Chapter Summaries

Shi Lan accepted Tian Bai into her disparate beast clan, established a green lotus totem, and used a Purple Radiance Lotus petal to advance her cultivation. Notifications then revealed that she had completed a reputation mission and unlocked reputation exchanges, leaving her to suspect her new clan had made her famous.

• Shi Lan placed Tian Bai's essence blood into the blood pearl, forming a connection and bringing it into her clan.
• Cang Yue explained clan totems, and Shi Lan engraved a green lotus mark that appeared on her arm and the demons' bodies.
• After the demon kings returned to their territories, Shi Lan gave Tian Bai time to recover and went back to her cave.
• Shi Lan consumed part of a Purple Radiance Lotus petal, strengthened her true qi, and began opening the Kunlun Acupoint.
• A notification announced that Shi Lan had completed the reputation mission, earned one intermediate and ten basic draws, and unlocked the Reputation Exchange section.
• Shi Lan saw that her reputation had reached 115,980 and suspected her newly established clan had caused the increase.

Shi Lan tested an Evolution Serum, used a True Power Pill to cultivate, and accepted Earth Fiend Realm demon beasts from Cang Yue and the other Demon Kings. While surveying a mountain range chosen as a settlement for their forces, she discovered ninety-nine dragon veins had drained the surrounding land of spiritual energy.

• Shi Lan found that her reputation had increased the power stored in her blood pearl and Azure Lotus Totem, then used her lottery rewards and injected herself with an Evolution Serum that seemed to have little effect.
• Shi Lan swallowed a True Power Pill and began cultivating.
• Cang Yue returned with the required Earth Fiend Realm demon beasts, accompanied by Yuan Ning and Yu Yang, and explained that few nearby beasts remained to capture.
• Cang Yue led Shi Lan and the Demon Kings to a vast, unoccupied mountain range as a possible home for their demon beasts.
• Shi Lan used her Heavenly Eye to discover ninety-nine dragon veins encircling the range and draining spiritual energy from the surrounding land.

Shi Lan discovered that the ninety-nine barren dragon veins were being held in place by a hidden force and traced it to a valley. She activated an ancient teleportation array beneath the river and arrived in a spacious clearing, with her destination still unknown.

• Shi Lan examined the dragon veins and realized their arrangement was unnatural and their energy channels were struggling against an invisible force.
• Shi Lan followed the force to a secluded valley, where Sam reported that a strange energy field interfered with probing.
• Shi Lan searched beneath the river and found a deep crack leading to an active, high-grade teleportation array.
• The array activated, revealing submerged ancient structures before its spatial energy carried Shi Lan away with the river water.
• Shi Lan emerged in a spacious, square clearing and surveyed her unfamiliar surroundings.

Shi Lan explored an underground complex and entered the Returning Cloud Hall, where she encountered the remains and divine thought of the Guiyun Sword Emperor. He revealed that he had left an inheritance for a worthy descendant, but Shi Lan had only qualified to receive it so far.

• Shi Lan recovered her true qi in an underground cave, discovered that a formation prevented flight, and followed a passage lined with top-grade magical pearls.
• Shi Lan reached a grand hall whose oppressive aura Samsara identified as that of a Supreme, then struggled to open its doors.
• Shi Lan saw a young man seated on a jade chair, and his gaze disrupted her blood-essence technique, turning her hair black and clearing the purple mist from her eyes.
• Guiyun Sword Emperor's divine thought appeared and said Shi Lan's arrival showed she was gifted enough to qualify for his inheritance.
• Guiyun Sword Emperor recounted his lonely life and said his inheritance included the method to access the treasures in the world he had created; Shi Lan realized she had not yet been chosen as his successor.

Shi Lan began the Guiding Cloud Sword Emperor’s first trial in an unfamiliar world after he sealed her cultivation and sent her unconscious into a run-down temple. She learned that the trial’s three-year limit would consume less than ten days in the Lingyang Realm, then discovered she was near Qingzhou City.

• The Guiding Cloud Sword Emperor’s divine sense shut the hall doors, sealed Shi Lan’s strength, and sent her into the trial.
• Shi Lan woke in a shabby dress with her cultivation sealed and Samsara unresponsive, but the Empress Cultivation System still worked.
• The Guiding Cloud Sword Emperor announced that Shi Lan had to take control of the lands within ten thousand li in three years.
• Shi Lan saw that trial time passed far faster than time in the Lingyang Realm and confirmed her existing quests still had time remaining.
• Shi Lan left the run-down temple and met Old Hong, who told her she was at the Western City Temple near Qingzhou City.

Shi Lan learned that she had landed on a low-spiritual-energy continent ruled by the Qianyuan Dynasty and struggled to find food while planning how to survive. Back at West City Temple, she discovered her lottery items were still preserved in the system’s temporary storage.

• Shi Lan questioned Old Hong and learned that the Qianyuan Dynasty ruled the continent, where spiritual energy was nearly nonexistent and martial artists were weak by her standards.
• Shi Lan assessed her limited cultivation options, then went into the wilderness and caught shrimp and a crab to ease her hunger.
• Shi Lan returned to West City Temple and accepted half a vegetable bun from the thin young man, who had offered her his food despite being hungry himself.
• Shi Lan checked the system and discovered that the lottery items in its temporary storage had survived because time flowed differently.

Shi Lan cultivated with a spirit crystal outside the West City Temple, where two masked men arrived searching for her. When one of them tried to seize her, Shi Lan swiftly took down his companion and confronted him.

• Shi Lan reviewed her supplies, then cultivated with a spirit crystal to build strength toward the first level of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Two masked men arrived at the West City Temple with a thin guide and questioned Old Hong about a young woman.
• The guide pointed the men toward Old Hong, who denied knowing where Shi Lan had gone, while the slender young man watched anxiously.
• The men spotted Shi Lan beneath a tree and approached her, mistaking her for an easy target when they saw no sign of martial training.
• One man reached for Shi Lan, and the slender young man threw a stone to stop him.
• Shi Lan incapacitated the second man and calmly threatened the remaining attacker, demanding to know where he had come from.

Shi Lan fought and defeated a skilled bandit, though he wounded her calf before collapsing. A nearby boy recognized the man from a wanted poster in Qingzhou City and said he carried a three-hundred-tael bounty.

• Shi Lan dodged the bandit's saber and struck his Yingchuang acupoint, breaking a rib and disrupting his heart meridians.
• The bandit attacked again, but Shi Lan crushed his ninth vertebra; he still managed to slash her right calf before collapsing.
• Shi Lan disarmed the bandit, uncovered his face, and demanded to know where he had come from and whether anyone else was nearby.
• When the bandit hesitated, Shi Lan pinned his hand to the ground with his saber.
• The boy recognized the bandit from a wanted poster on Qingzhou City's walls and said he had heard there was a three-hundred-tael bounty on him.

Shi Lan learned why Liu Anfeng and Shi Yi were wanted, questioned Liu Anfeng about the martial world, and took the silver she found on him. At dawn, she set out for Qingzhou City with A-Qi, while keeping the two bandits alive because their hidden military funds might still be useful.

• Liu Anfeng told Shi Lan that he and Shi Yi had stolen and hidden three thousand taels of military funds, earning a three-hundred-tael bounty.
• Liu Anfeng explained that the Red Robe House and Incense Fragrance Society were women’s martial-world organizations and described the powerful Mystic Master Way.
• Shi Lan rejected Liu Anfeng’s offer to reveal the hidden funds in exchange for freedom, then had A-Qi search the two men and found silver and a martial arts manual.
• Shi Lan decided to cultivate A-Qi, treated her wound with Muscle-Rebirth Powder, and chose to keep Liu Anfeng and Shi Yi alive.
• At dawn, Shi Lan took A-Qi to Qingzhou City to find food and shelter.

Shi Lan brought Old Hong and A-Qi into Qingzhou City, where the prosperous streets made her question whether she should plunge the continent into war to complete her trial. After the group ate at a restaurant, Shi Lan asked the startled staff to cut her ten jin of beef.

• Shi Lan gave Old Hong her name, then took him and A-Qi to Qingzhou City on Liu Anfeng's horses.
• At the city gate, soldiers waived the entry fee for the three travelers, and Shi Lan saw Liu Anfeng's wanted poster on a notice board.
• Shi Lan observed the city's prosperous streets and wondered whether seizing the continent by force was worth the lives it would cost.
• Shi Lan paid a waiter to serve her group a large meal, but found the meat contained almost no vital essence she could absorb.
• After the restaurant servants whispered about Shi Lan and her companions, Shi Lan called for ten jin of beef, and the waiter protested that Manxiang Restaurant had none.

Shi Lan's order for beef caused a disturbance at Manxiang House, where she encountered Prefect Shen Mingyi and a young royal who foresaw that she could affect the dynasty's fortune. After settling Old Hong and A-Qi at an inn, Shi Lan bought clothes and medicinal ingredients, then prepared a medicinal bath for A-Qi.

• Shi Lan's order for ten jin of beef alarmed the Manxiang House proprietor, but Prefect Shen Mingyi arrived and allowed her and her companions to leave.
• The young royal told Shen Mingyi that Shi Lan's appearance suggested she could affect the dynasty's fortune, and they discussed the emperor's decision to move the capital.
• Old Hong and A-Qi developed stomach trouble after eating rich food, so Shi Lan took them to an inn before ordering clothes and buying basic medicinal ingredients.
• Shi Lan returned to the inn, prepared a medicinal bath, and told A-Qi to undress and get into the tub.

Shi Lan realized the Cloud-Returning Sword Emperor’s inheritance test had been manipulating her into making decisions for A-Qi, so she asked him what he wanted and offered to teach him skills. After tending to A-Qi and deciding to ignore the Qianyuan Dynasty’s troubles, she used the system’s virtual space to summon the Cloud-Returning Sword Emperor for a character simulation.

• Shi Lan stopped kneading A-Qi when his scream made her question her actions and suspect the Cloud-Returning Sword Emperor had manipulated her.
• Shi Lan asked A-Qi what kind of person he wanted to become, and he said he wanted more silver than he could spend.
• Shi Lan offered to teach A-Qi skills, then gave him a medicinal bath and worked on his muscles and bones until he passed out.
• Shi Lan checked her injuries, dismissed the convoy heading toward the city gates, and decided the Qianyuan Dynasty’s disturbances were no longer her concern.
• Shi Lan tested the system, found that the Black Domain was beyond her current cultivation, and entered the virtual space to activate a simulation of the Cloud-Returning Sword Emperor.
• Shi Lan kept the simulation rate at one ten-thousandth, and the Cloud-Returning Sword Emperor appeared before her.

Shi Lan left Qingzhou City to seek a secluded place to cultivate and discovered that a dragon vein was leaking qi near a well Zhao Hanyi had ordered dug. Zhao Hanyi drank from the well and realized its water could strengthen his inner qi.

• Shi Lan repeatedly watched a simulation in which Emperor Guiyun killed her with a single finger, then ended the session.
• Shi Lan brought Liu Anfeng and another man to the authorities, collected three hundred taels, and asked Old Hong to join her and A-Qi in seclusion for three years.
• Shi Lan cultivated through the night, then left Qingzhou City with Old Hong and A-Qi to find a place rich in spiritual energy.
• Shi Lan sensed a dragon vein's aura in the mountains and realized its qi was leaking out.
• Zhao Hanyi drank water from the newly dug well, felt his inner qi increase, and ordered everyone to leave and withdraw a thousand zhang.

Shi Lan found the dragon's lair and used a Spirit-Seizing Formation to draw in its spiritual qi and golden fortune light. True Person Wuxu arrived at the well after divining that someone was seizing the Qianyuan Dynasty's dragon-vein fortune, then led Zhao Han'yi away to confront them.

• Shi Lan discovered golden fortune light in the leaking dragon vein and hurried to find its lair before the vein faded.
• Shi Lan reached the cavern with A-Qi, ignored the sky-blue fruit, and set up a Spirit-Seizing Formation beside the spring.
• Shi Lan activated the formation, reversing the spring's decline and drawing its spiritual qi and golden fortune light toward herself.
• The people who had fled the well feared the storm, while Zhao Han'yi insisted that the well was at the location True Person Wuxu had specified.
• True Person Wuxu appeared, said he had divined that someone was seizing the dynasty's dragon-vein fortune, and flew away with Zhao Han'yi following him.

Shi Lan escaped Wu Xu after he wounded her and drove her from the dragon's lair, while he reported that she had severed the dynasty's dragon vein. The Qianyuan emperor responded by placing a huge reward on her capture.

• Shi Lan was ambushed by Wu Xu in the dragon's lair and suffered numerous nonfatal sword wounds as he tested her strength.
• Zhao Hanyi arrived and recognized Shi Lan, while Wu Xu struck A-Qi and forced Shi Lan to flee with the unconscious A-Fei.
• Wu Xu told Zhao Hanyi that Shi Lan was no weaker than he was and ordered him to request an empire-wide arrest warrant, warning that she had severed the dynasty's dragon vein.
• Shi Lan rode into the mountains with Old Hong and the injured A-Qi, giving A-Qi a drop of juice from the sky-blue fruit.
• In Jin'an, the emperor offered one hundred thousand gold and a marquisate of Shi Lan's choice for her capture.

As princes rebelled and the Qianyuan Dynasty’s purge of the martial world provoked assassinations and widespread resistance, Shi Lan recovered with A-Qi in a secluded valley and trained him. After venturing out, she discovered the continent had collapsed into war and chaos, with nearly the entire martial world opposing the dynasty.

• Meng Ming reported that the Prince of Linxiang had rebelled and seized twenty-eight cities, prompting Zhao Yi to prepare a military response.
• A messenger reported the Prince of Yuanping’s rebellion, and Zhao Yi ordered fifty thousand Tiger and Leopard Guards to march before declaring that he would lead the expedition himself.
• Zhao Yi learned that the Left Chancellor had been assassinated at his residence and sank back onto the throne in shock.
• Shi Lan recovered in the valley, found martial arts manuals and weapons among three masters’ remains, and taught A-Qi the Vajra Divine Fist and other cultivation methods.
• After traveling outside the mountains, Shi Lan found the continent engulfed in rebellions, war, and displacement as surviving martial artists retaliated against the Qianyuan Dynasty’s purge.

Shi Lan returned to her secluded valley and spent over a year there, while A-Qi grew into a powerful martial artist. When members of the Hidden Mountain Sect arrived asking her to help restrain Wuxu so they could assassinate Emperor Zhao Yi, Shi Lan refused.

• Shi Lan learned from a wanted notice that the Qianyuan Dynasty accused her of assassinating the Left Chancellor, causing chaos, and plotting rebellion, then hurried back to the valley.
• After returning, Shi Lan secluded herself for over a year, while A-Qi advanced to the seventh layer of the Body Tempering Realm.
• Shi Lan reached the peak of the ninth layer of the Body Tempering Realm and reflected on the mysteries of entering the Xiantian Realm.
• Wang Chunshan and five other members of the Hidden Mountain Sect came to ask Shi Lan to help restrain Wuxu while they attempted to assassinate Emperor Zhao Yi.
• Shi Lan refused to join their plan.

Shi Lan refused Wuxu’s trial and its inheritance, saying she would not accept the blood debt it required. Wuxu declared the trial passed, then erased her body and shattered the void to leave, while A-Qi searched in vain for any trace of her.

• Shi Lan turned away visitors seeking her aid, then entered the Xiantian Realm after months of cultivation.
• Wuxu arrived at the valley, sealed A-Qi and Old Hong away, and asked why Shi Lan had not completed the trial.
• Shi Lan rejected the inheritance and the trial, explaining that she would not bear the blood debt of countless dead souls.
• After Shi Lan attacked him with a nine-story pagoda, Wuxu declared that she had passed the trial and destroyed her body, saying it had to return to this realm.
• Wuxu shattered the void and departed, prompting the factions around the valley to celebrate and A-Qi to search Shi Lan’s clothes for any trace of her.
• As the factions approached the valley, a mournful howl echoed through the mountains, and someone cried, “Sister Lan...”

Shi Lan learned from Wuxu that she was inside the Guiyun Realm and witnessed the fall of the Qianyuan Dynasty and A-Qi’s grief after her death. Wuxu explained that she had briefly merged with the realm’s Heavenly Dao, then revealed that he was the sword spirit of the Wuxu Sword.

• Wuxu showed Shi Lan the Guiyun Realm and guided her consciousness through a small world where the Qianyuan Dynasty was falling.
• Tao Yufeng confronted Zhao Yi in the palace, but Zhao Yi killed himself and the palace erupted in explosions as the rebel army seized the city.
• Zhao Hanyi escaped with help from his men and vowed to survive after his father and younger brothers died protecting him.
• Shi Lan visited A-Qi in the mountain valley and touched his head; A-Qi sensed her presence and vowed to pursue Wuxu and avenge her.
• Wuxu pulled Shi Lan back before she became one with the Dao, explaining that she had granted A-Qi a lifetime of peace and identifying himself as the Wuxu Sword’s spirit.

Shi Lan passed Wuxu’s first trial and received the Heavenly Extremity Seal, then faced an incarnation of Guiyun for the next challenge. She opened the battle by blocking his sword strike and manifesting a black phenomenon.

• Wuxu explained that the three worlds within Guiyun Realm had come from worlds Guiyun incorporated, and that they would belong to Shi Lan if she inherited the legacy.
• Wuxu showed Shi Lan the Heavenly Extremity Seal, a secret art whose demonstration shattered a star, and Shi Lan used her system to record it.
• Wuxu set the second trial: defeat Guiyun’s incarnation, whose cultivation was at the middle stage of the Earth Baleful Realm, within three chances.
• Shi Lan summoned the Violet Star Seven-Star Halberd and blocked Guiyun’s opening strike without looking.
• Guiyun gathered his sword momentum as Shi Lan formed a black phenomenon that shielded the space around her.