Chapter Summaries

Xu Xiaoshou leased the Pilgrimage Tower, renamed it First Pavilion Under Heaven, and discovered its tower pearl could reveal much of East Heavenly King City. He planned to use the tower’s defenses to ambush intruders, as Jiang Tai and Jiang Yu arrived that night intending to seize two women from his group.

• Xu Xiaoshou accepted the six-month lease on the Pilgrimage Tower and renamed it First Pavilion Under Heaven.
• Mu Zixi used her wood element to decorate the first floor, while Xu Xiaoshou explored the tower’s cultivation rooms and Eight Trigrams Pilgrimage Diagram.
• Xu Xiaoshou opened the tower’s ceilings, entered the tower pearl, and discovered it could show him the layout and activity across East Heavenly King City.
• Xu Xiaoshou assigned his companions rooms on the third floor and hinted that he planned to catch the intruders he expected to arrive.
• Jiang Tai and Jiang Yu reached First Pavilion Under Heaven at night, planning to bring back two women from Xu Xiaoshou’s group.

Jiang Tai and Jiang Yu infiltrated First Pavilion Under Heaven to abduct two Xu Clan women, but the pavilion’s spirit array trapped them in separate illusions. After seeing what appeared to be Jiang Yu’s severed head warn him about the Eight Gates, Jiang Tai chose to attack the array by force.

• Jiang Yu recognized First Pavilion Under Heaven and discovered couplets warning that uninvited visitors would not enter and every guest would be welcomed.
• Jiang Tai and Jiang Yu entered the pavilion under their domains, then were separated by an illusion that transformed the hall into a desert.
• Jiang Tai’s illusion shifted to a primeval forest, where he saw eight gates and what appeared to be Jiang Yu’s severed head warning him not to move.
• Jiang Tai spotted the blood-red arrow and the empty Death Gate, but decided there was no time to choose whether to trust the warning or force his way out.
• Jiang Tai drew in the wind and raised his fist to break the spirit array by force.

Jiang Tai mistook the illusion inside the Eight Trigrams Pilgrimage Diagram for reality and badly injured Jiang Yu, then attacked him again after deciding the real Jiang Yu was still an illusion. The chapter ended with Jiang Tai unable to move through the formation as Xu Deyi and others laughed at him from the darkness.

• Jiang Tai broke the primeval forest illusion with his Ultimate Rending Lightning Fist and emerged in the loft, where his punch had severely injured Jiang Yu.
• Jiang Yu warned Jiang Tai that only a few breaths had passed and that he should have waited for him to break the array.
• Jiang Tai spotted the white cat and realized he was still trapped in a nested spiritual array, but he mistook Jiang Yu for an illusion and killed him despite their matching code.
• Jiang Tai challenged Xu Deyi from the darkness and demanded that he return Jiang Yu, while Xu Deyi mocked his claim that Jiang Yu would break the formation.
• A woman’s uncontrollable laughter and Xu Deyi’s teasing enraged Jiang Tai, but he could not make himself move through the illusion.

Xu Xiaoshou used the Eight Trigrams Pilgrimage Diagram and psychological pressure to interrogate Jiang Tai, confirming the raiders sought Mu Zixi’s God-Devil Pupils and had ties to the Lei family. He sealed Jiang Tai’s cultivation and prepared to finish off the captured intruders.

• Xu Xiaoshou trapped the two black-clad raiders in the Eight Trigrams Pilgrimage Diagram and used Greed God to trick Jiang Tai into knocking out the spirit array master.
• Xu Xiaoshou confronted Jiang Tai from the dragon throne and pressured him with Swallowing Mountains and Rivers while questioning who had sent him.
• Xu Xiaoshou learned the raiders had come for his junior sister and the God-Devil Pupils, then suspected Jiang Tai’s reaction to the Lei family revealed a connection.
• Jiang Tai tried to escape, but Xu Xiaoshou’s sealing aura had already shut his sea of qi and left him unable to use his cultivation.
• Xu Xiaoshou dismissed the captured raider, and two colossal giants dropped through the ceiling as darkness swallowed Jiang Tai’s vision.

Xu Xiaoshou’s group captured two Jiang Clan Thrones and used their sealed cultivation to power the Eight Trigrams Pilgrimage Diagram, while Xin Gugu began interrogating Jiang Yu. The chapter left Jiang Yu discovering a severed leg in a box and fearing that Jiang Tai had betrayed their secrets.

• Xu Xiaoshou’s group discussed how easily they had defeated the two Thrones and sent A Bing and A Huo upstairs to play with A-Jie.
• Xu Xiaoshou discovered that the cultivation rooms had consumed eight hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, then found that the captured Thrones could power the array when their cultivation was sealed.
• Mu Mo called Xu Xiaoshou a devil, while Mu Zixi suggested capturing six more Thrones to make the array’s operation free.
• Jiang Yu awoke in captivity with his cultivation sealed and his teeth removed, and Xin Gugu beat him while demanding information.
• Xin Gugu left Jiang Yu a wooden box before departing, and Jiang Yu found a severed human leg inside and feared Jiang Tai had confessed everything.

Xu Xiaoshou planned to earn more Passive Value and assigned Xin Gugu to watch Jiang Xian and seek contact with the Night Cats, while deciding to recruit more people. At First Pavilion Under Heaven, Xu Deyi and Xin Gugu enforced a registration queue so strictly that Gu Cheng, sent by the Holy Spirit Hall to warn them, had to ask a young man what was happening.

• Xu Xiaoshou assessed his rapid cultivation and decided to focus on earning Passive Value rather than pursuing slower paths to greater strength.
• Mu Zixi and Mo Mo set out to explore East Heavenly King City and learn about the Royal City Trial, while Xu Xiaoshou gave them a communication orb and told them not to cause trouble.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked Xin Gugu to monitor Jiang Xian, find a chance to contact the Night Cats through Liu Lu, and help recruit more people for the group.
• Gu Cheng left the Holy Spirit Hall on Chu Lisheng's orders to warn First Pavilion Under Heaven without angering them.
• At Pilgrimage Plaza, Gu Cheng found a long queue outside First Pavilion Under Heaven, where Xu Deyi sat at a registration table and Xin Gugu enforced the rules.
• Xin Gugu refused to let Gu Cheng cut in line, so Gu Cheng suppressed his anger and asked a young man in the queue what First Pavilion Under Heaven was doing.

Xiao Wanfeng learned that First Pavilion Under Heaven was offering an extraordinarily lucrative tea-serving job, while Gu Cheng of the Holy Spirit Hall abandoned his plan to warn the pavilion and left. Xu Xiaoshou’s recruitment scheme drew a huge crowd and flooded him with Passive Value, but he rejected applicants—including spies—while the line continued to grow.

• Xiao Wanfeng explained to Gu Cheng that First Pavilion Under Heaven was hiring one tea-and-water server and offering at least ten thousand Spirit Crystals a month.
• Gu Cheng recognized that the crowd made a sneak attack impractical, decided to return at night, and left without warning First Pavilion Under Heaven.
• Xiao Wanfeng watched Gu Cheng depart, kept his disguise intact, and doubted he would be chosen from the long queue.
• Xu Xiaoshou gained hundreds of thousands of Passive Value from the crowds drawn by the unusual job offer and rejected applicants while pretending to search for a suitable hire.
• Xu Xiaoshou exposed the auntie’s dishonesty and identified a gray-robed Throne applicant as a spy, rejecting him as well.
• The gray-robed Throne saw that the queue had grown and realized that more experts were arriving to test First Pavilion Under Heaven’s recruitment.

Xu Xiaoshou interviewed Xiao Wanfeng, an untrained ancient swordsman who offered information about Sky City and asked for protection. Before Xu Xiaoshou could learn more, Fang Zheng of the City Lord’s Manor Imperial Guard arrived to shut down the recruitment because its queues were obstructing traffic.

• Xu Xiaoshou rejected Xiao Wanfeng after learning he had no spiritual essence and could not demonstrate his sword will.
• Xiao Wanfeng called out “Sky City, Sacred Secret Land,” prompting Xu Xiaoshou to ask his name and hear his offer of valuable information in exchange for protection.
• Xin Gugu briefly grabbed Xiao Wanfeng by the collar, then released him when Xu Xiaoshou intervened.
• A group of men in white forced its way through the queue, and Xin Gugu warned Xu Xiaoshou that they were tough opponents.
• Fang Zheng identified himself as commander of the City Lord’s Manor Imperial Guard and ordered Xu Xiaoshou to end recruitment because the queues were blocking traffic.
• Xu Xiaoshou flew into a rage at the demand to close his lucrative recruitment event.

Xu Xiaoshou refused to close First Pavilion Under Heaven’s recruitment stall despite Fang Zheng’s demands, arguing that the City Lord’s Manor guards should manage the crowd instead. As the confrontation threatened to turn violent, an elderly man stepped forward and offered to join the pavilion so both sides could leave satisfied.

• Xu Xiaoshou told Fang Zheng that First Pavilion Under Heaven would keep recruiting and that the guards should maintain order among the crowd.
• When Fang Zheng warned Xu Xiaoshou about the risks of disrupting public order, Xu Xiaoshou mistook the warning for a demand for compensation and offered up to one hundred million Spirit Crystals.
• Fang Zheng restrained his angry subordinate and refused Xu Xiaoshou’s offer, while Xin Gugu prepared to protect him as the two sides faced off.
• An elderly man in blue robes stepped out of the queue and proposed that he join First Pavilion Under Heaven so Xu Xiaoshou could close the stall and the guards could finish their mission.

A frenzied crowd competed for a tea-serving job at First Pavilion Under Heaven until Xu Xiaoshou discovered that the seemingly ordinary old man Mei was a Void Stage expert pretending to be Dao Cutting. The chapter left Xu Xiaoshou trying to keep Xin Gugu from provoking the powerful newcomer.

• Fang Zheng used his Throne Domain to suspend the crowd and restore order, while Xiao Wanfeng lamented losing his chance to mediate.
• Old Mei claimed he was a Dao Cutting expert and showed the crowd a fan marked “Truly Dao Cutting” and “No need to doubt,” prompting laughter and suspicion.
• Xu Xiaoshou tested Old Mei with questions and received Deception notifications that revealed the old man was actually a Void Stage expert.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked why Old Mei wanted the tea-serving job, but Old Mei gave only a vague answer.
• Xin Gugu grabbed Old Mei by the collar, so Xu Xiaoshou stopped him and warned him to back off.
• Xin Gugu realized Old Mei might truly be a Severing Path expert and tried to cover his earlier aggression by claiming his hand had cramped.

Xu Xiaoshou ended the stall dispute after a Cutting Path expert from the City Lord's Manor appeared, then questioned Old Mei about his purpose and unusual insight into Xu's abilities. Old Mei revealed the name Mr. Siren, and Xiao Wanfeng recognized him as Mei Suren, one of the Seven Sword Immortals.

• Xu Shao agreed to stop setting up stalls after Commander Fang demanded that First Pavilion Under Heaven close for the following day, and Fang's men dispersed the crowd.
• Xu Xiaoshou welcomed Old Mei inside and asked why he had come, but Old Mei first questioned Xu about his physique and apparent Sword Body.
• Xu Xiaoshou pressed Old Mei about his identity until the man admitted he was an ancient sword cultivator and said Xu could call him Mr. Siren.
• Xin Gugu brought Xiao Wanfeng into the hall after the youth asked for an opportunity, and Xiao recognized Old Mei as Mei Suren, a Seven Sword Immortal.

Xu Xiaoshou learned that the mysterious Mei Suren was one of the Seven Sword Immortals and refused his offer to become a disciple, insisting on following his own sword path. Mei Suren remembered that Wen Ting and Ba Zunan had once rejected his guidance in the same way.

• Xu Xiaoshou recognized Mei Suren as a possible Seven Sword Immortal after Xiao Wanfeng cried out in surprise.
• Mei Suren asked to examine Xu Xiaoshou’s unusual physique, but Xu Xiaoshou refused to let him touch him.
• Mei Suren offered to take Xu Xiaoshou as his disciple and teach him the sword path, while Xiao Wanfeng urged Xu Xiaoshou to accept.
• Xu Xiaoshou confirmed Mei Suren’s identity and declined, declaring that he could walk his sword path himself.
• Mei Suren recalled that Wen Ting and Ba Zunan had also rejected his offer to guide them.

Xu Xiaoshou gave Mei Suren the false name Xu Fuji and declined his offer of discipleship, but Mei stayed at the First Pavilion Under Heaven. Xu recommended Xiao Wanfeng to him, and Xiao defended his belief that the Hidden Sword Art was the strongest technique, linking it to the Eighth Sword Immortal’s rise and possible return to his peak.

• Xu Xiaoshou told Mei Suren his name was Xu Fuji, and Mei praised his swordsmanship and predicted he might become one of the Seven Sword Immortals.
• Xu Xiaoshou refused to become Mei’s disciple, while Mei chose to remain at the First Pavilion Under Heaven.
• Xu Xiaoshou recommended Xiao Wanfeng as a swordsman who had studied all nine great sword techniques, and Mei recognized that Xiao was cultivating the Hidden Sword Art.
• Xiao Wanfeng explained his view that sword techniques had limits and that he had finished studying the other techniques before turning to the Hidden Sword Art.
• Mei Suren angrily challenged Xiao to name the strongest sword technique, and Xiao declared that the Hidden Sword Art was strongest.
• Xiao argued that the Eighth Sword Immortal had used the Hidden Sword Art to achieve his legendary rise and could use it to regain his peak, then declared, “Seal the sword until old age; let the old self become a saint!”

Xu Xiaoshou, Mei Suren, and Xiao Wanfeng discussed the limits of Hidden Sword Art and Ba Zunan’s sword path. Mei Suren offered to take Xiao Wanfeng as his disciple, but Xiao refused so he could pursue his own sword path, and the chapter ended with Xu Xiaoshou kicking Xin Gugu into a wall.

• Xu Xiaoshou questioned Xiao Wanfeng about whether a hidden sword could be drawn through another object, and Xiao explained the principles and limits of Hidden Sword Art.
• Mei Suren described two ways a sword concealer could strike and identified Ba Zunan as the only current sword cultivator who had transcended the established sword path.
• Mei Suren asked Xiao Wanfeng to become his disciple, but Xiao refused because he wanted to forge his own path.
• Mei Suren respected Xiao Wanfeng’s choice and offered to answer his questions about the sword path while he remained nearby.
• Xin Gugu pleaded for Mei Suren to take him as a disciple, but Mei struck him twice with his folding fan.
• Xu Xiaoshou kicked Xin Gugu into a wall after Xin threatened him, shocking Xiao Wanfeng.

Xu Xiaoshou questioned Xiao Wanfeng about Void Island and learned how the youth had found a Void Token on Pixiu Mountain after being drawn there by a mysterious call. Xu Xiaoshou concluded that the Holy Spirit Hall would keep the Royal City Trial at Pixiu Mountain because it had already spent too much to change the site and had no money.

• Xu Xiaoshou asked Xiao Wanfeng to explain what he knew about Void Island.
• Xiao Wanfeng said the Royal City Trial would likely take place on Pixiu Mountain, where he had followed a mysterious call to the summit and dug up a Void Token.
• Xiao Wanfeng recounted how three groups, including the Night Cats, appeared and took the token before the White Robes found him and sent him away.
• Xu Xiaoshou recognized the call as the same sound he had encountered in White Cavern and suspected it came from Void Island.
• Xu Xiaoshou predicted the Holy Spirit Hall would change the trial location, but Xiao Wanfeng said it could not because it had already invested too much and had no money.

Xu Xiaoshou learned that he needed to win a place in the Royal City Trial through the Heavenly Net Arena, where fierce Innate contestants fought before enormous crowds. Excited by the prospect of gaining Passive Value from the spectators, he set off to enter that night’s matches.

• Xiao Wanfeng told Xu Xiaoshou that Holy Spirit Hall lacked the funds to secure the resources and protections needed for the trial, and Xu asked him to map where the Void Token had been found.
• Xu assigned Xiao Wanfeng to serve tea at First Pavilion Under Heaven, and Xiao Lian delivered alchemy materials from Gold-Rich Trading Company.
• Xiao Lian told Xu Xiaoshou that the Royal City Trial would take place in the Yunlun Mountain Range and that contestants without guaranteed slots could earn eligibility by winning battles at the Heavenly Net Arena.
• Xiao Lian warned that the arena’s championship candidates could fight at Master level and that thousands of spiritual cultivators watched the matches, but Xu Xiaoshou welcomed the crowd because it could generate Passive Value.
• Xu Xiaoshou ordered the group to head to the arena for the remaining matches, while Xin Gugu told Xiao Wanfeng to bring tea and hot water so he could watch and serve them.

Xu Xiaoshou visited the Heavenly Net Arena with Xiao Lian, met the manager Demon Moon, and learned that Mu Zixi was competing in the Heavenly Net Battles. He prepared to enter the competition while watching his junior sister struggle in the finals.

• Xu Xiaoshou entered the Heavenly Net Arena and was overwhelmed by the spectators’ savage cheers and the contestants’ preparations.
• Xu Xiaoshou mistook Demon Moon, the arena manager, for a receptionist and admired her appearance before Xiao Lian explained her position.
• Xu Xiaoshou and his group entered the VIP room, where he spotted Mu Zixi fighting in the finals and guessed that Mo Mo had already secured a slot.
• Demon Moon asked about Xu Xiaoshou’s cultivation and learned that he was at the Innate level and wanted to join the Heavenly Net Battles.
• Xu Xiaoshou invited Xiao Wanfeng to sit beside them, surprising Demon Moon and Xiao Lian with how informally he treated his subordinates.

Xu Xiaoshou struggled to prove he was an Innate cultivator because Concealment blocked the testing methods, while his dangerous sea of qi made direct verification risky. Demon Moon ultimately allowed him to enter the Heavenly Net Battles under a signed agreement, scheduling his match for that night.

• Xu Xiaoshou's Spirit-Testing Pearl trembled but showed no light, and he blamed Concealment for hiding his cultivation.
• Demon Moon proposed using a Dao-Sensing Orb, but Xin Gugu revealed Xu Xiaoshou's sword intent had reached Sovereign level.
• Xu Xiaoshou warned that linking seas of qi could be dangerous and demanded that a Throne sign a life-and-death waiver before testing him.
• Zhou Gu confirmed that Xu Xiaoshou's Dao resonance was below Sovereign level, while Dong Cheng refused to risk testing his sea of qi.
• Xu Xiaoshou proposed that Zhou Gu monitor his match, and Demon Moon approved his entry after he signed an agreement.
• Demon Moon scheduled Xu Xiaoshou's Heavenly Net Battle as the ninth match that night and gave him one hour to prepare.

Mu Zixi fumed over her defeat and told Mo Mo that she had used the White Cavern’s World Source Point, while Mo Mo warned her to watch out for Luo Yin in the next match. The arena then introduced Xu Deyi as a Demisaint Heir, and his flamboyant entrance sent the crowd into a frenzy.

• Mu Zixi raged about Luo Yin defeating her and Chao Fang taking the championship after they were both badly wounded.
• Mu Zixi explained to Mo Mo that her apparent Domain had come from refining the White Cavern’s World Source Point.
• Mo Mo warned Mu Zixi that Luo Yin was unusually powerful and urged her to be cautious in the next match, but Mu Zixi vowed to blast him out with spatial power.
• Mo Mo and Mu Zixi recognized Xu Xiaoshou on the arena’s promotional screen, where he was presented under the name Xu Deyi as a Demisaint Heir.
• The host declared Xu Deyi the focus of the match, and the crowd alternated between questioning his identity and betting on him after learning his status.
• Xu Deyi flew into the arena on the Black Sword, blew kisses to the audience, and drew chants that shifted from his name to “Dad Xu.”

Xin Gugu warned Xiao Wanfeng to bet on Mu Zixi, while Xu Xiaoshou entered the Heavenly Net Battles and was overwhelmed by the arena’s bloodshed and the surge of Passive Value. When a contestant attacked him, Xu Xiaoshou calmly slapped him twice, leaving the attacker’s companions frozen.

• Xin Gugu told Xiao Wanfeng that Mu Zixi was the one to bet on, then redirected him to serve tea for ten thousand Spirit Crystals a month.
• The arena divided into five zones, and the host explained that contestants had to survive until each zone was reduced to five hundred fighters before the final stage began.
• Xu Xiaoshou gained nearly a hundred thousand Passive Value from the crowd’s attention and struggled to suppress his urge to enter Berserk Giant mode.
• The match began, and Xu Xiaoshou watched contestants slaughter one another as he reflected on the brutal reality of the world.
• A contestant attacked Xu Xiaoshou with an eagle-claw technique, but Xu Xiaoshou slapped him down twice while the man’s companions abruptly froze.