Chapter Summaries

Feng Ming battled Qin Wuchen and Qin Shidi at the Qin Family training ground, drawing a crowd that admired the fighters’ strength. After the formation separated them, Feng Ming calmed down and left, while Jiang Haoran and Bing Qingqing said they had come to discuss their factions’ plans with the Qin Family Divine Son.

• Feng Ming fought Qin Wuchen and Qin Shidi, and Qin Family members and visitors gathered to watch and discuss the fighters’ abilities.
• The training-ground formation teleported the fighters into transparent barriers when their battle escalated, then released Qin Wuchen and Qin Shidi after they calmed down.
• Feng Ming protested that the formation was unfair, but he calmed himself and walked free before leaving the training ground.
• Jiang Haoran and Bing Qingqing each said they had come to meet the Qin Family Divine Son and discuss their faction’s next steps.

Jiang Haoran and Bing Qingqing reported to Qin Jiuge, who considered invitations from the Sky Origin Dynasty and the upcoming Sword Mound Secret Realm. Meanwhile, Zhu Chengan decided to cultivate ties with the Qin Family while expecting to defeat Qin Jiuge, and Sima Lang revealed that Feng Ming had stirred up trouble in the Qin Family.

• Jiang Haoran told Qin Jiuge the Jiang Family would maintain its own direction, and he cautioned her against causing trouble before she left.
• Bing Qingqing reported on the Ice Frost Sacred Land without mentioning her dispute with Jiang Haoran, then departed.
• Qin Jiuge considered the Sword Mound Secret Realm invitation and the Sky Origin Dynasty's invitation, anticipating that the imperial dynasty would also make contact.
• Zhou Qing told Zhu Chengan that Qin Jiuge prioritized cultivating his strength and might aspire to reach the Great Emperor Realm.
• Zhu Chengan ordered Zhou Qing to keep building relations with the Qin Family, intending to defeat Qin Jiuge and make the family a force of the Sky Origin Dynasty.
• Sima Lang congratulated Li Changge and said Feng Ming had caused another disturbance within the Qin Family.

Sima Lang tested Li Changge’s temperament and then secretly left Wutong Pavilion, prompting her to question Wang Jian about his whereabouts. Wang Jian refused to reveal what he knew and reaffirmed his lifelong loyalty to Li Changge.

• Sima Lang warned Li Changge that her actions toward the Qin Family could help bring them into the Sky Phoenix Dynasty, and Li Changge rebuked him for overstepping.
• After Li Changge left, Sima Lang told Wang Jian he had provoked her to test whether she might someday turn against those who served her.
• Sima Lang secretly departed Wutong Pavilion and the imperial city, hiding his trail so completely that Li Changge could not find him.
• Li Changge demanded that Wang Jian reveal where Sima Lang had gone, but Wang Jian said he did not know and refused to cooperate.
• Wang Jian told Li Changge that he had sworn to follow her for life after she saved him from a bitterly cold land.

After leaving the Heavenly Phoenix Dynasty, Sima Lang decided to travel to Sky Profound City for the Sword Tomb Ceremony. There, Qin Jiuge brushed off Li Piaomiao and handed her over to Feng Ming.

• Li Changge tightened surveillance around Wang Jian, further chilling his loyalty, while Wang Jian stayed with her.
• Disguised as an old wanderer, Sima Lang heard about the Qin Family and the Sword Tomb Ceremony in Sky Profound City and decided to go there.
• Li Piaomiao greeted Qin Jiuge in Sky Profound City, but he ignored her and repeatedly evaded her attempts to stop him.
• Qin Jiuge told Li Piaomiao he might be avoiding her because of her and teased her when she asked if that was the reason.
• Li Piaomiao declared she would follow Qin Jiuge unless he rejected the Heavenly Phoenix Dynasty, so Qin Jiuge assigned Feng Ming to receive her.

Li Piaomiao struggled to get past Feng Ming to confront Qin Jiuge, while Feng Ming tried to persuade her to give up. Qin Jiuge visited Sikong Changfeng to propose an outrageous scheme involving marriages to the heirs of two dynasties, then revealed he had been teasing him.

• Li Piaomiao repeatedly tried to trouble Qin Jiuge but withdrew whenever Feng Ming intervened.
• Feng Ming told Li Piaomiao that she could not defeat Qin Jiuge, prompting her to renew her resolve to challenge him.
• Qin Jiuge went to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance and asked Sikong Changfeng for help.
• Qin Jiuge proposed that Sikong Changfeng impersonate him, marry Li Changge, and help seize her contract before targeting the Sky Origin Dynasty's Crown Prince Consort.
• Sikong Changfeng questioned how their plan could work, and Qin Jiuge suggested using the Great Yin-Yang Inversion Technique to turn him into a woman.
• Qin Jiuge dropped his serious act and admitted he had been playing Sikong Changfeng, who accused him of tricking him.

Qin Jiuge outwitted Sikong Changfeng and prepared for the Sky Profound City Sword Tomb Grand Competition as Xu Lang explained its trials and contenders. Feng Ming and Li Piaomiao gained entry to the Sword Tomb Secret Realm, where Li Piaomiao challenged Qin Jiuge’s confidence in Feng Ming’s ability to keep her in check.

• Qin Jiuge told Sikong Changfeng that his trick was payback, and Sikong Changfeng vowed to outdo him in stirring up trouble.
• Qin Jiuge sensed Sikong Changfeng would scheme against him and decided to avoid the Rogue Cultivator Alliance after the competition.
• Xu Lang reminded Qin Jiuge of their agreement to attend the competition together, and Qin Jiuge agreed before Xu Lang explained the Sword Tomb’s treasures and notable contenders.
• Qin Jiuge and his companions entered the Sword Tomb Secret Realm, where Feng Ming and Li Piaomiao had also obtained qualifications through the Sky Phoenix Dynasty’s privilege.
• Li Piaomiao provoked Qin Jiuge after Feng Ming accepted the task of keeping her in check.

Qin Jiuge left Feng Ming to keep Li Piaomiao under control while he and Xu Lang explored the Sword Mound Secret Realm. They encountered a sword-energy array, and Qin Jiuge examined the ancient materials used in its arrows.

• Qin Jiuge gave Feng Ming two fourth-level Supreme Realm puppets and warned him to guard Li Piaomiao or become a puppet himself.
• Feng Ming handed Li Piaomiao the Eldest Princess's Jade Slip, and she agreed to stay out of Qin Jiuge's way rather than risk appealing to her sister.
• Xu Lang teased Qin Jiuge as they headed deeper into the Secret Realm, where Qin Jiuge studied the fading sword intent and considered why Sky Profound City's City Lord's Mansion had opened the site.
• Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang encountered a sword-energy array; Xu Lang used his green flute to break through its restriction and claimed he had nearly lost his life.
• Qin Jiuge smashed the array's arrows and identified their fragments as Outer Heavenly Profound Iron mixed with Fine Gold, worn down by time.

Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang encountered a woman fleeing a sword-covered monster, but Qin used Xu Lang to stop the creature and teased him when the woman offered herself in gratitude. They drove her off by pretending to be Demonic Sect cultivators, then continued deeper into the Sword Mound in search of its inheritance and the Tian Xuan Nine Swords.

• A woman ran toward Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang while a monster covered in swords chased her.
• Qin Jiuge hurled Xu Lang at the monster, and Xu Lang's Heavenly Cang Qi protected him as he struck it.
• The woman knelt and offered herself to Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang, but Xu Lang refused to take her along.
• Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang pretended to be Demonic Sect cultivators and threatened to refine the woman into a living soul, frightening her into fleeing.
• Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang continued deeper into the Sword Mound to seek its inheritance, especially the Tian Xuan Nine Swords.

Chen Jiaojiao secretly followed Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang toward the Sword Mound altar, where cultivators gathered for the final chance to comprehend the Tian Xuan Nine Swords. At the altar, Xu Lang mocked Li Xuanmiao, who questioned Xu Lang about his recent breakthrough to the Supreme Third Layer.

• Chen Jiaojiao concealed her aura and began trailing Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang, hoping to take revenge for her past humiliation.
• Xu Lang’s natal spirit treasure revealed that someone was following them, and Qin Jiuge identified Chen Jiaojiao.
• Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang reached the altar with Chen Jiaojiao still following, where members of several sects had gathered for the likely final opening of the Sword Mound.
• Xu Lang asked Li Xuanmiao how much of the Tian Xuan Nine Swords he had comprehended, and Li Xuanmiao replied, “Tenfold.”
• Xu Lang mocked Li Xuanmiao’s claim, while Qin Jiuge said their previous contest had ended in a draw.
• Li Xuanmiao asked Xu Lang when he had advanced to the Supreme Third Layer.

Qin Jiuge met Jian Shisan, who asked to test his abilities on behalf of the Sky Origin Dynasty, and agreed to spar after they left the Secret Realm. As the Heaven and Earth Sword Platform opened, Qin Jiuge asked Li Xuanmiao about the Sky Profound Nine Transformations recorded on its Sword Steles.

• Li Xuanmiao and Xu Lang argued over their cultivation, and Qin Jiuge left them to seek out Jian Shisan.
• Jian Shisan asked Qin Jiuge to accept a challenge, and Qin Jiuge agreed to spar with him after they left the Secret Realm.
• Li Xuanmiao suggested the Sky Origin Dynasty was trying to win over the Qin Family, but Qin Jiuge explained why his family would not choose either great dynasty.
• Qin Jiuge asked Li Xuanmiao about the Sky Profound Nine Transformations on the Heaven and Earth Sword Platform’s Sword Steles.
• The Heaven and Earth Sword Platform opened, and gathered sword cultivators eagerly anticipated the chance to obtain the transformations and join the Sky Profound City Lord’s Mansion.

Overseas factions arrived to compete for the Sky Profound Nine Transformations, and the Silver-Haired Demoness of the Red Dust Workshop drew Qin Jiuge’s attention. After other factions mocked her about forming a marriage alliance with him, she attacked them, turning the island into chaos before anyone approached the Heaven and Earth Sword Platform.

• Li Xuanmiao explained that the Red Dust Workshop was a powerful overseas faction known for taking money to kill people.
• Zhao Wuming, the Demon Monk, and other overseas figures appeared, while Qin Jiuge sensed the greatest threat from the Silver-Haired Demoness.
• Xu Lang and Li Xuanmiao joked that the Silver-Haired Demoness might be captivated by Qin Jiuge, and their remarks encouraged others to tease her about a marriage alliance.
• The Silver-Haired Demoness told her mockers to form a marriage alliance with Qin Jiuge themselves and said she would bless them.
• The Silver-Haired Demoness attacked the mockers with scarlet ribbons, and fighting erupted on the central island before anyone went to the Heaven and Earth Sword Platform.

Qin Jiuge predicted that the Silver-Haired Demoness, the Young Sect Master of the Divine Blade Sect, and the Demon Monk would end their battle in a draw. As the fight continued, Li Xuanmiao suggested it might be a performance meant to keep local forces from uniting against the overseas factions.

• The Silver-Haired Demoness challenged the Young Sect Master of the Divine Blade Sect and the Demon Monk, and they moved to stop her as a fight broke out.
• Cultivators from Sky Profound City and the two great dynasties gathered to watch the battle, while Li Xuanmiao and Jian Shisan asked Qin Jiuge who would win.
• Qin Jiuge predicted the three combatants would draw, prompting the gathered forces to form a protective ring around him and press for his explanation.
• Qin Jiuge insisted the three were unlikely to fight to the death, though their attacks appeared lethal.
• Li Xuanmiao reasoned that the apparent hostility could be staged to prevent local forces from joining together against the overseas factions.

Qin Jiuge and his companions watched overseas cultivators stage a fierce fight to fool the other factions, while Li Piaomiao nearly exposed the ruse. As the crowd scrambled for swords on the Heavenly Emperor Sword Platform, Qin Jiuge and his group moved to secure the prizes themselves.

• Xu Lang understood the secret plan, while Li Yinxue, the Demon Monk, and the Silver-Haired Demoness pretended their fight had left them badly injured.
• Several cultivators believed the performance and called for the factions to attack the overseas fighters and claim the Sword Tomb's treasures.
• Li Piaomiao pointed out that the fight was staged, but Feng Ming stopped her from drawing attention to the truth.
• Greedy cultivators fought over famous swords on the Heaven and Earth Sword Platform, and a sword strike killed an old demonic cultivator who tried to seize one.
• As the crowd thinned, Qin Jiuge dashed forward with the Nine Transformations of the Divine Dragon, and Li Xuanmiao and Xu Lang moved at the same time.

Qin Jiuge climbed the Heaven and Earth Sword Platform with ease, overtaking renowned cultivators as he advanced toward the Immortal Grade Treasure Sword, Unstained Dust. He left Jian Shisan behind, whose admiration was tempered by a wry response to Qin Jiuge’s humble remark.

• Jian Shisan rode his sword to the platform’s center, briefly took the Flowing Water Treasure Sword, then tossed it away, sparking a fight among the cultivators.
• Qin Jiuge crossed the platform’s early steps with almost no pressure, prompting the surrounding cultivators to make way for him.
• Qin Jiuge caught up to Li Xuanmiao, who explained that he would stop at the seventeenth step rather than exhaust himself.
• Qin Jiuge passed Xu Lang despite Xu’s plea for him to preserve some dignity, then continued toward Jian Shisan.
• Jian Shisan praised Qin Jiuge’s swordsmanship, and Qin Jiuge claimed his own insight was inferior but his foundation stronger before walking on.

Qin Jiuge reached the summit of the Sword Mound and faced the twenty-four Immortal Grade Treasure Swords, hoping to claim Unstained Dust. He battled the swords to temper his Sword Dao as the other young heroes arrived, leaving him under renewed attack.

• Qin Jiuge surpassed the others and reached the summit, where he declared his intent to claim Unstained Dust.
• Qin Jiuge used the Lightning Emperor Treasure Technique and Heavy Wave Sword Technique to fight the treasure swords, which repeatedly recovered and attacked him.
• The Silver-Haired Demoness joined the battle, drawing many swords away from Qin Jiuge, but he blasted swords and lightning toward her until she retreated injured.
• The Young Sect Master of the Divine Blade Sect and the Demon Monk of Vajra Gate arrived and questioned Qin Jiuge's dangerous method of tempering his Sword Dao.
• Li Xuanmiao reached the platform without competing, while Xu Lang arrived exhausted and praised Qin Jiuge as the treasure swords renewed their assault.

Qin Jiuge caught Unstained Dust amid the Sword Qi, then let the other competitors pursue the remaining Immortal Grade Treasure Swords. Li Piaomiao and Feng Ming eventually obtained swords with Li Xuanmiao's help, while Xu Lang teased him afterward.

• Qin Jiuge caught Unstained Dust, descended from the platforms, and signaled Xu Lang to compete for the remaining swords.
• Xu Lang and the other cultivators rushed to claim swords, while Li Piaomiao and Feng Ming struggled to obtain one.
• Li Piaomiao approached Qin Jiuge for help, but he refused and left her to her own devices.
• Li Xuanmiao offered assistance, and Li Piaomiao obtained Green Lotus while Feng Ming claimed a Clear Water Sword.
• Xu Lang came to Li Xuanmiao and teased him for scheming to help Li Piaomiao.

After Qin Jiuge claimed the Sword Tomb Grand Competition’s greatest reward, Xu Lang meddled in Li Piaomiao and Feng Ming’s efforts to get closer to him. His advice also prompted Jian Shisan to consider the Sky Origin Dynasty’s own approach to winning over the Qin Family, while the competition continued.

• Xu Lang teased Li Xuanmiao about setting his sights on Li Piaomiao, then told Qin Jiuge an exaggerated version of their exchange.
• Qin Jiuge praised Xu Lang’s gift for persuasion and suggested he use it on Li Piaomiao and Feng Ming.
• Xu Lang approached Li Piaomiao and Feng Ming with promises of methods to bring them closer to Qin Jiuge, and Li Piaomiao eagerly asked him to explain.
• Li Xuanmiao worried that Xu Lang would provoke Qin Jiuge, while Jian Shisan decided the Sky Origin Dynasty should also try to win over the Qin Family.
• Qin Jiuge departed with the Sword Tomb Grand Competition’s greatest reward as the battles continued.

After securing Unstained Dust, Qin Jiuge learned Jian Shisan had returned to the Sky Origin Dynasty and discovered Xu Lang had spread marriage-alliance rumors about him. Qin Jiuge and Li Xuanmiao beat Xu Lang, whose father refused to intervene.

• Qin Jiuge told the Qin Family that he had obtained Unstained Dust and planned to spar with Jian Shisan, but learned Jian had already left for the Sky Origin Dynasty.
• Qin Jiuge confronted Xu Lang about arranging a marriage alliance and encouraging Jian Shisan to find him more wives and concubines.
• After the Sky Origin Dynasty’s people left, Qin Jiuge beat Xu Lang until his face was swollen.
• Li Xuanmiao revealed that rumors had also prompted Sky Profound City’s households to send him marriage-alliance invitations, then joined Qin Jiuge in beating Xu Lang.
• Xu Lang ran to his father for help, but his father told him to deal with the trouble himself.

Qin Jiuge and Li Xuanmiao discussed the unrest in Tian Xuan Forest and the possibility that the Demon Race was trying to provoke conflict among human factions. Qin Jiuge joined Sikong Changfeng and a gathering of Quasi-Emperor experts at the forest, where Li Tianran tried to bar the others from entering and tensions rose.

• Xu Lang's father berated him for causing trouble and dragging him into the consequences.
• Li Xuanmiao asked Qin Jiuge about the unrest in Tian Xuan Forest, and Qin Jiuge warned that the Demon Race might be using it to stir human infighting.
• After Li Xuanmiao left, Qin Jiuge headed for Tian Xuan Forest and met Sikong Changfeng, who said five medicinal ingredients had been planted there and that the forest was only a buffer zone.
• Quasi-Emperor experts from Sky Profound City, the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, and other factions gathered at Tian Xuan Forest.
• Li Tianran claimed jurisdiction over Tian Xuan Forest and ordered the other factions to leave, but they insisted on entering to investigate.

Quasi-Emperor experts from the Overseas Archipelago attacked Li Tianran in Tian Xuan Forest, and Qin Jiuge and Sikong Changfeng joined Sky Profound City's side. After the attackers were driven off, Li Tianran thanked Qin Jiuge and invited him to the City Lord's Mansion, while the threat to Tian Xuan Forest remained unresolved.

• Elders from the Overseas Archipelago attacked Li Tianran as Qin Jiuge and Sikong Changfeng watched, and Sikong Changfeng discussed the Qin Family's position with Qin Jiuge.
• The Overseas Archipelago's Quasi-Emperor experts gained ground against Li Tianran, but retainers from the City Lord's Mansion intervened and a chaotic melee began.
• Qin Jiuge and Sikong Changfeng joined Sky Profound City's side, and Li Xuanmiao, Xu Lang, and the other young geniuses also entered the battle.
• Li Xuanmiao helped Li Tianran, who repelled the attackers and forced the Overseas Archipelago's experts to retreat, though their assault appeared to be only a first probe.
• Li Tianran thanked Qin Jiuge and invited him to the City Lord's Mansion, where Li Xuanmiao led Qin Jiuge and Xu Lang followed.