Chapter Summaries

Zhu Zhuqing asked Dugu Yan to deliver wine and a message to Li Zhixian, revealing her connection to Sword Wine to Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong. As Li Zhixian pondered his wine and sword, his drunken dream drew the attention of Ji Dong and Lie Yan, who discussed his potential as an inheritor.

• Zhu Zhuqing caught up with the Imperial Dou Team and asked Dugu Yan to deliver her wine and tell Sword Wine that she still remembered her promise.
• Dugu Yan accepted Zhu Zhuqing’s message, while Yu Tianheng and the others realized Zhu Zhuqing had a personal connection with Sword Wine.
• Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong teased Zhu Zhuqing until she admitted that Sword Wine was Li Zhixian and praised his ability to defeat Yu Tianheng in one strike.
• Li Zhixian drank alone in his courtyard, lamented that his wine and sword needed improvement, and fell asleep by the steps.
• In Li Zhixian’s strange dream, Ji Dong told Lie Yan that the youth in the lower realm interested him, while Lie Yan asked whether the Evil God had found an inheritor.

After a mysterious dream taught Li Zhixian how to brew wine, he enjoyed a playful morning with Xue Qinghe before Dugu Yan ambushed him in his courtyard. She used poison to force him to obey, but Li Zhixian drew his sword and placed it against her neck.

• Li Zhixian woke with the brewing techniques from his dream and decided to make his own wine.
• Xue Qinghe told Li Zhixian that the Shrek Seven Devils had defeated the Imperial Dou Team, then pounced on him when he refused to explain his good mood.
• Pufferfish and Snake Lance watched the two wrestle and decided Li Zhixian's closeness to Xue Qinghe was beneficial.
• Dugu Yan appeared in Li Zhixian's courtyard, confirmed he was Sword Wine, and mentioned Tang San as a possible opponent who could make him draw a second sword.
• Dugu Yan revealed she had poisoned Li Zhixian and demanded he wear his Faceless Mask and obey her, but he sprang up and held the Azure Lotus Sword to her neck.

Li Zhixian defeated Dugu Yan, collected her venom, and tried to brew a poison-curing wine, but the batch spoiled. Back at Dugu Manor, Dugu Yan struggled with the pain and hidden pleasure tied to her Jade Phosphor Serpent Spirit and vowed to get revenge on him.

• Li Zhixian resisted Dugu Yan's poison, struck her twice with his sword, and forced her to spit venom into a teacup.
• Dugu Yan gave Li Zhixian a wine gourd from Sister Zhuqing and left his courtyard in tears.
• Li Zhixian tried brewing Snake Saliva Rice Soul with Dugu Yan's venom, but the mash turned black and spoiled.
• Dugu Yan returned to Dugu Manor, hiding her swollen cheek from Dugu Bo, who decided to watch her more closely.
• Dugu Yan cultivated through the Jade Phosphor Serpent Spirit's painful effects and recalled her humiliation by Li Zhixian with conflicted feelings.
• Dugu Yan tried to poison a cup but felt nothing, shattered it, and vowed to make Li Zhixian pay.

Li Zhixian fought Dugu Yan again and collected her snake venom for another attempt at brewing Snake Saliva Rice Soul. When Dugu Yan came back the next day, he let her into his courtyard, unaware that Dugu Bo had followed her.

• Xue Qinghe told Li Zhixian that Yu Tianheng had returned to his clan for training, while Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan had stayed home.
• Dugu Yan challenged Li Zhixian again, and he wounded and subdued her before collecting her snake venom.
• Dugu Yan told Li Zhixian that Zhu Zhuqing liked him and wanted him to kiss her; Li Zhixian's second attempt at brewing Snake Saliva Rice Soul failed.
• Dugu Bo noticed blood on Dugu Yan and resolved to follow her if she went out again.
• Dugu Yan returned to challenge Li Zhixian, and he let her into the courtyard for her venom; Dugu Bo arrived outside the gate.

Li Zhixian fought Dugu Yan for her snake venom, but Dugu Bo interrupted and clashed with him, leaving both injured. After Dugu Yan shielded Li Zhixian and revealed she had sought him out, he suggested he might be able to cure the Jade Scale Snake Poison, giving Dugu Bo a glimmer of hope.

• Dugu Yan challenged Li Zhixian, and after he defeated her, she refused to give him her snake venom.
• Dugu Bo burst into the courtyard and attacked Li Zhixian for supposedly humiliating Dugu Yan.
• Li Zhixian countered with his Azure Lotus Sword, and their clash injured Dugu Bo before Li Zhixian was thrown into the courtyard wall with Dugu Yan behind him.
• Dugu Yan shielded Li Zhixian and told Dugu Bo she had sought him out voluntarily.
• Dugu Bo recognized Li Zhixian as Sword Wine and gave him medicine for his internal injuries.
• As Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo prepared to leave, Li Zhixian said he might be able to cure the Jade Scale Snake Poison, and Dugu Bo urgently demanded to know what he meant.

Li Zhixian brewed Snake Saliva Rice Soul with Dugu Yan’s venom and fused it into his Wine Spirit, creating a wine that could cure the Jade Scale Snake Poison. Dugu Yan drank it, and the chapter ended as the cure began to take effect.

• Li Zhixian told Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo that he could cure the Jade Scale Snake Poison and asked Dugu Yan for her venom.
• Dugu Yan gave Li Zhixian her venom, and Dugu Bo waited outside the courtyard.
• Li Zhixian brewed Snake Saliva Rice Soul, tasted it, and fused it into the Wine Spirit in his Clear Spring Wine Gourd.
• Dugu Yan sensed her poison reacting to the wine’s fragrance, and Dugu Bo realized there was hope of curing the Dugu Family’s poison.
• Li Zhixian gave Dugu Yan a cup of the wine and told her it would cure her poison; after Dugu Bo pledged his support, she drank it.

Li Zhixian cured Dugu Yan’s poison and traveled with her and Dugu Bo to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye so he could use the spiritual spring to treat Dugu Bo. At the springside, Li Zhixian recognized the rare herbs and considered how their power might strengthen his Wine Spirit.

• Dugu Yan expelled her poison and thanked Li Zhixian, while Dugu Bo watched tearfully.
• Li Zhixian told Dugu Bo that he needed some of his snake venom to brew an antidote, and Dugu Bo agreed.
• Li Zhixian suggested treating Dugu Bo’s venom at a place of spiritual beauty, and Dugu Bo led him and Dugu Yan to Sunset Forest.
• Li Zhixian arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye and imagined brewing Ice Flame Immortal Dew to strengthen his Wine Spirit.
• Li Zhixian recognized the rare spiritual herbs around the paired springs, and Dugu Yan reminded Dugu Bo to pay him.

Li Zhixian accepted the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well from Dugu Bo and removed the accumulated snake venom from his body. After giving Dugu Yan a Blood Swan Kiss and receiving a spatial Soul Tool in return, he remained at the garden to cultivate and prepare for a crucial transformation.

• Dugu Bo offered Li Zhixian the herb garden in gratitude for saving him and Dugu Yan, and Li Zhixian admitted that he needed some of its Spirit Grasses.
• Dugu Bo drank the Snake Saliva Rice Soul, releasing decades of venom that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye’s opposing forces destroyed, freeing his Soul Power and ending his cultivation stagnation.
• Li Zhixian gave Dugu Bo a Blood Swan Kiss for Dugu Yan, warning them that it could greatly amplify any poison it touched.
• Dugu Yan gave Li Zhixian a Ruyi Hundred Treasures Pouch that could store living creatures, and Dugu Bo praised his swordsmanship and sincerity.
• Dugu Bo planned to take Dugu Yan to obtain her fourth Soul Ring, while Li Zhixian decided to build a hut and cultivate at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye.

Li Zhixian discovered the Sword Soul Jade Heart Orchid in the valley and consumed its Sword Fruit, forging a Clear Sword Body and bringing the Azure Lotus Sword to Utmost Sharpness. After settling in to build a cabin and cook, he left Xue Qinghe waiting at Lotus Lake, where Xue Qinghe grew furious.

• Li Zhixian found the Sword Soul Jade Heart Orchid growing between the fire spring and ice spring and recognized its Sword Fruit as a rare treasure.
• The Sword Fruit broke free and chose Li Zhixian, who consumed it and endured the transformation that forged his Clear Sword Body.
• Golden light from Li Zhixian tempered the Azure Lotus Sword, which gained a jade-like blade and the power of Utmost Sharpness.
• Li Zhixian tested the sword by silently splitting a block of mysterious iron, then decided to stay in the valley and built a cabin.
• Xue Qinghe waited at Lotus Lake from morning until noon with a Three Immortal Chicken and angrily accused Li Zhixian of standing him up.

Li Zhixian gave Xue Qinghe a Dawn Light Rose and told her he was going into seclusion, then accepted an invitation to visit the Nine Heart Begonia Ye Family. He arrived at Ye Manor, curious about the family and its Spirit.

• Li Zhixian found Xue Qinghe at Lotus Lake and presented her with a Dawn Light Rose suited to her Swan Spirit.
• Xue Qinghe accepted the flower, and Li Zhixian asked her to prepare more winemaking equipment before falling asleep beside her.
• Pufferfish and Snake Lance watched from the reeds and warned Xue Qinghe that her identity had to remain secret.
• Li Zhixian returned to his courtyard and accepted an invitation from the Nine Heart Begonia Ye Family.
• Li Zhixian reached Ye Manor and announced himself at its gate.

Li Zhixian was attacked by two Ye family retainers who were ordered to test his strength, and he nearly killed them with the Azure Lotus Sword before Mother Ye healed them. Mother Ye apologized, then asked how the Nine Heart Begonia compared with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and brought up the Battle of the Sacred Healing Towers.

• Li Zhixian entered Ye Manor and was ambushed in a garden by two Soul Ancestors using their Ghost Vine Net spirit skill.
• Li Zhixian cut through the vine prison and struck the brothers down with his Azure Lotus Sword after they revealed the Ye Family Head had ordered them to test him.
• Mother Ye and Ye Lingling arrived, and Mother Ye restored the garden and healed the brothers before sending them away.
• Mother Ye apologized to Li Zhixian for her subordinates' actions, and he asked why she had invited him.
• Mother Ye asked whether the Nine Heart Begonia or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was stronger, then asked if Li Zhixian had heard of the Battle of the Sacred Healing Towers.

Mother Ye asked Li Zhixian to represent the Ye Family in the Battle of the Sacred Healing Towers, offering him Soul Bones and Ye Lingling’s hand in marriage, but he refused because he wanted freedom rather than involvement in the family feud. He returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye and resumed cultivating, while Mother Ye placed the Ye Family’s hopes on Ye Lingling.

• Mother Ye explained that the Battle of the Sacred Healing Towers was a contest between the Nine Heart Begonia and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, long dormant because Chen Xin had kept the Ye Family from winning.
• Mother Ye asked Li Zhixian to represent the Ye Family in a future contest and offered him three Soul Bones, then promised the family’s wealth and Ye Lingling as his bride.
• Li Zhixian refused, saying he sought freedom and had no interest in the feud, and urged Mother Ye to ask Ye Lingling before making decisions that concerned her life.
• After Li Zhixian left, Mother Ye told Ye Lingling to win his favor and bear the Ye Family’s hopes, and Ye Lingling quietly agreed.
• Li Zhixian returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye and began brewing Ice Flame Immortal Dew, vowing to remain in seclusion until he advanced his cultivation and sword art.

Master persuaded Flender to send Shrek’s students to Imperial Dou Academy for training, while Ma Hongjun traveled to Heaven Dou City and dominated its Soul Fighting Arena. After defeating Yufeng, Ma Hongjun challenged the absent Sword Wine, as Li Zhixian finally brewed the Ice Flame Immortal Dew.

• Master argued with Flender and convinced him that Tang San and the other Shrek students should attend Imperial Dou Academy for its Mimicry Cultivation environment and competition opportunities.
• Ma Hongjun persuaded Zhao Wuji to take him to Heaven Dou City, then promised Dai Mubai he would cripple Sword Wine if they crossed paths.
• After arriving in Heaven Dou City, Ma Hongjun visited the Pleasure District and began fighting three matches a day at the imperial city's Soul Fighting Arena.
• Ma Hongjun defeated Yufeng of the Imperial Dou Team and taunted the crowd, demanding that Sword Wine face him.
• At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Li Zhixian successfully brewed the Ice Flame Immortal Dew.

Li Zhixian cultivated the Molten Frost Spirit Vein Body by drinking Ice Flame Immortal Dew, consuming two rare herbs, and enduring the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye. After his Wine Spirit evolved, he watched ice and fire mingle and realized the principle behind the Azure Lotus Sword Song’s second style.

• Li Zhixian drank Ice Flame Immortal Dew, ate the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and entered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye to temper his body.
• After three days, Li Zhixian completed the Molten Frost Spirit Vein Body as a butterfly emerged from its cocoon and flew away.
• Li Zhixian discovered his Soul Power had reached level twenty-nine and evolved his Wine Spirit with the remaining Ice Flame Immortal Dew.
• The Azure Lotus Sword appeared and plunged into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, prompting Li Zhixian to contemplate how ice and fire coexisted.
• Li Zhixian watched frost and flames spiral together and realized the principle behind the Azure Lotus Sword Song Second Style.

Li Zhixian completed the Azure Lotus Sword Song’s Second Style, Two Forms, and returned from seclusion. After Ye Lingling brought gifts and her mother’s aged wine, she told him that a fighter calling himself the Evil Fire Phoenix had challenged Sword Wine, so Li Zhixian headed to the Soul Fighting Arena.

• Li Zhixian forged the Two Forms style, combining Blazing Sword and Frost Sword, and declared his seclusion over.
• Ye Lingling waited at Li Zhixian’s gate with gifts from her mother, but he initially rejected the Ye Family’s offerings and shut her out.
• Li Zhixian changed his mind when Ye Lingling revealed that the gifts included aged wine, and he let her into his courtyard.
• Ye Lingling told Li Zhixian that the Evil Fire Phoenix had won nearly fifty Soul Fighting Arena matches and vowed to break Sword Wine’s sword and overturn his wine.
• Li Zhixian set down the flask and went with Ye Lingling to the Soul Fighting Arena.

Li Zhixian returned to the imperial Soul Fighting Arena as Sword Wine and accepted a match against the Evil Fire Phoenix, scheduled for the following evening. After strolling through Heaven Dou City with Ye Lingling, he heard a storyteller exaggerate the Phoenix’s challenge and quietly tipped him before leaving.

• Li Zhixian entered the Soul Fighting Arena as Sword Wine, drawing a roar from the spectators, and learned his match was set for eight the next evening.
• Li Zhixian removed his mask in a private room, then went out to explore the city with Ye Lingling, who offered to treat him to dinner.
• Li Zhixian and Ye Lingling ate noodles while a storyteller recounted the Evil Fire Phoenix’s attack on Yufeng and his demand to fight Sword Wine.
• The storyteller declared that Sword Wine would defeat the Evil Fire Phoenix, earning cheers and copper coins from the crowd.
• Li Zhixian flicked a gold coin onto the storyteller’s table, then left with Ye Lingling before the storyteller could identify him.

At the Imperial City Soul Fighting Arena, prominent figures arrived to watch Sword Wine face Ma Hongjun. Li Zhixian absorbed Ma Hongjun’s Phoenix Evil Fire unharmed and emerged to challenge him, leaving the fight poised to continue.

• The Ye Family Head, Dugu Bo, and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe entered the arena and publicly said they had come to see Sword Wine.
• Yufeng pleaded for Sword Wine to cripple Ma Hongjun, while Zhao Wuji dismissed Sword Wine and insisted Ma Hongjun would win.
• At eight o’clock, Li Zhixian and Ma Hongjun began their Soul Fight, and Ma Hongjun threatened him over Zhu Zhuqing before unleashing Phoenix Fireline.
• Ma Hongjun’s purple flames swallowed Li Zhixian, leading Ma Hongjun and Zhao Wuji to believe he had won.
• Dugu Bo realized Li Zhixian was absorbing the fire, and Li Zhixian emerged unharmed to taunt Ma Hongjun about his Evil Fire.

Li Zhixian faced Ma Hongjun’s renewed assault and drew the Azure Lotus Sword to unleash its Blazing Sword technique. As the arena cheered his earlier reversal, he slashed toward Ma Hongjun in midair, while an unexplained warning sensation tingled across his back.

• Yufeng celebrated Li Zhixian’s victory over Ma Hongjun, and the arena crowd joined his chant, “Evil Fire—is that all?”
• Dugu Yan asked Dugu Bo whether she could now defeat Li Zhixian, while Ye Lingling’s mother urged her to win his favor.
• Xue Qinghe ordered her followers not to connect Li Zhixian with Spirit Hall, and Qin Ming urged Zhao Wuji to make Ma Hongjun concede.
• Ma Hongjun attacked with Phoenix Blaze and Phoenix Wing Soaring, flying above the arena and raining fire down on Li Zhixian.
• Li Zhixian summoned the Azure Lotus Sword, invoked Azure Lotus Sword Song Second Style—Two Forms: Blazing Sword and Three Sword Splendor, then slashed at Ma Hongjun.

Li Zhixian defeated Ma Hongjun with a blazing sword strike and brutally punished him for abusing commoner girls. He left the arena as the spectators watched, while a storyteller prepared to spread the tale across Heaven Dou.

• Li Zhixian cut through Ma Hongjun's fire rain, severed his arm and phoenix wing, and scarred the arena platform with his sword.
• When Ma Hongjun tried to surrender, Li Zhixian cut his lips, then ignored Zhao Wuji's threats as others blocked Zhao Wuji from intervening.
• Li Zhixian condemned Ma Hongjun for preying on commoner girls and cut off his evil root while Zhao Wuji shouted in fury.
• Li Zhixian left the arena and paid a hidden storyteller to praise him in the next day's account.

Li Zhixian spent the day meeting Xue Qinghe and Ye Lingling, while Zhao Wuji learned that Qin Ming knew Sword Wine’s identity and sought revenge for Ma Hongjun. That night, as a storm raged, a burly figure arrived outside Li Zhixian’s courtyard with murderous intent.

• Xue Qinghe invited Li Zhixian to Lotus Lake, Dugu Yan invited him to eat, and Ye Lingling asked him to return to the noodle shop.
• Zhao Wuji drove away the physicians treating Ma Hongjun, then demanded that Qin Ming reveal Sword Wine’s identity; Qin Ming admitted that he knew it.
• Li Zhixian told Ye Lingling she did not need to cater to him or her mother, and Ye Lingling said she only wanted hot noodle soup.
• Li Zhixian left another gold coin for the storyteller before parting from Ye Lingling and returning home through the rain.
• At midnight, a burly figure in a straw rain cape appeared outside Li Zhixian’s courtyard, carrying killing intent.