Chapter Summaries

Ji Shu perfected the Nine Yin Manual, astonishing the onlookers with the immense Qi Mechanism drawn into his body. After learning all eleven methods in the manual, he tried to replenish his vitality beneath the Old Sophora Tree and discovered that its Qi Mechanism was nearly exhausted.

• Ji Shu absorbed dense Qi Mechanism beneath the Old Sophora Tree, while Qu Feiyan and Yue Lingshan felt their cultivation improve just by drawing in the surrounding energy.
• Hong Gao watched Ji Shu’s cultivation phenomenon and insisted that Ji Shu must be a cultivator, since the Nine Yin Manual he knew could not produce such effects.
• Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and the others gathered to watch Ji Shu cultivate and later asked him which technique he had practiced.
• Ji Shu confirmed that he had cultivated the Nine Yin Manual and explained that practicing it alongside other Internal Cultivation Methods might account for the extraordinary phenomenon.
• Ji Shu perfected the Nine Yin Manual’s internal cultivation method, then practiced all eleven of its methods nine times each.
• Ji Shu absorbed Qi Mechanism beneath the Old Sophora Tree to restore his vitality and realized that its reserves had become faint after months of drawing on them.

Ji Shu created a new Righteous Qi Sword Art, shared the Nine Yin Manual with the Mount Hua Sect, and left for the Capital City after receiving the Son of Heaven’s summons. On the way, Feng Buping challenged him to a test of swordsmanship, and Ji Shu swiftly brought his sword to Feng Buping’s forehead.

• Ji Shu stopped drawing Qi from the Old Sophora Tree and created a new art by combining the methods within his Righteous Qi Sword.
• Ji Shu gave Yue Lingshan the Nine Yin Manual and urged the Mount Hua Sect to cultivate it, then guided Yue Lingshan, Qu Feiyan, and the others in their training.
• Wang Yuanba arrived with the Son of Heaven’s ten-day deadline for Ji Shu to appear in the Capital City and questioned Lin Pingzhi about the Evil Warding Sword Manual.
• Ji Shu agreed to go to the Capital City, left Mount Hua, and told the others to cultivate the Nine Yin Manual while Hong Gao stayed behind awaiting a reply.
• Feng Buping challenged Ji Shu in Luoyang, and Ji Shu stopped Feng Buping’s swift sword at his forehead without drawing his own sword.

Ji Shu continued toward the Capital City after agreeing that Feng Buping would gather trustworthy people in Luoyang to help unify the Jianghu. At an inn, he met Dongfang Bubai, who challenged him to a fight, and their confrontation began with an embroidery needle striking his sword hilt.

• Feng Buping described five Sword Dao realms, and Ji Shu said he did not know which realm his sword had reached.
• Feng Buping asked to join Ji Shu's mission to the upper realm, and Ji Shu told him to gather trustworthy people in Luoyang for their return.
• Ji Shu continued his journey while Jianghu people fled from him in fear of his reputation as the Giant Demon.
• Dongfang Bai approached Ji Shu at an inn and revealed that she was Dongfang Bubai, who had come down the mountain specifically to meet him.
• Ji Shu asked whether Dongfang Bubai was male or female, provoking her to attack with an embroidery needle that struck his sword hilt.

Ji Shu killed Dongfang Bai, discovered she possessed the Sunflower Manual, and buried her before leaving for Mount Song. As he cultivated there, Shaolin monks recognized him as the Great Demon Ji Shu and were stunned.

• Dongfang Bai attacked Ji Shu, but he cut her throat with a single sword strike, killing her.
• Ji Shu found the Sunflower Manual on Dongfang Bai, took it, and carried her body out of the inn.
• Ji Shu buried Dongfang Bai in a forest and marked her grave with a tombstone reading “Tomb of Dongfang Bai.”
• Ji Shu wondered why Ren Yingying had sent Dongfang Bai to challenge him, then decided to seek the truth when he met Ren Yingying.
• Ji Shu cultivated the Sunflower Manual on Mount Song, and Shaolin monks reported his presence to their leaders.
• A Shaolin investigator identified Ji Shu, leaving the gathered monks in stunned silence.

Ji Shu completed the Sunflower Manual and grew confident that he could enter the Capital City and defeat Zhu Houzhao, though his immediate goal remained unifying the Jianghu. He raided Shaolin Temple’s Sutra Depository, where he defeated its guardian, Master Fangchan, after an alarm exposed him.

• Shaolin’s masters decided to wait for Senior Zhang to arrive before confronting Ji Shu, fearing that acting without him could destroy the temple’s remaining elite.
• Ji Shu awoke after completing the Sunflower Manual and found that his speed and inner strength had increased dramatically.
• Ji Shu considered his growing power, his plan to unify the Jianghu, and how his various inner energies were beginning to merge through Taiji Force.
• Ji Shu entered Shaolin Temple’s Sutra Depository unseen and collected secret manuals from its three floors.
• An arrow mechanism alerted Master Fangchan, who attacked Ji Shu but was struck down and left unconscious.

Ji Shu killed Master Fangchan, Master Fangjue, and Shaolin Temple’s remaining elite monks after collecting martial arts manuals from the Sutra Depository. He searched the temple for the Yi Jin Jing but found three Great Return Pills and a hidden copy of the Nine Yang Divine Skill instead.

• Master Fangchan died after Ji Shu struck him with a palm, realizing too late that Ji Shu had likely reached the Heavenly Realm.
• Players fled Shaolin Temple as Ji Shu left the Sutra Depository carrying its supreme skill manuals.
• Master Fangjue confronted Ji Shu, who drew his sword and killed him and the monks surrounding him.
• Ji Shu searched Shaolin Temple’s Alchemy Pavilion and found three hidden Great Return Pills.
• Ji Shu failed to find the Yi Jin Jing but uncovered a concealed copy of the Nine Yang Divine Skill in the Dharma Academy.

Ji Shu perfected Shaolin Temple’s Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills on his journey to the Capital City, where Liu Jin prepared an armed force to capture or kill him. Liu Jin sent Wang Yuanba to negotiate, while Tang Ying'e secretly watched the Grand Supervisor’s residence.

• Ji Shu found the Nine Yang Divine Skill in Shaolin Temple and took its manual, then collected treasure and buried it at his hidden site.
• Ji Shu rode toward the Capital City, trading gold for Great Medicine and reading Shaolin Temple’s Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills until all twenty-three books reached perfection.
• Ji Shu arrived near the Capital City, where guards recognized him and hurried to report his arrival to Liu Jin.
• Liu Jin gathered Jianghu experts and ordered Wang Yuanba to demand that Ji Shu surrender his weapon and serve him, threatening to use traps, experts, and troops if Ji Shu refused.
• Tang Ying'e left Liu Jin’s residence in disguise and used a Telescope to watch it from an inn.

Ji Shu stormed into the Capital City and attacked Liu Jin at the Grand Supervisor's residence after killing Wang Yuanba. Liu Jin hid behind a rockery as Ji Shu fought through the guards and martial artists, leaving the assault unresolved.

• Tang Ying'e watched Ji Shu behead Wang Yuanba and ride toward the Grand Supervisor's residence, then hid under a quilt.
• Wang Yuanba told Ji Shu that Liu Jin demanded he surrender the Evil Warding Sword Manual and become Liu Jin's subordinate, then Ji Shu killed Wang Yuanba with one sword stroke.
• Ji Shu rode into the Grand Supervisor's residence, identified Liu Jin, and threw a Dart that pierced Liu Jin's hand after Liu Jin used a guard as a shield.
• Liu Jin ordered his fighters to capture or kill Ji Shu for a reward, then hid behind a rockery as the guards fired arrows and concealed weapons.
• Ji Shu deflected the barrage and charged into the crowd on horseback, killing the attackers with his sword while his Darts struck guards near Liu Jin.

Ji Shu fought through Liu Jin’s assassins, deadly passage, and cavalry, surviving every trap and pursuing Liu Jin to the Imperial Palace. Liu Jin remained ahead of him, panicked and calling for more men to stop Ji Shu.

• Ji Shu killed the martial world figures surrounding him, cleared the residence, and found a secret passage leading after Liu Jin.
• Liu Jin fled ahead of Ji Shu, leaving the Cang Twin Swords and others to hold him back; Ji Shu killed them when they begged for mercy.
• Ji Shu endured the passage’s poisoned traps and emerged unharmed, shocking Liu Jin, who fled behind a cavalry formation.
• Ji Shu cut down the cavalry’s leading general and fought through the formation, then took a Blood Sweat Horse and spear to continue the pursuit.
• Ji Shu caught up to Liu Jin before the Imperial Palace’s main gate, where Liu Jin called for others to stop him.

Ji Shu killed Liu Jin and fought his way into the Golden Throne Hall, where he held Emperor Zhu Houzhao at spearpoint. Zhu Houzhao recognized him as the Mount Hua Sword God and tried to explain that Liu Jin had been sent to invite him to the capital.

• Ji Shu threw his spear and pierced Liu Jin through the chest as Liu Jin fled, killing the Grand Supervisor.
• Ji Shu rode into the Imperial Palace and fought his way through the officials and eunuchs in the Golden Throne Hall.
• Ji Shu crossed the hall with his Lightness Skill and pointed his spear at Zhu Houzhao’s throat.
• Zhu Houzhao asked Ji Shu’s identity, then recognized him as the Mount Hua Sword God and claimed there had been a misunderstanding about the invitation to the capital.

Ji Shu confronted Zhu Houzhao in the Golden Throne Hall, explaining that Liu Jin had threatened him and prompting the officials to blame Liu Jin. Gu Dayong reported that Ji Shu had killed Liu Jin, and Zhu Houzhao offered Ji Shu the position of National Preceptor.

• Ji Shu told Zhu Houzhao and the court that Liu Jin's men had threatened him, and the officials urged Liu Jin to face him.
• Gu Dayong rushed into the Golden Throne Hall and froze when he saw Ji Shu holding a spear to Zhu Houzhao's throat.
• Zhu Houzhao ordered Gu Dayong to explain his urgent report, and Gu Dayong announced that Liu Jin was dead.
• Gu Dayong recounted seeing Ji Shu kill his way into Liu Jin's residence and later finding Liu Jin's corpse near the Imperial Palace.
• Zhu Houzhao offered Ji Shu the position of National Preceptor, and Ji Shu considered the Emperor's apparent sincerity.

Ji Shu accepted Zhu Houzhao’s appointment as National Preceptor and seized command of fifty thousand troops to unify the jianghu. He led the forces toward Blackwood Cliff to crush and subdue the Demonic Cult, while summoning allies to help hold the territories he conquered.

• Ji Shu accepted the National Preceptor position, and Zhu Houzhao proclaimed the appointment and granted a general amnesty.
• Ji Shu demanded military authority, and Zhu Houzhao gave him a military tally and ordered Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju to obey him.
• Ji Shu took command of fifty thousand troops, including the Eastern and Western Depots and Liu Jin’s Three Thousand Barracks, and marched toward Blackwood Cliff.
• Ji Shu sent Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju with letters summoning Feng Buping, Qu Feiyan, Huang Zhonggong, and others to join his campaign.
• Ji Shu learned that Qiu Ju and Gu Dayong were Xiantian masters who cultivated the Sunflower Manual, and the two eunuchs served him with fearful diligence.

Ji Shu advanced toward Blackwood Cliff with fifty thousand Imperial Guards after forcing Emperor Zhu Houzhao to grant him military authority. Ren Woxing and Xiang Wentian panicked at the approaching force, while Ren Yingying urged her father to retreat.

• Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju gave Ji Shu their stores of Great Medicine, and he consumed it as he rode toward Blackwood Cliff.
• Ji Shu’s forces sent letters to sects and gangs inviting them to witness his first battle to Unify the Jianghu, while news of his actions spread across the realm.
• Xiang Wentian told Ren Woxing that Ji Shu had killed Liu Jin, forced Zhu Houzhao to grant him fifty thousand troops, and was approaching Blackwood Cliff.
• Ren Woxing raged at Zhu Houzhao for giving Ji Shu an elite army, while Xiang Wentian warned that the Holy Cult could not defeat it.
• Ren Yingying advised Ren Woxing to retreat, and Xiang Wentian agreed, suggesting they might benefit from Ji Shu’s quest to Unify the Jianghu.

Ji Shu arrived at Blackwood Cliff and ordered the Eastern and Western Depot Governors to attack the Sun Moon Holy Cult. They captured the stronghold, and Ji Shu reached its Holy Palace, where hundreds of cult members were bound.

• Ren Yingying urged Ren Woxing to flee, but he chose to stay and observe the situation.
• Ji Shu arrived at Blackwood Cliff and saw its defenses and obstacles along the mountain path.
• Qiu Ju and Gu Dayong competed to flatter Ji Shu before he ordered them to attack together.
• The two Governors led several thousand Imperial Guards up Blackwood Cliff and captured the stronghold in under two hours.
• Ji Shu entered the Sun Moon Holy Cult's Holy Palace and saw several hundred members bound with ropes.

Ji Shu questioned the Sun Moon Holy Cult’s remaining leaders after Ren Woxing, Ren Yingying, and Xiang Wentian fled Blackwood Cliff, and learned the truth about Dongfang Bubai and Dongfang Bai. He placed the cult under Huang Zhonggong’s future leadership and settled on Blackwood Cliff to use its medicines and manuals.

• Ji Shu found that Ren Woxing, Ren Yingying, and Xiang Wentian had fled, then questioned the wounded cult leaders about Ren Woxing’s whereabouts.
• Bao Dachu redirected Ji Shu to Tong Baixiong, who denied knowing where Ren Woxing had gone and offered to follow Ji Shu.
• Tong Baixiong told Ji Shu that the real Dongfang Bubai had given his cultivation power to Dongfang Bai before dying, and had entrusted her to him.
• Ji Shu ordered Shangguan Yun, Bao Dachu, and the other leaders to manage the cult until Huang Zhonggong arrived to lead it.
• Ji Shu inspected the cult’s storeroom and Library Pavilion, found that most treasure medicines and a handwritten Tai Chi Fist Manual remained, and began living on Blackwood Cliff.

Ji Shu spent seven days consuming Great Medicine and mastering the Sun Moon Holy Cult’s library, reaching perfection in the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the Miscellaneous Studies of the hundred schools. He ordered Huang Zhonggong to reform the Sun Moon Holy Cult as its new Cult Leader, then marched with an army toward the Mount Tai Sect to begin unifying the jianghu.

• Ji Shu searched Blackwood Cliff for Spirit Plants, found none, and focused on eating Great Medicine while reading the Sun Moon Holy Cult’s books.
• Over seven days, Ji Shu mastered the Miscellaneous Studies of the hundred schools and brought the Nine Yang Divine Skill to perfection, greatly increasing his inner power and defenses.
• Qiu Ju reported that Huang Zhonggong and the others had arrived, and Ji Shu went to meet them.
• Ji Shu appointed Huang Zhonggong Cult Leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and assigned him Imperial Guards, Shangguan Yun, and Bao Dachu to help reform the sect.
• Ji Shu left Blackwood Cliff with the Fifty Thousand Army, Feng Buping, Qu Feiyan, and the others, and marched toward the Mount Tai Sect.

Ji Shu cultivated the complete Tai Chi Fist Manual on Mount Tai and entered a ten-day enlightenment, drawing Qi Mechanism from an ancient tree. He emerged with a completed Tai Chi diagram in his dantian, which rose above his head and released a powerful pressure.

• Qu Feiyan told Ji Shu how widely tales of his exploits had spread, while he and the others listened.
• Ji Shu appointed Qu Feiyan Sect Leader of the Mount Tai Sect and left Imperial Guards to assist her.
• Ji Shu sent Qiu Ju, Gu Dayong, Dan Qingsheng, and the others south to appoint his followers as sect leaders and unify the Jianghu.
• Ji Shu cultivated the complete Tai Chi Fist Manual on an ancient tree on Mount Tai, causing his inner forces to form a Tai Chi diagram and prompting an enlightenment.
• After ten days and nights without food or drink, Ji Shu completed the diagram, which appeared above his head and forced Qu Feiyan to stagger back.

Ji Shu completed the Tai Chi True Scripture, transforming his internal force into spiritual power and creating a powerful Tai Chi Diagram. He left Mount Tai with Qu Feiyan and headed for Wudang after learning that Gu Dayong’s forces had met resistance there.

• Ji Shu’s Tai Chi Diagram appeared above Mount Tai, astonishing Qu Feiyan, the Imperial Guards, and onlookers who mistook it for an immortal omen.
• Ji Shu completed his new art by fusing numerous cultivation methods, turning his internal force into spiritual power and naming the technique the Tai Chi True Scripture.
• Ji Shu left Mount Tai after its Spirit Plant withered, and Qu Feiyan and the Imperial Guards buckled under the pressure emanating from him.
• Qu Feiyan appointed a trusted Imperial Guard as the Mount Tai Sect Leader and became Ji Shu’s driver as they set out for Wudang.
• Ji Shu learned from Gu Dayong’s message that the campaign had conquered many sects, but Gu Dayong’s three thousand Western Depot elites had been stalled by the Wudang Sect.

Hong Li and Hong Yu weighed whether they could take revenge on Ji Shu, whose strength had already thwarted Hong Kingdom’s plans to conquer The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Hong Li sent a letter to Hong Kingdom’s upper echelons as they resolved to keep pursuing Ji Shu rather than abandon the world.

• After Gu Dayong was subdued and the Imperial Guards were defeated, the surviving guards sent a carrier pigeon to Mount Tai Sect, prompting Ji Shu and Qu Feiyan to travel to Wudang Sect.
• At the foot of Mount Tai, Hong Li asked his Players what they thought of confronting Ji Shu, and Hong Yu and Chen Liao warned that Ji Shu was too powerful to defeat.
• Hong Li recalled that Ji Shu had killed his brother-in-law and younger sister, while Hong Yu urged him to abandon revenge and leave the world before their time limit expired.
• Hong Li refused to leave, fearing Ji Shu might seal off the world and cut them off from the higher realm, and he wrote a letter for a Player to deliver to Hong Kingdom’s upper echelons.
• Hong Kingdom’s upper ranks remained determined to punish Ji Shu and prevent him from being accepted into any nation’s leadership.

Hong Li and his companions decided to wait until Ji Shu ascended before taking revenge on those he cared about. At Wudang Mountain, Zhang Wuji confronted Ji Shu over his massacres, but Ji Shu began draining Zhang Wuji’s internal energy, prompting Zhang Wuji to unleash the Buddhist Lion’s Roar.

• Hong Li rejected sabotaging Ji Shu’s plan and resolved to kill Ji Shu’s loved ones after he ascended.
• Captain Zhang led Ji Shu and roughly two thousand Western Depot Imperial Guards to Wudang Mountain to demand Gu Dayong’s release.
• Daoist Master Chongxu challenged Ji Shu, then welcomed Zhang Wuji when he arrived at the Wudang gate.
• Zhang Wuji accused Ji Shu of massacring Shaolin Temple, the Mount Song Sect, and Jianghu martial artists, and declared he would capture him and cripple his martial arts.
• Ji Shu grabbed at Zhang Wuji without drawing his sword, and Zhang Wuji felt his internal energy being sucked away before he unleashed the Buddhist Lion’s Roar.