Recaps

Hu Fangyuan faced Wu Changkong’s true strength after Wu drew the Heavenly Frost Sword, but he was defeated in two strikes despite using the Copper Bone Gu to evade the first. Wu praised his skill and questioned his unusual physical strength, while Hu Fangyuan concealed his Gu worm inheritance.

• Wu Changkong released the Heavenly Frost Sword’s freezing pressure and slashed at Hu Fangyuan.
• Hu Fangyuan drove the Copper Bone Gu to full strength, resisted the chill, and narrowly dodged Wu Changkong’s first strike.
• Wu Changkong followed with a faster horizontal strike and stopped the Heavenly Frost Sword an inch from Hu Fangyuan’s neck.
• Hu Fangyuan accepted his defeat, and Wu Changkong praised his timing and physical strength.
• Wu Changkong asked whether Hu Fangyuan had practiced a Body Refinement Cultivation Method, and Hu Fangyuan blamed basic training with his elders while keeping the Gu worms secret.

After sparring, Wu Changkong investigated Tang Wulin’s extraordinary strength and heavy hammers, then planned special team training for the Class Promotion Tournament. He privately offered Hu Fangyuan cultivation resources and announced an upcoming Spiritual Power test.

• Wu Changkong’s sparring match showed that Tang Wulin’s Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver Hammers delivered powerful, unusual strikes, and Xie Xie was knocked down when he tried to lift one.
• Tang Wulin explained that each hammer weighed about a hundred and fifty kilograms and possessed the Stacked Hammer effect, after which Wu Changkong tested his strength.
• Hu Fangyuan judged Tang Wulin’s fighting technique crude despite his physical power and thought that forging and combat should not be mixed.
• Wu Changkong said the four students would compete together in the Class Promotion Tournament and announced nightly special training to improve their teamwork.
• After Tang Wulin and the others left, Wu Changkong asked Hu Fangyuan which cultivation resources he wanted and urged him not to waste his talent.
• Wu Changkong told Hu Fangyuan to prepare for a Spiritual Power test the following afternoon.

Hu Fangyuan fed the Moonlight Pearl Gu, drank Moonlight Dew, and meditated with the aid of his Gu. His cultivation broke through from rank twenty-one to rank twenty-two, while he resolved to pursue the path to godhood.

• Hu Fangyuan returned to his courtyard and let the Moonlight Pearl Gu absorb moonlight before collecting its Moonlight Dew and feeding it a Moon Orchid petal.
• Hu Fangyuan drank a sip of Moonlight Dew, which refreshed his mind and improved his focus and cultivation.
• Hu Fangyuan meditated while the Moonlight Pearl Gu nourished his spirit, the Copper Bone Gu tempered his body, and the Heaven Refining Furnace refined his Soul Power.
• Hu Fangyuan reflected that becoming a god could offer eternal life and wondered why he could not be the one to open that path.
• Hu Fangyuan broke through the bottleneck between rank twenty-one and rank twenty-two, raising his Soul Power to rank twenty-two.

Wu Changkong tested the students’ Spiritual Power and found Gu Yue had reached the Spirit Connection Realm, while Hu Fangyuan scored ninety. Hu Fangyuan had been training to improve his fine control of Soul Power and Spiritual Power, and the chapter ended with Class Five running laps during physical conditioning.

• Xie Xie scored twenty-nine in Spiritual Power, Tang Wulin scored forty-four, Gu Yue scored one hundred and nineteen, and Hu Fangyuan scored ninety.
• Wu Changkong concluded that Gu Yue likely possessed a rare spiritual-type Martial Soul and decided to place greater importance on her.
• Wu Changkong told Hu Fangyuan to practice controlling multiple streams of Soul Power, dividing his Spiritual Power, and breaking Soul Skills into smaller components.
• Hu Fangyuan began training the Distraction Technique so he could use multiple Soul Skills and control Gu worms at the same time.
• During Class Five’s physical conditioning, Xie Xie led the students in running laps while Wu Changkong occasionally urged him to go faster.

Hu Fangyuan practiced the Distraction Technique by precisely controlling dozens of water droplets, then used Moonlight Dew to restore and strengthen his spiritual power. He left the session encouraged by his progress and hoped to gain enough spiritual power by the end of the semester to obtain a second Soul Spirit.

• Hu Fangyuan used intense concentration to make dozens of water droplets perfectly uniform and motionless.
• Hu Fangyuan made the droplets move along separate, increasingly complex paths, pushing his spiritual power toward its limit.
• Hu Fangyuan stopped practicing and drank Moonlight Dew from the Heaven Refining Furnace to recover and nourish his spiritual power.
• Hu Fangyuan reflected that repeated depletion and recovery had strengthened his spiritual power and improved his control.
• Hu Fangyuan hoped to gain enough spiritual power by the end of the semester to obtain a second Soul Spirit at the Spirit Pagoda.

Gu Yue asked Hu Fangyuan to teach her how to use elements more creatively, and he invited her to his rented courtyard so they could practice and discuss the subject in private. They arrived at his home, where Hu Fangyuan agreed to share what he had learned through experimentation.

• After physical training, Gu Yue asked Hu Fangyuan to teach her how to use elements beyond basic attacks and combinations.
• Hu Fangyuan agreed to discuss elemental techniques with Gu Yue and invited her to his home to practice somewhere quiet.
• Xie Xie saw Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue walking together and teased Tang Wulin that something might be developing between them.
• Hu Fangyuan led Gu Yue into his rented courtyard, where she asked whether he lived there alone.
• Hu Fangyuan explained that he preferred the quiet of the courtyard, and he and Gu Yue sat down to talk.

Hu Fangyuan taught Gu Yue how to control water by explaining the forces behind its movement and demonstrating several powerful applications. He then turned to the flames she could command, beginning a lesson on their nature.

• Hu Fangyuan shaped water into different forms and explained how its essence and motion affected its uses.
• Hu Fangyuan demonstrated how high-speed streams, sustained erosion, concentrated pressure, and vortex flow could damage a brick wall.
• Gu Yue watched the demonstrations and realized how much more powerful Hu Fangyuan's control of water was than her own.
• Hu Fangyuan shifted the lesson from water to flame and asked Gu Yue whether she understood that flame was a gas.

Hu Fangyuan taught Gu Yue principles for manipulating flames and invited her to dinner, then analyzed her unusual background and said he wanted to befriend her. Gu Yue challenged his approach, leaving their potential friendship uncertain.

• Hu Fangyuan explained his twelve-character principle for using flames and demonstrated how a fire needle could pierce a brick.
• Gu Yue reflected on his lesson while Hu Fangyuan prepared dinner and encouraged her to practice elemental control herself.
• Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue ate together, and he asked whether she truly had innate full soul power.
• Hu Fangyuan argued that Gu Yue's elemental envoy martial soul suggested an extraordinary bloodline or opportunity.
• Hu Fangyuan told Gu Yue he wanted to become friends, and she questioned whether exposing her background was a proper way to make friends.

Hu Fangyuan offered Gu Yue Moonlight Dew and other family Secret Medicines, winning her interest with the potion’s remarkable effect. Gu Yue agreed to pay for the medicines and asked about buying the others as well, while Hu Fangyuan suggested they deepen their friendship over dinner.

• Hu Fangyuan told Gu Yue that mutual interest was the basis of friendship and offered her a bottle of Moonlight Dew.
• Gu Yue tasted the Moonlight Dew and found that it quickly restored her Spiritual Power and sharpened her senses.
• Hu Fangyuan claimed his family also made Secret Medicines for body refinement and Soul Power cultivation, and said he wanted to befriend Gu Yue because he believed in their potential.
• Hu Fangyuan asked Gu Yue for one million Federation Coins each month in exchange for three bottles of Moonlight Dew.
• Gu Yue asked whether the other Secret Medicines were also available for a million, and Hu Fangyuan suggested they eat first and let their friendship grow deeper.

Hu Fangyuan successfully refined a second high-grade Moonlight Pearl Gu and continued balancing cultivation with the costly upkeep of his Gu worms. After more than two months of Wu Changkong’s grueling training, Hu Fangyuan and his classmates prepared for the Class Promotion Tournament, with Hu reaching Soul Power Level twenty-five.

• Hu Fangyuan left Gu Yue’s courtyard and refined a second high-grade Moonlight Pearl Gu using the Heaven Refining Furnace.
• Hu Fangyuan calculated the growing costs of feeding his Gu worms, then used Moonlight Dew to recover before meditating through the night.
• Hu Fangyuan began an intense daily routine of classes, physical conditioning, Wu Changkong’s training, Gu refining, and meditation.
• More than two months passed as Wu Changkong put Freshman Class Five through demanding combat and coordination drills ahead of the Class Promotion Tournament.
• Hu Fangyuan reached Soul Power Level twenty-five, improved his combined water-and-fire Soul Skill use, controlled eighty water droplets, and strengthened his body with the Copper Bone Gu.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Hu Fangyuan, and Gu Yue prepared for the Class Promotion Tournament under Wu Changkong, who set them the daunting goal of defeating fourth-year Class One. The tournament began with Class Five facing Class Four, while the students gathered at the competition platform.

• Gu Yue reached rank twenty-three and improved her control over her elemental attacks, while the four students continued to clash outside their paired training matches.
• Wu Changkong divided the students into Tang Wulin and Xie Xie’s team and Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue’s team, and their competitive matches drove their training forward.
• Wu Changkong announced that the tournament would begin against Class Four and ordered the team to fight up to fourth-year Class One for the rewards.
• Gu Yue called Xie Xie deadweight after he protested the challenge, and she judged that he did not work as hard as his peers.
• Eastsea Academy’s Class Promotion Tournament began after school, and the first match was set to pit First-Year Class Five against Class Four.

Wu Changkong sent Hu Fangyuan to face First-Year Class Four alone so Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue could keep their abilities hidden for later rounds. As the match began, the three stepped off the platform, leaving Hu Fangyuan alone against four opponents.

• Xie Xie objected when Wu Changkong announced that Hu Fangyuan would fight the first match alone, but Tang Wulin calmed him.
• Wu Changkong explained that Hu Fangyuan would draw attention while the others preserved their abilities and tactics for stronger classes.
• Long Hengxu announced the match, and Kong Hanwen selected Jialong, Lin Zunyuan, Mosi, and Wang Haoxuan to represent First-Year Class Four.
• Both teams entered the platform, and Class Four's four students released their soul rings as Jialong charged at Hu Fangyuan.
• Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue stepped off the platform, leaving Hu Fangyuan to face all four opponents alone.

Hu Fangyuan used his water and fire Soul Skills to keep Jialong, Mosi, and Wang Haoxuan at a distance while Lin Zunyuan boosted the team’s attacks. After dispersing his Water Tornado and staggering all three opponents, Hu Fangyuan sent water whips at them.

• Hu Fangyuan blinded Jialong with a water curtain, struck his joints with undercurrents, and sent him crashing through the arena railing.
• Lin Zunyuan amplified Jialong as Mosi attacked Hu Fangyuan from the left and Wang Haoxuan approached from behind, but Hu Fangyuan stopped them with water blades, Fire Needles, and a wall of fire.
• Lin Zunyuan amplified Mosi and Wang Haoxuan and called for them to charge, while Jialong recovered and joined their renewed three-sided attack.
• Hu Fangyuan formed a Water Tornado that held the three attackers back, then dispersed it into water arrows that struck their faces.
• Hu Fangyuan summoned three water whips and lashed them toward Jialong, Mosi, and Wang Haoxuan.

Hu Fangyuan defeated all four members of Class Four in barely a minute, forcing Lin Zunyuan to surrender. After Wu Changkong reminded him that he would fight Class Three the next day, Hu Fangyuan left for the East Sea Trading Company.

• Hu Fangyuan used water and fire attacks to drive Jialong back and knock Mosi and Wang Haoxuan out of the fight.
• With only Jialong and Lin Zunyuan still standing, Lin Zunyuan surrendered on Class Four's behalf.
• Hu Fangyuan withdrew his Soul Skills and left the arena after achieving a complete victory over Class Four.
• Wu Changkong told Hu Fangyuan he would fight Class Three the next day.
• Hu Fangyuan told Wu Changkong he was stopping by the East Sea Trading Company, then left the academy.

Hu Fangyuan’s effortless victory for Class Five impressed the students and alarmed Long Hengxu, who feared the class’s tournament strength would expose unfair placements. After buying costly Gu Refining materials, Hu Fangyuan planned to combine four physical-body Gu into a rank-three Four Symbols Iron Body Gu.

• Xie Xie admitted to himself that he could not have defeated Class Four as easily as Hu Fangyuan, while Tang Wulin praised Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue silently watched him leave.
• Long Hengxu announced Class Five’s victory and scheduled its next challenge against First-Year Class Three, then worried that Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue made the class far stronger than expected.
• Hu Fangyuan collected his ordered materials at the East Sea Trading Company and paid six hundred thousand Federation Coins.
• Hu Fangyuan planned to refine Silver Tendon, Iron Skin, and Brute Flesh Gu, then combine them with his Copper Bone Gu to create a rank-three Four Symbols Iron Body Gu.

Hu Fangyuan joined Tang Wulin and his companions in confronting Guang Long after the Soul Master bullied Uncle Li. When Guang Long revealed his Ironclad Dragon Martial Soul and charged, Hu Fangyuan revealed his own two Soul Rings and Azure Cicada Soul Spirit.

• Tang Wulin confronted Guang Long for attacking Uncle Li, and Xie Xie helped the middle-aged man up.
• Tang Wulin exchanged blows with Guang Long, then Hu Fangyuan intervened and forced Guang Long back with a punch.
• Hu Fangyuan activated Copper Bone Gu and held his ground against Guang Long, who revealed his Ironclad Dragon Martial Soul and two Soul Rings.
• Gu Yue used elemental attacks to hinder Guang Long, but his scales resisted them and he kept charging at Hu Fangyuan.
• Hu Fangyuan revealed his two Soul Rings and Azure Cicada Soul Spirit as Guang Long approached.

Hu Fangyuan used water and fire skills, with help from Gu Yue, to evade and wear down Guang Long during their fight. Guang Long was wounded and unable to land a hit, and he realized the prolonged battle was putting him at a disadvantage.

• Hu Fangyuan struck Guang Long with a fire-enhanced punch, then used water and fire attacks to exploit openings and burn him through his scales.
• Hu Fangyuan escaped Guang Long’s attempted grab with a water wall and hit him with a broad curtain of boiling water.
• Guang Long charged with his Ironclad Charge, but Hu Fangyuan broke his momentum with seven water curtains before dodging aside and binding his ankles with Water Threads.
• Gu Yue joined Hu Fangyuan’s attack, striking Guang Long with Ice Spikes and a Wind Blade that cut his knee and dropped him to one knee.
• Guang Long used Earth Dragon Turnover to raise Earth Spikes beneath Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue, but both dodged and he struggled back to his feet, wounded.
• Guang Long demanded that Hu Fangyuan stop dodging, but Hu Fangyuan mocked his demand, and Guang Long recognized that the drawn-out fight favored his opponent.

Hu Fangyuan defeated Guang Long with his newly devised Water Hammer Piercing and left after Tang Wulin and Xie Xie thanked him. He told Gu Yue that he wanted to learn how strong Wu Changkong was, and she realized he expected Guang Long’s backers to provoke Wu Changkong into revealing his strength.

• Guang Long activated Ironclad Dragon Scales and charged Hu Fangyuan, who pierced his arm with Water Hammer Piercing.
• Guang Long admitted defeat and left with his two lackeys, while Hu Fangyuan declined to pursue them.
• Tang Wulin thanked Hu Fangyuan, and Xie Xie reluctantly praised him before Hu Fangyuan walked away with Gu Yue following.
• Gu Yue asked why Hu Fangyuan had intervened, and he said he wanted to find out how strong Wu Changkong was.
• Gu Yue reasoned that Guang Long would seek help from his backers, who might force Wu Changkong to reveal his strength.

Hu Fangyuan attempted to refine three Gu worms overnight but succeeded in making only two, leaving him exhausted and irritated. At the academy, he and First-Year Class Five arrived for the second day of the Class Promotion Tournament, where they faced Class Three’s triplets and their support teammate.

• Hu Fangyuan used the Heaven Refining Furnace Soul Spirit and Scarlet Sun True Fire to refine three Gu worms, but only two were successful.
• Hu Fangyuan arrived at the academy exhausted after spending much of the night refining Gu worms and worrying about the cost of replacement materials.
• Students gathered to watch the tournament after hearing that Hu Fangyuan had defeated four opponents on the previous day.
• First-Year Class Three assembled around Ye Yingrong, including the identical Gu Tianri, Gu Tianyue, and Gu Tianming, along with support student Su Xiaoyu.
• Wu Changkong arrived with First-Year Class Five, and Ye Yingrong reminded her students to put friendship before competition.

In the Class Promotion Tournament match between First-Year Class Five and First-Year Class Three, both teams’ support students boosted their fighters and left the arena, leaving Hu Fangyuan alone against the Gu Brothers. Hu Fangyuan used steam pressure to fly and attacked them with boiling-water whips, striking Gu Tianri as the brothers tried to escape.

• Wu Changkong sent Hu Fangyuan, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue onto the arena, while Ye Yingrong brought out the Gu Brothers and Su Xiaoyu.
• Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue jumped off the arena, and Su Xiaoyu cast Wind Movement Technique on the Gu Brothers before leaving too.
• The Gu Brothers spread their wings and flew above Hu Fangyuan, planning to wear him down from the air.
• Hu Fangyuan used steam blasting from beneath his feet to rise into the air and meet the Gu Brothers at their height.
• Hu Fangyuan attacked with boiling-water whips, and Gu Tianri was struck across the shoulder and scalded.

Hu Fangyuan defeated First-Year Class Three by scalding the Gu Brothers with boiling-water whips until their class conceded. Afterward, Gu Yue reminded him that he owed her Moonlight Dew, leaving him planning to refine more Gu and find additional customers.

• Hu Fangyuan knocked Gu Tianri out of the match by striking him with boiling water and slamming him onto the arena.
• Hu Fangyuan kept Gu Tianyue and Gu Tianming airborne and scalded them until Ye Yingluo conceded for First-Year Class Three.
• Long Hengxu declared First-Year Class Five the winner, and Wu Changkong warned Hu Fangyuan that he had gone too far.
• Gu Yue asked Hu Fangyuan about the Moonlight Dew he owed her, and he persuaded her to give him two more days.
• Hu Fangyuan planned to refine Silver Tendon Gu, produce more Moonlight Dew, and seek other customers.

Guang Biao brought armed men to Eastsea Academy and demanded that Hu Fangyuan be handed over for injuring his brother, Guang Long. Long Hengxu refused, and Guang Biao stepped forward as the standoff threatened to turn violent.

• Guang Biao surrounded the academy entrance with his men, displaying Guang Long on a stretcher and accusing Hu Fangyuan, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue of attacking him.
• Long Hengxu arrived with teachers and students, recognized Guang Biao as the commander of Eastsea City's Mecha Brigade, and tried to negotiate.
• Guang Biao demanded that Hu Fangyuan be taken to his premises for an investigation and threatened to enter the academy if Long Hengxu refused.
• Long Hengxu refused to hand Hu Fangyuan over and rallied the students to defend the academy.
• Hu Fangyuan hid behind the crowd and asked Gu Yue whether Teacher Wu would intervene as Guang Biao strode forward, declaring that he only believed in strength.

Wu Changkong confronted Guang Biao when the Six-Ring Soul Emperor tried to take Eastsea Academy’s students by force. Wu revealed his Heavenly Frost Sword and two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, then stopped Guang Biao’s attack with a precise flick of his sword.

• Guang Biao threatened Long Hengxu and the Eastsea Academy students, insisting he would take away the culprits who had hurt his younger brother.
• Wu Changkong appeared and told Guang Biao to defeat him before continuing.
• Guang Biao revealed his Ironclad Dragon Martial Soul and six Soul Rings, while Wu Changkong drew the Heavenly Frost Sword and displayed two black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
• Guang Biao charged Wu Changkong with his Ironclad Dragon Body, and Tang Wulin shouted a warning.
• Wu Changkong drew his six Soul Rings inward and tapped Guang Biao’s fist with the sword, making him halt and retreat as scales fell away.

Wu Changkong defeated Guang Biao at Eastsea Academy, and Gu Yue and Hu Fangyuan returned to their own plans. Hu Fangyuan headed to the East Sea Trading Company to refine two Gu worms and complete the materials needed for Four-Image Combined Refinement.

• Wu Changkong broke through Guang Biao’s defenses with precise strikes and froze him into submission.
• Guang Biao recognized Wu Changkong as someone from a place that had driven him out, and Wu Changkong warned him to stay away.
• Gu Yue decided the academy was safer with Wu Changkong there and returned to the dormitory, while Hu Fangyuan assured Long Hengxu he would be more careful.
• Hu Fangyuan left the academy for the East Sea Trading Company, intending to refine the Iron Skin Gu and Brute Flesh Gu.
• Hu Fangyuan planned to combine those Gu worms with his Copper Bone Gu and Silver Tendon Gu to attempt refining the rank-three Four Symbols Iron Body Gu.

Sui ventured into the darkness to find a way for humanity to live beyond its caves and discovered Flame Gu when lightning ignited an ancient tree. He brought the fire back to humanity and shared it among the tribes, becoming known to later generations as Suirenshi.

• Sui left his cave despite his father's, mother's, and wife's pleas, determined to explore the darkness for humanity and their children.
• Sui crossed valleys and mountain ridges until lightning struck a withered tree and kindled a fire that illuminated the night.
• Flame Gu formed from the fire and told Sui that his determination to dispel humanity's fear had hatched it.
• Sui asked Flame Gu to help humanity overcome the darkness, and Flame Gu declared that humanity had its own flames before settling into Sui's palm.
• Sui returned to his tribe and shared kindling among settlements, where people gathered around fires instead of trembling in darkness.
• Later generations revered Sui as Suirenshi.