Chapter Summaries

Xu Ziqing learned that the East Continent champion might need the Bronze Sword to face a deadly task tied to the Great Tribulation, and Jiang Zhi urged him to accept the burden despite his concerns about fairness. Meanwhile, the Dao Sect prepared to welcome the Western champion, Prince Rui's Heir, while Niu Yuanshan hoped Chu Huai Xu would win and preserve the [Organization]'s plans.

• Xu Ziqing worried that using the Bronze Sword in his right hand would make his victory unfair and might harm Chu Huai Xu, but Jiang Zhi explained that the champion would face a dangerous mission only a First Realm cultivator carrying the sword could survive.
• Xu Ziqing proposed letting Chu Huai Xu win and taking his place afterward, but Jiang Zhi rejected the plan because the competition's centuries-old rules and international agreements were at stake.
• Jiang Zhi visited the courtyard where his imprisoned Fifth Senior Brother, once Junzi Temple's leading candidate for Temple Master, was held, but he decided not to enter.
• The Dao Sect received word that Prince Rui's Heir had won the Western Continent competition, and Xiang Yan assigned Nangong Yue to oversee his visit with help from an Outer Sect Deacon.
• Niu Yuanshan realized Prince Rui's Heir's visit was effectively the [Organization] sending its master and hoped Chu Huai Xu would defeat Xu Ziqing without revealing his identity.

Chu Huai Xu strengthened his sorcery and Spiritual Embryo before the championship match, while Xu Ziqing resolved to face him with his Left Hand Holding Sword. After Han Shuangjiang secured third place for the Dao Sect, Chu Huai Xu and Xu Ziqing began their battle for the East Continent Grand Competition championship.

• Chu Huai Xu spent Experience Points and upgrade tickets to improve [Flying Profound] and [Fingertip Thunder], then raised his Spiritual Embryo Attribute and strengthened the [Heart Sword].
• Chu Huai Xu secretly discussed the final Contest for the Champion with the [Heart Sword], while Xu Ziqing decided he should accept a dangerous mission and asked Jiang Zhi to let him test himself against Chu Huai Xu first.
• Jiang Zhi told Xu Ziqing that the gap between him and Chu Huai Xu while using his Left Hand Holding Sword had become small, though Chu Huai Xu would likely win at a cost.
• Han Shuangjiang defeated Chen Haoran, securing third place and completing the Dao Sect's sweep of the top three positions.
• Chu Huai Xu and Xu Ziqing walked onto the Arena, exchanged respectful greetings, and prepared to fight for the championship.

Chu Huai Xu and Xu Ziqing fought for the Champion of the East Continent, trading blows before Xu Ziqing revealed that he had mastered [Six Severances]. After Chu Huai Xu cut apart the technique’s terrifying Sword Qi, Xu Ziqing switched the Bronze Sword to his right hand and warned that he could no longer control what came next, leaving Chu Huai Xu asking Han Shuangjiang to lend him her sword.

• Chu Huai Xu and Xu Ziqing began their champion battle with a fierce Body Tempering clash, and Chu Huai Xu gained a slight advantage through faster healing.
• Xu Ziqing announced that he had mastered [Six Severances] and unleashed the technique with the Bronze Sword, badly injuring his own arm and internal organs.
• Chu Huai Xu met Xu Ziqing’s Sword Qi with seven True Qi-charged leaves and his Sword Heart’s power, then cut the attack apart.
• Xu Ziqing shifted the Bronze Sword into his right hand as Xiang Yan signaled Lu Pan to isolate the arena and suppress the Evil Sword’s aura.
• Chu Huai Xu grew solemn and called to Han Shuangjiang, asking her to lend him her sword.

Chu Huai Xu borrowed Han Shuangjiang’s [Partridge Sky] and faced the awakened Sword Spirit of the Bronze Sword in the arena. After enduring its attacks and using [Dao Gives Birth to One] to break its final slash, he sent the Bronze Sword flying and stood victorious amid the ruins.

• Chu Huai Xu called [Partridge Sky] into his hand, and the Bronze Sword’s Sword Spirit awakened within Xu Ziqing, making the swords of nearby cultivators tremble.
• Chu Huai Xu and the Bronze Sword’s Sword Spirit contested control over the swords, and Chu Huai Xu used the Heart Sword and [Calming the Waves] to force them back into their sheaths.
• The Bronze Sword attacked with devouring sword qi, and Chu Huai Xu discovered that [Dao Gives Birth to One] could absorb and refine its bluish-black Airflow.
• Chu Huai Xu endured two slashes and advanced despite his injuries, while Xu Ziqing’s weakened body prepared the Bronze Sword’s final attack.
• Chu Huai Xu unleashed [Dao Gives Birth to One] to dissolve the Bronze Sword’s final slash, then struck the sword and sent it flying from Xu Ziqing’s hand.
• Xu Ziqing collapsed unconscious as the arena lay half in ruins, and Chu Huai Xu stood bloodied amid the rubble as the Champion of the East Continent.

Chu Huai Xu defeated the Bronze Sword and became Champion of the Eastern Continent, despite suffering grievous injuries. As the crowd celebrated, the cultivation giants prepared for his likely journey into the dangerous Origin Spirit Realm.

• Lu Pan and the others realized the formation had held but could not stop the Malevolent Auras, which the Dao Ancestor's sword sheath appeared to have absorbed.
• Chu Huai Xu took Healing Spirit Pills, then struggled across the ruined arena and told the fallen Bronze Sword, "You lost."
• Chu Huai Xu fed Xu Ziqing pills and checked his injuries while the spectators celebrated him as Champion of the Eastern Continent.
• Li Chunsong celebrated his victory, and Chu Yinyin boastfully reminded the others that she had predicted Chu Huai Xu would win.
• Chu Huai Xu thanked Han Shuangjiang for lending him Partridge Sky and returned the sword to her sheath as the cultivation giants considered his coming trial in the Origin Spirit Realm.

After winning the East Continent Grand Competition, Chu Huai Xu collected his rewards, chose a Body Tempering Divine Artifact, and investigated the Medicine Cauldron’s strange refinement of Bluish-black Qi. At Inquiry Peak, the Dao Sect leaders asked whether he had expected to defeat the Bronze Sword, and he said he believed he could do what the Dao Ancestor had done.

• Chu Huai Xu received 100,000 Experience Points and nearly 50,000 more from the final match, then drew two [Spirit Gathering] attributes and one [Physique] attribute.
• The Medicine Cauldron called for Spiritual Power while refining Bluish-black Qi, so Chu Huai Xu infused it and watched it continue its work.
• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang visited the Treasure Pavilion, where he chose the Body Tempering Divine Artifact Jade Pendant and she chose a Cloud Dress.
• Li Chunsong summoned Chu Huai Xu to Inquiry Peak, where the Dao Sect leaders had gathered to discuss the upcoming East-West Continent Grand Competition.
• Xiang Yan asked whether Chu Huai Xu had expected to defeat the Bronze Sword, and Chu Huai Xu said he believed he could do what the Dao Ancestor had done.

After winning the East Continent championship, Chu Huai Xu learned that his next match against Prince Rui's Heir was tied to a secret mission and a treasure that could help him reach the Ninth Realm. The System unlocked the Origin Spirit Realm mission, whose reward depended on completing the East-West Continent Grand Competition.

• Chu Yinyin and the elders discovered that Chu Huai Xu had advanced to First Realm Great Perfection, and he attributed his progress to the Dao Canon.
• Chu Huai Xu told Xiang Yan that the sword sheath had made the Bronze Sword's Malevolent Aura dissipate, while keeping Dao Gives Birth to One's role secret.
• Xiang Yan confirmed that Chu Huai Xu would receive an enhanced Jade Pendant and warned him not to underestimate Prince Rui's Heir, whose final match was set for seven days later.
• Li Chunsong revealed that the East-West Continent Grand Competition was connected to a Secret Realm containing the Xuanhuang Origin Fragment, which could accelerate cultivation and aid advancement to the Ninth Realm.
• The System unlocked the Origin Spirit Realm main-line mission and stated that its reward could be claimed only after Chu Huai Xu completed the East-West Continent Grand Competition.

Chu Huai Xu learned that winning the East-West Continent Grand Competition could earn him entry to the dangerous Origin Spirit Realm, and he resolved to compete despite Jiang Zhi’s warnings. After learning that his actions had changed Xu Ziqing’s fate and kept him from becoming a Sword Attendant who would pay a terrible price, Chu Huai Xu accepted responsibility for the consequences.

• Li Chunsong explained that the Origin Spirit Realm held an Origin Fragment that could accelerate cultivation and was connected to reaching the Ninth Realm, prompting Chu Huai Xu to vow to win the competition.
• Jiang Zhi warned Chu Huai Xu that the Origin Spirit Realm was deadly and tied to the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth.
• Jiang Zhi revealed that Xu Ziqing had been meant to become the Dao Ancestor Sword’s Sword Attendant, but Chu Huai Xu’s intervention had weakened the sword and changed that path.
• Chu Huai Xu confirmed that becoming the Sword Attendant would have made Xu Ziqing pay an enormous price, and he was relieved that Xu Ziqing was now safe.
• Chu Huai Xu acknowledged that he had changed events and declared to the Dao Sect leaders, “I’ll bear his karma!”

Chu Huai Xu accepted the Dao Sect’s plan to face Prince Rui’s Heir and prepare for the Origin Spirit Realm, while the sect’s elders offered him support. After visiting Shen Man, he remembered she would die in three years and focused on the upcoming Grand Competition, whose reward he hoped would strengthen him for the realm.

• Chu Huai Xu promised to take responsibility for resolving the Origin Spirit Realm crisis and asked for time to prepare; Xiang Yan told him he would have thirty days after the East-West Continent Grand Competition.
• Lu Pan and Nangong agreed to reforge the Jade Pendant, while Tai Tingbai advised Chu Huai Xu to claim a Meridian Opening Spirit Pill; Chu Huai Xu decided to save his seventh-grade pill for later.
• Chu Yinyin escorted Chu Huai Xu to the Purple Bamboo Forest, where he told Shen Man he had won the East Continent championship and she acknowledged his news.
• On the way back, Chu Huai Xu remembered that Shen Man would die in three years and wondered whether her death was tied to the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth.
• Chu Huai Xu checked his mission interface and found the Origin Spirit Realm quest locked until he completed the East-West Continent Grand Competition, whose reward included experience and attribute points.

After hearing exaggerated tales of Chu Huai Xu’s victory, Prince Rui’s Heir visited the Dao Sect and secretly identified steward Niu Yuanshan as an operative in his organization. He learned that Huo Ding Yi had become a Registered Disciple and asked whether he had competed in the East Continent Grand Competition.

• Storytellers in Dao City embellished Chu Huai Xu’s victories and spread a rumor that Han Shuangjiang was his Dao Companion.
• Prince Rui’s Heir listened to the full account of the Contest for the Champion before traveling to the Dao Sect with a veiled young woman, Qin Bo, and Eunuch Li.
• Nangong Yue welcomed the visitors and introduced steward Niu Yuanshan, who led them to their courtyard while concealing his excitement.
• Prince Rui’s Heir revealed that he knew Niu Yuanshan’s codename, Mu Bing Jiu, and praised him for his years of service.
• Niu Yuanshan took responsibility for failing to send intelligence about Huo Ding Yi, and Prince Rui’s Heir asked whether Huo Ding Yi had participated in the East Continent Grand Competition.

Niu Yuanshan revealed that Huo Ding Yi was Chu Huai Xu, an Imperial Hound who would face Prince Rui's Heir, Qin Xuanxiao, in the East-West Continent championship. Before the match, Chu received a specially refined Jade Pendant, and the chapter ended as he and Qin met in matching black-and-gold robes at the Training ground.

• Niu Yuanshan told Prince Rui's Heir that Huo Ding Yi was Chu Huai Xu, and Qin Xuanxiao decided to keep Chu's identity secret while considering building his own faction.
• Elder Nangong delivered Chu a Jade Pendant refined to nourish and defend him, with formations designed to merge with his Spattered Ink technique.
• Chu showed the pendant's combined defensive effect to Han Shuangjiang and complained that Xu Ziqing was still away.
• Chu considered Qin Xuanxiao's ruthless, decisive leadership and wondered whether the imperial heir knew his hidden identity.
• The East-West Continent championship began at the Training ground, where Chu and Qin arrived wearing matching black robes decorated with gold thread.

Chu Huai Xu faced Qin Xuanxiao in the grand competition and tested the hidden support Lin Zixuan gave him. When Qin Xuanxiao drew on the founding emperor’s remnant Divine Sense in Imperial Moon, Chu Huai Xu used Heart Sword to drive it back.

• Mei Chuxue teased Nangong Yue about Chu Huai Xu’s robe, while Chu Yinyin and Mei Chuxue argued over who was more handsome.
• Qin Xuanxiao assumed Chu Huai Xu was connected to the organization and questioned him about his Sword Sheath before their match began.
• Geng Tianhe declared that anything could be a sword, and Qin Xuanxiao recognized the idea from an Eighth Realm Sword Cultivator.
• Qin Xuanxiao attacked with Imperial Moon while Lin Zixuan supported him by sharing her vision and Spiritual Power.
• Chu Huai Xu dodged Qin Xuanxiao’s attacks, cut away the flesh touched by Undying Fire, and flicked the flame back at him with Sword Intent.
• As Qin Xuanxiao tried to draw on the founding emperor’s Divine Sense, Chu Huai Xu activated Heart Sword and forced the remnant back into the spear.

Chu Huai Xu overcame Qin Xuanxiao’s Emperor’s Divine Sense and severed his connection with Lin Zixuan, then defeated him after Qin entered a powerful Divine Manifestation state. Qin Xuanxiao was left unconscious, and Chu Huai Xu warned him not to reveal that he knew his identity.

• Chu Huai Xu suppressed Qin Xuanxiao’s Emperor’s Divine Sense and used Heart Sword to sever his Spiritual Sense connection with Lin Zixuan, causing her to cry out and suffer a backlash.
• Chu Huai Xu followed with Fingertip Thunder and seven strands of Sword Qi, breaking Qin Xuanxiao’s defensive barrier and forcing him back as Mei Chuxue and Nangong Yue argued over their robes.
• Qin Xuanxiao activated his Emperor’s Bloodline, rose into the air, and attacked Chu Huai Xu with his burning spear and a purple-moon aura.
• Chu Huai Xu countered Qin Xuanxiao’s attack with Clear Heart Sword, overwhelming him and shattering the protective talisman in his clothes.
• Chu Huai Xu’s Sword Qi sent Qin Xuanxiao crashing to the ground unconscious, and Chu Huai Xu warned him to keep quiet about his identity.

Chu Huai Xu defeated Qin Xuanxiao and became the Xuanhuang Champion, then claimed his competition rewards and raised his Spiritual Embryo to level six. As the Dao Sect prepared to celebrate, a ripple from his Heart Sword stirred swords across Mountain Beyond Mountain.

• Chu Huai Xu beat Qin Xuanxiao unconscious, and the crowd cheered for him as the Xuanhuang Champion.
• Xiang Yan declared Chu Huai Xu the winner, and the Four Great Sects’ champion Token was fastened around his waist.
• Lin Zixuan considered whether her Divine-level Support could help Chu Huai Xu in the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Chu Huai Xu claimed his quest rewards, gained Experience Points, increased Spirit Gathering, and raised Comprehension to six.
• Chu Huai Xu claimed the final Spiritual Embryo reward and endured a surge of heat as his Heart Sword absorbed the energy and recovered.
• A translucent ripple spread from Chu Huai Xu, exciting sword spirits and making swords ring throughout Mountain Beyond Mountain.

Chu Huai Xu’s Spiritual Embryo completed its advancement, sending a sword-resonating anomaly across the Dao Sect and prompting its disciples to celebrate him as the Xuanhuang Champion. After the ripple faded, Chu Huai Xu discovered that his Heart Sword had gained a new ability.

• Chu Huai Xu’s Heart Sword advancement sent a translucent ripple outward, causing swords across the Dao Sect to tremble and sing.
• Dao Sect disciples drew their swords and loudly congratulated Chu Huai Xu, while the Slender Daoist Nun and the visiting Sword Sect experts sensed the anomaly.
• Situ Cheng recognized Chu Huai Xu’s growing influence among the Dao Sect’s younger generation, and Jiang Zhi considered preparing him for the dangers of the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Chu Huai Xu finished absorbing the Spiritual Embryo’s energy as his Heart Sword stabilized and strengthened his Sea of Consciousness.
• Han Shuangjiang felt the sword pressure lift and saw Partridge Sky react to Chu Huai Xu’s breakthrough.
• Chu Huai Xu examined his recovered Heart Sword and discovered that it had gained a new ability.

Chu Huai Xu discovered that his Heart Sword could briefly enter another cultivator’s Destined Sword, giving him a powerful but limited combat advantage. He attended the Night Banquet with Han Shuangjiang, where Qin Xuanxiao drew him aside and addressed him as Huo Ding Yi.

• Chu Huai Xu learned that the Heart Sword could leave his body for three breaths and enter another person’s sufficiently high-grade Destined Sword, though repeated use could damage its Sword Spirit.
• Han Shuangjiang told Chu Huai Xu that his cultivation had caused an Anomaly and that the crowd had hailed him as the Xuanhuang Champion.
• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang arrived at the Night Banquet, where fellow disciples congratulated him and toasted him as Champion Chu.
• Chu Huai Xu drank with the guests, helped Han Shuangjiang block toasts, and pretended to grow drunk as the banquet continued.
• Qin Xuanxiao pulled Chu Huai Xu aside to the window and called him Huo Ding Yi.

At Chu Huai Xu’s celebration banquet, Qin Xuanxiao tested him by calling him Huo Ding Yi, a supposed identity tied to the Moon Kingdom’s secret [Organization]. Chu Huai Xu refused to recognize the name, leaving Qin Xuanxiao convinced he might be a traitor, though he still ordered Lin Zixuan to help him prepare for the Origin Spirit Realm.

• Qin Xuanxiao called Chu Huai Xu Huo Ding Yi, and Chu Huai Xu realized the name was likely his original identity but found no [Organization] faction on his Character Panel.
• Qin Xuanxiao privately tested Chu Huai Xu’s loyalty, but Chu Huai Xu calmly said he had not heard him clearly and rejected any connection to Huo Ding Yi.
• Qin Xuanxiao accepted Chu Huai Xu’s response without pressing him and toasted him as the Xuanhuang Champion, while privately suspecting that Chu Huai Xu might become his greatest enemy.
• After the banquet, Qin Xuanxiao told Lin Zixuan that their conversation had gone badly but insisted she still help Chu Huai Xu with the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Lin Zixuan asked Qin Xuanxiao whether she should let Chu Huai Xu leave a [Spirit Seed] inside her.

Chu Huai Xu confessed his feelings to Han Shuangjiang after teasing her about their ambiguous relationship, but she fled instead of answering. The next morning, he clarified that his confession had been made while sober, leaving their relationship at a turning point.

• Lin Zixuan decided to have Chu Huai Xu plant a Spirit Seed in her body despite Qin Xuanxiao's discomfort.
• Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang discussed Qin Xuanxiao as they walked home, then encountered Ji Sikong and Chang Le emerging from the Maple Leaf Forest.
• When Han Shuangjiang denied that she and Chu Huai Xu were involved, Chu Huai Xu told her that he liked her.
• Han Shuangjiang called his confession drunken nonsense and hurried away, then spent the night tossing and turning while Chu Huai Xu slept soundly.
• At breakfast, Chu Huai Xu pretended not to remember his confession before telling Han Shuangjiang that he had said it while sober.

Chu Huai Xu confessed that he liked Han Shuangjiang even though she feared her past would make her unworthy of him, and she accepted his feelings. After breakfast, they discussed her cultivation and the dangerous task he had to complete before entering the Origin Spirit Realm.

• Han Shuangjiang worried that Chu Huai Xu knew too little about her past and warned him she might not be as good as he imagined.
• Chu Huai Xu told Han Shuangjiang he already liked her very much without needing her to be perfect, and she was too embarrassed to meet his gaze.
• Han Shuangjiang revealed she had reached the second layer of the Second Realm and asked why Chu Huai Xu had not exchanged for the second volume of the Dao Canon.
• Chu Huai Xu said the Sect Leader and others needed him to stay in the First Realm for a dangerous task, and Han Shuangjiang worried for his safety.
• Chu Huai Xu offered to help Han Shuangjiang cultivate efficiently, while she insisted she would repay the Contribution Points she owed him.

Chu Huai Xu learned that Qin Xuanxiao would let Lin Zixuan share her Spiritual Sense and Spiritual Power with him in the Origin Spirit Realm, and he warned Qin that the realm’s dangers ran too deep for him to handle. The Dao Sect’s leaders decided Chu Huai Xu should take a demon-slaying mission before entering, while he studied the Origin Spirit Realm mission and its rewards.

• Chu Huai Xu found that [Dao Gives Birth to One] was still refining Malevolent Aura, preventing him from using the Medicine Cauldron to make pills.
• Qin Xuanxiao offered Lin Zixuan’s help in sharing her Spiritual Sense and Spiritual Power with Chu Huai Xu in the Origin Spirit Realm, and Chu warned Qin that he could not handle what lay inside.
• On the journey back, Qin Xuanxiao wondered whether Chu Huai Xu’s warning meant he would die if he entered the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Jiang Zhi and Xiang Yan decided Chu Huai Xu should take a Sect Mission to eliminate demons so he could prepare for the danger of killing in the Origin Spirit Realm.
• Chu Huai Xu reviewed his Character Panel and the newly unlocked [Origin Spirit Realm] mission, noting its location near Spring Autumn Mountain and its generous rewards.