Chapter Summaries

Hu Hanyi learned that the Pudu Sect planned to establish a branch in River City and agreed to help, reassured that it would not abandon the Hu Family. Meanwhile, Yue Wen reviewed the fallout from his victory over Li Flying Rosy Clouds and saw reports calling the Four Seas Dragon Ascension Assembly a golden age of Heavenly Prodigies.

• Hu Hanyi met Guan Mingli, the Pudu Sect’s new deacon, and pleaded for the sect to continue cooperating with the Hu Family.
• Guan Mingli told Hu Hanyi that the Pudu Sect planned to establish a branch in River City and asked him to help smooth things over with the authorities.
• Guan Mingli promised the Pudu Sect would not abandon the Hu Family and said its new branch would make it easier for the Taiji Eight Desolations Sect to handle matters there.
• Yue Wen browsed the Cultivation Chat Forum and saw Perfected One Nagiko’s disclosures redirect public anger over the tournament format toward the Hu Family and its allies.
• Yue Wen read trending coverage describing the Four Seas Dragon Ascension Assembly as a golden age of Heavenly Prodigies, including a post about Liang Baitong of Cicada Cry Ancient Temple claiming the top seat and renouncing love.

Yue Wen read about the bizarre chief-disciple selections among the Five Great Immortal Sects before learning that Big White had been kidnapped. He suspected the Hu family was behind the abduction, but the group had yet to decide how to respond.

• Yue Wen read that Liang Baitong became Cicada-Chiming Ancient Temple's chief disciple, then declared he would marry Tian Xiaowei.
• Wu Jiguang and Xue Hanyang were disqualified from becoming Taiji Eight Desolations Sect's chief after their vote-buying schemes were exposed, while Shen Yaoguang, Meng Youjun, and Dongfang Jianqi also emerged from their sects' selections amid absurd incidents.
• Qi Dian found a ransom note saying Big White had been taken and demanded a hundred thousand in Talisman Currency at Moon-Gazing Tower.
• Yue Wen and Xing'er reasoned that Big White's abductor was likely a sixth-realm expert and worried the kidnapping could be a trap targeting their team.
• Yue Wen and Qi Dian ruled out their likely opponents and concluded that the Hu family was the most likely suspect.

Yue Wen, Qi Dian, and Zhao Xing'er followed their kidnapper’s rules and split up to climb Moon-Gazing Tower, where masked men challenged them with puzzles. Yue Wen and Qi Dian struggled through the questions, while Zhao Xing'er reached a man who appeared to be her father.

• Yue Wen, Qi Dian, and Zhao Xing'er borrowed money, reached Moon-Gazing Tower, and learned that they had to climb separate stairways within twenty minutes to save Big White.
• Yue Wen answered a trick addition question correctly and moved on to a question about identifying the odd season.
• Qi Dian failed several attempts to answer a grenade-price riddle before correctly explaining that no change was due, then faced a question about the odd yellow item.
• Zhao Xing'er encountered a stern, middle-aged man whose expression softened when he saw her, and she recognized him as her father.

Zhao Shizhe tested Zhao Xing'er’s companions, but Yue Wen quickly cleared the absurd examination questions and reached the top floor. Mistaking Zhao Shizhe for a dangerous captor, Yue Wen summoned Perfected One Nagiko, whose mountain phantom descended before Zhao Shizhe could explain himself.

• Zhao Shizhe revealed that he had brought Big White to test Zhao Xing'er’s companions, and Zhao Xing'er knocked the dog into the ceiling for following him.
• Yue Wen sped through Zhao Shizhe’s bizarre questions while Qi Dian struggled to answer them on the second floor.
• After reaching the top floor and seeing Zhao Xing'er and Big White, Yue Wen crushed Perfected One Nagiko’s Message Jade Talisman and threw Demonic Soul-Devouring Mist Pills at Zhao Shizhe.
• Perfected One Nagiko arrived almost immediately, and her enormous green mountain phantom crashed down toward the top floor.

Perfected One Nagiko rushed to Moon-Gazing Tower after Yue Wen summoned her and attacked Zhao Shizhe before learning he was Zhao Xing'er’s father. After the misunderstanding was settled, Yue Wen revealed he had made arrangements against the Hu Family, while Hu Jiuyi began an attack on their manor.

• Perfected One Nagiko sensed Yue Wen’s summons, rushed to Moon-Gazing Tower, and suppressed the people inside with Kunyu Ridge and her Divine Sword Thunder-Controlling Art.
• Zhao Shizhe revealed his identity as the head of the Heavenly Capital Zhao Family, and Perfected One Nagiko stopped attacking after the lightning had badly charred him.
• Zhao Shizhe explained that he had come to test whether Zhao Xing’er’s companions could be trusted, and Yue Wen and Perfected One Nagiko accepted that he had meant no harm.
• Perfected One Nagiko and Zhao Shizhe reconciled and praised Yue Wen and Zhao Xing’er, while Yue Wen admitted he had made arrangements against the Hu Family after suspecting them of taking Big White.
• Hu Jiuyi, a lean man, and a long-haired woman prepared to attack the Hu Family manor, and Hu Jiuyi launched a fireball into it.

Yue Wen’s plan to rescue Big White led Hu Jiuyi and his companions to set the Hu Family Manor ablaze, though the group later learned the Hu Family had not taken the dog. Xing’er’s father agreed to let her remain in River City if she won a City Hero seat, while Hu Hanyi returned to find his manor in ruins and ordered an investigation.

• Hu Jiuyi, Wang the Skinny, and Dongli Yang entered Hu Family Manor and set fires throughout it to force Hu Hanyi to abandon the conflict.
• After Big White was rescued, Yue Wen messaged Hu Jiuyi to stop, but Hu Jiuyi reported that the manor’s occupants had been safely evacuated.
• Xing’er’s father praised her progress and agreed to support her staying in River City if she won a City Hero seat.
• Yue Wen and Perfected One Nagiko offered to treat the others to a meal, while Xing’er’s father also volunteered to pay.
• Hu Hanyi returned to the burned ruins, confirmed Yunting was safe, and ordered his subordinates to identify the culprits.

Zhao's father used his Divine Treasury Sea to help Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, and Qi Dian strengthen their cultivation before the City Hero Top Eight Battle, then explained how its Great Dao resonance worked. Meanwhile, Hu Yunting broke through to the peak of the Astral Realm and prepared to face Yue Wen, unaware that his family's estate had been destroyed.

• Zhao's father used his Divine Treasury Sea to accelerate the trio's cultivation, bringing Zhao Xing'er to the Middle Astral Realm and leaving Qi Dian close to a breakthrough while Yue Wen neared the Late Astral Realm.
• Perfected One Nagiko worried that Qi Dian might threaten Zhilan, but Yue Wen reassured her that Zhilan had nothing to fear from him.
• Zhao's father and Perfected One Nagiko explained that Great Dao resonance strengthened cultivators who shared a Great Dao, and that the Divine Treasury Sea could resonate with anyone whose blood qi was vigorous.
• Zhao's father said ancient Divine Treasury Sea cultivators led military formations, then speculated that their ancestor might have been named Zhao Long or Zhao Yunzi; Yue Wen suggested Zhao Yun, but Zhao's father dismissed the idea.
• Hu Yunting emerged from his cultivation room after breaking through to the peak of the Astral Realm and vowed to defeat Yue Wen, while Hu Hanyi urged him to treat Yue Wen as the enemy who destroyed their home.

The author reviewed the book’s March performance, explained how the title change and a more humor-focused writing approach might help, and thanked readers for their support. The author announced April giveaway rules and listed the winning March vote-number endings.

• The author reported that March library adds and average subscriptions had risen slightly, with the book finishing fiftieth in the monthly vote rankings.
• The author said the new title appeared to be attracting more readers and planned to test its effect with another recommendation slot.
• The author explained that they intended to favor smoother, familiar plots so they could focus more effort on jokes and humor.
• The author thanked readers for their support and announced that the top-fifty March finish earned thirty additional 66-yuan red-envelope winners.
• The author set out the April giveaway prizes and ranking-based bonuses, then published the winning March vote-number endings.

At the City Heroes' Battle quarterfinals, Qi Dian and Lan Zhi began their match by trying to outwit each other with feigned attacks and flash techniques. Both counters canceled out, leaving them facing each other while the blinded audience recovered.

• Qian Yun introduced the quarterfinals, and Wei Ping and Su Xun argued over a wager involving a toilet before Su Xun agreed to bet on Yue Wen against Hu Yunting.
• The referee called Qi Dian and Lan Zhi onto the stage, where Qi Dian activated his Astral Qi Shield before the match began.
• Lan Zhi proposed a straightforward full-strength clash, then sent illusory flowers toward Qi Dian as he launched sword rays.
• Lan Zhi and Qi Dian each used illusions and a hidden flash to evade the other's trick, and neither gained an advantage.
• Qi Dian and Lan Zhi realized they had both learned similar tactics from Yue Wen, while the audience complained that the flashes had blinded them.

Qi Dian defeated Lan Zhi by concealing his breakthrough and using a water-filled Astral Qi Shield to amplify his heavenly thunder, though he was left badly injured. As he celebrated with Yue Wen and Xing'er, Master Nagi confronted him, and Xing'er prepared to face Li Tieqin.

• Lan Zhi trapped Qi Dian in a mass of vines and tried to fling him off the platform, but he escaped by breaking through with his sword.
• Qi Dian forced his way close to Lan Zhi, then expanded his Astral Qi Shield to enclose them both and reveal his middle astral realm cultivation.
• Lan Zhi struck Qi Dian inside the shield, but Qi Dian filled it with water and repeatedly sent heavenly thunder through it until she lost consciousness.
• Qi Dian dispelled the shield and collapsed from his injuries after winning, then thanked Yue Wen and Xing'er for helping him plan his strategy.
• Master Nagi confronted Qi Dian, while Yue Wen and Xing'er denied responsibility for his actions and Xing'er prepared to fight Li Tieqin.
• Li Tieqin took the platform with his black iron guitar and declared that he would unleash the power he had suppressed for years.

Zhao Xing'er faced Li Tieqin in the City Heroes' Battle and overwhelmed his Savage Bull Immortal Body with her newly advanced cultivation and escalating fury. She continued beating him as spectators watched in stunned silence, while the commentators argued over the name of her martial arts.

• The commentators praised Qi Dian's advancement and argued over Yue Wen's punishment and the Rankings Tournament, forcing the host to make them focus on the next match.
• Zhao Xing'er and Li Tieqin warned each other they might lose control before the fight began.
• Li Tieqin revealed his Savage Bull Immortal Body and attacked with sound blades, but Xing'er met his strength with her staff.
• Xing'er used her Fire Dance Whirlwind Staff Technique to batter Li Tieqin, whose strength and physique could not match her cultivation and Heaven-Given Martial Dao Saint Body.
• The narration revealed Xing'er had recently advanced to the Middle Astral Realm and chosen a painful cultivation path that fueled her anger and strengthened her attacks.
• Xing'er repeatedly knocked Li Tieqin down and forced him back upright, while Elder Su praised her power and Elder Wei questioned whether it was Heavenly Martial Demon-Suppressing or Heavenly Demon Martial Suppression.

Zhao Xing'er defeated Li Tieqin after he unleashed his Savage Bull Immortal Body, while Liu Yuanjun beat Deng Ran to claim another semifinal spot. The chapter ended as Yue Wen and Hu Yunting prepared for the final quarterfinal match.

• Li Tieqin used demonic music to strengthen himself, but it also intensified Zhao Xing'er's Martial Spirit Red Light, and she overwhelmed him with her Silver Staff until he surrendered.
• The referee stopped Zhao Xing'er from landing another blow, and Xing'er confirmed that her injuries from using Profound Fiend Qi could heal quickly.
• Yue Wen, Qi Dian, and Xing'er watched Liu Yuanjun face Deng Ran, who discovered that his eldest senior brother, Du Shuai, had joined the Mysterious Wind Temple.
• Liu Yuanjun defeated Deng Ran, leaving one semifinal place undecided.
• Yue Wen and Hu Yunting's quarterfinal match drew the crowd's cheers as the host rallied the spectators.

Yue Wen fought Hu Yunting in the City Heroes’ Battle, where Hu Yunting’s recent breakthrough and superior Sword Arts initially put Yue Wen under pressure. Yue Wen used an unexpected Lightning Escape to get within striking distance, and the chapter ended as he swung his sword at Hu Yunting’s astral qi.

• Yue Wen entered the arena to fight Hu Yunting, who had advanced to the peak astral realm since their last match.
• Hu Yunting attacked with the Cloud-Displacing Sword Art, but Yue Wen disrupted his control with Divine Fist Intent and charged through the sword qi storm.
• Hu Yunting outmatched Yue Wen in their sword exchanges and anticipated his Shadow-Shifting Talisman Art, leaving Yue Wen struggling to close the distance.
• Elder Wei told Elder Su that Hu Yunting had three advantages: higher cultivation, stronger Sword Dao training, and better knowledge of Yue Wen’s techniques.
• Yue Wen used the Shadow-Shifting Talisman Art to draw out Hu Yunting’s prepared strike, then followed with Lightning Escape to reach him at close range.
• Yue Wen struck Hu Yunting’s sword-qi shield and swung his Azure-Purple Dragon-Pattern Sword at Hu Yunting’s astral qi.

Yue Wen used Thunderlight Escape and Dragon Emperor Heaven-Opening Force with spell suppression Dao rhythm to batter Hu Yunting, but Hu Yunting survived by merging with his Liuli Flying Sword. Hu Yunting transformed into a massive sword and overwhelmed Yue Wen, declaring that victory belonged to the Renowned Sword School.

• Yue Wen prepared Thunderlight Escape and Dragon Emperor Heaven-Opening Force as new tactics against Hu Yunting.
• Yue Wen used the Shadow-Shifting Talisman Art, Thunderlight Escape, and spell suppression Dao rhythm to get close and unleash a brutal physical assault on Hu Yunting.
• Hu Yunting's Liuli Flying Sword entered his body and released a devastating sword-qi ripple, forcing Yue Wen to retreat.
• Hu Yunting merged with his Flying Sword and transformed into a giant blade of sword light.
• Hu Yunting's sword overwhelmed Yue Wen, driving him into the arena floor as he proclaimed that he represented the Renowned Sword School.

Yue Wen fought Hu Yunting in the River City arena, surviving the sword prodigy’s overwhelming sword unity by using his blood-burning technique and Divine Sword Thunder-Controlling Art. The clash gave Yue Wen insight into living astral qi, and he began to awaken a new force of his own.

• Hu Hanyi worried as Yue Wen nearly defeated Hu Yunting, but Hu Yunting turned the fight around by merging with his sword.
• Hu Hanyi and the arena commentators expected Hu Yunting to win after his sword qi drove Yue Wen to the brink of defeat.
• Yue Wen activated the Raging Dragon Blood-Burning Technique and used the Divine Sword Thunder-Controlling Art to meet Hu Yunting’s sword storm.
• The collision sent Yue Wen skidding across the platform, but he realized that Hu Yunting’s living astral qi enabled his unity with the sword.
• Yue Wen resonated with the vitality in his own astral qi and began forming a distinct force he called Yue Family dragon astral force.

Yue Wen broke through to the late Astral Realm during his battle with Hu Yunting, seized control of Hu Yunting’s Liuli Flying Sword, and hurled it out of the venue to win. He left the arena celebrated as a tough guy, while River City’s leaders looked ahead to the Four Seas Ascendant Dragon Assembly.

• Hu Yunting tried to interrupt Yue Wen’s apparent epiphany, but Yue Wen broke through to the late Astral Realm and overwhelmed him with his strengthened aura.
• Yue Wen endured Hu Yunting’s sword-qi assault while using his spiritual sense and Swordheart Resonance Method to weaken Hu Yunting’s control of the Liuli Flying Sword.
• Yue Wen took control of the greatsword and threw it through the barrier and venue wall, eliminating Hu Yunting and winning the match.
• Hu Hanyi ran after the flying sword, while Perfected One Nagiko and Daoist Jiefeng discussed Yue Wen’s team and their prospects at the Four Seas Ascendant Dragon Assembly.
• The crowd cheered Yue Wen and praised his pink tank top as his exclusive battle gear.

After Yue Wen defeated Hu Yunting, Elder Wei ate a ceramic toilet as punishment for his wager, and Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, Qi Dian, and Liu Yuanjun were crowned River City's City Heroes. The group prepared for the remaining captain-selection matches, but Yue Wen received a warning that someone wanted to kill him.

• After collapsing over Hu Yunting's defeat, Elder Wei kept his promise and ate an entire ceramic toilet in front of the audience.
• The host crowned Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, Qi Dian, and Liu Yuanjun City Heroes and announced that the semifinals and final would determine River City's captain in three days.
• Perfected One Nagiko presented the four heroes with badges and promised the city would support their training for the Four Seas Ascendant Dragon Assembly.
• Backstage, Yue Wen, Zhao Xing'er, Qi Dian, and Liu Yuanjun joked about their future team roles and the upcoming captain selection.
• Yue Wen received a message warning him that someone wanted to kill him.

Hu Hanyi ordered his trusted subordinate Hu Zhong to send Hu Family death warriors after Yue Wen, then went to the Pudu Sect to hear Guan Mingli explain its search for her missing great-grandfather. Guan Mingli connected the search to Mai Yaode’s death, leaving Hu Hanyi facing an unexpected accusation.

• Hu Hanyi blamed Yue Wen for Hu Yunting’s defeat and ordered Hu Zhong to disguise Hu Family death warriors as Demonic Cultivators and kill him.
• After Hu Hanyi left the hospital, Hu Yunting briefly opened his eyes and messaged someone to switch numbers and notify another person.
• Guan Mingli told Hu Hanyi that the Pudu Sect’s founder had vanished over a hundred years earlier and that recent activity on his accounts had led the sect to search River City.
• Hu Hanyi offered to help find the person connected to the accounts, and Guan Mingli said credible information about a Medicine King Institute jade token had reached Mai Yaode.
• When Hu Hanyi mourned Mai Yaode, Guan Mingli called him an idiot and said he had been utterly detestable.

Guan Mingli investigated Mai Yaode’s murder and asked Hu Hanyi to pose as an enemy of the Pudu Sect to lure out the killer. Meanwhile, the Shuangling Body linked Wen Yan’s actions to the Hu Family, while Yue Wen showed Adept Nagi Light an anonymous message and warned that he was in danger.

• Guan Mingli told Hu Hanyi that Mai Yaode had concealed a lead about her Great-Grandfather and was likely killed by someone connected to the Poison Snake Gang.
• Guan Mingli asked Hu Hanyi to publicly break with the Pudu Sect and offer support to anyone willing to oppose it, hoping to draw out the killer.
• Hu Hanyi spread rumors that the Hu Family had broken ties with the Pudu Sect and would pay for help driving the sect from River City.
• The Shuangling Body concluded that Wen Yan had used the Five Ghost Sect to kill a Pudu Sect steward and suspected Wen Yan was targeting the Pudu Sect.
• The Shuangling Body learned that the Hu Family was feuding with the Pudu Sect, but stopped the Youjing Body from attacking them and ordered the Poison Snake Gang to watch the family.
• Yue Wen showed Adept Nagi Light an anonymous message and said he thought he was in danger.

After Yue Wen received a death threat, Perfected One Nagiko arranged to protect him while he devised a way to draw out his would-be killers. The Viper Gang’s Six Pythons of Gray Mountain followed a suspicious figure from the Hu Family to the Yue Family Cultivation Office, while Elder Xu watched them and waited for instructions.

• Yue Wen told Perfected One Nagiko about the threatening message, and she promised to protect him with a doppelganger while they waited for an attacker to reveal themselves.
• Yue Wen suggested making his enemies feel urgency, and Perfected One Nagiko praised the four City Heroes in a live interview and announced that they would train under her around the clock.
• The Six Pythons of Gray Mountain learned they had killed the wrong person and began watching Hu Family Manor on Dai Muhun’s orders.
• The Six Pythons spotted a masked figure leaving the Hu Family, followed him to the Yue Family Cultivation Office in City Seven, and were told by Dai Muhun to keep watching.
• Elder Xu tracked the Six Pythons and reported their movements to Miss Mingli, who told him not to act yet.