Chapter Summaries

Jiang Man defeated more than three hundred cultivators in the Third Courtyard with Purple Rosy Glow and continued toward the Second Institute to find his teammate and search for treasure. Su Qinya prepared a scheme to make Jiang Man feel humiliated before acting as his defender, convinced that he would eventually fall in love with her.

• Jiang Man used Purple Rosy Glow to defeat opponents in single strikes while Xiang Liang and the others helped him find people across the Third Courtyard.
• Jiang Yingcai and Duan Wu tried to hide, but Jiang Man found and defeated them, bringing the number of defeated cultivators to more than three hundred.
• Jiang Man found Gao Rong and invited him to make a name for himself as they headed toward the Second Institute.
• Xiang Liang and Qiao Yu discussed Jiang Man's strength and began looking for powerful Second Institute cultivators to challenge him.
• Jiang Man asked Gao Rong to stand by him as he searched for their teammate and prepared to fight the Second Institute's cultivators.
• Su Qinya recruited three cultivators to humiliate Jiang Man, then planned to defend him and draw him closer until he fell in love with her.

Jiang Man defeated Sun Yuan and several others with overwhelming speed, helping Su Qinya claim the Pure Heart Art. He then set out with Gao Rong and Su Qinya to seek treasures in the First Institute’s territory, while other Heavenly Prides waited and Zhuo Ling anticipated his arrival.

• Jiang Man met Su Qinya and Gao Rong at a formation containing the Pure Heart Art, which Su Qinya wanted, while Gao Rong revealed that he also needed the Seven Star Body Refinement Method.
• Sun Yuan mocked Gao Rong, and Jiang Man recorded the insult before challenging him and defeating him and his two companions in a brief fight.
• Three more cultivators rushed in, and Jiang Man swiftly knocked them unconscious as well, leaving Su Qinya shaken by his strength.
• Su Qinya claimed the Pure Heart Art, and Jiang Man told Gao Rong he expected to reach Core Formation next year.
• Su Qinya informed Jiang Man about treasures in the First Institute’s territory, and he decided to go there with her and Gao Rong after asking the Heavenly Prides to wait two days.
• Xiang Liang and Qiao Yu speculated about Jiang Man’s delay, while Zhuo Ling looked forward to his arrival.

Jiang Man searched the Wuyun Sect ruins with Su Qinya and Gao Rong, using the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books to inspect relics. He discovered that the statue concealed a valuable Four Extremes Demon-Suppressing Stone, gained a wisp of Cultivation Method purple qi, and shifted his plans toward improving his Cultivation Method and finding the Seven Star Body Refinement Method.

• Zhuo Ling said she would test Jiang Man’s strength if they met, but would avoid turning their ranking contest into a grudge.
• Su Qinya explained that the top fifty in the institute rankings qualified for the Advancement Secret Realm, and described several suspected treasures at the ruins.
• Jiang Man touched the mountain-gate stele and the Dharma Transmission Hall’s stone and plaque, but the Heavenly Mirror found nothing worth recording.
• Jiang Man touched the statue and discovered that it concealed a Four Extremes Demon-Suppressing Stone containing a demon that had escaped suppression.
• Jiang Man took the ordinary-looking stone, decided to pause competing with the Second Institute, and asked Su Qinya where he could find the Seven Star Body Refinement Method.

Jiang Man obtained the upper grade Seven Star Body Refinement Method and paid a senior cultivator to teach it, then demonstrated his strength in a spar with Wei Chuyao. After two and a half days of study and review, he was ready to begin cultivating the method.

• Jiang Man changed course to seek the Seven Star Body Refinement Method, and a bald Spell Cultivator offered to teach it in exchange for fifty thousand Spirit Sources or a place to comprehend a cultivation method.
• Jiang Man, Su Qinya, Gao Rong, and the two cultivators reached a mountain peak and claimed the upper grade body refinement method after clearing its puppets and Demon Beasts.
• Wei Chuyao challenged Jiang Man for two thousand Spirit Sources, and their spar ended when he used the Heavenly Heart Seal to counter her attack.
• Wei Chuyao recognized Jiang Man as Number 210 and left, concluding that her junior, Xiao Xiao, could not catch up to him.
• At the old site, the bald man taught Jiang Man the method while Gao Rong studied alongside him; after two and a half days, Jiang Man finished reviewing the lessons and prepared to cultivate.

Jiang Man discovered that the Wuyun Sect’s Ascetic Cultivation Cauldron could grant insights and that the Demon-Illuminating Mirror was tracking a growing number of demons, so he reported them while focusing on cultivation. As his training advanced, the competition rules changed, and Zhuo Ling’s team prepared for the new battles while Zhuo Bufan’s group discussed her likely matchup against Jiang Man.

• Jiang Man used the Heavenly Mirror of a Hundred Books to learn that the Ascetic Cultivation Cauldron held cultivation imprints, while the nearby spear was not worth investigating.
• Jiang Man identified the great mirror as an abandoned Demon-Illuminating Mirror that could reveal demons in the mountain range, then sent Su Qinya to cultivate at the cauldron and ask the bald man how to contact the sect.
• The bald man, Gao Rong, Su Qinya, and the brawny man gained insights while cultivating the Simple Method in the cauldron, and Jiang Man rapidly advanced his Seven Star Body Refinement Method as the mirror’s demon count rose and fluctuated.
• After the mirror showed seventy-nine demons, Jiang Man bought a talisman from the bald man and reported them to the sect, then returned to cultivation after learning the competition might continue for another half month.
• Zhuo Ling’s team received notice that, in seven days, teams in the First Institute’s area would face random battles to determine rankings, while Zhuo Bufan’s group discussed Zhuo Ling’s advantages over Jiang Man.

Jiang Man reached major mastery of the Seven Star Body Refinement Method, partially fused his powers, and entered the random team battles with Gao Rong and Su Qinya. He overwhelmed his first opponents and used the Heavenly Heart Seal to endure later fights, with his power fusion reaching twenty percent before his thirteenth match began.

• Xiang Liang and Qiao Yu discussed the new team competition rules and doubted Jiang Man could rank highly with his teammates.
• Jiang Man mastered the Seven Star Body Refinement Method, entered the dream temple, and used the Evil God's power to begin merging his cultivation, physical body, and spirit.
• Jiang Man assured Gao Rong and Su Qinya he would carry them, then defeated Xiang Liang, Qiao Yu, and their teammate in their first match.
• Jiang Man drew against a stronger team by enduring their attacks with the Heavenly Heart Seal, causing them to lose ranking points because of their lower-ranked institutes.
• Jiang Man fought twelve battles, raised his power fusion to twenty percent, and entered a thirteenth match where Zhuo Ling recognized the opposing team.

Jiang Man and his teammates endured the competition’s matches, fought off repeated challenges, and collected spirit beast eggs from demonkind before the random matches ended. As the rankings approached, Yu Wanyi learned that a group of people were working to get her released from the Enforcement Hall.

• Jiang Man defeated Zhuo Ling in a duel, but his Spirit Sword broke, so Zhuo Ling gave him a better one as a reward.
• Jiang Man killed a demonkind opponent with one strike, and Gao Rong and Su Qinya defeated the other two, each receiving a spirit beast egg.
• Jiang Man’s team used Hidden Spirit to withstand opponents, then conceded several matches when their opponents unleashed Hidden Spirit again.
• The random matches ended on September 15, and Jiang Man found that all demonkind had disappeared while his own Demon-Illuminating Mirror remained undiscovered.
• Ren Qian told Yu Wanyi that she had to leave the Enforcement Hall because people were pulling strings to get her out.

Jiang Man placed eighth individually and thirteenth as a team, then applied to enter the Advancement Secret Realm while continuing to fuse his powers. At the Antique Courtyard, Meng Qiewei learned of his rise and asked how soon he might reach Core Formation as she considered the family’s marriage-alliance plans.

• Jiang Man discussed his demon eggs and Evil God stone with Old Yellow Ox, deciding to sell the eggs and hand the stone to Yan Yiqiu.
• The rankings revealed Jiang Man in eighth place individually and his team, with Su Qinya and Gao Rong, in thirteenth; Shangguan Liuyun and Gu Yuexi discussed his potential.
• Jiang Man gave the Evil God stone to Yan Yiqiu and asked to enter the Advancement Secret Realm and compete for the Advancement Method; she agreed to submit an application.
• Jiang Man returned to the Small Courtyard and continued cultivating until Yan Yiqiu arrived with his assessment secret technique and ranking rewards.
• Meng Qiewei identified a possible Evil God influence on a tree and had Qing Dai notify the Immortal Gate; Qing Dai also reported Jiang Man’s ranking and the elders’ marriage-alliance proposal.
• Meng Qiewei asked Qing Dai how long it would take Jiang Man to reach Core Formation.

Meng Qiewei learned that Jiang Man’s chances of forming his core could determine whether her clan pursued a marriage alliance, while Jiang Man claimed first place among the Seven Peaks and collected his rewards. After repaying some debts and helping Little Fatty identify a fraudulently damaged spirit medicine, Jiang Man left with his advancement into the Golden Core stage approaching.

• Qing Dai told Meng Qiewei that Jiang Man’s late-night cultivation could jeopardize his Core Formation, and Meng Qiewei hoped her husband would succeed so her clan would stop gossiping.
• He Huaian learned that Jiang Man ranked first among the Seven Peaks and went to visit the other Alchemists, while Wei Chuyao’s Alchemist left after hearing Jiang Man had made the top ten.
• Jiang Man collected his tournament rewards, signed up to enter the Advancement Secret Realm, and learned that his cultivation progress would slow in the Sixth Courtyard.
• Jiang Man repaid Song Qing, Little Fatty, and Luo Xuan, then identified the damaged Three-Yang Flower as a plant that had been sabotaged and lent Little Fatty his Spirit Medicine Identification Record.
• Chang Qiwen collected his Spirit Source and told Jiang Man that his younger sister had a chance to secure a place in the Sect, while Jiang Man calculated that he still owed sixty-nine thousand Spirit Sources.
• Little Fatty used Jiang Man’s identification book to show Luo Xuan and Cheng Yu how the Three-Yang Flower had been sabotaged.

Jiang Man learned how the three Advancement Methods worked and relentlessly tempered himself until he reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, preparing to enter the Advancement Secret Realm. Before he could enter, Ji Hao directed him toward the dangerous City of Mist, while Chen Yu planned to contact him in the Immortal Spirit Dreamland and win him over.

• Old Yellow Ox explained that the Secret Realm would assess Jiang Man and develop an Advancement Method, ranging from the Wood and Grass Method to the Third Method, the Glazed Dharma.
• Jiang Man spent his remaining Spirit Sources on Earth-Origin Pills, took leave, and worked on Power Integration while Yu Wanyi asked Xia Jin to seek an Immortal Abode Slot for him.
• Zhuo Qingcheng decided to send Jiang Man a congratulatory gift after he reached Core Formation, and Jiang Man received an image and message from Meng Qiewei.
• Jiang Man followed Old Yellow Ox's cultivation plan, endured severe pain, and achieved Power Integration at the peak of his Foundation Establishment Body.
• Ji Hao told Jiang Man that the Advancement Secret Realm had three regions and urged him to enter the City of Mist, where leaving his mark could secure a marriage alliance with the Ji family.
• Chen Yu asked a rotund man to help him meet Jiang Man in the Immortal Spirit Dreamland and persuade him to join his side during Core Formation.

Chen Yu tried to use Jiang Man’s dream and the Immortal Spirit’s lock to recruit him, while Jiang Man entered the advancement secret realm and headed into the Method-Seeking Mist. Jiang Man broke through Chen Yu’s mental city with ease, but found his path ahead blocked by iron chains and a forming well.

• Chen Yu planned to influence Jiang Man’s advancement, warning that Jiang Man’s growing influence and the brightening Immortal Spirit flame made him a risk to their standing.
• Jiang Man discussed the City of Mist, the advancement secret realm, and possible dangers with the Old Yellow Ox before preparing to enter.
• At the Little Hill Slope, Jiang Man drew attention from other contenders and noticed Shangguan Liuyun, the Outer Sect’s strongest student.
• Jiang Man entered the secret realm, chose the mist, and defeated its Mist Figures and several challengers from the First Institute with single strikes.
• Jiang Man reached a mist-covered city where Chen Yu offered to help him become an Immortal Spirit Envoy, but Jiang Man led him out of the city in an instant.
• Chen Yu warned that iron chains had sealed Jiang Man’s way forward as the mist began forming a well toward the Abyss, but Jiang Man insisted the road was open to him.

Jiang Man broke through the chains in the Advancement Secret Realm and formed the Third Method, a Glazed Body, then emerged ranked first and prepared to pursue Core Formation. Chen Yu and his allies failed to bring him under control and discussed driving him out, while Mo Zainian returned to the sect after coming to terms with his choice not to take Jiang Man as a disciple.

• Jiang Man shattered the chains sealing his path, used his True Martial Art to break through the darkness, and formed a Glazed Body as he obtained the Third Method.
• Chen Yu found a message from Jiang Man in the ruined temple, erased his own writing, and warned the rotund man that they had to hide their identities and find a way to drive Jiang Man out.
• Jiang Man returned to the three-way junction with the Third Method book and claimed first place; Gu Yuexi declined his offer to fight for Spirit Sources, and Shangguan Liuyun asked when he expected to reach Core Formation.
• Jiang Man told Old Yellow Ox about his trial, learned what formations and spirit medicines he needed, and set off for the Sixth Courtyard after his request for spirit medicines was approved.
• Mo Zainian returned to the sect and reassured himself that passing over Jiang Man as a disciple had been the right choice, while the female alchemist expected He Huaian's boasting to have diminished.

Jiang Man cultivated day and night in the Sixth Courtyard while attempting to form his core, inspiring other disciples to follow his example. As the Outer Sect waited to see whether he would succeed, Wang Yan and Wei Ran intervened in Cheng Yu’s affairs, and Cheng Yu collapsed after taking a pill intended to remove her bodily restraints.

• Jiang Man began cultivating without rest in the Sixth Courtyard, and Yan Yiqiu suspended lessons so the others could cultivate alongside him.
• Fang Yong joined the Sixth Courtyard’s round-the-clock cultivation, and disciples from other courtyards increasingly followed suit.
• Bai Fan, Jiang Yingcai, and Duan Wu discussed how the trend might change competition for entry to the Advancement Secret Realm.
• Wang Yan told Wei Ran that Cheng Yu had been taking pills for herself, and Wei Ran gave Wang Yan a pill intended to stop Cheng Yu from harming their interests.
• Cheng Yu took the pill and passed out in pain as it attacked the bruises her mother had left to restrain her.
• Wang Yan told Wei Ran that Cheng Yu had taken the pill, and Wei Ran directed her to find Fang Yong and inform him.

Jiang Man completed core formation in a spectacular storm above the Sixth Courtyard, becoming the Outer Sect’s undisputed number one. After Ji Hao rescued him from his fall, the sect reacted to his breakthrough and the blessing it gave his courtyard companions.

• Chang Qiwen learned from Gao Rong that Jiang Man was undergoing core formation, while Shangguan Liuyun had disappeared into a formation.
• Yu Wanyi told Immortal Maiden Huaijing that Jiang Man would form his core soon, and Huaijing began watching the Sixth Courtyard.
• Dark clouds and a tornado gathered over the Sixth Courtyard, and Ji Hao told Yan Yiqiu that the sect’s power was supporting Jiang Man’s breakthrough.
• Jiang Man practiced the Advancement Method within the storm, condensed his golden core, and fell toward the courtyard before Ji Hao appeared and took him away.
• Jiang Man’s breakthrough blessed the Sixth Courtyard cultivators, while Shangguan Liuyun accepted his defeat and He Huaian celebrated that his disciple had become the Outer Sect’s top golden-core cultivator.

Jiang Man formed a Golden Core, received a new cultivation path, and faced a choice between remaining in the Outer Sect or entering the Inner Sect. Meanwhile, Meng Qiewei learned of his breakthrough and the marriage alliance discussions, then heard that people suspected she was hiding her son-in-law.

• Ji Hao gave Jiang Man a Visualization Method based on him and explained that the Sect would offer him a Golden Core Upper Grade Method after his Inner Sect records were established.
• Ji Hao told Jiang Man that he could choose to remain in the Outer Sect or enter the Inner Sect, where he would face greater risks but gain access to suitable instruction.
• Jiang Man returned to his courtyard, learned Chang Qiwen had covered his rent, and asked Old Yellow Ox about Golden Core methods and whether to enter the Inner Sect.
• Qing Dai told Meng Qiewei that Jiang Man had formed a fine Golden Core and inspired a new Visualization Method, earning recognition as a legendary figure and prompting marriage alliance discussions.
• Meng Qiewei told Qing Dai to keep tracking the Immortal Gate's investigation of the Evil Gods, then heard that people suspected she was hiding her son-in-law in her courtyard or bedchamber.

Jiang Man arranged for Chang Qiwen to learn the Advancement Method and sought Golden Core pills and advice from He Huaian about his future in the Sect. Meanwhile, Qin Yihan told An Zhirou that the Wuyun Sect had unexpectedly rallied behind Jiang Man’s Immortal Abode registration, leaving the Evergreen Sect’s disciples curious about him.

• Meng Qiewei asked about Jiang Man’s age and the marriage alliance, while Qing Dai tried to learn whether Meng Qiewei planned to search for her husband.
• Jiang Man gave Yan Yiqiu a book of pill records, and she told him that Chang Qiwen could learn the Advancement Method by registering to clean the Secret Realm.
• Jiang Man gave Chang Qiwen the Advancement Method and promised to sell him a Secret Realm entry slot later.
• Jiang Man asked He Huaian for Golden Core pills and advice; He Huaian explained the Inner Sect’s fifty-year instruction and the path to becoming a Core Personal Disciple.
• Qin Yihan told An Zhirou that Jiang Man had formed a Golden Core in the Sixth Courtyard and that disciples from both sects had been pressured into supporting his Immortal Abode registration.

Jiang Man received an Inner Sect credential and the powerful Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea cultivation method, but hesitated over an invitation to enter the Inner Sect and compete early. Meanwhile, the Outer Sect began testing a new Visualization Method based on his radiance, and Meng Qiewei learned that her lineage had approved a marriage alliance involving Jiang Man.

• The Sixth Courtyard students and Fang Yong woke feeling unusually strong after Jiang Man's successful Core Formation, and Fang Yong returned to Cheng Yu with instructions to buy properly formed pills for one Spirit Source above the lowest price.
• Jiang Man received his Inner Sect credential and the upper grade cultivation method Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea, which Old Yellow Ox explained could make him powerful at Golden Core perfection.
• Chang Qiwen brought Jiang Man an Immortal Abode Token and a letter from Senior Sister Yu urging him to enter the Inner Sect, but Jiang Man worried that he was not ready to face its disciples.
• Outer Sect cultivators increasingly stayed up late to cultivate, and the Sect announced trials of The Sun That Never Sets, a Visualization Method based on Jiang Man's radiance that could resist some harm from sleep deprivation.
• Bai Fan, Jiang Yingcai, and Zhuo Qingcheng recognized the importance of Jiang Man's influence, while the shopkeeper regretted having dismissed him.
• Qing Dai told Meng Qiewei that her lineage had approved a marriage alliance because Jiang Man was worth sending someone out for.

Meng Qiewei decided to join the marriage-alliance party using a power avatar, while Jiang Man mastered the early layers of Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea. After a conspirator plotted to use an Evil God token against him, Jiang Man received an Inner Sect mission to investigate Demon Beasts in Falling Cloud City.

• Meng Qiewei told Qing Dai she would join the marriage-alliance party under an assumed identity and use a power avatar.
• Jiang Man chose to remain in the Outer Sect for now and rapidly advanced Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea to its seventh layer.
• Three Inner Sect disciples discussed testing Jiang Man, and one of them secretly planned to use an Evil God token to steal some of his talent.
• Jiang Man received a newcomer mission to investigate possible Demon Beasts in Falling Cloud City, with a reward of ten thousand Spirit Sources.

Jiang Man withdrew from the Small Courtyard assessment after collecting Spirit Source, then received gifts from his fellow disciples and was summoned to the Enforcement Hall over an anonymous accusation of ties to the Evil God. Yu Wanyi warned him about the dangers of his Inner Sect mission and gave him a rare Storage Law Treasure, and he later left a cryptic message in the ruined temple before showing the treasure to Old Yellow Ox.

• Jiang Man accepted six thousand Spirit Source from Zhuo Bufan, Zhao Yaoyao, and Lin Qingshan in exchange for withdrawing from the assessment, then received gifts from the Small Courtyard disciples.
• Ren Qian told Jiang Man that someone had anonymously reported him as an Evil God lackey and brought him to the Enforcement Hall to see Yu Wanyi.
• Yu Wanyi advised Jiang Man about maintaining his relationship with his dao companion, gave him a Storage Law Treasure, and warned him to stay alert during the Inner Sect Newcomer Mission.
• Jiang Man told the Enforcement Hall he would leave a message at the ruined temple, then wrote that he had expected trust but had encountered betrayal.
• Jiang Man returned from the ruined temple and showed the Storage Law Treasure to Old Yellow Ox, who silently chewed grass.

Jiang Man grew richer and prepared for his August mission to Falling Cloud City while continuing his Golden Core cultivation and waiting for Meng Qiewei. Meng Qiewei arranged to join the marriage alliance under a Collateral Line identity, but when the Magpie Bridge opened, she did not return.

• Jiang Man stored his belongings in a Storage Law Treasure, learned its limits from Old Yellow Ox, and asked for protection against the Evil God's Subordinates.
• Fang Yong delivered sixty thousand Spirit Sources and discussed selling information about Jiang Man's upcoming Falling Cloud City mission; Jiang Man later visited his friends, arranged for Song Qing to guide him, and helped Chang Qiwen send funds to his sister.
• Jiang Man sold items and counted one hundred and forty-three thousand Spirit Sources plus thirty-three Chaoyuan Lesser Yang Pills, then advanced his Hundred Rivers Return to the Sea cultivation through the eleventh layer.
• Meng Qiewei learned that the clan would send five women to meet Jiang Man and chose to borrow a Collateral Line identity; Qing Dai also reported that powerful cultivators had entered the Magpie Bridge.
• Jiang Man waited for Meng Qiewei when the Magpie Bridge opened at the end of July, but she did not come, and Old Yellow Ox told him to ask his wife instead.