Recaps

After learning that Qing Chen had been chosen as True Person Budong’s personal disciple because of his Wisdom-Emptiness Spirit Body, Xu Jiuling was ordered to escort him back to the sect for his true-disciple ceremony. Xu Jiuling reached Hidden Spirit City, where Qing Chen was waiting to greet him.

• Xu Jiuling broke through to late-stage Foundation Establishment and became Hall Master of the General Affairs Hall after his service against the Yue Household rebels.
• Xue Wuyuan told Xu Jiuling that Qing Chen had been selected by the Fourth Grand Supreme as a personal disciple because of his Wisdom-Emptiness Spirit Body and cultivation of the Mingwang Scripture.
• Xue Wuyuan ordered Xu Jiuling to bring Qing Chen back to the sect for his discipleship ceremony, and Xu Jiuling agreed.
• Xu Jiuling departed by Spirit Boat and, after several days, arrived at Hidden Spirit City, where Qing Chen and several dozen Condensed Jade Sect disciples were waiting.
• Xu Jiuling praised the growing size of Hidden Spirit Island as he greeted Qing Chen.

Xu Jiuling told Qing Chen that the Fourth Grand Supreme wanted to take him as a personal disciple and explained the Foundation Establishment-level Vajra Mound trial. Qing Chen learned he would need to clear its third layer to qualify and was warned that the guardians could kill him.

• Qing Chen welcomed Xu Jiuling into the city and hosted him with Spirit Wine and a spirit banquet.
• Xu Jiuling informed Qing Chen that the Fourth Grand Supreme had noticed his Wisdom-Emptiness Spirit Body and wanted him as a personal disciple.
• Qing Chen concealed his unease about how much the Fourth Grand Supreme knew and asked Xu Jiuling about the Immovable Wisdom King Lineage.
• Xu Jiuling explained that True Disciple selection required a trial in the Foundation Establishment-level Vajra Mound, where Qing Chen would face opponents using Buddhist body-refining abilities.
• Xu Jiuling told Qing Chen that the Vajra Mound had six layers, that clearing the third would meet the requirement, and that he must use his talisman to escape if he could not win.

Qing Chen prepared to return to the Condensed Jade Sect after receiving news that the Fourth Grand Supreme intended to take him as a disciple. On the journey, Xu Jiuling explained the exceptional benefits awaiting him as both a true disciple and a Grand Supreme’s personal disciple.

• Xu Jiuling gave Qing Chen a jade slip about the first three levels of the Vajra Mound and arranged to escort him back to the sect.
• Qing Chen ordered Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue to collect cultivator and demon-beast remains and join him for the Ten-Year Dragon Gate Gathering.
• Qing Chen tasked Su Zixuan with overseeing Demon Lotus Sect affairs and ordered her to have Lin Changsheng investigate the Qin Household’s secret on Immortal-Severing Island.
• Qing Chen left the City Lord’s Mansion with Xu Jiuling and traveled by Spirit Boat toward the Condensed Jade Sect Base.
• Xu Jiuling explained that Qing Chen could receive a Kan-Li Golden Core from his master once he reached the Pseudo-Core level.

Qing Chen returned to the Condensed Jade Sect with Xu Jiuling and reflected on how the sect and its people had changed during his years away. He learned that registration for the Dragon Gate Gathering was opening, and the chapter left him preparing to attend with his subordinates.

• Qing Chen surveyed the unfamiliar mountain-guarding disciples and recalled how he had taken revenge on former enemies by sending them to dangerous campaigns and placing them on the Demon Lotus Sect's kill list.
• Xu Jiuling told Qing Chen that most disciples of their generation had failed to reach Foundation Establishment, and that the Seven Sons of Condensed Jade had suffered several deaths and failed breakthroughs.
• Qing Chen and Xu Jiuling entered the sect and noticed the grim atmosphere left by ten years of warfare on the border battlefields.
• Two disciples hurried past after hearing that registration for the Dragon Gate Gathering was opening, then stopped and bowed when they saw Qing Chen and Xu Jiuling.
• Xu Jiuling reprimanded the disciples for rushing through the sect, but relented after Qing Chen explained their excitement and mentioned that his subordinates would also participate in the gathering.

Qing Chen arrived at Celebration Cloud Peak and prepared his disciples Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue for the Dragon Gate Gathering, urging them to seize the chance to advance. He gave them powerful Dharma Artifacts and Talismans, leaving them deeply moved and better equipped for the competition.

• After Qing Chen and Xu Jiuling left, Miao Wushang and Sikong Zhaixing discussed Qing Chen's fearsome reputation and realized he might be the Hidden Spirit High Person.
• Xu Jiuling escorted Qing Chen to Celebration Cloud Peak, his assigned residence, and told him to rest and await a decree that might bring a new cultivation opportunity.
• Qing Chen told Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue that the Dragon Gate Gathering could win them a Foundation Establishment Pill, an elder's tutelage, or even the Grand Elder's favor.
• Qing Chen explained that Elysium was the Blissful Union Tower, a wealthy power with branches across the Gouwu Sea.
• Qing Chen gave Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue two supreme-grade offensive Dharma Artifacts, two supreme-grade defensive inner armors, and twenty upper grade first tier Talismans for the gathering.

Qing Chen rewarded Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue with powerful magical artifacts and talismans, then waited for a decree from the Sect’s Fourth Grand Supreme. Sun Wudi arrived with an order appointing Qing Chen chief examiner of the upcoming Dragon Gate Gathering, surprising him.

• Qing Chen gave Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue four supreme-grade magical artifacts and twenty upper grade first tier talismans in exchange for their continued loyalty.
• Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue spent more than half a month cultivating in seclusion and mastering their new artifacts while Qing Chen waited for a decree.
• Sun Wudi visited Qing Chen and introduced himself as the Combat Elder and a False Core cultivator.
• Sun Wudi conveyed True Person Budong’s decree praising Qing Chen’s service and appointing him chief examiner of the two hundred and eighty-first Dragon Gate Gathering.
• Qing Chen was astonished by the appointment, having expected a summons or an order to join the True Disciple trial.

Qing Chen accepted the appointment as Chief Examiner of the Dragon Gate Gathering and reflected on the influence and rewards it could bring. News of his rapid rise spread through the Condensed Jade Sect, leaving its prominent figures newly impressed by him.

• Sun Wudi delivered the decree appointing Qing Chen Chief Examiner and explained his responsibilities, the gathering’s rules, and the customary trials in the Vajra Mound.
• Qing Chen accepted the appointment, resolved to act impartially, and considered how the position could expand his influence and earn him a custom-made high-grade spirit artifact.
• News of Qing Chen’s appointment spread through the Sect and caused a stir even greater than his defeat of Yue Xipo and destruction of the Fake Core Yue Household.
• Xu Jiuling calmly accepted Qing Chen’s rise, while Gu Jianchun expressed disbelief that his former junior disciple had surpassed even the Wine Elder in status.
• Elder Shangshan, the Evil-Punishing Elder, Xue Yubing, Di Huaiyi, and other Sect figures took the appointment as reason to attach greater importance to Qing Chen.

Qing Chen and four assistant examiners planned the combat trials for the Condensed Jade Sect’s Dragon Gate Gathering. They chose Demon Beast Trial Island No. 2, with teleportation tokens and individual scoring, and assigned preparations for the trial.

• Qing Chen asked High Person Qingxia, Miao Long, Ji Cangming, and Gongsun Yang to propose ways to test the disciples’ combat strength.
• High Person Qingxia suggested spiritual power formations, Miao Long proposed battles against puppets and demon beasts followed by duels, and Ji Cangming recommended a team-combat stage.
• After Qing Chen pressed him for a real suggestion, Gongsun Yang proposed a trial to search for spiritual objects among traps.
• Qing Chen chose Demon Beast Trial Island No. 2 and proposed teleportation tokens so disciples could escape, along with demon beast point values for scoring.
• Qing Chen approved flexible teams but required final results to count individual points, then assigned preparations to the hall masters and said he would inspect disciples’ Storage Bags.

The Profound Condensation Sect’s Dragon Gate Gathering drew far fewer applicants after Trial Island Number Two was announced as its dangerous trial ground. With the gathering approaching, Xu Jiuling asked Qing Chen to overlook rule violations by favored disciples, and Qing Chen agreed after hearing that factional favoritism was an accepted practice.

• The Sect announced that the Dragon Gate Gathering would take place on dangerous Trial Island Number Two, and only twelve hundred Qi Refining disciples signed up.
• The Sect finalized the applicant list and announced that the gathering would begin in three days, stirring activity among Foundation Establishment cultivators and faction leaders.
• Xu Jiuling visited Qing Chen at night and asked him to go easy on the disciples named on a Jade Slip during the pre-trial inspection.
• Qing Chen warned that helping favored disciples could make him the enemy of the Qi Refining disciples and damage the fairness of the competition.
• Xu Jiuling explained that factions sought Foundation Establishment Pills and places on the Dragon Gate Golden Rankings, then assured Qing Chen that overlooking violations was an unwritten Sect rule.
• Qing Chen thanked Xu Jiuling for his guidance.

Qing Chen accepted the factions’ lists of favored disciples and resolved to act without restraint during the Dragon Gate Gathering. After the trial began on Trial Island No. 2, he ordered a second inspection and caught more participants carrying prohibited items.

• Faction representatives and Assistant Examiners offered Qing Chen gifts and favors, while Sun Wudi gave him a list of disciples his faction valued.
• At the Dragon Gate Gathering, Qing Chen addressed the contestants and led the five Spirit Ships toward Trial Island No. 2.
• The examiners inspected the disciples’ belongings, and Miao Long caught one contestant hiding a demon-beast reverse scale.
• Qing Chen announced a second inspection and rejected Ji Cangming’s attempt to stop him.
• Qing Chen called a hundred listed disciples aboard the Spirit Ship and personally found prohibited demon-beast materials, second-tier talismans, and medicinal pills.

Qing Chen let the disciples pass his inspection and sent them into the trial island, where they faced dangers across its varied regions. Seven days into the trial, he received a summons from the Fourth Grand Supreme and hurried toward Mingwang Peak.

• Qing Chen inspected the called disciples without publicly exposing their violations, then ordered them to enter the transportation formations.
• The managers divided more than a thousand disciples into fifty batches and used Rashomon Formations to scatter them across Trial Island No. 2.
• Gao Yuliang landed in the Crimson Flame Hundred Ridges and encountered a peak first-tier Scarlet Flame Demon Tiger.
• Deng Ziyue arrived in the Illusion Labyrinth and planned to use his intelligence to hunt demon beasts worth high points.
• Seven days into the half-month trial, Qing Chen received a Jade Slip from Senior Brother Sun summoning him to Mingwang Peak at the Fourth Grand Supreme's request.

After the trial, Qing Chen was summoned to Mingwang Peak by the Fourth Grand Supreme and endured the elder’s overwhelming spiritual pressure before entering the palace. As he waited before the gold-robed cultivator, Combat Elder Sun Wudi suddenly attacked him.

• Qing Chen ordered the managers to tally the disciples’ demon beast materials and send back anyone below the passing mark.
• Qing Chen told the assistant examiners that the Fourth Grand Supreme had summoned him, then hurried to Mingwang Peak using Three Jia Void-Piercing.
• Qing Chen endured the spiritual pressure on the mountain and used the Mingwang Blood Baleful Intent Armor and the Brahma Demon-Refining Art to withstand it.
• The Fourth Grand Supreme invited Qing Chen into the palace, where Qing Chen saw a gold-robed cultivator seated behind a jade table.
• Combat Elder Sun Wudi suddenly appeared and praised Qing Chen’s Mingwang Scripture before challenging him to take a punch.

Qing Chen fought Sun Wudi in the palace, trading powerful techniques until a bell summoned them to meet the Fourth Grand Supreme. The Fourth Grand Supreme examined Qing Chen with divine sense and confirmed he possessed the Wisdom-Emptiness Spirit Body, while an Old Meditation Cushion in his Storage Bag secretly resonated with the examination.

• Qing Chen used Three Jia Space-Piercing to evade Sun Wudi’s rapid attacks, then met Sun Wudi’s Vajra Prison-Suppressing Palm with his Blood Baleful Intent Divine Saber.
• Qing Chen counterattacked with Demon Fire and the Autumn Equinox Yin-Yang Finger, but Sun Wudi overwhelmed his techniques with his golden fists.
• A bell stopped Qing Chen and Sun Wudi’s battle, and Sun Wudi let Qing Chen enter the palace first.
• The Fourth Grand Supreme examined Qing Chen with powerful divine sense, while the Old Meditation Cushion in Qing Chen’s Storage Bag emitted faint light without either of them noticing.
• The Fourth Grand Supreme remarked that Qing Chen’s many cultivation arts were strange and confirmed that he possessed the Wisdom-Emptiness Spirit Body.

Qing Chen faced three questions from the Fourth Grand Supreme, True Person Budong, before being formally accepted as his direct disciple. He became an official inheritor of the Immovable Wisdom King Lineage and paid his respects to his new master.

• The Fourth Grand Supreme confirmed that he intended to take Qing Chen as his direct disciple and asked whether Qing Chen was willing.
• Qing Chen declared that he would protect the Sect so long as it did not fail him, surprising the Fourth Grand Supreme and Combat Elder Sun Wudi.
• Qing Chen affirmed that he would inherit the Immovable Wisdom King Lineage and pursue its legacy even if it meant a hundred deaths.
• True Person Budong formally accepted Qing Chen as his direct disciple and named him an official inheritor of the Immovable Wisdom King Lineage.
• Qing Chen kowtowed three times and addressed True Person Budong as Master.

True Person Budong taught Qing Chen the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method and explained its cultivation principles, dangers, and secret techniques. Qing Chen gained a deeper understanding of body refinement and magic cultivation, along with new insights into his other techniques.

• True Person Budong gave Qing Chen the inheritance jade slip and instructed him to memorize it and swear not to pass it on.
• True Person Budong explained how the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method strengthened the body and magic power, and how it differed from the Mingwang Scripture.
• True Person Budong warned Qing Chen that advancing beyond the sixth level required subduing high-grade killing intent without being corrupted by it.
• True Person Budong described the Śarīra Method, which used a living demon core or Golden Core śarīra to cultivate the Immovable Wisdom King Dharma Body.
• Qing Chen learned from True Person Budong's guidance and gained insights into the Mingwang Scripture, the Brahma Demon-Refining Art, and the Demon Seed Golden Lotus secret technique.

Qing Chen became the Fourth Grand Supreme’s youngest personal disciple and learned about the Vajra Mound and the Immovable Wisdom King Lineage’s teachings. The Fourth Grand Supreme chose him to enter the Immortal-Severing Island Secret Realm and explained the unusual status of the Brahma Demon-Refining Art.

• The Fourth Grand Supreme gave Qing Chen a True Disciple Command Token, explaining that personal disciples of the Immovable Wisdom King Lineage automatically became true disciples.
• The Fourth Grand Supreme told Qing Chen that the Vajra Mound could grant enlightenment but cost many spirit stones to activate, and advised him to wait until Foundation Establishment Peak to challenge it.
• The Fourth Grand Supreme taught Qing Chen to hold fast to his true heart while adapting flexibly, then said he would send him to the Immortal-Severing Island Secret Realm when it opened in a year.
• Qing Chen admitted that he came from Immortal-Severing Island, and the Fourth Grand Supreme described benefits the Condensed Jade Sect had gained from the realm.
• The Fourth Grand Supreme explained that the Brahma Demon-Refining Art was one of the Moon-Worshipping Divine Cult’s three great true-disciple arts, despite its difficulty and uncertain purpose, and said it could complement Qing Chen’s body-tempering practice.

Qing Chen received his master's guidance and a powerful flying treasure before returning to the Dragon Gate Gathering. His celebration was cut short when the badly wounded Deng Ziyue suddenly appeared on the trial island.

• Qing Chen asked the Fourth Grand Supreme about the Brahma Demon-Refining Art and learned that he would enter the Immortal-Severing Island Secret Realm in a year.
• The Fourth Grand Supreme gave Qing Chen maps, warnings, and the supreme-grade Spirit Artifact Yin-Thunder Wings, and urged him to cultivate the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method.
• Qing Chen returned to the second trial island, where Gongsun Yang, Ji Cangming, Xue Qingxia, and Miao Long treated him with new respect as a Grand Supreme's true disciple.
• Deng Ziyue appeared in a translocation light, gravely injured and bloodied, then collapsed before Qing Chen could learn what had happened.

After the half-month trial ended, Qing Chen opened the gates and gave the remaining disciples twelve hours to reach them and qualify for the ten great disciple positions. As danger intensified across the island, Gao Yuliang evaded an ambush while Li Feiyu and Xu Xiake fought a pair of Gray-Horned Bone Rhinoceroses under pressure from the deadline.

• Deng Ziyue told Qing Chen that a third demon beast ambushed his and Gao Yuliang’s formation, leaving him gravely wounded and forcing him to teleport out.
• Qing Chen and the other examiners opened the trial gates and announced that disciples had twelve hours to reach them and remain eligible for the ten great disciple positions.
• Gao Yuliang fled a heavy-hammer strike and a Draw-the-Ground Prison Talisman while hiding underground.
• Li Feiyu and Xu Xiake fought a peak and a late first-order Gray-Horned Bone Rhinoceros, and Xu Xiake offered to hold them off while Li Feiyu attacked one.
• The final twelve hours began with nearly three hundred remaining cultivators racing to cross the island.

Qing Chen oversaw the Dragon Gate Gathering as the last cultivators completed the trial, including Gao Yuliang, who returned badly injured. As the Spirit Ships carried the survivors back to the Condensed Jade Sect, Gao Yuliang hoped his haul would earn him a place in the top ten and a chance at a Foundation Establishment Pill.

• Qing Chen ordered the managers to guard against cheating as fewer than fifty cultivators remained in the trial.
• Li Feiyu and Xu Xiake emerged from the trial gate, and Qing Chen greeted them as his martial nephews.
• Gao Yuliang staggered out injured and explained that he had hidden underground before making a late dash to the gate.
• The bells announced the trial's end, and the managers gathered the remaining disciples aboard the Spirit Ships.
• Gao Yuliang worried that he could not afford a Foundation Establishment Pill without placing in the top ten, while Deng Ziyue assured him their demon beast haul would secure a high rank.

Gao Yuliang gave Deng Ziyue his spirit stones to help him bid on a Foundation Establishment Pill, then prepared to stake everything on his own chance at foundation establishment. As Qing Chen tallied the trial results, Gao Yuliang’s unexpectedly modest haul left him suspecting that Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue had been set up.

• Gao Yuliang insisted that Deng Ziyue take his spirit stones, crediting him for helping earn the points and hoping he could bid on a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Deng Ziyue accepted the storage bag and stood guard while Gao Yuliang rested, hoping his senior brother would successfully establish his foundation.
• After the Dragon Gate Gathering ended, Qing Chen and the assistant examiners began tallying the contestants’ storage bags to determine the rankings.
• The examiners praised Ji Bochang, Miao Wushang, and Sikong Zhaixing for their impressive demon-beast kills and point totals.
• Qing Chen found that Gao Yuliang had earned 340 points, temporarily placing eighth, but worried that his results fell short of what his strength should have produced.
• Qing Chen wondered whether Gao Yuliang and Deng Ziyue had been set up.

Qing Chen manipulated the Dragon Gate Gathering scores to secure Gao Yuliang a place in the top ten. The rankings were recorded with Hua Tieshou in eleventh place and Gao Yuliang in tenth.

• Gongsun Yang presented Li Feiyu and Xu Xiake’s Storage Bags, and their scores pushed Gao Yuliang down to tenth place.
• Qing Chen found Hua Tieshou’s Storage Bag contained materials worth 343 points, then invalidated the damaged Black Ghost Leopard materials and reduced his score to 313.
• Ji Cangming and the other Assistant Examiners stayed silent or supported Qing Chen’s ruling, and Qing Chen recorded the reduced score.
• Qing Chen gave up his share of the materials and let the Assistant Examiners decide how to divide it among themselves and the Managers.
• Ji Cangming wrote the rankings, placing Hua Tieshou eleventh with 313 points and Gao Yuliang tenth with 340 points.

Qing Chen persuaded Zhongli Duantian to give him the Three-Turn Scarlet Jade Furnace by claiming True Person Budong had directed him to it. He also bought two low-grade storage rings, then balked at the thirteen-thousand-spirit-stone price.

• Zhongli Duantian angrily refused Qing Chen's request for the Three-Turn Scarlet Jade Furnace, despite Qing Chen citing the sect's rules.
• Qing Chen claimed True Person Budong and his eldest senior brother had recommended the furnace for his pill refining.
• Zhongli Duantian relented out of respect for True Person Budong and gave Qing Chen the Three-Turn Scarlet Jade Furnace.
• After Qing Chen admired Zhongli Duantian's storage ring, Zhongli offered to sell him some.
• Qing Chen agreed to buy two low-grade storage rings, then protested when Zhongli quoted a price of thirteen thousand spirit stones.

Qing Chen bought two Storage Rings from Zhongli Duantian and stored the Three-Turn Scarlet Jade Furnace, intending to give it to Yue Ting if he proved his alchemy talent. He then unveiled the Dragon Gate Gathering’s Gold Ranking above True Disciple Peak, revealing the names of the top hundred disciples.

• Qing Chen paid Zhongli Duantian thirteen thousand spirit stones for two Storage Rings and used one to store the Three-Turn Scarlet Jade Furnace.
• Qing Chen considered giving the furnace to Yue Ting if Yue Ting demonstrated exceptional skill refining pills.
• More than a thousand disciples gathered at True Disciple Peak and grew impatient while waiting for the Dragon Gate Gathering results.
• Qing Chen arrived and warned the crowd against causing trouble before taking out the Gold Ranking Dharma Artifact.
• Qing Chen displayed the Gold Ranking in the sky, listing the top hundred disciples, with the top ten designated as the Top Ten Disciples.

Gao Yuliang celebrated reaching tenth place on the Gold Ranking and resolved to prove himself in the Vajra Mound trial, while Baili Tingfeng led the rankings. Hua Tieshou discovered he had missed the top ten and stood in disbelief, unaware that someone had schemed to leave him in eleventh place.

• Deng Ziyue congratulated Gao Yuliang on ranking tenth, and Gao Yuliang tearfully thanked Qing Chen for helping him reach the Top Ten Disciples.
• Qing Chen announced the rankings, with Baili Tingfeng in first place, Li Feiyu second, Miao Wushang third, and Xu Xiake and Sikong Zhaixing also among the leaders.
• Gao Yuliang decided he would fight the favored disciples in the Vajra Mound trial and defend his pride despite the rankings already being set.
• Sikong Zhaixing teased Miao Wushang about placing third, and Miao Wushang reminded him that he had protected him during the trial.
• The disciples gathered around the ranked cultivators, while Baili Tingfeng drew attention as the top-ranked contestant.
• Hua Tieshou protested that he had killed many demon beasts but had not made the rankings, unaware that someone had schemed to place him eleventh.

Hua Tieshou failed to place in the Gold Ranking's top ten and nearly left True Disciple Peak after Ji Bochang mocked him. He stayed to hear Qing Chen's cultivation lecture, which urged the disciples to seek strength and forge their own paths to foundation establishment through slaughter.

• Hua Tieshou lamented missing the top ten, while Ji Bochang boasted of ranking fourth and mocked his results.
• Hua Tieshou's anger awakened his demonic qi, but he suppressed his killing intent and prepared to leave True Disciple Peak.
• Hua Tieshou heard Qing Chen expound on the Dao and remembered the chief examiner's customary cultivation lecture.
• Qing Chen described his path of killing and blood, declaring that strength and longevity justified any price.
• Qing Chen urged the disciples to carve a path to foundation establishment through slaughter before departing, and the disciples thanked him and bade farewell.