Chapter Summaries

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.

After the master-acknowledgment ceremony, Chen Mu learned that new disciples could choose an elder within a month and that earning a personal or inner disciple status brought greater access to their master and the Pavilion’s facilities. He recalled An Ruhai’s offer to take him as a personal disciple, leaving him to consider his choice of master.

• An Ruhai praised Chen Mu’s array talent and invited him to join Array Hall as his personal disciple after the ceremony.
• Chen Mu and the other new students bathed, changed into disciple robes, and endured the scorn of students who looked down on their Wilderness origins.
• Mo Fei led the new students in a solemn ceremony honoring Heaven-Questioning Pavilion’s founding patriarch, Yang Wentian.
• Huang Tianjiao, a former first-place winner, escorted Chen Mu, A Huo, Mingye, and Chen Duo to choose residences and explained the rules for choosing a master.
• Huang Tianjiao explained that assigned masters gave nominal-disciple status, while disciples chosen by an elder could become inner disciples, and personal disciples received the closest support.

Chen Mu and his companions settled into their assigned homes on Treasure Arrival Peak, learned the basics of life at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, and increased their Spiritual Power with Spirit Augmenting Pills. Meanwhile, Tuoba Ziying learned that Mingye had joined the pavilion with Chen Mu and reacted with anger and suspicion.

• Huang Tianjiao explained the pavilion’s seven halls and led the new disciples to choose houses and courtyards on Treasure Arrival Peak.
• A Huo and Mingye chose second-grade courtyards, while Chen Mu selected the largest third-grade courtyard and learned its spirit veins must not be damaged.
• Chen Mu, Chen Duo, A Huo, and Mingye cleaned their courtyards, and Chen Mu set up simple defensive and Spirit Gathering Arrays for A Huo and Mingye.
• The four disciples received their supplies and identity nameplates, read the new disciple’s handbook, and took their Spirit Augmenting Pills; Mingye began to sense the barrier to the next realm.
• A messenger told Tuoba Ziying that Mingye had joined the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion with people from Chen Village, led by the array master Chen Mu, and Tuoba Ziying broke his writing brush in anger.

Tuoba Ziying sent a Spirit-Locking Clasp to a friend at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion to capture Mingye. Meanwhile, Chen Mu explored the library tower and reached the fourth floor to choose a profound-grade divine soul secret technique.

• Tuoba Ziying gave a subordinate the Spirit-Locking Clasp and ordered him to deliver it to Tuoba Ziying's friend at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion.
• Chen Mu went to the library tower and learned its contribution-point fees from Qingying.
• Chen Mu spent most of the day reading cultivation books on the first floor to improve his knowledge.
• Chen Mu asked Qingying to exchange his jade token for a divine soul secret technique, and she led him to the fourth floor.
• Elder Yun granted Chen Mu entry, and Qingying showed him the profound-grade divine soul secret techniques he could choose from.

Chen Mu chose the difficult Heart-Burning Flame soul technique and discovered that the Karmic Fire Cushion helped him cultivate it. The next morning, he attended a Talisman Rune Hall lecture, eager to deepen his knowledge of talisman theory.

• Chen Mu selected Heart-Burning Flame despite Qingying's warning that disciples had struggled for years to master it.
• Chen Mu practiced Heart-Burning Flame with the Karmic Fire Cushion and produced a brief flame, confirming that the cushion accelerated his progress.
• Chen Mu encouraged Chen Duo to visit more halls before choosing an elder to follow.
• Chen Mu attended a Talisman Rune Hall lesson and recorded the elder's teachings on advanced talisman principles.

Chen Mu sought Elder Ming’s help with his questions about runes, but had to face a Chinese chess endgame to gain access to him. After losing and retreating to study the position, Chen Mu began building a device to calculate its solution.

• Chen Mu asked Elder Fang detailed questions about runes, and Elder Fang referred him to Elder Ming while offering to take him as a personal disciple.
• Chen Mu traveled to Elder Ming’s courtyard and found a Chinese chess endgame blocking the gates.
• Chen Mu played against the board for more than two hours, lost, and left after saying he would return in a few days.
• Chen Mu bought materials with his contribution points and built a Chess Position Solver designed to calculate the endgame.