Chapter Summaries

Yun Shu agreed to lead the Formation Dao Hall disciples in repairing a formation after Han Ping offered him two hundred thousand spirit stones. After learning basic formations in a single day, Yun Shu won the disciples’ confidence and left them ready to follow his guidance.

• Han Ping offered Yun Shu two hundred thousand spirit stones to work out the formation, and Yun Shu accepted the task.
• Han Ping left Yun Shu in charge, hoping his work would also help train the Formation Dao Hall disciples.
• Yun Shu asked a disciple to teach him basic formations, while the others doubted his ability and laughed at his lack of experience.
• Yun Shu studied formations with Junior Brother Du for a day, mastering even techniques unfamiliar to his teacher.
• Han Ping learned of Yun Shu’s rapid progress, and the disciples admitted he could lead them in repairing the formation.

Yun Shu returned to the Formation Dao Hall, mastered its advanced arrays, and began directing the disciples as they rebuilt a Grand Formation from the beginning. He designed a powerful Sword Formation and moved to correct errors in the disciples’ calculations, while the two elders watched skeptically.

• Han Ping decided the disciples should follow Yun Shu’s instructions when he returned to the hall.
• Yun Shu studied and set up the hall’s Formation Array models, reaching Fourth Tier in Formation Arrays.
• Yun Shu ordered the Formation Dao disciples to restart the Grand Formation calculations and assigned each of the ten disciples a task.
• Yun Shu began designing a Third Tier Sword Formation whose power approached his Myriad Swords Return to Origin technique.
• After a disciple reached a dead end in the layout calculations, Yun Shu spotted several mistakes and told the disciple to correct them.

Yun Shu began completing the Mysterious Sword Peak grand formation after identifying flaws in the Formation Dao Hall’s inherited calculations. He taught the disciples and Elders how to draw its complex Spirit Patterns as Han Ping watched and joined in their study.

• The two Elders recalculated the formation and confirmed that Yun Shu had quickly spotted flaws in their deductions.
• Yun Shu spread out the Formation Diagram refined by the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat and began filling it with the disciples’ stored Spirit Patterns.
• Yun Shu pointed out a missing Metal Attribute Spirit Pattern, then demonstrated how to draw it using sword qi.
• Han Ping and one disciple successfully drew the pattern, and Han Ping encouraged the disciple before telling the Elders to study closely.
• Yun Shu placed the completed pattern into the formation and continued teaching everyone how to draw the remaining Formation Patterns.

Yun Shu taught the Formation Dao Hall disciples the principles behind a Fourth-Tier formation and repaired its Sword Formation model, earning Han Ping’s gratitude and payment. On the third day, Li Zheyan arrived to take Yun Shu to study Artifact Refining under the Head Seat.

• Yun Shu completed the Formation Patterns and explained how formations and Formation Arrays worked, teaching the disciples his Fourth-Tier formation knowledge.
• Yun Shu activated the repaired formation model, demonstrated its Sword Qi, and explained that treasured swords and more resources would be needed to build the full-scale version.
• Han Ping gave Yun Shu two hundred thousand Spirit Stones and praised him for helping the Formation Dao Hall restore the formation.
• Li Zheyan arrived and learned from Han Ping that Yun Shu had repaired the Sword Formation, which could now be used preliminarily.
• Li Zheyan took Yun Shu to study Artifact Refining, as the Head Seat had agreed to teach him personally.

Yun Shu went to Mysterious Sword Peak to learn Artifact Refining after repairing the Spirit Sword Array, and the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat began teaching him at the sect’s Earth Fire grounds. The chapter ended as the Head Seat prepared to demonstrate fire control.

• Li Zheyan told Yun Shu that a former Deacon Disciple had been watching him and writing about him in the Sect Bulletin, then revealed that the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat had developed an Inner Demon after being trapped by love.
• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat denied Li Zheyan’s claims about his Inner Demon and confirmed that the story about the Sect Master and the Canglan Sect Saintess was true.
• Yun Shu told the Head Seat that he had repaired the Spirit Sword Array, and the Head Seat recognized how quickly Yun Shu had advanced in Array Dao.
• The Head Seat took Yun Shu to Mysterious Sword Peak’s Back Mountain, where Earth Fire was used to refine artifacts.
• The Head Seat set up a furnace and prepared to teach Yun Shu Artifact Refining, beginning with the basics of fire control.

Yun Shu watched the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat demonstrate Artifact Refining and learned how its many steps relied on Formation Arrays. The attempt to forge a Third Tier spirit sword ended in a furnace explosion, leaving them to investigate what went wrong.

• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat explained the stages of Artifact Refining, including tempering materials and carving attribute-matched Formation Arrays.
• Yun Shu observed the Head Seat attempt to forge a Third Tier spirit sword and considered how his knowledge of Formation Arrays and other disciplines could help him refine artifacts.
• The artifact became unstable, and the furnace exploded, scorching the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat while Yun Shu remained unharmed.
• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat examined the fragments, found no obvious flaw in his process, and asked Yun Shu what had gone wrong.
• Yun Shu suggested that a problem with the Formation Arrays had caused the explosion, and the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat began to consider the possibility.

Yun Shu began refining artifacts at Mysterious Sword Peak and rapidly mastered a wide range of methods, leaving the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat astonished by his progress. He stayed at the peak to practice, memorizing the available techniques while the Head Seat sought more manuals for him.

• After the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat’s Spirit Gathering Array failed and his sword exploded, Yun Shu set up his own array and began refining artifacts.
• Yun Shu quickly made First-Tier Long Swords and continued refining them to increase his proficiency, soon reaching First-Tier skill while also producing Second-Tier swords.
• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat found Yun Shu’s swords scattered across the ground and offered to search for additional refining methods beyond those in the Essence of Artifact Refining.
• Over the next few days, Yun Shu remained at Mysterious Sword Peak and refined many First-Tier and Second-Tier items, repeating each method until he had memorized it.
• Yun Shu also refined a Treasure Basin from an impractical Third-Tier method in the Sect Scriptures to gain proficiency.

Yun Shu asked the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat to sell his crafted artifacts and pills under the sect’s name, earning seven hundred thousand Spirit Stones. After sharing revised Artifact Refining insights with the Head Seat and Li Zheyan, Yun Shu went to the Scripture Pavilion to buy Artifact Refining materials.

• Yun Shu showed the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat his stock of artifacts and asked him to sell them to avoid drawing attention to Yun Shu’s wealth and crafting speed.
• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat valued the Third-Tier and Second-Tier artifacts at about three hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones and agreed to sell them along with Yun Shu’s pills.
• Li Zheyan delivered a Storage Bag containing seven hundred thousand Spirit Stones, and Yun Shu gave him revised Artifact Refining insights to pass to the Head Seat.
• Yun Shu converted most of the Spirit Stones into Cultivation Points, kept one hundred thousand in reserve, and severed his connection to the Illusion Immortal Bead while absorbing them.
• Yun Shu went to the Scripture Pavilion to buy Artifact Refining materials and was led to the sect treasury, where an Elder guarded treasures protected by powerful Prohibitions.

Yun Shu bought materials and a False Core Stage Lightning Sable bone to craft a puppet, then began refining a human-shaped body according to the Patriarch’s Secret Technique. After two days of work, he faced the intricate Formation Arrays and learned from the Patriarch that arrays could reveal the principles behind how heaven and earth formed.

• Yun Shu visited the sect’s exchange and learned that White Bone Jade was rare and costly, so he bought the other materials and a Lightning Sable bone instead.
• Yun Shu returned to his residence uneasy about spending thirty-three thousand Spirit Stones, but the Patriarch told him to follow the Secret Technique’s instructions.
• Yun Shu used his alchemy cauldron and Artifact Refining skills to refine the materials into a skeleton and body parts over two days.
• Yun Shu began preparing to join the body and carve its numerous Formation Arrays, and the Patriarch explained that arrays could be used to deduce the principles of heaven and earth.

Yun Shu completed the Patriarch’s human-shaped body and used a refined portion of his Mental Energy to animate it without splitting his soul. The clone stood at Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer, though its strength and Yun Shu’s control weakened with distance.

• The Patriarch explained that he had studied Formation Arrays and body creation to strengthen his Mental Energy and explore how the human body resonated with heaven and earth.
• Yun Shu continued crafting the body, treating the Secret Technique’s design as a complicated framework for a human-shaped puppet.
• After completing the body, Yun Shu separated a small portion of Mental Energy and used the Patriarch’s revised technique to connect it to his soul without splitting the soul.
• Yun Shu fused the Mental Energy into the body, which stood up as a complete clone with Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer strength.

Yun Shu finished refining a clone named Yun Juan and learned that the Four Sects Grand Competition was approaching. He decided to pursue the first-place prize, while Liu Chuan explained the competition’s schedule and the strength of the rival sects.

• Yun Shu named his newly refined clone Yun Juan, and Liu Chuan walked in and mistook the unclothed figure for something improper before Yun Shu explained it was a puppet.
• Liu Chuan told Yun Shu that the Four Sects Grand Competition began in five days and that their group would leave the day after tomorrow on a flying artifact.
• Liu Chuan explained that the competition would last half a month, allow challenges between disciples, and award a valuable pill to the winner and a sword to the runner-up.
• Yun Shu decided to compete for first place and its Spirit Stone value, accepting that he could surrender or flee if he could not win.
• Liu Chuan said the Golden Cauldron Sect’s strongest disciples had reached the fourth and fifth Foundation Establishment layers, while Myriad Sword Pavilion’s strongest disciples were occupied with sect duties.

Yun Shu prepared for the Four Sects Grand Competition, refined his Sword Intent, and traveled with the sect delegation to Danxia Mountain. As the Flying Boat neared its destination, he reviewed the other sects’ strongest contestants and resolved not to underestimate them.

• Yun Shu spent two days mastering his puppet and raising his ordinary Sword Intent to Third Tier and Devouring Sword Intent to Fifth Tier, while rejecting the system’s offer to absorb the Illusion Immortal Bead.
• Yun Shu met the delegation outside the sect, where Li Zheyan and Liu Chuan noticed his increasingly formidable aura.
• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat brought the disciples aboard the Flying Boat, and Li Zheyan shared a room with Yun Shu to seek his guidance.
• Yun Shu helped Li Zheyan understand his cultivation before resting and continuing to familiarize himself with his power.
• Li Zheyan gave Yun Shu the list of leading competitors from the Four Great Sects, and Yun Shu studied their strengths as the Flying Boat approached Danxia Mountain.

Yun Shu and the Myriad Sword Pavilion delegation arrived at Danxia Mountain for the Grand Competition, where they admired the sect’s splendor and assessed its strength. After disembarking, they encountered the Canglan Sect arriving on an enormous sword.

• Yun Shu reviewed the sect rosters and judged that the Golden Cauldron Sect had more Foundation Establishment Stage Third Layer disciples than the Myriad Sword Pavilion.
• Li Zheyan recalled Danxia Sect’s chief disciple Hong Qing as a remarkable alchemist, while Yun Shu sensed a Golden Core Peak presence nearby.
• Yun Shu and the others landed at Danxia Mountain, where a female disciple offered to guide them to their lodgings.
• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat recognized the arriving Canglan Sect and admired the Canglan Sword, saying he wanted to melt it down and reforge it.
• Yun Shu recognized the Canglan Sect and reflected that the Canglan Art he had cultivated was powerful.

Su Lin recognized Yun Shu as the man who had killed her protector during an earlier ambush, though she dismissed the resemblance as imagination. As the sects gathered for the Grand Competition, Yun Shu refused invitations to socialize and chose to keep cultivating.

• Su Lin arrived with Canglan Sect and suspected Yun Shu resembled the Black-clad Man who had killed her protector during an attack by Wuji Immortal Sect.
• Yun Shu recognized Su Lin but decided the past was settled and paid her no further attention.
• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat exchanged greetings with Steward Feng of Canglan Sect before the sects went to their lodgings.
• Yun Shu refused Li Zheyan's invitation to visit Danxia Sect's Chief disciple so he could cultivate.
• Liu Chuan told Yun Shu that Golden Cauldron Sect had arrived and invited him to look, but Yun Shu declined again.

Yun Shu was summoned from consolidating his cultivation to face a challenge from the Golden Cauldron Sect after Liu Chuan accepted on his behalf and wagered Spirit Stones. The two sects’ disciples and spectators gathered at the plaza as Yun Shu prepared to fight.

• Liu Chuan told Yun Shu that a Golden Cauldron Sect disciple had challenged him, and that he had accepted the match and wagered Spirit Stones.
• Liu Chuan explained that the challenger was the weakest of the Three Heroes of Golden Cauldron Sect, who had already defeated a Danxia Sect personal disciple.
• Yun Shu asked why the Golden Cauldron Sect had not challenged Chu Huangyue, and Liu Chuan said they likely did not consider second place worth challenging.
• Yun Shu and Liu Chuan arrived at the crowded plaza, where elders, disciples, and spectators from the sects had gathered to watch the challenge.

Yun Shu arrived at the challenge against Xiao Jing, drawing attention from both sects as Chu Huangyue watched to gauge his strength. He entered the arena and prepared to test his Spell Techniques after Xiao Jing invited him to make the first move.

• Yun Shu complained quietly to Liu Chuan about the attention, while Chu Huangyue focused on observing him rather than Xiao Jing.
• Li Zheyan greeted Yun Shu, who declared that he had accepted the challenge for the sect and inspired the disciples to cheer for him.
• Yun Shu entered the arena through the Formation Arrays, and the Golden Cauldron Sect disciples could not sense his aura.
• Yun Shu greeted Xiao Jing politely and praised his strength, leading Xiao Jing to invite him to attack first.
• Yun Shu agreed and prepared to test the Spell Techniques he had recently been practicing.

Yun Shu fought Xiao Jing while concealing his true strength, shocking the watching sect disciples with his cultivation and swordsmanship. The observers realized his apparent draw with Xiao Jing revealed little about his limits, and the match continued with Yun Shu’s deeper abilities still hidden.

• Yun Shu suppressed his cultivation to the third layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm and repelled Xiao Jing with a single sword strike, leaving Xiao Jing and the Myriad Sword Pavilion disciples stunned.
• The Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat and Chu Huangyue were shocked by Yun Shu’s cultivation, while Chu Huangyue recognized that their former gap had nearly vanished.
• Qin Bu dismissed Yun Shu’s strength, but Old Man Qi left after concluding Xiao Jing could not force Yun Shu to reveal his limits.
• Duanmu Yue explained that Yun Shu used the basic Fire Spirit Art to drive the Blazing Fire Sword Art, and Qin Bu reconsidered his contempt after learning Yun Shu was also a Body Cultivation Genius.
• Nie Lingshuang judged Yun Shu and Xiao Jing evenly matched but noted Yun Shu had not used his Body Cultivator strength, while Su Lin wondered whether Yun Shu resembled the person who had wounded her.

Yun Shu fought Xiao Jing while suppressing his cultivation, cycling through many Spirit Arts to hone his techniques and keep Xiao Jing on the back foot. The onlookers recognized that Yun Shu was using the duel to practice and that his true strength remained concealed.

• Yun Shu lowered his cultivation and used the Mysterious Water Sword Art to drive Xiao Jing back.
• Yun Shu attacked with Metal, Ice, Wind, Earth, Wood, and other Spirit Arts, leaving Xiao Jing increasingly frustrated.
• Yun Shu suppressed himself to the First Level of Foundation Establishment but still kept Xiao Jing under pressure.
• Li Zheyan worried that the fight would damage Xiao Jing's state of mind, while Liu Chuan and the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat concluded Yun Shu was honing his techniques.
• The disciples noticed Yun Shu powered basic Spell Techniques with the Five Spirit Art, and Li Zheyan told them not to compare themselves with him.

Yun Shu kept Xiao Jing on the back foot while suppressing his cultivation, leaving the watching disciples and Chu Huangyue astonished by the breadth of his skills. Chu Huangyue resolved to devote herself to cultivation and challenge him again in the Grand Competition, while Xiao Jing grew frustrated at being unable to gauge Yun Shu’s true strength.

• The disciples watched Yun Shu use a tenth Spell Technique and marveled that he could overwhelm Fourth Level cultivator Xiao Jing while suppressing himself to the First Level of Foundation Establishment.
• Chu Huangyue realized Yun Shu had mastered both basic and advanced techniques, then resolved to shut herself away and cultivate so she could surpass him.
• Chu Huangyue planned to test herself against Yun Shu in the Grand Competition after gaining an opportunity within the Sword Pavilion.
• Yun Shu focused on controlling the fight and keeping Xiao Jing engaged as a training partner, while thinking that he needed to stay strong enough to protect himself from trouble surrounding Chu Huangyue.
• Xiao Jing became increasingly frustrated because Yun Shu always seemed slightly stronger and refused to reveal his full ability, so he began gathering his strength.

Xiao Jing used a secret technique in his spar with Yun Shu, but Yun Shu continued to suppress him while keeping his own strength at Foundation Establishment Stage Third Layer. The onlookers recognized Yun Shu as a contender for the Grand Competition, while Chu Huangyue noticed he was repeating the same techniques to hone them.

• Xiao Jing unleashed a secret technique, raising his strength close to False Core Stage and drawing criticism from the Mysterious Sword Peak Head Seat and Duanmu Yue.
• Yun Shu raised his strength slightly but stayed at Foundation Establishment Stage Third Layer, continuing to control the fight and knock Xiao Jing back.
• Nie Lingshuang concluded that Yun Shu was formidable enough to challenge the leading disciples, while Duanmu Yue wondered how Yun Shu had grown so strong.
• Duanmu Yue left after deciding Xiao Jing had completed his mission of probing Yun Shu's strength.
• The Myriad Sword Pavilion disciples celebrated Yun Shu's performance, and Chu Huangyue realized he was repeating familiar Spell Techniques to train them.