Chapter Summaries

Gu Chen discussed his breakthrough and hidden bloodline with Qin Li, who offered to cheat in the upcoming wager match, but he chose to compete normally. Lu Changzhi then teased Xiao Ming and showed him what had happened at the spot where the Black Tortoise egg was buried by putting him in the pit.

• Qin Li revealed that she had detected Gu Chen's bloodline and said he could likely defeat Shen Wentian if he activated it.
• Qin Li offered to help Gu Chen cheat in the wager match, but Gu Chen refused and decided to compete normally.
• After Qin Li left, Gu Chen resumed cultivating, while Lu Changzhi reflected on Qin Li's sharp perception.
• Lu Changzhi teased Xiao Ming about becoming a mother, prompting Xiao Ming to attack him before Lu Changzhi caught and restrained him.
• Xiao Ming asked about the place where the Black Tortoise egg had been buried, and Lu Changzhi stuffed him into the pit to show him.

Shen Wentian told Shen Tianxun that his bloodline had developed a faint spiritual intelligence and an insistent craving, while Liu Duanyuan arrived to witness the wagered battle. Liu Duanyuan then arranged to alter the wager, hinting that Shen Tianxun and the Shen Clan had failed to make use of a valuable treasure.

• Shen Wentian told Shen Tianxun that his bloodline seemed to have desires of its own, and Shen Tianxun sensed a faint trace of spiritual intelligence within it.
• Shen Tianxun and Shen Wentian went to welcome Liu Duanyuan and the Liu Clan, and Liu Duanyuan recognized something unusual about Shen Tianxun's face.
• Liu Duanyuan praised the Shen Clan's rise under Shen Tianxun's leadership and went to rest after the welcome ceremony.
• Liu Duanyuan told Liu Pei to ask the Withering and Flourishing Sect to add a condition letting Shen Tianxun choose something from their sect master if they lost.
• Liu Duanyuan offered to protect the Withering and Flourishing Sect if they accepted, saying Shen Tianxun was good material and the Shen Clan possessed a treasure they did not know how to use.

Liu Duanyuan arranged for the Withering and Flourishing Sect to claim Shen Tianxun’s unusual brow if they defeated the Shen Clan, avoiding the consequences of taking it himself. After hearing the plan, Lu Changzhi decided to follow the Liu Clan’s lead and look for opportunities to benefit.

• Liu Duanyuan told Liu Pei to have the Withering and Flourishing Sect demand Shen Tianxun’s brow, which he wanted to refine into an artifact.
• Du Niansheng realized the Liu Clan was using the Withering and Flourishing Sect as a proxy to take the brow and sent Xiao Qian to ask Gu Chen what to do.
• Gu Chen discussed the matter with his fellow disciples, and Shen Wenxi said Mu Fan should not hold back if he needed to act against Shen Tianxun.
• Lu Changzhi recognized the Liu Clan’s intentions and proposed following its lead to reap benefits.

As guests gathered for the wager battle between the Shen Clan and the Withering and Flourishing Sect, Lu Changzhi examined Shen Tianxun’s Mystic Bone Dao Physique and realized why the Liu Clan wanted his brows. The chapter left the battle about to begin, with Shen Tianxun unaware that his special ability had drawn the Liu Clan’s attention.

• Guests arrived at the Shen Clan and speculated about the wager battle, while Zhong Ming, Mu Fan, and Xiao Ye discussed their prospects in a tavern.
• Zhong Ming asked Shen Wenxi about visiting the Shen Clan’s cemetery, and she offered to help him gain access.
• On the day of the wager battle, a large crowd assembled as Lu Changzhi considered the Shen Clan’s dealings with the Liu Clan.
• Shen Tianxun arrived, and Lu Changzhi used the system to inspect his Mystic Bone Dao Physique and Mystery-Penetrating Brows.
• Lu Changzhi realized that Shen Tianxun’s brows could help him perceive hidden mysteries and that the Liu Clan’s interest in them could bring him trouble.

Lu Changzhi examined Shen Wentian’s unusual Spirit-Gestating Dao Physique and learned that Liu Duanyuan had arrived to witness the wager battle. After Liu Duanyuan presented the existing terms, the Withering and Flourishing Sect asked to add something, leaving the wager’s final conditions unsettled.

• Lu Changzhi discovered that Shen Wentian’s physique could gestate spiritual intelligence and that his dantian could cultivate techniques on its own.
• Shen Tianxun introduced Liu Duanyuan as the witness, and Liu Duanyuan clarified that he had come only to witness the wager battle.
• Liu Duanyuan asked both factions to review the wager terms, which required the Withering and Flourishing Sect to face a hundred opponents and set out severe consequences for the loser.
• Shen Tianxun said the Shen Clan had nothing to add, while Du Niansheng announced that the Withering and Flourishing Sect did.

Du Niansheng expanded the wager between the Withering and Flourishing Sect and the Shen Clan to include something from the losers’ bodies, and the hundred-person battle began. Gu Chen defeated Shen Yuan quickly, while the Shen Clan continued sending out weaker fighters to probe and wear him down.

• Du Niansheng proposed that the winning side could choose something from the losing side’s bodies, and Shen Tianxun accepted the expanded wager.
• Liu Duanyuan started the battle, and Shen Tianxun activated the arena’s isolation formation with a token.
• Shen Yuan of the Shen Clan entered the arena, followed by Gu Chen of the Withering and Flourishing Sect, whose Saint King Realm strength surprised Zhong Ming and Xiao Ye.
• Shen Yuan attacked without holding back under Shen Tianxun’s orders to probe and wear down the opponent, but Gu Chen defeated him within seven breaths.
• A second Shen Clan fighter entered, and spectators noted that he was also only in the Saint Realm.

Gu Chen continued winning against the Shen Clan’s younger members, and Liu Duanyuan publicly praised his hidden abilities and refined combat skills. Shen Tianxun still expected Gu Chen to reach the final and become a stepping stone for Shen Wentian.

• Gu Chen defeated challenger after challenger, while spectators grew impatient at the Shen Clan’s repeated use of Saint Realm fighters.
• Shen Tianxun told the assembled factions that Gu Chen deserved a chance to show his ability, while privately planning to help him reach the final.
• Shen Tianxun asked Liu Duanyuan to assess Gu Chen, and Liu said Gu Chen had concealed at least seventy percent of his abilities and had been personally refined by a martial Dao senior.
• The crowd reacted with astonishment to Liu Duanyuan’s praise and began to wonder whether the Withering and Flourishing Sect could win the wager match.
• Mu Fan teased Qin Li about being Gu Chen’s sparring partner, and Qin Li told him to go play somewhere else.

Gu Chen continued winning the Shen Clan’s wager matches, reaching the ninetieth fight as his opponents grew stronger and the battles helped him improve. As Shen Wentian’s turn approached, Liu Duanyuan recognized Lu Changzhi and pulled him into a separate space to speak with him.

• Gu Chen defeated the Shen Clan’s Saint King Realm opponents without taking a break, and the crowd marveled at his endurance.
• The fights advanced to the seventieth round, with Gu Chen still undefeated as Shen Tianxun considered him a worthy stepping stone for Shen Wentian.
• Gu Chen enjoyed the increasingly challenging battles, adapted to his opponents’ varied techniques, and felt his newly obtained bloodline growing more compatible with his body.
• Gu Chen won the ninetieth fight, while Du Niansheng and Xiao Qian praised his strength and noted the coming gap between him and Shen Wentian.
• Liu Duanyuan recognized Lu Changzhi, transported him to a separate space, and told him that even he could not see through him.

Liu Duanyuan offered Lu Changzhi Liu Clan resources and protection in exchange for impersonating the clan’s legendary member with the Aptitude of a Great Emperor. Lu Changzhi accepted, then chose a difficult Liu Clan technique as a way to prove himself.

• Liu Duanyuan invited Lu Changzhi to join the Liu Clan’s ranks and explained that the Emperor Road would soon appear.
• Liu Duanyuan revealed that Lu Changzhi would have to pose publicly as the Liu Clan member with the Aptitude of a Great Emperor.
• Lu Changzhi consulted the Dao-Severing Sword Spirit, who suggested the Liu Clan might be using him as a decoy for an undisclosed purpose.
• Liu Duanyuan offered Lu Changzhi a say in the wager battle and the Shen Clan’s fate if he agreed to the arrangement.
• Lu Changzhi accepted, then examined ways to prove his identity and selected the difficult Grasp of Return to the Void.

Lu Changzhi chose the Liu Clan’s Grasp of Return to the Void and asked whether his disciples could share in the clan’s benefits. Liu Duanyuan agreed to consider bringing them in if Lu Changzhi mastered the martial skill to major completion within ten years, and Lu Changzhi accepted the challenge.

• Lu Changzhi chose the Grasp of Return to the Void after Liu Duanyuan recognized his aptitude for void cultivation.
• Lu Changzhi considered choosing a martial skill for Xiao Ye, then asked whether his disciples could join him in benefiting from the Liu Clan’s resources.
• Liu Duanyuan realized that Gu Chen was Lu Changzhi’s disciple and learned that Lu Changzhi had six other disciples as well.
• Liu Duanyuan offered to seek permission for the disciples to use Liu Clan resources if Lu Changzhi reached major completion in the martial skill within ten years.
• Lu Changzhi accepted the requirement and joked that he might master the skill in less than five years.

Lu Changzhi received insights into One Grasp of Return to the Void and decided to fake his progress so he could claim the opportunity without alarming the Liu Clan. Meanwhile, Shen Tianxun and Shen Wentian planned to kill Gu Chen, whose bloodline and strength had impressed them, while using the fight to help Shen Wentian break through.

• Liu Duanyuan gave Lu Changzhi insights into One Grasp of Return to the Void and sent him back to the arena with a jade slip.
• Lu Changzhi concluded that only his consciousness had been taken away and wondered how to make his mastery of the martial skill look gradual.
• The system suggested that Lu Changzhi pretend not to know the skill and then pretend to learn it, and he decided the plan might work.
• Shen Tianxun recognized Gu Chen's bloodline and judged him a threat, then resolved that Gu Chen could not be allowed to live.
• Shen Tianxun felt sudden numbness in his brow, but dismissed it and warned Shen Wentian about Gu Chen's bloodline.
• Shen Wentian said his bloodline was excited by Gu Chen and asked Shen Tianxun to keep raising Gu Chen's strength during their fight so he could break through in a life-or-death battle.

Gu Chen completed ninety-nine consecutive matches before Shen Tianxun halted the arena and ordered him to rest before facing Shen Wentian. As Gu Chen worked to preserve his fighting state, Liu Duanyuan considered a deal with the Shen Clan, leaving Shen Tianxun confident that his plans were in place.

• Shen Tianxun stopped Gu Chen from continuing and required him to rest three shichen before the final match against Shen Wentian.
• A grandfather explained to his grandson that interrupting Gu Chen while he was in peak form could undermine his fighting state, which was what Shen Tianxun wanted.
• Qin Li advised Gu Chen to recover physically while maintaining his mindset through thought, and Gu Chen thanked her for the lessons he had applied in battle.
• Liu Duanyuan realized that Qin Li might have taught Gu Chen his martial techniques and considered asking about the disciples' concealment method.
• A Liu Clan member told Liu Duanyuan that Shen Tianxun had offered the Withering and Flourishing Sect's benefits in exchange for praise of its junior, and Liu Duanyuan said he understood.
• Shen Tianxun learned that Liu Duanyuan had not refused the offer and believed the plan was ready to unfold.

Shen Wentian revealed a powerful bloodline mark as his decisive match against Gu Chen began, but Gu Chen answered by releasing his own bloodline presence. The crowd believed Gu Chen had suppressed Shen Wentian’s bloodline, while Liu Duanyuan sensed that Gu Chen’s bloodline resembled the source of the Shen Clan’s.

• Shen Wentian praised Gu Chen before unleashing his strength and revealing a rare bloodline mark.
• Lu Changzhi noticed Shen Wenxi’s concern and encouraged her, then sent Gu Chen a message about using comparison to improve.
• Gu Chen released his bloodline presence, causing Shen Wentian’s blood mist and mark to disappear.
• The crowd assumed Gu Chen had suppressed Shen Wentian, while Shen Tianxun believed his son was deliberately saving his strength for a later reversal.
• Liu Duanyuan sensed that Gu Chen’s bloodline felt like the source of the Shen Clan’s bloodline.

Gu Chen and Shen Wentian fought with spears after Shen Wentian’s bloodline failed to respond, while Liu Duanyuan recognized that Gu Chen was still concealing his full strength. As the battle continued, Shen Wentian began to lose his earlier advantages and seek insight from the fight.

• Liu Duanyuan noticed that Gu Chen had no bloodline mark and that Shen Wentian’s bloodline seemed reluctant to fight.
• Shen Wentian failed to activate his bloodline, then challenged Gu Chen to fight without relying on it.
• Gu Chen and Shen Wentian clashed with spears, with Shen Wentian pressing forward while Gu Chen retreated in a controlled manner.
• Liu Duanyuan judged that Gu Chen was still holding back and believed Shen Tianxun remained unaware of the situation.
• After the fighters separated, Shen Wentian resolved to keep fighting and seek insight, but his attacks began to lose their earlier advantages.

Shen Wentian gained an unexpected breakthrough while fighting Gu Chen, but the crowd doubted the Shen Clan’s explanation. Shen Tianxun decided to intervene with a formation to help Shen Wentian kill Gu Chen.

• Gu Chen took the upper hand and sent Shen Wentian flying with a spear strike, but Shen Wentian immediately charged back into the fight.
• Shen Wentian grasped a new insight during their clash, and his momentum surged to a higher level.
• Liu Duanyuan concluded that Gu Chen’s fighting style had taught Shen Wentian by example, while Shen Tianxun asked him to lift the concealment around Wentian.
• The Shen Clan’s planted supporters claimed Shen Wentian had deliberately held back and used Gu Chen as a whetstone, but the crowd remained skeptical.
• Shen Tianxun decided to end the fight and began preparing a formation to help Shen Wentian kill Gu Chen.

Shen Tianxun tried to secretly strengthen Shen Wentian during his fight with Gu Chen, but Qin Li and Shen Wenxi altered the formation while Xiao Ye and Mu Fan exposed the interference. Gu Chen received the enhancement instead and crushed Shen Wentian, leaving him barely alive against the arena barrier.

• Shen Wentian charged at Gu Chen after deciding to unleash his strength, and Gu Chen eagerly met him with his spear.
• Shen Tianxun secretly manipulated the arena formation while Qin Li used essence blood to guide Shen Wenxi in altering it.
• Xiao Ye struck at Shen Tianxun with lightning, and Mu Fan shouted that Shen Tianxun was cheating, drawing attention to his interference.
• Shen Tianxun realized the formation had begun strengthening Gu Chen instead of Shen Wentian, but he could not switch it back in time.
• Gu Chen's power surged as he clashed with Shen Wentian, overwhelming him and hurling him into the arena barrier, battered and barely alive.

Gu Chen defeated Shen Wentian after Shen Wentian’s power suddenly drained away, leaving the crowd confused about the cause. Qin Li revealed that Shen Tianxun had tried to use the Faith-Forging Field, then accused him of crying foul to distract from his own trick.

• Gu Chen questioned why Shen Wentian had held back after the final clash left him badly injured against the arena barrier.
• Shen Tianxun rushed into the arena but was repelled by Liu Duanyuan, then entered again and tended to Shen Wentian with precious healing treasures.
• The crowd speculated about what had happened, while Qin Li and her companions were relieved that their plan had worked.
• Qin Li recalled that the Shen Clan had tried to use the Faith-Forging Field again, which only Shen Tianxun could activate.
• Shen Tianxun accused Gu Chen of using a despicable trick, and Qin Li countered that Shen Tianxun was the one who had used the Faith-Forging Field.

Qin Li exposed the Shen Clan’s Faith-Forging Field and forced Shen Tianxun to open the sealed arena. The crowd found no proof at first, but Qin Li named a hidden procedure that made Shen Tianxun’s guilt obvious, leaving him shaken as everyone questioned him.

• Qin Li told Liu Duanyuan that the arena held the secret behind the battle and pointed to the Faith-Forging Field’s core.
• Liu Duanyuan struck the marked spot and asked Shen Tianxun to open the sealed area so they could investigate.
• Shen Tianxun used the patriarch’s token to disable the restrictions, but the crowd found only ordinary Shen Clan materials.
• Liu Duanyuan argued that Shen Tianxun’s claim of no cheating meant the battle had been fair, while Shen Tianxun then accused Gu Chen of using improper methods inside the arena.
• Qin Li insisted the Faith-Forging Field was an outside object and described a precise procedure involving three formation restrictions and Shen Clan bloodline, leaving Shen Tianxun visibly rattled.

Qin Li revealed the Shen Clan’s hidden Faith-Forging Field and explained how it had affected the fight between Shen Wentian and Gu Chen. She left Shen Wentian with a shocking allegation about his parentage and the reasons Shen Tianxun may have wanted to weaken him.

• Liu Duanyuan took Shen Tianxun’s patriarch token and isolated him while Shen Wentian helped raise the three formation restrictions.
• Liu Duanyuan placed bloodline essence at the center of the restrictions, causing the Faith-Forging Field to appear.
• Qin Li explained that only the token’s marked owner could activate the field and that it altered its area to strengthen people within it.
• Qin Li suggested Shen Tianxun may have used the field against Shen Wentian because Shen Wentian was not his biological son.
• Qin Li urged Shen Wentian to question his mother and father about his origins and whether he had been used as nourishment.

Qin Li’s words led Shen Wentian to suspect that his father and the Shen Clan had been manipulating him, while Shen Wenxi learned that Qin Li had mixed truths with lies. After the Shen Clan lost the wagered battle, Shen Tianxun accidentally admitted he had activated the Faith-Forging Field and struggled to prove someone else had interfered.

• Shen Wentian reconsidered Shen Wenxi’s disappearance, the clan’s focus on him, his bloodline’s behavior, and the suspicious accident, then concluded his father wanted him dead.
• Shen Wenxi asked Qin Li about her claims, and Qin Li explained that her accusations against Shen Wentian were made up but that the Shen family’s relationships were genuinely tangled.
• Liu Duanyuan released Shen Tianxun from the isolation, and the crowd mocked him as they saw the Faith-Forging Field and discussed the Shen Clan’s private affairs.
• Liu Duanyuan declared that the Shen Clan had lost the wagered battle, and Shen Tianxun claimed someone had secretly interfered.
• Shen Tianxun admitted he had activated the Faith-Forging Field, prompting Liu Duanyuan to demand proof and ask whether the Shen Clan had lost or cheated.