Chapter Summaries

Zeng Daniu took Jiang Dali’s place on the viewing platform and received a mission to impersonate the Black Wind Stronghold Master, but Monk Meng Yi’s arrival made the disguise more complicated. Meanwhile, Jiang Dali, Xiao Feng, and Xiao Yuanshan reached Shaolin’s Scripture Depository seeking its rumored Sweeping Monk; when the monks denied his existence, Jiang Dali challenged them, and the confrontation began.

• Zeng Daniu sat on the viewing platform in the imitation Black Wind armor and received a mission to impersonate Jiang Dali.
• Monk Meng Yi arrived to greet the supposed Jiang Dali, and Zeng Daniu saw another mission prompt.
• Lu Xiaofeng slipped away toward Shaolin, while Jiang Dali, Xiao Feng, and Xiao Yuanshan secretly entered the temple grounds.
• Xiao Yuanshan led the group to the Scripture Depository, where Kong Jian, Du E, Du Nan, Du Jie, and 108 Arhat Hall monks guarded the building.
• Jiang Dali asked about the hidden Sweeping Monk, but the Shaolin monks denied that such a senior existed.
• Jiang Dali challenged the four divine monks and the Arhat Formation, and Kong Jian attacked as Du E, Du Nan, and Du Jie prepared to form up.

Jiang Dali challenged Shaolin’s monks and overwhelmed Kong Jian, Du E, and the 108 Arhat Monks with his martial arts. As his attack threatened the Scripture Depository, the Sweeping Monk appeared and effortlessly dispersed it, leaving Jiang Dali and the others stunned by the old monk’s power.

• Jiang Dali fought Kong Jian, repelling his Adamantine Zen Art and explaining that his own related divine art came from Gu Santong.
• Jiang Dali overcame the Adamantine Demon Subduing Circle, then knocked Kong Jian and Du E’s group to the ground.
• Jiang Dali unleashed the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms against the 108 Arhat Monks, breaking their formation and sending his dragon-shaped qi toward the Scripture Depository.
• The Sweeping Monk appeared with a broom and dispersed Jiang Dali’s attack with a casual sweep.
• Kong Jian, Xiao Feng, Xiao Yuanshan, and the other monks recognized the Sweeping Monk’s immense power and were shocked by his sudden appearance.

Jiang Dali and the Shaolin monks discovered that the mysterious Sweeping Monk had watched the Scripture Depository for decades and possessed near-perfect Heavenly Human Realm mastery. After the monk warned Jiang Dali that his mixed martial arts had left him in a bottleneck, Jiang challenged him to exchange blows, and their fight began.

• Kong Jian and the other Shaolin monks questioned the Sweeping Monk, who said he had been in the Scripture Depository for roughly forty-two or forty-three years and recalled Xiao Yuanshan, Murong, and Boroxing visiting.
• The Sweeping Monk told Xiao Yuanshan that his obsession with martial manuals had led him onto the demonic path, then warned Jiang Dali that his hurried, mixed training had trapped him in a bottleneck.
• Jiang Dali insisted that fighting was necessary for growth, and the Sweeping Monk agreed to exchange blows with him.
• The Sweeping Monk struck Jiang Dali with a seemingly ordinary palm, forcing him to activate Adamantine Body Cultivation and knocking him back three steps.
• Jiang Dali realized the Sweeping Monk could seal and command Heaven and Earth across nine zhang, while Xiao Feng's palm force rebounded from an invisible barrier.
• Jiang Dali charged again with golden dragon claws as the Sweeping Monk stood unmoved.

Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng fought the Sweeping Monk, whose mastery of Buddhist martial arts let him withstand their attacks and drive Jiang Dali back. After offering Jiang Dali a lesson in balance, the monk departed, and his words and a sudden thunderous sound left Jiang Dali enlightened.

• Jiang Dali and Xiao Feng attacked the Sweeping Monk together, breaking his Qi wall and landing powerful blows that wounded him.
• The Sweeping Monk used the Adamantine Zen Art and the Demon Subduing Hand to counter the two fighters and send Jiang Dali flying into the stream.
• Jiang Dali resumed attacking with his Ice Fire Great Tablet Smash and golden saber, but the Sweeping Monk deflected his strikes and urged him to restrain his sharpness and balance yin and yang.
• The Sweeping Monk withdrew with an extraordinary lightness skill, then vanished from sight.
• A thunderous sound jolted Jiang Dali as the Sweeping Monk's guidance echoed in his mind, bringing him sudden enlightenment and control.

Jiang Dali gained greater control over his power after battling the Sweeping Monk, then left Shaolin without learning the monk’s identity. At the challenge arena below, Li Tanhua arrived with Lin Shiyin, drawing every player’s attention as he approached the Black Wind Stronghold Master.

• Jiang Dali discovered that his Yin Deity had grown stronger and that he could now control the power of Heaven and Earth within two zhang.
• Xiao Feng explained the Heavenly Human Realm’s tribulations, while Jiang Dali and the monks discussed the Sweeping Monk’s hidden identity and Shaolin’s refusal to reveal it.
• Jiang Dali ended his inquiries and left Shaolin with Xiao Feng and Xiao Yuanshan.
• At the challenge arena, One God and Tang Jian defeated prominent opponents, while an unknown player nearly killed Li Jianfeng with a flying dagger.
• Li Tanhua arrived holding Lin Shiyin’s hand and approached the viewing platform where the Black Wind Stronghold Master sat.

Li Xunhuan arrived at Shaolin to confront the Black Wind Stronghold Master, while Zeng Daniu received a mission to hold him off until the real master returned. Li Xunhuan exposed and struck the puppet on the viewing platform, then took Medicine King's wine and asked where the real master had gone.

• Zeng Daniu received an emergency mission to delay Li Xunhuan until the Black Wind Stronghold Master returned.
• Kou Zhong and the other guards tried to keep Li Xunhuan from reaching the silent figure on the viewing platform.
• Li Xunhuan threw his flying dagger past Fire King Zu Jindian's attack and struck the seated figure, which collapsed into armor as white light vanished.
• Li Xunhuan took Medicine King's wineskin and drank, while Medicine King discovered that his wrist had been wounded.
• Li Xunhuan revealed that he knew the figure was a puppet and asked where the real Black Wind Stronghold Master had gone.

Jiang Dali returned to Shaoshi Mountain and confronted the Shaolin monks, who admitted their sect had wronged others. When Li Xunhuan arrived to protect Shaolin, Jiang Dali challenged him over killing a subordinate and abandoning Lin Shiyin, leaving the gathered martial artists awaiting Li Xunhuan’s response.

• Xuan Ji and the Shaolin monks suspected Jiang Dali had gone to their mountain gate, but he appeared on the path and claimed he had only gone to enjoy the scenery.
• Jiang Dali praised Meng Yi’s insight, mocked Shaolin’s leadership, and suggested that Meng Yi become abbot and join Black Wind Stronghold in a Justice Alliance.
• Li Xunhuan and Lin Shiyin arrived, and Li Xunhuan said he had come to stop Jiang Dali from damaging Shaolin’s reputation.
• Xuan Ji admitted Shaolin had wronged the martial world and Xiao, prompting Li Xunhuan to reconsider whether Shaolin deserved his support.
• Jiang Dali asked Li Xunhuan whether he had a heart that repented, accusing him of killing a subordinate and raising his past failure toward Lin Shiyin.
• Jiang Dali’s challenge echoed across Shaoshi Mountain as the martial artists watched, wondering whether he would face Li Xunhuan’s famed flying dagger.

Jiang Dali faced Li Xunhuan’s legendary Little Li Flying Dagger and caught it between two fingers, though the strike wounded him and damaged his Yin Spirit. Li Xunhuan escaped with Lin Shiyin, and Jiang Dali turned toward an approaching figure after the battle.

• A man in white explained to Xiao Siyue that Little Li Flying Dagger’s true power came from its blade intent, while Jiang Dali’s challenge threatened Li Xunhuan’s legend.
• Li Xunhuan revealed that an Otherworlder he had once killed and later taught had helped him understand repentance and fulfillment, drawing astonished reactions from the players.
• Jiang Dali closed his eyes and invited Li Xunhuan to throw the dagger, relying on his heightened perception as Li gathered his strength.
• Li Xunhuan threw his dagger, and Jiang Dali caught it between two fingers before crushing it, but the impact drove him backward and injured his glabella and Yin Spirit.
• Li Xunhuan used more daggers to fend off Jiang Dali’s counterattack, then carried Lin Shiyin away as the players debated whether Jiang had truly broken the legend.
• Jiang Dali reassured Xiao Feng that he was unharmed, then noticed someone approaching and lamenting that the fight had ended before he arrived.

Lu Xiaofeng reported that the mysterious Sweeping Monk had escaped him, while Jiang Dali turned his attention to A Lifetime of Arrogance, Li Xunhuan’s flying-dagger successor. Jiang secretly triggered a quest for players to capture A Lifetime of Arrogance, who then tried to escape the crowd by claiming he had captured himself.

• Lu Xiaofeng told Jiang Dali that he had chased the Sweeping Monk but was forced back by a distant palm strike.
• Jiang Dali noticed A Lifetime of Arrogance, whose flying daggers had won seven arena matches, but chose not to confront him directly.
• A Lifetime of Arrogance stepped down from the arena, relieved that Jiang Dali seemed unwilling to target him personally.
• Jiang Dali secretly triggered a quest offering rewards for capturing A Lifetime of Arrogance and handing him over to Black Wind Stronghold.
• Players attacked A Lifetime of Arrogance with concealed weapons, and he killed two of them with flying daggers before running toward Jiang Dali and claiming he had captured himself.

A Lifetime of Arrogance joined Black Wind Stronghold after Jiang Dali tested his incomplete Little Li Flying Dagger, and the arena competition resumed. Later, Jiang Dali discussed the Heavenly Human Realm with Lu Xiaofeng and the others, leaving them eager to hear his insights.

• A Lifetime of Arrogance knelt before Jiang Dali and asked to join Black Wind Stronghold, explaining that he had sought Jiang Dali’s attention and wanted to abandon Li Xunhuan’s side.
• Jiang Dali accepted A Lifetime of Arrogance but asked him to demonstrate the Little Li Flying Dagger; A Lifetime of Arrogance struck Jiang Dali for only 13 damage.
• Jiang Dali examined A Lifetime of Arrogance’s partial attributes, warned him not to betray the stronghold, and accepted him into Black Wind Stronghold, completing the players’ Bootlicker quest.
• Jiang Dali left the arena with Xiao Feng, Lu Xiaofeng, and the others, while the competition continued and news of Li Xunhuan’s dagger spreading through the jianghu caused a stir.
• Lu Xiaofeng lamented that he had not reached the Heavenly Human Realm, and A Zhu explained that Xiao Feng’s breakthrough followed his practice of martial arts Jiang Dali had taught him.
• Jiang Dali began sharing his insights into the Heavenly Human Realm, drawing the attention of everyone present.

Jiang Dali explained that cultivating one’s distinctive temperament into a personal martial path could lead to the Heavenly Human Realm, and the gathering ended with his announcement that the Black Wind Mountain Challenge Arena was over. He invited players who had won ten consecutive matches to claim their extra rewards.

• Jiang Dali argued that powerful experts such as the old eunuch and the Sweeping Monk advanced through exceptional resolve and temperament.
• Jiang Dali used Xiao Feng, Ding Chunqiu, Feng Qingyang, Linghu Chong, Dongfang, Zhang Sanfeng, and Li Chenzhou as examples of martial arts reflecting their wielders’ character.
• Lu Xiaofeng concluded that Jiang Dali’s dominance and pursuit of power had shaped his own path, and Jiang Dali encouraged him to seek a breakthrough.
• Jiang Dali and the others drank and discussed martial cultivation until dusk, while the arena battles dwindled and the women left the platform.
• Moon Fang reported that all twenty arenas were empty and that Shaolin would send no more fighters.
• Jiang Dali declared the Black Wind Mountain Challenge Arena officially over and offered additional rewards to Otherworlders with ten consecutive victories.

Jiang Dali rewarded the standout players from the Black Wind Mountain Challenge Arena and cultivated friendly ties with top players from other factions. He then negotiated with Ting Shui over Song State hostility and learned that Overlord Hall wanted his help with the Yang Gong Treasury, leaving him to wonder what the Yun Family had discovered.

• Jiang Dali ended the Black Wind Mountain Challenge Arena, completing the Shaolin mission and summoning exceptional players, including One God, Tang Jian, and Xiao Siyue.
• One God accepted Song Yuanqiao's mission to investigate how Jiang Dali recruited Wudang disciples, then joined the other invited players on the viewing platform.
• Jiang Dali rewarded the players with martial arts manuals, raised their Favorability, and used the meeting to draw promising outsiders closer to Black Wind Stronghold.
• Jiang Dali met privately with Ting Shui, who offered ancient records about Xiong Ba in exchange for assistance and discussed the Song State's hostility toward Black Wind Stronghold.
• Ting Shui asked Jiang Dali to help Overlord Hall with the Yang Gong Treasury, and Jiang Dali wondered whether the Yun Family had uncovered information about it.

Jiang Dali considered how to obtain the Evil Emperor’s Sarira, then agreed to travel with Lu Xiaofeng to the Ming State’s Forbidden City. Before leaving, he challenged Xiao Yuanshan, Xiao Feng, and Lu Xiaofeng to fight him so they could hone their skills and pursue breakthroughs, and the battle began with Jiang Dali facing their combined attacks.

• Jiang Dali reasoned that capturing Shi Zhixuan could help him obtain the Evil Emperor’s Sarira, though he feared its power might cause him to be reborn again.
• Lu Xiaofeng arrived and asked Jiang Dali to go with him to the Forbidden City, and Jiang Dali agreed before noticing Xiao Yuanshan’s potential breakthrough.
• Jiang Dali insisted that Xiao Yuanshan, Xiao Feng, and Lu Xiaofeng fight him to gain practical experience, and all three accepted.
• Xiao Yuanshan and Xiao Feng attacked Jiang Dali together, while Lu Xiaofeng joined in with rapid strikes.
• Jiang Dali repelled Xiao Yuanshan with the Treasure Bottle Seal and endured Lu Xiaofeng’s attacks without retreating, then a massive shadow descended over Lu Xiaofeng.

Jiang Dali fought Xiao Feng, Xiao Yuanshan, and Lu Xiaofeng, while Xiao Feng’s battle intent and palm power grew with every exchange. Jiang Dali activated his Tyrant Body and repelled Xiao Feng’s seventeenth palm, leaving Xiao Feng injured but eager to continue.

• Lu Xiaofeng used the Undying Seal Method against Jiang Dali, but Jiang Dali overwhelmed him until Xiao Feng intervened with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
• Xiao Feng’s momentum rose as he fought, strengthening his palm attacks until Jiang Dali began to feel their force despite drawing on more power of Heaven and Earth.
• Jiang Dali announced that the warm-up was over and activated his Tyrant Body, striking Lu Xiaofeng away and breaking Xiao Yuanshan’s defense with a punch.
• Xiao Feng attacked Jiang Dali with the Seven Forms of the Heavenly Dragon and successive Dragon Subduing Palms, while Jiang Dali held his ground under the barrage.
• Jiang Dali unleashed a crimson air column that broke through Xiao Feng’s seventeenth palm and blasted him into a crater, but Xiao Feng’s battle intent rose again.

Jiang Dali helped Lu Xiaofeng and Xiao Yuanshan recover from their injuries and approach breakthroughs, then gathered his companions to travel toward the Forbidden City. Along the way, he revealed that he had sent the Three Kings to retrieve the Dragon Slaying Saber and said the group would first seek out a renowned but underestimated master.

• Jiang Dali explained that Xiao Yuanshan was nearing the Heavenly Human Realm and promised to use his rare medicine to help him and Lu Xiaofeng recover.
• Lu Xiaofeng and Xiao Yuanshan each consumed a drop of Thousand Year Ginseng Sap, healing their injuries and improving their cultivation.
• Jiang Dali, Lu Xiaofeng, Xiao Feng, and Xiao Yuanshan agreed to head to the Forbidden City ahead of the duel between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng.
• Jiang Dali revealed that he had sent the Three Kings to find Xie Xun and retrieve the Dragon Slaying Saber, while also delivering a copy of the Nine Yang True Scripture to Zhang Wuji.
• When Kou Zhong asked why they were heading away from the Forbidden City, Jiang Dali said they would first find a man renowned as a great hero but underestimated as a master.

After the Shaolin confrontation made Jiang Dali and Black Wind Stronghold even more famous, Jiang Dali traveled to Mount Lu with his companions to meet Gao Laoda and visit a thatched hut. He smashed through the hut’s wall and confronted Ding Peng and the swordsman beside him.

• The Shaolin dispute was remembered as the Shame of Shaolin, while players grew more confident and major guilds began targeting lone Gang Qi Realm masters.
• Jiang Dali arrived at Mount Lu with Lu Xiaofeng, Kou Zhong, and Wang Yuyan, where Gao Laoda welcomed him on behalf of Madam Li and Mandala Villa.
• Gao Laoda led Jiang Dali’s party toward a thatched hut, while Lu Xiaofeng recognized that assassins Xiao He and Meng Xinghun guarded the area.
• Inside the hut, Ding Peng and a swordsman carrying Changge sensed Jiang Dali approaching and discussed the swordsman’s recent breakthrough and chances against him.
• Jiang Dali smashed through the hut’s wall and entered, confronting Ding Peng and the swordsman.

Jiang Dali confronted Xiao Qiushui and Ding Peng in the thatched cottage, revealing his overwhelming spiritual power and proposing cooperation with Xiao Qiushui on matters concerning the world. Xiao Qiushui questioned whether Jiang Dali wanted the Hero Order of the World, and Jiang Dali dismissed the token as useless to him.

• Outside the cottage, Kou Zhong, Lu Xiaofeng, and Wang Yuyan decided not to follow Jiang Dali through the hole he had smashed in the wall.
• Inside, Jiang Dali identified Xiao Qiushui and challenged his reasons for seeking revenge over Li Chenzhou.
• Xiao Qiushui explained that Li Chenzhou had been both his enemy and friend, and that Yan Kuangtu had guided him, but said reports of Black Wind Stronghold's crimes had ultimately driven him to confront Jiang Dali.
• When Xiao Qiushui prepared to draw his sword, Jiang Dali released his Yin Spirit and disrupted the auras of Xiao Qiushui and Ding Peng, startling them with its strength.
• Jiang Dali listed Xiao Qiushui's powerful inheritance and the Book of Forgotten Emotions, then proposed cooperation concerning the affairs of the world.
• Xiao Qiushui asked whether Jiang Dali wanted the Hero Order of the World, and Jiang Dali dismissed it as a token that only commanded fools.

Jiang Dali proposed cooperating with Xiao Qiushui to support Yue Fei, while secretly planning to use the alliance to build influence in Song State and its court. The plan activated his new “Grass-Head Emperor” main quest, and he then approached Xie Xiaofeng’s Sword Pass to test its challenge.

• Jiang Dali persuaded Xiao Qiushui that Black Wind Stronghold could aid Yue Fei against foreign enemies, and Xiao agreed to relay the offer to the general.
• Jiang Dali privately planned to use support for Yue Fei to gain influence in Song State and ultimately shape its court from behind the scenes.
• Jiang Dali’s ambition activated the “Grass-Head Emperor” main quest, whose objectives included aiding Yue Fei, eliminating treacherous ministers, and secretly planting agents in the court.
• Ding Peng and Xiao Qiushui explained that Xie Xiaofeng’s Sword Pass had helped them reach the Heavenly Human Realm, though Ding Peng still could not pass through its seven steps.
• Jiang Dali walked toward the Sword Pass, and the alley began to glow red with a sense of danger.

Jiang Dali forced his way through Xie Xiaofeng’s Sword Pass by carving a path through its sword marks with his Ruthless Saber, then confronted the terrifying sword intent of the Fifteenth Life-Taking Sword. He emerged with Ding Peng and Xiao Qiushui acknowledging his skill, and checked a new notification about his reward.

• Jiang Dali entered the alley and endured the sword intent in Xie Xiaofeng’s marks while Ding Peng explained its danger.
• Jiang Dali used his Ruthless Saber to smash through successive sword attacks and cut a path through the alley, astonishing Ding Peng and Xiao Qiushui.
• A sword embodying absolute death attacked Jiang Dali, freezing him and forcing Ding Peng and Xiao Qiushui to summon their own saber and sword intents; the clash destroyed the thatched hut.
• Jiang Dali survived the Fifteenth Life-Taking Sword’s intent and emerged beside Ding Peng and Xiao Qiushui, who praised his ability to follow his own path.
• Jiang Dali explained that he had not truly passed the Sword Pass and said Xie Xiaofeng had not fully used Yan Shisan’s deadly sword.
• Jiang Dali withdrew from Adamantine Body Cultivation and opened the notification that appeared on his panel.

After passing Xie Xiaofeng’s Sword Pass, Jiang Dali advanced his Ruthless Saber Dao and met with Ding Peng and Xiao Qiushui. He left for Yingtian Prefecture to keep the peace at the Forbidden City duel, while his elite subordinates sailed toward Ice Fire Island.

• Jiang Dali’s experience in the Absolute Ruthlessness Realm raised his saber technique to Level 10 Shaking the Ancient and Illuminating the Present.
• Jiang Dali declined Ding Peng’s challenge, telling him to pass the Sword Pass before they competed; Ding Peng vowed to meet him afterward and show him the Round Moon Saber if he lost.
• Jiang Dali warned Xiao Qiushui to deliver his message to General Yue and cautioned him to advise Yan Kuangtu against provoking him again.
• Jiang Dali invited Ding Peng and Xiao Qiushui to watch Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng’s duel at the Pinnacle of the Forbidden City, then departed with his companions for Yingtian Prefecture.
• Jiang Dali explained his respect for Ding Peng and Xiao Qiushui to his companions as they traveled, while the martial world converged on Yingtian Prefecture for the duel.
• The Three Kings, the Xuanming Elders, and other subordinates led elite players out to sea toward Ice Fire Island.