Chapter Summaries

Bai Ze challenged the defender of Arena No. 6 to earn a place in the secret realm, defeating one martial artist before facing Chen Wanchen of the Southern Demon Sect. After Bai Ze revealed his astonishing Sword Momentum, Chen Wanchen transformed and launched a fiercer attack, leaving their battle unresolved.

• Bai Ze leaped onto Arena No. 6 and defeated its temporary defender with a single sword strike, prompting the martial artist to concede.
• Chen Wanchen appeared as the arena’s true defender and challenged Bai Ze to show his full strength.
• Bai Ze and Chen Wanchen exchanged more than ten attacks without either going all out.
• Bai Ze unleashed Sword Momentum that stunned the crowd, and onlookers realized he had reached or nearly reached the Perfection Realm.
• Chen Wanchen grew excited, transformed into a gaunt, monstrous form, and charged at Bai Ze as they clashed with their strongest techniques.

Bai Ze defeated Chen Wanchen in the arena challenge and secured a spot in the Heavenly Human Secret Realm, allowing Song Shilan to take Qingyue Sect’s allocated place. The challenges continued for several days, but Bai Ze held his spot despite repeated attempts by the Southern Demon Sect to reclaim it.

• Bai Ze unleashed One Sword Without Equal and defeated Chen Wanchen, who was carried away unconscious with severe injuries.
• Zhou Zidao and Wang Guang congratulated Bai Ze, and Bai Ze offered his secret realm spot to Song Shilan.
• Black Old Ghost prepared to attack Bai Ze, but Su Xuan warned him not to break the rules, so Black Old Ghost left.
• Bai Ze treated his minor injuries while another Qingyue Sect disciple guarded the arena in his place.
• The challenges continued over the following days, but the ten spot holders remained unchanged, and the Southern Demon Sect failed to take Bai Ze’s spot.

Bai Ze recovered from the challenge tournament and entered the Heavenly Human Secret Realm with the other chosen martial artists. As the entrants began to consider the only path ahead, King Tan revealed his determination to restore the Golden Sun Dynasty regardless of whether its old ancestor could return.

• Song Shilan gave Bai Ze a Three Vitality Returning Pill, and he returned to his room to heal before the secret realm opened.
• Three days later, Bai Ze, Song Shilan, Zhou Zidao, Wang Guang, and the other chosen martial artists gathered outside the Imperial City and entered the Heavenly Human Secret Realm.
• A Great Grandmaster tried to enter without a spot but was killed by the assembled experts, and the secret realm then closed behind the hundred entrants.
• King Tan told Tan Yongheng that the chosen disciples had entered and that their success might allow the old ancestor to return, while Tan Yongheng warned that previous attempts had failed.
• King Tan vowed to make every faction submit and restore the Golden Sun Dynasty, regardless of the old ancestor's fate.
• Inside the secret realm, the hundred martial artists found themselves in a stone structure with a single staircase, and some urged caution while others considered going ahead.

Bai Ze and the others learned that Old Slave was testing candidates for his master's inheritance and entered the third-floor trial to find a key. Bai Ze and Song Shilan discovered a giant python with a key-shaped object embedded in a crystal on its head.

• Bai Ze, Song Shilan, and the others climbed to the second floor, where Old Slave appeared as a phantom and offered to guide them toward his master's inheritance.
• Bai Ze cautioned his companions not to trust the inheritance offer blindly, and Old Slave explained that candidates had three days to find a key on the third floor or be eliminated.
• Bai Ze and the others reached the vast third floor and split into two groups to search for keys.
• Bai Ze and Song Shilan found a giant black python with a white crystal on its head containing a key-shaped object, and Bai Ze concluded they would have to kill it to obtain the key.

Bai Ze and Song Shilan fought a giant python and took the key-shaped crystal from its head, then searched for another. As the three-day trial ended, martial artists returned to the starting point, shaken by the deadly fights and betrayals in the secret realm.

• Song Shilan distracted the giant python while Bai Ze struck its head with his Heaven Slaying Sword Art.
• Bai Ze drove his sword through the python’s head, and Song Shilan helped break its coils and finish it off.
• Bai Ze cut the crystal from the python’s head, and he and Song Shilan set out to find another key.
• Other martial artists encountered powerful Fierce Beasts, and one disciple shoved his companion into a gorilla’s grasp to escape.
• Bai Ze and Song Shilan obtained two crystals by the second day and returned to the starting point as other survivors began to arrive.

After surviving the previous trial, Bai Ze, Song Shilan, and the other remaining martial artists entered a new test: learn martial arts for seven days, then fight a same-realm puppet. Bai Ze began cultivating two techniques while Old Slave, whose name was Tan Shengtian, watched and spoke of his eventual return.

• Zhou Zidao and Wang Guang warned Bai Ze and Song Shilan that some martial artists had died and that other contestants might be dangerous.
• Old Slave explained that the crystals could be crushed to leave only after a level's trial ended, but none of the survivors chose to withdraw.
• The martial artists ascended to the fourth level and learned they had seven days to study techniques on the walls before battling a same-realm puppet on the eighth day.
• Bai Ze chose the Tearing Sword Art and Pingyao Step, then quickly reached entry level in both as their proficiency continued to rise.
• Old Slave watched the martial artists from the shadows and revealed that he was Tan Shengtian, who intended to return.

Tan Shengtian’s hidden past and his inability to control the secret realm were revealed as the martial artists began the eighth-floor assessment. Bai Ze defeated the puppet guarding the stairs, but it recovered from its wound and the chapter left his passage to the next floor uncertain.

• Tan Shengtian had survived as a Remnant Soul on the eighth floor and used a soul incarnation to pose as Old Slave while hoping to explore the secret realm further.
• After seven days of training, Bai Ze had advanced the Tearing Sword Art to Great Accomplishment and the Pingyao Step to Minor Accomplishment.
• Old Slave announced that each martial artist had to defeat a puppet with a secret-realm martial skill within one hour, and the contestants entered the iron-door chambers one by one.
• Bai Ze entered his chamber after Song Shilan urged him to be careful and found a burly puppet guarding the stairs among the remains of previous challengers.
• Bai Ze used the Pingyao Step and Tearing Sword Art to overwhelm the puppet and wound it, but it stood back up as the red glow in its eyes faded.

Bai Ze reached the fifth floor and faced a replica who matched his cultivation, Sword Momentum, and martial skills. Their fierce battle continued without either gaining the upper hand, while Tan Shengtian waited for someone to reach the eighth floor so he could seize a Heavenly Human Realm soul and be reborn.

• Bai Ze passed the recovering puppet, found no other martial artists on the fifth floor, and entered one of ten identical rooms.
• A replica of Bai Ze explained that he had to surpass himself to pass, then wounded him by striking first with the Instant Sword Drawing Technique.
• Bai Ze and his replica exchanged sword arts and fought evenly as other martial artists faced the same test on the fifth floor.
• Tan Shengtian appeared on the sixth floor, hoped more martial artists would pass the fifth floor, and vanished while seeking someone to reach the eighth floor.
• Bai Ze continued fighting as the replica used every martial skill he knew, including techniques learned on the fourth floor, and insisted they were exactly alike.

Bai Ze defeated a puppet copy by improving his Instant Sword Drawing Technique, then used the trial’s rewards to strengthen his Sword Momentum while waiting for the iron door to open. He reached the sixth floor and found a circular plaza with many passageways and far fewer surviving martial artists.

• Bai Ze fought his puppet copy until his Instant Sword Drawing Technique reached Great Accomplishment, then killed it with a second sword strike that cut its throat.
• The puppet shattered and revealed a Heart Intention Pill and an imitation Yao Soul Pill, which Bai Ze took and refined.
• Bai Ze’s Sword Momentum advanced to Complete (47%), but he could not open the iron door by attacking it or find a mechanism.
• After several hours, the iron door opened on its own, and Bai Ze climbed to the sixth floor.
• Bai Ze found an enormous circular plaza filled with passageways and other martial artists who had passed the trial; their numbers had fallen by roughly one-third.

Bai Ze and the other surviving martial artists reached the sixth floor, where Tan Shengtian revealed that they had to kill one another until half remained. The slaughter began, leaving Bai Ze, Song Shilan, and Zhou Zidao fighting to survive.

• Bai Ze found Song Shilan, Zhou Zidao, and the badly injured Wang Guang, who chose to leave the secret realm by crushing his crystal.
• Nearly half the martial artists withdrew, leaving a little over twenty people on the sixth-floor plaza before a stone door marked with the character for “blood.”
• Bai Ze warned his companions to be cautious, and Old Slave appeared to announce that the trial required them to kill one another until half remained and that they could no longer leave.
• The martial artists spread out and prepared to fight, while Zhou Zidao urged Bai Ze and Song Shilan to preserve themselves and rely on their group’s numbers.
• The slaughter began, and Bai Ze, Song Shilan, and Zhou Zidao attacked Liu Xi as Yuan Gang, Chen Beixuan, and the others fought across the plaza.
• Tan Shengtian watched the fighting with a mysterious smile.

As the martial artists on the sixth floor stalled over the deaths needed to clear the trial, Tan Xinyuan proposed choosing victims by vote and singled out the three Qingyue Sect disciples. Bai Ze used his Perfection Realm Sword Momentum to deter the others, then attacked a wounded-looking opponent with Song Shilan and Zhou Zidao.

• Zhou Yi attacked Song Shilan with Demonic Flames, injuring her before Bai Ze and Zhou Zidao rushed to her side.
• Tan Xinyuan proposed selecting four martial artists by vote so the remaining sixteen could kill them and advance.
• Tan Xinyuan targeted Bai Ze, Song Shilan, and Zhou Zidao, arguing that eliminating the three Qingyue Sect disciples would leave only one more victim to choose.
• Bai Ze revealed his Perfection Realm Sword Momentum and argued that the group should target the weakest or most injured martial artists instead.
• Bai Ze charged an opponent with One Sword Seal Throat, while Song Shilan and Zhou Zidao followed with their own attacks.

Bai Ze, Zhou Zidao, and Song Shilan killed Zhou Yi during the battle among the warriors on the sixth floor. Tan Shengtian became determined to possess Bai Ze’s body, while Bai Ze and the others advanced after the slaughter ended.

• Bai Ze, Zhou Zidao, and Song Shilan joined the fighting and surrounded the injured Zhou Yi.
• Bai Ze and Zhou Zidao broke Zhou Yi’s defenses, and Song Shilan pierced his chest before Bai Ze killed him with strikes to the throat and heart.
• Bai Ze and the others withdrew from the battle, and Zhou Zidao and Song Shilan credited Bai Ze’s perfected Sword Momentum with helping them survive.
• Tan Shengtian watched Bai Ze and decided he wanted to perform Body Snatching on him if Bai Ze reached the eighth floor.
• Bai Ze sensed something was wrong, then went with Song Shilan toward the end of the battle as Tan Xinyuan watched him closely.

Bai Ze and the others entered the seventh floor, where a passage tested perseverance and resolve with increasing gravity and a hidden Heart Refining Array. Bai Ze stepped into the array and found himself in an illusion of his first battle after joining the Black Tiger Gang.

• Tan Shengtian returned to the eighth floor and waited for the others to arrive.
• Bai Ze read the seventh-floor trial rules, and the martial artists began crossing a passage where gravity grew stronger with every step.
• Song Shilan warned Bai Ze that the array ahead might be a Heart Refining Array after the leading martial artists stopped at the two-thirds mark.
• Bai Ze entered the array and witnessed an illusion of two groups fighting, including a scene from his first battle after joining the Black Tiger Gang.

Bai Ze saw through an illusion that offered him a life of power, family, and everything he desired, then cut his way free. He awakened in the real world with his cultivation advanced to the Late-stage Grandmaster Realm while the other martial artists remained trapped.

• In the illusion, Bai Ze rose to become the Black Tiger Gang's leader and the first martial artist to reach the Innate Realm.
• Bai Ze noticed the life unfolding around him felt unreal, and Song Shilan appeared with their child as the illusion offered him everything he wanted.
• Bai Ze recognized the illusion and himself, then unleashed his Sword Momentum to destroy it and vanish.
• Bai Ze awakened without opening his eyes, and his cultivation broke through from Mid-stage Grandmaster Realm to Late-stage Grandmaster Realm.
• Bai Ze opened his eyes, saw that the other martial artists were still trapped, and viewed his system interface showing Sword Momentum at Complete (73.8%).

After enduring the Heart Refining Array’s crushing gravity, Bai Ze reached the eighth floor and met Tan Shengtian, who revealed that the inheritance was his and demanded an oath to protect the Golden Sun Dynasty. Bai Ze agreed but remained wary, stopping several meters away as Tan Shengtian urged him closer.

• Bai Ze resisted the Heart Refining Array’s immense gravity and reached the final step, collapsing when the pressure vanished.
• Bai Ze recovered while the others remained trapped or exhausted, then continued alone to the eighth floor.
• Bai Ze recognized the seated figure as Old Slave, who revealed his name as Tan Shengtian and identified himself as the Golden Sun Dynasty’s sixth-generation ancestor.
• Tan Shengtian explained that the trials tested candidates for his Heavenly Human Realm inheritance and asked Bai Ze to swear to aid the Golden Sun Dynasty if it faced destruction.
• Bai Ze accepted the oath but kept his hand on his sword and stopped two meters from Tan Shengtian despite being asked to come closer.

Bai Ze accepted Tan Shengtian’s inheritance oath, but Tan Shengtian tried to possess his body and devour his soul. A golden light helped Bai Ze consume Tan Shengtian instead, leaving Bai Ze with his memories and a soul that had reached the early Heavenly Human Realm.

• Bai Ze swore to aid the Golden Sun Dynasty in a future crisis if he could, and Tan Shengtian invited him closer to receive the inheritance.
• Tan Shengtian attacked Bai Ze and revealed his plan to seize Bai Ze’s body through Body Snatching.
• Tan Shengtian entered Bai Ze’s consciousness and explained that Deep Yin Wood and the Soul Condensing Secret Art had kept his soul alive for over a thousand years.
• Tan Shengtian overpowered Bai Ze’s soul and began devouring it, but a golden light emerged from Bai Ze and engulfed Tan Shengtian.
• Bai Ze absorbed Tan Shengtian’s soul and memories, then saw the system show that his soul had reached the Early Heavenly Human Realm.

After absorbing Tan Shengtian’s memories, Bai Ze learned the requirements for reaching the Heavenly Human Realm and continued toward the secret realm’s ninth floor. Tan Xinyuan attacked him over a supposed inheritance, but Bai Ze defeated him, and Chen Beixuan refused to join the fight.

• Bai Ze learned from Tan Shengtian’s memories about Heavenly Human Realm cultivation and the precious item Tan Shengtian had sought on the ninth floor.
• Tan Xinyuan demanded that Bai Ze hand over what he had obtained and threatened him on behalf of the Golden Sun Dynasty.
• Tan Xinyuan attacked, but Bai Ze wounded and overwhelmed him with his sword techniques.
• Tan Xinyuan told Chen Beixuan that Bai Ze had obtained a Heavenly Human inheritance and urged him to help kill Bai Ze.
• Bai Ze said there was nothing on the eighth floor and pointed out that the secret realm continued above it.
• Chen Beixuan refused to interfere and left the two to settle their conflict.

Bai Ze killed Tan Xinyuan and reached the ninth level, where an altar formation transported him to the ruins of the Bright Sword Sect. There, its Supreme Ancestor Jianming offered him a chance to become a Sword Son, with a trial that required him to defeat Jianming.

• Bai Ze ignored Tan Xinyuan’s pleas and killed him with a sword strike through the heart.
• Bai Ze reached the ninth level and activated the formation atop its altar.
• Bai Ze emerged in the ruins of the Bright Sword Sect and searched its empty buildings.
• Jianming introduced himself as the sect’s thirty-second Supreme Ancestor and explained that Bai Ze could earn the Sword Son inheritance by passing a trial.
• Bai Ze asked how to undergo the trial, and Jianming told him to defeat him.

Bai Ze defeated Jianming’s trial and was named the Bright Sword Sect’s Sword Heir before entering the true secret realm with him. The other martial artists were expelled, leaving King Tan to suspect the ancestor might have possessed Tan Xinyuan or Bai Ze while continuing his other plan.

• Bai Ze fought Jianming, endured his stronger swordsmanship, and wounded him with a strike that showed Bai Ze had advanced his Sword Momentum.
• Jianming declared Bai Ze the Sword Heir of the Bright Sword Sect and opened a vortex leading to the true secret realm.
• The secret realm expelled the remaining martial artists, and Song Shilan and Zhou Zidao concealed their worry that Bai Ze had not emerged.
• The Golden Sun Dynasty’s people brought the surviving martial artists to the imperial palace, where King Tan learned that only Tan Xinyuan and Bai Ze remained inside.
• King Tan suspected the ancestor might have performed Body Snatching on Tan Xinyuan or Bai Ze, but continued his other plan while awaiting Tan Xinyuan’s return.

King Tan began a plan to draw the major forces into conflict as wars spread across the Golden Sun Dynasty. In the Bright Sword Sect secret realm, Jianming trained Bai Ze and gave him advanced techniques, leaving Bai Ze with a clear path for his cultivation.

• King Tan ordered Shadow to investigate Bai Ze and spread warnings that forced the major forces to prepare and take part in the coming conflict.
• King Nanshan’s affiliated forces attacked across the provinces, prompting Song Tiancheng to seek an alliance with the Xuanqing Sect and fight back against the Youming Sect.
• Bai Ze reached the Bright Sword Sect’s core area, where Jianming sparred with him and taught him to use the Bright Sword flexibly.
• Jianming taught Bai Ze cultivation techniques and martial skills through the Void Comprehension Realm, then advised him to keep the Feather Ascension Immortal Cultivation Technique and replace his Soul Condensing Secret Art.