Chapter Summaries

At Tianxing Tower, Lin Hao backed Yin Saide against the Capital City candidates, defeated Qin Wei, and claimed the top floor with Yin Saide and Wang Zhen. There, Yin Saide revealed that Consort Shu had died and that the emperor would lead officials to her funeral, while clarifying that their plan was to rescue the Great General, not attack the emperor.

• Yin Saide claimed that he and Lin Hao would take the top two examination places, provoking Qin Wei and drawing attention to Yang Fan and Lin Hao.
• Lin Hao signed a Life-and-Death Pledge, challenged the candidates over the rooms, and defeated Qin Wei with a single kick after Qin Wei signed the pledge and attacked.
• Lin Hao, Yin Saide, and Wang Zhen took the seventh floor, while Tianxing Tower announced Lin Hao's victory over Qin Wei and the crowd reacted to the news.
• Lin Hao asked Yin Saide and Wang Zhen why they had arranged to meet, and Yin Saide revealed that Consort Shu had died and the emperor would lead officials to the imperial mausoleum.
• Wang Zhen clarified that their changed plan was to rescue the Great General during the funeral events, not to attack the emperor.

Lin Hao and his allies prepared to rescue the Great General from house arrest at Willow-Catkin Manor, bringing newly developed firearms and a plan to draw the Imperial Guards away if needed. They reached the manor and met Yun Wuji and Yun Wuying, who suspected a Grandmaster guarded the Great General, just as they began deciding whether to enter and persuade him to leave.

• Wang Zhen told Lin Hao that the school had prepared 15 mm automatic rifles and extra-heavy shotguns, while Yun Wuji, Yun Wuying, and other allies would help rescue the Great General.
• Lin Hao brought Li Yanbing to join the operation, and the two left Jinkou with Wang Zhen and Yin Saide while rumors spread about Lin Hao's duel at Tianxing Tower.
• Li Yanbing explained that her adoptive father might have accepted house arrest to prevent war, while Lin Hao questioned whether he understood the emperor's reckless actions.
• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing slipped away from their carriage near Willow-Catkin Manor and joined Yun Wuji and Yun Wuying in the woods.
• Yun Wuji reported that the manor might contain a Depot Guards Grandmaster but that he had found no lethal gunpowder traps; the group planned to enter while the school's gunmen waited outside to create a diversion if necessary.

Lin Hao and his companions discovered that the Great General imprisoned at Willow-Catkin Manor was a Shadow Fiend, and they fought to escape while confronting the copies emerging from their enemies' shadows. Lin Hao faced the Shadow Fiend Great General alone, knowing his powerful blood-red state would last only seconds.

• Yao Huang attacked Yun Wuying and the others to protect the apparent Great General, while Lin Hao and Li Yanbing hurried to the pavilion.
• The apparent Great General attacked Li Yanbing and Lin Hao, revealing himself as a Shadow Fiend who had copied her techniques.
• Lin Hao struck back with the fused Breath of the Saint and Breath of Flame, forcing the Shadow Fiend Great General across the lake, while Li Yanbing destroyed her own Shadow Fiend copy.
• More Shadow Fiends emerged from Yao Huang's and the Imperial Guards' shadows, forcing Yun Wuying and Yun Wuji to hold their ground as Lin Hao prepared to fight the Great General alone.
• Lin Hao charged the Great General again, whose redirected attacks aimed to exhaust him before his brief blood-red power faded.

Lin Hao defeated the Great General’s Shadow Fiend after a desperate battle, then joined the others in eliminating the Imperial Guards at Willow-Catkin Manor. Yun Wuji prepared to expose the incident in the Capital City, while Lin Hao and Li Yanbing departed to recover and regroup.

• Lin Hao used [Divine Hand] and a spear attack to kill the Great General’s Shadow Fiend, though the battle left him badly weakened.
• Li Yanbing and the Yun brothers defeated their own Shadow Fiends, then helped drive back the remaining Imperial Guard Shadow Fiends as students sealed off Willow-Catkin Manor.
• Lin Hao recovered enough to help clear the manor, while the surviving human Imperial Guards surrendered and were taken prisoner.
• Yun Wuji decided to report the Shadow Fiend infiltration and challenge officials to determine whether Emperor Mingde was a Shadow Fiend.
• Lin Hao urged Yun Wuji to keep his companions with him and left with Li Yanbing, planning to recover before meeting the others near the Capital City.

Lin Hao and Li Yanbing headed for an unguarded evacuation point, where Lin Hao killed a group of disguised Depot Guards and freed eight captured survivors. After returning, he treated his injuries and discovered that his battle had perfected the mastery of his exclusive weapons, leaving him to consider how this could strengthen his Divine Hand.

• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing crossed the imperial hunting ground toward an evacuation point, despite their injuries, and sensed armed lookouts ahead.
• Lin Hao charged a tea stall where Depot Guards were posing as merchants, ignored their firelances, and killed them all while Li Yanbing covered him.
• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing freed eight captured survivors, gave them weapons and supplies, and continued to the evacuation point as Shen Mo led his group onward with horsemeat.
• Lin Hao returned and used special treatment to assess and repair the injuries caused by overexerting himself in battle.
• Lin Hao discovered that his Spiral Sword and Spear of the End had been fully nurtured, raising his Imperial Ultimate Sword Mastery from Great Achievement to Perfection and potentially making Divine Hand easier to trigger.

Lin Hao and Li Yanbing returned to Kyoto as the Metropolitan Examination began amid turmoil over Shadow Fiends and the emperor. At the examination hall, Lin Hao confronted the injured Qin Wei, whose fear overwhelmed his anger.

• Lin Hao told Wang Jiye to guard against Prison and returned to Kyoto with Li Yanbing, who brought back Yao Huang’s purple weapons for Zhao Xiaowen and Nie Yi.
• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing reached Kyoto, noticed people watching the Teleportation Point, and set out to find Yi Feng and Old Yin.
• The Metropolitan Examination began as news spread that the Great General had been replaced by a Shadow Fiend and that Shadow Fiends had infiltrated several military nobles.
• Liu Tong, Feng Zihan, and Zhu Wen discussed Lin Hao’s absence and the political tensions before Qin Wei arrived, still furious about his defeat.
• Yin Saide and Lin Hao confronted Qin Wei about his bandages, and Qin Wei trembled and reached toward them in fear.

Lin Hao deliberately scored last in the Metropolitan Examination to face Xu Renjie, then killed him in their first-round duel despite Song Xian’s order to stop. The chapter ended with Lin Hao claiming Song Xian’s force pressure had startled him into striking too hard.

• Xu Renjie warned Lin Hao about transmigrators and left with Qin Wei after Lin Hao refused to acknowledge him as a brother.
• Song Xian announced the imperial decree and opened the Metropolitan Examination, where candidates were ranked by force and speed before elimination matches.
• Xu Renjie punched through a force-testing stone, while Yin Saide and Wang Zhen achieved strong results and Lin Hao left his stone untouched to secure last place.
• Lin Hao’s low score set up a first-round match against Xu Renjie, and Song Xian took the referee’s seat after both candidates entered the arena.
• Xu Renjie’s spear strike failed to injure Lin Hao, who drew his Wooden Sword and killed him with a dragon-like attack before Song Xian’s intervention could stop the blow.

Lin Hao killed Xu Renjie in their first Metropolitan Examination match, then advanced after his remaining opponents conceded as the candidates completed the examination. Outside the hall, Xu Rongyou learned of his son’s death and attacked Qin Wei, who suddenly went mad and struck back.

• Lin Hao killed Xu Renjie with a single strike despite Song Xian’s attempt to intervene, then won his next two matches by forfeit and finished last among the tribute students; Yin Saide became Metropolitan Examination Laureate.
• Liu Tong, Feng Zihan, Zhu Wen, and Qin Wei also earned Presented Scholar status, while Qin Wei remained dazed and avoided Lin Hao.
• Lin Hao and his companions discovered that the Duke of Xiaoyao’s residence and businesses had been seized, and Yi Feng arranged rooms for them at Manfu Inn.
• Song Xian warned Lin Hao to consider where he would stand, and Lin Hao remarked that Song seemed suited to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
• Xu Rongyou learned that Lin Hao had killed Xu Renjie and confronted Yin Zhengchun, who defended the legitimacy of the match and taunted the grieving commander.
• Xu Rongyou slapped Qin Wei, blaming him for Xu Renjie’s death, and Qin Wei suddenly attacked him in a frenzy as Yin Zhengchun mocked Xu Rongyou for driving a tribute candidate mad.

Lin Hao and his allies weathered the fallout from Xu Rongyou’s assault on Qin Wei, then settled into an inn in Capital City while planning how to prepare for the Palace Examination. Lin Hao decided to focus on cultivation for the month ahead rather than risk pursuing the dangerous Evacuation Items.

• Xu Rongyou pinned Qin Wei in the street, but Song Xian stopped the disturbance and ordered Qin Wei’s servant to take him home.
• Yin Zhengchun mocked Xu Rongyou with an improvised opera, while Song Xian dispersed the crowd and Xu Rongyou left after threatening Lin Hao.
• Li Yanbing explained Capital City’s four layers of defenses to Lin Hao as their group traveled to the Manfu Inn.
• Su He tried to use his Six Fan Gate authority to take rooms from Yi Feng, but he backed down when Shen Renyan recognized Lin Hao and warned him of Lin Hao’s strength.
• Lin Hao led his companions into their reserved courtyard suite, then sparred with Liu Tong and discussed seeking Evacuation Items before the Palace Examination.
• After Li Yanbing warned that the remaining Evacuation Items could be traps, Lin Hao chose to pursue minor accomplishment in Blood Exchange through training instead.

After Shen Jiyan’s murder made Lin Hao a possible suspect, Six Fan Gate and Embroidered Uniform Guard officers came to question him. Lin Hao turned their investigation into a public confrontation, beat Duan Qianhu, and faced the arrival of Su He’s father, the Purple-Eyed Divine Constable.

• Yi Feng told Lin Hao that Shen Jiyan had been found dead in Qianting Lake and was the fourth tribute scholar recently murdered.
• Su He and Hundred-household Commander Wei questioned Lin Hao about his whereabouts, but Lin Hao rejected their attempt to take him in as a witness and accused Wei of hiding something.
• Lin Hao seized Hundred-household Commander Wei and hurt him, then knocked back Duan Qianhu when he rushed in to intervene.
• Duan Qianhu drew his Xiuchun Saber, and Lin Hao smashed it with his bare hands before punching Duan through the brothel across the street.
• Constables and armed soldiers responded to the street fight, and the Purple-Eyed Divine Constable arrived after Su He called out to him.

Lin Hao turned an Embroidered Uniform Guard attempt to frame him into a public confrontation, forcing Yi Zhongyong to back down while Duan Qianhu died. Yin Zhengchun and Yun Wuji arrived as the dispute over the murders of Presented Scholars threatened to implicate the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

• Su Qing recognized Lin Hao, reconstructed how Duan Qianhu had attacked him, and treated Lin Hao’s violence as a defensive counterattack.
• Lin Hao told the crowd that the Embroidered Uniform Guard might be framing him for the murders, and the people called for an investigation.
• Yi Zhongyong accused Lin Hao of being a transmigrator, but Lin Hao agreed to be searched and demanded punishment for Duan Qianhu if he proved innocent.
• After Lin Hao’s belongings were removed and he maintained Intent Condensation, Yi Zhongyong ordered punishment for Duan Qianhu’s family, and Duan Qianhu died.
• Yin Zhengchun and Yun Wuji arrived and challenged the persecution of Presented Scholars, leaving Yi Zhongyong worried that the case would be turned against him.

After Duan Qianhu’s death, Lin Hao gained authority from both the Marquis of Divine Might and Yi Zhongyong to investigate the killings without interfering with his Palace Examination. At the Six Fan Gate, he identified poison as the cause of three candidates’ deaths and began tracing a possible plot involving the Prison.

• Yun Wuji appointed Lin Hao to help investigate the case and gave him the Marquis of Divine Might’s Seal, while Yi Zhongyong granted him temporary authority to execute suspects first and report afterward.
• Lin Hao examined the seal’s Tracking and Insight abilities, then asked Li Yanbing and his companions to join or support his investigation.
• At the Six Fan Gate, Lin Hao reviewed the case files with the Purple-Eyed Divine Constable and noticed that the victims shared a fondness for brothels and pleasure boats.
• Lin Hao deduced that three candidates had died from cyanide poisoning and that Shen Jiyan had detected the poison before being killed by force.
• Lin Hao chose Feng Chi, a fellow candidate who often spent time with Shen Jiyan, as his first target and suspected the Prison might be behind the scheme.

Lin Hao investigated Shen Jiyan’s connections and uncovered evidence that a tiny amount of poison had killed the tribute scholars. After an assassin attacked Feng Chi, Lin Hao and his companions captured him and rushed toward the Ji Merchants Chamber of Commerce to stop the Hu merchants from escaping.

• Su He told Lin Hao that Feng Chi and Shen Jiyan had attended banquets for officials, nobles, and merchants, including one hosted by Prince Zhao.
• Feng Chi revealed that Shen Jiyan had met Hu merchants at the Ji Merchants Chamber of Commerce and spoken privately with people who seemed connected to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
• Lin Hao found poison hidden in a teacup’s pattern and suspected it had killed Shen Jiyan and the other tribute scholars.
• A black-clad foreign assassin burst into Feng Chi’s room, but Lin Hao, Yin Saide, and Wang Zhen overwhelmed and captured him.
• Lin Hao ordered the group to move against the Ji Merchants Chamber of Commerce without alerting the Prison, while Su He stayed behind with Feng Chi and Eldest Senior Brother.

Lin Hao, Yin Saide, and Wang Zhen went to the Ji Merchants Chamber of Commerce to investigate its connection to a murder and the Prison. They discovered the merchants had prepared a trap, but Lin Hao summoned Six Fan Gate officers and used official authority to force his way inside.

• Wang Zhen explained that the Ji Merchants Chamber of Commerce was powerful, unscrupulous, and deeply involved in trade with the Yanhuang Trade Association.
• The Ji merchants learned that Lin Hao, Yin Saide, and Wang Zhen were approaching, prepared armed guards and a Grandmaster, and discussed using Elysium White Lotus and poison against them.
• Lin Hao detected a Grandmaster's dense force pressure around the association and concluded the merchants' invitation was a trap.
• Lin Hao fired a Six Fan Gate emergency signal and showed the Marquis of Divine Might's token and Pacification Commissioner Yi's authorization to order the association sealed off.
• Chairman Fan came out and invited Lin Hao and his companions inside, while Lin Hao ordered the constables to block access to the street and await reinforcements.

Lin Hao attacked a banquet at the Ji Merchants Chamber of Commerce, killed Grandmaster Yan Wudi and the gathered conspirators, then forced Tang Yuyuan and Chairman Fan to reveal their plots before killing them too. He emerged with evidence of the chamber’s crimes just as a divine constable arrived.

• Chairman Fan introduced Elder Yan to Lin Hao, who challenged Yan and the merchants over their alleged role in murdering examination candidates.
• Lin Hao signaled Yin Saide and Wang Zhen to block the exits, then killed Yan Wudi in a brief fight using Breath of Saint Flame and his sword.
• Lin Hao, Yin Saide, and Wang Zhen slaughtered the armed retainers and merchants, leaving Chairman Fan and Tang Yuyuan alive to question.
• Chairman Fan and Tang Yuyuan confessed to using poison on examination candidates and revealed connections to the Tuci merchants and Western Depot; Lin Hao killed both after learning of a possible Evacuation Item transaction.
• Yin Zhengchun arrived as Lin Hao and his companions waited for him to handle the aftermath.
• Lin Hao left the hall and told Constable Zhang that Chairman Fan’s ambush against the Transport Commissioner had been uncovered, with the culprits and evidence still at the scene.

Lin Hao met Professor Shi to learn about the Crown Prince’s plans and discovered that his master, Wu Shizhan, might be involved in a covert military operation in the Capital. After Lin Hao realized Professor Shi’s meeting had been exposed, he moved to get him out and faced a force of Embroidered Uniform Guard Cavalry and crossbowmen.

• Yin Zhengchun and the Marquis of Divine Might secured the Ji Merchants Chamber of Commerce after its leaders were killed, despite officials and Censors trying to obstruct the investigation.
• Lin Hao learned from Liu Tong that Wu Shizhan had appeared in the Capital and then used the Radio Station to confirm that his master was supposedly visiting friends.
• Lin Hao met Professor Shi, who said the Crown Prince might be bringing elite Anxi Army veterans into the Capital and suggested Wu Shizhan could be involved.
• Lin Hao decided to respect his master’s choice to act, then realized their meeting with Professor Shi might have been exposed through a compromised communication channel.
• Lin Hao leaped from the teahouse to confront the forces surrounding the street while Li Yanbing and Liu Chao escorted Professor Shi away.

Lin Hao held off the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s pursuit so Li Yanbing and Professor Shi could escape, killing Lu Jin, Yi Zhongyong, and numerous guards before slipping back to the inn. Liang Zheng helped Li Yanbing’s group, while the Guard’s supreme commander arrived to investigate the massacre.

• Yi Zhongyong ordered the Guard to attack Lin Hao, but Lin Hao cut down the mounted constables and shattered their crossbow volley.
• Lin Hao killed Lu Jin in a brief fight, then slaughtered the mounted constables who arrived and killed Yi Zhongyong when he recognized him.
• Li Yanbing defeated the remaining pursuers, and Liang Zheng arrived and killed the three surviving Guard experts before offering to escort her and Professor Shi to safety.
• Lin Hao rejoined the group, then parted from them and returned to the inn after changing clothes and concealing his trail.
• Mo Wu questioned a surviving Guard about the massacre and learned that one man had killed Lu Jin, Yi Zhongyong, and the other elites.

Lin Hao tracked down a Western Depot convoy carrying an Evacuation Item and ambushed it with Li Yanbing, Yin Saide, and Wang Zhen. After defeating the convoy’s Bronze Musicians and capturing its survivors, Lin Hao learned that transmigrators had helped create them and promised to reveal how they could leave the world.

• Mo Wu and Liang Zheng inspected the long-street massacre and concluded that one exceptionally powerful fighter had killed the guards and Grandmasters.
• Lin Hao learned that someone had blocked the Western Depot’s Evacuation Item signal, suspected the depot had changed its plans after the recent chaos, and set out with Li Yanbing, Yin Saide, and Wang Zhen to intercept it.
• Eunuch Jing led a nighttime convoy out of Capital City with Teng Yi, several Bronze Musicians, and the Evacuation Item, but Lin Hao’s group ambushed them on the road.
• Lin Hao killed all ten Bronze Musicians and, with his companions, overwhelmed the convoy, leaving Eunuch Jing and other survivors crippled.
• Teng Yi revealed that the Bronze Musicians were made using an Elysium Cult method improved by transmigrators and offered Lin Hao a way to leave the world; Lin Hao’s drone appeared beside him as he asked what Teng Yi had said.

Lin Hao and his companions raided a Tuci caravan trading with Lizardmen, killed its leader, and seized valuable goods before evacuating with over three million Wish Power. Back at the Teleportation Point, Lin Hao reunited with Zhao Xiaowen and the others, having returned to consolidate their gains before the Palace Examination.

• Lin Hao found Golden Cicada's remains and Zhen Tianba's hammers among the caravan's goods, then continued toward the Tuci trading camp with Yin Saide and the others.
• Lu Kuke welcomed four Lizardman envoys at the camp and tried to buy the woman he saw in Lin Hao's carriage, but Lin Hao killed him with a spear.
• Lin Hao fought the four Lizardmen, crippled three, and killed their leader after the warrior used vital blood breathing to boost his strength.
• Lin Hao and his companions questioned the survivors, seized the caravan's valuables, and evacuated at dawn with more than three million Wish Power.
• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing returned to the Teleportation Point, where they greeted the guards and reunited with Nie Yi and Zhao Xiaowen.

Lin Hao completed an intense training period, reaching Great Achievement in Embrace the Elixir and transforming the Breath of Saint Flame before traveling to the capital for the Palace Examination. As the tournament began amid preparations for a coup, he entered the palace ready to test his strength and take advantage of any opening against the emperor.

• Lin Hao strengthened his physique with Wish Power and blood-and-qi breathing, reached Great Achievement in Embrace the Elixir, and learned from Li Yanbing that he still lacked the ability to produce Astral Force.
• Lin Hao and Li Yanbing left Zhao Xiaowen to guard their home and traveled toward the Palace Examination while University Town's broadcasts reported that Alaska Base had detained its technical team.
• At the palace, Lin Hao spoke with Jiang Yuntao and Feng Chi, accepted Jiang Yuntao's apparent challenge, and joined the candidates entering for the examination.
• Yin Saide explained that the Martial Palace Examination was an arena tournament scored by how long each candidate held the arena, while Lin Hao considered the coup's plan to seize a palace gate and his chance to confront the emperor.
• Song Xian addressed the candidates at the Martial Arts Ground, warning them that they were now His Majesty's future subjects as the court and the coup's forces prepared for open confrontation.