Chapter Summaries

On the train to the Beast Defense Frontier, Dongfang Yueming concealed his real name while claiming to be a greater flesh refining expert, changing how the other passengers treated him. Hongxiu warned that the train would soon pass through beast gathering grounds, where passengers would face a test against hungry beasts.

• Zhou Tong introduced himself as a bone tempering initiate and demanded that the passengers introduce themselves.
• Hongxiu introduced herself as a greater flesh refining expert, while Tie Shan and Tie Zhu said they were both lesser flesh refining and urged Dongfang Yueming to join a squad.
• Dongfang Yueming claimed the name Dongfang Ri and said he was at greater flesh refining, stunning the passengers.
• Hongxiu warmly sided with Dongfang Ri and rebuked Zhou Tong when he questioned the truth of his claimed strength.
• Hongxiu revealed that the train would pass through beast gathering grounds, where people tasked with luring monsters would draw hungry beasts toward the passengers.

Dongfang Yueming and the other newcomers reached the Beast Defense Frontier and were ordered to fight a beast tide for military merit. As the battle began, Dongfang Yueming stayed calm and agreed to watch over Hongxiu, while Zhou Tong’s first kill left him eager to judge Dongfang Yueming’s performance.

• Hongxiu told the newcomers they would fight mortal beasts, and the train stopped in a desolate Gobi as Tie Shan and Tie Zhu nervously prepared to disembark.
• Dongfang Yueming and the others saw a vast beast tide approaching, and a gray-uniformed official explained the military merit awarded for each beast’s left ear.
• A high-level mortal beast appeared at the front of the tide, and a Blood Replacement Realm powerhouse stepped forward to fight it while the newcomers charged into battle.
• Hongxiu asked Dongfang Yueming to protect her, and he agreed while remembering her earlier advice about the frontier.
• Jealous of Hongxiu’s attention toward Dongfang Yueming, Zhou Tong killed a charging gale wolf and turned to see how Dongfang Yueming was faring.

Dongfang Yueming effortlessly killed several low-level mortal beasts, exposing Zhou Tong’s attempt to endanger him and earning Hongxiu’s attention. An intermediate-level Blue-Scaled Leopard then attacked, and after a greedy martial artist died trying to steal its ear, the enraged beast grew even more dangerous.

• Dongfang Yueming killed a Fanged Wild Boar and fought off the beast horde with practiced saber and movement techniques.
• Zhou Tong deliberately lured an Iron-Armored Rhinoceros toward Dongfang Yueming, who killed it and two other beasts in one swift attack.
• Dongfang Yueming collected the beasts’ ears, and Zhou Tong became wary of his strength while Hongxiu was impressed.
• A Blue-Scaled Leopard broke through the defensive line, and Hongxiu struck its eyes with her whip to slow its attack.
• A greedy martial artist tried to cut off the leopard’s ear, but the beast struck him down and nearby low-level beasts devoured him.
• The Blue-Scaled Leopard roared and its speed and strength increased as its blue scales began to glow.

Dongfang Yueming saved Hongxiu by killing a berserk Blue-Scaled Leopard in one strike, then helped fight off the remaining beasts. After the beast tide receded, the gray-clad staff member announced that the warriors would tally their military merits.

• The berserk Blue-Scaled Leopard nearly killed Hongxiu while Zhou Tong watched, but Dongfang Yueming stepped in and beheaded it with a single saber strike.
• Hongxiu and Zhou Tong were stunned by Dongfang Yueming’s speed and skill, while Dongfang Yueming put away the leopard’s ear and killed beasts threatening Hongxiu.
• The beast tide collapsed after the warriors and Blood Replacement Realm experts fought desperately, leaving many dead and wounded.
• Dongfang Yueming assessed his ruined saber and heavy pouch of beast ears, estimating he had earned nearly forty military merit points.
• Hongxiu thanked Dongfang Yueming for saving her, and the gray-clad staff member called the warriors to submit their collected ears for military merit tallying.

Dongfang Yueming rejected Zhou Tong’s attempt to take control of the team’s spoils and was accepted as captain after Hongxiu backed him. He registered 99 military merit points and divided them among the team, where Zhou Tong’s resentment remained and the Tie brothers discussed saving for a bone tempering method.

• Zhou Tong tried to collect everyone’s beast ears and register them himself, but Dongfang Yueming refused.
• Hongxiu openly supported Dongfang Yueming as captain, while Tie Shan and Tie Zhu stayed silent; Zhou Tong reluctantly agreed.
• Dongfang Yueming registered 96 low-level beast ears and one Blue-Scaled Leopard ear, earning the team 99 military merit points.
• Dongfang Yueming distributed the points: 34 to himself, 20 to Hongxiu, 19 to Zhou Tong, and 13 each to Tie Shan and Tie Zhu.
• Tie Zhu said the brothers hoped to save 100 points for a basic bone tempering cultivation method, and Zhou Tong mocked their chances of reaching the Bone Forging Realm.

Hongxiu questioned Dongfang Yueming about his cultivation and guessed that he had come to the Beast Defense Frontier to pursue Dragon Elephant's Force. Dongfang Yueming denied that was his only reason, leaving Hongxiu increasingly curious as she pressed him for an answer.

• Zhou Tong disparaged Tie Shan and Tie Zhu's prospects without resources, then left to prepare for a breakthrough to Lesser Bone Tempering.
• The camp was given half an hour to rest before the train continued to Black Stone Fortress.
• Hongxiu drew close to Dongfang Yueming and correctly guessed that he had reached Flesh Refining Perfection.
• Hongxiu revealed that she had cultivated Mighty Bull's Strength and hoped to advance it to Dragon Elephant's Force using resources from the frontier.
• Dongfang Yueming said that pursuing Dragon Elephant's Force was not the whole reason he had come, and Hongxiu asked what else he sought.

Dongfang Yueming was confronted by a group of martial artists demanding his military merits on the lawless road to the Beast Defense Frontier. Elsewhere, Zhang Meng earned a reward by killing a martial artist and plotted revenge against Dongfang Yueming after he broke through to the Bone Forging Realm.

• Hongxiu became flustered after her instinctive action toward Dongfang Yueming and hurried off to get ready.
• Dongfang Yueming planned to earn military merits at Black Stone Fortress and exchange them for a Bone Tempering cultivation technique.
• A bald scarred man and his companions surrounded Dongfang Yueming and demanded his military merits, explaining that the road to the Beast Defense Frontier had no order beyond strength.
• Zhang Meng killed a fallen martial artist, and his captain praised him for earning military merits by killing their own kind.
• The captain rewarded Zhang Meng with top-grade Bone Tempering Ointment, and Zhang Meng vowed to take revenge on Dongfang Yueming after breaking through to the Bone Forging Realm.

Dongfang Yueming defeated a bandit leader and took his military merit, while Hongxiu agreed to visit her father at Black Stone Fortress and asked Steward Hu to obtain two cultivation methods. The chapter left Steward Hu arranging the methods before Hongxiu arrived at the fortress.

• Dongfang Yueming broke the bald man's arm, demanded his military merit, and sent him and his companions away with 32 points taken.
• Dongfang Yueming planned to hunt stronger Mortal Beasts near Black Stone Fortress and earn enough merit for a Bone Tempering Method.
• Steward Hu found Hongxiu and urged her to visit her father, the Red-Bearded General, who had prepared resources for her breakthrough.
• Hongxiu agreed to see her father at the fortress, partly because she wanted resources to keep pace with Dongfang Yueming.
• Hongxiu asked Steward Hu to arrange the Hundred Beasts Flesh Refining Method and Hundred Beasts Bone Tempering Method instead of two sets of breakthrough resources.

Dongfang Yueming and his companions arrived at the Black Stone Fortress, where Hongxiu gave him two cultivation methods as payment for protecting her and kissed his cheek before disappearing into the crowd. The group was about to register at the Military Merit Office, while Zhou Tong hurried off to pursue a breakthrough and secretly plotted against Dongfang Yueming.

• Dongfang Yueming, Hongxiu, Zhou Tong, Tie Shan, and Tie Zhu reached the Black Stone Fortress by train.
• Zhou Tong left the group and headed into the fortress to find a place to break through to Lesser Bone Tempering.
• Tie Shan and Tie Zhu told Dongfang Yueming that newcomers needed to register their team at the Military Merit Office before accepting missions.
• Hongxiu sent Dongfang Yueming the Hundred Beasts Flesh Refining Method and Hundred Beasts Bone Tempering Method as payment for his protection.
• Hongxiu kissed Dongfang Yueming on the cheek, then blushed and fled into the crowd.

Dongfang Yueming parted ways with Tie Shan and Tie Zhu so he could cultivate in seclusion and use his points to advance the Hundred Beasts Bone Tempering Method. He began tempering his bones and reached the Bone Forging Realm at lesser mastery.

• Dongfang Yueming told Tie Shan and Tie Zhu that their temporary squad had ended and that he would stop taking missions to cultivate in seclusion.
• Tie Shan and Tie Zhu accepted the separation, wished Dongfang Yueming well, and left to find their own paths.
• Dongfang Yueming studied the Hundred Beasts Bone Tempering Method and learned that its highest theoretical result was Radiant Gold Bones.
• Dongfang Yueming rented a stone house at Black Stone Fortress, shut himself inside, and allocated points to the method.
• Dongfang Yueming advanced the Hundred Beasts Bone Tempering Method to lesser mastery and entered the Bone Forging Realm.

Dongfang Yueming perfected the Hundred Beasts Bone Tempering Method, reached Bone Forging Realm with Radiant Golden Bones, and headed to the Military Merit Office to take a task. Zhang Meng also broke through to the Bone Forging Realm, while his team leader planned to prey on newcomers.

• Dongfang Yueming spent 150 points to perfect the Hundred Beasts Bone Tempering Method and gained Radiant Golden Bones, raising his daily points to 10.
• Dongfang Yueming decided his new strength would let him venture alone in the Black Stone Fortress and pursue better-paying tasks.
• Zhang Meng broke through to the Bone Forging Realm with the help of Bone Tempering Ointment, and his team leader praised him.
• Zhang Meng's team leader said they would target the newcomers after they accumulated military merit, and Zhang Meng eagerly agreed.
• Dongfang Yueming went to the Military Merit Office and asked to take a task, but the staff member said team tasks required a team leader's identity token.

Dongfang Yueming proved his strength at the Military Merit Office and qualified to take missions alone. While browsing the exchange list, he found a Bone Forging method that could potentially help him reach the legendary Glazed Jade Bones.

• Dongfang Yueming said he wanted to take a mission alone, prompting the staff member and nearby martial artists to warn and mock him.
• Dongfang Yueming revealed that he had reached the Bone Forging Realm and let the staff member test his strength, impressing him with his powerful qi and blood.
• The staff member confirmed that Dongfang Yueming qualified to take missions alone, and the onlookers fell silent.
• Dongfang Yueming reviewed the mission rewards and asked the staff member to send him the military merit exchange list.
• Dongfang Yueming found the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method, which could help him pursue the third level of Bone Forging, the Glazed Jade Bones.

Dongfang Yueming chose the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method as his path toward Glazed Jade Bones and accepted a mission to hunt Ironback Earth Dragons for military merits. Meanwhile, Qin Rushuang agreed to lead the academy’s team to the upcoming Battle of the Python Gate, unaware that a new student might meet its demanding standards.

• Dongfang Yueming dismissed commenters’ warnings about the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method and resolved to pursue Glazed Jade Bones using points.
• Dongfang Yueming accepted a mission to hunt three Intermediate-Level Mortal Beasts, Ironback Earth Dragons, for 30 military merits.
• A middle-aged teacher asked Qin Rushuang to handle reception duties for visiting martial arts academy teams, and she agreed.
• Qin Rushuang reflected on leading the academy’s Seed Class at the Battle of the Python Gate in a little over a month.
• Qin Rushuang reviewed the competition’s strict cultivation requirements and concluded that none of the year’s new students would qualify.

Dongfang Yueming hunted Ironback Earth Dragons outside the Black Stone Fortress and used his new quasi-A-grade saber, Light Snow, to kill three with ease. After seven days of earning military merit, he returned to the Military Merit Office, where rookie martial artists complained that the frontier made it difficult to earn enough merit for the Bone Tempering Method.

• Dongfang Yueming searched the wilderness for half a day before a tremor revealed three Ironback Earth Dragons.
• Dongfang Yueming drew Light Snow and killed the first Ironback Earth Dragon with a slash and a thrust through its heart.
• Dongfang Yueming dodged the other two Ironback Earth Dragons and killed them by striking their weak points.
• Dongfang Yueming spent the next seven days hunting mortal beasts and earning military merit outside the Black Stone Fortress.
• Rookie martial artists complained at the Military Merit Office that mortal beasts were difficult to kill and that earning 100 military merit points felt impossible.

Dongfang Yueming neared the military merit needed to exchange for the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method and took another mission to hunt Ironback Earth Dragons. A captain, suspecting Dongfang Yueming had a divine weapon, ordered Zhang Meng to test him.

• Dongfang Yueming counted his 454 points and 275 military merit, realizing he needed 25 more merit to exchange for the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method.
• Dongfang Yueming returned to the Military Merit Office, where the staff member treated him with new respect, and accepted another mission to hunt three Ironback Earth Dragons.
• The captain’s informant reported that Dongfang Yueming’s Ironback Earth Dragon proofs showed unusually smooth wounds, prompting suspicion that he possessed a divine weapon.
• The captain ordered the informant to have Zhang Meng test Dongfang Yueming’s strength and find out whether he relied on a weapon.

Zhang Meng reluctantly set out to investigate newcomer Dongfang Ri, while Hongxiu broke through to the second stage of Flesh Refining Perfection. Her father Li Yu left after she coldly rejected him, wrestling with whether to reveal that her mother was still alive, and then passed Xi Zhenyue, who resented his superiority.

• Zhang Meng received Xi Lang's order to probe Dongfang Ri and decided to approach him under the pretense of a friendly introduction.
• Hongxiu broke through to the second stage of Flesh Refining Perfection using resources from her father and the Hundred Beasts Flesh Refining Method.
• Hongxiu remembered Dongfang and her late mother, then touched the mysterious gemstone necklace her mother had left her.
• Li Yu visited Hongxiu, but she turned away from him, and he left wondering whether to tell her that her mother was still alive.
• Xi Zhenyue greeted Li Yu, who walked past him indifferently, deepening Xi Zhenyue's resentment.

Dongfang Yueming encountered Zhang Meng while searching for an Ironback Earth Dragon at the Beast Defense Frontier. Zhang Meng admitted he had arranged the earlier ambush and threatened to torture him, unaware of Dongfang Yueming’s strength.

• Dongfang Yueming searched the rocky area where the Ironback Earth Dragon appeared.
• Zhang Meng came across Dongfang Yueming and recognized him, delighted to find an opportunity for revenge.
• Zhang Meng mocked Dongfang Yueming and boasted that his bone forging realm initiation made him far stronger.
• Dongfang Yueming asked whether Zhang Meng had sent Scorpion to ambush him near the school.
• Zhang Meng admitted arranging the ambush and approached Dongfang Yueming, threatening to torture him.

Dongfang Yueming revealed that he was also known as Dongfang Ri after killing an Ironback Earth Dragon with one strike. Zhang Meng recognized his strength and begged for mercy, but Dongfang Yueming killed him.

• Zhang Meng grew uneasy at Dongfang Yueming's calmness and suspected he might be the powerful newcomer Dongfang Ri.
• An Ironback Earth Dragon burst from the ground and targeted Zhang Meng, who tried to flee.
• Dongfang Yueming charged the beast and killed it with a single strike.
• Dongfang Yueming confirmed to Zhang Meng that he was Dongfang Ri.
• Zhang Meng fell to his knees and tried to beg for mercy, but Dongfang Yueming beheaded him.

After killing Zhang Meng, Dongfang Yueming looted his body and discovered Xi Lang had sent him to investigate. Dongfang Yueming concealed Zhang Meng’s death and headed to Black Stone Fortress to exchange his military merits for a stronger cultivation method.

• Dongfang Yueming took Zhang Meng’s D-rank saber and transferred all 50 of Zhang Meng’s military merits to himself, bringing his total to 325.
• Dongfang Yueming read Xi Lang’s message to Zhang Meng, realized someone had sent Zhang Meng to probe him, and replied while pretending to be Zhang Meng.
• Dongfang Yueming searched for Tendon Transformation Realm methods and found that even the cheapest cost 500 military merits, so he decided to pursue the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method instead.
• Dongfang Yueming hid Zhang Meng’s terminal inside an unconscious Earth Beetle to foil Xi Lang’s attempt to track it.
• Dongfang Yueming left for Black Stone Fortress to obtain the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method as soon as possible.

Dongfang Yueming redeemed the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method and planned to use his points to begin cultivating it. Meanwhile, Xi Lang worried about his stalled breakthrough and prepared to use a damaged Dharma Comprehension Stone to reach perfection in the Tendon Transformation Realm.

• Dongfang Yueming returned to the Military Merit Office and exchanged 300 military merit points for the Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method despite the staff member's warning.
• Dongfang Yueming checked the manual on his terminal and planned to use his points and Point Allocation to overcome its demanding beast-bone requirements.
• Xi Lang reread his messages with Zhang Meng and worried that his pawn had gone missing, but decided his own breakthrough mattered more.
• Xi Lang took out a Damaged Dharma Comprehension Stone and hoped it would help him reach ordinary perfection in the Tendon Transformation Realm.