Chapter Summaries

Ling Xuan and Ais routed Ares’s invading army, ending the Sixth Invasion of Orario and capturing Ares. The story then shifted to a glowing forest labyrinth deep in the Dungeon, where a monster’s distant roar gave way to a squelching sound.

• Ling Xuan challenged Ais to a contest to capture more soldiers, then used the Herrscher of Wind’s Authority to sweep Ares’s cavalry off the battlefield.
• Ais cut through the army, and the two of them routed Ares’s vanguard as Orario’s adventurers reflected on the gap in their strength.
• Ares learned that ten thousand of his thirty thousand soldiers had been captured or wounded, and Marius urged him to end the war and return home.
• Ling Xuan and Ais gathered at Ares’s main camp, and Ares was captured and escorted to the Guild headquarters, bringing the Sixth Invasion of Orario to an end.
• Deep in the Dungeon, the narration described a glowing forest labyrinth as a monster roared and a squelching sound followed.

Ling Xuan led the Hestia Familia deeper into the Dungeon, where they discovered adventurers searching for a newly born humanoid monster. The wounded girl fled from both monsters and humans, and Ling Xuan sensed her presence as the chapter ended.

• A blue-haired, scaled humanoid monster was born in the Dungeon and wondered where she was.
• Ling Xuan spent a week training and bonding with his Familia before setting out with them and Ryu for the twenty-fourth floor.
• Mikoto, Haruhime, and Ryu prepared a meal for the group during their descent.
• On the nineteenth floor, Ling Xuan and his companions noticed adventurers searching for something and acting wary of them.
• Ling Xuan sensed a wounded humanoid monster fleeing nearby as the girl cried over being rejected and attacked by monsters and humans.

Ling Xuan rescued the wounded Xenos girl Vinnie from a Flamebird and hid her from adventurers hunting her. After treating her injuries, he invited her to come with him, leaving her response unstated.

• Ling Xuan recognized the fleeing girl as Vinnie, a newly born Xenos, and waited for a chance to help her.
• When a Flamebird cornered Vinnie, Ling Xuan left Ryu Lion and destroyed the monster before it could attack her.
• Ling Xuan gave Vinnie a Cognition Cloak, hiding her presence from the adventurers who searched for her, and sent them away by denying he had seen her.
• Ling Xuan explained Vinnie's Wivre nature, treated her shoulder with a Healing Elixir, and offered her a place with him.

Ling Xuan named the frightened monster girl Vinnie and brought her to meet his companions. After they discovered she was a monster, he explained how he had saved her and argued that not all monsters were evil, leaving the group uncertain about the danger of sheltering her.

• Ling Xuan introduced himself to the girl, gave her the name Vinnie, and led her toward his companions.
• Daphne approached Vinnie, causing her to stumble and lose her hood; the group saw her monster-like appearance and readied themselves for a fight.
• Ling Xuan calmed Vinnie and told his companions that he had found her being pursued by adventurers and attacked by monsters on the nineteenth floor.
• Mikoto warned that protecting Vinnie could ruin the Hestia Familia and make Ling Xuan an enemy of humanity.
• Ling Xuan argued that monsters, like people, were not all the same, and Mikoto sighed that she did not know what to do with him.

Ling Xuan’s group took Vinnie into the Hestia Familia, and Hestia agreed to protect her while they investigated intelligent monsters. Later, Ling Xuan returned to the Great Tree Labyrinth to meet the Xenos, where a cloaked figure confronted the group and recognized them as people Fels had mentioned.

• Daphne, Ryu Lion, and the others agreed to face future trouble alongside Ling Xuan.
• Uranus learned that Ling Xuan had left The Babel Tower with an intelligent monster and ordered watchers to monitor Bell Cranel and the monster girl.
• Hestia was shocked to meet Vinnie but agreed to let the Hestia Familia protect her and investigate whether more beings like her existed.
• Ling Xuan taught Vinnie about life outside the Dungeon, then prepared to meet the Xenos without bringing her along.
• Ling Xuan’s group reached the Great Tree Labyrinth and encountered a cloaked Xenos, who suspected they had abducted its kin before recognizing them as people Fels had mentioned.

Leiya asked Ling Xuan’s group whether humans and monsters could coexist, and Ling Xuan answered that they could, showing her Vinnie’s life in his familia. Though moved, Leiya still distrusted the unfamiliar humans and fled; Ling Xuan’s group later finished exploring the Dungeon and returned to the surface.

• Leiya asked Ryu Lion, Mikoto, and the others whether humans and monsters could coexist and said she wanted to live beneath sunlight.
• Ling Xuan called the black-clad figure Leiya by name and assured her that he believed humans and monsters could live together peacefully.
• Ling Xuan showed Leiya a projection of Vinnie living with his familia, surprising her with evidence that humans and monsters could get along.
• Ling Xuan promised to help Leiya and her companions reach the sunlight, but Leiya said she could not trust them and leaped away.
• Ling Xuan’s group finished exploring the Dungeon, returned to the surface, and parted ways with Mikoto, Ryu Lion, and the others.

Ling Xuan encountered Ikelos, who was searching for the talking Dragon Girl, and concealed that he knew Vinnie. Back at the Hestia Familia, he defended Vinnie to Ais and Tiona, leaving Ais shaken as she faced the choice of accepting Vinnie or exposing her.

• Ikelos approached Ling Xuan and asked whether he had seen a talking Dragon Girl, but Ling Xuan pretended not to know about Vinnie.
• Ikelos suspected Ling Xuan was hiding something and decided to keep his attention on him.
• Ling Xuan returned to the Hestia Familia, where Vinnie rushed to his side and Ais asked him to explain her presence.
• Ling Xuan told Ais and Tiona that Vinnie was his little sister and argued that monsters, like humans, could be good or bad.
• Ling Xuan left Ais to decide whether to protect Vinnie or reveal her to the city, while Ais stood dazed and Tiona pleaded with her.

Ling Xuan told the Hestia Familia about the Xenos and the Ikelos Familia, and they agreed to support peaceful coexistence between humans and monsters. After receiving a secret mandatory quest from Uranus, the group entered the Dungeon with Vinnie, where monsters on the 19th Floor began swarming toward her.

• Tiona and Leafa left with Ais after Ling Xuan urged them to think carefully about how they treated intelligent monsters.
• Ling Xuan explained that Uranus, Ganesha, and Hermes knew about the Xenos and sought peaceful coexistence, and Hestia and the others pledged their support.
• Ling Xuan revealed the Ikelos Familia's crimes and said the Dungeon had another entrance on Daedalus Street.
• Eina delivered a top-secret mandatory quest ordering the Hestia Familia to take Vinnie to the 20th Floor, with a hidden message directing them to Fourth Street, Seventh District.
• Ling Xuan brought Vinnie and the Hestia Familia into the Dungeon, ignoring Ikelos's watchers as he planned to use them as bait.
• On the 19th Floor, monsters charged at Vinnie in wave after wave, seemingly driven into a frenzy.

Ling Xuan led his companions through the Great Tree Labyrinth, destroying a monster horde and reaching the Xenos' hidden base. After revealing his overwhelming strength to the Xenos, he withdrew his power and spoke with one of their representatives.

• Vinnie felt nostalgic, frightened, and cold in the Great Tree Labyrinth, and Haruhime took her hand.
• A Monster Feast blocked the passage, but Ling Xuan unleashed Crimson Lotus Roar and burned the monsters away.
• Ling Xuan's group reached the Xenos' base on the 20th Floor and followed a song to a hidden entrance behind a quartz cluster.
• Ling Xuan froze the cave and exposed the Xenos hiding in the darkness, then told them he could easily defeat them.
• A Xenos stepped forward, apologized for testing Ling Xuan, and Ling Xuan warned that he had no need for petty tricks if he intended to attack.

Ling Xuan helped the Xenos set a trap for the Hunter Group, then entered a mysterious vortex that sent him to Shimotsuki Village in the world of One Piece. There, Koshiro discovered that Ling Xuan and Kuina had gone to the back mountain, while Zoro accidentally revealed their location.

• Ling Xuan warned the Xenos and Fels that traffickers had discovered their location and proposed using their kidnapped companion as bait to catch them.
• The Xenos followed Songbird's cries into a cave, where Dikis and the Hunter Group ambushed them.
• Ling Xuan dealt with the Hunter Group and continued deeper into the cave, where a strange force weakened everyone except him.
• Ling Xuan found a glowing spatial vortex, stepped into it, and lost consciousness before waking in the world of One Piece.
• At the Shimotsuki Dojo, Koshiro asked Zoro where Ling Xuan was, and Zoro blurted out that Ling Xuan and Kuina had gone to the back mountain before trying to take it back.

Ling Xuan continued focusing on Iaido to raise his system proficiency, despite Kuina urging him to practice other sword techniques. Frustrated by her own doubts about her future as a swordswoman, Kuina challenged Zoro to a fight in the back mountain.

• Zoro resumed his fierce training after regretting that he had revealed Ling Xuan's whereabouts.
• Ling Xuan noticed Kuina practicing absent-mindedly and checked whether she was ill.
• Kuina urged Ling Xuan to broaden his training, but he refused and continued practicing Iaido to build his proficiency.
• Kuina returned to Shimotsuki Dojo and challenged Zoro to fight her in the back mountain.

Ling Xuan continued to devote himself to Iaido while Zoro grew stronger and Kuina survived, eventually surpassing her old rival. When Zoro turned eighteen, he left Shimotsuki Village and challenged Ling Xuan to meet him on the sea, while Koshiro and Kuina remained concerned about Ling Xuan’s chosen path.

• Kuina and Zoro sparred, and Zoro’s growing strength left the dojo disciples unsure of the result.
• Ling Xuan realized Kuina might have lost, worried about her fate, and resolved to protect her; a year later, she was still alive and Zoro kept improving.
• Over the next five years, Kuina and Koshiro stopped trying to change Ling Xuan’s mind about Iaido, while Zoro became stronger than Kuina.
• Ling Xuan continued training Iaido as his proficiency rose, and Zoro never challenged his place as eldest senior brother.
• At eighteen, Zoro earned Koshiro’s approval to set sail, left Shimotsuki Village, and told Ling Xuan he would wait for him on the sea.
• Kuina and Koshiro headed back to Shimotsuki Dojo, with Koshiro still regretting Ling Xuan’s devotion to Iaido.

Ling Xuan completed fifteen years of Iaido training, reached maximum proficiency, and gained True Iaido: Primordial Chaos and a hundredfold learning enhancement. He told Koshiro he wanted to set sail, but Koshiro refused unless Ling Xuan proved his strength.

• Koshiro left the dock with Kuina after Zoro set sail.
• Ling Xuan raised his Iaido proficiency from 9990 to 10000 and unlocked True Iaido: Primordial Chaos and the system’s hundredfold learning enhancement.
• Ling Xuan absorbed his rewards and realized True Iaido: Primordial Chaos combined True Iaido Slash and Hun Yuan Wu Ji Zhan.
• Ling Xuan returned to Shimotsuki Dojo and told Kuina he knew Zoro had set sail and planned to leave soon himself.
• Ling Xuan asked Koshiro for permission to set sail, but Koshiro refused until he approved Ling Xuan’s strength.

Ling Xuan asked Koshiro to test his strength so he could earn permission to go to sea, and Koshiro took him to the back mountain for a private trial. The chapter ended as Ling Xuan prepared to unleash his newly learned Hun Yuan Wu Ji Zhan.

• Ling Xuan asked Koshiro for a test of strength, insisting that he wanted to prove himself worthy of setting sail.
• Koshiro agreed to test Ling Xuan on the back mountain and forbade the dojo disciples and Kuina from following them.
• Kuina kept the dojo disciples practicing, then secretly slipped away toward the back mountain.
• Koshiro revealed his Great Swordsman pressure and told Ling Xuan to attack with his strongest technique.
• Ling Xuan warned Koshiro about Hun Yuan Wu Ji Zhan, took his stance, and began chanting the technique's name.

Ling Xuan defeated Koshiro in a clash of their greatest sword techniques and earned permission to set sail. Back at Shimotsuki Dojo, the disciples celebrated his achievement, and Koshiro called Ling Xuan and Kuina into the backyard.

• Ling Xuan unleashed Hun Yuan Wu Ji Zhan, while Koshiro countered with Frost Moon, and Ling Xuan won their duel.
• Koshiro acknowledged that Ling Xuan had surpassed him and granted him the qualifications to set sail.
• Ling Xuan and Kuina returned to Shimotsuki Dojo together, while Koshiro was left behind before following them.
• The dojo disciples celebrated Ling Xuan's success and teased Kuina for crying over his departure.
• Koshiro called Ling Xuan and Kuina into the backyard.

Ling Xuan spent his final week at Shimotsuki Dojo learning Koshiro’s ultimate technique, Frost Moon, and prepared to set sail. Koshiro agreed to let Kuina go to sea under a condition, while Ling Xuan and Kuina faced an awkward farewell over dinner.

• Ling Xuan told Koshiro he planned to set sail sometime that week, and Koshiro asked him to train with him before leaving.
• Koshiro asked Kuina whether she wanted to go to sea and agreed to let her go if she met one condition; afterward, she trained instead of telling Ling Xuan.
• Over six days, Ling Xuan trained with Koshiro, then successfully performed Frost Moon on the seventh day.
• Koshiro praised Ling Xuan’s progress and told him that Kuina had prepared dinner for his last day at the dojo.
• Ling Xuan returned to the back courtyard with Koshiro, where he and Kuina shared a quiet farewell dinner.

Koshiro asked Ling Xuan to take Kuina with him when he left Shimotsuki Village, and Ling Xuan agreed. The pair sailed for Orange Town, planning to continue on to Loguetown, and arrived after ten days.

• Kuina tearfully embraced Koshiro, and he asked Ling Xuan to bring her along on his journey.
• Ling Xuan agreed to take Kuina and promised Koshiro he would look after her.
• The next day, Ling Xuan and Kuina departed Shimotsuki Village as Koshiro wept and Kuina waved goodbye.
• On the ship, Koshiro's gift of Wado Ichimonji passed to Ling Xuan, who gave Kuina his own sword in return.
• Ling Xuan told Kuina they would stop in Orange Town before heading to Loguetown, and they reached Orange Town ten days later.

Ling Xuan and Kuina explored Orange Town, met Xiuxiu and his owner, then boarded a passenger ship bound for Loguetown so Ling Xuan could seek to join the Marines. The voyage turned dangerous when the crew spotted a pirate ship and prepared for an attack.

• Ling Xuan and Kuina toured Orange Town, where Kuina petted the puppy Xiuxiu at the pet snack shop.
• Ling Xuan asked Xiuxiu's owner about buying a ship and learned that Orange Town had no ship sellers, so travelers had to wait for a passenger ship.
• After a week, Ling Xuan and Kuina boarded a passenger ship to Loguetown and enjoyed its private rooms and buffet.
• That night, Captain Flandre spotted a pirate flag and ordered the crew to prepare for battle.
• A sailor asked Captain Flandre whether they could pay the pirates for their safety.

Captain Flandre rallied his crew after learning Admiral Krieg was attacking, while the second mate searched the passengers for help. Ling Xuan and Kuina volunteered, and the chapter ended with the second mate asking their names as the ship prepared for the pirates.

• Captain Flandre told his sailors that Admiral Krieg was attacking and urged them to fight for their families.
• The second mate announced the attack to the passengers, who panicked when he named Admiral Krieg.
• Ling Xuan and Kuina volunteered to help, excited to face their first pirate crew together.
• The second mate brought Ling Xuan and Kuina to Captain Flandre, who thanked them but privately doubted their abilities.
• Captain Flandre left the pair with the second mate, who asked what they were called.

Ling Xuan and Kuina were caught in the Krieg Pirates' assault on the passenger ship after Admiral Krieg's fleet surrounded it. As the sailors fought back, Kuina charged Iron Wall Barroth while Ling Xuan stayed behind to cover her.

• Second Mate Didida introduced himself to Ling Xuan and Kuina and offered them spare firearms, but they said they already had swords.
• Admiral Krieg's enormous fleet appeared beside the passenger ship, and Captain Flandre realized the ship was vastly outnumbered.
• Admiral Krieg ordered his men to seize the passenger ship's supplies and people, and Ghoul Arlong sent Iron Wall Barroth to lead the raid.
• Iron Wall Barroth demanded the ship's treasure, women, and weapons, then ordered the passengers and sailors to kill themselves.
• Captain Flandre and the sailors fought back as Didida warned Ling Xuan and Kuina to hide, then hurried into battle.
• Kuina ignored Didida's warning, drew her blade, and charged Iron Wall Barroth while Ling Xuan promised to cover her.