Chapter Summaries

Chu Huai Xu began a rainy-night game scenario and confronted a stubbled man who tried to extort him before revealing that Chu was headed for the Dao Sect. Chu killed the man in a blade fight, then realized he could not find the button to quit the game.

• Chu Huai Xu found himself on a forest path in the rain with a short blade and an oil-paper umbrella.
• The Stubbled Man demanded fifty taels or threatened to take Chu Huai Xu to the Heavenly Prison, then attacked after seeing his hundred-tael banknote.
• The Stubbled Man revealed that Chu Huai Xu was a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus trying to enter the Dao Sect, and Chu said he was a physical education specialty student.
• Chu Huai Xu fought the Stubbled Man, used precise blade control to slit his throat, and kicked him away.
• Chu Huai Xu picked up his umbrella and then wondered where the game’s quit button was.

Chu Huai Xu entered the game Borrowed Sword to create a new account, but discovered he could not log out and that his character had become an NPC. After realizing he might have transmigrated into the game, he vented his frustration on the dead man who had attacked him.

• Chu Huai Xu created a new Borrowed Sword account, expecting to sell its valuable starting setup to one of his female guild-manager clients.
• After logging in, Chu Huai Xu found that he could not log out and that most game functions, including pain adjustment, no longer worked.
• Chu Huai Xu noticed the game timeline had shifted from the 1997th year of the Xuan Calendar to the 1990th year.
• Chu Huai Xu checked his Character Panel and discovered that his character template identified him as an NPC rather than a player.
• Chu Huai Xu lamented the money and companion bookings he had left behind, then crouched beside the stubbled man's corpse and slapped him.

Chu Huai Xu killed the Stubbled Man and tried to uncover why he had been accused of infiltrating the Dao Sect, but his information functions remained restricted. Two Moon Kingdom agents watching him debated his potential and suitability for undercover work, while Chu Huai Xu received notice that his Mission System permissions were about to unlock.

• Chu Huai Xu failed to scan the Stubbled Man for information and wondered why he had been accused of trying to infiltrate the Dao Sect.
• Chu Huai Xu reflected on his strength and bodily control, then heard that his Mission System permissions were about to unlock.
• The Golden Mask Man and Silver Mask Man revealed that they had arranged for the Patrol Office to pursue Chu Huai Xu as a lesson for the newcomer.
• The masked agents praised Chu Huai Xu's skill but worried that his temper made him a poor fit for undercover work.
• The Golden Mask Man ordered the Silver Mask Man to follow the organization's plan, and both agents assumed Chu Huai Xu shared their loyalty.

Chu Huai Xu activated the Mission System, learned that the Patrol Office was pursuing him, and fled toward Wumeng Mountain for safety. At the mountain’s foot, he encountered a veiled woman who called him a top-grade Cultivation Cauldron.

• Chu Huai Xu confirmed he had no memories of his character and resolved not to infiltrate the Dao Sect, then received a high Initial Completion Rating from the Mission System.
• Chu Huai Xu searched Xue Hu’s corpse for loot and ran after the Mission System issued a quest to escape the Patrol Office.
• Two masked members of the organization ended their observation and departed, leaving Chu Huai Xu unaware they had watched him.
• Chu Huai Xu chose Wumeng Mountain as his escape route, reasoning that the Dao Sect’s influence would deter the Patrol Office.
• Chu Huai Xu reached the mountain’s foot and encountered a veiled woman, who identified him as a top-grade Cultivation Cauldron.

Chu Huai Xu recognized the veiled woman who had approached him as Han Shuangjiang, a World Protagonist whose rumored past involved a brothel and the Joyful Sect. Their awkward encounter was interrupted by a mysterious figure arriving from the sky, who stopped every raindrop around them.

• Chu Huai Xu identified the veiled woman as Han Shuangjiang and recalled rumors about her upbringing and escape from the Joyful Sect.
• Han Shuangjiang felt confused and embarrassed after calling Chu Huai Xu a high-grade Cultivation Cauldron.
• Chu Huai Xu interpreted Han Shuangjiang's remark as confirmation of the rumors and regarded her with amusement.
• An unseen figure laughed from above and called Chu Huai Xu a fool for standing in the rain.
• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang looked skyward as the rain froze in midair around them.

Li Chunsong arrived at Wumeng Mountain and revealed himself as a Seventh-Realm Dao Sect elder, then took Han Shuangjiang and Chu Huai Xu back to the Dao Sect. Meanwhile, Xu Ziqing was surrounded by the Patrol Office in the nearby forest.

• Li Chunsong froze the rain around Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang, and Han Shuangjiang realized he was a Great Cultivator.
• Han Shuangjiang recognized his arrival as the opportunity the Storyteller had promised to help her join the Dao Sect.
• Chu Huai Xu recognized Li Chunsong and worried that his suspected ties to the Moon Kingdom could be exposed.
• Li Chunsong asked their names, then lifted Han Shuangjiang and Chu Huai Xu into the air and brought them toward the Dao Sect.
• Xu Ziqing hurried through the forest near Wumeng Mountain and found himself surrounded by the Patrol Office.

Xu Ziqing raced to Biyou Meadow hoping to join the Dao Sect, while Chu Huai Xu realized that his actions might have put him on the path of a World Protagonist. Li Chunsong brought Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang into the Dao Sect, leaving Chu Huai Xu to worry that he had inherited someone else's script.

• Xu Ziqing was detained by Patrol Office members, paid them to let him pass, and overheard them admit they had shaken him down because their murdered colleague Xue Hu was unpopular.
• Xu Ziqing hurried to Biyou Meadow and arrived beneath its largest tree just before midnight, determined to join the Dao Sect.
• Chu Huai Xu learned that his mission to escape the Patrol Office had earned him experience points and confirmed that only he could hear the System prompts.
• Chu Huai Xu suspected that he had become a World Protagonist after recalling that Li Chunsong had brought Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing to the Dao Sect together.
• Li Chunsong led Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang through the Dao Sect's Mountain Protection Array and landed with them at a courtyard on the Outer Mountain.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang became Registered Disciples of the Dao Sect, and Sixth Elder Li Chunsong made them promise to conceal their encounter with a Storyteller. After examining their blood, he discovered Han Shuangjiang had a Profound Yin Physique but found nothing noteworthy about Chu Huai Xu, then introduced them to Outer Sect Deacon Niu Yuanshan, whose face startled Chu Huai Xu.

• Li Chunsong explained that Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang were now Registered Disciples on Medicine Mountain.
• Li Chunsong warned them to deny ever seeing a Storyteller, and both disciples agreed.
• Li Chunsong drew blood to make their Life Tokens and discovered that Han Shuangjiang possessed a Profound Yin Physique.
• Li Chunsong examined Chu Huai Xu and found no special physique or talent, then summoned Outer Sect Deacon Niu Yuanshan to arrange their placement.
• Chu Huai Xu and Niu Yuanshan looked at each other and both wondered why it was him.

Niu Yuanshan recognized Chu Huai Xu as a fellow Moon Kingdom spy and arranged accommodations for him and Han Shuangjiang while Li Chunsong assigned them cultivation methods. Meanwhile, Xu Ziqing waited in the rain for the promised escort to the Dao Sect until he realized the Storyteller had lied to him.

• Niu Yuanshan was astonished when Li Chunsong brought Chu Huai Xu to his residence as a Registered Disciple, and Chu Huai Xu recognized Niu Yuanshan from Forum posts as an exposed Moon Kingdom spy.
• Niu Yuanshan gave Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang their Tokens and neighboring Bamboo House residences, then asked Li Chunsong about their cultivation methods.
• Li Chunsong chose the Ice Purity Art for Han Shuangjiang but told Chu Huai Xu that any method would do, then left to place bets with the Sect Leader and his fellow elders.
• Xu Ziqing waited drenched beneath the ancient tree at Biyou Meadow, grew cold and desperate, and finally cried out that the Storyteller had lied to him.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang officially joined the Mirror Kingdom Dao Sect and received cultivation methods to choose from. After scanning the available options, Chu Huai Xu finally found the method he wanted while Han Shuangjiang waited beside him.

• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang bound their identity Tokens with blood and officially joined the Dao Sect, triggering Chu Huai Xu's faction rewards.
• Niu Yuanshan gave Han Shuangjiang the Ice Purity Art and invited Chu Huai Xu to choose an Aperture Opening Stage cultivation method.
• Chu Huai Xu scanned the methods for their Match Rates while Han Shuangjiang stayed despite his sharp suggestion that she leave.
• After searching through the Jade slips for a long time, Chu Huai Xu finally found the cultivation method he wanted.

Chu Huai Xu chose the Sword Refining Art and settled into his new residence, where he examined his character attributes and used his random point on Physique. He turned to the predecessors’ notes before beginning cultivation and found a blunt warning on the first page.

• Chu Huai Xu selected the Sword Refining Art, and Niu Yuanshan gave him and Han Shuangjiang booklets of cultivation insights.
• Niu Yuanshan watched Chu Huai Xu leave, recalled reprimanding a Silver Mask Man while on newcomer reception duty, and slapped himself for prying into fellow members’ affairs.
• Chu Huai Xu reached his Bamboo House beside Han Shuangjiang’s and checked his character panel, finding 200 Experience Points and one Random Attribute Point.
• Chu Huai Xu spun his attribute wheel and received a point in Physique, then decided he needed to learn a cultivation method before raising his character level.
• Chu Huai Xu opened the Sword Refining Art booklet first and found the words “Don't Cultivate!” on its first page.

Chu Huai Xu chose the Sword Refining Art and began cultivating after taking an Aperture Opening Pill. Meanwhile, Dao Sect elders discussed him and Han Shuangjiang, whose Profound Yin Physique might allow her to gain the recognition of the sword left behind by the Dao Ancestor.

• Chu Huai Xu found only contradictory advice in the Sword Refining Art booklet, but trusted its 93% Match Rate and learned the method from a Jade slip.
• Chu Huai Xu swallowed an Aperture Opening Pill and began cultivating the Sword Refining Art.
• Li Chunsong told the Dao Sect’s senior leaders that he had brought Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang back from Biyou Meadow on Wumeng Mountain.
• The elders kept the matter secret from Chu Yinyin because she had not reached the Seventh Realm, and she left the hall in anger.
• Li Chunsong revealed that Han Shuangjiang had the Profound Yin Physique, prompting Nangong Yue to ask whether she could gain the recognition of the Dao Ancestor’s sword.

Dao Sect elders discussed Chu Huai Xu’s Pseudo-Spirit Fetus, arranged a wager over how quickly he would open his first orifice, and watched him begin cultivating the Sword Refining Art. The chapter ended with Chu Huai Xu opening his first orifice in only three breaths, shocking everyone.

• Sect Leader Xiang Yan and the elders discussed Han Shuangjiang’s Profound Yin Physique and wondered why Junior Uncle had chosen Chu Huai Xu, a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus.
• Li Chunsong confirmed that Chu Huai Xu had a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus, and the elders agreed to choose a cultivation method for him after he reached the First Realm.
• Li Chunsong proposed a wager on how soon Chu Huai Xu would open his first orifice, and the elders bet he would do it within three days.
• Xiang Yan sensed that Chu Huai Xu’s nine orifices were tightly sealed, while the elders used their Spiritual Senses to observe him and Han Shuangjiang cultivating.
• Chu Huai Xu began cultivating the Sword Refining Art and opened his first orifice in three breaths.

Chu Huai Xu used Experience Points to open an orifice almost instantly, but the cultivation method’s brutal body-tempering caused him to pass out. Sixth Elder Li Chunsong recognized the method as an unconventional heretical technique, while Han Shuangjiang remained at Chu Huai Xu’s side.

• Chu Huai Xu spent 79 Experience Points to reach Character Level 1 and opened an orifice in three breaths.
• The experts at Inquiry Peak were shocked by Chu Huai Xu’s rapid breakthrough, and Li Chunsong celebrated winning his bet.
• Chu Huai Xu was overwhelmed by pain, fell from his bed, and passed out after understanding the Jade slip’s instructions.
• Han Shuangjiang heard Chu Huai Xu scream, went to check on him, and tried to open his locked door.
• Li Chunsong arrived, broke open the door, confirmed Chu Huai Xu was not seriously injured, and identified the Jade slip’s method as a heretical technique based on artifact refining.

After waking from a painful breakthrough, Chu Huai Xu chose a Sword Spirit Embryo and obtained the Dust-Covered Heart Sword. Meanwhile, Niu Yuanshan spent the night worrying about him after Sixth Elder Li Chunsong investigated the Sword Refining Art.

• Chu Huai Xu woke as Han Shuangjiang cared for him, then realized his cultivation had grown stronger after practicing the Sword Refining Art.
• Chu Huai Xu wrote “Peerless Divine Art!” in the booklet despite its earlier warnings against cultivation.
• Chu Huai Xu selected the Sword category and obtained a Dust-Covered Heart Sword Spirit Embryo that appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
• Li Chunsong questioned Niu Yuanshan about the Sword Refining Art, then left for the Scripture Pavilion to investigate its records.
• Niu Yuanshan fretted over Chu Huai Xu all night before slapping himself and reciting the admonition against excessive curiosity about fellow members.

Dao Sect elders investigated Chu Huai Xu’s sinister Sword Refining Art, while Chu explored the Outer Sect and discovered Han Shuangjiang was nearly out of money. The chapter ended with Chu greeting her and realizing her financial troubles could help him approach her.

• Li Chunsong reported that Chu Huai Xu’s Sword Refining Art was a sinister method likely created by an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, and the elders decided to remove it from the repository.
• Li Chunsong revealed that Chu Huai Xu had called the technique a Peerless Divine Art, prompting Grand Elder Lu Pan to order the Outer Sect Deacon to make him practice diligently.
• Chu Huai Xu left his Bamboo House to find breakfast and learned that life in the Outer Sect involved steep costs and many ways to earn money.
• Chu Huai Xu encountered Han Shuangjiang outside the cafeteria and learned that she had only 103 copper coins left and needed to find work.
• Chu Huai Xu greeted Han Shuangjiang and recognized that her lack of money might make it easier for him to approach her.

Chu Huai Xu treated Han Shuangjiang to breakfast and considered using her protagonist’s luck to find the Dao Ancestor inheritances. He unexpectedly asked her to live with him, leaving her startled and unwilling to continue eating.

• Chu Huai Xu invited Han Shuangjiang to breakfast and paid for their meal, while she accepted the treat because she had cared for him the night before.
• As they ate, Chu Huai Xu reflected that Han Shuangjiang was a World Protagonist who would obtain two Dao Ancestor inheritances, likely while she was still in the Outer Sect.
• Chu Huai Xu encouraged Han Shuangjiang to try the Soup Dumplings, and she cautiously ate one before returning to her small wontons.
• After finishing most of the dumplings, Chu Huai Xu asked Han Shuangjiang to live with him from then on.
• Han Shuangjiang was startled, stopped eating, and said she was not eating anymore.

Chu Huai Xu persuaded Han Shuangjiang to join him in focusing on cultivation, using their unusual treatment by the Dao Sect and his remaining silver as reasons. As they returned home, he considered where the Dao Ancestor Inheritance might be and recalled that the Dao Ancestor had also left behind a sword.

• Han Shuangjiang recalled the warnings she had learned at Red Sleeves Beckon and wondered whether Chu Huai Xu’s offer to build a life with her was a trap.
• Chu Huai Xu explained that they should prioritize cultivation and studying, then proposed they try to reach the Aperture Opening Stage before his silver ran out.
• Chu Huai Xu paid their bill with a hundred taels and told Han Shuangjiang he wanted her to cultivate alongside him because they were outsiders who had been brought to the Dao Sect together.
• Han Shuangjiang agreed and ate the four remaining wontons rather than waste them.
• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang walked home, thinking about cultivation costs and the Dao Ancestor Inheritance.
• Chu Huai Xu remembered that the Dao Ancestor had left behind a sword, which remained the strongest thing in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Chu Huai Xu struggled through a painful session of the Sword Refining Art and gained only nine technique Experience Points, while Han Shuangjiang easily opened her second aperture. The chapter ended with them comparing their breakthroughs after Han Shuangjiang came to discuss saving money.

• Chu Huai Xu cultivated the Sword Refining Art, enduring intense pain and losing focus twice as Spiritual Energy dissipated.
• After completing one cycle, Chu Huai Xu checked his progress and gained nine Cultivation Technique Experience Points, leaving him one point short of leveling up the technique.
• Chu Huai Xu added an exclamation mark to his Booklet comment calling the Sword Refining Art a Peerless Divine Art.
• Han Shuangjiang cultivated comfortably and opened her second aperture, then planned to cook for herself to save money.
• Han Shuangjiang visited Chu Huai Xu to discuss saving money, and Chu Huai Xu used Information Scan to learn that she had opened her second aperture.
• Chu Huai Xu told Han Shuangjiang that he had just opened his second aperture too.

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang planned how to afford their cultivation and decided to pay for lessons in basic fighting techniques. As they walked to find a teacher, Chu Huai Xu revealed that he had killed someone.

• Chu Huai Xu broke through to his second orifice after enduring intense pain from cultivating.
• Han Shuangjiang proposed saving money by cooking at home, and Chu Huai Xu agreed while hiding his cooking skill.
• Chu Huai Xu explained that they needed to learn fighting techniques to break through the Scripture Pavilion’s formations and obtain higher-grade cultivation methods.
• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang discussed the costs and limits of body training, pills, and medicinal baths before setting out to hire a teacher.
• When Chu Huai Xu asked whether Han Shuangjiang had ever killed anyone, she said no and asked whether he had; Chu Huai Xu stopped and told her that he had.