Chapter Summaries

As the first World Martial Arts Tournament gained attention across Divine Land, ordinary people, professional fighters, and foreign competitors rushed to register and prepare. The tournament drew closer amid unconventional equipment and growing interest, while its organizers welcomed foreign entrants as credible participants.

• Li Xingkong stopped testing the Sword Control Technique because it caused too much commotion.
• The officially verified tournament announcement spread across Divine Land, prompting ordinary people and martial artists to sign up.
• Professional fighters criticized the tournament's lack of restrictions and weight classes but registered to gain publicity.
• Contestants devised unusual protective gear and tactics as city venues prepared to host the preliminaries.
• Foreign heavyweight competitors entered, and the authorities welcomed them as credible challengers who could advance to the next stage.

Li Xingkong watched the Imperial Capital preliminaries, where thousands of contestants competed in a crowded stadium. After a chaotic first round eliminated half the field, the second round began and several physically imposing and clearly trained fighters stood out.

• The Imperial Capital held its enormous single-bout preliminaries, with more than ten thousand registered contestants competing for three places in the finals.
• Li Xingkong took a seat with a clear view of the stadium and watched the first round, where many contestants were absent or fought without training.
• The first round ended with the winners advancing and the losers eliminated, leaving around two thousand contestants after forfeits were counted.
• The contestants began the second round after a short break, many still bruised from their first matches.
• Li Xingkong noticed several towering fighters who overwhelmed opponents with their size and trained fighters who easily countered wild punches.

Li Xingkong watched the preliminaries progress from clumsy brawls to bouts between trained fighters, including a notorious match between Ma Baoguo and Cai Kunkun. Ma Baoguo won by secretly shocking Cai Kunkun, and the referee exposed his trick.

• Li Xingkong spotted cultivators among the contestants by how little they reacted to punches.
• Ma Baoguo and Cai Kunkun introduced their martial styles and began their match before a crowd of fans.
• Ma Baoguo fell to the ground, clung to Cai Kunkun's foot, and pretended he had been injured.
• Cai Kunkun kicked Ma Baoguo, who got up and used a hidden device to shock him with his Lightning Five Consecutive Whips.
• The referee stopped the match, searched Ma Baoguo, and discovered the concealed discharge device and his silver-powder trick.

As the preliminaries narrowed to a field of heavyweight experts, Li Xingkong recognized cultivator Lin Yinxuan among the remaining contestants and expected him to win. Lin Yinxuan entered a match against a towering opponent, intending to rely on his rubber-tempered body rather than use mana; the fight had just begun when his opponent threatened him.

• Kunkun won the match after Old Ma was disqualified for breaking the rules.
• The preliminaries advanced until fewer than ten contestants remained, most of them powerful fighters and martial artists.
• Li Xingkong recognized Lin Yinxuan, a materials scientist and moon cultivator whose Bone Tempering had used rubber.
• Lin Yinxuan stepped into the ring against a much larger, bear-like opponent and decided to avoid using mana during the preliminaries.
• The burly opponent displayed his muscles and urged Lin Yinxuan to surrender before he was punched down.

Lin Yinxuan fought a burly opponent in a contest, using his rubber-like body and agility to withstand and evade attacks. After tiring the man out, he struck him with a spinning punch that sent him outside the field, while his unusual body protected his own arm from the force.

• Lin Yinxuan and the burly man exchanged punches, and Lin Yinxuan's rubber-like body absorbed and rebounded much of the impact.
• The burly man tried to seize Lin Yinxuan, but Lin Yinxuan bullet-jumped beneath his arms and kicked him into a face-first fall.
• The burly man got back up and attacked more cautiously while Lin Yinxuan dodged and countered through a prolonged fight.
• As the burly man grew tired, Lin Yinxuan spun up momentum and punched him out of the field.
• Lin Yinxuan's striking arm bent sharply from the impact, but his body's special properties kept it from breaking.

Lin Yinxuan advanced to the final four of the Imperial Capital preliminaries and drew the middle-aged internal martial artist as his next opponent. The sanda fighter lost his match against the wrestler after being repeatedly thrown and conceded.

• Lin Yinxuan's victory left four contestants in the Imperial Capital preliminaries, with only three set to qualify.
• The draw paired Lin Yinxuan with the middle-aged internal martial artist and matched the sanda fighter against the wrestler.
• The sanda fighter struck the wrestler's knee but was caught and crushed beneath him when the wrestler fell.
• The sanda fighter tried to attack the wrestler's head, but the wrestler hooked his raised leg, tripped him, and slammed him onto the platform.
• The wrestler seized the dazed sanda fighter and threw him several times until he conceded.

Lin Yinxuan faced a middle-aged Internal Martial Arts practitioner whose Hidden Jin could not harm him, prompting the man to surrender and offer to teach him. By the midday break, the strange match had sparked rumors about Lin Yinxuan and drawn attention to his identity.

• Lin Yinxuan entered the ring to face a middle-aged practitioner, who warned him that his Hidden Jin could strike his internal organs.
• Lin Yinxuan took the man's palm strike without injury and answered with several punches, revealing that Hidden Jin had no effect on him.
• The middle-aged practitioner surrendered after their brief exchange, leaving Lin Yinxuan and the spectators bewildered.
• The man examined Lin Yinxuan's pulse, sensed his unusual internal energy, and offered to teach him his method for enlarging his hands; Lin Yinxuan accepted.
• During the midday break, speculation about Lin Yinxuan spread among spectators, and the match pushed him into the eye of the storm.

The middle-aged internal martial artist faced the sanda fighter for the final qualifying spot and proved his Hidden Jin was genuine. He defeated the sanda fighter, who left promising to compete again at the next tournament.

• The sanda fighter dismissed the middle-aged internal martial artist's claims about Hidden Jin and entered the match confident he would win.
• The sanda fighter opened with a powerful roundhouse kick, which the internal martial artist blocked before countering and redirecting his follow-up attack.
• The internal martial artist caught the sanda fighter's straight kick and twisted his leg, injuring his thigh and forcing him to spin and roll across the ground.
• The internal martial artist targeted the sanda fighter's injured right side and knocked him down with a heavy punch to the stomach.
• The sanda fighter conceded and left the ring, promising to return for the next martial arts tournament.

Lin Yinxuan fought the wrestler for first place in the preliminaries and used mana to enlarge and strengthen his body, then threw his opponent out of the ring. The match ended with the wrestler stunned and the spectators baffled by Lin Yinxuan’s abilities.

• Lin Yinxuan faced the wrestler in the final preliminary match after the sanda fighter conceded.
• The wrestler tried to take Lin Yinxuan down, but Lin Yinxuan went limp, wrapped around him, and repeatedly rapped his bald head.
• Lin Yinxuan slipped free, circulated mana, and accidentally enlarged his entire body instead of only his arms.
• Lin Yinxuan locked up with the wrestler, used mana to boost his strength, and lifted him overhead.
• Lin Yinxuan threw the wrestler out of the ring, leaving him and the spectators stunned.

Lin Yinxuan won the Imperial Capital preliminary final with a mana-enhanced blow, silencing doubts about his fighting ability. Li Xingkong and Tang Cheng left before the award ceremony ended and examined the tournament organizers’ files on contestants advancing to the official competition.

• Lin Yinxuan defeated the wrestler in the final, and livestream viewers speculated about his strength and techniques.
• Li Xingkong watched the victory proceedings with Tang Cheng, who declined an invitation to take part in a champions’ friendly.
• Li Xingkong and Tang Cheng left the venue and went to the tournament organizers’ workplace to see who had advanced from other regions.
• Li Xingkong picked up Huang Huihong’s file and saw the organizers’ detailed records and assessment of the contestant.

Li Xingkong and Tang Cheng reviewed the finalists’ profiles, including Wu Ting and Eagle Country’s genetically modified contestants, while discussing preparations for injuries and the risks they posed. The official competition rules were then announced, allowing nearly all weapons and protective equipment and prompting contestants and sponsors to prepare for the matches.

• Li Xingkong found Wu Ting’s profile at the top of the Hedong Province stack and saw that he had won first place in the preliminaries.
• Tang Cheng showed Li Xingkong profiles of Eagle Country-linked contestants who had undergone genetic modification, and the two discussed the danger they might pose to ordinary competitors.
• Tang Cheng explained that a trained team would provide on-site healing using spells from Li Xingkong’s spell encyclopedia.
• Li Xingkong and Tang Cheng joked that the foreigners’ attacks could motivate injured contestants to cultivate harder.
• The official competition rules were released, keeping one-on-one arena matches but imposing few restrictions on weapons and none on protective equipment.
• Contestants began considering how to equip themselves, while companies offered to help fund gear in exchange for placing their watermarks on it.

Li Xingkong continued refining his sword control as the main tournament began in the Imperial Capital. Contestants in traditional armor and bizarre custom gear entered the first round, where Dayun used a human-powered armored cart to knock his opponent out of the ring.

• Li Xingkong improved the accuracy and speed of his flying sword while preparing for the tournament.
• More than a hundred contestants gathered in the Imperial Capital, displaying traditional armor, strange designs, and a few unarmored outfits.
• The first round began with contestants fighting simultaneously in separate rings, and many heavily armored fighters resorted to shoving matches.
• Dayun drove his armored cart into a plate-armored opponent and pushed him out of the ring.
• Viewers praised Dayun's tactics and joked about his cart online.

Willow Knight used his unusual chain weapon to bind and throw Demon Knight out of the arena, while Lin Yinxuan used a Blood Coagulation Spell to incapacitate and eliminate his opponent. The livestream audience was left questioning whether spells were real.

• Willow Knight swept his chain weapon across the arena, trapping Demon Knight in his own armor and throwing him out to win.
• Spectators saw how Willow Knight’s competition-specific weapon could outperform traditional arms in the arena.
• Lin Yinxuan cast a Blood Coagulation Spell on a Song-armored opponent, making his legs fail and sending him to the ground.
• Lin Yinxuan lifted the armored contestant with one foot and threw him out of the arena.
• The commentator identified Lin Yinxuan’s technique as a Blood Coagulation Spell, leaving spectators and livestream viewers baffled.

During a martial arts tournament, Lin Yinxuan’s spell and the commentator’s remarks reveal that cultivators are competing, just as Divine Land announces that Spiritual Qi has revived and cultivation is open to everyone. The public rushes to understand the new cultivation guidance while spectators keep watching the tournament to see cultivators fight.

• Lin Yinxuan used a spell to defeat his opponent, and the commentator identified him as an Early Qi Refining cultivator.
• Divine Land published guidelines announcing that everyone could cultivate, explaining the existing legal system and telling citizens how to claim cultivation techniques.
• The cultivation website crashed under the surge of visitors as people discussed the announcement and realized the tournament contestants were likely cultivators.
• The first round ended with just over fifty contestants remaining, and the second round drew less attention as spectators chased cultivation news.
• Netizens connected meditation classes in schools to cultivation, and users who obtained the guidance confirmed that cultivation began with meditating until they could sense Spiritual Qi.
• Many spectators returned their attention to the tournament to witness the cultivators’ abilities firsthand.

In the third round, cultivators Brother Gou and Dabao faced each other in the competition’s first clash between cultivators. Brother Gou outmaneuvered Dabao and sent him crashing down just outside the arena.

• The third-round draw paired the unarmored cultivators Brother Gou and Dabao, drawing the venue’s attention.
• Dabao charged Brother Gou with a powerful punch, but Brother Gou dodged by jumping into the air.
• Dabao launched himself upward with another forceful punch, and Brother Gou used a Magic Power-assisted double jump to evade him and switch positions.
• Dabao attacked from above with a kick, while Brother Gou created three apparent copies and moved behind him.
• Brother Gou lightly kicked Dabao, shifting his landing point so he crashed outside the arena.

After Dabao was eliminated, the cultivators’ destructive battle stunned the spectators and distracted the remaining competitors. Willow Knight faced an Eagle Country fighter, who defeated him by using his armor’s electric discharge.

• Dabao was easily eliminated, and the damage from the cultivators’ brief battle left spectators and other fighters astonished.
• The remaining cultivator matches ended quickly, leaving the martial artists to continue their bouts.
• Willow Knight faced an Eagle Country competitor whose companions had already lost to cultivators.
• Willow Knight’s opponent charged into range and activated his armor’s electrical discharge while caught by the willow switch.
• The electricity incapacitated Willow Knight, and the referee declared the Eagle Country competitor the winner.

The Willow Knight recovered from severe electric and burn injuries after a tournament staff member healed him with a spell, drawing attention to cultivation’s medical potential. Lin Yinxuan then defeated the Eagle Country fighter, leaving four contestants in the tournament.

• Tournament staff played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would treat the unconscious Willow Knight, then one staff member tore apart his armor.
• The staff member used a green healing spell to restore the Willow Knight, who woke up and left the venue unharmed.
• Viewers reacted to the staff member’s healing ability and discussed the growing appeal of cultivation.
• Two cultivators fought a prolonged, closely matched battle in the fourth round before one defeated the other.
• Lin Yinxuan resisted the Eagle Country fighter’s electrical attack, broke his armor, and swept him out of the arena.
• The tournament reached its final four contestants.

The four cultivators prepared for the semifinals as the host interviewed them about cultivation and its risks. The interviews reassured spectators about safety and public order, while Wu Ting remained an unknown quantity to his opponents.

• The chapter identified Lin Yinxuan, Brother Gou, Tie Xingzhen, and Wu Ting as the final four, noting that Wu Ting had reached the semifinals through his own talent and effort.
• The four contestants gathered in the ring for the afternoon semifinals and waited to draw their opponents as the host began interviewing them.
• Lin Yinxuan described cultivation as a practice that complemented science and said it was safe because Spiritual Qi served only as a tool.
• Brother Gou said a state-backed army of cultivators was close to being established and would prevent unrest.
• Tie Xingzhen answered that time was most important in cultivation and revealed that he was a physicist.

Wu Ting explained that cultivation pursued freedom and then faced Tie Xingzhen in the first semifinal. He countered Tie Xingzhen’s powerful techniques with Tai Chi and his own martial arts, before landing an internal magic-power attack that left Tie Xingzhen in trouble.

• Wu Ting told the host that cultivation broke the bonds of heaven and earth and pursued true freedom.
• The draw paired Wu Ting with Tie Xingzhen and Brother Gou with Lin Yinxuan in the semifinals.
• Tie Xingzhen transformed his fist into a hammer and struck at Wu Ting, who diverted the force into the arena floor with Tai Chi.
• Wu Ting caught Tie Xingzhen’s Vajra Spike between his fingers and used Eye Strike to make him stumble back.
• Wu Ting followed with Dragon-Tiger Intent, and its magic power passed through Tie Xingzhen’s defenses and began wreaking havoc inside him.

Tie Xingzhen used the Lesser Golden Light Technique and his Sixty-Three Charge against Wu Ting, but Wu Ting absorbed the attack with his Tai Chi barrier. Tie Xingzhen conceded after the spinning left him too dizzy to continue, and Wu Ting won the first semifinal.

• Tie Xingzhen realized Wu Ting’s attack had hurt him and raised his estimate of Wu Ting’s strength.
• Tie Xingzhen cast the Lesser Golden Light Technique, transformed into an iron ball, and charged up his ultimate move.
• Tie Xingzhen launched Sixty-Three Charge at nearly half the speed of sound, striking Wu Ting’s Tai Chi barrier.
• Wu Ting’s rotating Tai Chi pattern dissipated the iron ball’s momentum and brought it to a stop.
• Tie Xingzhen returned to human form, collapsed with dizziness, and conceded the match.
• Wu Ting won the first semifinal as the spectators cheered the fighters’ powerful techniques.