Chapter Summaries

Xiao Chen revealed to Hou Qing that he had killed Hou Qing’s son, prompting Hou Qing to swallow his anger because of Xiao Chen’s powerful background. When Xiao Chen stopped him from leaving, Hou Qing ordered the city gates shut and threatened to kill Xiao Chen and massacre Azure Cloud City; Xiao Chen remained unafraid as the confrontation escalated.

• Qing Yumei blamed herself for the Qing Family’s crisis, while Qing Tieshan comforted her and several elders turned against them.
• Xiao Chen told Hou Qing that he had killed Hou Qing’s son, and Hou Qing recognized him as the Zhenbei King’s eldest son.
• Hou Qing addressed Xiao Chen as Young Lord and tried to leave with Hou Yi’s corpse, but Xiao Chen stopped him and threatened to kill him.
• Hou Qing ordered a guard to contact his informant and shut Donglai City’s gates, then threatened to kill Xiao Chen and slaughter Azure Cloud City.
• Hou Qing questioned why Xiao Chen showed no fear, while Qing Tieshan and Qing Yumei realized the danger facing the city.

Xiao Chen defeated Hou Qing and revealed his overwhelming strength, saving the Qing Family from the Hou Family’s threat. After Qing Tieshan thanked him, Xiao Chen asked for a Tai Xu Token, but the Second Elder objected.

• Hou Qing attacked Xiao Chen with his spear, but Xiao Chen knocked it from his hand with a single sword strike.
• Qing Tieshan recognized Xiao Chen as the Zhenbei King's eldest son, Sword Demon Xiao Chen, and learned of his Born King Physique.
• Xiao Chen killed Hou Qing with a sword slash and let the Hou Family guards leave.
• Qing Tieshan thanked Xiao Chen, who asked whether the Qing Family would give him a Tai Xu Token.
• The Second Elder interrupted and refused.

Xiao Chen received the Qing Family’s Tai Xu Token and learned that his family’s decline could leave him starting at Tai Xu Sect as an attendant, threatening his urgent plan to reach the Dao Heaven Sacred Pool. After more than half a month of cultivation, he set out for Tai Xu Mountain with Qing Yumei and Fen Rourou, where an unexpected voice called his name.

• The Second Elder proposed that Xiao Chen marry Qing Yumei in exchange for the Qing Family’s Tai Xu Token, but Qing Tieshan gave him the token without requiring it.
• Qing Tieshan explained that Xiao Chen might be recruited as an attendant rather than an outer disciple because the Qing Family had declined, and Xiao Chen worried this would delay his search for the Dao Heaven Sacred Pool.
• Qing Yumei admitted she would not pursue feelings for Xiao Chen after her father reminded her of his betrothal to the Ninth Princess and the gulf between their families.
• Xiao Chen spent more than half a month cultivating at the Qing Family before setting out on foot for Tai Xu Mountain with Qing Yumei and Fen Rourou.
• Qing Yumei asked Xiao Chen about his dream, and he declared his ambition to shatter the void, slay gods, and prove the path of invincibility.
• A sweet voice called out to Xiao Chen as the group traveled toward Tai Xu Mountain.

Xiao Chen encountered Ye Qingxuan, the Great Xia Ninth Princess, and rejected her after she mocked his curse and weakened state. Ye Qingxuan let her guards threaten him, and Qing Yumei challenged her for bullying others.

• Xiao Chen tried to leave when Ye Qingxuan called out to him from her imperial carriage, but a guard stopped him and announced her identity as the Ninth Princess.
• Ye Qingxuan criticized Xiao Chen for acting proud despite the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse, and Xiao Chen told her they had nothing to do with each other.
• Ye Qingxuan's guards insulted Xiao Chen and stepped forward to attack him while she watched with mockery.
• Xiao Chen warned Ye Qingxuan that he would kill her if not for her father, the Xia Emperor.
• Qing Yumei spoke up and asked Ye Qingxuan whether she feared damaging her reputation by using her power to bully others.

Xiao Chen defended Qing Yumei and Fen Rourou when Ye Qingxuan ordered them killed, revealing that he could still fight despite the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse. He slaughtered Ye Qingxuan’s guards and left with Qing Yumei and Fen Rourou, while Ye Qingxuan resolved to enter Tai Xu Sect and leave him behind.

• Qing Yumei and Fen Rourou challenged Ye Qingxuan for humiliating Xiao Chen, and Ye Qingxuan ordered her guards to behead them.
• Xiao Chen burst into action and killed the guard approaching Qing Yumei and Fen Rourou, shocking Ye Qingxuan and the remaining guards.
• Xiao Chen said he would slaughter Ye Qingxuan’s guards as a lesson, then killed both squads despite Ye Qingxuan warning him of the Imperial House’s wrath.
• Xiao Chen reminded Ye Qingxuan that the Xia Emperor could learn how she had treated him, and she chose not to risk exposing herself to him.
• Xiao Chen spared the two beast tamers and left with Qing Yumei and Fen Rourou, while Ye Qingxuan comforted herself that entering Tai Xu Sect would put them in different worlds.

Xiao Chen traveled with Qing Yumei and Fen Rourou to Tai Xu Mountain, where they encountered Ye Lanxi and Ye Qingxuan on their way to the sect’s inner recruitment assessment. Ye Lanxi asked Xiao Chen about his Ten Thousand Calamities Curse, while Ye Qingxuan bristled at his attention toward her sister.

• Qing Yumei asked Xiao Chen whether he would face consequences for killing the imperial guards, and Xiao Chen said he had done nothing wrong.
• Xiao Chen noticed faint green demon mist in the sky and worried that the Human Race’s destiny was declining.
• Xiao Chen, Qing Yumei, and Fen Rourou reached Tai Xu Mountain and climbed its steep path toward the Tai Xu Sect.
• Fen Rourou grew exhausted and stopped to rest as the group neared the sect.
• Ye Lanxi and Ye Qingxuan arrived to represent the Great Xia Imperial House in the inner recruitment assessment.
• Xiao Chen greeted Ye Lanxi warmly but ignored Ye Qingxuan, and Ye Lanxi asked whether his Ten Thousand Calamities Curse had left him all right.

Xiao Chen told Ye Lanxi he had only a year to live but came to take the Tai Xu Sect’s recruitment assessment with a token from the Qing Family. After he left, Ye Lanxi’s silence revealed her affection for him, deepening Ye Qingxuan’s anger over her former fiancé.

• Ye Qingxuan mocked Xiao Chen’s hope of curing the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse, and Ye Lanxi rebuked her for disrespecting a hero of the Human Race.
• Ye Lanxi urged Xiao Chen to leave the Tai Xu Sect, but he said he had come for its internal recruitment assessment.
• Xiao Chen showed Ye Lanxi the Tai Xu Token that Qing Yumei had given him, and he and his companions continued toward the sect without the princesses.
• Ye Qingxuan asked why Ye Lanxi cared about Xiao Chen, and Ye Lanxi stayed silent when asked whether she liked him.
• Ye Lanxi recalled how Xiao Chen had defended Bear Martial City and later saved her in the secret realm, while Ye Qingxuan insisted he had always been her future husband.

Xiao Chen, Ye Qingxuan, and Ye Lanxi arrived at the Tai Xu Sect for its internal recruitment examination, where Lin Hu announced the rules and began the bone-age test. The competition for five outer-disciple positions was about to start, with Ye Lanxi called first.

• Ye Qingxuan followed Ye Lanxi toward the Tai Xu Sect at a distance and silently vowed to take revenge on Xiao Chen.
• Xiao Chen and the others reached the Tai Xu Sect’s mountain gate and saw its powerful young inner disciples waiting for the assessment.
• Lin Hu explained that the sect would recruit five outer disciples and assign the remaining candidates as attendants to inner disciples.
• Lin Hu brought out a Bone Age Measurer and called Ye Lanxi forward first.

Ye Lanxi completed the bone-age test at seventeen, while Lin Hu showed hostility toward Xiao Chen after noticing her glance at him. The cultivation assessment began, and Ye Lanxi’s result revealed that she was a rare first-level Spell Master who wielded moonlight.

• Ye Lanxi tested as seventeen, and Lin Hu grew jealous after seeing her look toward Xiao Chen.
• Lin Hu insulted Xiao Chen during his bone-age test, but Xiao Chen stayed quiet and marked Lin Hu as a future target.
• Lin Hu refused to let several wounded, late arrivals take the assessment despite their report of fighting the Demon Race.
• Lin Hu began the cultivation test and explained that reaching the General Realm young was a key measure of talent.
• Ye Lanxi tested as a first-level Spell Master, astonishing the crowd with her rare ability to draw on moonlight.

Tai Xu Sect continued testing candidates, and Lin Hu singled out Xiao Chen for public humiliation because he came from Azure Cloud City. Xiao Chen revealed a sharp, unusual aura through the Qi-testing instrument, leaving the crowd wondering whether he was an unorthodox cultivator.

• The examination showed that the Silver Moon Princess was a Spell Cultivator, while Ye Qingxuan's weak cultivation left her likely to become an attendant.
• Lin Hu called out Xiao Chen as being from Azure Cloud City, prompting candidates and sect disciples to mock his origins.
• Xiao Chen asked Lin Hu why he was targeting him, and Lin Hu admitted he disliked him and gave him his contact information and residence.
• Xiao Chen silently memorized Lin Hu's details and placed his hand above the Qi-testing instrument.
• Purple Sword Qi entered the crystal sphere, and Xiao Chen released a keen, powerful aura that startled most of those present.

Xiao Chen’s sword cultivation and Fourth Level Sword Master Realm stunned the recruitment assessment, and the crowd recognized him as the famed Sword Demon and son of the Zhenbei King. Wu Qinglong, the Sword King Hall master, arrived after sensing Xiao Chen’s Sword Qi and asked if he had released it.

• The Qi-Measuring Instrument identified Xiao Chen as a Fourth Level Sword Master Realm sword cultivator, shocking the crowd and Lin Hu.
• A participant recognized Xiao Chen as the Sword Demon whose deeds in the Serpent Dragon Mystic Realm and Barren North City had made him famous.
• Some recruits questioned whether the stories about Xiao Chen’s strength were exaggerated because the instrument showed he was only at the fourth level of Sword Master Realm.
• Wu Qinglong, the Sword King Hall master, rushed to the assessment after sensing an unusually solid strand of Sword Qi.
• Wu Qinglong asked Xiao Chen whether he had released the Sword Qi.

Wu Qinglong recognized Xiao Chen as a Sword Dao Silver Sprout and offered to take him as an inner sect disciple, but discovered that Xiao Chen was afflicted by the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse. After learning that the Dao Heaven Sacred Pool could cure it, Xiao Chen asked how he could become the Tai Xu Sect's Holy Son within a year.

• Wu Qinglong examined Xiao Chen, judged his talent to be at least Silver Sprout level, and offered to take him in as an inner sect disciple.
• Lin Hu questioned the offer on the grounds of sect rules, but Wu Qinglong silenced him with his aura.
• Wu Qinglong noticed black qi swirling around Xiao Chen's glabella and identified it as the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse after it wounded his finger.
• Xiao Chen explained that the Demon Race had afflicted him with the curse, and Wu Qinglong said only the Dao Heaven Sacred Pool could cure it.
• Wu Qinglong explained that only the Holy Son and Holy Maiden could enter the pool and warned Xiao Chen that surpassing Holy Son Huang Yelang was impossible.
• Xiao Chen asked how he could become the Tai Xu Sect's Holy Son within one year.

Xiao Chen decided to become a True Disciple and challenge Holy Son Huang Yelang so he could enter the Dao Heaven Sacred Pool and survive the Ten Thousand Calamities Curse. As the Tai Xu Sect recruitment continued, prospective attendants chose their masters, and Qing Yumei was claimed by Lin Yu.

• Xiao Chen told Wu Qinglong he intended to become a True Disciple and defeat Huang Yelang, and his renewed resolve impressed Wu Qinglong.
• Lin Hu announced the five outer sect recruits, excluding Xiao Chen because of his curse, and began the attendant selection.
• Ye Qingxuan accepted Cao Lan as her attendant while several other prospective attendants were chosen.
• Gu Lanlan and Qing Yumei were left unwanted as other attendants made their selections.
• Lin Yu approached Qing Yumei and ordered her to follow her as her attendant.

Qing Yumei reluctantly agreed to become Lin Yu’s follower, while Xiao Chen remained unchosen because of his Ten Thousand Calamities Curse. Wu Qinglong forced the remaining inner disciples to accept Xiao Chen, who chose Gu Lanlan as his master.

• Lin Yu intimidated Qing Yumei into accepting her as a follower, and Qing Yumei sent Fen Rourou back home.
• After the other candidates were chosen, Xiao Chen was left alone because the inner disciples feared his curse.
• Wu Qinglong used the Dark Evil Sword to pressure the remaining inner disciples into accepting Xiao Chen.
• Xiao Chen chose Gu Lanlan, leaving her and the gathered disciples stunned.

Xiao Chen chose Gu Lanlan as his attendant and entered the Tai Xu Sect, where he learned how lowly attendants were treated. Assigned to the East District of the Mud-Dust Zone, he set his sights on the attendant competition while Lin Hu quietly approached Steward Liu with a request.

• Xiao Chen chose Gu Lanlan as his attendant, and Wu Qinglong confirmed the decision before leaving.
• Lin Hu led Xiao Chen and the other newcomers through the Tai Xu Sect’s strange sights to the Hall of Affairs.
• Liu Zhishi registered the outer sect disciples, gave them resources, and registered the attendants with wooden plaques and no cultivation supplies.
• Xiao Chen learned that ten outer sect slots would be contested by over ten thousand attendants in half a month and made winning a goal.
• Liu Zhishi assigned Xiao Chen and the other attendants to the East District of the Mud-Dust Zone and warned them to avoid the dangerous North Zone.
• Lin Hu discreetly approached Liu Zhishi and asked him for a favor.

Lin Hu arranged for Xiao Chen to be sent to the dangerous North Zone of the Mud-Dust Zone, hoping to make him suffer. Xiao Chen remained undaunted, while Gu Lanlan warned him to leave the Tai Xu Sect; Lin Hu then entered the Mud-Dust Zone and headed for the North Zone.

• Lin Hu privately persuaded Liu Zhishi to assign Xiao Chen lodging in the North Zone, and Liu Zhishi agreed.
• Liu Zhishi announced Xiao Chen's reassignment, alarming the crowd and worrying Ye Lanxi and Qing Yumei.
• Xiao Chen suspected Lin Hu had interfered and resolved to kill him, while Lin Hu taunted him about the dangers awaiting him in the North Zone.
• Gu Lanlan urged Xiao Chen to leave the Tai Xu Sect and described the North Zone's violence, but Xiao Chen insisted he could handle it.
• Gu Lanlan told Xiao Chen he could stay by her side while he adjusted and that she would later teach him cultivation techniques.
• Lin Hu entered the Mud-Dust Zone and headed toward the North Zone as attendants bowed to him.

Lin Hu recruited his cousin Lin Bao to torment the newcomer Xiao Chen, while Xiao Chen arrived at Tai Xu Sect and recognized the Holy Maiden Fire Phoenix. Fire Phoenix recognized him too but dismissed his pursuit and flew away, leaving Xiao Chen facing the danger Lin Hu had arranged.

• Lin Hu visited Lin Bao in the North Zone and offered him three Tai Xu Pills to deal with an incoming attendant named Xiao Chen.
• Lin Hu ordered Lin Bao to make Xiao Chen beg for life but be unable to die, and Lin Bao sent Fang Zhen and two others to intercept him.
• Lin Bao suspected Xiao Chen might be the Zhenbei King's eldest son, but dismissed the idea and accepted Lin Hu's payment.
• Xiao Chen struggled to find the Mud-Dust Zone as outer sect disciples ignored him because he wore an attendant's gray robe.
• Fire Phoenix flew over Tai Xu Sect on her Crimson Flame Luan Bird, recognized Xiao Chen, and assumed he had followed her there to pursue her before flying away.

Xiao Chen arrived in the North Zone of the Mud-Dust Zone, where Zhang Qinlong tried to force him to kneel, serve tea, and surrender his valuables. Xiao Chen rejected the demand and struck down Zhang Qinlong’s subordinate, leaving Zhang Qinlong glaring at him.

• Xiao Chen searched the Mud-Dust Zone and found the North Zone, unaware that Zhang Qinlong was waiting there to bully him.
• Fang Zhen arrived with two attendants, intending to deal with Xiao Chen, but stopped when he saw Zhang Qinlong.
• Zhang Qinlong demanded that Xiao Chen kneel, serve tea, and hand over his valuables, but Xiao Chen refused.
• Liu Wenmo ordered Xiao Chen to kneel, and Xiao Chen punched him so hard that he flew away and could not get back up.
• Zhang Qinlong asked whether Xiao Chen knew Liu Wenmo was his man, and Xiao Chen said he had guessed but did not care.

Xiao Chen rejected Zhang Qinlong’s attempt to make him submit and defeated him with one punch, shocking the North Zone. Lin Bao learned what had happened and worried that Xiao Chen had escaped Zhang Qinlong’s control.

• Zhang Qinlong offered to forgive Xiao Chen if he became his subordinate, but Xiao Chen bluntly refused.
• Liu Yushu stepped forward to challenge Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen bypassed him and struck Zhang Qinlong instead.
• Xiao Chen’s punch shattered Zhang Qinlong’s defense and sent him crashing into a courtyard, leaving him badly injured.
• Xiao Chen continued toward Courtyard Number 149 while Liu Yushu and the others watched in fear; Fang Zhen led his group away to report to Lin Bao.
• Zhang Qinlong was rescued from the rubble and taken away to recover, while news of his defeat spread through the North Zone.
• Fang Zhen told Lin Bao that Xiao Chen had fought Zhang Qinlong, leaving Lin Bao surprised and concerned.

After crippling Zhang Qinlong, Xiao Chen arrived at his assigned communal room in the Mud-Dust Zone and met Niu Feng, who offered to protect him. When the older attendants came to bully the newcomer, Niu Feng stood in front of Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen stopped him and said he would handle them himself.

• Fang Zhen told Lin Bao that Xiao Chen had defeated Zhang Qinlong, and Lin Bao realized Lin Hu had misled him about Xiao Chen's strength.
• Xiao Chen found his crowded communal room and met the injured Niu Feng, who demanded a healing pill in exchange for protection.
• Niu Feng warned Xiao Chen about the North Zone's bullying and told him that Liu Yulong, Liu Yushu's younger brother, had a nearby single-person courtyard.
• More than a dozen older attendants arrived and ordered Xiao Chen to serve them and do their chores.
• Niu Feng stepped in to protect Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen grabbed him and said he would deal with the attendants himself.