Chapter Summaries

Xu Xiaoshou and his companions clashed with the Zhang Residence after demanding an item from its Scripture Pavilion. A-Jie and Xin Gugu tied down the Zhang experts, leaving the confrontation raging overhead.

• A-Jie kicked Zhang Taiying flying, stunning Xu Xiaoshou, Xin Gugu, and the Zhang Residence members.
• Zhang Taiying returned, thrilled by A-Jie's strength, while Xu Xiaoshou tried to avoid a prolonged fight and warned that Zhang Taiying would not live until dawn.
• Zhang Taiying activated the Zhang Residence's grand array, and Xu Xiaoshou ordered A-Jie to attack.
• Zhang Taiying armored himself and met A-Jie's blows with an Obsidian Heavy Pestle, while Zhang Zhongmou charged Xin Gugu.
• Xin Gugu split himself into two equally powerful bodies, and they fought Zhang Zhongmou and Zhang Duoyu as onlookers marveled at the six Thrones in battle.

Xu Xiaoshou used the Sword Observation Technique to draw out Sword Thought and stop the Thrones fighting near the Zhang Residence. When the Sword Thought in his Dantian suddenly joined the power in his hand, he unleashed a devastating slash that tore through the Zhang Residence.

• Xu Xiaoshou sensed battle intent from the Sword Thought above his Dantian and used Sword Observation Technique to cultivate Hidden Pain.
• Tens of thousands of swords appeared in the void, and Zhang Zhongmou recognized the display as ancient Sword Thought associated with Moon-Joining Immortal City.
• Xu Xiaoshou halted the six fighters with his sword aura, then tried to put the cultivated Sword Thought away rather than reveal his strength.
• The Sword Thought above Xu Xiaoshou's Dantian tore through his body and merged with the power in his palm.
• Xu Xiaoshou's slash split the Scripture Repository roof, shattered the Zhang Residence barrier, and filled the courtyard with smoke.

Xu Xiaoshou destroyed the Zhang Residence’s Scripture Repository with a sword strike and used the chaos to seize part of it. He left the Zhang family furious but afraid to attack while he and his companions prepared to retreat.

• Xu Xiaoshou unleashed a sword strike that destroyed the Zhang Residence’s spiritual array and Scripture Repository, leaving Zhang Taiying and the onlookers stunned.
• Drained of strength, Xu Xiaoshou bluffed Zhang Taiying into holding back, and Zhang Duoyu and Zhang Zhongmou restrained him.
• Xu Xiaoshou summoned A-Jie and Xin Gugu to his side and claimed his strike had been a lesson.
• Xu Xiaoshou opened his Origin Mansion and took the fallen half of the Scripture Repository, declaring it punishment for the Zhang Residence.

Xu Xiaoshou cut away the top half of the Zhang Clan’s Scripture Pavilion, provoking Zhang Taiying to attack. Though weakened, Xu Xiaoshou stopped him with a threat of another sword strike and forced him to choose between advancing and being cut down.

• Xu Xiaoshou’s sword sliced off half of the ancient tower, destroying the upper floors of the Zhang Clan’s Scripture Pavilion.
• Enraged, Zhang Taiying swallowed Throne Essence Blood and charged at Xu Xiaoshou, while Zhang Duoyu and Zhang Zhongmou followed.
• Xu Xiaoshou stopped Xin Gugu from intervening and warned Zhang Taiying that crossing the line meant death.
• Zhang Taiying halted before Xu Xiaoshou’s sword aura, and Xu Xiaoshou challenged him over his apparent fear.
• After recovering enough to stand, Xu Xiaoshou shielded A-Jie and Xin Gugu and gave Zhang Taiying a choice: take one step or face one sword.

Xu Xiaoshou bluffed Zhang Taiying and the two Thrones into letting him and his companions leave, then collapsed from mental exhaustion. At the City Lord's Manor, Fu Xing learned that the Yousi Sword's appearance had drawn Holy Spirit Hall's White Robes and numerous Thrones toward White Cavern.

• Xu Xiaoshou mocked Zhang Taiying and the two Thrones, then led Xin Gugu and A-Jie away without being challenged.
• A-Jie stopped Xin Gugu from patting Xu Xiaoshou, and Xu Xiaoshou collapsed once they had traveled a mile.
• Xin Gugu realized Xu Xiaoshou was mentally exhausted rather than physically drained, and he led A-Jie and Xu Xiaoshou into the darkness.
• Fu Xing learned from Liu Jing that the City Lord had not left the rear garden and that Holy Spirit Hall had sent six batches of White Robes toward White Cavern.
• Liu Jing said the Yousi Sword's emergence had prompted people to sneak toward White Cavern, where no fewer than double-digit Thrones had died.

After waking from a nightmare, Xu Xiaoshou checked on Greed God and explored the life-energy-rich Origin Mansion. He left with A-Jie to search the broken tower for treasure.

• Xu Xiaoshou woke abruptly, nearly striking Mu Zixi, and learned that she and Xin Gugu had watched over him through the night.
• Xin Gugu left to sleep after hearing that Greed God was safe, while Mu Zixi slipped away after Xu Xiaoshou teased her about her expression.
• Xu Xiaoshou entered the Origin Mansion and found that its spirit pool had grown much richer in life energy, making its fish unusually lively.
• Xu Xiaoshou considered using the energy to grow spiritual medicine and turn the Origin Mansion into a dangerous paradise for enemies.
• Xu Xiaoshou drew Greed God out of the Origin Mansion, helped it recover from excess life energy, and brought A-Jie along to search the broken tower.

Xu Xiaoshou searched the broken tower of the Zhang Residence and found a vast collection of spiritual techniques, along with a purple box that triggered a dangerous warning from his Perception. He sat down before the box, preparing to open it.

• Xu Xiaoshou led A-Jie into the broken tower and discovered shelves of Innate spiritual techniques on its first level.
• Xu Xiaoshou found dozens of Master-level spiritual techniques on the second level and forced his way past a barrier to reach seven glowing techniques above.
• Xu Xiaoshou entered the top floor and found a rocking chair, writing tools, a purple box, and an unfinished letter.
• Xu Xiaoshou ignored the letter, sensed danger from the purple Demonic Box, and sat down to open it.

Zhang Taiying and Zhang Zhongmou discussed the attack that devastated Zhang Residence and wondered whether Xu Xiaoshou’s protector was connected to the masked man who destroyed the Su Family. They realized the Fallen Sacrificial Carving Fragment they meant to give City Lord’s Manor was still on the Scripture Repository’s ninth floor, even though the Broken Tower now had only four and a half floors.

• Zhang Taiying rose after a sleepless night and went to the Scripture Repository, determined to keep moving forward.
• Zhang Taiying met Zhang Zhongmou at the Broken Tower and asked whether Xu Xiaoshou’s protector had attacked them for revenge.
• Zhang Zhongmou speculated that the young attacker might be linked to the masked man who had slaughtered the Su Family while seeking Snowfall over Tomb City.
• Zhang Taiying accepted that his choice had cost Zhang Residence much of its inheritance, but said the clan still had a chance through the Fallen Sacrificial Carving Fragments and the White Cavern slots.
• Zhang Zhongmou revealed that the Fallen Sacrificial Carving Fragment and a letter were still on the Scripture Repository’s ninth floor, leaving Zhang Taiying stunned by the ruined tower’s height.

Xu Xiaoshou opened the purple magic box and discovered a carved fragment whose killing intent nearly demonized him. A-Jie absorbed the demonic energy, and Xu Xiaoshou suspected the fragment was connected to the Yousi Sword before putting it away.

• Xu Xiaoshou opened the purple magic box and found an ordinary-looking bronze carved fragment inside.
• Xu Xiaoshou touched the fragment with his spiritual senses and was dragged into a blood-soaked vision of an elegant Black Sword that filled him with demonic killing intent.
• Xu Xiaoshou nearly transformed into the Berserk Giant, but A-Jie absorbed the demonic energy and brought him back to his senses.
• Xu Xiaoshou saw Hidden Pain and the trembling Blackfall Sword Scabbard, then wondered whether the fragment was connected to the Yousi Sword.
• Xu Xiaoshou considered that A-Jie might be tied to the Slaughter Corner and looked toward the chaotic sky, wondering what awaited him.

Xu Xiaoshou tended to the spirit fish and planted spirit medicine seeds in the Origin Mansion, then prepared for the City Lord's Manor banquet. He resolved to kill Zhang Taiying there and realized he needed more support.

• Xu Xiaoshou watched Greed God struggle to catch the spirit fish in the pool and noticed signs of plant life growing nearby.
• Xu Xiaoshou planted Purple Serpent Orchid seeds and other spirit medicines around the pool, hoping they would take root in the Origin Mansion.
• Xu Xiaoshou turned his attention to the City Lord's Manor banquet and planned to gather White Cavern information from Fu Xing.
• Xu Xiaoshou considered how to kill Zhang Taiying, judging that Xin Gugu and A-Jie were not enough to guarantee success.
• Xu Xiaoshou checked his passive value and decided he needed support to kill a Throne.

Xu Xiaoshou found a large reserve of Passive Value from the battle at the Zhang Residence and decided to spend it on a ten-pull rather than awaken a skill. His first draw plunged him into an illusion filled with Dao patterns, leaving him wondering whether they were spiritual patterns.

• Xu Xiaoshou realized that the crowd at the Zhang Residence had generated roughly eighty thousand Passive Value, likely during the fight at the Scripture Pavilion.
• Xu Xiaoshou weighed upgrading his combat skills but chose to buy ten draw keys instead of awakening a passive skill.
• Xu Xiaoshou flew over the spirit pool in the Origin Mansion and inserted a key into the roulette wheel.
• Xu Xiaoshou was pulled into an illusion depicting a vast world of living beings, ancient beasts, and battling races.
• Xu Xiaoshou saw bright patterns across leaves, stones, and living creatures and wondered whether they were spiritual patterns.

Xu Xiaoshou gained Textile Mastery after witnessing an illusion reveal how all things and the Great Dao evolved. He glimpsed a glowing hand weaving the laws of the world, but woke in the Origin Mansion unsure what the skill actually meant.

• Xu Xiaoshou saw vein maps across living things, objects, and heaven and earth, and realized they revealed how everything moved and evolved.
• Xu Xiaoshou watched the illusory world collapse and glimpsed a great hand weaving the Great Dao before darkness swallowed everything.
• Xu Xiaoshou awoke in the Origin Mansion and saw that he had obtained the passive skill Textile Mastery.
• Xu Xiaoshou protested that the skill’s name did not match the world’s mysteries, then wondered if it truly was only a textile skill.

Xu Xiaoshou was horrified to draw Innate-level Textile Mastery, but he discovered that weaving spiritual threads could substitute for carving spiritual patterns. He successfully created a Spirit Gathering Array in the void, leaving him convinced he could become a Grandmaster.

• Xu Xiaoshou reluctantly raised Textile Mastery to the Innate level and learned detailed weaving techniques, including how to form spiritual needles and threads.
• Xu Xiaoshou tested a spiritual needle on Azure Netherstone and made it explode, then summoned tens of thousands of needles before realizing he could control only a dozen at once.
• Xu Xiaoshou used the needles and spiritual threads to weave a Spirit Gathering Array in the void, applying knowledge of spiritual arrays he had studied from Li Qi's belongings.
• The Spirit Gathering Array stabilized and drew in the Origin Mansion's life aura, while Xu Xiaoshou exhausted his spiritual essence and celebrated his newfound path toward becoming a Grandmaster.

Xu Xiaoshou upgraded Textile Mastery, gaining techniques that let him control hundreds of spiritual needles and potentially manipulate opponents like puppets. Needing more Passive Value, he decided to attend the City Lord's Manor banquet and make a spectacle of himself.

• Xu Xiaoshou used nine more keys and got nine consecutive crabs, then spent his remaining skill points upgrading Textile Mastery to Innate Lv. 6.
• Xu Xiaoshou learned the Mind-Splitting Control Method and Multi-Needle Spirit Embroidery Technique, forming A-Jie's shape from hundreds of spiritual needles.
• A-Jie slapped Xu Xiaoshou into a crater after he excitedly patted its shoulder, and Xu Xiaoshou fled the Origin Mansion.
• Xu Xiaoshou considered how Spirit-Control Finger and Puppet Thread Control could let him control living beings, but realized he needed far more Passive Value.
• Xu Xiaoshou took out his invitation to the City Lord's Manor banquet and decided to raise hell there to make money.

Xu Xiaoshou failed to make a blank array disk, then gathered Mu Zixi and Xin Gugu to show off his newly learned spiritual arrays. He bound Mu Zixi and cast a spell that drew spiritual energy into the courtyard, leaving both companions stunned.

• Xu Xiaoshou gave up trying to make a blank array disk after realizing he lacked the Grandmaster-level skill and needed more Passive Value.
• Xu Xiaoshou shouted that enemies were attacking, prompting Mu Zixi and Xin Gugu to rush into the courtyard, then admitted he had only called them over for a banquet invitation.
• Xu Xiaoshou teased Mu Zixi until she attacked him with plants, while he dodged and directed her to fill the courtyard with greenery.
• Xu Xiaoshou bound Mu Zixi with spiritual needles and demonstrated his Weaving ability to her and Xin Gugu.
• Xu Xiaoshou formed a luminous diagram with spiritual needles and declared, "I said, let there be wind!", drawing spiritual energy into the courtyard and astonishing Mu Zixi and Xin Gugu.

Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi arrived at the City Lord's Manor for the night banquet, where Xu Xiaoshou sensed someone watching him. At the entrance, a scruffy youth claimed to be his little brother, and Xu Xiaoshou called him Xu Little Chicken.

• The city-protecting grand array sealed Tiansang City as guests gathered for the City Lord's Manor night banquet.
• Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi arrived at the manor, and Xu Xiaoshou received an Observed notification while holding her hand.
• Xu Xiaoshou presented his invitation at the gate and learned that it allowed him to bring three people.
• A scruffy youth rushed over, called Xu Xiaoshou his big brother, and pleaded to enter the manor.
• Xu Xiaoshou denied remembering the youth, then finally called him Xu Little Chicken.

Xu Xiaoshou let Xu Xiaoji into the City Lord's Manor after the youth claimed to be his little brother, then tested whether his answers triggered the Deceived message. The test suggested Xu Xiaoji was telling the truth when he said he was not human, and Xu Xiaoshou panicked and clung to him.

• Mu Zixi and the gate guards struggled not to laugh when Xu Xiaoji claimed to be Xu Xiaoshou's little brother.
• Xu Xiaoshou acknowledged Xu Xiaoji as his brother and allowed him through the gates, despite suspecting he was an assassin.
• Xu Xiaoji hugged Xu Xiaoshou, suffered a bloody injury, and rapidly recovered after taking a pill.
• Xu Xiaoshou questioned Xu Xiaoji about being an assassin and discovered that certain yes-or-no answers triggered the Deceived message.
• Xu Xiaoshou tested whether Xu Xiaoji was human, saw no Deceived message when he denied it, and concluded that Xu Xiaoji was telling the truth.
• Xu Xiaoshou panicked, apologized, and hugged Xu Xiaoji, who wondered whether Xu Xiaoshou was human.

Xu Xiaoshou discovered that Xu Xiaoji was not human, but still agreed to bring him into the City Lord's Manor. After they arrived at the banquet hall, Xu Xiaoji headed for the young talents while Xu Xiaoshou took Mu Zixi toward the banquet tables, leaving her furious at being called too young.

• Xu Xiaoshou saw Xu Xiaoji's shadow and realized the system had identified him as a nonhuman assassin, but concealed his knowledge.
• Xu Xiaoshou offered to take Xu Xiaoji into the City Lord's Manor, and the guards let the three of them pass as brothers and sisters.
• An attendant led Xu Xiaoshou, Mu Zixi, and Xu Xiaoji to the banquet hall, where distinguished guests gathered beside an arena filled with young talents.
• Xu Xiaoji went to join the young talents, and Xu Xiaoshou led Mu Zixi toward the banquet tables.
• Xu Xiaoshou told Mu Zixi she was too young to understand, and her repeated curses made him wonder if she was ill.

Xu Xiaoshou tried to keep a low profile at the banquet while seeking Zhang Taiying, but his encounters with Qu Qing'er and Fu Yinhong drew attention to him. When Wen Song recognized him from a wanted poster, the gathered young talents grew curious and resentful of the attention he received.

• Xu Xiaoshou overheard Wen Song and Chao Nong trading insults about their families’ recent deaths, then moved away with Mu Zixi.
• Qu Qing'er greeted Xu Xiaoshou, and he flirted with her before sending Mu Zixi away and trying to leave.
• Fu Yinhong recognized Xu Xiaoshou across the banquet, prompting the crowd to turn and watch him.
• Xu Xiaoshou pretended not to be himself, but Wen Song recognized him from a wanted poster and Chao Nong questioned how someone so young could have killed Chao Shu.
• The young talents wondered who Xu Xiaoshou was and resented the attention Fu Yinhong and Qu Qing'er gave him.

At a crowded City Lord’s Manor banquet, Xu Xiaoshou claimed first that he was not himself, then admitted who he was to provoke the onlookers and gain Passive Value. He taunted Wen Song over Wen Chong’s death until the old man could only sputter.

• Xu Xiaoshou denied being Xu Xiaoshou, then admitted his identity when Wen Song and Chao Nong challenged him.
• Xu Xiaoshou seized on the crowd’s confusion and discussion to collect thousands of Passive Value.
• When Wen Song accused him over the killing, Xu Xiaoshou asked whether the old man meant to avenge his grandson by fighting him.
• Xu Xiaoshou mocked Wen Song for using his peak Grandmaster cultivation against a mid-stage Yuan Ting cultivator, leaving him unable to answer.