Chapter Summaries

Xu Xiaoshou mastered Emberlight Skyburn, but his first use of the technique destroyed his newly built house. He retreated to the guest room and ended the night eager to check his passive value.

• Xu Xiaoshou found that he could sense and control the spirits of heaven and earth with little effort, then completed the final step of Emberlight Skyburn.
• Xu Xiaoshou accidentally spread invisible Emberlight Heavenly Flame throughout his house, which exploded and erased the building without leaving ash.
• Xu Xiaoshou mourned the loss of his house, then accidentally evaporated the rain around him before hurrying into the guest room.
• Xu Xiaoshou dried his clothes and hair with Emberlight spiritual essence and decided that Goose Lake would be a safer place to experiment.
• Xu Xiaoshou turned his attention to the red interface and saw that his Passive Value was 81032.

Xu Xiaoshou spent most of his accumulated Passive Value on fifty-two Passive Keys and began a series of roulette draws. He obtained the passive skill Full of Vitality, discovered that it greatly improved his spirit essence recovery, and prepared to use his remaining keys.

• Xu Xiaoshou exchanged Passive Value for fifty Passive Keys, bringing his total to fifty-two.
• Xu Xiaoshou's first two ten-pulls yielded only a few extra keys, leaving him frustrated with the roulette.
• Xu Xiaoshou changed his position and began a third ten-pull, which awarded him the basic passive skill Full of Vitality.
• Xu Xiaoshou sensed that Full of Vitality had greatly increased his spirit essence recovery and celebrated its potential to improve his combat endurance.
• Xu Xiaoshou noted that twenty draws remained and prepared to continue.

Xu Xiaoshou spent the night testing whether his pose and the courtyard’s feng shui affected the Red Roulette, drawing the new passive skill Countershock and eventually Full of Vitality. He used nearly all his Passive Value and ended the night satisfied with eight innate passive skills before heading to bathe and sleep.

• Xu Xiaoshou changed his position to the rainy courtyard and drew Countershock, then tested how the skill jolted his fists apart.
• He found that the extra keys earned from his fifty draws gave him another ten-draw, which yielded only one more key.
• Xu Xiaoshou spent 9,000 Passive Value on another ten-draw while lying beneath the rockery, but got nothing.
• He used his remaining surplus Passive Value on more draws, eventually obtaining Full of Vitality and bringing his total to eight innate passive skills.
• Xu Xiaoshou walked back to the guest room to bathe and sleep.

Feng Kong and Shao Yi approached Xu Xiaoshou’s courtyard on a rainy night, intending to kill him, while Shao Yi’s drunken chatter nearly provoked Feng Kong. Xu Xiaoshou woke to their knocking, sensed something was wrong, and remained behind the closed door as the two waited outside.

• Feng Kong and Shao Yi crossed Goose Lake in the rain, with Feng Kong warning Shao Yi not to let drinking cloud his judgment.
• Shao Yi insulted Feng Kong while drunk, then realized his mistake and pretended to be foolish to avoid angering him.
• The pair reached Xu Xiaoshou’s courtyard, where Feng Kong ordered Shao Yi to kill their target with one strike.
• Shao Yi knocked on the door and interrupted Xu Xiaoshou’s dream; Xu Xiaoshou woke and used Perception to see the two cloaked men outside.
• Xu Xiaoshou hesitated to open the door as the rain intensified and a familiar song drifted through the night.

Xu Xiaoshou hid in his courtyard as two powerful assassins, Feng Kong and Shao Yi, came to kill him. When they entered and found the battered grounds, a mysterious figure on the rockery greeted them, leaving the assassins unsure what they had walked into.

• Xu Xiaoshou realized the men outside were concealed Innate experts and feared they had come from the inner court to kill him.
• Feng Kong stopped Shao Yi from breaking down the door and ordered him to move when they suspected Xu Xiaoshou had discovered them.
• Shao Yi gathered power for a strike, but the barrier split and the wooden door opened before he could attack.
• Feng Kong and Shao Yi entered the courtyard and found huge pits, an empty space where the main house should have stood, and a battered landscape.
• Feng Kong spotted a tall figure on the rockery, and the figure said they had finally discovered him and had been a little slow.

Xu Xiaoshou used silence and an ambiguous show of confidence to make Feng Kong and Shao Yi suspect he was a powerful opponent, despite his weakened state. When Feng Kong finally signaled Shao Yi to attack, Xu Xiaoshou interrupted them with a mocking remark that made Feng Kong believe he could see their secret coordination.

• Feng Kong and Shao Yi debated whether the white-clad figure on the rockery was Xu Xiaoshou, while Feng Kong hesitated to attack.
• Xu Xiaoshou recognized their caution and used silence to let them speculate about his identity and the ruined courtyard.
• Xu Xiaoshou's ambiguous sigh triggered hundreds of Suspected notifications, but he worried that an attack would still kill him.
• As the silence dragged on, Feng Kong signaled Shao Yi to make a move.
• Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and implied he had noticed their coordination, freezing Feng Kong and leaving Shao Yi panicked.

Xu Xiaoshou used spiritual essence and staged attacks to frighten Feng Kong and Shao Yi, though he was bluffing to conceal his identity. Feng Kong’s deductions repeatedly collapsed, and the chapter ended with Xu Xiaoshou ordering him to turn around while Feng Kong feared that seeing him meant death.

• Xu Xiaoshou’s display of fire-attributed spiritual essence convinced Feng Kong and Shao Yi that he was an Innate expert rather than Xu Xiaoshou, so they tried to flee.
• Xu Xiaoshou used Emberlight Skyburn and All Things Are Swords to create a terrifying spectacle, while privately hoping the two would leave without exposing his bluff.
• Feng Kong suspected Xu Xiaoshou was bluffing and stopped Shao Yi at the courtyard threshold, but Xu Xiaoshou’s words activated the formation and sealed the gates.
• Feng Kong struggled to decide whether the man was Xu Xiaoshou, then lost his train of thought when Shao Yi asked what rhythm to follow.
• Xu Xiaoshou told Feng Kong to turn around, and Feng Kong froze, believing that seeing the man would mean death.

Xu Xiaoshou used a frightening disguise and an unknown flame technique to make Shao Yi and Feng Kong believe he might be a ghostly version of Xu Xiaoshou. Feng Kong escaped while Shao Yi stayed behind, and Xu Xiaoshou struggled to keep up the act against the stronger opponent.

• Shao Yi recognized that the wounded man in white had fought Xu Xiaoshou, then panicked when the man revealed a face identical to Xu Xiaoshou's and claimed to be him.
• Shao Yi and Feng Kong tried to escape through a gap in the barrier, but Xu Xiaoshou stopped them and ignited Shao Yi with invisible Emberlight Skyburn.
• Feng Kong escaped after Shao Yi told him to go first, trusting that Shao Yi could use his escape techniques to catch up.
• Shao Yi realized the flames were consuming his spiritual essence and stayed behind to buy Feng Kong time, while Xu Xiaoshou hid his fear and avoided attacking.

Xu Xiaoshou tried to stall Shao Yi until his spiritual essence ran out, but accidentally revealed his identity by flicking away a sleeve dagger with his fingers. Shao Yi attacked in a rage, and Xu Xiaoshou fled to exhaust the last of Shao Yi’s strength before fighting back.

• Xu Xiaoshou used Emberlight Heavenly Flame and taunts to keep Shao Yi from escaping while waiting for his spiritual essence to dwindle.
• Shao Yi realized Xu Xiaoshou had never touched him and questioned how the flame had ignited on his body.
• Shao Yi threw a sleeve dagger, and Xu Xiaoshou flicked it away with two fingers, making Shao Yi suspect he had an innate physical body.
• Xu Xiaoshou admitted he was Xu Xiaoshou, and Shao Yi recognized him despite his low cultivation.
• Shao Yi charged at Xu Xiaoshou with a short sword, and Xu Xiaoshou retreated at full speed to drain the rest of Shao Yi’s spiritual essence.

Xu Xiaoshou wore Shao Yi down with the Emberlight Heavenly Flame and stopped him from replenishing his spiritual essence. Shao Yi launched a desperate attack, but Xu Xiaoshou survived it and killed him with Hidden Pain.

• Xu Xiaoshou taunted Shao Yi and repeatedly baited him into chasing and preparing to fight, exhausting his spiritual essence with the Emberlight Heavenly Flame.
• Xu Xiaoshou used the Breathing Method to draw spiritual energy from Shao Yi's medicinal pills, preventing him from recovering.
• Shao Yi revealed that he was at the peak of the Yuan Court Realm and gave the false names Feng Jia and Shao Kong when Xu Xiaoshou questioned him.
• As the flame consumed him, Shao Yi unleashed a blood-mist attack and stabbed through where he thought Xu Xiaoshou's heart was.
• Xu Xiaoshou's Hidden Pain pierced Shao Yi, and its Reversing Sword Form severed his head.

After defeating Shao Yi, Xu Xiaoshou recovered from his wounds and assessed the danger posed by the assassin who had escaped. He realized Sword-Draw Form might let him kill the stronger pursuer in one strike, then thought of a way to supply the enormous spirit essence it required.

• Xu Xiaoshou burned Shao Yi's corpse and reflected on how Countershock, Endless Vitality, and Full of Vitality had helped him survive the fight.
• Xu Xiaoshou concluded that the escaped assassin might return and that he would need to stay alert against someone at least two major realms above him.
• Xu Xiaoshou considered using Innate Sword Intent and Sword-Draw Form to kill the pursuer from a distance, but worried that the technique would exhaust his spirit essence.
• Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized that he might be able to obtain a massive amount of spirit essence at once, and his legs went weak.

Xu Xiaoshou prepared an ambush in the grove, while Feng Kong deduced that Xu Xiaoshou would be waiting there. Both men headed toward the same trap, each believing he had anticipated the other's plans.

• Xu Xiaoshou tested his ability to use the Reversing Sword Form with another person's spirit sword, then broke the sword and planned how to lure Feng Kong into the grove.
• Xu Xiaoshou worried that Feng Kong might anticipate his ambush, grabbed the broken sword pieces, and hurried toward the grove.
• Feng Kong learned from Shao Yi's final transmission that Xu Xiaoshou had killed him and raced back toward the courtyard.
• Feng Kong calmed himself and reasoned that Xu Xiaoshou would anticipate his approach and set an ambush along the only route to the courtyard.
• Feng Kong concluded that Xu Xiaoshou was waiting in the grove and headed there, intent on killing him.

Xu Xiaoshou ambushed Feng Kong at Goose Lake with Shao Yi’s broken sword and a powerful Sword-Draw Form, then killed him with Shao Yi’s sword. He left Feng Kong dead and reflected that Feng Kong had lost as soon as he failed to notice the weapon.

• Feng Kong found Shao Yi’s broken sword, which exploded and burned him with invisible flames, revealing that Xu Xiaoshou was nearby.
• Xu Xiaoshou launched Shao Yi’s head from the lake, and Feng Kong accidentally split it in two before spotting Xu Xiaoshou across the water.
• Xu Xiaoshou unleashed Sword-Draw Form, slicing away half of Feng Kong’s body and one ear.
• Xu Xiaoshou struck again and severed Feng Kong’s arm, leaving him too injured to fight.
• Feng Kong tried to flee, but Shao Yi’s sword pierced his skull and killed him; Xu Xiaoshou retrieved the sword and looked toward Goose Lake.

After surviving two assassins, Xu Xiaoshou reflected on his strength and worried that the men might have been avenging Wen Chong. When the Information Bar warned that someone was observing him, he spotted a distant shadow, only for a pair of black eyes to appear suddenly at close range.

• Xu Xiaoshou reconsidered the fight, realizing that timing and circumstances had helped him defeat the two assassins.
• He wondered whether the assassins had come to avenge Wen Chong and feared more attacks might follow.
• Xu Xiaoshou assessed his combat abilities and speculated about Mo Mo’s Sealing Art.
• The Information Bar reported that Xu Xiaoshou was under observation, though his Perception initially detected no one nearby.
• Xu Xiaoshou spotted a shadow near the grove, then turned and found a pair of black eyes close to him as his Black Sword shot forward.

Xu Xiaoshou fought a masked intruder who claimed he only wanted directions, then learned the man was trying to find the inner courtyard. The masked man remained pinned and frustrated as their bizarre encounter continued.

• A masked man caught Xu Xiaoshou’s sword between two fingers, and Xu Xiaoshou restrained him by grabbing his hands and wrapping his legs around him.
• Xu Xiaoshou stabbed the masked man in the heart while asking what he wanted, but the man knocked the sword away and headbutted Xu Xiaoshou.
• Xu Xiaoshou pinned the masked man again and questioned how he had entered Tiansang Spirit Palace; the man claimed he was from there, but Xu Xiaoshou realized he had lied.
• The masked man finally said he wanted directions to the inner courtyard, and Xu Xiaoshou mocked him for not saying so sooner.

Xu Xiaoshou encountered a masked intruder after killing an attacker, but the intruder revealed overwhelming Sword Intent and captured him while fleeing Spirit Law Pavilion enforcers. The masked man reacted to the name Elder Sang, leaving Xu Xiaoshou uncertain about their connection.

• Xu Xiaoshou questioned the masked man about his destination, then watched him struggle to get up after their forceful separation.
• The masked man criticized Xu Xiaoshou's sword path and left, while Xu Xiaoshou dismissed his warning and headed back.
• The masked man returned with Spirit Law Pavilion enforcers pursuing him, and Xu Xiaoshou tried to flee before being caught and carried off.
• The masked man stabbed Xu Xiaoshou with Sword Qi, suppressing his recovery and leaving him unable to move.
• Xu Xiaoshou tried to bargain and mentioned Elder Sang, prompting the masked man to ask if Elder Sang had returned.
• Xu Xiaoshou denied knowing Elder Sang, and the masked man cursed him.

A masked man carrying Xu Xiaoshou fled into a Spirit Law Pavilion ambush, then effortlessly turned Xiao Qixiu’s sword against him. After Xiao Qixiu was struck down, the masked man recognized the sword-intent path Xu Xiaoshou was pursuing.

• The masked man crossed Goose Lake with Xu Xiaoshou as Spirit Law Pavilion enforcers closed in from every direction.
• Xiao Qixiu confronted them and demanded that the masked man surrender, while Xu Xiaoshou denied knowing Elder Sang and tried to blame the masked man for two deaths.
• Xu Xiaoshou tried to persuade the masked man to join him in escaping through a secret passage, but panicked and gave several false names.
• The masked man carried Xu Xiaoshou high into the sky and threw him out of the way as Xiao Qixiu launched his sword at them.
• The masked man repelled Xiao Qixiu’s sword with his sword intent, causing it to pierce Xiao Qixiu.
• The masked man looked at Xu Xiaoshou and identified his current path as one of sword intent.

Xu Xiaoshou was caught between the masked man and Ye Xiaotian as they faced off in the sky. The masked man revealed his overwhelming sword intent by suspending nine of the inner court’s Great Elders, leaving the law enforcers stunned.

• The masked man explained that his Innate-level All Things Are Swords returned an opponent’s way unto them, while Xu Xiaoshou insisted he would continue pursuing his own sword path.
• Ye Xiaotian arrived after Xiao Qixiu was struck down and used his Heaven-Bending Hand to seize space around the masked man and Xu Xiaoshou.
• Xu Xiaoshou begged Ye Xiaotian to spare him, but the masked man reminded him that he had just claimed he wanted to join them.
• The masked man warned Ye Xiaotian that striking would kill the nine people lying in ambush, then revealed nine gray-haired elders suspended in the air by sword aura.
• The law enforcers recognized the Nine Great Elders and were shocked that the masked man had subdued nine Thrones with sword intent alone.

The masked man killed the nine suspended elders and demanded Xu Xiaoshou from Ye Xiaotian, but Elder Sang intervened and used Emberlight Skyburn on the masked man through Xu Xiaoshou. Xu Xiaoshou lost consciousness as the fire burned through him, while the masked man urgently demanded that Elder Sang take Xu Xiaoshou and withdraw the fire.

• The masked man killed two elders who challenged him, then slaughtered the other seven suspended elders.
• The masked man told Ye Xiaotian that Xu Xiaoshou had value and demanded him as the price for leaving.
• Ye Xiaotian agreed to give Xu Xiaoshou to the masked man if he released the other hostages and stayed away from Tiansang Spirit Palace.
• Elder Sang appeared and told the masked man to take Xu Xiaoshou while killing the other hostages if he wished.
• Elder Sang stopped the masked man's escape and sent Emberlight Skyburn through him into Xu Xiaoshou, who lost consciousness as the fire consumed him.

Xu Xiaoshou watched the masked man overpower Tiansang Spirit Palace’s elders and demand a sword, then escape after threatening to return for him. Elder Sang saved Xu Xiaoshou, but the masked man remembered his face and promised to come back.

• Elder Sang revived Xu Xiaoshou with a pill as the masked man’s weakened control let the nine elders break free and attack.
• The masked man evaded Ye Xiaotian’s Heaven-Bending Hand, captured him, and silenced the other elders by threatening to kill him.
• Elder Sang allowed the masked man to leave, but the masked man said he had come for a sword and then demanded Xu Xiaoshou instead.
• The masked man left after calling Xu Xiaoshou Wen Ming and promising to return for him, prompting Xu Xiaoshou to ask where he could get plastic surgery.