Chapter Summaries

Yang Zhen taunted Zhang Zongjin and challenged his condescending attitude, then claimed he needed a spectacular entrance before they fought. As a phenomenon of heaven and earth erupted around him, the crowd realized Yang Zhen had attained sudden enlightenment, leaving Zhang Zongjin horrified by what he saw.

• Yang Zhen called Zhang Zongjin the Number One Scoundrel Under Heaven, provoking him to ask why Yang Zhen had picked a fight with him.
• Yang Zhen criticized Zhang Zongjin for looking down on others and said he would not flatter him just because others feared him.
• Zhang Zongjin challenged Yang Zhen to fight, but Yang Zhen said he wanted to make a spectacular entrance first.
• Yang Zhen stared at the clouds and suddenly became surrounded by a tremendous phenomenon of heaven and earth, astonishing the crowd.
• Zhang Zongjin and the others realized Yang Zhen had attained sudden enlightenment, and Zhang Zongjin turned pale when someone pointed out Yang Zhen's hand gesture.

Yang Zhen experienced an epiphany and created a martial skill, provoking Zhang Zongjin into coughing up blood. Zhang Zongjin challenged him to prove himself at the Dao Comprehension Stele after the Youzhou Grand Assembly, while Yang Zhen turned the crowd against him with another taunt.

• Yang Zhen emerged from his epiphany with a cloud-shaped martial skill and asked Zhang Zongjin about a palm technique that descended from the heavens.
• Yang Zhen revealed that he was still perfecting a martial skill he had created, and Zhang Zongjin spat out blood in disbelief.
• Zhang Zongjin said the Dao Comprehension Stele would reveal whether Yang Zhen was genuine, and Princess Changyang explained that it offered cultivation methods, martial skills, and inheritances.
• Yang Zhen grew interested in the stele after hearing that someone had once comprehended a saint-grade cultivation method from it.
• Zhang Zongjin insulted Yang Zhen, who twisted his words to make the crowd think Zhang had called everyone else ordinary, leaving Zhang flustered and Fang Shenhe disappointed.

Yang Zhen clashed with Zhang Zongjin as the Thunder Essence Wood appeared, drawing the cultivators toward the heavenly phenomenon. While others flew on swords and ships, Yang Zhen revealed his own way of traveling and raced ahead, leaving everyone stunned.

• Yang Zhen provoked Zhang Zongjin and accused him of threatening the crowd, while Princess Changyang silently urged her powerful guard to protect him.
• A violent thunder phenomenon announced the appearance of the Thunder Essence Wood, and the cultivators rushed toward it.
• Princess Changyang's guard carried her on a flying sword, Su Qingyu summoned a flying ship, and Zhang Zongjin left with a middle-aged woman carrying him.
• Yang Zhen launched himself into the air, then used white clouds beneath his feet to propel himself past the major-sect cultivators.
• Yang Zhen surged ahead while Zhang Zongjin and the other cultivators stared in shock.

Yang Zhen raced ahead using his newly created Skyward Cannon and seized the Thunder Essence Wood from a terrifying heavenly phenomenon. He gave the rare treasure to Princess Changyang, leaving Su Qingyu curious about him.

• Yang Zhen used the Skyward Cannon to outpace the pursuing cultivators, while Su Qingyu and others discussed his prospects.
• Yang Zhen reached the heavenly phenomenon and saw Thunder Essence Wood emerge from the storm.
• Yang Zhen tricked Zhang Zongjin with a promise not to touch the wood, then seized it and challenged Zhang to take it.
• Princess Changyang explained the Thunder Essence Wood's value to alchemists and its usefulness for obtaining Cultivation Resources.
• Yang Zhen gave the Thunder Essence Wood to Princess Changyang, and Su Qingyu wondered what kind of person he was.

Yang Zhen turned down the chance to ask Princess Changyang for herself and instead requested a body-tempering method, explaining that women should be pursued through one’s own abilities rather than treated as payment. Princess Changyang offered him a fragment of a spirit-grade body-tempering method, leaving the crowd stunned.

• Princess Changyang praised Yang Zhen’s literary talent, and he teased her with jokes about his supposed senior brother and asking for her hand.
• Yang Zhen requested a body-tempering method as his reward for helping secure the Thunder Essence Wood, drawing complaints from the crowd.
• Princess Changyang reminded Yang Zhen that he could not change his request, while onlookers thought he had ruined his chance to win her favor.
• Yang Zhen declared that he would pursue a woman he liked through his own abilities and that women should not be treated as goods in a transaction.
• Princess Changyang agreed with Yang Zhen and offered him a fragment of a spirit-grade body-tempering method, stunning Zhang Zongjin and the crowd.

Princess Changyang taught Yang Zhen the Ancient Elephant Lightning Defense Body and warned him against entering the lightning marsh. After the other cultivators left, Yang Zhen stepped into the marsh to cultivate, triggering a violent change in the lightning phenomenon and shocking Zhen Ping'er.

• Princess Changyang taught Yang Zhen the fragmentary Ancient Elephant Lightning Defense Body and warned him that the lightning marsh could kill him.
• Yang Zhen returned to Ghost's Sorrow and stayed behind to cultivate while the other participants continued toward the Dao Comprehension Stele.
• Zhang Zongjin and the other cultivators mocked Yang Zhen for stopping, while Su Qingyu glanced back at him before following the crowd.
• After everyone left, Yang Zhen walked into the lightning marsh, where the Lightning Essence began tearing at his body.
• Yang Zhen circulated the Ancient Elephant Lightning Defense Body, causing his True Essence to resonate with the Lightning Essence and making the sky's lightning surge wildly.
• Zhen Ping'er saw the phenomenon change and exclaimed in disbelief.

Yang Zhen perfected the Ancient Elephant Lightning Defense Body into a saint-grade cultivation method and reached its tenth layer after half a day in the lightning marsh. He emerged naked, found directions to the Dao Comprehension Stele, and then robbed a cultivator for his clothes.

• Yang Zhen endured the lightning marsh and perfected the Ancient Elephant Lightning Defense Body into a saint-grade method.
• Yang Zhen cultivated the method to its tenth layer, while Zhen Ping'er watched in disbelief.
• Yang Zhen emerged from the lightning marsh with his clothes burned away and searched the forest for a replacement.
• Yang Zhen found a cultivator digging for ginseng and asked him for directions to the Dao Comprehension Stele.
• Yang Zhen jumped into the cultivator's pit, told him to get glasses, and ordered him to take off his clothes.

Yang Zhen arrived at the Dao Comprehension Stele and watched Su Qingyu manifest a powerful Phoenix Luan martial skill. As the crowd made way for him, he headed toward Zhang Zongjin, leaving everyone wondering whether he would challenge him.

• Yang Zhen took Liu You's clothes and continued his journey, while Liu You recognized him as his idol.
• Yang Zhen approached the Dao Comprehension Stele and sensed its profound presence as his cultivation stabilized at the Foundation Establishment Realm Sixth Layer.
• Yang Zhen saw Lu Quan comprehend a profound-grade Fire Essence Cultivation Method and wondered whether he could carry the stele away.
• Su Qingyu summoned a lifelike Phoenix Luan while comprehending a martial skill, but she failed to give it spirituality.
• The crowd spotted Yang Zhen and watched as he walked toward Zhang Zongjin.

Yang Zhen confronted Zhang Zongjin over the best spots near the Dao Comprehension Stele, arguing that the strong should be free to choose them. The chapter left Zhang Zongjin drawing his sword in fury as Princess Changyang reconsidered whether Yang Zhen had truly gone too far.

• Yang Zhen asked Princess Changyang whether the strongest cultivators got to choose their spots by the Dao Comprehension Stele first, and she confirmed that this was the usual practice.
• Yang Zhen nudged Zhang Zongjin and asked him to make room, provoking Zhang Zongjin and shocking the crowd.
• Yang Zhen defended his claim to a better spot, arguing that cultivators from small sects should not have to yield every good position to the great sects.
• Zhang Zongjin threatened Yang Zhen, unleashed his Sword Intent, and drew his longsword as Princess Changyang stood aside.
• Princess Changyang realized that Yang Zhen only wanted a better spot and wondered whether the great sects' disciples were the ones who had gone too far.

Yang Zhen challenged Zhang Zongjin to withstand one punch and defeated him despite suffering wounds from Zhang Zongjin’s sword technique. With Zhang Zongjin down and the crowd stunned, Yang Zhen stood before the Dao Comprehension Stele as people wondered what he would comprehend.

• Zhang Zongjin confronted Yang Zhen beside the Dao Comprehension Stele and unleashed his sword aura.
• Yang Zhen promised to defeat Zhang Zongjin with one punch and asked for his martial technique as the prize.
• Zhang Zongjin attacked with Hundred Swords Cry in Unison after Yang Zhen revealed he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm Sixth Layer.
• Yang Zhen charged through Zhang Zongjin’s sword Qi and struck him with the tenth layer of Heavenly Demon Gang Fist.
• Yang Zhen knocked Zhang Zongjin unconscious with one punch, then thanked him for going easy on him.

After defeating Zhang Zongjin, Yang Zhen entered the Dao Comprehension Stele’s starry world and chased an enormous, brilliant light to choose an insight. The stele then unleashed a strange wave that plunged everyone nearby into darkness, leaving Yang Zhen staring at the firmament in alarm.

• Yang Zhen took Zhang Zongjin’s heaven-grade martial skill manual, settled into his former place, and reassured Princess Changyang that his wounds only hurt a little.
• Yang Zhen began comprehending the Dao Comprehension Stele and found himself in an endless starry world where each star represented a different insight.
• Yang Zhen dismissed a faint star, spotted an enormous ball of light, and pursued it using Skyward Cannon.
• Mottled lights began flickering around Yang Zhen, startling the cultivators watching him, while Su Qingyu reacted with horror.
• A silent wave spread from the Dao Comprehension Stele and engulfed everyone, leaving the cultivators unable to see as Yang Zhen looked up at the darkened sky.

Yang Zhen emerged from the Dao Comprehension Stele as its restriction trapped the nearby cultivators, and Princess Changyang questioned him about what he had seen inside. When Yang Zhen demonstrated the star he had encountered, its light overwhelmed everyone present.

• Yang Zhen grabbed a star inside the Dao Comprehension Stele and was thrown out as a terrifying restriction trapped the surrounding cultivators.
• Princess Changyang asked Yang Zhen what he had encountered, and he said the light had been brighter than the examples she showed him.
• Princess Changyang explained that cultivators usually encountered one star, while Yang Zhen recalled seeing a sky filled with countless stars and grabbing one enormous star.
• Yang Zhen claimed the stars everyone else had seen might be fake and offered to demonstrate his own.
• Yang Zhen produced an enormous ball of light, leaving the crowd wailing that they were blinded.

Yang Zhen stunned the crowd with a brilliant light and learned that he may have encountered a legendary treasure within the Dao Comprehension Stele, though he claimed it escaped him. As Su Qingyu praised his supposed composure and wordplay, Fang Shenhe reminded them they still needed to find a way out.

• Yang Zhen mocked Zhang Zongjin, who became distraught after Su Qingyu suggested Yang Zhen had awakened the Dao Comprehension Stele's legendary existence and fled in a panic.
• Su Qingyu explained that the hidden treasures could include saint-grade and divine-grade cultivation methods or Forbidden Techniques, and Yang Zhen claimed he had failed to catch the one he saw.
• Yang Zhen said the lost treasure might not have been meant for him, impressing Su Qingyu with his apparent state of mind.
• Yang Zhen invited Su Qingyu to share malatang and used a saying about sharing a boat and a pillow, which she praised as brilliant wordplay.
• Fang Shenhe interrupted their conversation and asked them to discuss how to get out.

Yang Zhen discovered that the secret treasure he had obtained from the Dao Comprehension Stele was the Heavenly Book: Profound Principles Chapter. While Fang Shenhe attempted to break the restriction using his limited knowledge of the Turtle Shell Technique, Yang Zhen realized he possessed the entire chapter.

• Fang Shenhe told the trapped cultivators that the restriction was a test and claimed he had found a direction for breaking it, though he had no solution yet.
• Yang Zhen dismissed Fang Shenhe's claims and secretly examined the ancient book inside himself, revealing its name as the Heavenly Book.
• Yang Zhen told Su Qingyu he might know how to break the restriction, prompting Fang Shenhe and the others to warn him not to act recklessly.
• Fang Shenhe explained that the Turtle Shell Technique came from the Heavenly Book: Profound Principles Chapter and tried using the part he had studied to break the restriction.
• Yang Zhen opened the first page of his Heavenly Book and discovered that he had obtained the entire Profound Principles Chapter.

Yang Zhen absorbed the formation knowledge in the Heavenly Book: Profound Principles Chapter and effortlessly dismantled the Dao Comprehension Stele’s restriction with one finger. Afterward, Duan Qing and Luo Yan argued over recruiting him for their sects.

• Yang Zhen studied the Profound Principles Chapter, which dissolved into golden light and merged into him.
• When Fang Shenhe insisted the formation was too dangerous to break, Yang Zhen pushed past the Tonglin Sect disciples and kicked him aside.
• Yang Zhen flicked a finger at the ground, causing the formation restriction to recede and freeing everyone beside the Dao Comprehension Stele.
• Duan Qing and Luo Yan argued over Yang Zhen, then each insisted he would join their sect.

Yang Zhen faced pressure from several major sects to become their disciple, but questioned why he needed to join one. After learning that joining a major sect or becoming a guest elder of the Long Moon Pavilion was required for the Three Kingdoms Trial, he left to prepare a way to qualify without surrendering his freedom.

• Duan Qing and Luo Yan sought to recruit Yang Zhen, while Elder Gu said Turtle-Snake Island was interested in him too.
• Su Qingyu asked Yang Zhen which sect he would join, and Fang Shenhe tried to recommend Turtle-Snake Island.
• Yang Zhen questioned the value of joining a major sect, and Princess Changyang and Su Qingyu described its benefits and the trial's entry requirements.
• Princess Changyang explained that the Three Kingdoms Trial was held by three kingdoms and could bring a meeting with the empress of Water Spirit Kingdom.
• Yang Zhen decided to find a way to enter the trial without joining a major sect and walked away from the group.

Luo Yan compared Yang Zhen’s talent to Pavilion Master Hua Youyue’s, prompting shock and rivalry among the young cultivators and mockery from other elders. Unaware that he had become a target of interest, Yang Zhen searched for a yin-cold blood catalyst while Zhang Zongjin and an ally hunted him with a poisonous Blood Silkworm.

• Luo Yan praised Yang Zhen as a rare genius who might be comparable only to Hua Youyue, shocking Princess Changyang, Su Qingyu, and the others.
• The chapter recounted how Hua Youyue had risen from a young Foundation Establishment cultivator to a powerful Nascent Soul Realm pavilion master.
• Ma Dexing and another elder mocked Luo Yan for praising Yang Zhen, and Luo Yan argued with them over his attempt to recruit him.
• Yang Zhen searched the mountains for a yin-cold blood catalyst needed to attract the Long Moon Pavilion’s attention.
• Zhang Zongjin and an ally tracked Yang Zhen through the forest, planning to poison him with their sect’s Blood Silkworm.

Yang Zhen detected a possible blood catalyst and hurried north, while the sect leaders ordered their disciples to Raging Fire City after hearing that the Nine Realms Exquisite Pagoda’s ninth floor might open. As Yang Zhen found Duan Langcai and Zhang Zongjin handling an insect, his sudden interruption sent it flying into Zhang Zongjin’s mouth.

• Yang Zhen extended his Spirit-Locking Arrays’ range and detected a presence matching the blood catalyst he needed north of the valley.
• The sect leaders received urgent messages and ordered their disciples to head to Raging Fire City because the Nine Realms Exquisite Pagoda’s ninth floor might open.
• Duan Qing and Princess Changyang agreed that their sect should recruit Yang Zhen and meet his demands as best they could.
• Luo Yan told Su Qingyu that he had promised Yang Zhen a chance to join Elixir Valley Lake, and Su Qingyu left without answering him.
• Yang Zhen found Duan Langcai and Zhang Zongjin examining an insect, startled them with a shout, and watched the insect land on Zhang Zongjin’s mouth.

Yang Zhen exposed Duan Langcai’s role in Zhang Zongjin’s poisoning and escaped Ma Dexing’s accusation when Luo Yan intervened. After Ma Dexing killed Duan Langcai, Yang Zhen was offered a place at either the Martial Mountain Sect or Elixir Valley Lake, but he asked to choose neither.

• Yang Zhen killed the Blood Silkworm and smeared its blood on a carved piece of wood before returning to the mountain summit.
• Yang Zhen announced that Duan Langcai and Zhang Zongjin were kissing, drawing Ma Dexing and the others down the mountain to find Duan Langcai sucking poison from Zhang Zongjin.
• Duan Langcai accused Yang Zhen of harming Zhang Zongjin, and Ma Dexing attacked Yang Zhen until Luo Yan stopped him.
• Luo Yan identified Zhang Zongjin’s poisoning as the work of a Blood Silkworm, and Ma Dexing killed Duan Langcai.
• Luo Yan and Duan Qing offered Yang Zhen discipleship at their sects, but Yang Zhen asked if he could choose neither.

Yang Zhen refused offers from all five great sects, inventing a story about an elusive master to explain why he could not join them. After escaping the valley, he encountered a group discussing a nine-story demon tower and charmed a woman in yellow with his question.

• Yang Zhen told Luo Yan and Duan Qing that he would not join a great sect because he already had a master.
• Yang Zhen fabricated a tale about a peerless old expert who had taken him as a disciple, then left the valley.
• Ma Dexing roared Yang Zhen's name after Zhang Zongjin apparently woke up, and Yang Zhen hurried farther away.
• Yang Zhen overheard a woman in yellow discussing a nine-story demon tower and asked her about it.
• The woman in yellow blushed and laughed at Yang Zhen, leaving the six men with her astonished.