the route.
• Su Qing raced to the summit, then sat by the flag eating sunflower seeds while he waited for the others; Zhu Tian joined him and asked about his movement technique.
• Mu Chen, Yang Hong, Luo Li, Bing Qing, Mu Kui, and Tang Qian'er fought their way through spirit beasts and a lava blockade, while other freshmen were driven back.
• As the six approached the summit together, Su Qing appeared in midair and forced them back with a streak of sword light.
• Su Qing pointed out that only five contestants would receive rewards and challenged the six to settle who was strongest.

Su Qing defeated Mu Kui in the tournament, while Mu Chen and Yang Hong continued their grudge match. Yang Hong transformed into an Ancient Tiger Flood Dragon and was badly injured when Mu Chen struck him with the Nine-Story Black Tower.

• Mu Kui challenged Su Qing and summoned the Jade-Blood Silver Wolf, but Su Qing used earth techniques to bury him beneath a hill.
• Mu Kui broke free and charged again, but Su Qing struck him with Wind-Reversing Fire and Elder Zhu Tian sent him away for treatment.
• Mu Chen and Yang Hong fought fiercely as Su Qing's battle ended.
• Yang Hong transformed into the Ancient Tiger Flood Dragon and mocked Mu Chen for seemingly lacking a divine soul.
• Mu Chen attacked with the Nine-Story Black Tower, sending Yang Hong flying and breaking both of his arms.

Mu Chen defeated Yang Hong in the Freshman Assembly, while Su Qing claimed the Spirit Flag and dominated the event. Later, Su Ling'er told Su Qing that her older sister Su Xuan wanted to meet him, leaving him curious about her reason.

• Mu Chen battered Yang Hong with the black pagoda and pinned him beneath it, securing his victory.
• Su Qing took the Spirit Flag as the Freshman Assembly ended, with all five top finishers qualifying for the Spiritual Arts Hall.
• Su Qing watched Li Xuantong visit Mu Chen and Luo Li, deciding to cultivate before confronting him.
• Su Ling'er told Su Qing that her older sister Su Xuan wanted to meet him and invited him to come along.

Su Qing met Su Xuan, who asked him to help Su Ling'er hunt a criminal named Fang Xu, and he accepted the mission. He told Tang Qian'er about it that evening, and she urged him to stay safe.

• Su Ling'er led Su Qing to meet her sister, Su Xuan, at a house on an island in a lake.
• Su Xuan explained that a rescheduled Heaven-Level Mission conflicted with her Earth-Level criminal-hunting mission and asked Su Qing to take Su Ling'er in her place.
• Su Qing agreed, and Su Ling'er identified the target as Fang Xu, a late-stage Heaven Fusion Realm criminal suspected of ties to the Dragon Demon Palace and Defiled Valley.
• Su Ling'er showed Su Qing a pointer on her Spirit Value Token that indicated Fang Xu's approximate direction.
• Su Qing returned to the loft and told Tang Qian'er about the mission, and she told him to stay safe.

Su Qing, Tang Qian'er, Mu Chen, Luo Li, and Bing Qing entered the Spiritual Arts Hall, where Elder Zhu Tian explained how students had to defeat guardians to claim powerful spiritual arts. Su Qing searched for an unusual art rather than a powerful one, and a distinctive gray light caught his attention.

• Su Qing and Tang Qian'er arrived at the Spiritual Arts Hall, followed by Mu Chen, Luo Li, and Bing Qing.
• Elder Zhu Tian opened the hall and led the five through a teleportation formation into a vast river of light containing spiritual arts.
• Elder Zhu Tian explained that students had to defeat the guardians of powerful spiritual arts or lose their selection opportunity.
• Su Qing searched deeper into the river, passing over increasingly powerful spiritual arts because he wanted something unusual.
• Su Qing spotted a distinctive spiritual art shrouded in dull gray light.

Su Qing chose the ungraded Hehuan Art from the Spirit Art Hall, while the Hall’s elders learned that he had also obtained the Four Divine Star Constellations Scripture. The chapter ended with Su Qing facing three early-stage Heaven Transformation Realm guardians in the trial hall.

• Su Qing hesitated over the Hehuan Art, then chose it and crushed its jade seal.
• The Spirit Art Hall’s consciousness told Elder Zhu Tian and the white-haired old man that a core-region spirit art had rushed out and been obtained by Mu Chen.
• Elder Zhu Tian discovered that Su Qing had chosen the Hehuan Art, while Mu Chen had obtained the Four Divine Star Constellations Scripture.
• The Hall’s consciousness revealed that Su Qing’s girlfriend had chosen the Mist Mirage Chaos Technique.
• Su Qing arrived in a crystal hall and faced three black-armored guardians at the early stage of the Heaven Transformation Realm.

Su Qing chose the ungraded Hehuan Art and easily defeated its three retired Guardian constructs. After Elder Zhu Tian explained why the spiritual art had never been graded, Su Qing joked that the dean was still a virgin.

• Elder Zhu Tian told the others that the three retired Guardians were powerful fighters from the war against the Dragon Demon Palace.
• Su Qing attacked the Guardians, assessed their strong armor, and began disabling the mechanisms in their limbs.
• Su Qing exposed the axe-wielding Guardian’s chest core and destroyed it, prompting Elder Zhu Tian to stop the trial and declare Su Qing had passed.
• Su Qing collected the Hehuan Art scroll and was transported to Elder Zhu Tian and the other elders.
• Elder Zhu Tian explained that the spiritual art had remained ungraded because its effects had to be tested through cultivation with a partner.
• Su Qing concluded that the dean must still be a virgin.

After obtaining a Divine Spirit Art by defeating a powerful Guardian, Mu Chen returned to find Su Qing had also earned an extraordinary spirit art by overcoming three Heaven Transformation Realm Guardians. Three days later, Su Qing met Su Ling'er to begin their mission together and gave her a jade pendant for communication, tracking, and emergencies.

• Mu Chen returned injured with a Divine Spirit Art scroll, and Elder Zhu Tian explained that he had beaten a Guardian comparable to the Heaven Transformation Realm.
• Elder Zhu Tian revealed that Su Qing had overcome three Heaven Transformation Realm Guardians to obtain his spirit art, astonishing Luo Li and Bing Qing.
• Su Qing told Tang Qian'er the name of his spirit art, and later shared its contents with her in private.
• Three days later, Su Qing met Su Ling'er outside her home to set out on their mission together.
• Su Qing gave Su Ling'er a Communication Jade Pendant that could send messages, track her location, and transmit a distress signal if communications were blocked.

Su Qing tortured Defiled Valley disciples for information about Fang Xu and learned that he might be at Nine-Channel Pass with help from an elder. He and Su Ling'er reached the city, but when she could not disguise her distinctive bearing, Su Qing drew her into the Sleeve Universe as a backup plan.

• Su Qing interrogated Defiled Valley disciples and learned that Fang Xu might seek help from an elder who had gone to Nine-Channel Pass.
• Su Qing and Su Ling'er traveled to Nine-Channel Pass, a city built around a yin vein and controlled by the Lin Family.
• Su Qing explained that the Defiled Valley maintained a base in the city and planned to enter with Su Ling'er to investigate.
• Su Qing found that Su Ling'er could not rein in her distinctive bearing and asked whether she trusted him.
• Su Ling'er agreed, and Su Qing drew her into the Sleeve Universe.

Su Qing entered Nine-Channel Pass, concealed Su Ling'er in an inn, and used Paper Cranes to scout Defiled Valley's branch. He spotted An Zuo entering the compound and wondered why someone from the Dragon Demon Palace had come there.

• Su Qing copied Nine-Channel Pass's detailed map, checked into an inn, and released Su Ling'er from the Sleeve Universe.
• Su Qing warned Su Ling'er not to expose herself because her connection to the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy could put them in danger.
• Su Qing sent Paper Cranes around Defiled Valley's branch and noticed a northwest building guarded by an unusually large number of disciples.
• Su Qing saw An Zuo enter Defiled Valley's compound and questioned why someone from the Dragon Demon Palace was there.

Su Qing infiltrated the Defiled Valley compound to deal with Fang Xu and overheard him discussing a Spirit Treasury with Elder Cui. He prepared to capture the pair and extract what they knew before An Zuo or other cultivators could interfere.

• Su Qing sent Su Ling'er back to the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy and prepared thunder talismans for his confrontation with An Zuo.
• Under cover of darkness, Su Qing used Upright Shadowless to sneak into the Defiled Valley compound and planted a talisman along the way.
• Su Qing listened outside Elder Cui's pavilion as Fang Xu described how he had drugged two Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy students, killed the man, and assaulted the woman to obtain clues about a Spirit Treasury.
• Su Qing sensed that Elder Cui was in the middle stage of the Heaven Transformation Realm and Fang Xu was in the late stage of the Heaven Fusion Realm.
• Su Qing decided to wait until Elder Cui fell asleep, cripple him, and take him away for questioning.