Recaps

At a Weng Mountain Tribe bonfire banquet, Chen Mu danced with Mazha before discovering that Mingye had been following him. He invited her to travel with him to the Central Land, and she agreed to become his companion.

• Gebu welcomed Chen Mu, Chen Duo, and A Huo to the banquet and served them food and fruit wine.
• Chen Duo pushed Chen Mu into dancing with Mazha, and Chen Mu gradually began to enjoy the dance.
• Chen Mu noticed someone watching him with hostility, left the crowd, and called for the follower to reveal herself.
• Mingye appeared, and Chen Mu learned her name and told her he planned to travel to the Central Land to study at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion.
• Chen Mu invited Mingye to join him, and she agreed, so he led her back to meet Chen Duo and A Huo.

Chen Mu and his companions discovered a tribe slaughtered by horse bandits while traveling toward Central Land. After Chen Duo rescued a surviving little girl, Chen Mu learned the bandits had headed toward the Weng Mountain Tribe and decided to turn back.

• Chen Mu introduced Mingye to Chen Duo and A Huo, and Mingye removed her mask and revealed she was seventeen and had reached the Late Qi Nourishing Realm at sixteen.
• The four companions set out the next morning, and Mingye traveled on her powerful fourth-rank Dark Moon Wolf.
• Chen Mu and his companions entered a deserted tribe and found its people, including women and children, brutally killed by horse bandits.
• Mingye explained that horse bandits used torture and slaughter to intimidate tribes into surrendering their wealth.
• Chen Duo found a surviving little girl beneath a corpse, and A Huo warned that the bandits might be headed for the Weng Mountain Tribe.
• The girl pointed toward the Weng Mountain Tribe, so Chen Mu decided the group had to turn back.

Chen Mu and his companions fought the Blood Wolf Gang as it attacked the Weng Mountain Tribe, defeating its leaders and routing the bandits. Chen Mu chased down the last fugitives and returned after killing them.

• Chen Mu left Mingye to protect the rescued girl while he, Chen Duo, and A Huo entered the Weng Mountain Tribe to fight the attacking bandits.
• Chen Mu and his companions fought through the Blood Wolf Gang, and Qi Lang led an attack that put A Huo in danger.
• Chen Mu used Explosive Flame Talismans to reach A Huo, then fought Qi Lang with his Dharma-Breaking Staff.
• A hidden Soul Power attack left Qi Lang vulnerable, and Chen Mu knocked him down as the Blood Wolf Gang began to retreat.
• Mingye killed the wounded Qi Lang with her flying dagger, while A Huo killed the short old man who had attacked him with silver needles.
• Chen Mu pursued the fleeing bandits beyond the tribe, killed the survivors, and returned.

After the Weng Mountain Tribe accepted Chen Mu’s offer to join Chen Village, he arranged protection for them and resumed his journey toward the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion with his companions. Their dangerous travels strengthened the group, and Chen Duo broke through to the Qi Nourishing Realm as they advanced more than halfway to their destination.

• Chen Mu offered Gebu and the weakened Weng Mountain Tribe a place as vassals of Chen Village, and Gebu agreed after the tribe discussed the proposal.
• Chen Duo asked to make Little Juzi her sworn little sister, and Chen Mu agreed to bring her to Chen Village.
• Chen Mu arranged for Chen Village’s cavalry to escort the Weng Mountain Tribe and Little Juzi, then set up a protective talisman formation before departing with A Huo and the others.
• The group faced dangerous demonic beasts on their journey, narrowly escaping a giant white bear and gaining combat experience.
• Chen Duo broke through to the Qi Nourishing Realm during a battle with wolves, while Chen Mu and the others also improved through their trials.

Chen Mu and his companions came upon a caravan under attack by bandits and joined the fight. They drove off the raiders, and Chen Mu killed the bandit leader with his Rune Gun.

• Chen Mu, A Huo, Chen Duo, and Mingye heard explosions and rode toward them.
• The bandit leader revealed that Hou Gu's third brother had sent the raiders, then attacked the caravan when Hou Gu refused to surrender quietly.
• Hou Gu drew the bandits away from the wagons while Chen Duo and Chen Mu attacked the leader with their Dharma-Breaking Staffs.
• A woman in black and Hou Gu fought the leader's followers as a sword-wielding youth broke through the attackers around the wagons.
• The bandit leader signaled a retreat and fled, but Chen Mu pursued him and killed him with repeated shots from his Rune Gun.

Chen Mu and his companions joined Hou Gu’s caravan on the way to Wilderness Border City, where they learned more about the Central Land and discussed talisman cultivation. After ten days of travel, they reached the city, their first stop in the Central Land.

• Chen Mu persuaded Mingye, Chen Duo, and A Huo to travel with Hou Gu’s caravan toward Wilderness Border City.
• Chen Mu taught Chen Duo to use Rune Gun No. 2, and she killed a fourth-tier demonic beast that attacked the caravan.
• Chen Mu and Hou Gu discovered their connection through Hou Sailei and discussed the Vast Sea Pavilion and the Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce.
• Chen Mu and Hou Gu shared wine and discussed the Dao of Talismans during the journey.
• Chen Mu and his companions arrived at Wilderness Border City after ten days of travel.

Chen Mu and his companions arrived in Wilderness Border City, where Hou Gu arranged lodging and Ye Qing'er showed them around. They explored the bustling streets and learned about the Hidden Dragon Ranking, then settled in to rest and read about the world’s young heroes.

• Chen Mu entered Wilderness Border City with Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye, and Hou Gu used his connections to get them past the city guards.
• Hou Gu arranged rooms for the group at an Eight Directions Chamber of Commerce inn and asked Ye Qing'er to host them while he returned to his affairs.
• Ye Qing'er invited Chen Mu and the others to a meal, then took them to explore the city’s busy commercial streets.
• Ye Qing'er brought the group to Listening Wind Tower and explained that the Heavenly Secret Tower published the Hidden Dragon Ranking of the world’s strongest young heroes.
• Chen Mu bought a standard copy of the Hidden Dragon Ranking and put it in his storage ring to read later.

Ye Qing'er explained the Central Land’s major powers to Chen Mu, and Chen Mu explored the Myriad Treasures Pavilion for materials to advance his talisman research. After buying several costly supplies, he followed a shopkeeper to inspect discounted ancient treasures, regretting that White Turtle was not there to help him judge them.

• Ye Qing'er explained that the Central Land’s leading forces were the Heavenly Court, two clans, three sects, and four academies.
• Chen Mu and the others split up to browse the commercial street, and Chen Mu entered the Myriad Treasures Pavilion with two women.
• Chen Mu searched the spiritual materials section, found several rare materials, and bought a small portion of the supplies he needed.
• The shopkeeper offered Chen Mu a chance to inspect ancient treasures discounted to one-tenth of their original price.
• Chen Mu entered the exhibition hall and regretted not bringing White Turtle, who had stayed behind because of his enemies and unrecovered strength.

Chen Mu browsed ancient relics at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and bought a rusted spatial-cutting dagger with a meditation cushion after discovering the cushion reacted to his Acala Heart Sutra. He returned to the inn with Ye Qing'er and Mingye, where Chen Duo was waiting for dinner.

• Ye Qing'er warned Chen Mu that the pavilion’s ancient relics were mostly damaged and unlikely to be valuable.
• Chen Mu inspected a black pill furnace, then Mingye chose a rusted dagger with spatial-cutting power but objected to its price.
• The shopkeeper explained the dagger’s high price and the lower prices of items on the display case’s bottom level.
• Chen Mu touched a pale yellow meditation cushion and felt it draw on his Spiritual Power as his Acala Heart Sutra circulated.
• Chen Mu bargained for the dagger and received the cushion as a gift, then returned to the inn with Ye Qing'er and Mingye.
• Chen Duo complained that she was hungry, and the group shared another sumptuous dinner.

Chen Mu discovered that the cushion he bought was a Karmic Fire Cushion that could temper the soul, and he used it to break through to Intermediate Earth Talisman Master. After enduring its dangerous illusions, he decided not to try a stronger level of Karmic Fire yet.

• Chen Mu recognized Sanskrit-like patterns on the cushion and used the Acala Heart Sutra to feed it Spiritual Power until it stopped absorbing, loosening the barrier to the Middle Stage of the Qi Nourishing Realm.
• Chen Mu learned that the cushion could produce three levels of Karmic Fire to temper the mind and spirit, but that only those with steadfast character could use it.
• Chen Mu activated the first level, and Karmic Fire forced him to relive painful memories of losing his adoptive father and fearing for his family.
• Chen Mu steadied himself with the Acala Heart Sutra and Acala Mudra, suppressing the fire as his soul transformed and he became an Intermediate Earth Talisman Master.
• Chen Mu found that the Karmic Fire greatly accelerated his Soul Power cultivation but carried the risk of trapping him in its illusions, so he avoided trying a higher level.

Chen Mu and his companions reached the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion and learned that its recruitment examination would take place in more than a month. They settled in nearby Xunwen Town, where Chen Mu prepared to help A Huo cultivate and examine the damaged runes on Mingye’s dagger.

• Chen Mu rescued a little girl from the charging Haori Cavalry, then continued traveling with his companions.
• Chen Mu arrived at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion and learned from Long Yin that recruitment would begin in a month.
• Chen Mu and his companions traveled to Xunwen Town and reserved rooms for more than a month.
• A Huo asked Chen Mu to set up a Spirit Gathering Array so he could try to advance to the Middle Stage of the Qi Nourishing Realm.
• Chen Mu asked Mingye to lend him the dagger with damaged runes, and Mingye handed it over.

Chen Mu repaired Mingye’s dagger and discovered that its runes enabled spatial transfer rather than merely cutting space. He realized the artifact was far more valuable than the Myriad Treasures Pavilion had believed and saw new possibilities for his rune research.

• Chen Mu spent the night studying the dagger’s runes, then carefully repaired and heated the blade until the new lines matched the original.
• Chen Mu fell asleep from exhaustion and woke at dusk to find food and an outer robe left for him.
• Mingye returned, and Chen Mu gave her the repaired dagger to test.
• Mingye channeled Spiritual Power into the dagger and used it to move three meters in an instant.
• Chen Mu concluded that the dagger enabled spatial transfer and began considering further treasure hunting at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

Chen Mu and his companions took the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion’s admissions examination after Chen Mu developed Instant Movement Talismans. All four passed, but A Huo received an exceptional Spiritual Power aptitude rating while Chen Mu’s was only above average, leaving Chen Mu wondering what determined the results.

• Chen Mu created seven Instant Movement Talismans and repaired Mingye’s spatial dagger before the group received notice that the admissions examination was beginning.
• Chen Mu, Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye joined thousands of young cultivators at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion’s mountain gate and watched a True Spirit Realm cultivator receive special admission.
• Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye passed the preliminary examination, then Chen Mu entered the tent and was rated above average in Spiritual Power aptitude.
• Chen Mu learned that Chen Duo and Mingye had received high ratings and A Huo had received an exceptional rating, prompting him to wonder why his own rating was lower.

Chen Mu and his companions learned the rules for the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion's second admissions examination and entered the small world to compete for identity tokens. After teleporting in, Chen Mu watched a woman in green defeat another candidate and realized she was trying to lure him out of hiding.

• Chen Mu chose the martial cultivator examination so he could take the second test alongside Chen Duo.
• More than 3,800 candidates passed the preliminary examination, and the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion announced that the thousand candidates with the most tokens after three days would pass.
• Chen Mu prepared for the contest, then received a teleportation jade token and entered the array with Mingye, A Huo, and Chen Duo.
• Chen Mu arrived in the small world and hid in a tree after hearing a fight nearby.
• A woman in green defeated a man and collected his token, then called toward Chen Mu's hiding place to try to draw him out.

Chen Mu reunited with Chen Duo and Mingye, then led them to rescue A Huo from a group of attackers. After the group drove off their enemies, A Huo revealed that he had been injured, and Chen Mu prepared to make camp so he could recover.

• Chen Mu used a Tracking Talisman to find Chen Duo and defeated the fat man fighting her with his Rune Gun.
• Chen Mu and Chen Duo followed another Tracking Talisman to Mingye, who had already taken two identity plaques.
• Chen Mu, Chen Duo, and Mingye traveled to A Huo's location and were ambushed by more than twenty examinees.
• Chen Mu fought back with his Dharma-Breaking Staff and talismans, while Mingye and A Huo helped defeat the vicious leader and drive off the group.
• Chen Mu gave the injured A Huo a healing pill and asked Mingye to find a secluded place where they could camp.

Chen Mu rejected Yan Yuandong’s invitation to join the Yuan-Zhou Alliance and led his group toward the assessment’s central area. There, they encountered the powerful Yin Zhan, and Chen Mu fled with Chen Duo and A Huo while Mingye stayed behind to hold him off.

• Yan Yuandong invited Chen Mu’s group to join the Yuan-Zhou Alliance, but Chen Mu refused despite Yan Yuandong’s warning that the alliance had over sixty members.
• After the night passed without an attack, Chen Mu led Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye toward the central area with enough nameplates to pass.
• The group used Concealment Runes to avoid detection and sometimes joined fights to collect more nameplates.
• Yin Zhan attacked Chen Mu’s group near a mountain stream and fought all four of them with his spear.
• Chen Mu decided they could not defeat Yin Zhan without using his trump card, so Mingye stayed to hold him off while Chen Mu escaped with Chen Duo and A Huo.

Chen Mu and his companions reached the central valley and built the Flying Thunder God Array, which let its controllers teleport within it. Elsewhere, Yan Yuandong and Zhou Yu prepared to hunt for nameplates and seize the top two spots in the rankings.

• Mingye used Chen Mu's Vajra Talisman to hold off Yin Zhan, then escaped while Chen Mu fired his Rune Gun to cover her retreat.
• Chen Mu led Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye into the central valley and set up camp near the rocky ground.
• Chen Mu borrowed Mingye's spatial dagger as the foundation for a rune array, while the others guarded him against probing attackers.
• Chen Mu completed the Flying Thunder God Array, marked Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye so they could control it, and explained that it let them teleport within its bounds.
• Zhou Yu broke through to the True Spirit Realm, and Yan Yuandong planned to hunt for nameplates before they attacked the other entrants the next day.

Chen Mu and his companions shared beggar’s chicken at camp before Chen Mu traded one to the Mad Daoist for ten tokens. After the Daoist left, Yuan Dong ordered over a hundred examinees to attack Chen Mu’s group that night for their tokens.

• Chen Mu cooked beggar’s chicken for Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye at their camp.
• The Mad Daoist approached the group’s talisman array and offered tokens for a chicken.
• Chen Mu demanded ten tokens for one chicken, accepted the payment, and prepared another chicken for the Mad Daoist.
• The Mad Daoist took the chicken and disappeared into the forest, saying he hoped to see Chen Mu again the next day.
• Yuan Dong ordered more than a hundred examinees to surround Chen Mu’s location and seize the group’s tokens that night.

Chen Mu and his companions used their talisman formation to resist Yan Yuandong and the Yuan-Zhou Alliance after he demanded their nameplates. As the battle continued, Heaven-Questioning Pavilion elder An Ruhai noticed Chen Mu’s unusual formation, while Yan Yuandong’s attempt to disrupt it failed and left him vulnerable.

• Yan Yuandong surrounded Chen Mu and his companions, offered them a place in the Yuan-Zhou Alliance in exchange for their nameplates, and attacked when Chen Mu refused.
• Chen Mu’s talisman formation confused and blocked the attackers as Chen Mu, A Huo, Mingye, and Chen Duo fought back.
• At the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, An Ruhai spotted Chen Mu’s talisman formation in a projection and recognized its strength.
• Yan Yuandong entered the formation with his remaining elites and tried to disrupt it with formation flags, but Chen Mu neutralized them and Yan Yuandong spat blood from the backlash.
• Chen Duo took aim at the dazed Yan Yuandong and fired her Rune Gun.

Chen Mu’s group used his talisman formation to defeat attackers and collect nameplates while the valley’s candidates fought for survival. Yan Yuandong planned to return for Chen Mu’s group later, but decided to wait until the assessment ended to avoid drawing attention.

• Chen Mu trapped nearly a hundred attackers with his formation, letting A Huo and Mingye defeat most of them while Yan Yuandong escaped using Formation-Breaking Flags.
• Mo Fei and An Ruhai discussed Chen Mu’s advanced formation skills and predicted that he could change the ranking competition’s results.
• Yan Yuandong told Zhou Yu about his defeat and proposed making more Formation-Breaking Flags before confronting Chen Mu again.
• Chen Duo shot a candidate trapped in Chen Mu’s formation and collected his six nameplates.
• The Yuan-Zhou Alliance clashed with an elite group led by three brothers surnamed Wu, who managed to hold Zhou Yu in check.
• Zhou Yu wanted to attack Chen Mu’s group, but Yan Yuandong chose to wait until the assessment ended so they would not attract unwanted attention.

Chen Mu and his companions passed the entrance assessment, but the ensuing ranking match made their large number of nameplates impossible to conceal. As the match was about to begin, the three specially recruited freshmen split up to attack different areas of the valley.

• The scruffy Daoist traded Chen Mu thirty nameplates for three beggar's chickens and warned him that the ranking match would bring trouble.
• At nine in the morning, the assessment ended, and the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion announced that 574 examinees had passed.
• The pavilion summoned the three specially recruited freshmen and announced that rankings would depend on nameplates held and, for those who died, their death order.
• Chen Mu saw that his and his companions' nameplate counts made them conspicuous targets, while several other groups had similarly bright pillars of light.
• Niu Buqu, Zhuang Linyi, and Ji Ci divided the battlefield and headed toward separate areas.

Chen Mu and his companions used the Flying Thunder God Array to defeat Niu Buqu, who escaped after breaking out of the formation, while the exam officials watched the array’s spatial power with alarm. As the remaining contestants gathered to attack the Yuan-Zhou Alliance’s Star Array, Ji Ci and Niu Buqu joined forces against Chen Mu’s formation, and Ji Ci’s first strike shattered both his sword light and the golden barrier.

• Niu Buqu attacked Chen Mu’s group, but Chen Mu weakened him with the water element while A Huo and Mingye kept him occupied.
• Chen Mu used the Flying Thunder God Array to strike Niu Buqu from unexpected directions, forcing him to escape through the formation with a shuttle artifact.
• Chen Duo shot at the wounded Niu Buqu as he fled into the forest, while Mo Fei and An Ruhai watched the array’s spatial movement on a projection.
• Zhuang Linyi and other experts began gathering to attack the Yuan-Zhou Alliance’s Star Array as the free-for-all left just over a hundred contestants.
• Ji Ci reached Chen Mu’s array and agreed with Niu Buqu to break it; his sword strike hit the golden barrier and shattered both the sword light and the barrier.

Chen Mu and his companions defeated Niu Buqu and Ji Ci, then faced the remaining freshmen after their alliance’s array fell. They began eliminating the new attackers while defending the array’s protected heart.

• Niu Buqu attacked Chen Duo and took her nameplate, but Chen Mu immobilized him with talismans and beat him until he disappeared.
• Chen Mu joined A Huo and Mingye to defeat Ji Ci, and the three collected both opponents’ nameplates.
• The remaining freshmen gathered at Chen Mu’s array after the Yuan-Zhou Alliance’s Star Array was broken, and Chen Mu challenged them to attack.
• The mad Daoist agreed to hold Yin Zhan back while Chen Mu and his companions used the array to eliminate one attacker.
• Zhuang Linyi identified the dagger at the array’s center as its heart, but Chen Mu’s layered barriers blocked the group’s attacks as his team targeted another opponent.

Chen Mu and his companions survived the final assault in the ranking competition, escaped their pursuers, and emerged with Chen Mu in first place. At the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion’s welcoming ceremony, the top ten were announced and began claiming their rewards.

• Chen Mu defended the array disk while Mingye and A Huo fought the remaining attackers, and A Huo killed their opponent before helping Chen Mu pressure Zhuang Linyi.
• Chen Mu collected scattered nameplates and gave some to A Huo, then passed over a hundred to the mad Taoist.
• As the competition ended, Chen Mu and his companions abandoned the Flying Thunder God Array and fled through the forest using Instant Movement Talismans until the protective shield appeared.
• Chen Mu reunited with Chen Duo outside the small world and confirmed that she had escaped Niu Buqu’s axe strike unharmed.
• Mo Fei announced the ranking results, naming Mingye third, Qi Huo second, and Chen Mu first.
• Niu Buqu went to claim his reward while glaring resentfully at Chen Mu and his companions.

Chen Mu collected first place in the ranking competition and joined the new disciples on the mountain summit of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion. There, An Ruhai explained the soul’s realms after realizing Chen Mu’s formation skill was secondary to his pursuit of talismans.

• Mingye and A Huo collected the rewards for third and second place, then Chen Mu received first place’s rewards, including a Profound-level secret technique token and ten thousand contribution points.
• Mo Fei and the other elders led more than five hundred new disciples up the Heavenly Stairway and warned them not to fly within its bounds.
• An Ruhai showed the disciples the floating inner pavilion and told them they could enter it through diligent cultivation, while Mo Fei later directed them to rest until the next morning’s master-acknowledgment ceremony.
• Chen Mu used Wood Element Talisman Flags to set up a Spirit Gathering Array near a cliff, and An Ruhai praised his formation skill.
• An Ruhai asked Chen Mu about his soul’s realm, learned that Chen Mu focused on talismans rather than formations, and explained the Mist, Void, and Solid Realms.