Chapter Summaries

Ji Shu defeated Feng Buping, learned the Fierce Wind Swift Sword and the Sword Sect’s other techniques with astonishing speed, and began cultivating the Jade Breaking Sword Art. Feng Buping wanted to follow him and establish a Sword Sect, but Ji Shu left the possibility for the future and realized he needed to replenish his vital blood and qi.

• Ji Shu defeated Feng Buping with one strike, and Feng Buping admitted defeat despite his reluctance to teach him.
• Feng Buping taught Ji Shu the Fierce Wind Swift Sword, which Ji Shu quickly mastered and used to generate Fierce Wind Sword Qi.
• Feng Buping asked to follow Ji Shu and establish a Sword Sect, but Ji Shu said he had no plans to found a sect for now.
• Feng Buping taught Ji Shu two sword techniques he had not learned and the Jade Breaking Sword Art, which Ji Shu comprehended and began cultivating.
• Ji Shu’s Jade Breaking Sword Art inner energy began consuming his Huashan Heart Method inner energy, so he realized he needed to return beneath the Old Sophora Tree or drink restorative medicine.

After Ji Shu saved Mount Hua from crisis, Yue Buqun welcomed him back and promoted him to Vice Sect Leader, making him the sect’s new chief disciple. Ji Shu accepted the position and a treasured sword representing Mount Hua, while wondering why Yue Buqun was treating him so warmly.

• Feng Buping told Ji Shu he would open a martial arts school in Luoyang and come to his aid whenever needed, and Ji Shu bid him farewell.
• Ji Shu returned to the main hall and greeted Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and Yue Lingshan as the Mount Hua disciples reacted in awe to his strength.
• Yue Buqun arranged a separate courtyard for Ji Shu and gave him the treasured Mount Hua Sword, which had been presented by a Player.
• Yue Buqun named Ji Shu Mount Hua’s chief disciple and, when Ji Shu hesitated, made him Vice Sect Leader with authority over the disciples.
• Yue Buqun urged Ji Shu to treat Mount Hua as family and join him for a meal, leaving Ji Shu questioning the man’s unusual warmth.

Ji Shu grew more confident in Yue Buqun while his Jade Breaking Sword Art inner qi continued to strengthen, though he sensed the technique was incomplete. Yue Buqun invited him to join the trip to the Five Peaks Alliance gathering in two days.

• Ji Shu reflected that Yue Buqun seemed like a genuine gentleman, though he stayed cautious and did not fully trust him.
• Ji Shu sensed that the Jade Breaking Sword Art had absorbed the Huashan Heart Method’s inner qi and formed a second powerful current alongside his Righteous Qi Sword, but the art seemed incomplete.
• Lao De Nuo escorted Ji Shu to the main hall and privately regretted not eliminating him before his rapid rise in strength.
• Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, Yue Lingshan, and the Huashan disciples waited for Ji Shu to join their meal, and Yue Lingshan served him a chicken leg.
• Yue Buqun told Ji Shu that he would accompany them to the Five Peaks Alliance gathering in two days, and Ji Shu agreed.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze discussed Ji Shu’s talent and the possibility of teaching him the Purple Cloud Divine Skill. After perfecting the Jade Breaking Sword Art, Ji Shu went with Yue Lingshan to Cliff of Reflection, where he uncovered a hidden passage and found a skeleton.

• Yue Buqun questioned Ning Zhongze about keeping Ji Shu’s talent from him, then praised Ji Shu’s steadiness and said he would observe him before deciding whether to teach him the Purple Cloud Divine Skill.
• Yue Lingshan brought Ji Shu pastries, and he guided her sword practice while realizing the Jade Breaking Sword Art had reached complete perfection.
• Ji Shu decided to visit Cliff of Reflection and see whether he could find Feng Qingyang and learn the Nine Swords of Dugu.
• Yue Lingshan led Ji Shu to the cliff, where he broke through a concealed section of the cave wall and revealed a passage.
• Ji Shu lit a torch inside the passage, and Yue Lingshan cried out when they saw a white skeleton.

Ji Shu discovered the Five Peaks Swordplay carved in a hidden cave on Cliff of Reflection, mastered its techniques, and showed Yue Lingshan that they could not be easily broken. As they left to tell the Mount Hua Sect’s leaders, Yue Lingshan suspected Linghu Chong had discovered the cave before them and wondered why he had kept it secret.

• Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan entered a hidden cave filled with skeletons and found Five Peaks Swordplay carved into its walls.
• Ji Shu quickly comprehended the sword techniques, cultivated their Sword Qi, and studied the heretical methods carved to counter them.
• Yue Lingshan worried that Ji Shu was exhausting himself, and he stopped practicing and reassured her.
• Ji Shu fought Yue Lingshan with fluid, unpredictable Five Peaks Swordplay, convincing her that the techniques used to break it were unimpressive.
• Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan decided to tell the Mount Hua Sect’s leaders about the cave, and Yue Lingshan suspected Linghu Chong had found it earlier.

Feng Qingyang secretly watched Ji Shu display extraordinary swordsmanship and realized he was an even greater talent than Linghu Chong. After Yue Buqun inspected the cave at Cliff of Reflection, he let his disciples study the Mount Hua Swordplay there but warned them against learning the other styles.

• Feng Qingyang watched Ji Shu master the Five Peaks Swordplay and recognized that Ji Shu had grasped the essence of the Nine Swords of Dugu.
• Feng Qingyang investigated Ji Shu's background, learned how he had joined the Mount Hua Sect, and regretted that he had already taught the Nine Swords of Dugu to Linghu Chong.
• Ji Shu returned to the courtyard, replenished his blood and qi, and welcomed Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, Yue Lingshan, and the others.
• Yue Buqun examined the cave's Five Peaks Swordplay and explained that the trapped fighters had been members of the Demonic Cult's ten great elders.
• Yue Buqun scolded his disciples for their limited abilities, then allowed them to study the Mount Hua Swordplay while forbidding them from learning the other sword arts.

Yue Buqun rewarded Ji Shu for aiding the Mount Hua Sect and grew more impressed by his talent and loyalty. After Ji Shu displayed a powerful new swordplay, Yue Buqun gave him two Thousand-Year Ginseng roots and prepared him for the Five Peaks Alliance Assembly.

• Yue Buqun compared Ji Shu favorably with Linghu Chong and declared that Ji Shu deserved a reward for his service to the sect.
• Yue Buqun praised Ji Shu's swordsmanship and asked him to explain the subtleties of Mount Hua Swordplay to Lu Dayou and the others.
• Ji Shu combined the Five Peaks Swordplay with the Heretical Paths' techniques to create a new swordplay using the Righteous Qi Sword.
• Yue Buqun arrived with Thousand-Year Ginseng and witnessed Ji Shu's sword qi sever branches from the Old Sophora Tree.
• Yue Buqun gave Ji Shu two ginseng roots and told him they would leave for Mount Song in two days to attend the Five Peaks Alliance Assembly.
• Ji Shu accepted the ginseng and continued cultivating beneath the Old Sophora Tree to replenish his vitality and blood.

Ji Shu developed the Righteous Qi Swordplay, sought but failed to meet Feng Qingyang, and traveled with Yue Buqun’s group to Mount Song. Meanwhile, player Hong Chen ordered Ji Shu’s assassination, and the group rode out unaware of the threat.

• Ji Shu completed the Righteous Qi Swordplay, took a walk with Yue Lingshan, and went to Cliff of Reflection hoping to find Feng Qingyang.
• Feng Qingyang watched Ji Shu leave but refused to meet him, having resolved to avoid worldly affairs after passing the Nine Swords of Dugu to Linghu Chong.
• Ji Shu planned to seek the Purple Cloud Divine Skill and considered searching the Lin Family Old Residence for the Evil Warding Sword Manual after the Five Peaks Alliance Assembly.
• Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze led Ji Shu, Yue Lingshan, Lu Dayou, Lao De Nuo, and others from Mount Hua toward Mount Song, while Liang Fa and the others stayed behind.
• Hong Chen ordered his players to kill Ji Shu, falsely accusing him of dividing the players and threatening their survival.
• Yue Lingshan taught Ji Shu to ride, and his exceptional talent let him quickly master horseback riding as the group continued traveling.

Ji Shu learned his fellow Mount Hua Sect disciples’ miscellaneous skills while secretly watching Lao De Nuo leave marks and pass information to assassins. When assassins attacked the ruined temple with poison mist and arrows, Ji Shu returned with Lao De Nuo captured and revealed the betrayal.

• Ji Shu invited the Mount Hua Sect disciples to teach him their special skills and quickly mastered cooking, brewing wine, tracking, archery, and other pursuits.
• Lao De Nuo secretly left marks and information along the road, while Ji Shu noticed his actions and stayed alert.
• At a ruined temple, Lao De Nuo claimed he was going to relieve himself, and Ji Shu followed him into the darkness.
• Assassins attacked the temple with poison mist and a barrage of arrows, leaving Lu Dayou unconscious and the others struggling to defend themselves.
• Ji Shu returned carrying Lao De Nuo and told the group that Lao De Nuo had contacted the assassins and planned the attack.

Ji Shu exposed Lao De Nuo’s plot to poison and ambush the Mount Hua group, then saved them and forced Lao De Nuo to take his own life. After reaching Luoyang, Ning Zhongze urged Yue Buqun to teach Ji Shu the Purple Cloud Divine Skill.

• Ji Shu found Lao De Nuo’s letter and supplies, proving he had conspired with Zuo Lengchan to ambush Mount Hua with poison and assassins.
• Ji Shu killed the attackers, treated the poisoned Mount Hua disciples with the antidote, and recovered hidden weapons, money, and two secret manuals.
• Yue Buqun ordered Lao De Nuo to take his own life, and Lao De Nuo died after asking Ji Shu how he had discovered the plot.
• Ji Shu explained that he had followed Lao De Nuo after noticing his repeated trips away from the group, while Yue Buqun resolved to consider teaching him the Purple Cloud Divine Skill.
• The Mount Hua group reached Luoyang, where Ning Zhongze again urged Yue Buqun to teach Ji Shu the skill as a reward and to strengthen the sect.

Zuo Lengchan learned that Ji Shu had destroyed Mount Song's Shadow Assassins and killed Lao De Nuo, then ordered a plan to kill him quickly. Unaware of the plot, Ji Shu practiced the Thousand Leaf Sword Technique in Luoyang and mastered it.

• Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze discussed whether to teach Ji Shu the Purple Cloud Divine Skill and agreed to decide after the Five Peaks Alliance Assembly.
• Ding Mian told Zuo Lengchan that the Shadow Assassins and Lao De Nuo were dead, and blamed Ji Shu for giving Yue Buqun the confidence to act.
• Ding Mian described Ji Shu's formidable abilities and deeds, prompting Zuo Lengchan to insist that he must be killed before he grew stronger.
• Zuo Lengchan reprimanded Ding Mian for acting without approval, then ordered him to carry out a new plan against Ji Shu.
• Ji Shu practiced the Thousand Leaf Sword Technique nine times at Xiumei Inn in Luoyang and mastered it.

Ji Shu mastered the Thousand Leaf Sword Technique and Fairy Scattering Flowers, combining their power into a new sword technique, while Yue Lingshan grew closer to him. Their outing in Luoyang ended abruptly when Ji Shu caught and returned a hidden weapon aimed at him.

• Ji Shu replenished his blood and qi with ginseng, and promised to teach Yue Lingshan the Thousand Leaf Sword Technique later.
• Ji Shu rapidly mastered Fairy Scattering Flowers and merged its force with the Thousand Leaf Sword Qi inside his Righteous Qi Sword.
• Ji Shu tested his new Sword Qi, found that prolonged use through his fingers could damage his meridians, and wondered about learning the Six Meridian Divine Sword and a martial art against poison.
• Yue Lingshan took Ji Shu shopping for fine clothes, while Ning Zhongze and Yue Buqun watched them fondly and considered them as a possible match.
• A group rushed past Yue Lingshan in the street, and Ji Shu caught a hidden weapon aimed at his brow and hurled it back toward its source.

Ji Shu killed the martial artists who ambushed him in Luoyang and followed their fleeing leader to the Wang Family estate. There, he and Yue Lingshan overheard a wounded disciple ask his master for justice against Ji Shu.

• A Plum Blossom Dart killed a man, and martial artists disguised as vendors attacked Ji Shu from all sides.
• Ji Shu killed the attackers with his sword, while their leader Hong Yi fled.
• Ji Shu took Yue Lingshan with him to pursue the escapee, and they tracked the attackers to the Wang Family estate.
• Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan entered the estate and overheard a disciple name Ji Shu as the man who had attacked him.
• The disciple’s master mocked him for failing to handle a newly initiated Mount Hua Sect disciple.

Ji Shu confronted the Twin Heroes of the Northern Desert after they tried to kill him, then learned from their surviving accomplice that Players were being organized to assassinate him. The chapter ended with Ji Shu discovering that Blue Star’s authorities controlled Players and threatened their families to seize treasures and martial arts.

• Ji Shu entered the room and faced Black Bear, White Bear, and the surviving burly man.
• Black Bear attacked Ji Shu, who cut apart his palm with Sword Qi and killed Black Bear and White Bear with two sword strikes.
• The burly man identified himself as Hong Yi and confessed that his superiors had ordered Players around Luoyang to assassinate Ji Shu.
• Ji Shu learned that Hong Yi was Hong Hao’s nephew and Hong Chen’s cousin, and suspected Hong Chen had arranged the attack.
• Hong Yi explained that the Players’ organization controlled Players worldwide and forced them to surrender any treasures or cultivation arts they found, threatening their families if they disobeyed.

Ji Shu learned that the Player Organization controlled returning Players and had targeted him, then uncovered a plot involving the Evil Warding Sword Manual at Wang Yuanba’s residence. The chapter ended with Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan confronting three men holding several captives.

• Hong Yi explained that returning Players were forced into the Player Organization, which executed anyone who revealed information about the Tower of the Multiverse.
• Ji Shu killed Hong Yi and found gold ingots and the Golden Saber Secret Art among the Twin Heroes of the Northern Desert’s belongings.
• Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan discovered corpses in Wang Yuanba’s rear courtyard and overheard men discussing Ji Wushi’s claim that Ji Shu had the Evil Warding Sword Manual.
• Ji Shu pushed into the room and found three strange men with several bound captives.

Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan rescued Wang Yuanba and other captives, but You Xun died before revealing his true purpose. Wang Yuanba gave Ji Shu the Turtle Breath Technique, and the group left for Mount Song as Wang Yuanba warned his family not to challenge the Player.

• Ji Shu disarmed You Xun and killed two attackers, then questioned You Xun about Ji Wushi and the Evil Warding Sword Manual.
• You Xun tried to lure Ji Shu into reaching for a hidden treasure, but a venomous snake emerged; Ji Shu killed the snake and You Xun.
• Ji Shu freed Wang Yuanba and the other captives, then waited for the promised carrier pigeon, which never arrived.
• Wang Yuanba introduced himself as the Golden Saber Sect Leader and gave Ji Shu the Wang Family's Turtle Breath Technique before escorting him and Yue Lingshan away.
• Wang Yuanba refused his son's suggestion to demand the Evil Warding Sword Manual from Ji Shu, and Lin Ping Zhi said Ji Shu had not used the Lin Family's sword technique.

Lin Pingzhi left the Wang Family after realizing they only wanted to exploit him and begged Ji Shu to teach him martial arts. Ji Shu agreed to teach him, though he refused to formally take him as a disciple.

• Wang Zhongqiang urged Lin Pingzhi to ask Ji Shu for the Evil Warding Sword Manual, while Wang Yuanba and his family discussed using Lin to obtain it.
• Lin Pingzhi ran after Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan, and Yue Lingshan told Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and the others how Ji Shu had fought the Players and resisted the Wang Family's temptation.
• Yue Buqun declared that he would expel every Player from Mount Hua except Ji Shu, and Ji Shu was moved by Yue Buqun's support.
• As Ji Shu's party prepared to leave the inn, Lin Pingzhi knelt before Ji Shu and begged him to accept him as a disciple.
• Ji Shu refused to take Lin Pingzhi as a disciple but offered to teach him martial arts, and Lin Pingzhi eagerly asked whether he meant it.

Ji Shu learned the Turtle Breath Technique from a secret manual and discovered it generated inner energy that let him go without breathing for a day and night. He traveled with Yue Buqun’s group toward Mount Song, leaving Yue Lingshan impressed by his talent and eager to find him more treasure medicine.

• Yue Buqun agreed to assess Lin Pingzhi as a potential Mount Hua Sect Inner Sect disciple, and Lin Pingzhi eagerly accepted the conditions.
• Wang Zhongqiang and Wang Yuanba watched Lin Pingzhi leave with Ji Shu’s group and ordered the guards strengthened.
• At an inn near Mount Song, Ji Shu read the Turtle Breath Technique and mastered it, generating inner energy that supported prolonged Inner Breathing.
• Yue Lingshan tried and failed to learn the technique, then offered to ask her parents to find more Treasure Medicine for Ji Shu.
• Ji Shu examined his dantian and found that the Righteous Qi Sword had grown stronger after absorbing the Golden Saber Qi.

Ji Shu fused the Golden Saber Secret Art and Turtle Breath Technique into the Righteous Qi Sword Art, then survived a poison attack and killed Ji Wushi and his accomplices. Ji Wushi died before revealing which Player had sent him.

• Ji Shu incorporated the Golden Saber Secret Art and Turtle Breath Technique into the Righteous Qi Sword Art and planned to explore the martial world after the Five Peaks Alliance Assembly.
• Ji Shu overheard Ji Wushi and his allies discussing their poisoned attack and plan to kill him for Zuo Lengchan.
• Ji Shu silently killed Cong Buqi, the Tongbai Twin Wonders, and the other attackers when they entered the Inn.
• Ji Wushi fled and threw poison powder at Ji Shu, but Ji Shu evaded it and struck him with a powerful Dart.
• Ji Shu questioned Ji Wushi about the Player behind the attack, then killed him with the Mount Hua Sword before he could answer.
• Ji Shu searched Ji Wushi's clothes and found bottles, jars, money, and a booklet.

After surviving Ji Wushi’s poison ambush, Ji Shu studied the Five Poisons Secret Codex and gained Five Poisons Inner Qi and resistance to ordinary poisons. He destroyed the dangerous manual, resolved to kill Zuo Lengchan, and returned to the inn with the valuables he found.

• Ji Shu carefully examined Ji Wushi’s belongings and opened the Five Poisons Secret Codex without touching it directly.
• Ji Shu swiftly comprehended the manual, cultivated Five Poisons Inner Qi with Thousand-Year Ginseng, and suppressed the new energy when it began consuming his vitality.
• Ji Shu realized that the Five Poisons Inner Qi had made him immune to ordinary poisons and confirmed that the manual itself was coated with deadly poison.
• Ji Shu vowed to sneak onto Mount Song and kill Zuo Lengchan, then destroyed the manual with his sword.
• Ji Shu cautiously searched Cong Buqi and the others’ bodies, took their gold and silver, and returned to the inn.