Chapter Summaries

Xiang Li attacked Xiao Ye a second time and was expelled from the main courtyard, where the academy’s formations erupted in response to someone obtaining the Myriad Laws Saint Emperor’s exclusive inheritance. The academy prepared to protect the inheritor, and Xiang Li reappeared outside the courtyard.

• Xiang Li launched another spiritual power attack at Xiao Ye, but the main courtyard’s formations dispersed it and teleported Xiang Li out.
• The main courtyard’s presence activated layers of formations across the academy, concealing the scene inside and drawing in spiritual power.
• Saint Venerable Realm experts surged into the sky, and Duan Bo prepared to guard the main courtyard as Meng Yu recognized that someone had obtained the exclusive inheritance.
• Meng Yu ordered everyone to remain calm and cooperate while the academy protected the Saint Emperor’s exclusive inheritor.
• Xiang Li emerged from the main courtyard before the gathered crowd.

Xiang Li emerged from the main courtyard without the Myriad Laws Saint Emperor’s inheritance, and the crowd realized he might have lost his right to return. After powerful academy figures gathered to guard the courtyard, its gates opened and the true inheritor appeared.

• Xiang Li told Xiang Ge that an unknown young man had taken the inheritance, and Xiang Ge vowed the Xiang Clan would not let him go unchallenged.
• Meng Yu explained that the main courtyard’s restrictions had sent Xiang Li out, leading the crowd to suspect he had violated the rules and lost his chance to enter again.
• Xia Hai worried that his advance flattery of Xiang Li had backfired as the gathered factions reassessed the Xiang Clan prodigy’s standing.
• Powerful figures from the academy arrived, moved Xiang Li aside, and took positions around the main courtyard to guard it.
• The courtyard’s light faded, bells rang, and its gates opened as a serene young scholar emerged before the crowd.

Xiao Ye claimed the Myriad Laws Saint Emperor’s inheritance, prompting Xiang Ge to accuse the academy of helping an outsider unfairly. Xiao Ye challenged Xiang Ge to speak plainly and direct his objections at him.

• Academy experts gathered around Xiao Ye, and he thanked Shen Wenxi for helping him with Miscellaneous Discussions.
• Xiang Ge grew suspicious of Xiao Ye’s connection with Shen Wenxi and objected when Meng Yu tried to resume the Law Contemplation Gathering.
• Xiang Ge accused the academy of unfairness because Xiao Ye was not an academy member, then showed a recording of Xiao Ye entering the academy at night.
• Meng Yu explained that he had invited Xiao Ye after seeing his insight into Miscellaneous Discussions, which Xiao Ye had read for only three days.
• Huang Zhan challenged Xiang Ge’s motives, pointing out that Xiang Li had failed to claim the inheritance.
• Xiao Ye told Xiang Ge to stop making groundless accusations and address his objections to Kong Mu directly.

Xiao Ye accepted the challenge to prove his strength and resolve doubts about his claim to the Myriad Laws Saint Emperor's inheritance. With the factions agreeing to follow the academy's rules, Meng Yu announced that token holders would compete for the marriage agreement.

• Xiang Ge questioned whether Xiao Ye had truly obtained the Myriad Laws Saint Emperor's inheritance, while Huang Zhan and Meng Yu argued that the inheritance could not be judged by points.
• The Zhou Lineage's patriarch and other faction leaders called for the contest to follow the established rules, and Xia Hai joined them after Xiang Ge gave him a pointed look.
• Duan Bo told Xiao Ye he did not have to accept the challenge, but Xiao Ye chose to proceed and said he could bring glory to the academy.
• Duan Bo strengthened Xiao Ye's soul defenses, while Lu Changzhi arrived and told Huang Zhan not to block Xiao Ye's opponent.
• Meng Yu announced that token holders who had completed the comprehension stage could compete for the marriage agreement, with withdrawal counting as forfeiting their points for the stage.

Xiao Ye challenged Xiang Li without asking them to suppress their Saint Realm cultivation, shocking the crowd and raising the stakes of the academy’s contest. As the sparring area was prepared, Xiao Ye resolved to end the fight quickly, while Mu Fan offered Lu Changzhi kidney-flavored melon seeds to watch.

• Xiang Ge urged Xiang Li to kill Kong Mu discreetly, believing the academy had made the conflict unavoidable.
• Xiao Ye challenged Xiang Ge, revealed his Transcendent Realm Ninth Layer cultivation, and then specified that he would fight Xiang Li.
• Lu Changzhi warned Xiao Ye to be careful and not kill Xiang Li, while Xiao Ye resolved to finish the fight quickly.
• Huang Zhan questioned whether Xiang Ge wanted Xiang Li to appear to bully the weak, but Xiao Ye asked that Xiang Li use their full cultivation and strength.
• Mu Fan praised Xiao Ye's decision, then handed Lu Changzhi a small bag of kidney-flavored melon seeds.

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.