Chapter Summaries

Chu Tiannan signed a contract joining East Martial Arts Hall and received a villa in Aspirational Feather, its district for promising Martial Artists. He arrived at Villa 99, where he planned to settle in before his assessment the next day.

• Wang Jinhai warned Chu Tiannan not to betray East Martial Arts Hall and told him to remain in his villa until his Martial Artist assessment the next day.
• Chu Tiannan invited A Lai to visit his new villa, and A Lai agreed to bring other Martial Artists along.
• A Lai explained that Aspirational Feather was the villa district for future elite Martial Artists as he drove Chu Tiannan there.
• The district system confirmed Chu Tiannan's identity, allowing him and A Lai to enter.
• Chu Tiannan reached Villa 99 and marveled at the three-story house.

After meeting A Lai’s former comrades, Chu Tiannan trained with Flowing Shadow and resolved to master his weapons’ first stage while working toward the system’s advancement requirements. The next morning, an assessment official woke him and ordered him downstairs for the martial artist assessment.

• A Lai introduced Chu Tiannan to a dozen powerful martial artists who had once fought alongside him, and Chu Tiannan promised to help A Lai get revenge when he became a martial grandmaster.
• After the gathering, Chu Tiannan went to the basement and practiced Flowing Shadow, quickly making progress thanks to his powerful soul.
• Chu Tiannan considered combining Flowing Shadow with Treading Snow and asked Devour when his Heaven-Deriving Sword and Heavenly Sin Mingshe could advance.
• Devour said the weapons’ second stage required Chu Tiannan’s base life level or base soul level to reach a hundredfold, so Chu Tiannan vowed to perfect their first stage.
• The following morning, a voice woke Chu Tiannan and ordered him downstairs for the martial artist assessment.

Chu Tiannan arrived at the martial artist assessment grounds, where over a thousand candidates gathered outside the ruined city. As factions advertised their benefits and recruited candidates, Chu Tiannan focused on using the Demon Beasts inside to hone himself.

• The military brought more captive Demon Beasts into the ruined city because there were too few trial targets for the many prospective martial artists.
• Chu Tiannan surveyed the crowded assessment grounds and reminded himself that carelessness could cost him his life.
• The Earth Commercial Alliance, World Mercenary Alliance, North Martial Arts Hall, and East Martial Arts Hall advertised their benefits and invited candidates to join.
• Candidates discussed which factions they hoped to join, while Chu Tiannan noted that he had already signed a contract.
• Chu Tiannan watched the Demon Beasts in the ruins and decided to use the assessment as an opportunity to hone himself.

Chu Tiannan met An Liena, who warned him not to take his Grade A Genetic Modification Agent until she told him to, then learned from Wang Jinhai that he should show his full strength in the upcoming assessment. The prospective martial artists were called to collect their equipment before entering the assessment area.

• An Liena confronted Chu Tiannan and told him to wait for her instruction before drinking his Grade A Genetic Modification Agent.
• Chu Tiannan sensed that An Liena's oppressive influence came from her soul and wondered what she was.
• Wang Jinhai summoned Chu Tiannan to the East Martial Arts Hall camp and urged him to use his full strength during the assessment.
• Wang Jinhai hinted that showing his strength could benefit Chu Tiannan.
• The site broadcast ordered all prospective martial artists to collect their equipment within fifteen minutes before entering the assessment area together.

Chu Tiannan collected ordinary weapons for the assessment while surrendering the Heaven-Deriving Sword, then learned the dangerous test would admit only the top three hundred candidates. The assessment began as the candidates entered the ruined city, while Wang Jinhai and other instructors watched from the East Martial Arts Hall camp beside a mysterious gray-robed figure.

• Chu Tiannan handed over the Heaven-Deriving Sword after its weight crushed a table, then took a military longsword and secured a short blade to his thigh.
• A middle-aged soldier explained that candidates would receive no help, that their wristbands would track Demon Beast kills, and that only the top three hundred would be accepted.
• Chu Tiannan worried that he could not Devour the Demon Beasts without the Heaven-Deriving Sword, though he was not concerned about surviving the assessment.
• The middle-aged soldier warned that withdrawing would permanently bar candidates from taking the assessment, and no one chose to leave.
• Wang Jinhai and several instructors watched the entrance to the ruined city from the East Martial Arts Hall camp as a gray-robed figure sat silently nearby.
• The middle-aged soldier opened the gate and announced that the assessment had begun, with a time limit of half a month.

Chu Tiannan entered the city ruins assessment and killed a Demon Beast with one decisive slash. The East and North Martial Arts Halls watched his performance, and the North Hall’s deputy hall master decided to assess his potential before considering an expensive recruitment offer.

• Chu Tiannan entered the city ruins with the less experienced group and quickly killed a cat demon, earning one kill toward the five required to pass.
• Chu Tiannan set off deeper into the ruins to strengthen his combat ability.
• At the East Martial Arts Hall camp, Wang Jinhai told Li Dongjie that Chu Tiannan was self-taught and had already reached junior martial master strength before signing.
• At the North Martial Arts Hall camp, the purple-robed deputy hall master judged that Chu Tiannan might already exceed the martial artist level and have the potential to become a martial grandmaster.
• The North Hall deputy hall master stopped Cao Fang from immediately seeking a better contract and chose to watch Chu Tiannan before deciding whether to recruit him at any cost.

On his first day in the assessment, Chu Tiannan found few Demon Beasts and saw the corpses of Prospective Martial Artists who had died along the way. When Liu Cheng’s group tried to rob him of the five points on his bracelet, Chu Tiannan calmly prepared to use them as practice targets.

• Chu Tiannan advanced toward the core zone, having killed five Demon Beasts during the day.
• He encountered the mutilated corpses of several Prospective Martial Artists and reflected on the assessment’s dangers.
• Chu Tiannan noticed an approaching group on his bracelet’s detection map and changed direction to avoid them.
• Liu Cheng and at least six others emerged from the ruins and tried to recruit Chu Tiannan, then blocked his path when he refused.
• Liu Cheng demanded a toll, and Chu Tiannan realized they intended to take his points by force.
• Chu Tiannan faced the group without drawing his sword and said he had been looking for targets to practice on.

Chu Tiannan was ambushed by Liu Cheng and his gang while traveling through the outskirts of the ruins, but he swiftly turned the tables and challenged their leader. As Chu Tiannan charged at Liu Cheng, instructors watching the screen were startled by what they saw, and Li Dongjie found the young fighter interesting.

• A tall young man tried to take Chu Tiannan’s wristband, and Chu Tiannan broke his finger and demanded the gang hand over their battle points.
• Liu Cheng ordered his men to kill Chu Tiannan, but Chu Tiannan easily slipped past their attacks and headed straight for Liu Cheng.
• Liu Cheng underestimated Chu Tiannan and attacked with his saber, confident he could win or escape.
• Chu Tiannan unleashed his aura and advanced with his sword as the instructors watched from the East Martial Arts Hall’s camp.
• The instructors reacted with astonishment to what appeared on the screen, and Li Dongjie privately remarked that Chu Tiannan was interesting.

Chu Tiannan swiftly defeated Liu Cheng and forced him and six accomplices to surrender their scores and call for rescue. After the seven were evacuated, Chu headed for the assessment’s core area, while instructors watched his fight in astonishment.

• Chu Tiannan subdued Liu Cheng in an instant, shocking the young men who had been preparing to attack him.
• Chu ordered Liu Cheng and the others to hand over their scores and call for rescue, threatening to kill anyone who refused.
• The military helicopter evacuated Liu Cheng and the other six young men, ending their careers as Martial Artists.
• Chu checked his wristband score of 27 and set off toward the assessment’s core area, avoiding approaching candidates.
• Instructors at the East Martial Arts Hall camp replayed footage of Chu defeating Liu Cheng and fell silent, while Wang Jinhai watched with a private sneer.

After the instructors watched Chu Tiannan effortlessly defeat Liu Cheng, Li Dongjie recognized him as a remarkable talent for the East Martial Arts Hall. In the city ruins, Chu Tiannan learned about the battle record rewards, realized that killing Demon Beasts alone would not win him first place, and decided to target another Prospective Martial Artist.

• The instructors replayed Chu Tiannan's battle with Liu Cheng and marveled at his extraordinary speed.
• Li Dongjie praised Chu Tiannan's potential and said he was glad the North Martial Arts Hall had not recruited him.
• Chu Tiannan killed a Giant-Toothed Pig, bringing his battle record to 176 and his rank to ninth.
• After learning that first place earned fifty million Earth Currency and the right to choose a combat team, Chu Tiannan pursued Demon Beasts to raise his score.
• Chu Tiannan saw that first place had a battle record of 1,100 and decided to start by targeting the eighth-ranked Prospective Martial Artist.

Mai Luo, a gunner from the North Martial Arts Hall, hunted Demon Beasts to raise his score but found himself confronted by Chu Tiannan. When Mai Luo fired at close range, Chu Tiannan countered with a sword strike.

• Mai Luo used a piece of cheese to lure a giant rat into the open and killed it with his sniper rifle.
• Mai Luo checked his score of 214 and realized he was more than a hundred points behind seventh place with only three days remaining.
• Mai Luo spotted Chu Tiannan behind him and asked why he had come looking for him.
• Chu Tiannan said he wanted Mai Luo's points and planned to rob everyone from the North Martial Arts Hall.
• Mai Luo fired a red-glowing bullet at Chu Tiannan, who raised his longsword and swept out a chilling sword shadow.

Chu Tiannan defeated Mai Luo in a duel and took most of his points, then learned more about the Devouring System’s abilities as he continued through the ruins. The system revealed it could track nearby lifeforms, infiltrate networks, convert devoured items into Earth Currency, and store belongings, leaving Chu Tiannan excited about his path to power.

• Chu Tiannan split Mai Luo’s sniper bullet with his sword and forced him to hand over his points, leaving Mai Luo with 10 and raising his own total to 380.
• Mai Luo warned Chu Tiannan that the person ranked first in points had strength he could not gauge, then alerted his North Martial Arts Hall allies to beware Little Shura.
• Mai Luo killed a Demon Beast to regain a point while his allies vowed to avenge him and challenge Chu Tiannan.
• Chu Tiannan traveled through the ruins, killing Demon Beasts and using the Devouring System to detect lifeforms and assess their strength within ten kilometers.
• The Devouring System told Chu Tiannan it could infiltrate the world’s networks, turn devoured items into Earth Currency, and store his belongings in an expanding system space.
• Chu Tiannan grew excited about the system’s help and resolved that its ability to provide money would help him become stronger.

Chu Tiannan headed toward three advanced martial artists while the first-ranked fighter, Yu, warned the North Martial Arts Hall to avoid Little Shura and focus on the East Martial Arts Hall. After Yu effortlessly killed two Shadow Rats, Chu Tiannan found the three martial artists split up and began secretly following them.

• Chu Tiannan spotted three advanced martial artists near him on the map and set off to hunt them for combat points.
• Yu told the North Martial Arts Hall members to withdraw if they encountered Little Shura and to focus on suppressing the East Martial Arts Hall.
• Yu killed two Shadow Rats that attacked him, then resumed cultivating atop the statue.
• Chu Tiannan caught up with the three martial artists and saw two chasing the one carrying a firearm.
• Chu Tiannan slipped away quietly and began following them.

Chu Tiannan intervened when Wei Yuan and Liu Jie cornered Mo He, a member of the East Martial Arts Hall, and forced Wei Yuan to surrender his battle record. The clash ended with Chu Tiannan holding Wei Yuan at swordpoint and Mo He keeping Liu Jie covered with his sniper rifle.

• Wei Yuan and Liu Jie chased Mo He through a ruined district and demanded his battle record.
• Mo He took cover and called on Lan Di and the East Martial Arts Hall as Wei Yuan closed in with his spear.
• Chu Tiannan appeared, disarmed Wei Yuan, and held a sword to his neck.
• Mo He trained his sniper rifle on Liu Jie, and Wei Yuan recognized Chu Tiannan as Black-Clad Little Shura.
• Chu Tiannan demanded Wei Yuan's battle record, and Wei Yuan agreed to hand it over.

Chu Tiannan forced Wei Yuan and Liu Jie to surrender their battle points, then knocked them unconscious with Mo He’s help. After Mo He realized Chu Tiannan was Little Shura and a member of the East Martial Arts Hall, Chu Tiannan asked him to lead the way to the hall’s territory.

• Chu Tiannan took Wei Yuan’s battle points, leaving him with 10, then threatened Liu Jie until he surrendered his points too.
• Chu Tiannan’s score rose to 850, placing him fourth, and he knocked Liu Jie unconscious.
• Mo He knocked Wei Yuan unconscious before he could threaten Chu Tiannan by invoking Boss Qing Yu.
• Chu Tiannan asked Mo He to take him to the East Martial Arts Hall’s territory.

Chu Tiannan returned with Mo He to meet the other members of the East Martial Arts Hall, who were surprised to learn that Little Shura belonged to their group. Lan Di acknowledged that he was no match for Chu Tiannan, who then asked about Qing Yu.

• Chi Hao and Xiao Lin noticed Mo He returning with Little Shura and saw that Chu Tiannan had climbed to fourth in the rankings.
• Mo He introduced Chu Tiannan to Chi Hao and Xiao Lin as a member of the East Martial Arts Hall.
• Mo He introduced Lan Di as the martial arts hall's leader, but Lan Di rejected the title and said his name was Lan Di.
• Lan Di told Chu Tiannan that he was not his match, shocking Mo He, Chi Hao, and Xiao Lin.
• Chu Tiannan said he had come to ask about something, and Lan Di guessed he wanted to know about Qing Yu.

Chu Tiannan learned about Qing Yu’s strength from Lan Di and went to the central plaza to challenge him for first place. Qing Yu recognized him, and Chu Tiannan drew his sword and asked him to step aside.

• Lan Di told Chu Tiannan that Qing Yu led the rankings, was an exceptionally powerful swordsman, and might have reached the Junior Martial Master level.
• Lan Di admitted that Qing Yu had not used his full strength when they fought, while he himself had no intention of challenging Chu Tiannan.
• Lan Di directed Chu Tiannan to the waste plaza, where Demon Beasts were most heavily concentrated, and Chu Tiannan left to find Qing Yu.
• Chu Tiannan found Qing Yu sitting atop a stone statue in the central plaza, surrounded by Demon Beast corpses.
• Qing Yu and Chu Tiannan recognized each other, and Chu Tiannan drew his sword and challenged Qing Yu to yield first place.

Chu Tiannan challenged Qing Yu for first place, but Qing Yu dismissed him and let Liu Jie attack him with gunfire. After Chu Tiannan skillfully dodged two barrages, he drew his sword to charge Qing Yu, while Liu Jie prepared to fire again.

• Chu Tiannan asked Qing Yu to step aside so he could claim first place, but Qing Yu warned that Chu Tiannan could not defeat him.
• Chu Tiannan swiftly killed two attacking cat demons with a single sword strike, impressing Qing Yu, who still refused his challenge.
• Qing Yu's people fired at Chu Tiannan, and Chu Tiannan dodged and cut through the bullets while accusing them of using underhanded tactics.
• Liu Jie fired a second barrage at Chu Tiannan as Wei Yuan and Mai Luo watched in shock at his skill.
• Qing Yu pointed out that his score of 1,850 far exceeded Chu Tiannan's 850, and Chu Tiannan drew his sword to charge him.
• Liu Jie raised his submachine guns and prepared to fire again, insisting Chu Tiannan would have to get past him first.

Lan Di and Mo He intervened to keep Liu Jie from attacking while Chu Tiannan challenged Qing Yu for first place. A military Soul-Shaking Sound ended the Martial Artist assessment and suppressed everyone before their fight could be decided.

• Liu Jie prepared to shoot Chu Tiannan, but a red streak knocked the gun from his hand, and Mo He and Chi Hao aimed their sniper rifles at him.
• Lan Di brought Mo He, Chi Hao, and the others to Chu Tiannan’s side and promised they would stop the North Martial Arts Hall from interfering.
• Chu Tiannan charged Qing Yu, who drew the white sword from the statue and revealed an aura beyond the Martial Artist realm.
• A siren’s Soul-Shaking Sound forced Chu Tiannan, Qing Yu, and the others to the ground, and a second wave completely suppressed Chu Tiannan as he tried to rise.
• A voice announced that the Martial Artist assessment had ended and warned all prospective Martial Artists to stop fighting or die.

As Prospective Martial Artists were evaluated, Lan Di persuaded Chu Tiannan to compete for first place with his companions’ help. Qing Yu appeared poised to win, but Chu Tiannan matched his score, leaving the result uncertain.

• Surviving Prospective Martial Artists handed over their wristbands, and evaluators announced their scores and qualifications.
• Lan Di offered Chu Tiannan a way to compete for first place, and Chu Tiannan agreed after seeing Mo He and the others ready to help.
• Liu Jie passed with a score of 560 and said stronger competitors were still coming.
• Qing Yu scored 1,850, drawing attention and expecting to claim first place and the privilege of choosing a combat team.
• Chu Tiannan was announced with the same score of 1,850, cutting Qing Yu’s celebration short.