Recaps

Qin Tiexin defeated Jiang Cheng in the tournament after Jiang conceded, while Lin Chuan won his match and secured a place among the top sixteen. The round of sixteen was set for the day after tomorrow, and Qin Tiexin recovered while considering how future opponents might counter his growing strength.

• Qin Tiexin used the Sumeru Immovable Instruction to strengthen his staff and held his ground against Jiang Cheng’s axe until he knocked Jiang beyond the arena’s edge.
• Jiang Cheng returned to the platform, conceded without using his finishing move, and accepted Qin Tiexin’s invitation to meet the next day.
• Qin Tiexin watched Lin Chuan use his flexible sword, Azure Ribbon, to disarm the saber cultivator and qualify for the top sixteen.
• An official announced that the round of sixteen would begin the day after tomorrow, with matches held one at a time and Golden Core Peak cultivators offering advice.
• Qin Tiexin recovered most of his spiritual power and Qi and Blood overnight, reflecting on Jiang Cheng’s weaknesses and how future opponents could disrupt his technique.

Qin Tiexin returned Jiang Cheng’s ancestor Jiang Lie’s remains and belongings, including the Earth Splitter Axe and the location of his buried wealth. Jiang Cheng left immediately to report the discovery to the Jiang Household, whose incomplete axe techniques could now be restored.

• Qin Tiexin took Jiang Cheng to a secured room and revealed that he knew Jiang Cheng had entered the Star Selection to seek his ancestor’s inheritance.
• Jiang Cheng used his essence blood to activate a Jade Slip, confirming his connection to Jiang Lie and the Jiang Household.
• Qin Tiexin told Jiang Cheng how he found Jiang Lie’s remains, broken Earth Splitter Axe, and instructions for identifying his descendants.
• Jiang Cheng offered the Earth Splitter Axe back, but Qin Tiexin returned it to him along with the Jade Slip containing the buried storage Law Artifact’s location and half of Jiang Lie’s wealth.
• Jiang Cheng explained that Jiang Lie’s disappearance had left the Jiang Household’s axe techniques incomplete, then thanked Qin Tiexin and hurried home to inform the elders.

Qin Tiexin suppressed a near-breakthrough in Qi and blood but advanced to the Foundation Establishment late stage, while Chen Xi prepared his severed arm for reattachment using a Golden-Tailed Flood Dragon and other captive beasts. The round of sixteen began at the Morning Star Training Ground before a crowd and powerful Golden Core spectators, and Qin Tiexin watched the arena.

• Qin Tiexin held his Qi and blood cultivation below its threshold to avoid hindering the reattachment of his arm, but his Primordial Unity Instruction advanced him to the Foundation Establishment late stage.
• Chen Xi treated Qin Tiexin's severed arm in a cauldron, draining a Golden-Tailed Flood Dragon's essence blood, venom, and tendon to strengthen it.
• Chen Xi declared that the other captive Golden Core Demon Beasts would become food for his junior brother.
• The next day, the round of sixteen began at the Morning Star Training Ground as four Golden Core peak leaders and other powerful cultivators arrived to watch.
• Qin Tiexin looked toward the arena as the contestants waited in a tense, crowded training ground.

Fu Qingge, Xiao Zhenyue, and Xie Chen won their matches in the Battle of Talismans. The chapter ended after Kong Yu conceded to Xie Chen and several city lords' residences competed to recruit him.

• Fu Qingge overwhelmed Qian Donglai with coordinated second-tier talismans, and Qian Donglai conceded after his life-saving Law Artifact blocked her attack.
• Xiao Zhenyue defeated Lu Qingye despite his tamed beasts and forced him to concede after striking him with his halberd.
• Xie Chen defeated Kong Yu in three sword strikes, breaking his defenses and holding his rusty sword to Kong Yu's neck.
• Several city lords' liaisons surrounded Kong Yu with offers and calling cards after he left the platform.

Qin Tiexin, fighting as Mingjue, faced Chen Chen in the fourth match and forced the prince into close combat despite Chen Chen’s starlight techniques. The duel continued with Chen Chen drawing his sword as Qin Tiexin pressed forward and took minor wounds.

• Qin Tiexin and Chen Chen were announced as opponents, and both entered the arena.
• Chen Chen opened with starlight blades and chains, but Qin Tiexin blocked them with his monk’s staff and broke free of the chains.
• Chen Chen’s attacks grew stronger as he borrowed force, so Qin Tiexin charged through the starlight and took a cut to his ribs to close the distance.
• Qin Tiexin snapped Chen Chen’s chains and kept him trapped in close combat, gradually disrupting his breathing.
• Chen Chen drew his upper-grade law artifact sword and attacked, while Qin Tiexin endured minor wounds and continued pressing him with his staff.

Qin Tiexin defeated Chen Chen and advanced into the tournament’s top eight. After the imperial Attendant criticized Chen Chen’s fundamentals and advised Qin Tiexin to change weapons, Qin Tiexin decided to rely on his fists and feet to better conceal his identity.

• Qin Tiexin broke through Chen Chen’s shields with a powerful kick, and Chen Chen conceded after his jade pendant absorbed much of the blow.
• Qin Tiexin left the arena with Lin Chuan’s help while the crowd reacted to Chen Chen’s unexpected defeat.
• The imperial Attendant reprimanded Chen Chen for weak fundamentals and ordered him to spend six more months at the academy.
• The imperial Attendant told Qin Tiexin that the monk’s staff did not suit him and suggested a heavy sword, prompting Qin Tiexin to avoid using the staff.
• Qin Tiexin recovered from his wound and watched as Lan Lingwei prepared to face Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan lost to Lan Lingwei, while Chen Du, Xiao Yan, and Gu Ting won their matches, completing the final eight. After Gu Ting defeated Yan Yue in a grueling battle, Crown Prince Chen Xiao gave each finalist a Star Gentleness Pill to help them recover before the matches for the final four.

• Lan Lingwei defeated Lin Chuan with her ice and water techniques, ending his run in the round of sixteen.
• Chen Du beat an armored opponent with a poisoned blade, and Qin Tiexin noticed Chen Du's brief hostile glance toward him.
• Xiao Yan defeated her opponent with markedly improved Buddhist martial techniques, prompting Qin Tiexin to suspect a connection to the secret method used by Xiao Wan and Xiao Rou.
• Gu Ting outlasted Yan Yue in a prolonged battle of lightning, fire, and physical attacks, and the referee declared Gu Ting the winner after Yan Yue fell unconscious.
• Fu Qingge, Xiao Zhenyue, Xie Chen, Mingjue, Lan Lingwei, Chen Du, Xiao Yan, and Gu Ting were named as the final eight.
• Crown Prince Chen Xiao gave each finalist a Star Gentleness Pill, and they returned to their rooms to recover.

Qin Tiexin recovered from his fight with Chen Chen and reviewed his cultivation plans and mistakes from the match. With his place in the top eight secured, he decided to fight barehanded next and weighed which opponents he wanted to face as the tournament continued.

• Qin Tiexin took the Star Gentleness Pill, which eased the lingering pain from Chen Chen's attacks and helped his wound heal.
• Qin Tiexin considered the Chen Household's cultivation method and the Star Gentleness Pill's connection to its starlight, but set aside his curiosity and practiced the Primordial Unity Instruction.
• Qin Tiexin cultivated Qi Refining while temporarily avoiding Body Refining, since his senior brother had forbidden another breakthrough before his arm was reattached.
• Qin Tiexin reviewed his fight and recognized that using a monk's staff had exposed his heavy-saber style, so he resolved to fight barehanded in his next match.
• Qin Tiexin planned to pursue the top four for the cultivation time Senior Brother Chen Xi had requested, and identified Xiao Zhenyue and Gu Ting as opponents he wanted to face while remaining wary of Chen Du and Xiao Yan.

Six contestants studied intelligence on Mingjue and considered how to counter his fighting style, while Qin Tiexin continued cultivating, unaware that his opponents were analyzing him. The chapter left the contestants preparing for the next day's matches.

• Gu Ting read Mingjue's strengths and weaknesses and recognized that his own ranged Law Techniques could exploit them.
• Fu Qingge planned to use chain explosion talismans and a Teleportation Talisman to keep Mingjue at a distance.
• Lan Lingwei planned to control the battlefield with ice Law Techniques and attack Mingjue's exposed rear right side.
• Xiao Zhenyue rejected the advice to kite Mingjue and prepared to face him head-on with his shield and halberd.
• Chen Du called Mingjue a dead man after reading the intelligence, while Xiao Yan wondered whether Liu Qing was connected to Mingjue's strength while standing still.
• Qin Tiexin continued cultivating, unaware that six opponents had analyzed his fighting tactics.

Xie Chen faced Fu Qingge in the Star Selection quarterfinals, cutting through her layered talisman attacks with his rusty sword. He stopped the sword an inch from her forehead, leaving the match’s outcome unresolved.

• The Star Selection Bureau announced the quarterfinal schedule, and the draw paired Xie Chen with Fu Qingge.
• Fu Qingge covered the arena with concealment, binding, and attack talismans, but Xie Chen shattered most of her first assault in three sword strikes.
• Xie Chen advanced through Fu Qingge’s Gossamer Talismans by stepping through their gaps, while she failed to escape his pursuit.
• Fu Qingge attacked with layered second-tier talismans, but Xie Chen’s gray-black Qi broke through her attacks and defenses.
• Xie Chen stopped his rusty sword an inch from Fu Qingge’s forehead.

Xie Chen defeated Fu Qingge and advanced to the semifinals, then Lan Lingwei and Gu Ting began a closely matched battle. Lan Lingwei flooded the arena to prepare a decisive attack, but Gu Ting revealed that he had deliberately baited her into doing so.

• Fu Qingge conceded after Xie Chen's sword broke through her talisman defenses, and Xie Chen left the arena.
• Qin Tiexin studied Xie Chen's rusty sword and judged him a formidable opponent.
• Lan Lingwei and Gu Ting began their match, with Gu Ting attacking using lightning and fire while Lan Lingwei defended with water and ice techniques.
• Gu Ting feigned exhaustion and used a broad Fire Rain Technique to create an opening for Lan Lingwei.
• Lan Lingwei flooded the arena and began freezing the water, while Gu Ting smiled because he had deliberately lured her into making the arena his intended battleground.

Lan Lingwei used her Pure Water Physique to counter Gu Ting’s lightning and fire techniques, then defeated him after he exhausted his strength with his final attack. Gu Ting conceded, and Lan Lingwei left the arena as the spectators reacted to her victory.

• Gu Ting sent lightning crows into the water, but they could not conduct through Lan Lingwei’s water of utmost purity.
• Lan Lingwei diverted Gu Ting’s lightning pillar with a water curtain and extinguished his sea of fire with waterspouts.
• Gu Ting combined lightning and fire using his secret art, Thunder and Fire as One, but Lan Lingwei’s ice wall eventually exhausted its power.
• Lan Lingwei advanced on Gu Ting and held a saber to his throat, prompting him to concede.
• Lan Lingwei left the arena, and the spectators discussed her Pure Water Physique as the morning matches ended.

Xiao Yan used a soothing sound and mysterious golden Buddhist finger strikes to defeat the formidable Xiao Zhenyue. After his strength was sealed, Xiao Zhenyue surrendered, and Xiao Yan left the platform victorious.

• Xiao Zhenyue overwhelmed Xiao Yan with his shield and halberd, driving her into a corner of the platform.
• Xiao Yan stayed calm as Xiao Zhenyue brought down his Earth Splitter strike, then opened her eyes and made a sustained sound that halted him.
• Xiao Yan sent a golden Buddhist finger strike through Xiao Zhenyue’s defenses and into his chest, then struck his Qi sea with a second attack.
• Xiao Yan struck a third time, sealing Xiao Zhenyue’s strength and forcing him to drop his weapons and kneel.
• Xiao Zhenyue surrendered, and Xiao Yan calmly walked off the platform.

Xiao Yan defeated Xiao Zhenyue with Buddhist martial techniques, leading Qin Tiexin to suspect she was actually Xiao Wan. Qin Tiexin then fought Chen Du, whose poisoned weapons and speed kept him at bay despite the Fire of Life purifying the poison.

• Xiao Yan used Brahma Sea Chan Stillness and the Thousand Epiphyllum Delusion-Breaking Finger to defeat Xiao Zhenyue, and Qin Tiexin recognized both techniques from Xiao Wan.
• Qin Tiexin concluded that Xiao Yan was Xiao Wan and became wary when she gave him a searching look from across the rest area.
• Qin Tiexin entered the fourth match against Chen Du without his monk's staff, carrying only his Star Scar short saber.
• Chen Du's poisoned blade wounded Qin Tiexin, but the Fire of Life absorbed the poison as Qin Tiexin pretended his arm had gone numb.
• Qin Tiexin countered Chen Du's next attack with Blood Vortex Thrust and Prajna Palm, sending Chen Du flying and drawing blood.
• Chen Du released poisonous mist and resumed his evasive attacks, while the two exchanged dozens of blows and Qin Tiexin struggled to close the distance.

Qin Tiexin endured Chen Du’s concentrated poison while waiting for a chance to cripple the assassin’s speed. After wounding Chen Du’s leg, Qin Tiexin unleashed Blood Qi Heavy Abyss, trapping him on his knees as the fight reached its turning point.

• Chen Du injected Qin Tiexin with potent poison that disrupted his Qi and Blood and spiritual power.
• Chen Du attacked again, but Qin Tiexin struck his thigh with the Star Scar short blade and badly wounded his leg.
• Qin Tiexin poured his remaining power into his Fire of Life and activated Blood Qi Heavy Abyss.
• The domain expanded nearly ten feet and forced Chen Du down onto his knees.

Qin Tiexin, competing as Mingjue, defeated Chen Du after his unstable Blood Qi Heavy Abyss crushed Chen Du and ruined his cultivation. Poisoned and barely conscious himself, Qin Tiexin was carried away to recover as the quarterfinals ended and the four semifinalists were confirmed.

• Qin Tiexin's uncontrolled Blood Qi Heavy Abyss pinned Chen Du beneath its crushing gravity while Chen Du refused to concede and reached for a hidden poisoned needle.
• After nearly fifty breaths, Qin Tiexin withdrew the domain, and the medical cultivators determined that Chen Du's Dantian was shattered and his cultivation was ruined.
• The referee declared Mingjue the winner, and Qin Tiexin collapsed as the poison overwhelmed him.
• Xu Ying gave Qin Tiexin an Antidote Pill but said he would have to purify the poison himself, so Lin Chuan and Du Heng helped him to the rest area.
• Qin Tiexin realized he needed a defensive martial technique, and the quarterfinals ended with Mingjue, Lan Lingwei, Xiao Yan, and Xie Chen advancing to the semifinals.

Poisoned and unable to fight, Qin Tiexin learned that he would face Lan Lingwei in the semifinals in two days. With the poison still ravaging his body and no time to recover normally, he decided to risk using Qi-and-Blood pills to strengthen his Fire of Life and burn it away.

• A medical cultivator stabilized Qin Tiexin but warned that he could not compete and needed a month of rest; Xu Ying gave him Poison-Clearing Pills, which eased his symptoms without curing him.
• The Star Selection Bureau announced that the semifinals would take place in two days, followed by the final that afternoon, and drew Lan Lingwei against Mingjue and Xie Chen against Xiao Yan.
• Qin Tiexin returned to his room and realized the poison remained throughout his body, making even standing difficult and preventing him from using his spiritual power.
• Qin Tiexin swallowed the remaining Poison-Clearing Pills and his Antidote Pills, then gathered Qi-and-Blood pills to feed his Fire of Life and accelerate the poison’s removal.

Qin Tiexin endured the poison in his body until the Fire of Life consumed it, pushing his cultivation to the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm. Two days later, he faced Lan Lingwei in the semifinals, with both fighters determined not to hold back.

• Qin Tiexin used the Antidote Pill and the True Fire Furnace Scripture to endure the poison until the Fire of Life consumed it completely.
• Qin Tiexin discovered that his Essence Blood had reached one hundred percent and his cultivation had advanced to the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm; Chen Xi told him the breakthrough would not affect his arm reattachment.
• Qin Tiexin shattered his strength-testing stone with a punch and estimated his strength was just under that of two dragons.
• Two days later, Qin Tiexin appeared recovered at the semifinals and met Lan Lingwei, who said she would not hold back.
• Lin Chuan warned that Lan Lingwei had not used her full strength against Gu Ting, while Lin Wei hoped either Qin Tiexin or Lan Lingwei would become champion.

Qin Tiexin fought Lan Lingwei in the semifinals, breaking through her ice and water spells to close the distance before her Golden Core martial technique let her strike him from behind. The battle continued with Qin Tiexin wounded and Lan Lingwei moving among flowing-water phantoms.

• Qin Tiexin charged Lan Lingwei, but her ice-covered platform and ice spikes disrupted his footing as she glided away to maintain distance.
• Lan Lingwei launched dozens of water spears, and Qin Tiexin drew the Star Scar dagger to cut them apart.
• Lan Lingwei trapped Qin Tiexin in her Spirit-Binding Water Curtain, suppressing his spiritual power, but he tore through it and charged at her.
• Lan Lingwei used Billow Shadow Flowing Blade Body to evade Qin Tiexin's thrust with a water phantom and attack him with her twin blades.
• Lan Lingwei's afterimages confused Qin Tiexin, and her real body cut his shoulder and back, leaving two bloody wounds.

Qin Tiexin wounded Lan Lingwei, who revealed her Golden Core secret method and froze him inside a massive block of ice. Though her frost nearly sealed his spiritual power, his fire of life endured, and he began drawing strength from the earth to fight back.

• Qin Tiexin used his perception of Qi and Blood to locate Lan Lingwei through her water phantoms and cut her waist with his short blade.
• Lan Lingwei activated Frost Heaven Meridian Lock, spreading her cold principle across the arena and slowing Qin Tiexin's movement and spiritual power.
• Lan Lingwei trapped Qin Tiexin in nearly five feet of supremely pure ice and asked the referee to end the match.
• The referee sensed that Qin Tiexin's fire of life still drove Qi and Blood through his meridians, so he told Lan Lingwei that Qin Tiexin could still fight.
• Lan Lingwei intensified the frost until three frostcold marks nearly sealed Qin Tiexin's spiritual power, while Qin Tiexin used Sumeru Immovable Instruction to draw strength from the earth through his planted feet.

Qin Tiexin broke free of Lan Lingwei’s ice technique and won the first semifinal, while Xiao Wan prepared to risk exposing her identity to reach the finals and confront Mingjue. Her semifinal against Xie Chen began with her revealing a talisman that raised her cultivation to the false core realm.

• Qin Tiexin completed his nine-layer Earth Wheel and shattered Lan Lingwei’s ice prison with a single Arhat Fist punch.
• Lan Lingwei conceded, and the referee declared Mingjue the winner; Qin Tiexin helped her up before she left the arena.
• Xiao Wan decided she had to defeat Xie Chen to face Mingjue and investigate his identity and bracelet.
• Xiao Wan and Xie Chen entered the arena, where she told him to concede and he drew his rusty sword.
• Xiao Wan crushed her jade talisman, raising her cultivation to the false core realm and drawing spiritual Qi into a vortex around her.

Xie Chen fought Xiao Wan, who revealed her False Core Realm cultivation and overwhelmed him with Buddhist techniques. After enduring her attacks to build his sword momentum, he unsealed Remnant Firmament and launched a powerful final strike, leaving the crowd convinced that Xiao Yan was about to lose.

• Xiao Wan revealed her False Core Realm cultivation, which the Star Selection Bureau official confirmed was still within the rules, and manifested an eight-armed Buddha.
• Xie Chen attacked but was stopped by Xiao Wan’s Buddhist force field and had his spiritual power disrupted by her Thousand Epiphyllum Delusion-Breaking Finger.
• Xie Chen adapted by targeting gaps in Xiao Wan’s seals, weakening her Buddha phantom, while her Great Tranquility Demon-Subduing Sound pressured his mind and drove his sword momentum higher.
• Xie Chen endured Xiao Wan’s attacks and unleashed three sword forms in succession, shattering most of the eight-armed Buddha’s arms.
• Xie Chen burned his sword essence and Essence Blood to unseal Remnant Firmament, then launched One Sword Without Return as the spectators declared that Xiao Yan was about to lose.

Xiao Wan defeated Xie Chen in the semifinals by using the Principle of Nirvanic Chan Mind, setting up a final against Mingjue. As Qin Tiexin recovered, he weighed how to face Xiao Wan without revealing that he was Liu Qing, but had not yet found her weakness.

• Xiao Wan suppressed Xie Chen's sword intent and killing move with the Principle of Nirvanic Chan Mind, then sent him out of the arena.
• The Star Selection Bureau official declared Xiao Yan the winner, and Xiao Wan studied Qin Tiexin for signs that he was Liu Qing before returning to the rest area.
• Betting favored Xiao Yan, but one person placed three hundred thousand spirit stones on Mingjue to win.
• The Star Selection Bureau provided Qin Tiexin and Xiao Wan with separate chambers and resources to recover before the final.
• Qin Tiexin considered how to fight Xiao Wan without using techniques that would expose him, and wondered whether she had any weaknesses.

Qin Tiexin realized that conceding was the safest way to keep Xiao Wan from exposing his identity as Liu Qing. Xiao Wan won the championship, but as she left, Qin Tiexin reported her for taking the exam in someone else’s place.

• Qin Tiexin and Xiao Wan entered the final match before a packed crowd, and the Star Selection Bureau announced that it would end only when someone conceded or could no longer fight.
• Xiao Wan trapped both fighters inside the Pure Dharma Glazed Realm, which suppressed non-Buddhist martial techniques, and challenged Qin Tiexin to reveal his true abilities as Liu Qing.
• As Xiao Wan approached with a Buddhist attack, Qin Tiexin raised his hand and conceded, stunning the spectators and frustrating her attempt to expose him.
• Xiao Wan continued toward Qin Tiexin, but three Golden Core cultivators intervened, declared her the champion, and stopped her from attacking him.
• As Xiao Wan turned to leave, Qin Tiexin reported Xiao Yan for taking the exam in someone else’s place.

Qin Tiexin accused Xiao Yan of using a stand-in, and Xiao Wan fled when the Star Selection officials ordered an identity check. With Xiao Yan’s results annulled, the crown prince and several factions competed to recruit Qin Tiexin as Mingjue.

• Qin Tiexin told the chief referee that Xiao Yan was a stand-in because her cultivation and martial techniques differed from those he had seen before.
• When ordered to verify her identity, Xiao Wan withdrew the Pure Dharma Glazed Realm and fled the drill grounds.
• A masked Buddhist cultivator blocked the Golden Core pursuers, allowing Xiao Wan and the cultivator to escape.
• Crown Prince Chen Xiao ordered an investigation into the stand-in incident, a search of the Xiao Residence, and the annulment of Xiao Yan’s results.
• Qin Tiexin explained his suspicions to Chen Xiao, who praised his judgment and offered him the post of guard commander.
• Representatives from the Supreme Splendor Academy, Nebula Sect, and city lord’s residence also offered Qin Tiexin positions and benefits.