Chapter Summaries

Willow Wood sought Mo Yuan’s help in preventing spies from infiltrating Changqing Peak, and Mo Yuan proposed a Heart-Questioning Bureau for the disciple selection. When the assessment began, Shushan’s Inner Disciples gathered at Changqing Peak, including both sincere applicants and informants sent by the other peaks.

• Wang Yang warned Willow Wood and the others that Inner Disciples could still infiltrate Changqing Peak as informants.
• Ran Hua suggested asking Mo Yuan for help, and Willow Wood went to seek his advice.
• Mo Yuan said he would establish a Heart-Questioning Bureau and require applicants to pass it before continuing to the assessment.
• On the day of the selection, Inner Disciples flocked to Changqing Peak, drawn by Chen Changqing’s reputation and generous rewards, while some arrived as informants.
• Willow Wood arrived at the crowded plaza with Ran Hua and the others, and the applicants fell silent as the assessment was about to begin.

Changqing Peak used a new Heart-Questioning Bureau to select disciples, while every candidate chosen by the other peaks was eliminated. Wuxing summoned the leaders of the Seven Great Peaks and asked what they thought of Chen Changqing.

• Willow Wood announced Changqing Peak’s two-stage selection, beginning with the Heart-Questioning Bureau overseen by Mo Yuan.
• Several dozen Shushan Inner Disciples passed the screening and joined Changqing Peak, while the rest were rejected.
• A Suppress Peak disciple told Yue Kunlun that all the candidates he had selected were eliminated, angering Ancestor Yue Shen.
• The leaders of the other major peaks learned that their selected disciples had also been eliminated.
• Wuxing summoned the leaders of the Seven Great Peaks to Wuxing Peak and asked what they thought of Chen Changqing.

Wuxing questioned the peak leaders about why they opposed Chen Changqing becoming Shushan’s successor despite praising his talent. After dismissing them, he kept Ancestor Yue Shen behind and reminded him that Chen Changqing had defeated someone Wuxing thought highly of.

• The peak leaders praised Chen Changqing’s talent and achievements, while Ancestor Yue Shen stayed silent and Wuxing grew displeased.
• Wuxing challenged the leaders over opposing Chen Changqing’s succession, and they recognized they had acted to protect their own peaks’ interests.
• Void Old Man asked Wuxing what he thought of Chen Changqing, and Wuxing reminded him of their agreement tied to the Grand Tournament of the Ten Major Sects.
• Wuxing dismissed the leaders but ordered Ancestor Yue Shen to stay behind.
• Wuxing reminded Ancestor Yue Shen that Chen Changqing had defeated Yue Qing, whom Wuxing had said he thought highly of.

Wuxing learned of Chen Changqing’s extraordinary rise and ordered Ancestor Yue Shen to investigate him, but discovered that Changqing Peak had rejected every infiltrator from the other peaks. He then backed Yue Qing to compete against Chen Changqing in the future, driven by rivalry with Wuzhen.

• Wuxing and Ancestor Yue Shen discussed Yue Qing’s loss to Chen Changqing and Chen Changqing’s astonishing cultivation progress.
• Ancestor Yue Shen told Wuxing that Chen Changqing was said never to cultivate, which convinced Wuxing that he was hiding a great secret.
• Wuxing ordered Ancestor Yue Shen to send spies into Changqing Peak, but Ancestor Yue Shen explained that dozens of Inner Disciples from Suppress Peak and the other main peaks had all failed its entry assessment.
• Wuxing praised Chen Changqing’s careful planning, then told Ancestor Yue Shen to focus on strengthening Yue Qing for the Ten Great Sect Competition.
• After Ancestor Yue Shen left, Wuxing resolved to see whether Wuzhen’s favored disciple or his own chosen disciple would prove stronger.

Chen Changqing welcomed fifty-six new disciples to Changqing Peak and gave each one a Peak-grade Spirit Treasure as a meeting gift. After they chose their artifacts and dispersed, Ran Hua praised Chen Changqing's generosity.

• Willow Wood brought the fifty-six newly recruited disciples to meet Chen Changqing outside his residence.
• Chen Changqing displayed a large collection of Dharma Artifacts, mostly Peak-grade Spirit Treasures, and offered each new disciple one as a meeting gift.
• The newcomers overcame their shock and chose their own Dharma Artifacts.
• Chen Changqing told the disciples to follow Changqing Peak's rules and dismissed them.
• Ran Hua praised Chen Changqing for giving every newcomer a Peak-grade Spirit Treasure.

Chen Changqing promised to arrange Immortal Artifacts for Ran Hua and the others before leaving to walk Little Black. Yue Qing visited Changqing Peak to urge Chen Changqing not to give up on winning first place at the Ten Great Sect Competition, and Chen Changqing left him unconvinced; later, Ran Hua told Chen Changqing that someone had come to see him.

• Chen Changqing promised Ran Hua, Willow Wood, and the others that he would arrange Immortal Artifacts for them as they worked on their cultivation.
• Chen Changqing left Changqing Peak with Little Black and encountered Yue Qing at the Mountain Gate.
• Yue Qing asked whether Chen Changqing had given up on the Ten Great Sect Competition and urged him to cultivate instead of spending his days walking his dog.
• Chen Changqing assured Yue Qing that walking Little Black would not interfere with the competition and told him to cultivate so he would not fall behind.
• Chen Changqing returned to Changqing Peak, where Ran Hua hurried over and told him that someone had come to see him.

Luofu Tian visited Chen Changqing and asked to join Changqing Peak, revealing that his Luo Family lineage had pressured him to make the request. Chen Changqing accepted him, and Luofu Tian settled into a residence on the peak, drawing the attention of Jian Zhenzi and Ji Changkong.

• Ran Hua told Chen Changqing that Luofu Tian was waiting for him in a side hall.
• Luofu Tian asked Chen Changqing to let him join Changqing Peak, explaining that his lineage had pressured him to do so.
• Chen Changqing guessed that the Luo Family had sent Luofu Tian to build ties with him and agreed to accept him.
• Luofu Tian bowed to Chen Changqing, and Chen Changqing asked Elder Willow Wood to arrange a residence for him.
• Elder Willow Wood settled Luofu Tian halfway up Changqing Peak, where Jian Zhenzi and Ji Changkong noticed his arrival.

Luofu Tian joined Changqing Peak, and Chen Changqing turned away other Holy Sons to keep the peak manageable. Chen Yuan arrived to take Chen Changqing to meet Grandmaster Wuzhen and learned that his disciple truly intended to take first place in the Ten Great Sect Competition.

• Luofu Tian joined Changqing Peak and was shown to his residence by Willow Wood.
• News of Luofu Tian's arrival spread through Shushan Holy Land, prompting other Holy Sons to seek admission, but Chen Changqing rejected them.
• Chen Changqing explained that three Holy Sons were enough for Changqing Peak and that he now focused on rivals beyond their rank.
• Chen Yuan arrived at Chen Changqing's courtyard and said Grandmaster Wuzhen had summoned him.
• While they flew to meet Grandmaster Wuzhen, Chen Yuan asked whether Chen Changqing had meant his promise to take first place in the Ten Great Sect Competition, and Chen Changqing confirmed it.

Chen Changqing met with Wuzhen, who explained that the Seven Peaks Grand Competition winner was entitled to a Blood Pool baptism and another chance to enter the Sword Tomb. Chen Changqing reaffirmed that he intended to win the Ten Great Sect Competition and claim Wuxing as his protector.

• Chen Yuan brought Chen Changqing to Wuzhen Peak, where Wuzhen summoned him into his house.
• Wuzhen apologized that Chen Changqing had not automatically become Shushan's Sect Leader successor because Wuxing had intervened.
• Chen Changqing said he still intended to win first place in the Ten Great Sect Competition so Wuxing could serve as his protector.
• Wuzhen told Chen Changqing that his Seven Peaks Grand Competition victory earned him a baptism in the Ancestral Land Blood Pool and an opportunity to enter the Sword Tomb.

Chen Changqing learned that his Blood Pool baptism reward could be given to someone else, and decided to choose a member of Changqing Peak to receive it. He went to Ran Hua and began to explain that he had something to discuss with him.

• Wuzhen explained that the Blood Pool could strengthen the body and the Sword Tomb held many divine weapons, including Immortal Artifacts.
• Chen Changqing asked whether he could transfer his Blood Pool baptism slot, and Wuzhen said he could choose how to use it.
• Wuzhen gave Chen Changqing tokens for the Blood Pool and Sword Tomb, then warned him that the recipient needed sufficient temperament and foundation to withstand the baptism.
• Chen Changqing returned to Changqing Peak and decided to give the Blood Pool opportunity to one of its core members.
• Chen Changqing found Ran Hua practicing swordsmanship and told him he had something to discuss.

Chen Changqing gave Ran Hua his qualification for the Ancestral Land Blood Pool cleansing, insisting that his brother accept it. The next morning, Chen Changqing returned to the Shushan Holy Land’s Sword Tomb, where its two guardians recognized him with surprise.

• Chen Changqing told Ran Hua he would give him the Blood Pool cleansing qualification he had earned by taking first place in the Seven Peaks Grand Competition.
• Ran Hua initially refused, but Chen Changqing insisted, handed him the blood-colored token, and encouraged him to cultivate well.
• Ran Hua vowed to repay Chen Changqing’s kindness by working harder and standing by him.
• The next morning, Chen Changqing arrived at the Sword Tomb and greeted the two Shushan elders guarding it.
• The tall, thin elder recognized Chen Changqing and cried out in surprise.

Chen Changqing returned to the Sword Tomb, seeking an Immortal Artifact-grade sword, and ignored several Quasi-Immortal Artifacts that acknowledged him. After searching the vast tomb, he sat down to sense the swords with his Spiritual Sense, and the scenery around him began to change.

• Chen Changqing presented his token to the two elders and entered the Sword Tomb.
• The elders discussed Chen Changqing's rapid cultivation, past achievements, and the swords he had acquired.
• Chen Changqing declined the Burning Heaven Sword and the Hanyuan Sword because neither met his expectations.
• Chen Changqing traveled deeper into the Sword Tomb, passing countless swords that reacted to him in different ways.
• Chen Changqing sat down and released his Spiritual Sense, merging his aura with the Sword Tomb until the surrounding scenery began to change.

Chen Changqing searched the Sword Tomb with his consciousness, passing over several Immortal Artifact swords before finding a mysterious stone stele marked “Those destined obtain it!” He broke the stele’s seal and awakened a silver-white longsword, whose Sword Intent engulfed him in a pillar of light.

• Chen Changqing sensed the Immortal Artifact-grade Haoran Sword and Azure Nether Sword, but neither responded to him.
• Chen Changqing found the chained Soul Devourer Sword, which reacted violently to his presence, and memorized where it was.
• Chen Changqing discovered a bare stretch of ground with an ancient stele inscribed “Those destined obtain it!” and sensed a sword hidden inside.
• Chen Changqing’s probing consciousness triggered a tremendous Sword Intent, so he went to the stele and placed a hand on it.
• The stele crumbled and released a silver-white longsword, whose Sword Intent stirred the Sword Tomb and made Chen Changqing’s spiritual power churn.
• A silver-white sword light enveloped Chen Changqing and condensed into a pillar that shot into the sky.

A divine sword’s acknowledgment of Chen Changqing sent a vast Sword Intent surging through Shushan Holy Land. The peak leaders learned that Chen Changqing had obtained another Immortal Artifact, while Wuxing tried to dismiss his growing concern about their wager.

• A silver-white pillar of sword light burst from the Sword Tomb, and Chen Yuan and Mo Tianji realized that someone inside had won an Immortal Artifact-grade divine sword.
• Mo Tianji told Chen Yuan that Chen Changqing was the only person who had entered the Sword Tomb that day, leaving the Sect Leader astonished that his disciple had gained another Immortal Artifact.
• Wuzhen and Lu Tian sensed the terrifying Sword Intent, and Wuzhen confirmed that Chen Changqing had won the divine sword’s acknowledgment.
• Wuxing discovered that Chen Changqing was behind the disturbance and recalled their wager about the Ten Great Sect Competition, then tried to suppress his unease.
• The Seven Great Peaks’ leaders learned that Chen Changqing had gained the sword and envied his fortune as swords across Shushan trembled and rang.

Chen Changqing obtained the Ganjiang Sword from the Sword Tomb and realized it seemed incomplete without its twin, the Moye Sword. After leaving the tomb, he learned that the elders had never heard of Ganjiang, then flew toward Seven Stars Peak.

• Chen Changqing grasped the nameless sword and saw the seal-script characters identifying it as Ganjiang.
• He sensed the sword contained only half of its Sword Intent and concluded that the missing Moye Sword might complete it into an artifact beyond Immortal Artifacts.
• Chen Changqing stored the Ganjiang Sword in his Heaven Treading Ring and left the Sword Tomb.
• The elders asked which divine sword he had obtained, and Chen Changqing told them it was the Ganjiang Sword.
• The elders said they had never heard of Ganjiang, and Chen Changqing flew toward Seven Stars Peak instead of returning to Changqing Peak.

After obtaining the Ganjiang Sword from the Sword Tomb, Chen Changqing learned that the Immortal Artifact could make him a target and turned down War Dome Ancestor’s offer to trade for one of his treasures. Several other peak helmsmen also sought his Immortal Artifacts, but Chen Changqing rejected them all.

• Chen Changqing told Chen Yuan he had obtained the Immortal Artifact Ganjiang Sword, and Chen Yuan admitted he did not know its origins.
• Chen Yuan warned Chen Changqing that his many Immortal Artifacts could attract covetous people both inside and outside Shushan.
• War Dome Ancestor visited Chen Changqing and offered to exchange other goods for one of his Immortal Artifacts.
• Chen Changqing refused War Dome Ancestor’s offer, and War Dome Ancestor left without waiting for a reply.
• Several other peak helmsmen came to Changqing Peak seeking Immortal Artifacts, and Chen Changqing rejected them as well.

Ancestor Yue Shen learned that the other peak leaders had failed to obtain Immortal Artifacts from Chen Changqing and recalled how they had opposed Chen Changqing's rise. Ran Hua then used the Blood-colored Token Chen Changqing gave him to enter Blood Pool Peak for baptism, where an elder explained that the Blood Pool would judge his foundation and potential.

• A Suppress Peak disciple told Ancestor Yue Shen that none of the other peak leaders had traded for an Immortal Artifact from Chen Changqing.
• Ancestor Yue Shen recalled the leaders' opposition to Chen Changqing becoming Holy Son and heir to the Sect Leader, and lamented that Chen Changqing had joined the Sect Leader's lineage.
• Ran Hua vowed to make Chen Changqing proud and decided to undergo the Ancestral Land Blood Pool baptism.
• Ran Hua reached Blood Pool Peak and showed the Gray-robed Elder the Blood-colored Token Chen Changqing had given him.
• The Gray-robed Elder led Ran Hua through Blood Pool Peak's restrictions to the massive stone gate and explained how the Blood Pool would determine his baptism.

Ran Hua entered Shushan’s Blood Pool to undergo its baptism and endured its brutal physical tempering, but the pool then cast him into a battlefield illusion where he faced a fatal attack. A voice in his mind urged him to give up as the axe was about to strike.

• The Gray-robed Elder warned Ran Hua that the Blood Pool’s ancient wills and killing intent could overwhelm him, then opened the sealed gate with Ran Hua’s Blood-colored Token.
• Ran Hua entered the passage and struggled against the growing pressure until he reached the vast underground Blood Pool.
• Ran Hua leapt into the pool and endured its violent blood qi tearing down and rebuilding his body, drawing resolve from thoughts of Chen Changqing.
• Ran Hua was transported into a battlefield illusion, where a burly axeman shattered his sword and struck at him while he was unable to move.
• A voice in Ran Hua’s mind mocked his talent and foundations and urged him to retreat rather than die.

Ran Hua overcame illusions that preyed on his doubts about his talent and resolve, then absorbed the Blood Pool’s power and rose from the Golden Core Realm peak to the Nascent Soul Peak. He emerged from the baptism astonished by his unprecedented advancement.

• Ran Hua resisted an illusion that told him he was unworthy by remembering Chen Changqing’s trust and declaring himself Chen Changqing’s brother.
• Ran Hua rejected another illusion that urged him to give up chasing Chen Changqing, vowing to follow even if he had to crawl.
• Ran Hua endured successive illusions as the Blood Pool strengthened his body and widened his meridians.
• Ran Hua’s cultivation broke through the Golden Core Realm, advanced through the Violet Mansion Realm, and reached the Nascent Soul Peak.
• Ran Hua awoke to find the Blood Pool’s power depleted and marveled at his transformation and rapid cultivation increase.

Ran Hua returned from the blood pool baptism having advanced to the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, and thanked Chen Changqing for his support. Several days later, a Spirit Transformation monk named Rujie arrived at Changqing Peak to see Chen Changqing.

• Ran Hua completed the blood pool baptism, advanced from the Golden Core realm to the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, and left Blood Pool Peak.
• Ran Hua returned to Changqing Peak, told Chen Changqing about his breakthrough, and knelt to thank him; Chen Changqing lifted him up and said they were brothers.
• Ran Hua resolved to reach Spirit Transformation soon, while Chen Changqing took Wangcai for a walk.
• The disciples of Changqing Peak learned that Chen Changqing had given Ran Hua the blood pool opportunity, and Ji Changkong wondered at Chen Changqing's choices and cultivation.
• A disciple told Chen Changqing that a monk had come to see him, and Rujie arrived by the stream and greeted him as Brother Changqing.