Chapter Summaries

Wen Xingtian lectured Class One about cultivating hard while respecting their limits, then led them to combat training. Zuo Xiaoduo discovered his strength had surged in the Gravity Room, and after receiving a challenge from Tang Qianshou, he hurried to the Principal’s Office at Wen Xingtian’s summons.

• Wen Xingtian explained that enduring dangerous cultivation could strengthen willpower and expand meridians, but warned the class to know their limits before leading them to the training field.
• Xiang Chong and Meng Changjun suggested teaming up against Zuo Xiaoduo, while Li Chenglong declared himself Zuo Xiaoduo’s loyal strategist and embraced the class calling him a bei.
• Zuo Xiaoduo found that his strength had increased severalfold after a day and night of cultivation, so he switched to three-thousand-jin weights to keep expending energy.
• Tang Qianshou of Second-Year Class One delivered a formal challenge asking Zuo Xiaoduo to seize a table with him the next day.
• Zuo Xiaoduo received Wen Xingtian’s message to go to the Principal’s Office and left immediately.

Class One began challenging upperclassmen for their tables months earlier than usual, while Wen Xingtian and Ye Changqing examined Zuo Xiaoduo to understand his rapid cultivation. They confirmed he was at Embryonic Breathing, but his dantian contained an inexplicable fiery-red bead that left them baffled.

• Li Chenglong proposed that Class One students seize tables from second-years and gang up on anyone who resisted, and Xiang Chong agreed.
• Class One launched its campaign to dominate Hidden Dragon High Martial a month and a half after enrolling, five months earlier than usual.
• Wen Xingtian and Ye Changqing ordered Zuo Xiaoduo onto the desk to examine his meridians, dantian, and Star Soul, while he misunderstood their intentions and got beaten.
• Wen Xingtian and Ye Changqing found that Zuo Xiaoduo's meridians could not explain his rapid cultivation and discovered a spinning fiery-red bead in his dantian.
• After examining the bead and confirming Zuo Xiaoduo was at Embryonic Breathing, Wen Xingtian and Ye Changqing remained bewildered by his unusual dantian.

Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian tested Zuo Xiaoduo’s cultivation and Star Soul Power in secret, only to discover that his strength defied their instruments. They covered up the extraordinary result and ordered Zuo Xiaoduo to claim he had a ninety-six Star Soul and avoid future testing.

• Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian found that Zuo Xiaoduo’s Dantian contained an unusually dense vortex and realized his cultivation had advanced far faster than expected.
• Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian disconnected the test from the higher-ups and secretly checked Zuo Xiaoduo’s Star Soul Power.
• Zuo Xiaoduo’s Star Soul produced dazzling purple light, sending the tester’s reading past its limit and exploding the machine.
• Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian told Zuo Xiaoduo to say he had a ninety-six Star Soul and never undergo another Star Soul test.

After warning Zuo Xiaoduo to hide his exceptional strength, Wen Xingtian and Ye Changqing debated the risks of letting him take missions and grow through combat. Ye Changqing finally agreed, and Zuo Xiaoduo received permission to accept missions, though the teachers remained concerned about his future.

• Wen Xingtian warned Zuo Xiaoduo that revealing how far he stood above others could make powerful people capture and dissect him, and Zuo Xiaoduo promised not to show off.
• After Zuo Xiaoduo left, Wen Xingtian and Ye Changqing argued late into the night over whether to let him take missions and face danger.
• Ye Changqing agreed to let Zuo Xiaoduo accept missions after Wen Xingtian argued that his strength would make him dominate the school’s table challenges regardless.
• Zuo Xiaoduo received a secret notice allowing him to accept missions under the same conditions as older students, without special treatment.
• Wen Xingtian argued that Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong needed to grow through real combat, while Ye Changqing worried that risking such rare talents could endanger their futures.

Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian suspected the Central Plains King of hiding the Qiu family after Qiu Xiaoqian’s arrest, while Zuo Xiaoduo explored school missions and the Nethernet. Wen Xingtian encouraged the students to qualify for missions, and Zuo Xiaoduo and his classmates faced an upcoming milestone.

• Ye Changqing told Wen Xingtian that the Qiu family was implicated in a plot against Hidden Dragon High Martial and suspected the Central Plains King had hidden them.
• Zuo Xiaoduo studied school missions, then accessed the Nethernet and registered as “Cat Really Smells Good.”
• Wen Xingtian told the class that Zuo Xiaoduo was the earliest first-year student to have his restrictions lifted and was exempt from the mission examination.
• Li Chenglong, Xiang Chong, Xiang Bing, and the other students resolved to work toward qualifying for missions.
• Wen Xingtian indicated that Zuo Xiaoduo, Li Chenglong, and thirteen other classmates would soon face another major milestone.

Zuo Xiaoduo headed to the Dining Hall for his scheduled contest with Second-Year Class One, drawing attention with his newly shaved, gleaming head. The chapter left him exchanging formal greetings with Tang Qianshou before their confrontation began.

• Zuo Xiaoduo refused to handle the movie arrangements, and Li Chenglong followed him toward the Dining Hall.
• The twenty-nine members of Second-Year Class One gathered to watch Tang Qianshou's contest, with the top ten absent.
• Zuo Xiaoduo arrived with his head, eyebrows, eyelashes, and body hair shaved, startling the students and prompting cheers and laughter.
• Zuo Xiaoduo joked with the crowd, who joined in reciting his familiar appeal for support.
• Tang Qianshou stepped forward and saluted Zuo Xiaoduo, who returned the salute and protested that the formality had caught him off guard.

Zuo Xiaoduo agreed to settle his contest with Tang Qianshou through a hidden-weapons duel. Tang Qianshou recognized Zuo Xiaoduo’s exceptionally rare, naturally gifted hands, and the chapter ended with the onlookers amazed by his independent finger control.

• Tang Qianshou challenged Zuo Xiaoduo to a hidden-weapons duel, and Zuo Xiaoduo accepted the rules.
• Tang Qianshou inspected Zuo Xiaoduo’s hands and explained that their finger shape was an exceptional hidden-weapons talent by his family’s standards.
• Tang Qianshou became so fascinated with Zuo Xiaoduo’s hands that Zuo Xiaoduo pulled his hand away, drawing laughter from the crowd.
• Tang Qianshou asked whether Zuo Xiaoduo could move a ring finger independently, and Zuo Xiaoduo demonstrated that he could.
• The onlookers tried to copy Zuo Xiaoduo’s finger movement but found they could not do it without moving their other fingers.

Zuo Xiaoduo defeated Tang Qianshou in a one-move hidden-weapons contest by striking the sole of Tang’s shoe with a Jade Gourd after its seemingly spent trajectory bounced back. Tang asked how Zuo controlled the weapon so precisely, and Zuo explained that it took extensive practice and predicting an opponent’s movements.

• Tang Qianshou asked Zuo Xiaoduo to keep their contest separate from the reputation of his hidden weapons lineage, and they agreed that one undodged attack would decide the match.
• Tang Qianshou explained that his Moon-Chasing Flowing Light Technique would leave him too drained to dodge afterward, so Zuo Xiaoduo took the first attack.
• Zuo Xiaoduo launched a Jade Gourd, which repeatedly changed direction and struck the sole of Tang Qianshou’s shoe as he landed.
• Tang Qianshou admitted that he had failed to dodge, while two teachers explained how the gourd’s pursuit and bounce had trapped him.
• Zuo Xiaoduo told Tang Qianshou that he had mastered the technique through countless repetitions and explained that the gourd could cause explosive damage if its spirit essence were detonated.

Zuo Xiaoduo explained how jade could carry Spirit Essence in his hidden weapons, giving Tang Qianshou a breakthrough in the Tang family's weapon techniques. Tang then prepared to test a forbidden throwing-knife art against Zuo Xiaoduo.

• Tang Qianshou recognized the Tang family's Bone-Drilling Maggot technique in Zuo Xiaoduo's Little Gourds and asked how he had learned it.
• Zuo Xiaoduo credited his teacher and explained that jade could hold Spirit Essence, allowing hidden weapons to change direction and pursue targets.
• Tang Qianshou realized the insight could transform his Lineage's hidden-weapon research and memorized Zuo Xiaoduo's explanation.
• Tang Qianshou warned that his secret throwing-knife art would drain all his strength and said he would aim for Zuo Xiaoduo's shoulders and legs.
• Zuo Xiaoduo joked that Tang Qianshou had given him time to prepare by revealing his targets.

Zuo Xiaoduo survived Tang Qianshou’s devastating throwing-knife attack with a shoulder wound, while both fighters realized how narrowly the throw had missed its intended target. The chapter left the duel unresolved, with Tang Qianshou’s weapon proving capable of threatening even Zuo Xiaoduo’s life.

• Tang Qianshou threw a tiny knife that pierced Zuo Xiaoduo’s shoulder after Zuo Xiaoduo instinctively dodged.
• The knife punched through four enormous trees before Li Chenglong retrieved it and extinguished the flames in the woods.
• Zuo Xiaoduo recognized that ordinary speed and reactions could not evade Tang Qianshou’s throw, though he could have used his hidden Heavenly Origin Evasion Technique.
• Tang Qianshou realized Zuo Xiaoduo had dodged the intended strike at the hollow of his shoulder, turning a potentially lethal hit into a flesh wound.

Zuo Xiaoduo and Tang Qianshou tested each other in a fight that ended in a draw, though Tang admitted his sure-kill knife strike had failed. They agreed to exchange knowledge about hidden weapons, while the students reconsidered their power and watched Zuo Xiaoduo and Tang eat together.

• Tang Qianshou's sure-kill knife strike wounded Zuo Xiaoduo but failed to hit its intended target, so Tang judged himself defeated.
• Zuo Xiaoduo called the fight a draw, and Tang accepted the gesture.
• Zuo Xiaoduo invited Tang Qianshou to discuss hidden weapons, and Tang agreed to trade insights.
• The students reflected on the danger of both fighters' techniques as they headed to the Dining Hall.
• Zuo Xiaoduo and Tang Qianshou ate together and talked animatedly while the Dining Hall remained quiet.

Zuo Xiaoduo and Tang Qianshou exchanged hidden weapon knowledge and found that their different training backgrounds complemented each other. Tang Qianshou gave Zuo Xiaoduo training devices and books, leaving him with valuable resources to improve his skills.

• Zuo Xiaoduo told Tang Qianshou that he had learned hidden weapon techniques from a compendium, and Tang Qianshou recognized it as his family's General Outline of Hidden Weapons.
• Zuo Xiaoduo and Tang Qianshou shared the secrets behind their techniques and learned from each other.
• Zuo Xiaoduo asked Tang Qianshou for ways to train finger dexterity, and Tang Qianshou demonstrated Finger Cages from the Eighteen Hells Methods.
• Tang Qianshou gave Zuo Xiaoduo ten sets of Finger Cages, totaling a hundred and eighty devices.
• Tang Qianshou lent Zuo Xiaoduo copies of his family's True Explanation of Hidden Weapons and Catalogue of Hidden Weapons Under Heaven to photocopy.

Zuo Xiaoduo and Tang Qianshou discussed the limits of hidden weapons and the possibility of developing a cultivation method that could overcome them. Zuo Xiaoduo then entered the Star Soul Tower trial with eighty-six other students and found himself among wounded survivors surrounded by vastly larger enemy forces.

• Tang Qianshou explained that hidden weapons became less effective at higher cultivation realms because they could not withstand powerful True Essence.
• Zuo Xiaoduo encouraged Tang Qianshou to keep seeking a better cultivation method, and they parted after a long discussion.
• Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong joined the other students at the Star Soul Tower, where Wen Xingtian worried that Zuo Xiaoduo would cause trouble during the trial.
• The eighty-seven students entered the Star Soul Tower together and were transported to a battlefield after a devastating battle.
• Zuo Xiaoduo found himself among a few hundred wounded soldiers whose officers had fallen, while enemies outnumbered them by more than ten to one.

Zuo Xiaoduo took command of five hundred stranded fighters, drew away the enemy troops, and led his group through a gap to safety. With no one knowing their location, he decided they would make their way east toward Sun Moon Pass.

• The fighters asked Zuo Xiaoduo to lead them, and he reluctantly accepted command of the five hundred survivors.
• Zuo Xiaoduo organized the fighters into squads, ordered them to hide in a pit, and went alone to scout.
• Zuo Xiaoduo repeatedly broke through Witch Alliance troops and drew the enemies away from the northern route.
• Zuo Xiaoduo returned and led all five hundred fighters north through the gap he had opened.
• The group surveyed the unfamiliar terrain, confirmed Sun Moon Pass lay to the east, and followed Zuo Xiaoduo's decision to head east.

Zuo Xiaoduo led his men through the military trial in a chaotic fashion and received the assessment “a complete mess,” while Li Chenglong earned “A Generation’s Military Strategist.” Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian then wondered whether Zuo Xiaoduo might be connected to the powerful Lord Zuo, the Sky-Patrolling Imperial Seat.

• Zuo Xiaoduo led the surviving 249 men through enemy encirclements and returned to camp as the trial ended.
• The assessors judged Zuo Xiaoduo’s command a complete mess and found no military role suited to him.
• Ye Changqing lamented Zuo Xiaoduo’s poor performance, while Li Chenglong received the highest assessment, “A Generation’s Military Strategist.”
• Wen Xingtian recalled a rumor that Lord Zuo had received the same assessment as Zuo Xiaoduo.
• Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian discussed whether Zuo Xiaoduo’s surname and the gifts he had received suggested a connection to Lord Zuo.

After the Four Determinations, Wen Xingtian ordered Zuo Xiaoduo to raise his cultivation to Cloud Transformation within a year, while Li Chenglong received the rare evaluation of an era-defining military strategist. The chapter ended as the frontline Marshals were alerted to Li Chenglong’s evaluation and Marshal Dongfang placed a call.

• Ye Changqing and Wen Xingtian concluded that Lord Zuo knew of Zuo Xiaoduo and agreed to keep the matter secret.
• Wen Xingtian dragged Zuo Xiaoduo back to class after the Four Determinations and told him to start doing missions the next day.
• Wen Xingtian set Zuo Xiaoduo the goal of reaching Cloud Transformation within his first academic year, leaving Zuo Xiaoduo stunned.
• Li Chenglong received the evaluation of an era-defining military strategist, and the Heaven and Earth Network restricted access to his file.
• The frontline Marshals received alerts about Li Chenglong’s evaluation, and Marshal Dongfang immediately placed a call.

After Li Chenglong’s exam, Ye Changqing tried to learn about his ambitions and discovered that Li Chenglong planned simply to follow Zuo Xiaoduo. Ye Changqing was stunned by the ambition behind that choice but concluded that the two made an ideal team.

• Ye Changqing warmly praised Li Chenglong and asked about his plans for the future, leaving Li Chenglong confused.
• Li Chenglong said he had no special abilities or plans, not knowing Ye Changqing considered him an era-defining military strategist with an ice nightmare soul constitution.
• Li Chenglong explained that he had long planned to follow Boss Zuo wherever he went.
• Li Chenglong said Zuo Xiaoduo’s habit of challenging stronger enemies made life exciting and would give him targets to surpass.
• Ye Changqing accepted Li Chenglong’s choice and decided that Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong would complement each other as partners.

Ye Changqing learned that Li Chenglong had been recognized as a generation's military strategist, and the four armies’ leaders began calling to claim him. The chapter ended as Beigong Hao appealed to Ye Changqing to send Li Chenglong to the Northern Army Corps.

• Ye Changqing imagined Zuo Xiaoduo and Li Chenglong working together and celebrated Hidden Dragon High Martial’s two talented students.
• Marshal Dongfang called Ye Changqing and told him to reserve Li Chenglong for the Eastern Army.
• Ximen Lie called and declared that Li Chenglong belonged to the Western Army.
• Minister Nan called to argue that the Southern Army Corps needed a strategist and invoked his oversight of Hidden Dragon High Martial’s case.
• Beigong Hao called and asked Ye Changqing whether Li Chenglong might serve the Northern Army Corps.

Ye Changqing agreed to requests from four military leaders for Li Chenglong to join the military, even though Li Chenglong wanted only to follow Zuo Xiaoduo. As Wen Xingtian threatened to resign rather than take over, Zuo Xiaoduo recognized that his lack of command and staff skills was a serious weakness.

• Ye Changqing considered how to avoid responsibility for Li Chenglong's future and asked Wen Xingtian if he wanted to become principal.
• Wen Xingtian asked whether Li Chenglong's training should focus more on military strategy, and Ye Changqing told him to assign strategy knowledge as homework while keeping up his martial training.
• Ye Changqing told Wen Xingtian that four military leaders had asked for Li Chenglong after graduation and admitted he had agreed to all of them.
• Ye Changqing explained that Li Chenglong wanted only to follow Zuo Xiaoduo, then named Wen Xingtian acting principal; Wen Xingtian responded by resigning immediately.
• Zuo Xiaoduo returned to the villa and worried that his lack of command and staff skills would hinder him on a battlefield.

After realizing he needed better command and reconnaissance skills, Zuo Xiaoduo revised his training schedule and studied missions with Li Chenglong. He rejected difficult or overcrowded assignments and decided to focus on medicinal plants and Star Beast inner cores, leaving his next outing undecided.

• Zuo Xiaoduo reflected on the risks of leading comrades into future battles and resolved to improve his abilities.
• Zuo Xiaoduo revised his schedule to include mission research, and Li Chenglong helped him study available assignments.
• Li Chenglong explained that rare medicinal plants grew deep underground and were difficult to find, while Zuo Xiaoduo's Flame Sun Divine Art could destroy them.
• Zuo Xiaoduo rejected fugitive-hunting missions because their targets were dangerous, elusive cultivators beyond his current reach.
• Zuo Xiaoduo chose to prioritize finding medicinal plants and Star Beast inner cores because their risks were more manageable.