Recaps

Ye Li handed Lin Huaijin evidence of the Mu Family’s crimes and explained that the lively Mu Fusheng beside them was a captured soul. Lin Huaijin warned him about the powerful Beimang Cui Family and promised to introduce him to a distinguished figure in the Imperial City once he reached the Dao Evolution Realm.

• Ye Li presented Lin Huaijin with evidence from Mu Fusheng’s storage ring, and Lin Huaijin confirmed it was enough to wipe out the Mu Family.
• Ye Li explained that Mu Fusheng was dead and that he had used a soul-capturing method to make him appear alive.
• Lin Huaijin warned Ye Li that the Beimang Cui Family of Nanyun Province was renowned for Ghost Dao and led by a Second Immortal Gate patriarch.
• Ye Li considered the danger of revealing his abilities and resolved to cultivate faster, while keeping the Beimang Cui Family in mind.
• Lin Huaijin told Ye Li he would introduce him to a distinguished person in the Imperial City after he reached the Dao Evolution Realm and promised to send him a Great Dao Resonance Method.

After the Mu Family was toppled, Ye Li returned to the Dragon Pool Nine Luminaries Division and reflected on the battle and his cultivation. He found a saint-grade Great Dao Resonance Method in the Skeletal Elder’s inheritance, giving him a path toward the Dao Evolution Realm.

• The Nine Luminaries Division processed the Mu Family survivors and treasury while Chen Chuan told Ye Li that Prefect Lin would let him choose items from the inventory.
• Chen Chuan and the others praised Ye Li’s strength but worried about his health, and Ye Li’s refusal of a medical examination prompted teasing.
• Back in his courtyard, Ye Li reviewed his Malice Points and concluded that maxing out his cultivation beforehand had reduced the risks of the battle.
• Ye Li searched the Skeletal Elder’s secret trove and found the saint-grade Great Dao Resonance Method, Myriad Dao True Unity Art.

Ye Li used Malice Points to master the Saint-Grade Myriad Dao True Unity Art and transform the nine stars in his Brow-Center Universe, reaching Half-step Domain Lord. He concealed his breakthrough when Xie Huaiwei arrived to deliver the treasury inventory and healing medicine and ask about his plans.

• Ye Li decided he needed to grow stronger to survive the dangers and seize opportunities in Xianjing Continent.
• Ye Li spent Malice Points to raise the Myriad Dao True Unity Art from Minor Mastery to Perfected and learned to compress the nine stars in his inner universe.
• Ye Li fused the nine stars, transforming his Brow-Center Universe, Saint Body, and command of extreme cold.
• Ye Li reached Half-step Domain Lord and sensed he was one step away from the Dao Evolution Realm.
• Xie Huaiwei arrived with the treasury inventory and healing medicine and asked Ye Li about his plans for the next few days.

Ye Li reviewed the Mu Family treasury inventory, accepted injury medicines from Xie Huaiwei, and learned how to browse Nine Luminaries Division missions. He discovered a Black Mission to hunt a Vajra Buddhist Disciple, a notorious killer whose crimes had spread across several continents.

• Ye Li reviewed the treasury list and accepted Xie Huaiwei’s inherited medicines after she explained that Chen Chuan was in secluded meditation.
• Ye Li asked about further assignments, and Xie Huaiwei showed him how to view and accept missions using his Mysterious Iron Waist Token.
• Xie Huaiwei explained the Division’s six mission ranks and how their colors roughly corresponded to the threats involved.
• Ye Li spotted the Black Mission, “Hunt Down Vajra Buddhist Disciple,” and asked why it was listed in Longtan Grand Commandery.
• Xie Huaiwei said the Vajra Buddhist Disciple had turned demonic, slaughtered a vast stretch of land, killed many Great Sheng martial artists, and refined the bones of eight Great Void Realm Saints into weapons.

Ye Li learned that Great Sheng restrained its pursuit of the Vajra Buddhist Disciple because he belonged to Vajra Hall under the Immortal Realm Supreme of Great Brahma Palace. After Prefect Lin summoned him, Lin gave him a Great Dao Resonance Method and proof of entry for Jade Mountain Refinement as a reward for destroying the Mu family.

• Xie Huaiwei explained that Great Sheng was tolerating the Vajra Buddhist Disciple because of his ties to Great Brahma Palace and its Supreme, though that tolerance had limits.
• Ye Li learned that the Vajra Buddhist Disciple avoided killing local Yao Xuan Envoys and fled their encirclements to keep Great Sheng from acting more forcefully.
• Ye Li received a summons from Prefect Lin and went to the Prefectural Residence.
• Lin Huaijin gave Ye Li the Spirit-grade Great Dao Resonance Method Thousand Mountains Ten Thousand Peaks.
• Lin Huaijin gave Ye Li proof for Jade Mountain Refinement, offering him an opportunity that had originally been prepared for Lin as a reward for Ye Li's destruction of the Mu family.

Ye Li accepted Lin Huaijin’s Jade Mountain Refinement invitation and prepared to leave Dragon Pool Prefecture for Xianjing Continent with Xie Huaiwei. As his star vessel departed, other Yao Xuan Envoys wondered what trouble the newly appointed Retainer General would cause next.

• Lin Huaijin gave Ye Li his Jade Mountain Refinement slot and explained that the event could bring him cultivation resources and recognition from powerful figures.
• Ye Li agreed to attend and learned that he would also visit Prefect Cao to light up his Life Jade.
• Ye Li asked Xie Huaiwei to guide him, then assessed the strength he could bring to the journey.
• At dawn, Xie Huaiwei met Ye Li at the silver star vessel, and they departed for the refinement.
• Yao Xuan Envoys watched the vessel leave and speculated that Ye Li might soon target another great demon or aristocratic family.

Ye Li and Xie Huaiwei arrived at the Jade Mountain Grand Commandery to meet Prefect Cao and take part in the coveted Jade Mountain Refinement. As the guards went inside to announce them, Ye Li noticed a distant observer slip away, leaving him alert to possible attention.

• Ye Li and Xie Huaiwei landed at the Jade Mountain Nine Luminaries Division and headed for the prefectural residence.
• Xie Huaiwei explained that the Jade Mountain Refinement tested cultivators against the powers left by two ancient Cosmic Birth Realm Venerables and could benefit those at the Dao Evolution Realm or below.
• Ye Li and Xie Huaiwei presented their Tiger Tally at the residence and said Ye Li had come to participate in the refinement.
• A guard hurried inside to report their arrival after learning Ye Li had a refinement slot.
• A long-browed man watched the exchange, then left for the deputy general's residence, and Ye Li noticed him departing.

Zeng Fan learned that a newly promoted deputy general from Longtan Grand Commandery had received the Jade Mountain Refinement slot he coveted, and he decided to take it by force. He prepared to ambush the newcomer near Jade Mountain while ordering his subordinates to watch for any warning from the Prefect.

• A long-browed man told Zeng Fan and Su Yongye that a deputy general from Longtan Grand Commandery had visited Prefect Cao and was likely assigned the Jade Mountain Refinement slot.
• Zeng Fan raged that the slot should have been his, while Su Yongye urged him to accept the Prefect's offer of other compensation.
• When Zeng Fan suggested taking the slot back, Su Yongye warned him against attacking a colleague, then left in anger.
• Zeng Fan ordered his men to monitor whether the Prefect learned of his plan and to prepare for the hunt according to great-demon standards.
• Zeng Fan confidently prepared to seize the refinement token from the newly appointed deputy general, underestimating his opponent.

Ye Li confronted Prefect Cao Ming over the Mu family’s destruction and refused to back down, while Cao Ming challenged him to prove himself in the Jade Mountain Refinement. Ye Li and Xie Huaiwei left for Jade Mountain, unaware that Zeng Fan had ordered his guards to pursue them.

• Xie Huaiwei and Ye Li met Prefect Cao Ming, who questioned Ye Li’s authority and his actions against the Mu family.
• Ye Li challenged Cao Ming to explain whether he objected, then defended his conduct and refused to accept fabricated charges.
• Cao Ming said he would personally apologize if Ye Li won first place in the Jade Mountain Refinement, and delayed illuminating Ye Li’s Life Jade until afterward.
• Ye Li and Xie Huaiwei departed by star skiff for Jade Mountain, where they planned to wait three days for the refinement to begin.
• Zeng Fan watched their star skiff leave, then ordered his guards to pursue them in a black star skiff.

Ye Li detected Zeng Fan’s star skiff pursuing him and waited as it attacked. He destroyed the attackers’ skiff with a single sword strike, leaving Zeng Fan and the Jade Mountain Yao Xuan Envoys battered in the sky.

• Xie Huaiwei prepared to steer the star skiff faster, but Ye Li told her to slow down because something was catching up to them.
• Zeng Fan learned that Su Yongye had gone to seek an audience with the governor, then continued pursuing Ye Li to secure a Jade Mountain Refinement slot.
• Zeng Fan spotted Ye Li’s leisurely star skiff and ordered his men to shoot it down.
• Ye Li calmly wielded an Immortal Sword and unleashed Sword Qi that shattered the cannon and tore apart most of Zeng Fan’s star skiff.
• Ye Li’s strike blasted the Jade Mountain Yao Xuan Envoys from the skiff and severely injured several of them.

Ye Li ambushed and overwhelmed Zeng Fan, a Yushan Retainer General, before breaking his Dao heart and leaving him unconscious. He ordered the surviving Yushan envoys to take Zeng Fan to the prefectural governor’s residence with him.

• Ye Li used the Myriad Transformation Divine Soldier Iron as a bow to blast Zeng Fan into the ground and severely injure him.
• Ye Li defeated Zeng Fan in close combat, tore off his arm, and crushed half his skull while rejecting his offer of military merits.
• Ye Li used divine fire and pressure to break Zeng Fan’s Dao heart, causing the Retainer General to faint.
• Xie Huaiwei and the wounded Yushan Yao Xuan Envoys witnessed the one-sided fight and feared Ye Li.
• Ye Li ordered the Yushan envoys to bring Zeng Fan and follow him to the prefectural governor’s residence.

Ye Li defeated Zeng Fan after the deputy general ambushed him, then arrived at the prefectural residence to confront Cao Ming. Cao Ming realized the attack had gone far worse than expected as Ye Li demanded an explanation.

• The wounded Jade Mountain envoys carried Zeng Fan away while Ye Li noted his growing Malice Points and set out for the prefectural residence.
• Su Yongye warned Cao Ming that Zeng Fan had transferred his confidants and planned to interfere with the Jade Mountain quota.
• Cao Ming explained that the Third Princess had chosen the quota's recipient and realized Zeng Fan had acted recklessly.
• Zeng Fan crashed into the prefectural residence, and Cao Ming stabilized his life after seeing that Ye Li had severed both his arms.
• Ye Li sat down in the hall and asked Cao Ming whether Zeng Fan was the deputy general Jade Mountain had brought up.

Ye Li confronted Cao Ming over Zeng Fan’s attack and forced the prefect to acknowledge Jade Mountain’s failure. Cao Ming sentenced Zeng Fan to death, and Ye Li killed him when he tried to flee.

• Ye Li returned the jade-sealed document to Cao Ming with a taunt, while Cao Ming’s anger stirred the heavens.
• Cao Ming picked up the seal, apologized for Jade Mountain’s failure, and promised to punish those responsible according to Great Sheng law.
• Cao Ming questioned Zeng Fan, who admitted his resentment after failing to seize the seal and denied having a justifiable excuse.
• Cao Ming ordered Ye Li to give Zeng Fan a dignified end, and Zeng Fan tried to escape.
• Ye Li drew his Immortal Sword and killed Zeng Fan with a flash of sword light.

Ye Li killed Zeng Fan and left the aftermath to Prefect Cao, who explained Zeng Fan’s abuses and warned that rumors about the killing would spread. Ye Li departed for the Jade Mountain Refinement, rejecting Su Yongye’s request to discuss cultivation as the star vessel headed toward Jade Mountain.

• Ye Li handed Zeng Fan over to Prefect Cao and let him handle the body and compensation for Zeng Fan’s clan.
• Cao Ming told Ye Li that Zeng Fan had abused his authority and staged crises to build his reputation, then warned Ye Li that his actions would draw rumors and promised to clear his name.
• Cao Ming told Ye Li that he would still judge his performance at the refinement and could invest resources in him if he excelled.
• Ye Li left for the star vessel, saying he did not care whether Cao Ming cleared his name because the rumors could raise his malicious fame.
• Su Yongye offered medicinal treasures to discuss cultivation with Ye Li, but Ye Li refused and boarded the star vessel.
• The star vessel departed for the Jade Mountain region as the refinement approached.

Ye Li arrived at Jade Mountain to undergo the refinement and saw powerful figures gather to witness it. When the sealing formations opened, he entered the Gale Force first, leaving Cao Ming and the onlookers surprised by his boldness and strength.

• Ye Li and Xie Huaiwei arrived at Jade Mountain, where Ye Li observed the formidable Gale Force and chose to save his points until after the refinement.
• Ye Li joined the other cultivators at the training ground, and Su Yongye abandoned an attempt to discuss the Dao when Ye Li began cultivating.
• Two days later, Prefect Cao Ming arrived with powerful observers and opened a passage through the sealing formations.
• Cao Ming told the participants to endure the refinement and warned Ye Li not to waste the opportunity.
• Ye Li told Cao Ming not to ask him to come out, then entered the Gale Force with golden light around him and advanced deep into the storm.

The observers debated who would win the Jade Mountain Refinement, and the Fire God Valley Master revealed that she was backing Gu Le of Guiyuan Commandery. After all twelve Yao Xuan Envoys entered, Gu Le raced straight into Jade Mountain’s most perilous core, where Cao Ming expected him to make a fool of himself.

• The observers weighed Su Yongye, Lian Jing, and the young lieutenant general who had entered Jade Mountain first as possible champions.
• The Fire God Valley Master revealed that Gu Le had befriended her and planned to help arrange his marriage to an elder’s legitimate daughter.
• The Xuanming Sword Sect’s Law Enforcement Elder invited Gu Le to attend the Sword Master Ceremony after the refinement.
• All twelve Yao Xuan Envoys entered Jade Mountain, and the sealing formation closed behind them.
• Gu Le’s golden streak pierced the outer Gale Force and entered the perilous core, prompting Cao Ming to suspect he was headed for the blood pool.

Ye Li reached the site where two Venerables had died and consumed numerous Dao Evolution Realm pills to strengthen his cultivation. His pill refining and absorption triggered a massive storm that eased the pressure throughout the Jade Mountain region, startling the other cultivators.

• Ye Li crossed the Gale Force blockades and reached the blood-soaked ruins where the two Venerables had fought and perished.
• Ye Li sat down and consumed more than a dozen Dao Evolution Realm pills, using his Golden Soul to withstand their violent effects and the Venerable Treasured Blood.
• Ye Li’s meridians and flesh repeatedly burst apart and reconstructed as he established a balance between the energies and gained powerful cultivation buffs.
• Ye Li absorbed spiritual energy from across ten thousand miles and refined the pills and Treasured Blood in an immense storm.
• The other cultivators felt the pressure in the Jade Mountain region suddenly ease and were shocked by the change.

Ye Li absorbed all the refinement energy in Jade Mountain, prompting the other participants to realize he was monopolizing the opportunity. Lian Jing and Gu Le organized an expedition to drive him out, while Su Yongye refused to join and turned back.

• The refinement energy across Jade Mountain rushed into a black tornado, and the participants realized someone was monopolizing it.
• Su Yongye identified the absent Ye Li as the likely cause, while Lian Jing and Gu Le suspected he was using a secret technique or treasure.
• Lian Jing rallied the angry refiners and called on them to drive Ye Li out of Jade Mountain.
• Su Yongye refused to lead the group and advised them not to go after Ye Li.
• Gu Le headed toward the tornado with several Yao Xuan Envoys, while Su Yongye walked back the way he had come.

Ye Li absorbed more than ninety percent of Jade Mountain’s Venerable power and broke through to the peak of the second level of the Dao Evolution Realm. As he finished refining, eight hostile cultivators arrived and demanded to know what he had done.

• Cao Ming watched Ye Li absorb Jade Mountain’s energy, fearing the Sage would be overwhelmed but deciding to wait and intervene if necessary.
• Eight cultivators charged toward the black tornado as Jade Mountain’s suppression of their Magic Power weakened.
• Ye Li used Malice Points and the Great Dao Resonance Method to form a galaxy in his Brow-Center Universe and advance to the second level of the Dao Evolution Realm.
• Ye Li reached the peak of the second level, while Jade Mountain’s remaining Venerable power continued refining his body and reduced the cost of his future Cosmic Birth Realm breakthrough.
• Ye Li noticed eight hostile newcomers on the horizon, and their leader shouted, “What exactly did you do?!”

Ye Li confronted the Jade Mountain participants over the refinement energy he had consumed and revealed overwhelming strength when they threatened him. He grievously injured Gu Le and Lian Jing, leaving the other six participants stunned.

• Gu Le accused Ye Li of draining more than half of Jade Mountain’s refinement energy, and Lian Jing demanded an explanation while aiming his bow at him.
• Gu Le charged Ye Li with a spear, but Ye Li struck him with Void Shattering Fist, grievously injuring him before the Jade Mountain formation teleported him away.
• The force of Ye Li’s attack blasted the remaining seven participants away, and Lian Jing realized Ye Li’s strength far exceeded his own.
• Lian Jing fired an arrow and fled, but Ye Li caught and crushed his next arrow, then burned him with divine fire.
• Ye Li used Lian Jing’s greatbow to shoot him, collapsing Lian Jing and the ground beneath him as the other six watched in shock.

Ye Li emerged from the sealing formation after defeating eight Xianjing Nine Luminaries Division experts who had attacked him. Cao Ming accepted his explanation and told him he had done well, leaving the gathered observers stunned by his strength.

• Cao Ming concealed his shock as observers realized Ye Li was devouring the refinement energy inside the formation.
• Gu Le was teleported out bloodied and headless, and Cao Ming used his vitality to keep him alive.
• Lian Jing was blasted out with a charred hole in his chest, muttered that Ye Li was “Not human,” and fell unconscious.
• Six more battered figures emerged from the formation, leaving the observers horrified and prompting the Xuanming Sword Sect elder to question Cao Ming.
• Ye Li stepped out with his bloodstained greatbow and explained that the others had struck first, so he thought they were enemies.
• Cao Ming swallowed his alarm and told Ye Li that he had done well.

After Ye Li overwhelmed the Jade Mountain Refinement, Cao Ming ended the event and introduced him to the stunned observers as Longtan Grand Commandery’s new Retainer General. Cao Ming then invited Ye Li to attend the Xuanming Sword Sect’s Sword Master Ceremony before returning to Longtan.

• Cao Ming ordered attendants to remove the eight critically injured participants and told the observers to leave while the Nine Luminaries Division handled confidential procedures.
• The deputy master of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion and other observers tried to learn Ye Li’s identity and ingratiate themselves with him, while Ye Li showed little interest.
• Cao Ming named Ye Li as Longtan Grand Commandery’s newly appointed Retainer General, and the observers departed after congratulating him.
• Cao Ming asked whether Ye Li planned to return to Longtan, and Ye Li said he did.
• Cao Ming explained that the Xuanming Sword Sect’s Sword Master Ceremony was an important event and invited Ye Li to attend in place of a Retainer General who could not accompany him.

Ye Li agreed to accompany Cao Ming to the Xuanming Sword Sect’s Sword Master Ceremony, choosing to delay his return to Dragon Pool and learn more about Xianjing Continent’s major powers. Cao Ming offered to select suitable Nine Luminaries Division clothing for him, and Ye Li left to rest while Cao Ming remained to seal Jade Mountain.

• Cao Ming invited Ye Li to accompany him to the Xuanming Sword Sect after Zeng Fan’s death left an invitation unused.
• Ye Li accepted, deciding he could notify Dragon Pool of his breakthrough and return later.
• Cao Ming offered to choose Ye Li clothing and gear identifying him as a retainer general of the Nine Luminaries Division, and Ye Li agreed.
• As Jade Mountain’s formation began closing, Cao Ming sent Ye Li to rest at the Jade Mountain Nine Luminaries Division and stayed to handle the site’s closure.

At the Xuanming Sword Sect, Zhou Qingyan and the Old Ancestor learned that Ye Li had won the Jade Mountain Refinement by absorbing its energy and defeating a group led by Gu Le. The Old Ancestor saw the feat as a deliberate warning from the Nine Luminaries Division and ordered the Sword Master Ceremony to proceed as Zhou Qingyan had proposed.

• The Old Ancestor asked Zhou Qingyan to predict who had won the Jade Mountain Refinement, and she named Gu Le or Su Yongye.
• The Law Enforcement Elder reported that Longtan Grand Commandery's newly appointed Retainer General, Ye Li, had taken first place by swallowing the refinement's energy.
• The elder revealed that Ye Li had wiped out Gu Le, three other Domain Lords, and five Saints in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
• The Old Ancestor concluded that Cao Ming and the Nine Luminaries Division had concealed Ye Li and timed the refinement to blunt the Xuanming Sword Sect's momentum.
• The Old Ancestor told Zhou Qingyan to carry out her earlier proposal at the upcoming Sword Master Ceremony without holding back.

The Xuanming Sword Sect prepared a heavily attended Sword Master Ceremony to raise Zhou Qingyan’s standing and expand its influence across Xianjing Continent. As Cao Ming and Ye Li traveled to the ceremony, Cao Ming weighed the political stakes while Ye Li received congratulations and advice from Lin Huaijin.

• More than ninety sects sent representatives to the Xuanming Sword Sect’s Sword Master Ceremony, which was intended to showcase Zhou Qingyan and boost the sect’s influence.
• Cao Ming and Ye Li traveled from Jade Mountain toward the ceremony, with Cao Ming worrying about Zhou Qingyan’s strength and the political consequences of her performance.
• Lin Huaijin contacted Ye Li, congratulated him on his breakthrough and Jade Mountain victory, and encouraged him to broaden his horizons at the ceremony.
• Ye Li thanked Lin Huaijin for his help, and Lin Huaijin said Ye Li’s cultivation would be the best repayment.
• Cao Ming told Ye Li to light his Life Jade after the ceremony and advised him to observe carefully and speak little.