Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable traveled to the Eastern Region to reach the Gu Clan’s Ancient Realm for its coming-of-age ceremony. They arrived at the Ancient Stone Plaza, where powerful travelers had gathered, as Xiao Yan anticipated seeing Xun Er again.

• Xiao Yan left the Xiao Clan with Wind Venerable and headed toward the Eastern Region.
• Wind Venerable explained that Ancient Saint City guarded the Ancient Realm’s entrance and that a Space Wormhole could take them nearby.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable entered the Eastern Region and traveled through a busy Space Passage toward Ancient Saint City.
• After five days, Xiao Yan saw the passage’s exit and thought of Xun Er as he prepared to face the Gu Clan.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable emerged onto the Ancient Stone Plaza and saw that it was crowded with powerful figures.

Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable reached Ancient Saint City, where the Gu Clan’s ancient barrier and guards impressed them. The commander welcomed Xiao Yan because of Xiao Chen’s backing, but a young commander showed him hostility as he entered the city.

• Wind Venerable explained that Ancient Saint City’s barrier held a trace of a Dou Di’s power, and he and Xiao Yan continued toward its gates on foot.
• At the city gates, Xiao Yan recognized the commander who had taken Xun Er from Jia Nan Academy.
• The commander greeted Xiao Yan warmly and asked whether Xiao Chen had come; Xiao Yan said he did not know when Xiao Chen would arrive.
• The commander let Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable enter without checking their invitation jade slip, explaining that Xiao Yan was a prominent member of the Xiao Clan.
• A young commander learned Xiao Yan’s identity and glared at him with hostility, leaving Xiao Yan to wonder if it was because of Xun Er.

Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable arrived in the Ancient Saint City ahead of the Gu Clan ceremony, where Xiao Xun'er learned of Xiao Yan’s arrival and reaffirmed her feelings for him. As powerful guests gathered in the city, Xiao Yan began exploring the manor while waiting for the gate to the Ancient Realm to open.

• Xiao Yan sensed hostility as he entered the Ancient Saint City with Wind Venerable, who told him the gate to the Ancient Realm would not open for five days.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable used their Gu Clan invitation to enter the guest manor and rested after their journey.
• Ling Ying told Xiao Xun'er that Xiao Yan had arrived and was nearing the Dou Zun realm, and Xun Er said she believed in him.
• Ling Ying recalled that Xun Er had told the Gu Clan elders she liked Xiao Yan and that they could not change her mind, provoking hostility among some young Gu Clan geniuses.
• Chu Donghai and Mo Jiu led the Heaven and Earth Alliance party into the Ancient Saint City as powerful guests filled the manor.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable visited a tavern pavilion, where Xiao Yan watched two Dou Zong experts fight and surveyed the gathered crowd.

Xiao Yan learned from Wind Venerable about the Black Annihilation Army’s strict hierarchy and powerful leaders, many of whom saw him as a rival for Xun Er’s affection. He felt the pressure of the Gu Clan’s geniuses but was reminded that bloodline advantages might not last beyond Dou Zun, leaving him resolved to face the challenges ahead.

• Xiao Yan asked Wind Venerable about the Black Annihilation Army, and Wind Venerable described its harsh selection and annual assessments.
• Wind Venerable explained that the army had Eight Great Commanders, each at least a One-star Dou Zun, with the Four Great Captains and the Black Annihilation King above them.
• Wind Venerable told Xiao Yan that Xun Er had publicly acknowledged their relationship at the Elder Council meeting, making it widely known in the Gu Clan.
• Wind Venerable warned that more than half of the commanders considered Xiao Yan a rival and would seek chances to challenge and embarrass him.
• Xiao Yan worried that the Four Great Captains might be far stronger than him, but Wind Venerable said the Dou Di bloodline’s advantage faded before Dou Sheng and encouraged him not to compare himself with them.

Xiao Yan was targeted by Yang Hao, the Gu Clan’s Third Commander, who publicly challenged him to a sparring match to undermine his standing. Wind Venerable spoke up for Xiao Yan, shifting Yang Hao’s anger toward himself as the pavilion watched.

• A green-robed Gu Clan man dismissed Xiao Yan’s strength, while two commanders warned him about Xiao Chen and Xiao Yan’s connections to powerful allies.
• Yang Hao was announced as Xiao Yan’s opponent in a public spar, catching Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable by surprise.
• Wind Venerable recognized the challenge as a setup intended to embarrass Xiao Yan and potentially implicate Xun Er.
• Yang Hao appeared on the platform and called for Xiao Yan to face him, prompting the gathered spectators to question Xiao Yan’s cultivation.
• Wind Venerable criticized Yang Hao for challenging someone far weaker, and Yang Hao angrily turned on him.

Wind Venerable stepped in to fight Yang Hao in Xiao Yan’s place and used his speed to withstand the Third Commander’s attacks. After Yang Hao’s techniques failed to injure him, Yang Hao retreated and began forming the seals for the Emperor Seal Art.

• Wind Venerable challenged Yang Hao to spare Xiao Yan from the match and reassured Xiao Yan that he could handle the Five-star Dou Zun.
• Wind Venerable entered the arena, introduced himself, and drew recognition from spectators familiar with his reputation in the Central Plains.
• Yang Hao attacked Wind Venerable with the Dragon Snake Footwork and Heavenly Fiend Shattering Qi Claw.
• Wind Venerable used his superior speed and precise timing to evade Yang Hao’s attacks and counter him through more than ten exchanges.
• Yang Hao retreated and formed seals for the Emperor Seal Art, which Xiao Yan recognized as a technique Xiao Xun'er had secretly taught him.

Wind Venerable defeated Yang Hao after disrupting his Emperor Seal Art and overwhelming him with speed. When Lin Xiu challenged Wind Venerable next, Elder Gu Xun appeared and ordered Lin Xiu to withdraw.

• Wind Venerable broke Yang Hao's Emperor Seal Art and drove him back with a casual attack.
• Yang Hao used the Earth Overturning Seal and Dragon Snake Footwork, but Wind Venerable evaded his attacks and struck him in the chest, defeating him.
• Yang Hao began to charge Wind Venerable again, but an icy shout stopped him and the Second Commander, Lin Xiu, appeared.
• Lin Xiu challenged Wind Venerable to another spar, but Elder Gu Xun intervened and ordered him to withdraw.

After Lin Xiu’s confrontation with Xiao Yan was stopped, Xiao Yan learned that powerful Gu Clan youths could pose a serious threat at the upcoming Heavenly Tomb. On the way back to his residence, he and Wind Venerable encountered three black-robed figures who revealed they belonged to the Soul Clan.

• Elder Gu Xun stopped Lin Xiu from confronting Xiao Yan, and Lin Xiu warned Xiao Yan to leave the Gu Clan before entering the Ancient Realm.
• Elder Gu Xun told Xiao Yan that his connection to the young lady would bring him trouble, while three powerful young people discussed the Heavenly Tomb and Xiao Xuan’s tomb.
• Wind Venerable warned Xiao Yan that the Four Great Captains, potential Half Saints, were more dangerous than the Eight Great Commanders.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable encountered three black-robed figures on the forest path, and their leader identified himself with the Soul Clan.

Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable waited in Ancient Saint City as invited guests arrived for the Gu Clan’s coming-of-age ceremony. When the Ancient Realm’s gate was about to open, Xiao Yan learned about the Gu Clan’s descendants, and ripples spread across the lake where the entrance lay.

• Xiao Yan angrily ordered Black Robe and his companions to leave, and the leading man departed after exchanging a courteous farewell.
• Wind Venerable urged Xiao Yan to stay alert, and the two remained in their pavilion while guests arrived in Ancient Saint City.
• Chu Donghai and Mo Jiu’s arrival drew awe from the gathered Central Plains experts and members of the Ancient Races.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable joined the crowd at the lake as Gu Xun warned guests about dangers in the Ancient Realm and asked them not to disturb its descendants.
• Wind Venerable explained that the Gu Clan’s descendants carried faint Dou Di bloodlines, and ripples suddenly appeared across the lake.

Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable entered the Ancient Realm, where they discovered its unusually dense natural energy. After Lin Xiu threatened Xiao Yan outside the gate, the Gu Clan’s flying warships arrived to transport the guests, and the group boarded as the vessel began to move through intense spatial fluctuations.

• The spatial gate to the Ancient Realm opened, and guests began entering while Lin Xiu blocked Xiao Yan before reluctantly moving aside.
• Lin Xiu warned Xiao Yan that someone would deal with him in the Ancient Realm, but Xiao Yan suppressed his anger and continued through the gate.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable emerged into the Ancient Realm and remarked on its dense natural energy.
• Ten flying warships appeared, and an aged voice invited the guests to board.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable boarded a warship with the other guests, and Xiao Yan sensed its surroundings shift with powerful spatial fluctuations.

Aboard the Gu Clan’s Space-Shuttling Boat, Xiao Yan learned from Huo Xuan about the Heavenly Tomb and his right to enter as a member of the Xiao Clan. Huo Xuan warned him about hostile members of the Soul Clan and Yao Clan, leaving Xiao Yan aware of the dangers awaiting him in the Ancient Realm.

• Xiao Yan marveled at the Space-Shuttling Boat as it traveled through space, and Huo Xuan introduced himself as a member of the Yan Clan.
• Huo Xuan explained that the Heavenly Tomb contained ancient experts’ energy imprints, slowed time, and admitted members of the Eight Ancient Clans, including Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan learned that he could remain in the Heavenly Tomb for up to three years and thanked Huo Xuan for the information.
• Huo Xuan warned Xiao Yan that the Soul Clan had helped bring about the Xiao Clan’s downfall and that the Yao Clan held grudges against him and his teacher, Ya Fei.
• Huo Xuan identified Yao Xingji as a powerful alchemist and High-level Dou Zun, advising Xiao Yan to be cautious around him.

Xiao Yan met Gu Zhen aboard the warship and learned why the Gu Clan guarded the Ancient Realm so strictly. Gu Zhen warned him that the clan’s marriage rules and concern for its Dou Di bloodline made a future with the Young Mistress unlikely, but Xiao Yan remained unconvinced.

• Huo Xuan warned Xiao Yan that Yao Xingji was a Mid-grade Eighth Rank alchemist and a High-level Dou Zun, then took his leave.
• Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable crossed the heavily guarded warship as it traveled toward the Ancient Saint Mountain Range.
• Gu Zhen invited Xiao Yan to tea and revealed that he was the Black Annihilation Army's Grand Commander.
• Gu Zhen explained that the Gu Clan guarded the Ancient Realm to protect its descendants’ Dou Di bloodline from dilution by outsiders.
• Gu Zhen reminded Xiao Yan that Gu Clan rules forbade members from marrying outsiders and warned him not to drag down the Young Mistress; Xiao Yan asked whether the Dou Di bloodline was truly so impressive.

Xiao Yan insisted to Gu Zhen that he would become a Dou Saint and overcome the Gu Clan’s resistance to his relationship with Xun Er. When the warship reached the Ancient Saint Mountain Range, Xun Er came to greet him, and the two reunited before the watching guests.

• Xiao Yan told Gu Zhen that his determination and lack of a Dou Di bloodline gave him confidence he could reach Dou Saint, despite Gu Zhen warning him of the difficulty and the Gu Clan’s opposition.
• The warship arrived at the Ancient Saint Mountain Range, where Xiao Yan glimpsed Xun Er waiting on a distant peak.
• Gu Zhen warned Xiao Yan that he would face many difficulties if he failed to become a Dou Saint, and Xiao Yan silently reaffirmed that no one could separate him from Xun Er.
• The guests left the warship for the Gu Clan’s reception area, while Xiao Yan stayed behind to watch Xun Er approach.
• Xun Er greeted Xiao Yan as “Brother Xiao Yan,” and he affectionately rubbed her head as the onlookers watched.
• The Yan Clan youth Huo Xuan praised Xiao Yan, while the veiled red-clad woman cautioned that the Xiao Clan was no longer what it had once been.

Xiao Yan arrived at the Gu Clan and faced hostility from its elders, but Xiao Chen intervened and ended their intimidation. Xun Er welcomed Xiao Yan, who vowed to share the burdens she had carried for him, while Gu Yao watched them from afar.

• Huo Xuan praised Xiao Yan’s potential as Xun Er invited him to enter the mountain range with her.
• Gu Clan elders used their pressure to test Xiao Yan, but Xun Er rebuked them and Xiao Chen shattered their attack.
• Gu Qian withdrew after a Gu Clan Dou Sheng reprimanded him, and Xiao Chen went to meet the clan elders.
• Xun Er asked Xiao Yan if he was unharmed, and he told her he was ready to take his place beside her.
• Gu Yao watched Xiao Yan and Xun Er as a silver-robed man teased him about Xun Er’s bond with Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan arrived at the Gu Clan with Xun Er and Wind Venerable, where Gu Yao viewed him as an obstacle and planned to challenge him at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Ling Ying explained that Xun Er had spent years strengthening her influence to protect the Xiao Clan, and the chapter ended with a warning that someone might use the ceremony to confront Xiao Yan.

• Xun Er sensed Gu Yao’s killing intent, while Xiao Yan recognized the dangerous aura as likely belonging to one of the Black Annihilation Army’s commanders.
• Gu Yao said he would choose Xiao Yan as his opponent at the next day’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony if Xiao Yan accepted the challenge.
• Xun Er led Xiao Yan and Wind Venerable to her secluded bamboo house, where they met Ling Ying.
• Ling Ying told Xiao Yan that Xun Er had repeatedly entered seclusion to strengthen her bloodline power and stop the Gu Clan from targeting the Xiao Clan.
• Xun Er warned that a Gu Clan member could use the Coming-of-Age Ceremony’s sparring rules to challenge Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan and his companions prepared for the Gu Clan’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, where Gu clansmen could challenge guests to spar. The ceremony began before a large gathering, and Ling Quan was called as its first participant.

• Xiao Xun'er and Ling Ying warned Xiao Yan not to accept any challenges at the ceremony, but he said he would treat them like Nalan Yanran.
• Chu Donghai and Mo Jiu toured the Ancient Saint Mountain Range with a Gu Clan elder and observed the Black Annihilation Army drilling.
• An ancient bell rang the next day, and a powerful voice announced the beginning of the ceremony.
• Three Gu Clan elders entered the plaza and began the formal proceedings as Xiao Yan sensed hidden powerful figures watching from the sky.
• The elders called Ling Quan first, and he entered the plaza and bowed to them.

At the Gu Clan’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Xiao Yan learned how bloodline grades determined the strength of clan marks awarded to young members. The ceremony paused over Gu Zhen’s seventh-grade bloodline as the elders conferred, leaving his reward undecided.

• Ling Quan received a Golden Clan Mark after his sixth-grade bloodline was assessed.
• Xun Er explained the Gu Clan’s bloodline grades and how clan marks could temporarily boost a member’s bloodline power.
• Xiao Yan learned that Divine Grade bloodlines were exceptionally rare and that a Ninth-grade bloodline held the potential to reach Dou Sheng.
• Lin Xiu received a Golden Clan Mark for his sixth-grade bloodline, and several other young Gu Clan members were assessed without exceeding that grade.
• Gu Zhen was announced as a seven-star Dou Zun with seventh-grade bloodline power, and the elders paused to confer over his clan mark.

Gu Zhen received an exceptional Purple Gold Clan Crest for his military service and reputation, then Gu Yao displayed an eighth-grade bloodline and was granted a more powerful crest. As Chu Donghai was asked to assess Gu Yao, Xiao Chen arrived and dismissed the captain as merely so-so.

• The Council of Elders granted Gu Zhen a Purple Gold Clan Crest as an exception for his military service and standing in the Black Annihilation Army.
• Gu Yao entered the arena and placed his hand on the Star Disk without kneeling to the elders.
• The Star Disk revealed Gu Yao’s eighth-grade bloodline, and the elders granted him a Purple Gold Clan Crest.
• Elder Gu Li asked Chu Donghai what he thought of Gu Yao, but Xiao Chen arrived and declared that Gu Yao could not achieve anything great.
• Elder Gu Li, Chu Donghai, and Mo Jiu bowed to Xiao Chen.

At the Gu Clan’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Gu Yao tried to force Xiao Yan into a challenge and threatened him with humiliation if he refused. Xiao Chen intervened, ordered Gu Yao to step down, and secured an apology for Xiao Yan from Elder Gu Li.

• Xiao Chen arrived at the pavilion, where Elder Gu Li, Chu Donghai, and Mo Jiu greeted him respectfully.
• After finishing Gu Yao’s clan mark, the ceremony elder prepared to call the next participant, but Gu Yao stopped him and asked about the challenge rules.
• Gu Yao singled out Xiao Yan, urged him to challenge him, and threatened that he should leave the Ancient Realm if he refused.
• As Xiao Yan prepared to respond, Xiao Chen shouted from above and ordered Gu Yao to step down.
• Gu Yao reluctantly obeyed and left the plaza, while Elder Gu Li apologized to Xiao Yan on behalf of the Gu Clan.

Xiao Yan’s supporters watched Gu Yao’s attempt to undermine him get stopped, while the Gu Clan bloodline ceremony continued. Gu Xun Er’s test reached Ninth-grade peak, and the chapter ended as golden light surged through her veins toward the Star Disk.

• Xiao Chen’s intervention stopped Gu Yao, and Xiao Yan, Xiao Xun'er, and Wind Venerable believed the younger Gu Clan members would no longer dare provoke Xiao Yan.
• A Green-shirt man revealed that he had barely achieved a Ninth-grade Bloodline, while the others compared his result with Xun Er’s.
• Elder Tong Xuan took over the ceremony and called Gu Xun Er to test her bloodline.
• Gu Xun Er produced nine stars on the Star Disk, revealing a Ninth-grade Bloodline and drawing the attention of hidden Gu Clan experts.
• The ninth star’s light intensified to Ninth-grade peak, and golden specks appeared in the blood flowing through Gu Xun Er’s arm toward the Star Disk.