Chapter Summaries

Jiang Wenzhou showed evidence that Lei Datou had repeatedly left Xiang Kuangren’s private room to vomit and take sobering pills, clearing Xiang of suspicion. When Lei Datou was pressed for the reason behind his betrayal, he killed his son and himself with poison, leaving the investigation without a lead as Wen Xingtian and Ye Changqing worried that incidents were growing more frequent.

• Jiang Wenzhou played surveillance footage of Lei Datou repeatedly vomiting, taking sobering pills, and returning to Xiang Kuangren’s room.
• Jiang Wenzhou revealed that the hotel’s surveillance equipment had failed, then used his evidence to support Vice Principal Xiang’s innocence.
• Xiang Kuangren asked Lei Datou why he had betrayed him, and Lei Datou warned that Xiang was destined to lose the fight.
• Lei Datou struck his son dead, then poisoned himself and severed his heart meridians before Wen Xingtian could save him.
• Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian recognized the poison and concluded that Lei Datou’s death had left them without a useful lead.
• Wen Xingtian told Ye Changqing that incidents had been coming more frequently, and Ye Changqing slowly agreed.

After evidence cleared Xiang Kuangren of the attack, Jiang Wenzhou and Hidden Dragon High Martial’s leaders acknowledged the incident and its wider investigation remained unresolved. Jiang revealed that twenty-three Star Shield Bureau investigators had disappeared while probing the school’s old cases, and Wen Xingtian suspected the failed accusation was only the start of a larger scheme.

• Jiang Wenzhou stored Lei Datou and his son’s bodies and the blood-corroded floor in his Space Ring, while Vice Principal Wu and Vice Principal Wei accepted that Xiang Kuangren had been cleared.
• Vice Principal Wu apologized to Xiang Kuangren, and Wen Xingtian left without acknowledging the other vice principals.
• Ye Changqing and Jiang Wenzhou exchanged apologies, and Jiang departed after urging Ye to care for his health.
• Jiang told Wen Xingtian that twenty-three investigators assigned to Hidden Dragon High Martial’s old cases had vanished and that the Star Shield Bureau lacked the strength to confront those implicated.
• Jiang said he had placed the Supreme Hotel personnel in Star Shield Headquarters custody, and Wen concluded that Zuo Xiaoduo’s warning about Xiang Kuangren’s fortune had prevented a worse outcome.

Ye Changqing warned Xiang Kuangren that the crude accusations against him were part of a plan to sideline him and ultimately kill him at Sun Moon Pass. The chapter ended with Xiang Kuangren realizing Ye Changqing’s injury had healed and cheerfully asking him to kick him again.

• Ye Changqing used a piece of Top-Grade Star Soul Jade to ease his injury and told Vice Principal Wei that he had fewer than three hundred pieces left.
• After leaving Ye Changqing, Vice Principal Wei privately mocked his claim and revealed that he did not believe Ye Changqing had that much jade.
• Xiang Kuangren complained that the accusations against him were absurd, and Ye Changqing explained that they were a pretext for a broader plot to remove and discredit him.
• Ye Changqing warned that the plot could drive Xiang Kuangren to Sun Moon Pass, where his enemies could kill him, then beat him in anger.
• Xiang Kuangren noticed that Ye Changqing’s kicks felt powerful and concluded that his injury had healed, then asked for another kick.

Ye Changqing helped Xiang Kuangren see that Lei Datou had never been a true brother, easing his grief over the plot against him. Wen Xingtian arrived at Class One’s training area and found blood everywhere as Zuo Xiaoduo crept behind an alarmed Meng Changjun.

• Ye Changqing recalled how political schemers had targeted the old brothers and explained that Lei Datou’s betrayal did not make him a friend or brother.
• Xiang Kuangren accepted Ye Changqing’s words and dismissed Lei Datou as unworthy of grief.
• Wen Xingtian overheard Xiang Kuangren, smiled, and headed to Class One, hoping to find another spectacle at lunch.
• Wen Xingtian reached the training area and saw bloodied, wrecked grounds, with Zuo Xiaoduo sneaking behind a wary Meng Changjun.

Zuo Xiaoduo punished Class One for their timid ambush practice by repeatedly attacking and wounding all thirty-five classmates, then ordered them healed in Nutrient Pods. He left them dreading his promised round-the-clock ambush training for the next seven days, while Wen Xingtian learned that this had already been their third brutal round that morning.

• Zuo Xiaoduo caught Meng Changjun, Hao Han, and Xiang Bing hiding, stabbed them, and mocked their attempts to ambush him.
• Zuo Xiaoduo attacked the rest of Class One, wounded all thirty-five students, and lined them up without letting them bandage their injuries.
• Zuo Xiaoduo ordered the teaching assistant to put the students into Nutrient Pods, then threatened to ambush them again that afternoon and for seven days straight.
• Xiang Chong and the other students begged Zuo Xiaoduo for mercy, but he scolded them and promised nonstop training.
• Wen Xingtian stopped the teaching assistant, who explained that Zuo Xiaoduo had already ambushed and wounded the class three times that morning.

Zuo Xiaoduo terrified his classmates with an extreme training session, then gathered them for lunch while joking about their injuries. The class headed to the Dining Hall in fear of what he might do next.

• Wen Xingtian watched Zuo Xiaoduo's brutal training methods and left to see what results they would produce.
• Xiang Chong and the other classmates emerged from the recovery room, saw Zuo Xiaoduo waiting with his sword, and panicked.
• Zuo Xiaoduo invited the terrified class to lunch and led them toward the Dining Hall.
• Zuo Xiaoduo teased Xiang Chong, Yu Yan'er, Pi Yibao, Meng Changjun, and others about their injuries, frightening them further.
• Onlookers at the Dining Hall saw First-year Class One arrive with Zuo Xiaoduo leading and the others trailing behind timidly.

Zuo Xiaoduo defeated Second-Year Class Four’s monitor while claiming their dining tables, then continued to terrify his own classmates when their teacher failed to arrive. The chapter left Class One facing another round of Zuo Xiaoduo’s thirty-five-against-one training, with his new nickname, Great Demon King Zuo, spreading among the students.

• Zuo Xiaoduo challenged Second-Year Class Four to fight for the tables and defeated its monitor with a Dragon Gate Leg kick to the crotch.
• Zuo Xiaoduo went upstairs to eat while other students wondered why he seemed increasingly powerful and waited for a protagonist to challenge him.
• Zuo Xiaoduo’s classmates ate and left the Dining Hall in fear, while two students on cleaning duty hurried to wash dishes and return to cultivation.
• Wen Xingtian did not arrive that afternoon, so Zuo Xiaoduo summoned his thirty-five classmates for another ambush exercise.
• Class One’s students reluctantly went outside as Zuo Xiaoduo acquired the nickname Great Demon King Zuo.

Zuo Xiaoduo’s brutal training pushed Class One to overcome their fear and unite against him, leaving both students and Zuo battered after a fierce battle. The next day, Wen Xingtian saw that the class’s combat skills and killing intent had sharply intensified.

• Class One students discussed the painful techniques Zuo Xiaoduo had used on them, while Zhen Piaopiao and Yu Yan’er kept the girls company with the two little White Tigers.
• Class One students fought back against Zuo Xiaoduo’s evening attack, and Pi Yibao bit his arm to restrain him as the others swarmed him.
• Zuo Xiaoduo eventually defeated all thirty-five students, and the entire class entered the Nutrient Pods before celebrating their victory over him.
• Wen Xingtian organized sparring the next day and noticed that Class One fought with far greater skill, defense, and killing intent.

Wen Xingtian watched Class One’s brutal, self-directed combat training and decided it could forge exceptional fighters, despite the destruction it caused. After school, Gao Chengxiang and Gao Qiao’er visited Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong, saying they wanted to talk over tea.

• Hao Han attacked a fellow townsman who approached him from behind, and Class Three’s teacher complained that Class One’s training had become dangerous.
• An explosion damaged the students’ building, but an investigation found that no one had been hurt.
• Wen Xingtian fined Xiang Chong and others, banned bombs on school grounds, and let the training continue while considering how to improve the other classes.
• Gao Chengxiang arrived at Zuo Xiaoduo’s villa with Gao Qiao’er and a bag of gifts.
• Zuo Xiaoduo suggested taking their guests to Heaven First-Class, but Gao Qiao’er said they only wanted tea and had things to discuss with him and Li Chenglong.

Gao Qiao'er and Gao Chengxiang visited Zuo Xiaoduo, revealed that the Gao Lineage had learned of his fortune-telling ability, and used a paid reading to warn him they knew. After they left, Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong recognized that his conspicuous actions in Phoenix City had finally brought the danger he had expected.

• Zuo Xiaoduo welcomed Gao Qiao'er and Gao Chengxiang into Li Chenglong's villa while Li Chenglong went to make tea.
• Gao Qiao'er said the Gao Lineage knew Zuo Xiaoduo was Master Zuo and asked him to read her fortunes, placing a hundred pieces of upper-grade star soul jade on the table.
• Zuo Xiaoduo told Gao Qiao'er she would have a safe and smooth life blessed with good fortune and wealth, and the siblings left without waiting for tea.
• Li Chenglong said the siblings had discovered Zuo Xiaoduo's supernatural fortune-telling ability and warned that the situation was dangerous.
• Zuo Xiaoduo reflected that his high profile in Phoenix City had been necessary to save Zuo Xiaonian, though it had now brought consequences.

Zuo Xiaoduo reflected on why he had repeatedly exposed his Physiognomy and built up defenses, knowing that his ability to foresee danger would eventually draw suspicion and threaten those close to him. He and Li Chenglong concluded that the failed plot against Xiang Chong and Xiang Bing was designed to redirect the enemy’s attention toward Zuo Xiaoduo.

• Zuo Xiaoduo recalled that his warnings and preparations had helped protect his allies, but each use of Physiognomy also risked exposing his ability to predict the future.
• Zuo Xiaoduo explained that he had accumulated trump cards and kept his distance from Zuo Xiaonian to protect himself and avoid endangering her.
• Li Chenglong reasoned that the failed attack on Xiang Chong and Xiang Bing would make the enemy investigate how their side had prepared so effectively.
• Zuo Xiaoduo argued that the enemy’s follow-up framing attempt against Vice Principal Xiang was meant to identify him as the source of their countermeasures.

Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong analyzed why Gao Qiao'er had warned them, concluding that the Gao Lineage was trying to protect itself while the Capital City Gao Lineage targeted Zuo Xiaoduo. They considered how to guard against the danger, but had not yet settled on a plan.

• Li Chenglong suggested that Gao Qiao'er and Gao Chengxiang had come to warn Zuo Xiaoduo because the Gao Lineage suspected him.
• Zuo Xiaoduo reasoned that the Fenghai Gao Lineage wanted to distance itself from his likely death and could benefit from appearing to have warned him.
• Li Chenglong realized that the Gao Lineage's older generation might be planning to profit from Zuo Xiaoduo's death while shielding themselves from blame.
• Zuo Xiaoduo cautioned Li Chenglong not to underestimate the scheming of powerful Lineages, and Li Chenglong promised to stay alert.
• Zuo Xiaoduo explained that he could not reliably read his own physiognomy and said their best protection was to borrow outside help.
• Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong considered telling Teacher Wen and livestreaming, then kept thinking about ways to prevent blind spots as Li Chenglong checked messages.

Zuo Xiaoduo struggled to find the hidden threat behind Fenghai City's conspiracies while Li Chenglong discovered that Zuo's online handle was Jingjing Cat and that he had been viciously trolling him. The chapter ended with Zuo Xiaoduo still lost in thought, casually eating grapes, unaware that Li Chenglong had uncovered his secret.

• Zuo Xiaoduo considered the conspiracies surrounding Fenghai City and feared the Upper Capital's Gao Lineage would overwhelm his defenses.
• Li Chenglong entered Zuo Xiaoduo's study and found his account logged in under the name Jingjing Cat.
• Li Chenglong read Jingjing Cat's posts and realized Zuo Xiaoduo had been insulting him online while praising the Sword King.
• Li Chenglong left in shock as Zuo Xiaoduo continued pondering and eating Crystal Grapes.

Zuo Xiaoduo bluffed Li Chenglong into feeling guilty after he complained about Zuo Xiaoduo’s online insults, then told Ye Changqing that the Gao Lineage in the Upper Capital was targeting him. Ye Changqing promised Hidden Dragon High Martial would protect him, but Zuo Xiaoduo left still questioning the school’s refusal to use underhanded methods.

• Zuo Xiaoduo accused Li Chenglong of being ungrateful and invading his privacy, diverting him from the online insults until Li Chenglong realized he had been tricked.
• Zuo Xiaoduo visited Ye Changqing and reported that the Gao Lineage in the Upper Capital was coming after him.
• Ye Changqing told Zuo Xiaoduo to ignore the Gao Lineage and assured him that Hidden Dragon High Martial would keep him safe.
• Zuo Xiaoduo questioned Ye Changqing’s rigid stance against underhanded tactics, and Ye Changqing said it came from his outlook on the world, life, and values.

Ye Changqing explained to Zuo Xiaoduo why, as principal of Hidden Dragon High Martial, he refused to use underhanded methods to purge its corrupt newcomers, fearing that his example would erode the school's moral standards. He suggested that Wen Xingtian or Xiang Kuangren could act in his stead and accept punishment, preserving the school's reputation while leaving Ye to shoulder the blame.

• Ye Changqing told Zuo Xiaoduo that using schemes or assassination would teach the faculty and students that despicable methods were acceptable when they produced desired results.
• Ye Changqing said he would rather endure the school's frustration than set an example that could corrupt Hidden Dragon High Martial for generations.
• Ye Changqing declared that he would still deal with those who needed to be removed, but implied that others could use forbidden methods instead.
• Ye Changqing explained that he could punish Wen Xingtian and Xiang Kuangren internally after they drove the corrupt people out, taking public blame while protecting the school's name.
• Ye Changqing admitted that his younger self at Sun Moon Pass might have assassinated the intruders himself.

Ye Changqing explained why he had to remain restrained as Hidden Dragon High Martial's principal, while Zuo Xiaoduo reflected on his inexperience. The chapter followed Class One through the life-defining process of choosing cultivation methods and weapon disciplines, which continued into the evening.

• Ye Changqing told Zuo Xiaoduo that he could not cast aside his responsibilities as principal to settle grudges freely.
• Zuo Xiaoduo said that passively responding to each move seemed too passive, and Ye Changqing hinted that there was a reason for their approach.
• Zuo Xiaoduo and his classmates used school credits to obtain martial arts, cultivation methods, and insights as the school prepared students to choose their paths.
• Wen Xingtian assessed each Class One student and guided them through selecting a suitable primary cultivation method at the Martial Arts Repository.
• After the class finished choosing cultivation methods, Wen Xingtian took the students to select primary weapon disciplines suited to their cultivation methods.

Wen Xingtian completed Class One’s weapon and specialty assignments, dividing the students for secret professional training. Seven students accepted roles that would cut them off from their families and ordinary lives, leaving Wen Xingtian to urge their classmates to know and cherish them in case they ever needed help.

• Wen Xingtian assessed the students and divided Class One’s thirty-six members into twenty-seven specialty groups.
• Specialist teachers led the students in rare professions away for separate, secret training while they remained members of Class One.
• Wen Xingtian told the seven students in special professions they could still refuse and become ordinary warriors, but none withdrew.
• Wen Xingtian warned the seven that after one final chance to contact their families, they would have no further contact with them.
• The seven saluted Wen Xingtian and departed with their specialist teachers, and Wen Xingtian urged the remaining students to know and cherish them so they might recognize and help them in danger.

Class One’s students chose their weapon specialties and special professions, beginning separate paths despite their close bonds. Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong reflected on the choices, and Zuo Xiaoduo asked why Li Chenglong had chosen combat and combat support instead of becoming a military strategist.

• Wen Xingtian told seven students who had chosen special professions that they could take extra leave to visit their families, but still had to cultivate.
• The students were separated among specialist teachers according to their chosen professions, while Wen Xingtian remained responsible for observing and teaching swordsmanship.
• Over three days, Class One’s thirty-six students watched one another depart for different specialties, grieving the end of their shared path while resolving to keep ambushing one another at night.
• Upper-year students watched the first-years make their choices and remembered classmates whose special professions had made them seem increasingly distant and unfamiliar.
• Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong discussed Pi Yibao’s suitability for espionage, and Zuo Xiaoduo asked Li Chenglong why he had chosen combat and combat support rather than military strategy.

Zuo Xiaoduo told Wen Xingtian that he had suppressed his cultivation twenty-four times and lamented that he could not match his sister, the Spirit Thought Heavenly Maiden. The chapter left Wen Xingtian calculating whether Zuo Xiaoduo might eventually surpass her.

• Zuo Xiaoduo explained that Li Chenglong had suppressed his cultivation seven times and might manage one more before breaking through.
• Wen Xingtian arrived and asked Zuo Xiaoduo how many times he had suppressed his cultivation.
• Zuo Xiaoduo revealed that he had suppressed it twenty-four times, prompting Li Chenglong to leave because he felt overwhelmed.
• Zuo Xiaoduo said his sister had suppressed her cultivation forty or fifty times and admitted that he wanted to beat her in a fight.
• Wen Xingtian began calculating whether Zuo Xiaoduo could catch up with the Spirit Thought Heavenly Maiden.

Wen Xingtian warned Zuo Xiaoduo about suspicious experts in Fenghai City and asked him to examine the gravely injured Vice Principal Gao. Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong went with Ye Changqing to the Gao Lineage Estate, where the immense family gathered to receive them.

• Wen Xingtian told Zuo Xiaoduo that Vice Principal Gao had been unconscious for four or five days and that the Gao Lineage wanted him to investigate.
• Zuo Xiaoduo agreed to examine Vice Principal Gao, and Li Chenglong chose to accompany him.
• Wen Xingtian warned Zuo Xiaoduo not to cultivate in the Gravity Room while compressing his true essence.
• Ye Changqing took Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong to the Gao Lineage Estate the next morning.
• The Gao Lineage family welcomed the visitors in overwhelming numbers.