Chapter Summaries

Chen Zhixing recruited Sword Demon Dugu Ni and Thousand-Faced Thief Saint Hua Linghou into his Shadow Division, then faced their attempt to test his authority. After Hua Linghou fled toward Lin'an City, Chen Zhixing pursued him to show Dugu Ni how he handled disobedient subordinates.

• Chen Zhixing accepted Hua Linghou, a swift and skilled master of disguise, as his third subordinate alongside Sword Demon Dugu Ni.
• Chen Daoyan warned Chen Zhixing that both men bore Curse Seals and taught him how to control them before departing.
• After Chen Daoyan left, Dugu Ni and Hua Linghou agreed to test Chen Zhixing, and Hua Linghou challenged his authority before fleeing toward Lin'an City.
• Chen Zhixing told Dugu Ni that disobedient subordinates needed a beating, then pursued Hua Linghou and brought his leg down toward him.

Chen Zhixing beat Hua Linghou into submission, then challenged Dugu Ni to a sword duel to test his swordsmanship. Their clash escalated in the sky, where Chen Zhixing’s Flying Flower Sword Qi wounded Dugu Ni before the Sword Demon counterattacked with Split Heaven and Earth.

• Chen Zhixing repeatedly smashed Hua Linghou’s head into a rock until Hua Linghou begged him to stop and promised he was relaxed.
• Chen Zhixing invited Dugu Ni to test his swordsmanship, and Dugu Ni accepted before they flew into the sky with their swords.
• Chen Zhixing and Dugu Ni clashed with opposing sword pressure, then Dugu Ni launched a dense barrage of sword strikes.
• Chen Zhixing unleashed Flying Flower Sword Qi, which cut Dugu Ni in several places.
• Dugu Ni swept his Vertical Eye Demonic Sword and unleashed the Black Sword Rainbow technique, Split Heaven and Earth.

Chen Zhixing completed his breakthrough into the Sword Dao Grandmaster realm and defeated Dugu Ni after Dugu Ni unleashed the Demon Sword of Annihilation. Back at Third Peak, Chen Zhixing reunited with Mo Qingyue, received the True Self Thirteen Methods from her, and discovered the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Attraction technique.

• Chen Zhixing overwhelmed Dugu Ni with his Flying Flower Sword Dao as their battle continued, while Hua Linghou watched and taunted them.
• Dugu Ni activated the Eye of Annihilation and charged Chen Zhixing with his Heaven Severing Charge, but Chen Zhixing revealed that he had entered the Sword Dao Grandmaster realm and defeated him with Fleeting Splendor.
• Dugu Ni accepted Chen Zhixing as his master, and Chen Zhixing brought him and Hua Linghou to stay at Third Peak.
• Chen Zhixing reunited with Mo Qingyue, who gave him the True Self Thirteen Methods as thanks for helping her change her method.
• Chen Zhixing read the book and found its Seventh Method, Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Attraction.

Chen Zhixing learned the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Attraction Method and went to the Chen family’s Treasure Pavilion to find the Heavenly Attraction Stones it required. He absorbed their power, discovered he could manipulate gravity, and left with the remaining stones.

• Chen Zhixing thanked Mo Qingyue for giving him the True Self Thirteen Methods, and she said she had something to ask of him later.
• Chen Zhixing studied the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Attraction Method and learned that it drew power from Heavenly Attraction Stones.
• Chen Zhixing visited the Treasure Pavilion, where Elder Mei showed him a store of Heavenly Attraction Stones.
• Chen Zhixing absorbed the power from several stones and used gravity to lift an arrow, though he found the effect weak.
• Chen Zhixing took all the remaining Heavenly Attraction Stones into his Cosmic Ring and left the Treasure Pavilion.

After testing his Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Attraction, Chen Zhixing decided to pursue the sword as his second Great Dao first and sent people to gather Heavenly Gravity Stones. Chen Daoyan summoned him and asked what qualities a Family Head needed.

• Chen Zhixing found that the gravity he could wield depended on how many Heavenly Gravity Stones he absorbed, so he chose to cultivate the sword Great Dao before developing attraction further.
• Chen Zhixing gave Dugu Ni money to buy Heavenly Gravity Stones and sent Hua Linghou to collect them from the Deep East Sea.
• Chen Zhixing visited the injured Xu Dalong, gave him a Void Transformation Realm cultivation method and Great Yuan Pills, and urged him to advance to Penetrating Clarity.
• Xu Dalong handed the Black Dragon Gang's affairs to his deputy so he could focus on cultivating.
• Chen Daoyan invited Chen Zhixing for Spirit Tea and asked what qualities a Family Head needed.

Chen Daoyan sent Chen Zhixing to investigate the Anjiang City Zheng family, which seemed to know the Chen family's plans in advance. Chen Zhixing then went to the Dark Prison to retrieve the youth whose Curse Seal and Growth Lock had been removed, where the youth attacked a Shadow Division member for disturbing his little sister.

• Chen Daoyan explained that a flourishing family needed law, people, resources, and a blessed training ground, then urged Chen Zhixing to build his qualifications and prestige.
• Chen Daoyan told Chen Zhixing that the Zheng family had been attacking a Chen family spirit stone mine and repeatedly evading the clan's plans, possibly with an expert's help.
• Chen Zhixing agreed to travel to Anjiang City and investigate the Zheng family.
• Chen Daoyan told Chen Zhixing that the youth's Curse Seal and Growth Lock had been removed and asked him to bring the youth out of the Dark Prison.
• Chen Zhixing entered the Dark Prison with a Shadow Division member, but the youth seized the member and warned him that he was disturbing his little sister.

Chen Zhixing promised to care for the Curse Seal youth and his unseen sister, naming them Chen Buqi and Chen Buli. Meanwhile, Zheng He learned that the Linen-clad Elder, Xu Fan, expected Chen Zhixing to come after the Zheng family’s spirit-stone raids.

• Chen Zhixing stopped the Dark Moon member from questioning the Curse Seal youth and spoke to the boy about his unseen sister.
• The Curse Seal youth described how his parents had left him and his sister behind, and Chen Zhixing promised not to abandon them.
• Chen Zhixing named the youth Chen Buqi and his sister Chen Buli, then led Chen Buqi out of the Fenced Courtyard.
• Zheng He reported that the Zheng family had seized 308,000 spirit stones, and Xu Fan said Chen Zhixing would be the Chen clan’s next arrival.
• Xu Fan revealed that his real name was Xu Fan and smiled as he reflected on his ability to connect with his future self.

Xu Fan received a warning from a future self that Chen Zhixing would kill him, while Chen Zhixing helped Lu Bing reconsider the purpose of his Confucian studies. The next morning, Chen Zhixing set out for Anjiang City with five elders and Chen Buqi, intent on confronting the Zheng Family.

• A bloodied future version of Xu Fan appeared and warned him that Chen Zhixing was a great enemy before vanishing.
• Xu Fan concluded that fleeing with the Zheng Family would lead to his death and began considering another course of action.
• Lu Bing asked Chen Zhixing to explain Sincere Intention and Righteous Heart, and Chen Zhixing urged him to understand his purpose for studying and choose his own path.
• Chen Zhixing told Lu Bing to reflect on his path, then left him pondering in the great hall.
• Chen Zhixing departed Ziwei Mountain for Anjiang City with five Spirit Wandering Realm elders and Chen Buqi, focusing on the Zheng Family.

Chen Zhixing investigated the Zheng Family’s attacks on the Spirit Stone Mine and discovered their members hiding in Black Mountain Forest. After finding dead Chen Family disciples, he unleashed Flying Flowers across the forest as Zheng He and Zheng Kaifeng remained confident in Senior Xu’s predictions.

• The Seventh Peak Lord told Chen Zhixing that a mysterious Elder surnamed Xu had won Zheng He’s trust, and the Zheng Family had attacked the mine and killed Chen Family disciples.
• Chen Zhixing arrived at the Spirit Stone Mine, inspected the damage, and ordered the fallen disciples’ bodies sent back to Ziwei Mountain for burial.
• Chen Zhixing flew above Black Mountain Forest and swept countless Flying Flowers petals across it.
• Zheng Kaifeng told Zheng He that he had reached the Profound Clarity Realm with the Spirit Stones’ help and worried about the Chen Family’s arrival.
• Zheng He dismissed the threat from Chen Zhixing and told Zheng Kaifeng that choosing the right person mattered more than working hard.

Chen Zhixing attacked the Zheng Family to avenge thirteen members of his clan, killing its Elders and defeating Zheng He. He demanded that Zheng Kaifeng find Xu Fan within half an incense stick or face the deaths of the entire family.

• Zheng Kaifeng told Zheng He that his sister was serving Xu Fan and was expected to become pregnant with his child.
• Chen Zhixing arrived at the Zheng Family camp, killed two patrol disciples, and asked for Zheng He and Xu Fan.
• The three Zheng Family Elders attacked Chen Zhixing, but he shrugged off their blades and killed them with one sweep of his leg.
• Chen Zhixing killed Zheng Family disciples until Zheng He confronted him and admitted to killing thirteen Chen Clan members.
• Zheng He trapped Chen Zhixing in his Dharma Image, but Chen Zhixing shattered its three moons and crushed Zheng He with a kick.
• Chen Zhixing crushed Zheng He's arm and gave Zheng Kaifeng half an incense stick's time to find Xu Fan.

Chen Zhixing killed Zheng He, Zheng Kaifeng, Zheng Xian'er, and the Zheng Family disciples after Xu Fan failed to appear, while the Curse Seal youth slaughtered the fleeing survivors and grew stronger through his Dead Man Scripture. Xu Fan escaped, resolved to find a stronger protector, and vowed to repay Chen Zhixing for his defeat.

• Zheng Kaifeng returned without finding Xu Fan, and Zheng He begged Chen Zhixing to spare the Zheng Family in exchange for his own life.
• Zheng Xian'er offered herself to save her family, but Chen Zhixing killed her, then split Zheng Kaifeng in two and beheaded Zheng He.
• The Curse Seal youth killed the fleeing Zheng Family disciples on Chen Zhixing's order, and his Dead Man Scripture grew stronger through the slaughter.
• Xu Fan shed his Elder disguise while traveling through Black Mountain Forest and reflected that the Zheng Family could not protect him from Chen Zhixing.
• Xu Fan vowed to repay Chen Zhixing and decided to seek a protector stronger than Ziwei's Chen Clan.

After destroying the Zheng Family, Chen Zhixing searched for the escaped Xu Fan and then secluded himself to break through to True Self Second Layer. He formed the Ascension Dharma Form and returned to Ziwei Mountain, where a guard told him the Family Head urgently wanted to see him.

• Chen Zhixing left the Seventh Peak Lord and the Elders to handle the Zheng Family's remains while he searched Black Mountain Forest for Xu Fan, who had already escaped.
• The Seventh Peak Lord decided to distance himself from Chen Tianxiong and support Chen Zhixing after witnessing the Third Young Master's strength.
• Chen Zhixing concealed his presence and cultivated until he formed a Sword Dao Seed, then spent seven days contemplating his own sword-path Dharma Form.
• Chen Zhixing created the Ascension Dharma Form, split the clouds with his sword, and reached True Self Second Layer.
• Chen Zhixing returned to Ziwei Mountain, where a guard told him the Family Head had important matters to discuss.

After learning that the Meng Family had recruited the Zheng Family to spy on and attack the Chen Family, Chen Daoyan ordered an all-out campaign against the Mengs. The Meng Family avoided open war, while sixteen-year-old Meng Hedong survived the assassinations and rose to fame, leaving tensions across the Eastern Xuan Region unresolved.

• Chen Zhixing read a letter proving that the Zheng Family had secretly allied with the Meng Family and helped them target the Chen Family.
• Chen Daoyan summoned the Shadow Division and ordered it to destroy Meng Family properties and kill its disciples outside the clan within ten days.
• The Nether Duo led the Shadow Division in attacks on Meng Family mines, disciples, and affiliated families, and their identities were deliberately exposed.
• The Qingzhou Meng Family closed its gates and refused to answer the Chen Family's challenge, disappointing those expecting an immediate war.
• Meng Hedong gained renown after killing six Spirit Wandering Realm opponents, fighting a True Self Realm expert without defeat, and escaping the Nether Duo with help from a Medicine King Valley elder.
• The campaign subsided, but observers expected the Meng Family to retaliate and the conflict with the Chen Family to erupt again.

Chen Zhixing absorbed more than a million Heavenly Gravity Stones, tested his strengthened gravity power, and decided to head to Skywave Holy Land to confront Fuxiu and prepare for Meng Hedong and Xu Fan. Three days later, Xu Fan traveled down the Azurewave River toward the same destination.

• Chen Zhixing spent his days cultivating and studying an unfinished method from Mo Qingyue, while his Star Acupoint progress stalled at five hundred and ten.
• Dugu Ni returned with over a million Heavenly Gravity Stones, and Chen Zhixing ordered him to search other provinces and the Eastern Sea for more.
• After draining the stones in the Secret Chamber, Chen Zhixing used Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Attraction to uproot a mountain forest and estimated his gravity power at around a million jin.
• Chen Zhixing reasoned that Meng Hedong and Xu Fan might both go to Skywave Holy Land, so he resolved to kill Elder Fuxiu, take his fate, and deal with the two protagonists there.
• Three days later, Xu Fan sailed down the Azurewave River aboard a Black Canopy Boat toward Skywave Holy Land.

On a riverboat, Chen Zhixing intervened when Xiao Ping and his servants harassed a pregnant woman and her husband. After learning Xiao Ping was heading to Skywave Holy Land with a token to inherit his deceased father’s odd-job servant position, Chen Zhixing considered taking his identity and token.

• Xiao Ping and his servants mocked a pregnant woman and her husband, then beat the husband when he objected.
• The boatman tried to intervene, but Xiao Ping’s servant threatened him and revealed Xiao Ping’s father had served Skywave Holy Land.
• Chen Zhixing vaporized both servants and questioned Xiao Ping about inheriting his father’s position and entering Skywave Holy Land.
• Xiao Ping explained that the entry token was the main proof of identity and that the Holy Land had never seen him before.
• Chen Zhixing wondered aloud whether he could kill Xiao Ping and use the token without being discovered.

Chen Zhixing took Xiao Ping’s identity and entered Skywave Holy Land as a servant disciple, hoping to gain status and set a trap for Xu Fan. After confirming Xu Fan had joined the Holy Land, Chen Zhixing learned that Saintess Li Ran was selecting retainers from the Servant Quarters.

• Chen Zhixing seized Xiao Ping, took his token and life history, and altered the memories of the witnesses on the boat.
• Chen Zhixing arrived at Skywave Holy Land and used Xiao Ping’s recommendation to take over his father’s servant post.
• Chen Zhixing settled into the Servant Quarters and confirmed that Xu Fan was on the roster of newly recruited disciples.
• Yellow Tooth Old Man rushed in and told Chen Zhixing that Saintess Li Ran had come to choose retainers.

Chen Zhixing and Old Huang went to Servant Plaza, where Li Ran began choosing retainers alongside Guan Tianyu and Steward Yu. Li Ran set age and cultivation requirements for the candidates, leaving the selection to continue.

• Old Huang took Chen Zhixing to Servant Plaza and explained the roles of Steward Yu, Li Ran, and Guan Tianyu.
• Guan Tianyu rebuked Steward Yu for trying to manage Li Ran’s retainer selection and offered to give her his own retainers.
• Li Ran declined Guan Tianyu’s offer and said she wanted to choose retainers herself.
• Li Ran asked everyone over thirty or below the Nurturing Spirit cultivation level to withdraw.

Chen Zhixing entered Li Ran’s attendant selection and revealed extraordinary Mental Power by locating five hidden Jade Boxes almost instantly. After his answers were confirmed, he drew the attention of Li Ran and everyone in the plaza, while Steward Yu silently plotted to punish him.

• Chen Zhixing stayed in the plaza after revealing that he was above the Nourishing Spirit Realm, while Old Huang left to wait outside.
• Li Ran eliminated candidates who could not extend their Mental Power a thousand meters, leaving only a dozen people, including the young Chen Zhixing.
• Li Ran’s final test required candidates to find seven of ten Jade Boxes hidden in the Row House District, and most of the remaining candidates withdrew.
• Old Huang tried to pull Chen Zhixing away, but Chen Zhixing asked whether a True Attendant could order Steward Yu to carry night soil and then demonstrated his powerful Mental Power.
• Chen Zhixing quickly named the locations of five Jade Boxes, and a servant disciple confirmed that all five answers were correct.

Chen Zhixing revealed extraordinary Mental Power talent by locating ten Jade Boxes, prompting Li Ran and Guan Tianyu to suspect he possessed an Innate Dao Body and decide to report him to their master. The chapter ended with Chen Zhixing awaiting the Holy Land’s response; an author’s revision notice followed.

• Chen Zhixing revealed the locations of the sixth through ninth Jade Boxes, impressing Li Ran and Guan Tianyu with his range and precision.
• Li Ran offered to make Chen Zhixing her retainer, but he identified the tenth Jade Box inside the ninth box.
• Li Ran ordered Steward Yu to clear the Servant Plaza, and Guan Tianyu sent him away as well.
• Li Ran and Guan Tianyu agreed Chen Zhixing might possess an Innate Dao Body and should be recommended to their master for further examination.
• The author announced that earlier plot sections would be revised and that a note explaining the changes would be posted the next day.

Chen Zhixing, posing as Xiao Ping, impressed Guan Tianyu and Li Ran with his aptitude and was brought to South Peak to meet its Peak Master, Mo Yuemei. As Mo Yuemei learned he might possess the Innate Spirit Dao Body, Chen Zhixing also considered how to approach the suspicious Elder Fuxiu.

• Guan Tianyu and Li Ran invited Chen Zhixing to South Peak, while the Servant Quarters disciples watched him leave and Steward Yu tried to avoid notice.
• On the way up the mountain, Guan Tianyu and Li Ran explained Skywave Holy Land’s disciple ranks and told Chen Zhixing that Elder Fuxiu’s disciples had repeatedly died under suspicious circumstances.
• Chen Zhixing recalled that Fuxiu’s soul-devouring crimes would eventually be exposed and silently considered how to approach him.
• Guan Tianyu and Li Ran entered the palace to report to Mo Yuemei that Xiao Ping had located all ten Jade Boxes with his Divine Sense in half an incense stick.
• Mo Yuemei asked them to bring Chen Zhixing inside, saying his possible Innate Spirit Dao Body could give South Peak a chance in the Two Peaks Competition.