Recaps

Liu Chenggong captured Chu Huai Xu and brought him to the Enforcement Hall Dungeon, where Liu Tianfeng dismissed Chu Huai Xu as unworthy after discovering his low-grade Spirit Fetus. As Liu Tianfeng used his authority to intimidate Chu Huai Xu, an unknown man challenged him.

• Liu Chenggong told Chu Huai Xu that Liu Chengqi was his cousin and the son of a powerful Outer Sect Steward, then ordered two subordinates to capture Han Shuangjiang.
• Liu Chenggong took Chu Huai Xu to the Enforcement Hall Dungeon, where Liu Chengqi waited with his injuries healed.
• Liu Tianfeng examined Chu Huai Xu's blood, found his Spirit Fetus was low-grade, and told Liu Chenggong and Liu Chengqi to do whatever they wanted with him.
• Chu Huai Xu argued that he had acted in self-defense, but Liu Tianfeng declared that injuring his son broke his own rules and struck Chu Huai Xu with a Spiritual Power-laced shout.
• An unknown man criticized Liu Tianfeng's display of authority.

Niu Yuanshan intervened when Liu Tianfeng confronted Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang in the Dungeon, then revealed that Sixth Elder Li Chunsong had personally brought them to the sect. Although Liu Tianfeng let them go, Niu Yuanshan noticed Chu Huai Xu’s injury and refused to leave without addressing it.

• Niu Yuanshan arrived in the Dungeon and stepped between Chu Huai Xu and Liu Tianfeng, while Han Shuangjiang worried over Chu Huai Xu’s wounded arm.
• Liu Tianfeng demanded that Niu Yuanshan hand over Chu Huai Xu for punishment, but Niu Yuanshan defended him and said Liu Chengqi had started the trouble.
• Liu Tianfeng tried to seize Chu Huai Xu, and Niu Yuanshan blocked him before warning him to consider why he was intervening.
• Niu Yuanshan privately told Liu Tianfeng that Sixth Elder Li Chunsong had personally brought Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang up the mountain, prompting Liu Tianfeng to back down.
• As Niu Yuanshan prepared to leave with Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang, he noticed Chu Huai Xu’s injury and said they could not simply leave.

Niu Yuanshan pressured Liu Tianfeng into giving Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang two Jade Token Fragments, completing Chu Huai Xu’s quest and unlocking the Pill King Token Hidden Dungeon. After appearing to accept the settlement, Chu Huai Xu struck Liu Chengqi again and demanded that Liu Tianfeng explain which rule he had broken.

• Liu Tianfeng apologized to Chu Huai Xu and offered to visit with gifts, while Niu Yuanshan suggested he hand over two Jade Token Fragments.
• Liu Tianfeng gave one Jade Token Fragment each to Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang, and Chu Huai Xu received 1,000 Experience Points and unlocked the Pill King Token Hidden Dungeon.
• Niu Yuanshan asked whether Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang were satisfied, and Han Shuangjiang deferred to Chu Huai Xu.
• Chu Huai Xu struck Liu Chengqi in the chest, breaking the ribs that had just been healed, while Niu Yuanshan held Liu Tianfeng back.
• Chu Huai Xu asked Liu Tianfeng to explain again which rule he had broken.

After Chu Huai Xu beat Liu Chengqi, Steward Liu suppressed his anger and accepted that his son had broken the rules. Niu Yuanshan then explained that the Jade Token Fragments he had obtained for Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang were keys to a Secret Realm left by an official disciple of the Pill King, and that only people without Spiritual Power could enter.

• Chu Huai Xu refused to back down after injuring Liu Chengqi, and Liu Tianfeng yielded to the Sixth Elder’s authority and promised to discipline his son.
• Chu Huai Xu left the dungeon with Niu Yuanshan and Han Shuangjiang, grateful for Niu Yuanshan’s support.
• Niu Yuanshan told Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang about the Pill King, his many disciples, and the Pill King Tokens that proved official disciples’ identities.
• Niu Yuanshan revealed that their Jade Token Fragments were pieces of a Pill King Token and keys to a Secret Realm left by one of the Pill King’s official disciples.
• Niu Yuanshan explained that only people without Spiritual Power could enter the Secret Realm, making Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang eligible.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang learned why Liu Tianfeng sought the Pill King Secret Realm and heard Niu Yuanshan’s advice about cultivation and the Dao Sect. Chu Huai Xu mistook Niu’s guidance for a covert mission to infiltrate the sect, but the Mission System did not respond.

• Niu Yuanshan explained that the Pill King Token could let up to ten people enter a Secret Realm beneath a Cold Pool, whose chill had recently weakened.
• Niu Yuanshan revealed that Liu Tianfeng hoped the Secret Realm held a Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill to restore his son Liu Chengqi’s damaged Spiritual Embryo.
• Niu Yuanshan advised Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang to accept the Dao Sect’s selection process and prove themselves rather than expect special treatment.
• Chu Huai Xu interpreted Niu Yuanshan’s advice as an assignment from the Moon Kingdom organization to infiltrate the Dao Sect’s inner circle and declared his loyalty.
• Chu Huai Xu noticed that the Mission System had not triggered a side mission despite what he believed was an accepted task.

After the conflict with Steward Liu, Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang returned home with a Jade Token Fragment each and grew closer on the way. Chu Huai Xu remained suspicious of the Mission System, then spent his 1,000 Experience Points to advance three levels and open three more orifices.

• Niu Yuanshan wondered how Chu Huai Xu had opened two orifices despite having a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus, then slapped himself for violating the Admonition against excessive curiosity.
• Chu Huai Xu found that the Mission System still would not respond to his attempts to accept missions or speak with people, and suspected he might be able to act as a double agent.
• Han Shuangjiang thanked Chu Huai Xu and offered him her Jade Token Fragment, but he told her to keep it and help him in the Secret Realm instead.
• Chu Huai Xu told Han Shuangjiang about Steward Liu's past and predicted Liu would visit with lavish gifts; Han Shuangjiang refused to bet on it.
• Chu Huai Xu used 1,000 Experience Points to raise the Sword Refining Art to its fifth level and broke through three orifices.

Chu Huai Xu endured a painful cultivation breakthrough, grew stronger, and helped Han Shuangjiang master a palm technique. When Liu Tianfeng arrived with gifts, Chu Huai Xu recognized a disguised servant as Xu Ziqing, one of the Four World Protagonists of "Borrowed Sword."

• Han Shuangjiang heard Chu Huai Xu scream through another painful breakthrough, then returned to cultivating after he assured her he was fine.
• Chu Huai Xu tested his increased strength, praised Han Shuangjiang's cooking, and discovered that she had opened her third acupoint.
• Chu Huai Xu taught Han Shuangjiang the Eight Wastelands Roaming Dragon, and she quickly mastered it.
• Liu Tianfeng visited the Bamboo House with Liu Chengqi, Liu Chenggong, servants, and gifts, then discovered that Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang had both advanced.
• Chu Huai Xu spotted a short servant among Liu Tianfeng's entourage and identified him as Xu Ziqing, one of the Four World Protagonists of "Borrowed Sword."

After joining Liu Tianfeng’s household as an odd-job worker, Xu Ziqing carried gifts to the Bamboo House and met Chu Huai Xu, whose attention immediately fixed on him. The chapter ended with everyone staring at Xu Ziqing and checking whether he was a man.

• Xu Ziqing regretted believing the Storyteller’s promise of a fortuitous encounter, but vowed to enter the Dao Sect and avenge his family.
• Xu Ziqing joined Liu Tianfeng’s household as one of three new odd-job workers and was assigned filthy, exhausting chores.
• Liu Tianfeng summoned the workers to carry gifts to the Bamboo House, where Xu Ziqing envied the Outer Sect Disciples and noticed Chu Huai Xu.
• Chu Huai Xu unexpectedly pointed at Xu Ziqing and declared that he wanted him as an odd-job worker.
• Everyone looked at Xu Ziqing’s face, Adam’s apple, and chest to determine whether he was a man.

Chu Huai Xu took Xu Ziqing as his servant, delighting in the thought that he had brought two World Protagonists under his command. After scanning Xu Ziqing, he discovered the young man had a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus and wondered why the Dao Ancestor’s sword had chosen him.

• Chu Huai Xu insisted on taking Xu Ziqing, and Liu Tianfeng handed over the servant’s indenture.
• Chu Huai Xu accepted Xu Ziqing’s gifts and assigned him to sort them while Han Shuangjiang continued practicing the Eight Wastelands Roaming Dragon.
• Chu Huai Xu used Information Scan on Xu Ziqing and discovered his Pseudo-Spirit Fetus.
• Chu Huai Xu reflected that Xu Ziqing had always lagged behind the other World Protagonists in cultivation, then wondered why the Dao Ancestor’s sword had chosen him.

Chu Huai Xu recalled the conflicting legends about the ownerless Evil Sword and realized he knew where it was and how to qualify to reach it. After checking the gifts and watching Han Shuangjiang practice, he agreed to let Xu Ziqing learn her palm technique, only for Xu Ziqing to imitate it and produce a wave of palm wind.

• Chu Huai Xu reviewed competing stories about the Evil Sword, which the Dao Ancestor had supposedly tamed, and noted that it was still ownerless in 1990.
• Chu Huai Xu checked Liu Tianfeng's gifts and found Qi Gathering Pills but no silver.
• Chu Huai Xu considered how the pills could help him and Han Shuangjiang cultivate, while warning himself against relying on them too heavily.
• Chu Huai Xu watched Han Shuangjiang practice Eight Wastelands Roaming Dragon and noticed Xu Ziqing watching closely.
• Chu Huai Xu agreed to let Xu Ziqing learn the palm technique, and Xu Ziqing immediately copied a stance and sent out a wave of palm wind.

Xu Ziqing showed off his Mortal Martial Arts skills, while Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang discovered that their Pill King Token Fragments were glowing, signaling that the Secret Realm was about to open. Liu Chengqi and Liu Tianfeng also learned that the opening was near, and Liu Tianfeng found that the Cold Pool’s cold qi had been completely absorbed.

• Xu Ziqing demonstrated the Eight Wastelands Roaming Dragon, impressing Han Shuangjiang and irritating Chu Huai Xu with his quick learning.
• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang found their Pill King Token Fragments glowing and agreed to prepare before going to the Cold Pool.
• Liu Chengqi saw his fragment glow, rejoiced that the Secret Realm was opening, and went to find Liu Tianfeng.
• Liu Tianfeng sensed that the Cold Pool’s cold qi had been completely absorbed.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang entered the Dao Sect Secret Realm with Liu Chengqi’s group, where ten cave entrances awaited them. After choosing the seventh and eighth entrances, Chu Huai Xu stopped Han Shuangjiang and said he would enter with her rather than split up.

• Liu Tianfeng led Chu Huai Xu, Han Shuangjiang, Niu Yuanshan, and seven Registered Disciples to the Cold Pool and gave everyone Water Repelling Beads.
• The group used the Pill King Token Fragments at the bottom of the pool, and a vortex pulled them into the Secret Realm.
• Chu Huai Xu recognized a System prompt announcing the Pill King Token dungeon as the group arrived before ten cave entrances.
• Han Shuangjiang chose the seventh entrance, and Chu Huai Xu claimed the seventh and eighth entrances for them.
• As Han Shuangjiang started toward the seventh entrance, Chu Huai Xu took her arm and said he would go in with her.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang explored a vast maze beneath the Cold Pool, with Chu Huai Xu repeatedly making her choose their route. They remained lost as Han Shuangjiang grew frustrated and eventually needed to stop to pee.

• Han Shuangjiang agreed to enter Cave Seven with Chu Huai Xu after he insisted they stay together.
• They navigated a series of forks, and Han Shuangjiang chose paths while Chu Huai Xu teased her as “Big Ice Block.”
• Chu Huai Xu discovered that his Map function had stopped recording the maze after one fork, so he began leaving marks.
• After hours of choosing paths without finding an exit or retracing their steps, Han Shuangjiang grew discouraged and asked Chu Huai Xu to choose.
• Chu Huai Xu offered Han Shuangjiang a flatbread, and they ate before continuing through the maze.
• Han Shuangjiang hurriedly picked the middle path and told Chu Huai Xu to go ahead without looking back because she needed to pee.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang escaped an illusionary maze that had kept them circling the same open space, and Chu Huai Xu suspected his Heart Sword had helped shatter it. They stood at the eleventh fork, where he realized Han Shuangjiang had correctly chosen all ten paths that led there.

• Chu Huai Xu gave Han Shuangjiang privacy while she relieved herself, then eased their awkwardness by pretending he needed to pee too.
• At another fork, Chu Huai Xu sensed something was wrong and identified the maze as an Illusionary realm, causing it to shatter.
• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang found themselves in a vast flagstoned space at the eleventh fork, with ten paths leading to it.
• Chu Huai Xu concluded that all ten Secret Realm entrances led to the same space and that Han Shuangjiang had chosen correctly at every fork.
• Chu Huai Xu noticed his Heart Sword tremble once when he named the Illusionary realm, just before the illusion collapsed.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang passed through a hidden door to an underground river and found a Spirit Disk guarding the next stone door. After Chu Huai Xu suspected the river was protected by a Formation, Han Shuangjiang prepared to test it herself, then quickly opened a fifth aperture to match his cultivation.

• Chu Huai Xu found a mechanism that opened a stone door, and he and Han Shuangjiang entered a passage while planning to trap Liu Chengqi and the others in the Illusionary realm.
• They emerged beside an underground river and found a Spirit Disk before another stone door; Chu Huai Xu deduced that Han Shuangjiang’s Spiritual Fetus grade might be needed to open it.
• Chu Huai Xu tested the river by throwing stones and discovered a Transparent Barrier blocked the opposite bank, though the stones did not trigger anything in the water.
• Han Shuangjiang offered to enter the river, but Chu Huai Xu tried to go first because he had opened five apertures while she had opened four.
• Han Shuangjiang cultivated the Ice Purity Art beside him and opened a fifth aperture, matching Chu Huai Xu.

Han Shuangjiang entered the pool to open the stone gate, but the trial trapped her underwater among multiplying Water Blades and healing Body Tempering Potion. When the barrier kept her from escaping and she asked Chu Huai Xu to find a way through, he jumped into the water to help.

• Han Shuangjiang broke through the Fifth Aperture and plunged into the river to activate the trial.
• The Formation turned the river into a pool and attacked Han Shuangjiang with Water Blades that cut her skin and clothes.
• Dark green Body Tempering Potion poured from four holes and rapidly healed Han Shuangjiang’s wounds.
• Han Shuangjiang reached the opposite bank but could not pass its Transparent Barrier, while the Water Blades continued multiplying.
• Han Shuangjiang urged Chu Huai Xu to look for a way through, and he leapt into the pool.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang endured the Water Blade pool trial, which let Chu Huai Xu temper his body and absorb the Aperture Opening Pill more quickly. He shielded Han Shuangjiang from the blades, but their close positioning left them flustered as the trial continued.

• Chu Huai Xu entered the pool, discovered that the Water Blades multiplied with each person in the water, and confirmed that the trial had a thirty-minute countdown.
• As Chu Huai Xu swam through the blades, his wounds and the Body Tempering Potion rapidly increased his Cultivation Technique Experience Points.
• Han Shuangjiang struggled to endure the growing number of Water Blades while her wounds healed and her clothes were torn.
• Chu Huai Xu reached Han Shuangjiang at the far wall and pressed her against it to block the Water Blades from striking her.
• After Chu Huai Xu explained that the pool helped him with Body Tempering, Han Shuangjiang tried to adjust her position, then blushed when they accidentally brushed against each other.

Chu Huai Xu endured the underwater trial with Han Shuangjiang while questioning her about a Storyteller she had met in Willow County. He realized the Storyteller was likely the Dao Sect’s infamous Junior Uncle, leaving him alarmed by the danger and power of the man now connected to his fate.

• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang endured the growing Water Blades together, and he assured her the trial would end after they lasted long enough.
• Han Shuangjiang asked Chu Huai Xu about the trial and tried to ease the awkward silence, accidentally rubbing against him again.
• Chu Huai Xu asked Han Shuangjiang about the Storyteller she had encountered in Willow County, and she described him as an unreliable, vain Great Cultivator.
• Chu Huai Xu concluded that the Storyteller was likely the Dao Sect Junior Uncle, a former Ninth Realm cultivator known for killing demons for sixty years.
• Chu Huai Xu feared the Junior Uncle might discover how he had joined the Dao Sect, while Han Shuangjiang noticed him shudder.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang endured the Water Blade trial together, growing awkwardly aware of their close physical contact. After the trial ended, Han Shuangjiang used the Spirit Disk to open the way forward, but the stone door remained shut.

• Chu Huai Xu thought about the Dao Sect's Demon Purging Junior Uncle and focused on surviving the trial to gain Experience Points.
• Han Shuangjiang misunderstood Chu Huai Xu's shiver, then grew embarrassed when she realized she'd misread him.
• As they endured the Water Blades, Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang repeatedly brushed against each other and became increasingly self-conscious.
• A noise and Liu Chengqi's angry shout startled Han Shuangjiang, making her press against Chu Huai Xu before he reassured her that no one would enter soon.
• When the trial ended, Han Shuangjiang climbed out and placed her hand on the Spirit Disk, which registered her Nine Yin Physique and Super Grade Spiritual Embryo, but the stone door did not open.

Chu Huai Xu opened the secret chamber after the Spirit Disk responded to his Low Grade Spiritual Embryo, then found a pill that could improve it and a message from the chamber’s owner. The message encouraged him to keep pursuing the Great Dao despite his lack of aptitude.

• Chu Huai Xu finished absorbing the Body Tempering Potion and discovered that Han Shuangjiang’s Super Grade Spiritual Embryo had not opened the stone door.
• Chu Huai Xu touched the Spirit Disk, whose pointer moved only one mark, and the stone door opened.
• Chu Huai Xu took the Spirit Disk, and he and Han Shuangjiang entered the chamber, where the door closed behind them.
• Chu Huai Xu found a Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill, a Level 7 pill that could heal a damaged Spiritual Embryo and potentially raise its grade.
• Chu Huai Xu read Lei Wenyen’s message, which described the chamber’s trials and urged later generations not to abandon their ambitions because of a low-grade Spiritual Embryo.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang discovered that Lei Wenyen had left the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill as a gift for cultivators with limited innate aptitude, and the System rewarded Chu Huai Xu for clearing the Hidden Dungeon. Chu Huai Xu began consuming the pill in the sealed chamber, while outside the Secret Realm a strange aura spread from the Cold Pool and Liu Chenggong’s sword trembled.

• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang read Lei Wenyen’s message and realized why he had left the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill for later cultivators.
• The System declared the Hidden Dungeon: Pill King Token cleared and awarded Chu Huai Xu 1,000 free Experience Points and one Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill.
• Chu Huai Xu asked Han Shuangjiang to guard him as he cultivated inside the sealed chamber, then swallowed the pill and felt its warmth spread through his body.
• Han Shuangjiang watched Chu Huai Xu grow red and steam as the black Heart Sword in his Sea of Consciousness became active.
• At the Cold Pool, Liu Tianfeng worried about Liu Chengqi as more entrants were eliminated, including Meng Xiaodong.
• A wondrous aura spread from the Cold Pool, and Liu Chenggong’s sword began trembling uncontrollably.

A mysterious ripple from the Cold Pool made swords across the Dao Sect react, and Shen Man identified it as the Clear Heart Sword. Inside the Secret Realm, Chu Huai Xu absorbed the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill, gained two Spiritual Embryo Attribute points, and unlocked the Clear Heart Sword divine ability.

• Liu Chenggong's Azure Pine sword trembled beside the Cold Pool, and Liu Tianfeng and Niu Yuanshan suspected that a power beneath the pool had caused the disturbance.
• Mo Qingmei's Destined Spirit Sword began trembling, so she headed toward the Cold Pool to investigate.
• Chu Yinyin visited Shen Man in the Purple Bamboo Forest, where her own sword reacted to the ripple and Shen Man identified it as the Clear Heart Sword.
• Chu Yinyin flew toward Medicine Mountain after realizing the anomaly had originated in the Outer Sect.
• Chu Huai Xu absorbed the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill, gained two Spiritual Embryo Attribute points, and unlocked the Clear Heart Sword divine ability.

After taking the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill, Chu Huai Xu raised his Spiritual Fetus to Level 3 and unexpectedly awakened the Clear Heart Sword divine ability. He sensed its power inside his Little black sword and wondered whether he could still develop a Sword Heart himself.

• Chu Huai Xu used the Spirit Disk and found that the pill had raised his Spiritual Fetus by two levels.
• Chu Huai Xu realized he had awakened Clear Heart Sword at Level 3, surprising Han Shuangjiang.
• Chu Huai Xu examined the divine ability and learned that it enhanced all Sword Arts by 100%.
• Chu Huai Xu sensed the Little black sword had grown more active and that Clear Heart Sword's power was hidden within it.
• Chu Huai Xu wondered whether he could still develop a Sword Heart himself.

Sword Spirits reacted violently to an anomaly beneath the Cold Pool, drawing the Outer Sect stewards and Dao Sect elders to investigate. Chu Yinyin learned the disturbance was linked to Clear Heart Sword, but the elders kept the details from her and went to question Shen Man, who finally broke the array silencing Chu Yinyin.

• Sword Cultivators gathered at the Cold Pool as the stewards debated the anomaly, and Liu Tianfeng reported that Chu Huai Xu, Han Shuangjiang, and Liu Chengqi were inside the Secret Realm.
• Chu Yinyin arrived and tried to explain the anomaly, but Sect Leader Xiang Yan repeatedly silenced her before she could reveal its cause.
• Xiang Yan and the elders discussed Shen Man's claim that Clear Heart Sword had caused the anomaly, while Chu Yinyin struggled to overhear them.
• Xiang Yan led the elders to the Purple Bamboo Forest to question Shen Man, and Lu Pan silenced Chu Yinyin again when she refused to join them.
• Shen Man broke the Sound-Sealing Array that Chu Yinyin had been unable to overcome.

Shen Man volunteered to join the secret realm matter despite the Seventh Realm restriction, and the Dao Sect elders discussed Chu Huai Xu’s extraordinary Clear Heart Sword. The chapter ended with Shen Man revealing that Chu Huai Xu had reached Great Perfection in the Sword Dao without even having a sword.

• Xiang Yan explained that only cultivators below the Seventh Realm were barred from the secret, but Chu Yinyin suggested lowering its level and Shen Man volunteered to go.
• Shen Man confirmed that the Aperture Opening Stage disciple beneath the Cold Pool had Clear Heart Sword, astounding the Dao Sect elders.
• The elders compared Chu Huai Xu’s comprehension to the Sword Sect’s Sword Venerable and mocked the Sword Sect’s claims about him.
• Chu Yinyin learned the disciple was Chu Huai Xu and decided to make him her True Disciple, despite the others insisting she could not teach him.
• Xiang Yan ordered the Sixth Elder to bring Chu Huai Xu to them after he left Secluded Cultivation, and Shen Man revealed that he had no sword.