Recaps

Xiao Ye, fighting under the name Kong Mu, challenged the Saint Realm Fifth Layer Xiang Li and unleashed an astonishing barrage of spells and martial techniques from the Simplified Dao Book Scroll. His opening attack stunned the academy experts and spectators, while Lu Changzhi hinted that Xiao Ye had yet to show his full strength.

• Duan Bo warned Xiao Ye about the danger of facing Xiang Li, then allowed the contest after setting a rule that Xiang Li could not attack with anything beyond the power he drew upon.
• Xiao Ye and Xiang Li entered the arena, where Xiang Li threatened to crush him and told him to attack first.
• Xiao Ye summoned the Simplified Dao Book Scroll and filled the arena with rapidly cast Saint Rank spells and martial techniques of many kinds.
• Lu Yuan, Kong Bo, Duan Bo, and the spectators were shocked by Xiao Ye's casting speed and the scale of his attack.
• Mu Fan praised Xiao Ye's suppressive fire, and Huang Zhan noticed Lu Changzhi's reaction suggesting Xiao Ye had not yet revealed his full strength.

Xiang Li broke through Xiao Ye’s spell barrage with his five elements sacred physique and metal origin power, closing in to finish the fight. Just as the crowd expected the outcome to be decided, Xiao Ye’s spells vanished and he seized a rolled-up book, shouting that Xiang Li should take a staff strike.

• Xiang Li used the power of the five elements to weaken Xiao Ye’s spells and form a shield against the bombardment.
• Xiang Li drew a sword, activated metal origin power, and began cutting through Xiao Ye’s spells and martial techniques.
• Xiang Li added wind power to his movement technique and rapidly closed the distance while the onlookers feared for Xiao Ye.
• As Xiang Li came within five zhang, Duan Bo and Xiang Ge prepared to intervene, but Xiao Ye’s book snapped shut and the spells dispersed.
• Xiao Ye gathered the flying pages, grabbed the rolled-up book, and shouted for Xiang Li to take a staff strike.

Xiao Ye surprised the crowd by using a staff concealed inside a book to overpower Xiang Li in a close-quarters clash. After Xiang Li was sent staggering back, Lu Changzhi recognized how much Xiao Ye’s strength had improved, while Mu Fan praised his conduct.

• Xiao Ye wrapped flying pages around his book and arms, forming a long staff, then chose to face Xiang Li head-on.
• Xiang Li attacked with his sword, but Xiao Ye blocked it with the staff and unleashed enough force to knock the sword from Xiang Li’s hand and drive him backward.
• The crowd was stunned that a spell cultivator could defeat Xiang Li in close combat, and Huang Zhan asked Huang Jiuzhao how he would have handled Xiao Ye’s strike.
• Huang Jiuzhao admitted he would have come off worse, while Huang Zhan suggested investigating Xiao Ye’s other hobbies.
• Lu Yuan celebrated Xiao Ye’s strength, and Lu Changzhi attributed it to the foundation Xiao Ye had built on Hidden Origin Peak.
• Mu Fan praised Xiao Ye for winning people over with virtue.

Xiao Ye used his lightning-based Saint Physique to seize the advantage against Xiang Li, but Xiang Li’s Five Elements Sacred Physique and Saint Realm cultivation kept his defenses intact. As Xiao Ye prepared to make a decisive move, the system reported that Tongtong was in position.

• Lu Changzhi and Mu Fan discussed Xiao Ye’s fighting style while Gu Chen noticed Xiang Ge’s anger.
• Xiao Ye unleashed his lightning power and charged at Xiang Li, forcing the two to switch from offense and defense.
• Xiao Ye stopped short and used carefully selected lightning spells to batter Xiang Li’s five-elements seal.
• Xiang Li struggled to withstand the spells, while spectators marveled that a Transcendent Realm cultivator was suppressing a Saint Realm cultivator.
• Xiao Ye acknowledged the strength of Xiang Li’s Five Elements Sacred Physique and decided to make a major move.
• The system told Xiao Ye that Tongtong was in position.

Xiang Li unleashed All Techniques Annihilation, using his Five Elements Sacred Physique and consciousness to extinguish Xiao Ye’s lightning techniques. As Xiang Li prepared to press his advantage, Xiao Ye raised a hand and called out, leaving his counterattack about to begin.

• Xiang Li gathered the power of heaven and earth and the Five Elements while Xiao Ye remained amid the lightning.
• Xiang Li unleashed All Techniques Annihilation, extinguishing the lightning across the arena.
• Xiang Li taunted Xiao Ye and summoned the power of metal around himself.
• Xiao Ye opened his eyes, raised a hand toward the heavens, and said, “Come!”

Xiao Ye harnessed the Saint Realm Lightning Tribulation during his fight with Xiang Li, turning its power into armor and striking back. After knocking Xiang Li down, he used a scroll to spread another bolt of tribulation lightning across the arena and charged at him with a lightning-charged palm.

• A tribulation cloud gathered over the arena, and the spectators realized Xiao Ye had deliberately triggered a Lightning Tribulation.
• Xiang Li attacked as the first bolt fell, but Xiao Ye absorbed the tribulation lightning and formed it into armor.
• Xiao Ye grabbed Xiang Li's sword, numbed him with tribulation lightning, and knocked him back onto the arena floor.
• Xiao Ye used a scroll to divide the next bolt into lightning techniques that blanketed the arena.
• Riding the lightning's descent, Xiao Ye charged at Xiang Li with a palm charged by tribulation lightning.

Xiao Ye used tribulation lightning to strike Xiang Li and build a powerful lightning armor, but the fifth bolt shattered it and left him in danger. Xiang Li seized the moment to launch a killing attack at the fallen Xiao Ye.

• Xiao Ye struck Xiang Li across the face with a lightning-wreathed palm, enraging Xiang Ge and the Xiang Clan.
• The third bolt of tribulation lightning struck Xiao Ye, who formed a nearly solid lightning armor from its power.
• Xiang Li kept his distance and attacked Xiao Ye with spells while waiting for an opening.
• The fourth bolt strengthened Xiao Ye's lightning armor, but observers warned that accumulating tribulation lightning could overwhelm him.
• The purple fifth bolt shattered Xiao Ye's armor and disrupted his Qi, prompting Xiang Li to rush in with a killing attack.

Xiao Ye turned Xiang Li’s apparent advantage into a trap, then used the sixth bolt of tribulation lightning to leave him badly injured and free of the academy’s restraints. As Xiang Ge faced the academy’s intervention, Xiao Ye demanded that Xiang Zhou apologize for his earlier threat.

• Xiang Li attacked while Xiang Ge tried to interfere, but Xiao Ye gathered the scattered tribulation lightning into a purple bolt and revealed his trap.
• Xiao Ye’s purple lightning struck Xiang Li and sent him flying, while Duan Bo allowed him to remain inside the arena.
• Xiao Ye restrained Xiang Li as the sixth bolt descended, then let the lightning strike them both and break Xiang Li’s restraints.
• Xiao Ye told Xiang Ge that something had happened to Xiang Li, and academy experts blocked Xiang Ge from advancing.
• Xiao Ye reminded Xiang Zhou of his earlier threat and said Xiang Zhou would be the first to face a calamity unless he apologized.

Xiao Ye endured the seventh and eighth bolts of his Saint Lightning Tribulation while Xiang Zhou apologized and Xiang Li was thrown from the arena. The tribulation clouds remained, leaving everyone to wonder whether Xiao Ye would face a ninth bolt.

• Xiao Ye named Xiang Zhou as the one who had threatened Kong Mu, and Xiang Ge ordered Xiang Zhou to apologize and end the conflict.
• Xiang Zhou admitted fault and asked to end the matter, and Xiao Ye moved across the arena to face the seventh bolt of tribulation lightning.
• The seventh bolt struck, sent Xiang Li flying from the arena, and left Xiao Ye standing amid the fading lightning.
• Lu Changzhi observed that Xiao Ye was using the tribulation lightning to strengthen himself and raise the Thunder Dragon egg, while his supporters waited for a chance to act.
• An academy expert blocked most of the eighth bolt's power, but the tribulation clouds still did not disperse, prompting speculation that Xiao Ye would face nine bolts.

Kong Mu survived the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning unharmed, drawing the crowd’s admiration and making Xiang Ge fear the threat he posed to the Xiang Clan. Huang Zhan provoked Xiang Ge into attacking, and Lu Changzhi noticed that Xiang Ge’s true realm was lower than people believed.

• Kong Mu stood unharmed amid the ruined arena after enduring all nine bolts of tribulation lightning, astonishing the crowd.
• Xiang Ge worried that Kong Mu’s rise would hurt the Xiang Clan’s influence and resolved to eliminate him.
• Huang Zhan reminded Xiang Ge that the Xiang Clan had lost the inheritance, marriage engagement, and contest between their prodigies, angering him.
• Xiang Ge drew his spear and attacked Huang Zhan, but Duan Bo and the academy’s experts contained the clash.
• Lu Yuan questioned whether Xiang Ge had hidden strength, and Lu Changzhi revealed that Xiang Ge’s information page listed him at the Seventh Layer of the Saint Venerable Realm.

After no one challenged Kong Mu, Meng Yu confirmed his betrothal, but Xia Hai questioned whether Kong Mu’s family status matched Xiang Li’s. Lu Yuan then announced that his young master had something to say, leaving the gathering curious about Kong Mu’s background.

• Lu Changzhi told Lu Yuan that Xiang Ge was only at the Seventh Level of Saint Venerable, and Lu Yuan concluded Xiang Ge had been bragging.
• Meng Yu asked whether anyone else would compete, and Huang Jiuzhao declined while expressing respect for Kong Mu.
• Meng Yu declared the betrothal settled, and the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and other factions congratulated Kong Mu.
• Xiang Ge threatened Xia Hai through a voice transmission, so Xia Hai asked Meng Yu how Kong Mu’s family status compared with Xiang Li’s.
• Lu Yuan announced that his young master had something to say, and the crowd noticed that his form of address implied a status relationship.

Lu Changzhi revealed his extraordinary standing as Kong Mu’s master and warned the Xiang Clan against harming his disciple. The gathering ended with Xiang Ge challenging Lu Changzhi over his contempt for the clan.

• Lu Yuan addressed Lu Changzhi as his young master, and Xiao Ye identified Lu Changzhi as Kong Mu’s master, stunning the gathering.
• Lu Changzhi thanked the academy for protecting Kong Mu, and Duan Bo affirmed that the academy would keep him safe after he inherited the Myriad Laws Saint Emperor’s legacy.
• Xiang Ge suspected Lu Changzhi’s background might be a bluff and sent Xiang Qing to inspect his karma, but Xiang Qing spat blood after the attempt.
• Lu Changzhi showed the crowd an image-recording stone of Xiang Li attacking Xiao Ye and warned Xiang Ge that he would blame the Xiang Clan if anything happened to Kong Mu.
• Xiang Ge angrily asked Lu Changzhi whether he had considered the consequences of holding the Xiang Clan in contempt.

Lu Yuan, the academy, the Huang Clan, and the Sea Race backed Lu Changzhi and his disciple Kong Mu against the Xiang Clan. Their public support left the Xiang Clan facing a growing coalition, though most factions stayed neutral.

• Lu Yuan threatened to hold the Xiang Clan responsible if anything happened to Xiao Ye, and Duan Bo announced that the academy would not restrict individual fights.
• Huang Zhan declared that the Huang Clan would stand with Lu Changzhi and help settle the score with the Xiang Clan if Kong Mu was harmed.
• Long Miao pledged the Sea Race’s support for Lu Changzhi, despite objections from other Sea Race experts.
• Most other factions withheld their support, while onlookers concluded that the Xiang Clan would have to reconsider any move against Kong Mu.

Lin Tongtian, a long-presumed-dead patriarch of the Heaven-Piercing Sect, appeared at the Law Contemplation Gathering and revealed his immense strength. He backed Xiao Ye and warned Xiang Ge that the Heaven-Piercing Sect would attack the Xiang Clan if Xiao Ye were harmed.

• Onlookers discussed Kong Mu's influence and wondered how the Xiang Clan would respond, while Lu Changzhi remained at the center of their attention.
• Lin Tongtian arrived in an ancient coffin marked with the character "Pierce," shocking those who recognized the supposedly deceased Heaven-Piercing Sect patriarch.
• Lin Tongtian emerged from the coffin, accepted the Heaven-Piercing Sect's greetings, and revealed a presence that Lu Yuan identified as Saint Emperor or Half-Step Saint Emperor.
• Lin Tongtian privately praised Lu Changzhi and guessed that his patriarch had reached the Saint Realm Eighth Layer; Lu Changzhi confirmed the guess.
• Lin Tongtian declared that he liked Xiao Ye and threatened to strike the Xiang Clan if Xiao Ye suffered any harm.
• Zhang Ming and the Heaven-Piercing Sect's people vowed to stand with Lin Tongtian and attack the Xiang Clan if necessary.

Lin Tongtian confronted Xiang Ge and forced him to accept a warning that the Xiang Clan would pay if Kong Mu’s master and disciple were harmed. After Lin Tongtian departed, the Dark Hall issued its own threat against the Xiang Clan over Kong Mu.

• Heaven-Piercing Sect disciples called for a direct attack on the Xiang Clan, prompting the crowd to speculate about the sect’s hidden strength.
• Lin Tongtian suppressed Xiang Ge and threatened him with a staff positioned behind him until Xiang Ge agreed that Lin Tongtian was reasonable.
• Lin Tongtian warned Xiang Ge not to harm Kong Mu’s master and disciple, then returned to the coffin and departed as the Heaven-Piercing Sect saluted him.
• Huang Zhan considered consoling the humiliated Xiang Ge, but a Dark Hall order appeared in the sky, threatening to hunt down Xiang Clan members if Kong Mu suffered harm.

The Xiang Clan left the Law Contemplation Gathering after Lu Changzhi’s influence drew threats from powerful factions and Huang Zhan repeatedly provoked Xiang Ge. With the Xiang Clan gone, everyone turned their attention back to Lu Changzhi and awaited his next move.

• Xiang Ge held back his anger as the Heaven-Piercing Sect patriarch and the Dark Hall master's decree reinforced the threats against the Xiang Clan.
• Huang Zhan mocked Xiang Ge, then quietly but audibly suggested that he and Xiao Ye could team up to set him up if he attacked.
• Huang Zhan challenged Xiang Ge to insult Lu Changzhi, and Xiang Ge remained silent.
• A deputy head announced the Xiang Clan's departure, and the clan left on its flying beast.
• Huang Zhan taunted Xiang Ge about Xiang Li, Shen Wenxi, and protecting Kong Mu, prompting Xiang Ge to threaten him.
• Huang Zhan asked Lu Changzhi about his plans, and the crowd focused its attention on him.

After Kong Mu’s victory disrupted the Xiang Clan’s plans, Lu Changzhi stayed at the Law Contemplation Gathering while the academy took Xiao Ye away to discuss his inheritance. As the Xiang Clan departed, Xiang Li vowed to repay Kong Mu for his humiliation and was urged to prepare for the inheritance of the Five Elements Sacred Physique.

• Lu Changzhi said the Law Contemplation Gathering would continue, and Duan Bo took Xiao Ye away with the academy’s experts to discuss his inheritance.
• The gathered powers discussed Lu Changzhi’s junior and the upheaval his actions had caused, while the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion linked him to the Prophet’s divination.
• Xia Hai regretted supporting the Xiang Clan and worried about the consequences of the Heaven-Piercing Sect and Dark Hall getting involved.
• Murong Xi urged Xiang Ge to avenge Xiang Li, but Xiang Ge warned her not to act recklessly because of the powerful forces backing Kong Mu.
• Xiang Li vowed to repay Kong Mu a thousandfold, and Xiang Ge encouraged him to treat the defeat as a trial and prepare for the Five Elements Sacred Physique inheritance.

Xiang Li took comfort in the prospect of claiming the Five Elements Sacred Physique's inheritance, while Lu Changzhi received a top-grade Human Dao Rank aptitude reward after Xiao Ye completed his mission. After the Law Contemplation Gathering ended, Lu Changzhi returned to his courtyard and considered taking one of Xiang Li's remaining opportunities involving a giant dragon.

• Xiang Ge told Xiang Li that only someone with the Five Elements Sacred Physique could claim its inheritance, giving Xiang Li something to look forward to after his defeat.
• The system told Lu Changzhi that Xiao Ye had completed the Rebellion mission and rewarded Lu Changzhi with a draw that yielded top-grade Human Dao Rank aptitude.
• Lu Changzhi learned that Xiao Ye's Tongtong was growing and might take human form, then joked with his system about its proposed transformation and service.
• After the Law Contemplation Gathering, Mu Fan and Lu Changzhi returned to their residences, and Lu Changzhi went to soak in a bath.
• Lu Changzhi checked Xiang Li's remaining fortuitous opportunities and considered taking the one involving a giant dragon for himself or Gu Chen.

Lu Changzhi delegated a task to Gu Chen to check in a hundred li beneath Sunken Peak Basin, planning to use Descent to join him there. Meanwhile, Huang Zhan visited Lu Changzhi with Huang Jiuzhao and presented him with a mid-grade Saint King Artifact bed.

• Lu Changzhi chose to delegate the distant dragon's burial ground task to Gu Chen so he could travel there using Descent.
• Gu Chen received the task to check in a hundred li beneath Sunken Peak Basin and left the Myriad Laws Academy to begin it.
• Lu Changzhi noticed the task's depth and praised Qi Zhan for finding something so far underground.
• Huang Zhan asked Huang Jiuzhao when to visit Lu Changzhi, then brought him to the courtyard the next day.
• Huang Zhan presented Lu Changzhi with a mid-grade Saint King Artifact bed, and Lu Changzhi thanked him for the thoughtful gift.

Huang Zhan offered Lu Changzhi a down quilt and asked him to guide Huang Jiuzhao in sparring. Lu Changzhi agreed, and Lu Yuan revealed to Huang Zhan that he wanted Lu Changzhi’s guidance because he was nowhere near Lu Changzhi’s equal.

• Huang Zhan offered Lu Changzhi a quilt made from the down of powerful flying beasts and suggested that Lu Changzhi spar with Huang Jiuzhao.
• Lu Changzhi received a system choice and chose to give Huang Jiuzhao pointers rather than ignore the request or beat him down.
• Huang Zhan urged Huang Jiuzhao to fight seriously and learn from Lu Changzhi.
• Lu Yuan asked Huang Zhan to arrange for Lu Changzhi to guide him as well, explaining that Lu Changzhi was far stronger than he was.

Lu Changzhi sparred with Huang Jiuzhao and exposed a startling number of flaws in his fighting, while Lu Yuan revealed that Lu Changzhi was eighteen and already stronger than Jiuzhao. Huang Jiuzhao received Lu Changzhi’s recent insights, and Huang Zhan promised to provide a good bed and quilt so his son could receive further guidance.

• Lu Changzhi let Huang Jiuzhao attack first and assessed his combat skills during their sparring.
• Lu Changzhi vanished and began striking Huang Jiuzhao’s many openings, leaving Huang Zhan and Jiuzhao shocked by the gap in their abilities.
• Lu Yuan told Huang Zhan that Lu Changzhi was eighteen, prompting Huang Zhan to realize how extraordinary his talent was.
• Lu Changzhi stopped the sparring and said he would offer more pointers after receiving a good bed and quilt, and Huang Zhan readily agreed.
• Lu Changzhi passed his recent insights to Huang Jiuzhao through the space between Jiuzhao’s brows.

Huang Jiuzhao thanked Lu Changzhi for his cultivation guidance, and Lu Changzhi spent the day receiving offers and invitations from powerful factions. He agreed to let Xiao Ye enter the Myriad Laws Academy, then wondered whether Ancestor Lin also wanted to meet him.

• Huang Jiuzhao thanked Lu Changzhi for identifying and addressing problems in his cultivation, then left with Huang Zhan.
• The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion offered Lu Changzhi a Purple-Gold Guest Token and invited him to learn about its history and undisclosed affairs.
• The Myriad Laws Academy discussed the engagement and Xiao Ye's admission, and Lu Changzhi agreed that Xiao Ye could enter despite the risks of his karma.
• After returning to the courtyard, Lu Changzhi told Liang Si that the day's social obligations had exhausted him and asked whether Ancestor Lin wanted to see him.

Gu Chen completed a deep-underground check-in, received a Saint Artifact Grave-Digging Shovel, and uncovered a giant dragon’s bone. He summoned Lu Changzhi, who arrived quickly and began examining the remains.

• After resting, Gu Chen followed the system’s guidance underground and completed the check-in, earning a cultivation increase, a mid-grade Saint Artifact Grave-Digging Shovel, and strength.
• Gu Chen used his new shovel to investigate an unusual presence and uncovered a massive bone that the system identified as belonging to a giant dragon.
• Concerned about handling the remains alone, Gu Chen contacted Lu Changzhi and asked for his advice.
• Lu Changzhi arrived above ground, joined Gu Chen by the bone, and asked him to explain what had happened.
• Lu Changzhi approached the remains to check whether the giant dragon’s remains were intact.

Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen found the Giant Dragon Marrow Crystals in an ancient dragon skeleton and removed them, improving Gu Chen’s prospects for strengthening his body. Their discovery erased the opportunity from Xiang Li’s system list, and Xiang Li sensed an indistinct change while cultivating at the Xiang Clan.

• Lu Changzhi used his control over earth to clear a path through the buried giant dragon skeleton, and he and Gu Chen reached its skull.
• Lu Changzhi found a fatal wound between the dragon’s eyes and concluded that someone had slain it but left its brain behind.
• Lu Changzhi noticed the dragon’s horns and likely hide had been taken, then used the system’s guidance to locate crystals along its spine.
• Lu Changzhi explained the rarity and value of the Marrow Crystals and told Gu Chen that refining them would improve his physical strength.
• Lu Changzhi removed the Marrow Crystals, causing the opportunity to disappear from Xiang Li’s system list.
• Xiang Li opened their eyes while cultivating at the Xiang Clan and sensed an unclear change that seemed to vanish.

Xiang Li asked Xiang Ge about ways to strengthen his body, while Xiang Ge worried that the Law Contemplation Gathering had weakened his son’s momentum and sought dragon-related resources from the Xia Clan. Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen returned to Myriad Laws Academy with dragon bones, where Xiao Ye introduced Shen Wenxi over a meal.

• Xiang Li asked Xiang Ge about body cultivation and recalled a dragon transformation method, but Xiang Ge explained that it required rare Dragon Race resources.
• Xiang Ge told Xiang Li that the Five Elements Sacred Physique inheritance should appear within days and resolved to ensure nothing went wrong.
• Xiang Ge sent a message asking the Xia Clan to help search for Dragon Race resources.
• Gu Chen finished collecting the dragon bones, and Lu Changzhi used Descent to bring them both back to Myriad Laws Academy.
• Xiao Ye brought Shen Wenxi to Lu Changzhi’s courtyard, where Mu Fan teased them about their engagement and Shen Wenxi said things between them were still pure.
• Lu Changzhi shared a meal with Xiao Ye and Shen Wenxi and considered what gift to give her.