Chapter Summaries

Lin Shuguang fought Shi Lenglin on the challenge platform, using saber techniques disguised as swordsmanship to overcome the Core Realm disciple’s attacks. After Shi Lenglin lost, the training ground fell silent in disbelief.

• Lin Shuguang forced Shi Lenglin back with a strike, while Xu Baiyang recognized that he was wielding swordsmanship built from saber techniques.
• Lin Shuguang charged before Shi Lenglin could finish speaking and overwhelmed him with a fierce attack.
• Shi Lenglin summoned his iron sword with his Sword Embryo and launched a sudden attack, but Lin Shuguang caught the blade with his arm and countered with a wooden sword.
• Lin Shuguang broke Shi Lenglin’s shoulder and struck his chest, sending him flying and leaving his fate unknown.
• The Fire Sword Peak disciples cried out as the training ground fell silent at Shi Lenglin’s defeat.

Lin Shuguang defeated Shi Lenglin, rejected Luo Zixu’s offer to join Fire Sword Peak, and returned to Clear Sword Peak, where Zhao Tianba revealed his courtyard’s ominous history and recognized that Lin practiced the saber. The chapter ended with Lin selling sword techniques to Zhao and practicing swordsmanship for hours.

• Lin Shuguang defeated Shi Lenglin, and Luo Zixu arrived to dismiss the defeated disciple and offer Lin a place at Fire Sword Peak.
• Lin rejected Luo Zixu’s offer and left the Training Ground with Xu Baiyang and Zhao Tianba.
• Xu Baiyang warned Lin that Fire Sword Peak might be trying to take his Supreme Token, while Zhao told him that three Heavenly Prides had gone mad in his courtyard fifteen years earlier.
• Zhao recognized that Lin’s fighting style disguised saber practice, and Lin admitted that he practiced the saber.
• Lin offered Zhao three swordsmanship techniques for sale, and Zhao agreed to buy one and help sell the others.
• Xu Baiyang and Zhao left Lin’s residence, and Lin practiced swordsmanship for three hours.

Lin Shuguang continued refining his Martial Dao and winning daily challenge matches, spurring Baojian Sect disciples to train harder as the State Selection approached. As Zhang Xiaoya accompanied him to the Training Ground, Elder Qu arrived with a finely dressed young man whose sword was identified as a Spiritual Artifact.

• Lin Shuguang practiced Baojian Sect sword techniques and integrated their principles into his own saber arts while his attributes increased.
• Zhang Xiaoya continued bringing Lin Shuguang meals and asked to accompany him to the Training Ground, and he agreed.
• After more than half a month of Lin Shuguang's daily victories, young Baojian Sect disciples trained with renewed urgency, while elders discussed whether he could enter the Dao without a Sword Embryo.
• Several female disciples criticized Zhang Xiaoya for following Lin Shuguang, and their leader predicted he would soon fall.
• Elder Qu arrived at the Training Ground with a handsome young man wearing a silver-plated sword, which a veteran disciple recognized as a Spiritual Artifact.

Su Beichen visited the Baojian Sect and joined Elder Qu’s lesson, where he began learning [Storm Lion Slash] while Lin Shuguang secretly mastered it instantly. Afterward, Luo Zixu told Su about Lin’s unusual feats and named him as a potential whetstone for Su’s training.

• The disciples recognized Su Beichen as the Central Continent Elder’s son and heard that he was expected to become a Martial King within five years.
• Su Beichen asked Elder Qu about the extraordinary newcomer, then requested sword instruction; Elder Qu closed the Training Ground and began teaching [Storm Lion Slash].
• Su Beichen practiced [Storm Lion Slash] and impressed the disciples, while Lin Shuguang used gold leaves to learn its first three levels instantly.
• Elder Qu praised Su Beichen’s progress and continued the lesson without drawing attention to Lin Shuguang.
• As Su Beichen left the Training Ground, Luo Zixu told him about Lin Shuguang’s remarkable swordsmanship and suggested that Lin could serve as a whetstone for his training.

Lin Shuguang’s thirteenth consecutive victory stirred accusations that he had cheated, leading Ji Mingye to challenge him and reveal his desire for the Supreme Token. The chapter ended with Lin Shuguang accepting the wager and Ji Mingye threatening to kill him if he lost.

• Su Beichen saw through Luo Zixu’s attempt to manipulate him into targeting Lin Shuguang, then left without taking interest in either man.
• Lin Shuguang won his thirteenth consecutive challenge match after using his perfected [Storm Lion Slash] to defeat Core Realm opponents.
• Ji Mingye accused Lin Shuguang of using tricks against his brother Ji Daohe and urged the gathered Baojian Sect disciples to demand an explanation.
• Lin Shuguang refused to fight another challenge match but agreed to face Ji Mingye privately after Ji Mingye and the crowd blocked his departure.
• Lin Shuguang exposed that Ji Mingye wanted the Supreme Token, then wagered his life against it; Ji Mingye accepted and threatened to kill him if he lost.

Lin Shuguang accepted Ji Mingye’s deadly wager and confronted him with Zhao Tianba’s huge sword. After Lin Shuguang forced Ji Mingye to his knees with a single strike, Ji Mingye pushed his blood energy to its limit, and Lin Shuguang brought down another blow.

• Ji Mingye wagered his life against Lin Shuguang’s Supreme Token, and Elder Qu witnessed their signed agreement.
• Zhao Tianba arrived, lent Lin Shuguang his huge sword, and condemned Ji Mingye and the others for being manipulated by senior disciples.
• Lin Shuguang launched a devastating strike that overwhelmed Ji Mingye and forced him to his knees.
• Ji Mingye circulated his blood energy to its limit and declared that he did not believe he could lose.
• Lin Shuguang answered that Ji Mingye’s disbelief was not his problem and slashed down again.

Lin Shuguang overwhelmed Ji Mingye in their wagered duel by unleashing [Thunder Tribulation Annihilation], then pressed to claim Ji Mingye’s life after defeating him. Ji Daohe tried to stop him, but Lin Shuguang refused to compromise and struck again.

• Ji Mingye used the Dark Prison Star Instant Sword Array to survive Lin Shuguang’s opening attack, but Lin Shuguang wounded him and kept pressing with lethal blows.
• Lin Shuguang unleashed [Thunder Tribulation Annihilation], blasting Ji Mingye back and leaving him badly injured as the crowd watched in shock.
• Lin Shuguang knocked Ji Mingye down and demanded that he concede the wager, which included his life.
• Ji Daohe intervened to protect his younger brother, but Lin Shuguang rejected his appeal and insisted that Ji Mingye’s loss made his life Lin Shuguang’s to claim.
• Lin Shuguang advanced and brought down another savage strike as Ji Daohe shouted his name in fury.

Lin Shuguang refused to let Ji Mingye go after winning their wager, despite Ji Daohe and Luo Zixu trying to intervene. With Elder Qu enforcing the rules, Lin Shuguang demanded a ransom instead, leaving Ji Daohe desperate after Luo Zixu stormed away.

• Lin Shuguang kept his sword against Ji Mingye and insisted that Ji Daohe honor the wager, while Zhao Tianba and Xu Baiyang warned Ji Daohe against interfering.
• Luo Zixu arrived and challenged Lin Shuguang, who attacked when Luo reached for Ji Mingye; Elder Qu stopped their clash and insisted the sect follow its rules.
• Luo Zixu argued that the wager was invalid because private duels were forbidden, but Lin Shuguang rejected his interference and called for the Sect Master.
• Lin Shuguang proposed releasing Ji Mingye for ten Tongyou Pills and three hundred thousand gold leaves, and Zhao Tianba urged Luo Zixu to contribute his pills.
• Luo Zixu refused to pay and left in anger, while Ji Daohe was left despairing over the ransom.

After the Ji Family party was killed in a Beast Tide, Lin Shuguang traded a Tongyou Pill to Xu Baiyang and upgraded his Pay-to-Win System, which seemed to bring him closer to a breakthrough. Confined to Clear Sword Peak and unable to earn money through challenges, Lin Shuguang announced that he would set up his own Challenge Platform.

• The Baojian Sect punished Ji Daohe with seven days in Black Tooth Cave, expelled Ji Mingye, and confined Lin Shuguang to Clear Sword Peak for a month.
• A mysterious attacker killed Ji Mingye and the Ji Family party, then scattered fragrant powder; a Beast Tide soon struck, and the Baojian Sect classified their deaths as an accident.
• Ji Daohe learned of Ji Mingye's death in Black Tooth Cave and reflected on their family history and his complicated feelings toward Lin Shuguang.
• Lin Shuguang gave Xu Baiyang a Tongyou Pill in exchange for 450 gold leaves, then saw that his Pay-to-Win System had upgraded and strengthened his abilities.
• After Zhang Xiaoya told Lin Shuguang about the lively Training Ground and its Core Realm challengers, he declared that he would open a Challenge Platform on Clear Sword Peak.

Confined to Clear Sword Peak, Lin Shuguang set up challenge matches to fight Core Realm disciples and unseal the [Dark Prison] Dao Patterns. As challengers flocked to win his Tongyou Pill, Xu Baiyang emerged from seclusion and found Clear Sword Peak crowded with disciples from other peaks.

• Lin Shuguang asked Zhang Xiaoya to spread word of his challenge platform, and his first challenger, Liu Feiming, lost to him on the Back Mountain.
• After the initial Small Core Pill reward attracted few challengers, Lin Shuguang offered a Tongyou Pill to anyone at the First Heaven of the Core Realm who could beat him.
• Ye Chao challenged Lin Shuguang and lost on the tenth move, prompting more disciples to come to Clear Sword Peak for matches.
• Lin Shuguang found that fighting Core Realm disciples slightly diminished the Gray Seal on his [Dark Prison] Dao Patterns, especially when they practiced the [Dark Prison Star Instant Sword Array].
• Xu Baiyang finished his seclusion and found disciples from Fire Sword Peak complaining about losing Small Core Pills on Clear Sword Peak.

Xu Baiyang received a profound Sword Art manual from the Peak Master of Clear Sword Peak, who also sent Ferocious Beast essence to Lin Shuguang. Lin Shuguang continued earning Small Core Pills from his bouts and resale scheme as Chen Xiaoyang arrived with a nervous request.

• Xu Baiyang reported his breakthrough to the Peak Master of Clear Sword Peak and received a Sword Art manual to study.
• After Xu Baiyang mentioned Lin Shuguang’s talent and frail appearance, the Peak Master gave him Ferocious Beast essence to deliver to Lin.
• Xu Baiyang found Lin Shuguang returning from training, gave him the essence, and passed him a copy of the Sword Art manual.
• Lin Shuguang reflected on his progress against Core Realm opponents and on earning Small Core Pills from daily matches and resales through Chen Xiaoyang.
• Chen Xiaoyang arrived at Lin Shuguang’s entrance, nervous about their Small Core Pill resale business, and Lin invited him inside.

Lin Shuguang learned that Su Beichen had taken an interest in his challenge matches and confronted him when he arrived at Clear Sword Peak. Su Beichen offered him valuable rewards to become his sparring partner, but Lin Shuguang refused.

• Chen Xiaoyang delivered gold leaves and received Small Core Pills from Lin Shuguang, then warned him that Fire Sword Peak disciples had drawn Su Beichen's attention to his matches and Tongyou Pills.
• Su Beichen and his followers arrived at Lin Shuguang's courtyard, and Lin Shuguang sent back the disciple who forced the door open with a blow from his Iron Sword.
• Su Beichen praised Lin Shuguang's talent and ordered him to serve as his sparring partner whenever he visited the Baojian Sect.
• Su Beichen offered Lin Shuguang a superior dark iron weapon and three Tongyou Pills, but Lin Shuguang said he was not interested and moved to close the door.

Lin Shuguang rejected Su Beichen’s demand for a sparring match unless he was paid, but Su Beichen broke into his courtyard and attacked anyway. Their fight pushed Lin Shuguang’s [Dark Prison] Gray Seal nearly to its limit before a clash sent him staggering back and refreshed the system state.

• Lin Shuguang refused Su Beichen’s offer to spar for five Tongyou Pills and demanded ten instead, then shut the door in his face.
• Su Beichen smashed through Lin Shuguang’s courtyard gate and attacked with his Spiritual Artifact longsword.
• Lin Shuguang drew his greatsword and countered Su Beichen’s increasingly forceful Baojian Sect sword techniques, driving him back once.
• Su Beichen dismissed the setback as having used only thirty percent of his strength, while Lin Shuguang demanded payment for the broken gate and trespass.
• Su Beichen attacked again with Yin Jian Peak’s Wushan Sword Technique as Lin Shuguang’s [Dark Prison] Gray Seal dwindled to its final sliver.
• Lin Shuguang struck again and forced Su Beichen to get serious, then staggered backward as [Dark Prison] refreshed and information flooded in.

Lin Shuguang unlocked the [Dark Prison] Dao patterns and defeated Su Beichen, who paid for the damaged gate before leaving. Elder Qu later shared a rare path-entering idea with no known cultivation method, then demonstrated what it meant to enter the Dao.

• Lin Shuguang discovered that [Dark Prison] increased all his attributes and darkness-type martial Dao comprehension, then used his hidden strength to drive Su Beichen back and demand payment for the damaged gate.
• A Su Family steward paid Lin Shuguang for the gate, and Su Beichen left after ordering that he would return the next day.
• Su Beichen rebuked his followers for claiming he had lost and warned them to cultivate harder.
• Chen Xiaoyang left with the Small Core Pill, workers replaced Lin Shuguang's gate, and Lin Shuguang found the [Sky-Breaking Axe] Dao patterns on his Attribute Panel.
• Elder Qu told Lin Shuguang that the Ancestor's manuscript described a path-entering technique based on cultivating one's own martial Dao, but offered no specific method.
• When Lin Shuguang asked what it meant to enter the Dao, Elder Qu enveloped the courtyard in profound mysteries.

Lin Shuguang used [Dark Prison] to grow stronger and turned Su Beichen into his main sparring partner while grinding proficiency for [Sky-Breaking Axe]. With the State Selection five days away, Su Beichen announced his final visit to the Baojian Sect, but Lin Shuguang charged at him again, still chasing the last sliver of proficiency.

• Lin Shuguang wondered whether equipping [Dark Prison] meant he had entered the Dao, then met Ji Daohe, who challenged him to meet at the State Selection in twenty days.
• Lin Shuguang fought Baojian Sect disciples for Small Core Pills while waiting for Su Beichen to return and help him build [Sky-Breaking Axe] proficiency.
• Su Beichen sparred with Lin Shuguang, grew increasingly pressured, and eventually abandoned his promise to use only Baojian Sect swordsmanship.
• Lin Shuguang spent the next dozen or so days earning pills and grinding proficiency through daily fights with Su Beichen, bringing [Sky-Breaking Axe] close to completion.
• Lin Shuguang and Su Beichen raised their power until their swords shattered in a clash, and Su Beichen said the State Selection in five days would be his last visit.
• Lin Shuguang urged Su Beichen not to leave and charged at him again, determined to finish grinding the remaining proficiency.

After Lin Shuguang fought Su Beichen on Clear Sword Peak, the Peak Master of Clear Sword Peak warned him that becoming the Baojian Sect’s Holy Son would draw attention and offered him resources. Lin Shuguang revealed his Core Realm breakthrough, prompting the peak master and the Sect Master to keep it secret and prepare support before the State Selection.

• Lin Shuguang fought Su Beichen barehanded on the Back Mountain, leaving him battered and the mountainside damaged.
• The Peak Master of Clear Sword Peak warned Lin Shuguang that his status as Holy Son would attract attention from within and beyond the Baojian Sect.
• Lin Shuguang demanded cultivation resources, took three Tongyou Pills, and told the peak master that Elder Qu had taken an interest in him.
• Lin Shuguang revealed that he had reached the Core Realm and claimed he had obtained the Dark Prison Star Instant Sword Array in a dream.
• The Peak Master of Clear Sword Peak reported Lin Shuguang’s breakthrough to the Sect Master, who ordered that it remain secret and that Lin Shuguang receive cultivation resources without a public celebration.

Lin Shuguang copied Su Beichen’s [Sky-Breaking Axe], dominated Baojian Sect disciples in the Training Ground, and dismissed Luo Zixu’s challenge. After Xu Baiyang explained the State Selection and warned him about Demon Mountain, Lin Shuguang departed for the competition, where Qin Xiaoyue spotted him.

• Lin Shuguang used [Sky-Breaking Axe] to overwhelm Baojian Sect disciples up to the Core Realm Third Heaven after Su Beichen left the sect.
• Luo Zixu challenged Lin Shuguang over his Holy Son position, but Lin Shuguang refused to fight and walked away.
• Xu Baiyang visited Lin Shuguang, shared Monkey Wine and beast meat with him, and explained the State Selection’s stages and the dangers of Demon Mountain.
• Lin Shuguang asked whether contestants could kill one another, and Xu Baiyang explained the rules against malicious killing.
• Lin Shuguang and the other Baojian Sect contestants boarded the Boundless Bright Day Treasure Boat for the State Selection, and Qin Xiaoyue recognized him from the crowd.

Lin Shuguang arrived at the Jade Void Palace for the State Selection as the Baojian Sect’s ancestor warned Sect Master Zhang Wuhao that the sect faced a crisis and had only five years left to prepare. Wang Yuanzhi began the beast trials, and Lin Shuguang watched with little interest, leaving the chapter as the competition got underway.

• Lin Shuguang and Xu Baiyang reached the Jade Void Palace, where Xu Baiyang explained its authority as the Great Qian Dynasty’s Imperial Lineage.
• Sect Master Zhang Wuhao visited the Baojian Sect’s ancestor, who said he had five years left and told Zhang to bring Lin Shuguang after he placed in the State Selection’s top ten.
• Zhang Wuhao learned that merchants in the three southwestern provinces had suspended cooperation and ordered the sect to cut ties with them and lower prices in its own province.
• At the Jade Void Palace, Lin Shuguang spoke with Su Beichen, who identified Huo Yuyang as Wang Yuanzhi’s personal disciple and said he had beaten him before.
• Wang Yuanzhi announced the State Selection’s rules, and the first contestants began facing ox demons on the challenge platforms.
• Su Beichen complained about the weak beasts, then discovered Lin Shuguang had fallen asleep while the trials continued.

Lin Shuguang took the State Selection stage after several competitors struggled against the ox demons, and he killed four with swift saber strikes. His performance stunned Su Beichen and angered Luo Zixu, while a mysterious observer connected the Baojian Sect’s prospects to Xuanyuan City’s growing displeasure.

• Lin Shuguang sensed one of his clones had broken through, raising his Strength, Defense, Constitution, and Mental power.
• Liu Yuanhao defeated three ox demons but withdrew injured, while a Haoyue Sect disciple was badly wounded after misjudging an ox demon’s tough hide.
• Xiong Chumo killed four ox demons with decisive saber strikes and earned full marks, drawing the attention of the other contestants.
• A mysterious observer said Xuanyuan City was displeased after a Baojian Sect figure refused entry twice and noted that merchants had canceled cooperation with the sect.
• Lin Shuguang entered the stage and killed four ox demons with clean saber strikes, startling Su Beichen and prompting Luo Zixu to blame his cultivation resources.

Lin Shuguang fought a newly advanced fourth-heaven ox demon after the Jade Void Palace allowed him to pass by surviving for one incense stick. He outlasted the beast for five incense sticks, revealed a new Beast God Soul Dao Pattern, and returned to the waiting area as the competition continued.

• Lin Shuguang switched from the Dark Prison Dao Pattern to Sky-Breaking Axe and quickly defeated four ox demons, surprising Su Beichen with his saber skills.
• A fourth-heaven ox demon appeared for Lin Shuguang’s fifth round; Wang Yuanzhi accepted the explanation that it had just broken through and ruled that Lin Shuguang would pass if he survived one incense stick.
• Lin Shuguang fought the ox demon, using speed and repeated attacks to wound it despite being injured himself, then continued fighting after the examiner announced his time was up.
• A Beast God Soul Dao Pattern appeared on Lin Shuguang’s Attribute Panel, and he equipped it during the prolonged battle to strengthen himself against the ox demon.
• After five incense sticks, the examiner pulled the exhausted ox demon back into its cage, and Lin Shuguang returned to the waiting area battered and bloodied.
• Su Beichen offered Lin Shuguang a Blood Strengthening Pill; Lin Shuguang asked if it was poisoned, then took it and thanked him.