Recaps

Yue Shen’s fifth-tier qualification assignment surprised the leaders of Haoyue City, who asked him to travel with their competitors and protect them from dangerous Demons. Yue Shen agreed and accepted the city’s offer of spare magic equipment.

• Nalan Shu explained that Yue Shen was taking a separate qualification test to hunt a fifth-tier Demon, and Bai Yu inferred that Yue Shen was already at the fifth tier.
• Yue Shen clarified that he would hunt alone and that his results would not count toward Haoyue City's competitors.
• Lin Yinjia asked Yue Shen to travel with the competitors so he could protect them if they encountered a fifth-tier Demon.
• Yue Shen agreed to help the competitors in dangerous situations while completing his own assignment.
• Lin Yinjia offered Yue Shen some of Haoyue City's spare magic equipment, and Yue Shen accepted because he had little money and no spare gear.

Yue Shen and the others received equipment from Haoyue City before preparing to leave for the tournament preliminaries. Yue Shen secretly chose valuable gear to sell, while keeping a sturdy shield, and the group returned to their quarters ahead of their departure the next morning.

• Lin Yinjia invited the team to choose magic equipment, and Lin Jialu and Li Xin declined while Chen Si, Chen Chen, and Long Haochen selected pieces.
• Yue Shen scanned the equipment with his Identification Tool and chose a Knight Heavy Sword, fire-attribute full-body armor, and a dark-gold shield with a Spirit-Concentrating Stone.
• Li Aoxiao and Nalan Shu reminded the team to learn their new equipment and prioritize their lives over tournament qualification before everyone returned to their quarters.
• Long Haochen brought dried fish to Haoyue, then Yue Shen relaxed in his dormitory with Sol and looked forward to the next day.

Yue Shen spoke with Long Haochen about his assignment, their hidden spiritual power levels, and his undeveloped mount, then practiced Guardian Knight skills before joining Long Haochen and Li Xin to await the tournament inspector. The group gathered at Haoyue City's east gate, where Li Xin learned Yue Shen was the one who had helped Long Haochen obtain Haoyue.

• Yue Shen told Long Haochen that the Holy Knight Commander had barred him from competing in the Holy City and had not explained why he was sent to Haoyue City.
• Long Haochen and Yue Shen declined to reveal their spiritual power levels, and Yue Shen encouraged Long Haochen to qualify for the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament if he wanted to fight him.
• After Long Haochen left, Yue Shen examined his shield and discovered that Long Xingyu had sealed some Guardian Knight skills in his Inheritance Ring, so he raised his shield proficiency using his skill panel.
• The next morning, Yue Shen and Long Haochen rode borrowed horses to Haoyue City's east gate to meet the inspector, where they were joined by Li Xin.
• Long Haochen introduced Yue Shen to Li Xin and explained that Yue Shen had helped him; Li Xin thanked Yue Shen while the two men explained why their mounts were absent.

Yue Shen joined Lin Jialu and the others for the Demon Hunt Squad assessment, which required him to kill a fifth-tier demon while the rest hunted twenty-five demons. After reaching Demon-Controlled Territory, the group hid near a patrol route and prepared for their first encounter with demons.

• The Inspector used Short-Distance Displacement Magic to vanish after warning the contestants he would not help them unless they withdrew.
• Lin Jialu explained the Identity Tokens and the group's separate assessment goals, and the others chose her to lead them.
• The group traveled to the border, passed the Temple Alliance checkpoint, and entered Demon-Controlled Territory after leaving their mounts behind.
• Lin Jialu asked about the mount companions, and Long Haochen summoned Haoyue, a Two-Headed Lizard with light and fire attributes.

Yue Shen and Long Haochen's group were ambushed by Luke Race Stalkers, but Lin Jialu's ice magic trapped them and the party killed them. As Lin Jialu examined the bodies, a Di Ke Clan Invisible One attacked her, and Yue Shen intercepted its strike.

• Yue Shen rested with Long Haochen's group and prepared his swords while Lin Jialu used Eagle Eye Technique to scout, but no demons appeared overnight.
• Luke Race Stalkers burst from beneath the ground and attacked, and Yue Shen and Long Haochen shielded their companions.
• Lin Jialu froze the ground with Ice Seal Technique, trapping the Luke Race Stalkers, and Long Haochen's group killed them all.
• Lin Jialu inspected the corpses, and Long Haochen warned her when a demon assassin suddenly appeared and shattered his Spirit Light Shield.
• Yue Shen blocked the assassin's blades with Holy Fire and Blazing Sun, and identified it as a Di Ke Clan Invisible One.

Yue Shen took command after defeating a Di Ke Clan Stealth Stalker and ordered the team to withdraw, but they refused to abandon one another. Before they could decide what to do, Lin Jialu spotted three fifth-tier enemies approaching, including a possible Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon.

• Yue Shen used Divine Guard Block and Holy Sword to disarm and wound the Di Ke Clan Stealth Stalker, then told Long Haochen to finish it off.
• Lin Jialu handed command to Yue Shen, who concluded their position had been exposed and ordered an immediate withdrawal.
• Long Haochen, Lin Jialu, Li Xin, Chen Si, and Chen Chen refused to leave Yue Shen behind.
• Lin Jialu spotted two Verdant Twin-Blade Demons and a Skeleton Mammoth approaching, and reported that one demon's shell might be turning gold.
• Long Haochen recognized the possible Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon and reacted with alarm.

Yue Shen and Long Haochen's group prepared to fight two Verdant Twin-Blade Demons and a Skeleton Mammoth instead of trying to flee. Long Haochen engaged one demon while Yue Shen attacked the mounted demon, ending the chapter with Yue Shen unleashing a combined strike.

• Yue Shen assigned Long Haochen's group to handle one Verdant Twin-Blade Demon while he faced the stronger demon and its Skeleton Mammoth mount.
• Long Haochen revealed that his Holy Guidance Spirit Furnace could force an enemy to target him, and the group prepared a battle plan as Yue Shen recovered.
• When the two Verdant Twin-Blade Demons and the Skeleton Mammoth arrived, Long Haochen led the group to attack one demon and drew it toward himself with his Spirit Furnace.
• Yue Shen struck the mounted Verdant Twin-Blade Demon with Rising Dragon Strike, then summoned Sol as the demon charged at him.
• Yue Shen and Sol combined their powers in Star Radiance Cross Slash, which Yue Shen launched at the mounted Verdant Twin-Blade Demon.

Yue Shen and Sol fought the Verdant Twin-Blade Demon after Yue Shen killed the Skeleton Mammoth with Star Radiance Cross Slash. Sol’s surprise attack helped Yue Shen defeat the demon, and the two discussed their teamwork before he collected the corpse and its magic crystal.

• Yue Shen’s Star Radiance Cross Slash shattered the Skeleton Mammoth’s tusks and skull, killing it.
• Yue Shen stopped Sol from attacking with its breath and switched to fighting the Verdant Twin-Blade Demon with Holy Sword and Divine Guard Block.
• Yue Shen wounded the demon with Blazing Sun and Lightning Thrust, but his spiritual power was nearly exhausted.
• Sol used Spatial Teleportation to tear off the demon’s damaged limb, then struck alongside Yue Shen to kill it.
• Yue Shen advised Sol to control its power and stay calm in battle, praised its final attack, and collected the demon’s magic crystal and corpse.

Yue Shen recovered after passing his assessment while Long Haochen and the others defeated the Verdant Twin-Blade Demon. As the group returned to the border garrison, Yue Shen’s overwhelming strength left the Haoyue City contestants shaken, especially Long Haochen.

• Yue Shen accepted a Spiritual Recovery Pill from Inspector Feng Yangmu and refused to reveal his teacher or magical beast companion’s abilities.
• Feng Yangmu explained that the group had already passed the assessment, and Long Haochen and the others finished off the Verdant Twin-Blade Demon.
• Haoyue ate the demon’s fifth-tier Magic Crystal, and Lin Jialu and the others agreed that Haoyue had earned the reward through its contribution to the fight.
• Yue Shen and the others set off for the border garrison, where Chen Si admitted that Yue Shen’s strength had shaken the team’s confidence.
• Long Haochen wondered whether he could ever defeat Yue Shen in the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament.

On the return journey, Yue Shen explained to Long Haochen how much Sol had contributed to his victories, and the two discussed facing each other in the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament. At the Border Alliance garrison, Inspector Feng Yangmu explained the tournament and encouraged the shaken candidates to compete.

• Li Xin took Lin Jialu ahead to the Border Alliance garrison on her Rose Unicorn while Yue Shen and Long Haochen followed with the others.
• Yue Shen told Long Haochen that Sol was his biggest trump card and suggested a contest at the tournament, but Long Haochen insisted they should use their mount companions and give their all.
• The group reached the garrison, where an officer assigned them a large tent after learning they would enter the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament.
• Feng Yangmu explained that contestants would face increasingly difficult elimination rounds until ten remained in each temple, followed by finals to rank the strongest.
• Feng Yangmu pointed out that fifth-tier contestants received byes in the first two rounds and encouraged the candidates to trust their chances against opponents at their own tier, prompting them to declare their confidence.

Feng Yangmu announced that the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament’s top three would receive Spirit Furnaces, and Yue Shen’s group traveled toward the Holy City to register. After reaching Aimei City, Yue Shen joined Lin Jialu, Long Haochen, and Li Xin on a trip to the auction house, where he planned to sell the Verdant Twin-Blade Demon’s remains and unused equipment.

• Feng Yangmu explained the tournament format and announced that each of the top three finalists would receive a Spirit Furnace.
• Yue Shen and the others set out with Feng Yangmu to register for the tournament, while Gandalf and Xue Meng completed their preliminary assessment elsewhere.
• After a long journey, Yue Shen’s group stopped in Aimei City to rest before continuing toward the Holy City.
• Lin Jialu invited Yue Shen to the auction house so he could sell the Verdant Twin-Blade Demon’s corpse and Magic Crystal.
• Yue Shen agreed to go with Lin Jialu, Long Haochen, and Li Xin, and decided to bring along the unused Magic Equipment he had collected.

Yue Shen and his companions visited the Temple Alliance Auction House in Aimei City to have two demon corpses appraised for auction. The appraiser was startled when Yue Shen brought out a Quasi-Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon and asked if it was a Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon.

• Yue Shen told Lin Jialu, Li Xin, and Long Haochen about his training in the Holy City, describing how his instructor injured him during daily training.
• Lin Jialu bought admission tickets, and the group entered the auction house with numbered bidding paddles.
• Yue Shen scanned the auction house guards and looked through the crowd for someone with long green hair while the group waited to have their demon corpses appraised.
• Yue Shen placed a Quasi-Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon's corpse on the appraisal platform, prompting the appraiser to examine its markings and ask if it was a Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon.

Yue Shen and Long Haochen sold their Verdant Twin-Blade Demon corpses to Lin Xin at the auction house. After helping them obtain Magic Crystal Cards and paying them, Lin Xin invited them to watch the auction with him.

• Yue Shen offered his Quasi-Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon corpse for auction, but Lin Xin rushed over and asked to buy it privately.
• Lin Xin recognized Yue Shen’s unusual appearance, then offered him six thousand gold coins for the corpse and magic crystal.
• Lin Xin bought Long Haochen’s Verdant Twin-Blade Demon corpse for two thousand gold coins and collected both corpses.
• Lin Xin used his VIP status to get Yue Shen and Long Haochen Magic Crystal Cards without handling fees.
• Yue Shen received six thousand gold coins, Long Haochen received two thousand, and Lin Xin invited them to watch the auction.

Yue Shen joined Lin Xin’s group in a private auction room, where Lin Xin revealed his pill-making business and showed them an Emerald Protective Pill. As the auction began with Lin Xin’s creation, Yue Shen wondered whether events had truly strayed from the story’s course.

• Lin Xin led Yue Shen, Long Haochen, Lin Jialu, and Li Xin to his private room and offered them wine.
• Lin Xin showed Yue Shen a Great Strength Pill made from a Verdant Twin-Blade Demon’s carapace, and Yue Shen identified its value and effects.
• Lin Xin explained that he refined pills from Demon corpses and offered no new corpses, though Yue Shen promised him first refusal on future ones.
• At the auction’s opening, Xing Xuan announced that Lin Xin’s Emerald Protective Pills were sold exclusively through the Temple Alliance Auction House.
• Yue Shen watched the auction begin and wondered whether the plot had really moved beyond his control.

At the auction, Yue Shen gave Lin Xin information about the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament in exchange for Emerald Protective Pills. When Haoyue needed an auctioned stone ball, Long Haochen borrowed Yue Shen’s savings, and Lin Jialu placed the winning bid for him.

• Lin Xin asked Yue Shen to confirm whether everyone in his group was entering the tournament, then gave him Emerald Protective Pills after Yue Shen agreed.
• Lin Xin offered Lin Jialu a crimson Emerald Protective Pill as an apology, and Yue Shen persuaded her to accept it.
• Haoyue appeared beside Long Haochen and showed interest in the stone ball on the auction stage; Yue Shen checked with Sol, who had no interest in it.
• Long Haochen asked Yue Shen to lend him eight thousand gold coins to buy the stone ball, but Yue Shen could provide only six thousand.
• Lin Jialu placed a bid of ten thousand gold coins for the stone ball.

At the auction, Long Haochen’s group bought the stone ball, and Lin Xin offered Long Haochen three bottles of pills in exchange for a chance to join his team if he placed in the top three. Long Haochen accepted, while Yue Shen recognized that Lin Xin might also be interested in the Holy Guidance Spirit Furnace within him.

• Lin Jialu paid ten thousand gold coins for the stone ball on Yue Shen’s behalf, and Long Haochen stored it in his Forget-Me-Not Ring rather than showing it to Haoyue.
• As Long Haochen’s group prepared to leave the auction, Lin Xin stopped them and offered three bottles of pills if Long Haochen agreed to use his teammate selection slot on him, provided he placed in the top three.
• Lin Xin revealed that he could estimate their cultivation levels, judged Yue Shen too powerful to need his pills, and explained that he wanted to invest in promising future teammates.
• Haoyue sniffed the bottles and nodded at Long Haochen, and Yue Shen urged him to accept while warning that he would be an opponent in the tournament.
• Long Haochen accepted Lin Xin’s offer, and Yue Shen suspected Lin Xin also wanted to join him because of the Holy Guidance Spirit Furnace within him.

Yue Shen and his companions traveled toward Holy City, where they came across Gui Wu fighting the burly priest Sima Xian. As Long Haochen prepared to intervene, Sima Xian unleashed Holy Light, and the encounter left the fight unresolved.

• Yue Shen worried that players might become his opponents or Demon Hunt Squad teammates in the upcoming selection tournament.
• Long Haochen gave Yue Shen Spiritual Recovery Pills and Crimson Pills, explaining their effects and side effects.
• Yue Shen and the others spotted an argument on the road to Holy City and rode over after he recognized Gui Wu.
• Yue Shen told Li Xin and the others how Gui Wu had mistreated Long Haochen at Knight Sacred Mountain, and Gui Wu then attacked Sima Xian.
• Long Haochen started to help Sima Xian, but Yue Shen stopped him so they could see what the priest could do.
• Sima Xian raised his oversized staff and summoned a pillar of Holy Light that protected him and threatened nearby enemies.

Gui Wu and his allies attacked Sima Xian, a Priest whose powerful physical strength and Warrior techniques stunned the onlookers. Long Haochen intervened to protect Sima Xian, and the confrontation continued with the attackers still facing them.

• Gui Wu and his Red-Armored Earth Dragon attacked Sima Xian, but Sima Xian countered their blows with his staff.
• Gui Wu called on two Warriors, an Assassin, and a Mage to join the fight, prompting Long Haochen to intervene.
• Sima Xian struck the Assassin with Holy Light Hammer and then activated Berserk, revealing his muscular, glowing body.
• The Mage launched two fireballs at Sima Xian as Gui Wu and the Warriors closed in around him.
• Long Haochen redirected the fireballs with his Holy Guidance Spirit Furnace, cut them apart, and landed beside Sima Xian ready to face Gui Wu.

Long Haochen intervened when Gui Wu and his companions attacked Sima Xian, and the group let them leave without further fighting. Yue Shen and the others reached Holy City in time to register, then parted ways to enter their respective temples’ preliminaries.

• Long Haochen confronted Gui Wu over ganging up on Sima Xian, and the sight of Yue Shen and the others persuaded Gui Wu to retreat.
• Sima Xian told Long Haochen and the others that his teammates had attacked him after he admitted he could not heal, then thanked Long Haochen and ran to Holy City.
• Yue Shen and the other five reached Holy City with Inspector Feng Yangmu and went to the Temple Alliance Grand Trial Grounds to register.
• Long Haochen said goodbye to Lin Jialu and the Chen brothers as the temporary group split up for the preliminaries.
• Yue Shen remained with Long Haochen and Li Xin after the group separated.

Yue Shen registered for the Knight Temple preliminaries while Long Haochen and Li Xin settled in to prepare under Ye Hua’s supervision. Yue Shen returned to his dorm and considered trying Cloud Shopping with Sol, while Xue Meng and Gandalf registered and discussed their reasons for entering the tournament.

• Yue Shen registered for the preliminaries as a fifth-tier contestant and received a bye for the first two elimination rounds.
• Long Haochen invited Yue Shen to stay with him and Li Xin, but Yue Shen declined because he needed to report to Han Qian and already had accommodations.
• Ye Hua took Long Haochen and Li Xin to their hotel, questioned them about Yue Shen, and ordered them to focus on cultivation and tournament preparation.
• Yue Shen returned to his dorm, checked that he had reached fifth tier, level seven, and asked Sol whether he wanted to try Cloud Shopping.
• Xue Meng and Gandalf registered for the tournament, and Gandalf said he wanted to become a Demon Hunter and see demon territory while Xue Meng said she planned to ride someone’s coattails.

Xue Meng and Gandalf discussed their plans for the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament, while a masked figure passed by after they parted. At the Knight Trial Grounds, the preliminaries began, and Long Haochen was matched against contestant number twenty-nine for the first match.

• Xue Meng said he hoped to join Long Haochen’s squad, while Gandalf said he was content with either outcome.
• A masked figure with one gold eye and one blue eye passed through the place where Xue Meng and Gandalf had stood.
• Yue Shen went to the Knight Trial Grounds to watch the preliminaries, where Long Haochen and Li Xin arrived with Ye Hua.
• Han Qian announced the tournament rules and explained that the five fifth-tier contestants, including Yue Shen, received byes for the first two rounds.
• The draw paired Long Haochen, contestant number ninety-seven, against the silver-armored Guardian Knight numbered twenty-nine in the first match.

Long Haochen defeated contestant number twenty-nine in under a minute, while Han Qian recognized him as Old Long’s son and ordered his information concealed. Yue Shen left the tournament grounds and encountered a blind girl in the Holy City.

• Long Haochen used Build Momentum and overpowered number twenty-nine, knocking him from his Snow Spirit Horse to win the first match.
• Han Qian saw Long Haochen’s Inheritance Ring, learned his identity, and ordered the Knight Temple to hide his age and classify his information as a secret.
• Yue Shen found the second elimination match uninteresting and left the trial grounds.
• Yue Shen changed into his black cloak and mask, then walked through the Holy City with Sol.
• Yue Shen encountered a masked girl with grayish-white eyes who used a Green Bamboo Staff to navigate, and explained her blindness to Sol.

Yue Shen watched Long Haochen and Sheng Cai'er together and realized she could be a serious threat in the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament. After a frail girl hid behind him to evade a young knight, Yue Shen exposed her and left, while onlookers speculated that she was fleeing an arranged marriage.

• Yue Shen saw Long Haochen support Sheng Cai'er and felt envious, but Sol's killing intent flared when Sheng Cai'er sensed him.
• Yue Shen calmed Sol and concluded that Sheng Cai'er might be a tougher opponent than Long Haochen in the tournament.
• A frail girl crashed into Yue Shen, hid behind his cloak, and asked him to help her evade a young knight.
• Yue Shen denied seeing the girl, then moved aside and exposed her to the young knight.
• The young knight tried to take the girl back as nearby players watched, and a curly-haired player failed to identify them with his Identification Tool.

Yue Shen stopped Yang Wenzhao from forcibly taking Chen Ying'er, then concealed his identity and returned to his dorm. He considered his chances against Sheng Cai'er as the tournament matches continued.

• Yue Shen intervened when Yang Wenzhao tried to carry Chen Ying'er away and lectured him about chivalry and a fabricated law.
• Yang Wenzhao accepted Yue Shen's reprimand, saluted him, and left to attend to other matters.
• Yue Shen identified Chen Ying'er and realized the young knight had been Yang Wenzhao, her childhood fiancée.
• Chen Ying'er tried to learn Yue Shen's identity, but he vanished with azure light before she could question him further.
• Yue Shen returned to his dorm, praised Sol, and decided he had a good chance of defeating Sheng Cai'er if she did not fight with everything she had.

The first day of the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament preliminaries featured decisive matches across the temples, while several fifth-tier contestants watched from the sidelines on byes. The next morning, Han Qian sent Yue Shen to observe the other contestants before his final bye ended.

• At the Magic Temple grounds, Lin Xin introduced himself to the other fifth-tier contestants and offered them pills he had refined.
• At the Priest Temple grounds, Sima Xian defeated his opponent with a staff strike and a Holy Light Hammer, forcing him to concede.
• At the Warrior Temple grounds, Chen Si conceded to Jin Ruchuan, while officials praised Jin Ruchuan and a girl with a tower shield as promising new warriors.
• The first day of elimination matches ended, and the contestants cultivated through the night in preparation for fiercer matches the next day.
• Han Qian woke Yue Shen and told him to visit the Grand Trial Grounds to observe the other contestants, and Yue Shen went there after breakfast.