Chapter Summaries

Xu Kun studied Li Taibai’s abilities while recovering and realized that Li Taibai’s SSS-tier forbidden spell granted two minutes of near-total invincibility. He considered how to counter it but had not found a solution when the chapter ended.

• Xu Kun meditated to recover his stamina and thought through the upcoming fight against Li Taibai and Murong Fu.
• Xu Kun reviewed Li Taibai’s profile and learned that his forbidden spell, Flowing Clouds of Elegance, made him exceptionally difficult to defeat.
• Xu Kun learned that Li Taibai’s Echoing Tone trait could extend his Windflower State from one minute to two.
• Xu Kun ruled out enduring the state head-on and questioned whether his control skills could hold Li Taibai long enough to outlast it.

Xu Kun negotiated with Li Yian while preparing to face Li Taibai, whose wind talent made both escape and a prolonged fight difficult. Li Yian agreed to stay in Xu Kun’s Sea of Consciousness and nurture his Xuanyuan Sword Qi, leaving him with a new arrangement before his brief rest ended.

• Xu Kun realized that Li Taibai’s movement and wind-attack talent made fleeing or controlling him difficult, and planned to avoid making their Wind Academy rivalry too ugly.
• Li Yian teased Xu Kun about stabbing her, then learned he wanted Li Taibai to give him swordsmanship guidance rather than worrying about losing.
• Li Yian asked to stay with Xu Kun, and he agreed after she offered to nurture the Xuanyuan Sword Qi, which she named Ah Huang.
• Li Yian explained that Ah Huang needed treasured swords, spirit stones, or other spiritually charged materials to grow stronger and potentially aid Xu Kun’s sword path.
• Xu Kun left his unused swords with Li Yian as food for Ah Huang and returned from his Sea of Consciousness as his rest time nearly ended.

Xu Kun challenged Wind Academy chief Li Taibai, who unleashed his Windflower State and powerful sword techniques. Xu Kun countered with his fire-and-ice skills and Wind Breath Shield, leaving both fighters temporarily unable to gain a clear advantage.

• Xu Kun refused Li Taibai’s offer to postpone their match because he still intended to challenge Sima Dai.
• Li Taibai entered Windflower State and attacked Xu Kun with Morning Departure, Evening Return.
• Xu Kun blasted Li Taibai away with Magma Iceberg: Flame Surge, froze him, and summoned Volcanic Eruption.
• Li Taibai recovered and trapped Xu Kun with his Four Directions Swordsmanship, weakening him with wind blades and attacking from all sides.
• Xu Kun activated Wind Breath, nullifying Li Taibai’s wind attacks and breaking free of the sword formation.
• Li Taibai pointed out that Xu Kun’s shield would last only one minute while his Windflower State remained active.

Xu Kun and Li Taibai paused their duel, but after Xu Kun drank Li Taibai’s Dreamlike Jade Dew Brew, Li Taibai trapped him in a drunken sword technique. The tournament officials ruled that Xu Kun had ten minutes to sober up or lose the round.

• Xu Kun suggested that Li Taibai could not defeat him before Flourishing Glory ended, angering Li Taibai, who accused him of looking down on his strength.
• As Xu Kun’s Wind Breath Shield faded, Li Taibai drank from his wine gourd and invited him to share a cup; Xu Kun drank two mouthfuls of Dreamlike Jade Dew Brew.
• Li Taibai used Azure Lotus Drunken Song to intoxicate Xu Kun and wound him, then put him into a deep sleep with A Thousand Years of Drunken Dreams.
• Li Taibai refused to claim victory immediately and said he would continue fighting if Xu Kun woke up.
• At Sima Ziyuan’s urging, Lord Dong ruled that Xu Kun would lose automatically if he did not sober up within ten minutes.

After Li Taibai’s Azure Lotus Drunken Sword trapped Xu Kun in a dream, Xu Kun found that his abilities were gone and that he had only ten minutes to comprehend the sword Dao and escape. He recognized that the shifting moon could not sever his connection to his power and began forging a new sword technique, Verdant Passage.

• Xu Kun woke on a dark boat, discovered that his Illusion-Shattering Divine Eyes and other abilities were unavailable, and realized he had been drawn into a dream.
• Xu Kun found Chengying stripped of its divine artifact aura and understood that learning swordsmanship was the key to awakening.
• Xu Kun jumped into the cold water to clear his drunken mind, then practiced slow sword movements on the swaying boat.
• Xu Kun watched the moon cycle through its phases and realized that the dream could not sever his connection to his power.
• Xu Kun fused his two flames into emerald-green fire, cloaked himself and Chengying in it, and named his first sword technique Verdant Passage.

Xu Kun created five moon-phase sword forms and combined them through Lunar Phase Shift, then began conceiving a sixth sword, Moonlit Night Condensation. Li Taibai called him out of his dream, and someone slapped Xu Kun awake before he could finish the sword.

• Xu Kun created Tongbi, Soul Severance, Fallen Radiance, Yingyan, and Mirror Break, each drawing on a different attribute.
• Xu Kun combined the five forms through Lunar Phase Shift, producing five styles and seventeen sword moves.
• Li Taibai appeared in the moonlight and praised Xu Kun, who resolved to create Moonlit Night Condensation to protect Yang Yao.
• Li Taibai told Xu Kun to meet him outside, but Xu Kun hesitated because his final sword was unfinished.
• Someone slapped Xu Kun and told him to wake up before he lost.

Xu Kun woke from Li Taibai’s Drunken Dream of a Thousand Years after comprehending the SS-tier sword technique Moonlit Night Congeal. He refused Li Taibai’s demand to surrender, and Li Taibai charged at him before freezing in place.

• Li Yian’s slaps and ghostly shriek jolted Xu Kun out of his dream just as Sima Ziyuan’s hourglass ran out.
• Xu Kun and Li Taibai praised the wine, and Li Taibai revealed that he had entered the dream to wake Xu Kun but found him comprehending swordsmanship.
• Xu Kun named his new six-form, eighteen-move SS-tier sword technique Moonlit Night Congeal, though its ultimate move remained unusable.
• Li Taibai asked Xu Kun to repay his help by admitting defeat, but Xu Kun refused.
• Li Taibai drew his sword and charged at Xu Kun, then froze as Xu Kun called him Xiao Bai.

Li Yian reunited with Li Taibai and persuaded him to spar with Xu Kun so Xu Kun could gain the third-place ranking. Their swordplay duel began with Xu Kun matching Li Taibai’s Azure Lotus Swordplay, and the chapter ended as Xu Kun’s Lunar Phase Shift changed his auxiliary Sword Qi to Tongbi.

• Li Yian revealed herself to Li Taibai and stopped him from attacking Xu Kun, then asked him to spar and surrender later.
• Li Taibai agreed to fight Xu Kun, warning that he would make an enemy of the Li Family if Xu Kun harmed Qingqing.
• Xu Kun activated Lunar Phase Shift and used Glimmering Flame and Fractal Mirror Sword Qi to counter Li Taibai’s Azure Lotus Swordplay.
• Xu Kun and Li Taibai exchanged sword moves evenly as Dugu Yun and Xiang Longtu watched and discussed Xu Kun’s growing reputation.
• Xu Kun blocked Li Taibai’s Cleansing Breeze and countered Azure Lotus Dance with Dusk Surge, after which his auxiliary Sword Qi changed to Tongbi.

Xu Kun turned Li Taibai’s early advantage into a chance to master Fractal Mirror Sword Qi, then endured Li Taibai’s Azure Wave Ripple and used Spirit Anchoring Slash to break through his defenses. The chapter ended with Xu Kun switching Chengying to blood qi and charging at Li Taibai, who regretted blocking the attack.

• Li Taibai suppressed Xu Kun with Fractal Mirror Sword Qi, while Xu Kun silently endured the blows and gathered wind blades around himself.
• Xu Kun used the accumulated wind blades to increase his attack speed and range, eventually matching and surpassing Li Taibai as he adapted to his new sword move.
• Li Taibai recognized Xu Kun’s talent and explained how his own comprehension, fueled by drunkenness, had helped Xu Kun comprehend swordsmanship in the dream.
• Li Taibai unleashed Azure Wave Ripple, trapping Xu Kun in overwhelming Wind Power and repeatedly battering him with Streaming Shadow.
• Xu Kun used Spirit Anchoring Slash to break through Li Taibai’s blockade, and Chengying briefly fought Streaming Shadow before returning to Xu Kun.
• Xu Kun used Lunar Phase Shift to coat Chengying in blood qi and charged at Li Taibai, who raised his sword to block and immediately regretted it.

Xu Kun drove Li Taibai into retreat with his soul-cutting sword technique, so Li Taibai pointed him toward Murong Fu as a better opponent. As Murong Fu was drawn into the challenge, Li Taibai suddenly attacked Xu Kun with Thousand Mile Gale, then surrendered and fled, leaving Xu Kun blasted into Hundred Battles Mountain’s formation.

• Xu Kun wounded Li Taibai with Soul Severance and Shadow Pairing, causing Li Taibai to flee while Xu Kun chased him across Hundred Battles Mountain.
• Li Taibai ended the chase and suggested Xu Kun fight Murong Fu, praising his Flowing Cloud Swordplay and claiming he was nearby.
• Li Taibai taunted the Water Institute until Murong Fu stepped forward, while Xu Kun revealed that he had already defeated Murong Fu in Western Xia.
• Xu Kun challenged Murong Fu, but Li Taibai abruptly struck Xu Kun with Thousand Mile Gale and swept him into Hundred Battles Mountain’s grand formation.
• Li Taibai praised Xu Kun’s ability to withstand the attack, surrendered, and fled before Xu Shao could respond.

Xu Kun became the Wind Academy’s new champion and studied Yang Yao’s dossier on Murong Fu before their next match. He concluded Murong Fu was using his position as a hostage and Dragon-Tiger Rankings star to advance Murong Xianbei’s interests, and prepared to ruin his reputation with a decisive defeat.

• Xu Shao announced Xu Kun’s victory over Li Taibai and named him the Wind Academy’s new champion and third-ranked genius on the Dragon-Tiger Rankings.
• Gongsun Jing lamented being overshadowed by younger fighters, and Gongsun Bogui urged him to pursue a breakthrough to War King-level after the tournament.
• Xu Kun vowed to surpass the titled leaders Sima Dai and Murong Fu, while he and Murong Fu exchanged hostile looks over their past conflict in Western Xia.
• Xu Kun read Yang Yao’s dossier, learning Murong Fu was a royal descendant of Murong Xianbei, the son of a hostage, and heir to powerful bloodlines and techniques.
• Xu Kun deduced Murong Fu intended to build influence among human youths and support Murong Xianbei, then resolved to defeat him decisively and destroy his reputation as Murong Fu approached.

Xu Kun challenged Murong Fu and let him choose between a swordsmanship contest and a direct fight. Murong Fu chose the martial duel, and Xu Kun took to the air and unleashed a relentless Flame Dragon’s Breath, leaving Murong Fu surrounded by fire as he tried to absorb the area damage.

• Xu Kun challenged Murong Fu for his Dragon-Tiger Rankings position, and the two argued over their ambitions and past defeats.
• Xu Kun offered Murong Fu a civil duel based on swordsmanship or a martial duel, but Murong Fu chose to fight directly.
• Xu Kun spread his phoenix wings, flew above Murong Fu, and attacked him with Flame Dragon’s Breath.
• Murong Fu struggled to dodge the flames and countered with water-element skills, but they failed to stop Xu Kun’s attack.
• As the fire engulfed Hundred Battles Mountain, Murong Fu used Gathering Clouds Desiring Rain to absorb area damage, and Xu Kun paused to rest his sore mouth.

Xu Kun kept Murong Fu under relentless True Dragon's Breath, using taunts and the threat of a humiliating attack to make him regret choosing a martial duel. Just as Murong Fu prepared to counter with Star River Siphon, Xu Kun forced him to admit defeat and request a literary duel.

• Xu Kun stopped and restarted his cooldown-free True Dragon's Breath, while Murong Fu's Gathering Clouds Desiring Rain expired without turning the fight around.
• Xu Kun taunted Murong Fu and reflected that he had maneuvered him into choosing a martial duel despite repeatedly offering a literary duel.
• Dugu Yun and Xiang Longtu realized Xu Kun's dragon breath would have made them lose even faster, while the watching students remained captivated by his attack.
• Murong Fu endured Xu Kun's renewed assault and began to invoke Star River Siphon, but Xu Kun stopped breathing fire and dove toward him.
• Xu Kun threatened Murong Fu with a humiliating move, prompting Murong Fu to admit he was wrong and ask to settle the contest with a literary duel.

Xu Kun forced Murong Fu to admit defeat in a martial contest and face him in a sword duel, then battled him through Murong Fu’s Flowing Cloud Swordplay. Murong Fu’s mud-based attack failed, and the duel continued as he tried to defend against Xu Kun’s Soul Severance Sword Qi.

• Xu Kun used his golden-eyed ability to make Murong Fu publicly admit he was wrong and agree to a civil duel, while Murong Fu nervously warned him not to expose his Western Xia infiltration.
• Murong Fu attacked with Flowing Cloud Swordplay, trapping Xu Kun in a muddy maze and landing a cut to his chest.
• Xu Kun saw through the mud and blocked Murong Fu’s surprise attack from above, then struck his sword arm with Soul Severance Sword Qi.
• Murong Fu escaped the mud and endured the soul-deep pain, then used flowing-water sword qi to keep Xu Kun’s strange sword qi at bay.
• Xu Kun and Murong Fu charged at each other and continued their duel amid crossing sword flashes and colliding sword qi.

Xu Kun refined his Soul Severance: Paired Shadows Swordplay by abandoning head-on attacks and adopting Akali’s assassination techniques against Murong Fu. As the battle continued, Akali and Shangguan Yuanwei clashed over their feelings for Xu Kun, and Xu Kun ended the chapter by unleashing a powerful new strike.

• Xu Kun realized Paired Shadows Swordplay worked best through surprise attacks, then changed his approach and began probing Murong Fu’s defenses with vicious strikes.
• Dugu Yun noticed Xu Kun’s new style resembled Akali’s assassination techniques, prompting Shangguan Yuanwei to challenge Akali over her interest in Xu Kun.
• Akali accused Shangguan Yuanwei of secretly caring for Xu Kun, and Shangguan Yuanwei’s angry reaction drew the crowd’s attention.
• Akali and Shangguan Yuanwei traded accusations, while Shangguan Yuanwei’s flames accidentally caught Bao Xu as he absorbed the Ghost Flame Sub-Fire.
• Xu Kun thanked Murong Fu for helping him improve, then launched his new Qingfen-Paired Shadows strike.

Xu Kun used his newly developed swordplay to counter Murong Fu with Soul Severance and then a three-element heavy-sword attack. Murong Fu recognized that his flowing Sword Qi was badly countered and launched a powerful move, whose clash with Xu Kun’s Falling Brightness Sword Qi left the audience stunned.

• Xu Kun’s Soul Severance: Paired Shadows Swordplay clashed with Murong Fu’s Flowing Cloud Swordplay, and their sword energies formed a river of blood before reaching a standstill.
• Xu Kun revealed a three-element sword move using lightning, ice, and shadow, astonishing Murong Fu and the watching prodigies.
• Xu Kun’s heavy Chengying strike froze, electrocuted, and blinded Murong Fu, forcing him to retreat and recognize that their attributes countered his flowing Sword Qi.
• Murong Fu used Flowing Cloud Swordplay: Fighting at Cangshan and charged at Xu Kun as a water star wrapped in a waterfall.
• Xu Kun answered with Falling Brightness: Ground Frost Dark Erosion, and the audience stared in shock as their attacks intertwined.

Xu Kun and Murong Fu traded powerful sword techniques, with Murong Fu overwhelming Xu Kun with a flood of water before Xu Kun rose again. Xu Kun then unveiled his fully sublimated Tongbi Sword Qi and prepared to strike with his most complete sword technique.

• Xu Kun trapped Murong Fu with Falling Brightness - Ground Frost Dark Erosion, but Murong Fu used Star Shift to turn the restraints back on Xu Kun and briefly immobilize him.
• Murong Fu activated Star Shift, No Trace’s No Trace effect and unleashed Flowing Cloud Swordplay: Eternal Azure Sky, drawing water from the surrounding land to bury Xu Kun beneath a vast artificial ocean.
• Murong Fu waited until the enhancement ended, then found Xu Kun still alive and badly injured when he emerged from the waves.
• Xu Kun formed a full-moon phase and combined Tongbi Sword Qi with fire and poison traits, sublimating it into an indistinct, muted-brown sword qi that made Murong Fu sense imminent danger.
• Xu Kun told Murong Fu he was beginning his attack.

Xu Kun devastated Murong Fu with one sword, then goaded him into continuing the fight and summoned Wang Yuyan to help. The chapter ended with Murong Fu agreeing to accept her aid, walking into another trap Xu Kun had set.

• Xu Kun struck Murong Fu with Tongbi Sword Qi, leaving him dazed and destroying his light armor with Six Ding Divine Fire.
• Xu Kun pointed Chengying at Murong Fu and taunted him until Murong Fu overcame his urge to surrender and resolved to fight on.
• Xu Kun offered Murong Fu a chance to turn things around by inviting Wang Yuyan to help him.
• When Murong Fu refused to rely on a woman, Xu Kun threatened him with his sword until he agreed to call Wang Yuyan into the fight.
• Murong Fu called out to Yu Yan and asked her to help him.

Xu Kun allowed Murong Fu to bring Wang Yuyan into their duel, hoping to give him one last chance to change course, but Murong Fu mistook the warning and prepared to defeat Xu Kun. The battle resumed with Murong Fu’s Flowing Cloud Swordplay trapping Xu Kun in waves of chilling, immobilizing force.

• Xu Kun asked for Wang Yuyan to assist Murong Fu, and Lord Dong approved the arrangement while warning Murong Fu against going too far.
• Wang Yuyan joined Murong Fu and devised a strategy, but Murong Fu rejected her suggestion that he befriend Xu Kun and insisted on defeating him.
• Murong Fu unleashed Flowing Cloud Swordplay—Autumn River Tide Fall Chill, summoning a River-Overturning Mirage that sent waves through Xu Kun.
• Xu Kun found that the waves passed through him without striking, but their damp chill weakened his body and left him unable to move.
• Murong Fu announced that he would continue demonstrating his sword arts and used Sword Sweep.

Xu Kun fought Murong Fu while Wang Yuyan predicted his moves and guided her cousin through a series of attacks. After Murong Fu’s killing strike brought him close, Xu Kun revealed that his right arm had recovered and countered with Arc Light Flash, leaving the duel unresolved.

• Murong Fu crippled Xu Kun’s right arm with Sword-Locking Rivers and Mountains, but Xu Kun retrieved Cheng Ying with his Dragon Binding Cord and used flames to dispel the chill.
• Xu Kun fought with his left hand, while Wang Yuyan guided Murong Fu to dodge his sword qi and attack its weak points with Heart Sword Fusion.
• Murong Fu dissolved Xu Kun’s sword qi, struck him with the Seven-Ray Sun Reflection formation, and cornered him with Sky Piercing Style.
• Murong Fu pursued the seemingly trapped Xu Kun with Spirit Surpassing Style, but Wang Yuyan realized they had fallen into a trap.
• Xu Kun’s right arm recovered, and he used Arc Light Flash as Murong Fu closed in.