Chapter Summaries

Qin Tiexin studied the Blood Qi Heavy Abyss martial skill, weighing its uses and risks before practicing its first stage. By the next day, he had stabilized the Qi and Blood vortex and prepared to learn the second stage.

• Qin Tiexin read how the Heavy Abyss Domain could slow enemies, disrupt their movement, and suppress spiritual power, along with the technique’s limitations.
• Qin Tiexin considered combining the domain with the Sumeru Immovable Instruction’s nine Earth Wheels to strengthen its effects.
• Qin Tiexin practiced gathering Qi and Blood at his Shanzhong acupoint beneath the locust tree, but struggled to form a stable vortex.
• Qin Tiexin stayed home during the talisman-crafting assessment while Lin Chuan and the others went to watch.
• Qin Tiexin stabilized the first stage, Forging the Abyss, and determined he could maintain its vortex for about half an hour before attempting Bringing Forth the Abyss.

Qin Tiexin practiced projecting and controlling his Qi-and-Blood domain, improving its accuracy after enlarging it, then replenished his strength and continued cultivating. Two days before the artifact-refining contest, he attended the formation assessment to support Liu Suifeng and learn about formations.

• Qin Tiexin formed a Qi-and-Blood domain with one fist, but struggled to direct it accurately and keep its shape while using his foot.
• Qin Tiexin enlarged the domain to six feet and practiced until he could project it thirty feet with less than a foot of deviation.
• Qin Tiexin stewed and ate several cauldrons of Demon Beast meat, restoring and strengthening his Qi and Blood before cultivating the True Fire Furnace Scripture.
• Qin Tiexin went to the formation assessment to support Liu Suifeng and learn principles relevant to forging Spirit Artifacts.

Qin Tiexin watched Liu Suifeng win the array-laying assessment and gained insight into how arrays could guide his future spirit-artifact crafting. After the group congratulated Liu Suifeng, Qin Tiexin headed back to his courtyard to prepare for his own Arena Trial match the next day.

• Qin Tiexin watched Liu Suifeng lay a complete, smoothly operating array much faster than the other contestants.
• Qin Tiexin realized that arrays formed a unified whole, unlike his separate spirit runes, and considered applying array principles to future spirit artifacts.
• Liu Suifeng adjusted his array, and the judges later announced him as the assessment's first-place winner.
• Liu Suifeng celebrated with Lin Chuan, Du Heng, Xu Ying, and Qin Tiexin, then agreed to postpone dinner until after the Arena Trial.
• Qin Tiexin returned to his courtyard while continuing to think about arrays.

Qin Tiexin prepared for the artifact-refining assessment, pondering how Spirit Runes might be fused into a unified Law Artifact. At the assessment, he purified and blended wood spirit copper with copper essence, drawing the masters’ attention as he began forging.

• Qin Tiexin told Ming'an that Liu Suifeng had taken first place and prepared for the artifact-refining assessment by cultivating and resting.
• Qin Tiexin arrived at the assessment with Lin Chuan, Liu Suifeng, Du Heng, and Xu Ying, then chose wood spirit copper, copper essence, and a five-thousand-jin hammer.
• Qin Tiexin used his Spiritual Qi to strengthen the earthfire and carefully purified the wood spirit copper.
• The three master artifact refiners praised Qin Tiexin’s technique but noted that his missing hand could hinder his work.
• Qin Tiexin blended the purified wood spirit copper with copper essence, formed a metal ingot, and placed it on the hammering platform.

Qin Tiexin used a one-handed hammering technique to forge a copper scabbard, then inscribed it with three complementary wood-attribute Spirit Runes. Lin Chuan recognized that the scabbard was made to fit his sword exactly, while a renowned master offered to take Qin Tiexin as a disciple.

• Qin Tiexin hammered the copper ingot into a thin sheet using one hand, drawing praise from the spectators and a renowned master's offer of discipleship.
• Qin Tiexin folded the sheet into a scabbard, fused its seam, and added grooves to prepare for a Spirit Rune Array.
• Lin Chuan noticed that the scabbard's shape and dimensions matched the sword at his waist.
• Qin Tiexin engraved the entwining silk, wood breath, and spring returns Spirit Runes into the scabbard.
• Qin Tiexin completed an upper-grade Law Artifact whose three runes complemented one another and could be fused further into a Spirit Artifact.

Qin Tiexin finished third in the artifact-refining assessment with a finely made wood-attribute scabbard. He gave it to Lin Chuan, while the judges recognized Qin Tiexin’s skill as approaching that of a third-tier artifact refiner.

• Qin Tiexin finished his scabbard and submitted it for the masters to judge.
• The masters praised the scabbard’s three Spirit Runes, workmanship, and precise use of spiritual materials.
• The assessment results placed Qin Tiexin’s scabbard third, behind a heavy shield and a sect-forged sword.
• Qin Tiexin gave the scabbard to Lin Chuan, who fitted it to his sword and gratefully accepted it.
• Du Heng asked Qin Tiexin to make him a scabbard, and Liu Suifeng asked about commissioning array-disc bases.
• The masters discussed Qin Tiexin’s skill and said he had reached the threshold of a third-tier artifact refiner.

The prince announced the Arena Trial shortlist and rankings, with Qin Tiexin placing fifteenth and his companions also qualifying. With the final competition five days away, Qin Tiexin considered how to fight while keeping his three identities and techniques secret.

• The prince announced the Arena Trial rules and revealed that Liu Suifeng ranked eighth, Qin Tiexin fifteenth, Xu Ying twenty-fifth, and Lin Chuan and Du Heng also qualified among the 128 contestants.
• The prince scheduled the Arena Trial for five days later and announced rewards including an audience with the emperor, access to the imperial treasury, and official posts.
• Qin Tiexin and his companions discussed their rankings as they left, while Qin Tiexin worried about choosing techniques that would not expose his identities or secrets.
• Qin Tiexin returned to the courtyard, told Ming'an that he had placed third in the artifact-refining assessment and fifteenth overall, and said he would do his best in the Arena Trial.

Qin Tiexin spent five days preparing for the Arena Trial, improving his techniques and choosing which skills and weapons he could safely reveal. As the competition approached, he invited Ming'an to watch the matches with him.

• Qin Tiexin stayed hidden in the little courtyard and trained his Sumeru Stance and Blood Qi Heavy Abyss, learning to combine the two techniques.
• Qin Tiexin brought himself to peak condition, chose which martial techniques and weapons to use, and ruled out techniques that might expose his identity.
• Qin Tiexin gave Ming'an a Storage Bag with Buddhist scripture Jade Slips, while Ming'an secretly hesitated over Buddhist Disciple Chengxin's request to become his disciple.
• Lin Chuan told Qin Tiexin that the Arena Trial would pair 128 contestants randomly, use seven elimination rounds to select the top ten, and then hold a challenge round.
• Qin Tiexin finished preparing his weapons and supplies, then invited Ming'an to watch the Arena Trial the next day.

Qin Tiexin brought Ming'an to the Arena Trial, then entrusted him to the Lin Residence while he competed. The crown prince announced the rewards and the rules for the seven elimination rounds, leaving the contestants ready for the first matches.

• Qin Tiexin took Ming'an to the arena and arranged for him to stay with Madam Lin at the Lin Residence for five or six days.
• Qin Tiexin joined Lin Chuan and the other contestants in the crowded arena grounds, where cultivators from across the dynasties had gathered to watch.
• Crown Prince Chen Xiao arrived and announced that the top ten contestants would meet the emperor, enter the imperial Spirit Vein, choose an item from the imperial treasury, and receive a secret reward.
• A Star Selection Bureau official explained that the 128 contestants would face seven rounds of random elimination across eight arenas, with each match ending at concession or when a contestant could no longer fight.

Qin Tiexin and Liu Suifeng drew each other in the first round of the Star Selection tournament, despite both being among the top sixteen. Liu Suifeng refused to surrender and faced Qin Tiexin in Arena Six as monks in the stands recognized Qin Tiexin’s staff as Yuanshun’s and discussed targeting him.

• The arena draws paired Qin Tiexin, listed as Mingjue, against Liu Suifeng in Arena Six.
• Du Heng teased Liu Suifeng about surrendering, while Lin Chuan and Xu Ying encouraged him to fight; Liu Suifeng declared he would give it everything he had.
• Qin Tiexin and Liu Suifeng took their places in Arena Six, where a deacon confirmed the rules and their identities.
• Qin Tiexin brought out Yuanshun’s monk’s staff, and monks from the Buddhist sects recognized it and suspected he had killed Yuanshun.
• The monks discussed having Chen Du kill Qin Tiexin if they met, while Liu Suifeng prepared three small flags and the battle began.

Liu Suifeng used a series of formations to stall Qin Tiexin, but Qin broke through and won the arena match. Afterward, Qin discovered that Liu’s left arm concealed the Ultimate Formation, Beginner Version, and advised him on improving his formations.

• Liu Suifeng opened the match by stacking three formations around Qin Tiexin, who endured them with his Earth Wheels and forced his way out.
• Liu Suifeng added lightning and fire formations and fought from a distance, but his spiritual power waned while Qin remained largely unharmed.
• Qin Tiexin charged through the failing formations and knocked Liu Suifeng off the arena with a punch, winning the match.
• Qin noticed the unusual hardness of Liu Suifeng’s left arm, and Liu revealed that it concealed the Ultimate Formation, Beginner Version.
• Qin helped the injured Liu back to the rest area and suggested that he combine lightning and water formations next time.

Xu Ying was eliminated by Lan Lingwei in the first round of the Arena Trial, while Lin Chuan, Du Heng, and Ling Shuyao advanced. After the first day's matches ended, Qin Tiexin assessed the other contestants and learned that a day of recovery and recruitment activities would precede the next round.

• Xu Ying conceded to Lan Lingwei after two exchanges, and Lin Chuan reassured her as she left the platform.
• Du Heng defeated a swift swordsman with his heavy sword, and Lin Chuan forced a body cultivator to concede while keeping Azure Ribbon in reserve.
• Ling Shuyao's puppets overwhelmed her opponent, while Meng Qingchen and Liu Xiaoyu were eliminated in their first-round matches.
• Qian Donglai, Yan Yue, Meng Qingxin, and Xiao Yan advanced into the top sixty-four, and Qin Tiexin concluded that the contestants were stronger than he had expected.
• The Star Selection Bureau ended the first day's eight rounds and announced a day for recovery, assessments, sect selections, and recruitment.
• Qin Tiexin stayed at the training ground to cultivate overnight and recovered to ninety percent of his best condition.

Qin Tiexin learned that Ling Shuyao would be his opponent in the next Star Selection match and entered the arena to face her. Ling Shuyao deployed three puppets to keep him from building power, and their first clash ended with his staff striking the defensive puppet’s shield.

• Qin Tiexin watched recruiters gather outside the drill grounds and spent the day meditating in his room.
• The Star Selection Bureau announced the next round’s rules, and the light screen matched Qin Tiexin against Ling Shuyao.
• Ling Shuyao told Qin Tiexin she would not hold back and wondered how many trump cards he had left.
• Ling Shuyao summoned three puppets that surrounded Qin Tiexin and used the scout puppet to disrupt his Earth Wheel.
• Qin Tiexin struck the defensive puppet’s heavy shield with his monk’s staff.

Qin Tiexin used his newly forged short saber, Star Scar, to defeat Ling Shuyao after her Bright Eyes Break Techniques had predicted his staff attacks. The victory raised expectations for Mingjue’s tournament standing, while Ling Shuyao learned that he had secretly mastered saber techniques and artifact forging.

• Ling Shuyao used three reinforced puppets and her knowledge of Qin Tiexin’s staff techniques to keep him on the defensive.
• Qin Tiexin drew Star Scar and changed his footwork and attacks, causing Ling Shuyao’s predictions to become unreliable.
• Qin Tiexin disabled Ling Shuyao’s scout, defense, and attack puppets with precise saber strikes.
• Ling Shuyao conceded, and the steward announced Mingjue as the winner.
• Onlookers and bettors raised their expectations for Mingjue’s tournament ranking.
• Ling Shuyao asked Qin Tiexin about Star Scar, and he confirmed that he had forged the supreme-grade law artifact himself.

Qin Tiexin reflected on his match with Ling Shuyao while watching the tournament’s other fights. Xiao Yan and Lin Chuan advanced, but Du Heng lost to a powerful axe wielder and was eliminated.

• Qin Tiexin replenished his strength and reviewed how Star Scar had helped him defeat Ling Shuyao, noting the risks of facing a Puppet Master in a real fight.
• Xiao Yan endured a lengthy battle with a higher-ranked sword cultivator, seized an opening, and won with a palm strike.
• Lin Chuan defeated an opponent whose techniques were countered by his swordsmanship and advanced to the final thirty-two.
• Du Heng struggled against a young axe wielder whose strength and defenses overwhelmed his attacks.
• Du Heng unleashed Earth Splitter Slash, but the axe wielder met it head-on and remained standing after the clash.
• Exhausted and out of spiritual power, Du Heng conceded the match and was eliminated.

After the final thirty-two qualifiers were decided, Qin Tiexin recovered and received a message from Senior Brother Chen Xi asking him to wait in a small room. Instead, he drew attention at the recruitment square and began meeting with eager representatives from major powers.

• Du Heng finished his match exhausted, and Qin Tiexin recognized Jiang Cheng’s fighting style and wondered whether he was descended from Jiang Lie.
• The tournament’s final thirty-two qualifiers were decided, with every remaining cultivator at Foundation Establishment Late Stage or higher.
• Medical cultivators treated Du Heng, while Qin Tiexin recovered through meditation and received a voice transmission from Senior Brother Chen Xi.
• Qin Tiexin went to the square, where cultivators and representatives recognized Master Mingjue and speculated about why he was there.
• A Star Selection Bureau staff member led Qin Tiexin into a soundproof room, while representatives formed a queue outside to speak with him.

Qin Tiexin received generous recruitment offers from groups across the Heavenly South Domain but declined to commit because he planned to return to the Azure Xuan Region. The final visitor, a liaison from Starfield City, revealed herself to be Chen Xi using a female puppet, leaving Qin Tiexin to ask whether something had happened.

• A liaison from Ten Thousand Stars City's city lord's residence offered Qin Tiexin a shop, a stipend, housing, and other benefits, but he said he needed time to consider.
• A representative of the Crimson Melt Sect offered Qin Tiexin an outer sect elder position, a peak, attendants, and a future Spirit Fire, and he again declined to decide.
• Representatives from other organizations made offers that included help reattaching his arm and rebuilding Zhaoming Temple, but Qin Tiexin kept his suspicions hidden and told them all he would think it over.
• After four hours of meetings, a woman from Starfield City's city lord's residence entered and set up an anti-scrying formation.
• The woman revealed through voice transmission that she was Chen Xi using a puppet, and Qin Tiexin asked whether something had happened.

Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin how he could reattach his severed arm by reaching the Star Selection’s final four and arranging for Su Qing to treat him inside the imperial palace’s secret realm. Qin Tiexin accepted the plan and resolved to keep fighting in the arena.

• Chen Xi examined Qin Tiexin’s preserved arm and confirmed it had not deteriorated.
• Chen Xi explained that Su Qing had agreed to help and instructed Qin Tiexin to suppress his cultivation while he prepared the arm with herbs and Demon Beast Essence Blood.
• Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin to reach at least the final four to earn enough secret-realm cultivation time for Su Qing to treat him.
• Chen Xi placed a deception talisman in Qin Tiexin’s abdomen so he could make his meridians appear injured and summon Su Qing without harming himself.
• Chen Xi reminded Qin Tiexin to release the white jade puppet inside the palace and warned him to avoid injury.
• After Chen Xi left, Qin Tiexin looked at his empty sleeve and resolved to keep advancing in the arena.

Qin Tiexin watched the top thirty-two contestants battle and assessed the strengths and weaknesses of several potential opponents. As the matches continued, a sixth contestant caught his attention, but the chapter ended before identifying him.

• The Star Selection Bureau reinforced arena protections and ran the top-thirty-two matches across two arenas.
• Qin Tiexin watched Fu Qingge use layered talismans and considered how he might counter her.
• Qin Tiexin studied Lu Qingye’s coordinated tamed beasts and planned to disrupt the beast tamer’s control.
• Qin Tiexin examined Xie Chen’s rusty swordsmanship and considered how to survive a fight against him.
• Qin Tiexin assessed Xiao Zhenyue’s heavy combat style and Gu Ting’s lightning, fire, and pills.
• Qin Tiexin watched two matches without finding a clear solution, then focused on a sixth contestant.

Qin Tiexin faced the powerful young body cultivator Jiang Cheng in the final match of the day, meeting his strength head-on before defending against his fierce axe attacks. Qin Tiexin recognized that Jiang Cheng relied on a limited set of forceful attacks, and the match continued with Qin holding his ground.

• Chen Du's faint killing intent unsettled Qin Tiexin, who memorized his face and resolved to stay alert.
• Xiao Yan advanced after her Buddhist opponent unexpectedly conceded, and the remaining matches brought the contestants into the top sixteen.
• The eighth-round draw matched Qin Tiexin against Jiang Cheng and Lin Chuan against Cheng Jia.
• Jiang Cheng asked whether Qin Tiexin was a body cultivator, then charged and struck him with a fist; Qin met the blow and remained unmoved while Jiang Cheng retreated.
• Jiang Cheng attacked with his enormous axe, but Qin Tiexin blocked each blow with his Buddhist staff and judged that Jiang's technique relied on a few repetitive, powerful strikes.