Chapter Summaries

Xu Xiaoshou tested his Five-Finger Seed Imprinting Technique, but a loss of spiritual essence sent the fire seeds flying into Elder Sang and left him injured. After the two awkwardly tried to hide what happened, Elder Sang stopped Xu Xiaoshou from refining the raw liquid to tell him something important.

• Xu Xiaoshou formed three compressed fire seeds and realized their combined power was far greater than he expected.
• Xu Xiaoshou ran out of spiritual essence while forming a fourth fire seed, causing all four to lose control and fly toward Elder Sang.
• Elder Sang dodged three fire seeds, but the weaker fourth entered his nostril and exploded inside him after Xu Xiaoshou's inhalation disrupted his control.
• Elder Sang hid his injury from Xu Xiaoshou, and the two awkwardly pretended that nothing had happened.
• Elder Sang told Xu Xiaoshou not to refine the raw liquid yet because he needed to share something important.

Elder Sang told Xu Xiaoshou that the Elder Council had denied him entry to the Inner Court to free a Heavenly Mystery Gate spot, and urged him to endure being used until he gained strength. Xu Xiaoshou accepted the challenge, questioned whether rapid cultivation would weaken his foundation, and declared that his ambitions reached beyond Tiansang to the Five Domains.

• Elder Sang said Xu Xiaoshou could research his spiritual technique but would need to reach the Innate Stage to control it, then told him he had secured a Heavenly Mystery Gate spot for him in three days.
• Elder Sang explained that the Elder Council had labeled Xu Xiaoshou's cultivation insufficient and denied his Inner Court entry to free a spot amid fierce competition for Heavenly Mystery Gate places.
• Elder Sang advised Xu Xiaoshou to act like a chess piece until he gained absolute strength, and Xu Xiaoshou nodded before telling him to let go of his hand.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked whether entering the Heavenly Mystery Gate and breaking through to the Innate Stage would destabilize his foundation, but Elder Sang dismissed the concern given his achievements.
• Xu Xiaoshou said he wanted to surpass those who could fight or kill Grandmasters upon entering the Innate Stage, then declared that his ambitions lay in the Five Domains, not Tiansang.

Elder Sang warned Xu Xiaoshou to keep his ambitions quiet and directed him to train at Blackfall Cliff in Heavenly Mystery Gate, giving him a complete Ten-Stage Sword Finger technique. He sent Xu Xiaoshou to find an inner court spirit site to refine pills, and Xu Xiaoshou left with an eighth-grade cauldron after Elder Sang kept the more powerful one.

• Elder Sang scolded Xu Xiaoshou for boasting about reaching the Five Domains and warned that such talk could get him killed.
• Elder Sang told Xu Xiaoshou that Blackfall Cliff could temper his foundation and gave him a jade slip containing the complete Ten-Stage Sword Finger.
• Xu Xiaoshou offered to continue extracting pill base liquid, but Elder Sang ordered him to work at an inner court spirit site instead.
• Xu Xiaoshou revealed that he had Elder Sang's token, and Elder Sang allowed him to use it to enter the inner court.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked to take Elder Sang's large cauldron, but Elder Sang stored it away and gave him a smaller eighth-grade cauldron.

After Elder Sang accepted Xu Xiaoshou as his disciple, Xu Xiaoshou explored the inner courtyard to choose a spiritual site. He met a blue-clad woman who recognized him and learned he might be trespassing, then offered her ten signatures.

• Xu Xiaoshou left the Spirit Treasury Pavilion with Elder Sang's token, pills, a sword technique, and other gifts, and reflected on how Elder Sang's treatment of him had changed.
• Xu Xiaoshou used the token to search the inner courtyard for a secluded spiritual site, passing occupied sites and avoiding one split apart by a sword strike.
• Xu Xiaoshou found a blue-clad woman outside a beautiful spiritual site and asked her for directions.
• The woman recognized Xu Xiaoshou as the Wind and Cloud Tournament champion and warned that she could apprehend an outer courtyard disciple trespassing in the inner courtyard.
• Xu Xiaoshou dismissed the warning and offered the woman ten signatures in exchange for help finding a spiritual site.

Xu Xiaoshou sought a spiritual residence in the Inner Academy and met Lan Xinzi, one of the enemies he had been warned about. He hid his recognition of her and left for the back mountain, while Lan Xinzi let him go with a veiled threat.

• A woman in blue directed Xu Xiaoshou to vacant spiritual residences in the Inner Academy's back mountain.
• Xu Xiaoshou agreed to autograph the woman's palm, and she introduced herself as Lan Xinzi.
• Xu Xiaoshou recognized Lan Xinzi as one of the Inner Academy Thirty-Three and concealed his alarm by flirting and signing her name.
• Lan Xinzi suspected Xu Xiaoshou knew who she was, but hesitated to kill him because of his connections.
• Xu Xiaoshou said goodbye and headed for the back mountain, while Lan Xinzi hoped he would not make it out.

Lan Xinzi and Zhang Xinxiong schemed to use Yuan Tou to target Xu Xiaoshou, while Xu chose a spiritual residence in the Inner Academy’s back mountain. The chapter left Xu settling into a grand courtyard beside a waterfall, confident that his fortunes were changing.

• Lan Xinzi told Zhang Xinxiong that Xu Xiaoshou was in the Inner Academy and had been encouraged to choose a residence in the back mountain.
• Zhang Xinxiong ordered Lan Xinzi to tell Yuan Tou to bring him Xu Xiaoshou’s head before the next day as proof of loyalty to the Zhang Clan branch.
• Xu Xiaoshou suspected Lan Xinzi was plotting against him but reassured himself that Elder Sang’s protection would deter another attack.
• Xu Xiaoshou followed the path to a hidden cluster of spiritual residences and chose the one with the densest spiritual energy, beside a waterfall.
• Xu Xiaoshou opened the courtyard gate and declared that moving into the Inner Academy was a major step toward success.

Xu Xiaoshou entered an Inner Court spiritual residence and discovered it was a woman’s private chamber. He resisted the owner’s illusion realm with Perception, but after she recognized him and her sword struck his chest, he recognized her too.

• Xu Xiaoshou inspected the residence and found women’s clothing scattered throughout, then heard a waterfall behind the house.
• Xu Xiaoshou approached the hot spring and used Perception to sense a woman bathing, but an illusion realm distorted what he saw.
• Xu Xiaoshou realized his Perception could reveal the truth beneath the illusion and walked through an illusory woman without being stopped.
• The woman attacked Xu Xiaoshou with a spiritual sword, but Light of Sharpness and Countershock deflected it after she recognized him.
• Xu Xiaoshou stared at the woman and exclaimed that he recognized her.

Xu Xiaoshou accidentally entered Rao Yinyin’s spirit residence and was caught while she was bathing. After she discovered he carried Elder Sang’s Vice Headmaster Token, Rao Yinyin teased him and demanded he promise her something, leaving Xu Xiaoshou pinned on the bed as he begged her to stop.

• Xu Xiaoshou and Rao Yinyin recognized each other when his spirit sword landed beside her bed.
• Rao Yinyin accused Xu Xiaoshou of breaking into her residence, and he claimed he had simply pushed the door open while looking for a spirit residence.
• Rao Yinyin examined Xu Xiaoshou’s token and identified it as Elder Sang’s Vice Headmaster Token, which could authorize entry into private homes.
• Xu Xiaoshou admitted Elder Sang was his master, but Rao Yinyin doubted him until he said he could not explain further.
• Rao Yinyin hooked an arm around Xu Xiaoshou’s neck and offered to overlook the incident if he promised her something.
• Xu Xiaoshou retreated to the bed while Rao Yinyin forced him down with her leg, and he begged her to talk instead of making a move.

Xu Xiaoshou and Rao Yinyin argued over her demand for a Throne Pill while she offered to give him a spiritual site and other rewards. Their tense encounter was interrupted when Su Qianqian walked in and mistook them for secret lovers, and Xu Xiaoshou escaped Rao Yinyin’s attack by calling for help.

• Rao Yinyin demanded that Xu Xiaoshou bring her a Throne Pill, offering him a spiritual site and other rewards in return.
• Xu Xiaoshou refused to promise the pill, and their argument continued as Rao Yinyin pressed him for an answer.
• Su Qianqian entered and saw Xu Xiaoshou and Rao Yinyin together beside the bed, then recognized Xu Xiaoshou with her spiritual senses.
• Xu Xiaoshou slapped Rao Yinyin’s thigh while telling her to move aside, angering her into attacking him.
• Xu Xiaoshou used the Countershock to slip away from Rao Yinyin and called to Su Qianqian for help.

Xu Xiaoshou and Rao Yinyin fought over his promise to give her Throne Pills, while Su Qianqian was caught between them. Rao Yinyin recorded Xu Xiaoshou with a Void Pearl, and the three ended the dispute together in her room.

• Rao Yinyin attacked Xu Xiaoshou after he entered her room, while he used Su Qianqian as a shield.
• Xu Xiaoshou promised Rao Yinyin Throne Pills, making her stop her attack and reveal that a Void Pearl had recorded him.
• Xu Xiaoshou offered two Throne Pills to get the Void Pearl, but Rao Yinyin challenged him to take it from her.
• Xu Xiaoshou teased Rao Yinyin about her name until Su Qianqian laughed at her for going “ying ying ying.”
• Rao Yinyin and Xu Xiaoshou tussled over Su Qianqian until the little girl laughed and stopped their standoff.

Ye Xiaotian and Elder Sang announced that Xu Xiaoshou had received the final Heavenly Mystery Gate slot, angering the Inner Court disciples whose place he took. As Chao Shu began to confront the decision, Ye Xiaotian intervened, while Zhou Tianshen hurried to warn Xu Xiaoshou of a threat.

• Ye Xiaotian announced the Heavenly Mystery Gate slots, then revealed that the tenth slot had already been assigned without naming its recipient.
• Elder Sang declared that Xu Xiaoshou had taken the slot and told Chao Shu to accept the decision unless he was strong enough to challenge the rules.
• Chao Shu stepped forward in anger, but Ye Xiaotian struck him down and ordered everyone to disperse before Elder Sang could escalate matters.
• Yuan Tou hinted to Chao Shu that Xu Xiaoshou might die before the gate opened in three days, returning the slot to him.
• Zhou Tianshen overheard Yuan Tou's remark and ran toward the Outer Court to warn Xu Xiaoshou.

Mu Zixi was confronted by Elder Sang and Ye Xiaotian, who identified her rare Life-Swallowing Wood Body and offered her a dangerous opportunity. Xu Xiaoshou settled into an inner-courtyard spirit residence, but the memory of the scene before the waterfall kept him awake.

• Mu Zixi swallowed a Life Profound Pill, and Elder Sang questioned her about the unusual spiritual body he had sensed before.
• Elder Sang identified Mu Zixi's constitution as one that devoured life force, while Ye Xiaotian confirmed it was called the Life-Swallowing Wood Body.
• Ye Xiaotian offered Mu Zixi a dangerous opportunity and gave her one day to consider it.
• Xu Xiaoshou left Rao Yinyin's spirit residence after Su Qianqian stopped their argument and helped him settle into a nearby residence.
• Xu Xiaoshou activated the array core and hung up his plaque, then struggled to sleep as the memory of the scene before the waterfall returned.

Yuan Tou lured Chao Shu into targeting Xu Xiaoshou in the Inner Academy, hoping to use him as a blade while avoiding killing Xu Xiaoshou himself. Chao Shu trapped Xu Xiaoshou in an Ice Crystal Barrier, but Xu Xiaoshou escaped the freezing attack and tried to buy his way out with Yuan Ting Pills.

• Yuan Tou persuaded Chao Shu that Xu Xiaoshou was trespassing in the Inner Academy and could be killed under the Inner Academy Thirty-Three's authority.
• Chao Shu and Yuan Tou spotted Xu Xiaoshou in the back mountain, and Chao Shu confirmed his identity with a portrait and Yuan Tou's message.
• Xu Xiaoshou tried to deny who he was, but Chao Shu froze his body and sealed his mouth with Ice Inlayer.
• Xu Xiaoshou broke free when his Emberlight Heavenly Flame and the sword's impact shattered the ice, then Chao Shu enclosed them both in an Ice Crystal Barrier.
• Xu Xiaoshou offered Chao Shu Yuan Ting Pills to spare his life, raising the offer to thirty pills.

Xu Xiaoshou fought Chao Shu inside an Ice Crystal Barrier, using unexpected attacks to overcome Chao Shu’s sticky ice-based control. After a compressed fire seed blasted both of them, Xu Xiaoshou recovered first and aimed another fire seed at Chao Shu.

• Chao Shu trapped Xu Xiaoshou’s fist and knee in ice, preventing his attacks from hurting him.
• Xu Xiaoshou stabbed Chao Shu with a sword launched from his spatial ring, but Chao Shu froze the sword and pulled it out.
• Xu Xiaoshou revealed a compressed fire seed in his mouth, forcing Chao Shu to break contact and dodge.
• The fire seed exploded against the Ice Crystal Barrier, melting Chao Shu’s ice walls and leaving both fighters temporarily unable to move.
• Xu Xiaoshou recovered, drew his pistol, formed another compressed fire seed, and aimed at Chao Shu.

Xu Xiaoshou survived Chao Shu’s Ice Dragon Breath by sheltering beneath Elder Sang’s pill cauldron, then used a sudden sword strike to sever Chao Shu’s arm. Chao Shu remained alive and froze Xu Xiaoshou in place, leaving him facing another attack.

• Chao Shu blocked Xu Xiaoshou’s compressed fireseed with Ice Dragon Breath and flooded the battlefield with freezing shockwaves.
• Xu Xiaoshou hid beneath Elder Sang’s little bathtub, enduring the cold and repeated impacts until his life force seemed to vanish.
• Chao Shu believed Xu Xiaoshou was dead and swallowed pills to recover from his injuries.
• Xu Xiaoshou swallowed a compressed fireseed and ten Spirit Refining Pills, then used his Perception to strike Chao Shu through the ice and sever his arm.
• Chao Shu froze himself and formed a seal while the ice bound Xu Xiaoshou in place.

Xu Xiaoshou survived Chao Shu’s Ice Chamber Calamity and killed him with a fireseed blast as law enforcers arrived. He then confronted Yuan Tou, who had watched the fight from nearby.

• Zhao Xidong’s oath to Mimi Baby was interrupted by Su Qianqian’s sword aura, and he flew toward its source while Mimi Baby fled in tears.
• Chao Shu trapped Xu Xiaoshou in Ice Chamber Calamity and pierced him with thirty-six ice spears, but Xu Xiaoshou’s defenses and healing kept him alive.
• Xu Xiaoshou broke out of the ice prison with a bathtub, pinned Chao Shu with sword aura, and launched him into the air with three compressed fireseeds.
• Xu Xiaoshou’s fireseed blast killed Chao Shu despite shouts ordering him to stop, while Yuan Tou failed to intervene in time.
• Xu Xiaoshou spotted Yuan Tou with Perception and challenged him to try killing him.

Xu Xiaoshou defeated Chao Shu, an Inner Academy disciple who attacked him over a Heavenly Mystery Gate slot, and Zhao Xidong arrived to take him to the Spirit Law Pavilion. Xu Xiaoshou accused Yuan Tou of helping set up the attack and insisted Yuan Tou was the real murderer.

• Zhao Xidong arrived at the murder scene, recognized Xu Xiaoshou, and ordered him to go to the Spirit Law Pavilion for punishment.
• Xu Xiaoshou argued that Chao Shu had tried to kill him and accused Zhao Xidong of arriving only after he had turned the fight around.
• Xu Xiaoshou demanded that Yuan Tou accompany him, and Zhao Xidong connected the attack to the Zhang Clan and Zhang Xinxiong.
• Yuan Tou revealed that Chao Shu had attacked Xu Xiaoshou because Xu Xiaoshou received a Heavenly Mystery Gate slot.
• Xu Xiaoshou claimed Yuan Tou had blocked his escape route and declared that Yuan Tou was the real murderer.

After killing Chao Shu, Xu Xiaoshou used Elder Sang’s token and a series of bluffs to evade Zhao Xidong’s attempt to take him to the Spirit Law Pavilion. He escaped, leaving Yuan Tou to be taken in as the incident’s first witness.

• Zhao Xidong ordered Xu Xiaoshou and Yuan Tou to go to the Spirit Law Pavilion, saying Yuan Tou was the first witness to Chao Shu’s death.
• Xu Xiaoshou showed Zhao Xidong Elder Sang’s token and claimed Elder Sang had urgent business with him, but Zhao insisted he still had to come along.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked whether the token carried an elder’s authority, then shouted at the enforcers to stand down and pretended he was repeating Elder Sang’s orders.
• Xu Xiaoshou flashed the token again, announced that he was leaving, and ran off while telling the enforcers to interrogate Yuan Tou.
• Zhao Xidong chose not to stop Xu Xiaoshou and ordered the enforcers to take Yuan Tou back as the only witness.

After surviving an assassination attempt by Zhang Xinxiong and killing one of his attackers, Xu Xiaoshou hid in the Spirit Treasury Pavilion. Elder Sang discussed the price of claiming a Heavenly Mystery Gate slot and told Xu Xiaoshou about the legendary genius Ba Zunan, leaving him stunned by the standard he had to measure himself against.

• Xu Xiaoshou went to the Spirit Treasury Pavilion to hide after the attack and decided he needed to reach Innate before leaving for the Heavenly Mystery Gate.
• Elder Sang found Xu Xiaoshou bloodied and learned that he had killed one of the two attackers, a newly promoted member of the Thirty-Three.
• Xu Xiaoshou said he regretted killing his opponent, and Elder Sang urged him to become more ruthless.
• Elder Sang challenged Xu Xiaoshou’s idea of himself as a genius by comparing him with Su Qianqian and other talents across the Five Domains.
• Elder Sang described the publicly acknowledged strongest genius of the Five Domains, who reached Innate in three breaths and became a Sword Immortal in three years.
• Elder Sang identified that legendary sword cultivator as the Eighth Sword Immortal, Ba Zunan.

Elder Sang told Xu Xiaoshou that the Ten-Stage Sword Finger had been created by the fallen Eighth Sword Immortal and urged him to cultivate it at Blackfall Cliff. He then revealed that he had taken on a junior disciple, and Xu Xiaoshou recognized her as Mu Zixi.

• Elder Sang explained that Ba Zunan had been called the Eighth Sword Immortal and had fallen after challenging Hua Changdeng, then warned Xu Xiaoshou not to grow complacent.
• Elder Sang revealed that the Ten-Stage Sword Finger was the Eighth Sword Immortal’s legendary technique and urged Xu Xiaoshou to train at Blackfall Cliff.
• Xu Xiaoshou wondered whether the masked man had used the Ten-Stage Sword Finger, but Elder Sang said that most practitioners were imitators.
• Elder Sang asked Xu Xiaoshou to choose between two pieces of jade, and Xu Xiaoshou said he would take both if he had enough money.
• Elder Sang revealed that he had held an apprenticeship ceremony and that Xu Xiaoshou now had a junior sister.
• Mu Zixi entered and greeted Elder Sang as her master, then recognized Xu Xiaoshou as her senior brother.