Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai joined Gu Jianyun to hunt demon beasts with Hu Hu and a gathering of powerful young swordsmen. As they prepared to enter the Eight-Legged Blade Beast lair, Lin Bai suspected Hu Hu had another purpose for assembling so many experts.

• Gu Jianyun agreed to take Lin Bai along to Hu Hu’s hunt after he offered to join her.
• Hu Hu welcomed Gu Jianyun and accepted Lin Bai, who introduced himself as Dongfang Bai and claimed to be her master.
• Hu Hu summoned Lu Heng, Yan Sen, and Wan Bai, while Gu Jianyun explained that they were among the Flying Cloud Dynasty’s Ten Great Young Swordsmen.
• Lin Bai recognized Shui Han among the Demon Heaven Ridge experts and sensed that he had comprehended Water Drop Intent.
• Lin Bai questioned why Hu Hu had gathered five of the Ten Great Young Swordsmen to hunt a lair of just over a thousand Eight-Legged Blade Beasts, suggesting the group had another target.

Lin Bai followed Gu Jianyun and Hu Hu’s group to the Eight-Legged Blade Beast nest, suspecting Hu Hu had another reason for leading so many martial artists there. As the group fought through the nest, Lin Bai taught Gu Jianyun the essentials of swordsmanship, leaving her grateful but furious when he returned to teasing her.

• Hu Hu led Gu Jianyun, Lin Bai, and more than two hundred martial artists toward the Eight-Legged Blade Beast nest, which Lin Bai suspected was the true goal of Hu Hu’s search through Demon Heaven Ridge.
• Hu Hu warned the group that powerful Eight-Legged Blade Beasts might be inside, then led the charge; Lin Bai held Gu Jianyun back until the others had entered safely.
• Hu Hu, Yan Sen, Wan Bai, Lu Heng, and Shui Han fought at the front, demonstrating their exceptional swordsmanship as the group battled the beasts.
• Lin Bai explained the principles of speed, stability, accuracy, and ruthlessness to Gu Jianyun, using the five young swordsmen’s styles as examples and guiding her sword cultivation.
• Gu Jianyun thanked Lin Bai and called him Master, but Lin Bai teased her about owing him demonic beasts and threatened to smack her, provoking her angry response.

Lin Bai found Gu Jianyun and Shui Han struggling against an eighth-level Sky Realm Eight-Legged Blade Beast King and realized Hu Hu had used Demon Heaven Ridge's martial artists to occupy the beast while his own group disappeared. When the beast blocked their escape, Lin Bai killed it with one sword, and the cavern began to collapse.

• Lin Bai entered the Eight-Legged Blade Beast nest and cut down a fourth-level beast with Sword Qi while searching for Gu Jianyun.
• Lin Bai learned that Gu Jianyun and Shui Han were holding off the Eight-Legged Blade Beast King as the other martial artists fled.
• Lin Bai noticed that the fighters in the cavern were from Demon Heaven Ridge and that Hu Hu, Yan Sen, Wan Bai, and Lu Heng were missing, suggesting they had used the others as a distraction.
• The Eight-Legged Blade Beast King blocked their way out, so Lin Bai drew his sword and killed it with a single strike.
• The Eight-Legged Blade Beast King split apart, and the cavern shook and began to collapse as Gu Jianyun and Shui Han stared in shock.

Lin Bai killed an Eight-Legged Blade Beast King and learned that the attackers may be searching for the legendary Demon Sword Purple Radiance in Demon Heaven Ridge. He led Gu Jianyun and Shui Han through the lair to find Hu Hu and the others, intent on uncovering their scheme.

• Lin Bai used Lingering Night to kill the Eight-Legged Blade Beast King, then escaped the collapsing cavern with Gu Jianyun.
• A martial artist warned Shui Han that another Eight-Legged Blade Beast King, at the pinnacle of the Sky Realm, had arrived outside.
• Lin Bai led Gu Jianyun through a side passage to find Hu Hu, Wan Bai, Yan Sen, and Lu Heng, while Shui Han urged the other martial artists to follow.
• Shui Han revealed that Demon Heaven Ridge was rumored to hide the Demon Sword Purple Radiance, one of five legendary swords passed down across Lingnan.
• Gu Jianyun explained the legends of the five swords, and Lin Bai decided to investigate what Hu Hu and the others were doing.

Hu Hu and his companions uncovered Demon Sword Purple Radiance, while Lin Bai, Gu Jianyun, and Shui Han arrived at the hidden chamber. Hu Hu claimed the sword and ordered his men to kill them, leaving the warriors facing off in separate duels.

• Hu Hu, Yan Sen, Wan Bai, and Lu Heng dug beneath the marked location and broke through a hidden restriction, falling into an underground chamber.
• Lin Bai, Gu Jianyun, and Shui Han followed the tremor and found Demon Sword Purple Radiance resting on a skeleton.
• Hu Hu seized the demon sword and admitted that he had knowingly used Lin Bai’s group as bait for the Eight-Legged Blade Beast King.
• Hu Hu ordered Wan Bai, Yan Sen, and Lu Heng to kill Lin Bai’s group, and Yan Sen immediately attacked Shui Han.
• Lin Bai told Gu Jianyun to fight Wan Bai and use his Gale Wind Intent to practice her Aurora Intent, and Gu Jianyun stepped forward to face him.

Gu Jianyun fought Wan Bai and comprehended Aurora Intent in the moment between life and death, killing him with a faster sword. Lin Bai defeated Lu Heng with Rainstorm Intent, while Hu Hu failed to make the Demon Sword Purple Radiance acknowledge him as its master.

• Gu Jianyun challenged Wan Bai, whose Gale Wind Intent let him block her swift sword and wound her repeatedly.
• Lu Heng attacked Lin Bai with Earth Intent, but Lin Bai shattered his sword force with one finger and sent him flying.
• Lu Heng recognized that Lin Bai’s finger contained an intent, and Lin Bai named it Rainstorm Intent.
• As Wan Bai’s killing trap left Gu Jianyun near death, she saw a ray of light and comprehended Aurora Intent.
• Gu Jianyun’s sword moved faster than Wan Bai’s and cut off his head, though his blade wounded her neck.
• Hu Hu screamed as the Demon Sword Purple Radiance rejected him and struggled to break free from his grasp.

Lin Bai gained Demon Sword Purple Radiance’s recognition in the underground chamber and killed Hu Hu when he attacked to reclaim it. Lin Bai and Gu Jianyun left the chamber as Yan Sen and Lu Heng fled, reporting the demon sword’s emergence and Hu Hu’s death to Sword Scar City.

• Demon Sword Purple Radiance rejected Hu Hu, flew to Lin Bai, and acknowledged him as its master.
• Lin Bai took up the demon sword, whose sword might blasted Hu Hu, Lu Heng, Shui Han, and Yan Sen into a stone wall.
• Hu Hu attacked Lin Bai with the Frost Spring Sword, but Lin Bai shattered it with one strike and killed him.
• Yan Sen and Lu Heng fled the underground chamber, while Lin Bai and Gu Jianyun left after he paid respects to the skeleton of the sword’s former master.
• Yan Sen and Lu Heng emerged from the Eight-Legged Blade Beast’s nest and told the waiting martial artists to inform Sword Scar City that the demon sword had appeared and Hu Hu had been killed by Dongfang Bai.

Lin Bai used the Demon Sword Purple Radiance to kill over a hundred Sword Scar City martial artists, while Yan Sen and Lu Heng escaped. He left the lair with Gu Jianyun, who learned that Gu Hai had secretly followed to protect her and had witnessed Lin Bai spanking her.

• After Shui Han emerged from the hole, Yan Sen and Lu Heng ordered Sword Scar City's martial artists to attack him and escaped.
• Lin Bai came out with Gu Jianyun, drew the Demon Sword Purple Radiance, and killed over a hundred Sword Scar City martial artists with one slash.
• Shui Han warned Lin Bai that news of the demon sword could attract powerful enemies, but Lin Bai said he would face anyone who came for it.
• Lin Bai and Gu Jianyun left the lair and found Gu Hai fighting the Eight-Legged Blade Beast King with Gu family death warriors.
• Lin Bai told Gu Jianyun that her father had sent Gu Hai to protect her, and she realized Gu Hai and the others had witnessed Lin Bai spanking her.

Gu Jianyun returned to Arid Dragon City after training with Lin Bai in Demon Heaven Ridge, having comprehended Aurora Intent. As the martial competition against Du Yue approached, Gu Qingyun learned of her progress while Du Yue revealed that he had comprehended Gale Wind Intent under the guidance of Zhao Chou and two imperial swordmasters.

• Gu Jianyun returned to Arid Dragon City with Lin Bai and Gu Hai, threatened revenge for being spanked, and went into seclusion to consolidate her Aurora Intent before the competition in three days.
• Gu Hai told Gu Qingyun that Lin Bai had spanked Gu Jianyun more than three thousand times but had greatly improved her cultivation and swordsmanship.
• Gu Qingyun learned that Gu Jianyun had reportedly comprehended Aurora Intent and hoped she could defeat Du Yue in the upcoming martial competition.
• Du Yue thanked Zhao Chou, Han Di, and the other imperial swordmaster for teaching him to comprehend Gale Wind Intent.
• Han Di said he wanted to meet Lin Bai at the competition and help the Crown Prince prepare for the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Apprentice Gathering.

On the eve of Arid Dragon City's martial contest, Lin Bai taught Gu Jianyun a nameless seven-move sword technique, and she managed to master its first move. At the contest grounds the next morning, Lin Bai noticed three powerful Black-Robed Men watching him beside Du Yue.

• Lin Bai took Gu Jianyun to the barren mountains and demonstrated a nameless sword technique with seven moves, telling her to learn what she could before the contest.
• Gu Jianyun struggled through the technique but mastered its first move, then kept practicing until dawn.
• Gu Qingyun sent a maid to bring Lin Bai to the contest grounds, where hundreds of thousands gathered to watch the fifteen hundred competitors.
• Lin Bai, Gu Qingyun, and Gu Jianyun took their places as the Du Family patriarch and Du Yue arrived and exchanged hostile looks with them.
• Lin Bai spotted three powerful Black-Robed Men staring at him beside Du Yue and challenged them coldly.

Gu Qingyun began the Gu Family tournament, where Gu Jianyun and Du Yue competed in separate elimination arenas for a chance to win the Violet-Gold City Token. Both advanced to the final battle, while Han Di and Zhao Chou turned their attention toward Lin Bai.

• Gu Qingyun presented the Violet-Gold City Token as the tournament prize, and Gu Hai explained the elimination and final rounds.
• Gu Jianyun entered the first arena after Lin Bai urged her not to disappoint him, while Du Yue entered the second.
• Du Yue overwhelmed his opponents with vicious swordsmanship, and Gu Jianyun evaded her opponents until she struck down a Du Family plant trying to keep her from advancing.
• The elimination round ended with sixteen martial artists advancing, including Gu Jianyun and Du Yue.
• Han Di predicted Du Yue would defeat Gu Jianyun, and Zhao Chou suggested they focus on Lin Bai, drawing Han Di's ill-intentioned gaze toward him.

Gu Jianyun faced Du Yue in the tournament final and revealed how much her training with Dongfang Bai had strengthened her. After she sent Du Yue flying with one sword, she prepared to show him the results of her practice.

• Du Yue and Gu Jianyun advanced through the elimination rounds to become the tournament finalists.
• Lin Bai predicted Gu Jianyun would crush Du Yue, while Gu Qingyun and Gu Hai doubted she could win easily.
• The Du Family Head reminded Gu Qingyun of their agreement that he would carry thorn branches and beg forgiveness if Gu Jianyun lost.
• Du Yue mocked Gu Jianyun and attacked her with a powerful sword strike, drawing praise from Han Di.
• Gu Jianyun countered with Ancient Sword Art: Barbaric Sword Cemetery, sending Du Yue flying and making him cough up blood.
• Gu Jianyun said her thousands of palm strikes during training had not been for nothing and prepared to show Du Yue what she had learned.

Gu Jianyun defeated Du Yue in the arena after revealing the Nameless Sword Art’s first move, Demons and Ghosts. Lin Bai praised her progress but said she had only grasped the technique’s surface.

• Gu Jianyun attacked Du Yue, who used Gale Wind Intent to suppress her and wound her with Wind Breaking Slash.
• Gu Jianyun countered with Aurora Intent, then unleashed Demons and Ghosts, shattering Du Yue’s sword art and knocking him unconscious or worse.
• The crowd was astonished by Gu Jianyun’s victory, while the Du Family Patriarch, Han Di, and Zhao Chou reacted with shock and anger.
• Gu Hai recognized that Gu Jianyun’s final sword art was not from the Gu Family, and Gu Qingyun suspected Lin Bai had taught it to her.
• Lin Bai identified Demons and Ghosts as the first move of the Nameless Sword Art and told Gu Jianyun she had mastered only its superficial aspects.

Gu Jianyun defeated Du Yue and won the Violet-Gold City Token for Lin Bai, resolving to prove herself in Purple Gold City. Before they could leave, Han Di demanded Lin Bai’s special conception, and Lin Bai provocatively asked him to make the Crown Prince call him Father.

• Gu Jianyun defeated Du Yue, earning the Gu Family a chance to secure a place at the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Apprentice Gathering and winning the Violet-Gold City Token for Lin Bai.
• Gu Jianyun handed Lin Bai the token and vowed to prove herself in Purple Gold City and castrate him.
• The Du Family Patriarch stopped Gu Jianyun and Lin Bai, then introduced Han Di, the Flying Cloud Dynasty Crown Prince’s mentor.
• Han Di demanded that Lin Bai record his special conception’s cultivation method and insights on a Jade Slip.
• Lin Bai agreed only if the Crown Prince came to call him Father, and Han Di’s expression darkened as power spread from him.

Lin Bai fought Han Di and Zhao Chou after they attacked him, revealing the Demon Sword Purple Radiance and overwhelming them with a sword strike. He Yue, a ninth-level Sky Realm death warrior of the Flying Cloud Dynasty, then attacked Lin Bai, leaving the fight against a more powerful opponent unresolved.

• Han Di attacked Lin Bai, and Zhao Chou joined him, but Lin Bai drew the Demon Sword Purple Radiance and struck both men down.
• Han Di demanded Lin Bai surrender the Demon Sword and his special Intent, but Lin Bai refused.
• Han Di called on He Yue, who removed his hood and revealed himself as a Flying Cloud Dynasty death warrior.
• Gu Qingyun identified He Yue as a ninth-level Sky Realm warrior, stronger than Lin Bai, who was at the fifth level.
• He Yue unleashed his Gale Wind Intent and thrust his sword at Lin Bai.

Lin Bai fought He Yue until Han Di and Zhao Chou joined the battle, then used his powerful swordsmanship to kill them both. He Yue escaped Arid Dragon City, leaving Lin Bai alive and the Demon Sword still in contention.

• Lin Bai and He Yue fought through nearly a thousand exchanges without either gaining the upper hand.
• Han Di and Zhao Chou joined He Yue against Lin Bai, while Gu Qingyun refused to help because the Gu family could not risk provoking the Flying Cloud Dynasty.
• Lin Bai shifted his attack to Zhao Chou and killed him with a single sword.
• Han Di attacked Lin Bai with Flying Blossom Sword Rain, but Lin Bai countered with Specters and Demons and shredded Han Di with his sword shadows.
• He Yue was wounded while trying to protect Han Di, then fled Arid Dragon City after Han Di died.

After killing Han Di, Lin Bai failed to catch He Yue, who escaped to report the news to Crown Prince Feiyun. Lin Bai left Arid Dragon City for Purple Gold City, while the Gu family prepared to follow later with Gu Jianyun.

• He Yue fled after Han Di died, and Lin Bai pursued him nearly a hundred thousand li before losing him.
• Lin Bai returned to Arid Dragon City and told Gu Qingyun that He Yue had escaped and might bring Crown Prince Feiyun’s revenge.
• Gu Qingyun said the Gu family would distance itself from Lin Bai to avoid being implicated, and Lin Bai decided to leave Arid Dragon City.
• Lin Bai bid farewell to Gu Jianyun and accepted supplies and information from Gu Qingyun before departing for Purple Gold City.
• Gu Qingyun learned that Purple Gold City would open the next day and told Gu Hai to prepare the family’s journey there with Gu Jianyun.

Lin Bai read about Purple Gold City and the upcoming Ten Thousand Kingdoms Apprentice Gathering as his passenger ship approached the shore. When more than a hundred martial artists attacked him for the demon sword, he killed them all and continued toward the city.

• Lin Bai learned that Purple Gold City hosted the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Apprentice Gathering and was governed by the powerful Lord of the Forbidden City.
• Two martial artists on the passenger ship demanded that Lin Bai hand over the demon sword, but the sword threw one of them aside when he tried to take it.
• More than a hundred Sky Realm experts surrounded Lin Bai after one attacker urged them to kill him and claim the sword.
• Lin Bai cut down the attacking martial artists, then drank wine at the bow as the ship continued toward shore.

Hu Chong and Crown Prince Feiyun sent forces after Dongfang Bai to avenge Hu Hu and Han Di and recover the Demon Sword. Dongfang Bai arrived in Chaoyang City aboard a corpse-covered passenger ship, where he learned that the Shi Family would auction Perfected Yang Spirit-level demonic blood in three days.

• Hu Chong learned that Dongfang Bai had taken the Demon Sword and ordered Second Master Hu to pursue him, while Hu Long was sent to prepare for Purple Gold City.
• Crown Prince Feiyun ordered Wu Chun to take a hundred death warriors and bring back Dongfang Bai and the Demon Sword, then left for Purple Gold City after mourning Han Di.
• Dongfang Bai arrived at Chaoyang City aboard a passenger ship covered in corpses and asked a frightened martial artist about the upcoming auction.
• The martial artist told Dongfang Bai that the Shi Family would auction its Perfected Yang Spirit-level demonic blood in three days.
• Martial artists at the ferry crossing recognized Dongfang Bai as the wielder of Demon Sword Purple Radiance, and several ran into the city to spread the news.

Lin Bai arrived in Chaoyang City for an auction of peak Yang God Realm demonic beast blood and learned about the city’s famous wines. When the Four Swords of Green Soul Mountain challenged him for the Demon Sword, he killed them effortlessly, but other martial artists still followed him, coveting the sword.

• Lin Bai reached Chaoyang City after killing martial artists who tried to seize his Demon Sword along the way.
• Lin Bai asked an inn waiter about local wines and learned that the Serene Heart Tavern served Moonlight Brew to only one guest each day.
• Lin Bai gave the waiter a million spirit stones, setting aside most of them to buy wine for the martial artists waiting in the inn.
• The Four Swords of Green Soul Mountain challenged Lin Bai and attacked him with a Combined Sword Formation to claim the Demon Sword.
• Lin Bai killed all four with a flash of violet sword light, took their Storage Bags, and left the inn as the watching martial artists followed him.