Chapter Summaries

Gao Wu and Hu Qiniang were assigned to lure Tie Zhen into an ambush, but Gao Wu exposed the Blood Garment Alliance’s plot as soon as she arrived. He called on the hidden assassins to surrender, leaving Old Squinty furious and the attack on the verge of turning against its planners.

• Old Squinty ordered Gao Wu and Hu Qiniang to pose as servants and draw Tie Zhen into an ambush at the horse farm.
• Gao Wu and Hu Qiniang changed their appearance while the Blood Garment Alliance prepared concealed weapons in nearby buildings.
• Tie Zhen arrived with an armed escort, and maid Xiangyu questioned Gao Wu about the absent stable workers.
• Gao Wu openly told Tie Zhen that he and Hu Qiniang were assassins sent to kill her, then accused the others of treason.
• Gao Wu shouted for the hidden assassins to come out and surrender, while Old Squinty realized something had gone wrong and raged at him.

Gao Wu exposed the Blood Garment Alliance’s plot against Tie Zhen, earned the Tie Family’s gratitude, and requested an advanced martial art as his reward. Daoist Qingfeng began teaching him the Pure Yang Sword, but Gao Wu memorized its scripture and forms after one demonstration, leaving Qingfeng astonished.

• Gao Wu warned Tie Zhen that the attackers were Blood Garment Alliance assassins, and Tie Sanqiang pursued them, capturing several and killing others.
• Tie Zhen brought Gao Wu to Heishui City, where Tie Mu decided to reward him and publicly honor his rescue of Tie Zhen.
• At a banquet, Gao Wu asked Tie Mu for an orthodox, profound martial art, and Tie Mu arranged for Daoist Qingfeng to teach him the Pure Yang Sword.
• Daoist Qingfeng recited the sword’s cultivation outline and demonstrated its thirty-six forms, and Gao Wu immediately memorized and performed them.
• Daoist Qingfeng stared at Gao Wu in astonishment after watching him complete the forms correctly on his first attempt.

Old Daoist Qingfeng taught Gao Wu the Pure Yang Sword, and Gao Wu rapidly opened all Twelve Regular Meridians through practice. Tie Zhen gave Gao Wu an imitation Chunjun Sword, while Old Squinty and Ma Qianli prepared to attack him at midnight.

• Old Daoist Qingfeng taught Gao Wu the Pure Yang Sword’s sword forms and qi-circulation method, then confirmed Gao Wu had memorized every detail.
• Gao Wu practiced the Pure Yang Sword and opened all Twelve Regular Meridians, though he found opening the Ren and Du Meridians more difficult.
• Tie Zhen asked Old Daoist Qingfeng about Gao Wu’s aptitude, then watched him practice and saw his command of the sword.
• Tie Zhen gave Gao Wu a heavy imitation Chunjun Sword, which he accepted with thanks.
• Old Squinty and Ma Qianli watched Gao Wu from across the street and decided to attack at midnight.

Gao Wu defeated Old Squinty and Ma Qianli when they attempted to abduct him, then Tie Mu learned from Old Squinty's confession that the Holy Fire Cult and other powerful forces were involved in a looming threat to Heishui City. The chapter left Tie Mu fearing that the city and the Tie Family could be swept away by the coming conflict.

• Ma Qianli and Old Squinty sneaked into Gao Wu's courtyard and tried to drug him with befuddling smoke.
• Gao Wu struck the copper tube back through the window, gravely wounding Ma Qianli, then destroyed Old Squinty's poisoned needles and flying knives with the Chunjun Sword.
• Gao Wu beat Old Squinty unconscious and had him taken into custody.
• Old Squinty was whipped until he gave a confession naming Ye Qingfeng, Ma Changhe, and the Holy Fire Cult's Twelve Sacred Fire Envoys.
• Tie Mu realized the Holy Fire Cult's involvement suggested the Qiang Tribe was preparing to move against Heishui City.

Gao Wu mastered Daoist Qingfeng’s Dragon-Roaming Palm, prompting the Daoist to recognize his extraordinary talent. After moving into the Tie Family’s inner residence, Gao Wu opened his Ren and Du Meridians and reached the first-rate level, while waiting for the incoming experts who might provide access to more martial arts.

• Daoist Qingfeng taught Gao Wu the Dragon-Roaming Palm after Gao Wu demonstrated mastery of the Pure Yang Sword.
• Gao Wu combined the two versions of Dragon-Roaming Palm and performed it so skillfully that Daoist Qingfeng was astonished by his talent.
• Tie Zhen moved Gao Wu to the Tie Family’s inner residence for safety and assigned Yu He to serve him.
• Gao Wu sent Yu He to sleep in the outer room so he could practice his internal art undisturbed.
• Gao Wu circulated True Qi through his Ren and Du Meridians, reached the first-rate level, and resolved to seek martial arts manuals from Ye Qingfeng and Ma Changhe.

Gao Wu waited for the Blood Garment Alliance and Holy Fire Cult to attack Tie Mansion, then rushed to protect Tie Zhen when the night raid began. He faced Ma Changhe as the bandit’s saber descended, and their weapons met in a flash of sword and saber light.

• Tie Zhen questioned Yu He about Gao Wu and told her to attend to him carefully.
• Gao Wu practiced swordsmanship, grew impatient with the lack of action, and spoke to Yu He about missing an old friend.
• When Gao Wu heard weapons clashing during the autumn rain, he realized Tie Mansion was under attack and took Yu He to find Tie Zhen.
• Gao Wu and Yu He reached Tie Zhen’s courtyard, where Ma Changhe broke through the guards with his saber.
• Gao Wu set Yu He down to protect Tie Zhen, identified himself to Ma Changhe, and met the bandit’s attack with the Chunjun Sword.

Gao Wu killed Ma Changhe and cut down the black-clad fighters attacking Tie Zhen, then led Tie Zhen and Yu He to rescue Tie Mu. They reached the Tie Family hall, where Tie Mu was besieged by enemy experts, and Gao Wu challenged them.

• Ma Changhe attacked Gao Wu with his Mountain-Cleaving Blade, but Gao Wu killed him with a swift thrust of the Chunjun Sword.
• Gao Wu deflected a barrage of crossbow bolts and hidden weapons, then killed the black-clad fighters surrounding Tie Zhen.
• Gao Wu urged Tie Zhen to leave the camp troops behind and go directly to support Tie Mu; Tie Zhen and Yu He joined him.
• Gao Wu killed several groups of black-clad men as Tie Zhen led the party to the Tie Family main residence.
• Gao Wu found Tie Mu’s guards holding the hall against enemy experts and shouted a challenge at the attackers.

Gao Wu confronted the alliance attacking the Tie Family and revealed first-rate swordsmanship when the Blood Wolf Guard moved against him. After he killed four guards in moments, China and more than twenty Blood Wolf Guards charged him.

• Tie Zhen identified Luo Shan, China, and Ye Qingfeng among the enemy leaders and warned Gao Wu that the Tie Family was outnumbered.
• Tie Zhen urged Gao Wu to escape if he found an opportunity, but Gao Wu declared that he would kill the attackers and stepped forward.
• China ordered the Blood Wolf Guard to attack Gao Wu, and two archers fired six arrows at him.
• Gao Wu cut the arrows apart, slipped between two scimitars, and killed four Blood Wolf Guards with his Chunjun Sword.
• Tie Mu and the enemy leaders realized Gao Wu was a first-rate expert, while Tie Zhen and Yu He took heart at his strength.
• China charged at Gao Wu with his blood-red scimitar as more than twenty Blood Wolf Guards surged forward.

Gao Wu disrupted the alliance’s attempt to kill Tie Mu by slaughtering the Blood Wolf Guards and defeating Blood Wolf King China. After killing China and deflecting Ye Qingfeng’s arrow, Gao Wu left Ye Qingfeng wondering who the swordsman really was.

• China led the Blood Wolf Guards against Gao Wu, who darted through their ranks and killed twelve of them.
• China attacked Tie Zhen to lure Gao Wu into range, then swept at him with the Blood Moon Saber.
• Gao Wu deflected China’s saber with a palm strike and thrust the Chunjun Sword toward his face.
• China caught the sword between his palms, but Gao Wu vibrated the blade free and cut his throat.
• Gao Wu beheaded China, then turned and shattered Ye Qingfeng’s arrow with his sword.
• Ye Qingfeng wondered when a peerless expert had appeared in the northwest and who was impersonating Fast Sword Gao Laosi.

Gao Wu overwhelmed the Blood Garment Alliance with his swordsmanship, killing its leaders and the Holy Fire Envoys during the Tie Family’s battle. He ended the fight with a poem as Luo Shan and the surviving witnesses watched in awe.

• After Gao Wu deflected Ye Qingfeng’s arrows and killed the Blood Wolf Guards, Ye Qingfeng ordered the archers to attack, but Gao Wu blocked the barrage and Ye Qingfeng tried to flee.
• Tie Mu intercepted Ye Qingfeng, while Gao Wu confronted Luo Shan and refused to retreat despite learning that her teacher, Bai Ke, was an innate grandmaster.
• Gao Wu recited a poem and attacked Luo Shan and the twelve Holy Fire Envoys, killing all twelve in a flurry of sword strikes.
• Gao Wu turned on Ye Qingfeng and beheaded him as he fired an invisible True Qi arrow.
• Luo Shan recognized the meaning of Gao Wu’s poem, and Tie Zhen, Yu He, and Tie Mu praised his prowess.

After defeating the attackers, Gao Wu spared Luo Shan and turned his attention to studying Ye Qingfeng’s Sun-Shooting Bow Technique. Tie Mu purged his enemies in Heishui City, then agreed to give Gao Wu the Tie Family’s divine bow as he sought to keep the powerful warrior close.

• Tie Mu asked Gao Wu what to do with Luo Shan, and Gao Wu spared her while asking her to deliver his poem and invitation to her teacher.
• Tie Mu left to regain control of the military camp, while Tie Zhen arranged for Gao Wu to return and rest.
• Gao Wu bathed, then reviewed the battle and decided to study Ye Qingfeng’s Sun-Shooting Bow Technique and True Qi arrow.
• Tie Mu killed the military governor’s deputy envoy and allied officers, retook command of three thousand soldiers, and destroyed seven great families.
• Tie Zhen told Tie Mu that Gao Wu wanted to examine the Sun-Shooting Bow, and Tie Mu agreed to give it to him in hopes of securing his support against Tian Chengji.

Gao Wu left Heishui City with Yu He to travel through the Central Plains and challenge the martial arts of its sects. After Gao Wu improved the Tie Family's Vajra Wisdom King Seal before departing, Luo Shan reached Golden Radiance Peak and her teacher Bai Ke resolved to meet him.

• Gao Wu tested the Sun-Shooting Bow and told Tie Zhen he planned to leave for the Central Plains, where he intended to visit martial arts experts and exchange pointers.
• Tie Zhen offered Yu He as a companion, and Tie Mu taught Gao Wu the Tie Family's Vajra Wisdom King Seal.
• Gao Wu opened the Dai and Chong Meridians overnight, then found and corrected a flaw in the Vajra Wisdom King Seal's qi circulation.
• Gao Wu left Heishui City with Yu He after the Tie siblings escorted them for ten li, while Tie Mu and Tie Zhen worried about Tian Chengji's threat.
• Luo Shan reached Golden Radiance Peak and told her teacher Bai Ke about Gao Wu, prompting Bai Ke to consider meeting him and drawing his Dragon Sparrow saber.

Yu He and Gao Wu arrived in Yong City and learned that Gao Wu’s reputation had spread under the nickname Head-Chopping Divine Sword. After hearing that Tian Chengji had helped attack the Tie Family, Gao Wu decided to kill him in return for Tie Mu’s generosity, despite Yu He’s warning about the danger.

• Yu He presented Tie Zhen’s token at Prosperity Trading Company and asked to join a caravan heading to the Central Plains.
• The manager recognized Gao Wu as the Head-Chopping Divine Sword and treated him and his attendants with fearful respect.
• Yu He told Gao Wu that a caravan would leave for Tai’an the next day and explained that Tian Chengji and the Seven Kill Gang threatened the Tie Family.
• Gao Wu offered to chop off Tian Chengji’s head, but Yu He warned him that Tian Chengji’s residence was heavily guarded.
• Gao Wu said killing Tian Chengji would be a small matter and decided to repay Tie Mu for teaching him the Vajra Wisdom King Seal.

Gao Wu revealed that he had killed Tian Chengji during the night, then left Yong City with Yu He and the trading caravan. In Yong City, Xu Shaoyang and Xu Tianxing took control of Tian Chengji’s residence and planned to use Tian Yue’s revenge against Gao Wu to gain influence.

• Yu He woke at dawn and found Gao Wu still in bed, then helped him wash and prepared to leave Yong City.
• Gao Wu told Yu He that he had silently killed Tian Chengji, and explained that Tian Chengji’s adopted sons were now scrambling for power.
• Xu Shaoyang sealed off Tian Chengji’s residence after discovering the killing and summoned his father, Xu Tianxing.
• Xu Tianxing examined Tian Chengji’s body and wondered whether an innate grandmaster had carried out the attack.
• Xu Shaoyang proposed blaming the murder on Gao Wu and provoking Tian Yue into fighting him and the Tie Family so the Kongtong Sect could benefit.

Gao Wu faced the Heavenly Hero Cavalry as it pursued his caravan and used the Sun-Shooting Bow to devastate its charge. After he killed commander Tian Yue, the army's morale collapsed, leaving its next move uncertain.

• Gao Wu sensed that enemies were approaching and told Li Wang and Yu He to stay with the caravan in the village.
• The Heavenly Hero Cavalry appeared, led by Tian Yue, while Xu Tianxing and Xu Shaoyang followed behind and watched Gao Wu.
• Gao Wu fired the Sun-Shooting Bow from long range, bringing down cavalrymen and disrupting the riders' formation.
• Tian Yue ordered his guards to charge and shield him, but Gao Wu's curving arrows bypassed them and pierced Tian Yue's head.
• Gao Wu announced Tian Yue's death and demanded that the cavalry retreat, throwing the Heavenly Hero Army into confusion.

Gao Wu killed Xu Tianxing and the Kongtong fighters who attacked him, then spared Xu Shaoyang in exchange for the sect’s Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword manual and taught it to Yu He. After mastering the art and opening all eight extraordinary meridians, Gao Wu met Bai Ke, the Blade Demon, outside Yong City and prepared to face the innate grandmaster.

• Gao Wu shot down Xu Tianxing’s and Xu Shaoyang’s horses, then confronted Xu Tianxing and the Kongtong fighters as the cavalry fled.
• Gao Wu killed Elders Jian and Qiu, Xu Tianxing, and several Kongtong fighters, while Xu Shaoyang and the remaining fighters surrendered.
• Xu Shaoyang gave Gao Wu the Kongtong Sect’s Yin-Yang Two Forms Sword manual, and Gao Wu spared him and the others.
• Gao Wu taught Yu He the manual and cultivated through the night, opening all eight extraordinary meridians and transforming his internal force into Yin-Yang Two Forms True Qi.
• Gao Wu and Yu He rode toward Yong City, where Xu Shaoyang arrived with Bai Ke, the Blade Demon, and Bai Ke challenged Gao Wu to survive one slash.
• Gao Wu drew Pure Jun and accepted Bai Ke’s challenge to fight.

Gao Wu defeated the innate grandmaster Bai Ke, then passed his martial arts to Yu He and ascended from Yong City as Seven-Colored Rainbow Light. His departure left witnesses across the region believing he was a heavenly sword immortal.

• Bai Ke advanced on Gao Wu with an overwhelming aura, causing the crowd and Xu Shaoyang to kneel in fear.
• Bai Ke explained the Dragon Sparrow Blade and attacked Gao Wu, but Gao Wu survived the slash and revealed his understanding of the Dao.
• Gao Wu broke through to the innate realm during their exchange and killed Bai Ke with a blow that severed his head.
• Gao Wu gave Yu He the martial arts imprints from the Dragon Sparrow Blade, opened her meridians, and made her an innate grandmaster.
• Gao Wu told Yu He to spread his fame, ignored Xu Shaoyang's plea for mercy, and ascended into the sky as Seven-Colored Rainbow Light.
• News of Gao Wu's ascension spread; Tie Mu lamented missing him, while Tie Zhen felt sorrow that she would never see him again.

Gao Wu awakened in the body of a fired, terminally ill Star Master and learned about the advanced world he had entered. He signed a non-compete agreement to keep part of his salary and left the Divine Martial Club, intending to recover his strength before seeking revenge.

• Gao Wu absorbed the memories of his deceased namesake, a veteran Divine Martial Club player whose mental injuries had led him to drink heavily and take neural sedatives.
• Gao Wu surveyed the city and realized he could use the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation to recover his damaged mental strength.
• Security guards removed Gao Wu from his room and escorted him to a meeting with Minister Xu and Director Zhang.
• Director Zhang cited Gao Wu’s contract to demand repayment of his earnings and extra penalties, while Minister Xu offered to waive the clauses if Gao Wu signed a non-compete agreement.
• Gao Wu had AI check the revised contract, signed it, and left the building under security escort.

After being fired, Gao Wu checked into Han Bing's Hurricane Club and tried piloting a Star Armor through the battle network, but the strain on his damaged nerves forced him to disconnect. He suppressed the pain with the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation, while Chu Shenxiu learned that Gao Wu had survived and continued praying to his deity.

• Gao Wu decided to avoid trouble with the Divine Martial Club and focused on recovering his body and tempering his source power.
• Gao Wu visited the Hurricane Club, where Han Bing recognized him as Sky Spear and offered him VIP Room One at a discount.
• Gao Wu connected to the battle network under a new Sky Spear account and practiced piloting a Star Armor.
• Gao Wu's damaged neural connections caused intense pain and cut off his Skynet connection, so he crushed his wristband and activated the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation.
• Chu Shenxiu saw that surveillance data on Gao Wu had disappeared and realized Gao Wu had survived, then resumed worshipping his deity.

Gao Wu repaired his neural network, learned about the Star Master path, and decided to pursue real Star Armor so he could search for Qi. When he entered Abyss Mode, its terms revealed what appeared to be worship of an Evil God, leaving him uncertain whether to agree.

• Gao Wu used the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation to heal his neural network and greatly strengthen his mental power.
• Gao Wu researched Star Masters and learned that private security companies offered a possible route to piloting Star Armor, though reaching the Divine General level would be difficult.
• Han Bing warned Gao Wu that Zhang Qinglin of Green Forest Security Company wanted him to play Battle Network, and Gao Wu agreed to go rather than let her pay him off.
• Gao Wu returned to the Battle Network and opened Abyss Mode, where he found terms that urged players to fight for God and slay heretical Evil Gods.
• Gao Wu recognized the language as worship of an Evil God and paused over the options to agree or refuse.