Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Chen Xuan quietly leaves Baishui Town after destroying the Blood Wolf Gang branch, taking banknotes and gold worth about 36,000 taels. Added to his savings, he now has enough money to bid on a Marrow Cleansing Pill.
• He avoids bringing reinforcements or claiming the town openly, hoping to keep his identity secret and avoid retaliation from the powerful Blood Fiend Devil Sect.
• News reaches Lianshan City that a lone masked swordsman killed Branch Leader Han Tieshan and Elder Zhao Hanjiang, looted the treasury, and escaped. The Blood Wolf Gang posts a 10,000-tael bounty for information.
• Gang Leader Qin Sihai orders an investigation. He suspects the attacker used a rare martial art that strengthens both internal and external defenses, but cannot identify which sword school the attacker belongs to.
• The Red Sun Gang’s Sun Tianxing sees an opportunity: with the Blood Wolf Gang weakened, his gang may seize Baishui Town and its medicinal-herb trade. Rather than fight the Iron Sword Sect, he proposes negotiating a division of the town’s profits.
• At the Red Sun Gang’s Qingshi Branch, Liu An privately wonders whether Chen Xuan was responsible, recalling that he had recently gathered information on the Blood Wolf Gang’s branches. He keeps his suspicion to himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xuan remains cautious and discreet, prioritizing survival and preparation over immediate power or public recognition.
• Qin Sihai responds to the losses with controlled anger. He questions the surviving witnesses, then shifts to a broad search across Tiannan Prefecture.
• Sun Tianxing demonstrates political pragmatism, focusing on strategic gains and negotiation rather than revenge or unnecessary conflict.
• Liu An grows uneasy as he connects his earlier assignment to the attack, but chooses silence rather than risk exposing himself or Chen Xuan.
• The surviving gang members are terrified as they recount the attacker’s strength to Qin Sihai; the Red Sun Gang’s subordinates, meanwhile, help assess the opportunity and arrange talks with the Iron Sword Sect.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and restraint: Chen Xuan conceals his strength to avoid drawing the attention of forces far beyond his current level.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a major gang can be destabilized when it loses key experts, inviting rivals to move in.
• Information and suspicion: Rumors spread rapidly, but the attacker’s masked identity and technique leave his true allegiance uncertain.
• Pragmatism in the martial world: Sun Tianxing treats cooperation as a way to secure more benefit than open conflict.

Chapter Summary: “Auction, Marrow Cleansing Pill Secured”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan travels to Tiannan Prefecture City one day before Treasure Pavilion’s semiannual auction.
• He is impressed by the city’s immense walls, prosperous streets, numerous shops, and bustling population. Although the City Lord’s Mansion nominally governs the city, the Three Great Sects hold the real authority.
• At a nearby restaurant, Chen Xuan hears merchants and martial artists discussing the auction’s grand finale: the Seven Kill Sword, a divine weapon once used by the former dynasty’s Marquis of Tiannan.
• He learns that the auction will also feature Marrow Cleansing Pills, which can improve a martial artist’s innate talent. This is Chen Xuan’s main objective.
• The next day, Chen Xuan pays the fifty-tael entrance fee and enters Treasure Pavilion’s packed auction hall.
• He ignores several early items, including weapons and pills, conserving his money for the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
• When ten Marrow Cleansing Pills are auctioned individually, bidding quickly rises from ten thousand to over twenty-five thousand taels.
• Chen Xuan enters the bidding at thirty thousand taels and defeats a middle-aged man in black robes after raising the price to thirty-two thousand taels.
• He pays the full amount, verifies the pill’s medicinal fragrance, and safely stores it before leaving the auction hall.

Character Development

• Chen Xuan: Demonstrates patience, financial discipline, confidence, and determination. Rather than being distracted by valuable weapons or the famous Seven Kill Sword, he remains focused on improving his innate talent. His calm, decisive bidding reveals growing confidence and sufficient wealth to compete with influential martial artists.
• Zhou Wenbin: Appears as a polished and experienced Treasure Pavilion steward who skillfully manages the auction and heightens the excitement during the bidding.
• Other Bidders: The black-robed middle-aged man and white-haired elder establish the intense competition surrounding the Marrow Cleansing Pill, but both ultimately yield to Chen Xuan’s determination and resources.

Significant Themes

• Improvement through opportunity: The Marrow Cleansing Pill represents Chen Xuan’s effort to overcome limitations in innate talent and advance through cultivation.
• Wealth and power: The auction reflects the enormous resources required in the martial world, where even ordinary treasures cost thousands of taels.
• Focus and restraint: Chen Xuan succeeds because he avoids impulsive purchases and concentrates on his true goal.
• The wider martial world: Rumors about the Seven Kill Sword, the former Marquis of Tiannan, the Three Great Sects, and powerful cultivation items expand the story’s sense of history and political influence.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan listens to conversations among restaurant patrons to gather information about the auction.
• During the auction, he competes directly with the black-robed middle-aged man and the white-haired elder through successive bids.
• After Chen Xuan wins, he interacts with Zhou Wenbin, paying for and receiving the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Chapter Summary: Bone Aptitude Improvement, Breakthrough to the Zhuqi Realm

• Chen Xuan improves his bone aptitude: After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, Chen Xuan hides at a secluded inn and consumes the Marrow Cleansing Pill. The painful process expels impurities from his body and upgrades his Bone Aptitude from ordinary to Medium. His energy channels become stronger, greatly accelerating his cultivation speed.
• Breakthrough to the Zhuqi Realm: Chen Xuan spends all nine of his Zhaoxi Value points to advance the Vajra Technique. With his improved aptitude, he opens all thirty-six energy channels far faster than before. Once the channels are completed, force energy transforms into true qi, allowing him to break through from the ninth layer of Body Tempering into the Zhuqi Realm. The true qi begins tempering his body, marking the beginning of the Vajra Technique’s deeper cultivation toward an indestructible, poison-immune physique.
• The Seven Kill Sword auction: Meanwhile, the Treasure Pavilion’s auction reaches its climax with the appearance of the Seven Kill Sword, formerly belonging to the Marquis of Tiannan. Its overwhelming Killing Intent intimidates the weaker martial artists present. Several Zhuqi Realm experts compete for it, and the sword is eventually “sold” for an enormous three million five hundred thousand taels.
• The mysterious old man’s identity and intentions: The winning bidder is an inconspicuous gray-robed old man. Once he takes hold of the sword, its Killing Intent reacts violently, but he remains unharmed, revealing his considerable strength. When asked for payment, he declares that he has no silver. He then exposes himself as someone connected to the Marquis of Tiannan’s Mansion.
• Confrontation with the Treasure Pavilion: The old man accuses the Treasure Pavilion and other forces of looting the Marquis’s estate twenty-five years earlier after the Marquis’s downfall. He explains that he never intended to purchase the sword; he came to reclaim what rightfully belonged to his family and exact revenge. He launches the Seven Kill Sword at Zhou Wenbin, whose earlier arrogance turns to fear as the sword’s Killing Intent bears down on him.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Chen Xuan grows stronger both physically and in cultivation, gaining greater potential and successfully entering the Zhuqi Realm.
• Zhou Wenbin shifts from confident auction steward to frightened target after realizing the old man’s connection to the Marquis’s household.
• The old man is revealed as a powerful, vengeful figure tied to the Marquis of Tiannan’s Mansion. His interaction with Zhou Wenbin transforms the auction from a commercial event into a reckoning over past crimes.

Major Themes

• Transformation through suffering: Chen Xuan’s painful marrow cleansing demonstrates that growth and improved potential require endurance.
• The value of innate potential: His Medium Bone Aptitude dramatically increases his cultivation efficiency, emphasizing the importance of talent in martial advancement.
• Justice and revenge: The old man’s arrival introduces the consequences of past wrongdoing and challenges the Treasure Pavilion’s claim to authority and “rules.”
• Power beneath appearances: Both Chen Xuan and the old man initially appear unremarkable, yet each possesses abilities far beyond what others expect.

Chapter Summary: “Seven Kill Sect Emerges”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Wenbin, the Treasure Pavilion’s steward and a Zhuqi Realm Third Layer expert, attempts to defend himself against a mysterious old man wielding the Seven Kill Sword.
• The old man effortlessly destroys Zhou’s true qi barrier and kills him with a single sword strike. The demonic sword drains Zhou’s blood and essence, leaving behind a desiccated corpse.
• The old man announces that he belongs to the remnants of the forces connected to Marquis of Tiannan’s Mansion, which was destroyed more than twenty years earlier.
• Dozens of people in the auction hall reveal themselves as members of the newly emerging Seven Kill Sect. They wear black combat clothing marked with the blood-red words “Seven Kill.”
• The old man declares that the sect has returned to settle the blood debt of Marquis of Tiannan’s Mansion and raises the Seven Kill Sword, blasting through the Treasure Pavilion’s roof.
• The Seven Kill Sect massacres the ordinary guests, maids, guards, and resisting martial artists in the auction hall. The sword absorbs the blood from the corpses, growing more powerful and releasing increasingly intense Killing Intent.
• Zhuqi Realm experts escape through the windows and roof rather than confront the attackers. They identify the old man as possibly a surviving member of the legendary Seven Kill Army, once commanded by the Marquis of Tiannan.
• After the slaughter, the old man—addressed as the Vice Sect Master—orders the sect to fight its way out. One sword strike splits the Treasure Pavilion apart, and the sect departs amid the destruction.
• Meanwhile, at an inn, Chen Xuan completes his breakthrough into the Zhuqi Realm. He discovers that his body has become lighter and stronger, with a faint golden radiance replacing his former bronze sheen.
• Chen Xuan’s physical abilities and senses improve dramatically: he gains greater speed, strength, vision, hearing, and the ability to filter useful information from surrounding noise.
• He then hears commotion from a distant street, suggesting that the Seven Kill Sect’s attack or another major disturbance may soon affect him.

Character Developments

• The old man / Vice Sect Master: Revealed as the powerful leader of the Seven Kill Sect’s assault. He is driven by revenge for Marquis of Tiannan’s Mansion and possesses overwhelming swordsmanship and a terrifying connection to the blood-draining Seven Kill Sword.
• Zhou Wenbin: Despite being a respected Zhuqi Realm Third Layer expert, he is killed instantly, demonstrating the old man’s immense strength and establishing the Seven Kill Sect as a major threat.
• Seven Kill Sect members: Their coordinated massacre reveals their fanaticism, discipline, and loyalty to their sect’s revenge mission.
• Chen Xuan: Successfully enters the Zhuqi Realm and experiences a major enhancement in physical strength, agility, and sensory perception. His new abilities prepare him to notice and potentially respond to the unfolding crisis.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and blood debt: The Seven Kill Sect’s return is motivated by a decades-old vendetta against those responsible for the destruction of Marquis of Tiannan’s Mansion.
• Violence and retribution: The sect responds to past betrayal with indiscriminate slaughter, raising questions about whether vengeance can be distinguished from cruelty.
• The resurgence of buried power: A supposedly vanished military force reemerges as a sect, showing that past forces and unresolved conflicts can return unexpectedly.
• Power hierarchy: Zhou Wenbin’s effortless death emphasizes the vast differences between martial cultivators and foreshadows a major upheaval in Tiannan Prefecture.
• Transformation and awakening: Chen Xuan’s advancement into the Zhuqi Realm parallels the Seven Kill Sect’s emergence, placing his personal growth against the backdrop of a larger political and martial crisis.

Character Interactions

• The old man confronts and executes Zhou Wenbin, establishing his dominance.
• He addresses the assembled Seven Kill Sect members and commands their assault on the Treasure Pavilion.
• The sect members act in coordinated formation, killing the hall’s occupants while allowing the stronger Zhuqi Realm cultivators to escape.
• A subordinate reports to the old man that the “cleanup” is complete, confirming his authority as Vice Sect Master.
• Chen Xuan has not yet encountered the Seven Kill Sect directly, but his heightened senses alert him to the distant disturbance, linking his storyline to the sect’s violent return.

Chapter Summary: “Fishing in Troubled Waters”

Key Plot Points and Events

• News spreads that the Treasure Pavilion auction has been attacked, with many people killed by an unfamiliar faction called the Seven Kill Sect.
• Chen Xuan realizes the attack occurred before the auction’s final item—the Seven Kill Sword—could be properly sold. Although suspicious, he initially decides to leave Tiannan Prefecture City rather than become involved.
• Three powerful elders—Shen Qianqiu of the Guiyuan Sect, Liu Rufeng of Ten Thousand Sword Villa, and Li Baichuan of the Blood Fiend Devil Sect—observe the Seven Kill Sect’s escape.
• They reveal that the Seven Kill Sword must absorb the blood of one hundred thousand people to unlock Sword Venerable Shasheng’s Legacy. The three sects have secretly arranged for the Seven Kill Sect to carry out this massacre on their behalf.
• The elders plan to stage a fake pursuit so that the Seven Kill Sect can continue its slaughter without realizing they have been manipulated.
• Tiannan Prefecture City descends into chaos. The Seven Kill Sect kills throughout the East Urban District, while the city gates are sealed.
• As Chen Xuan attempts to leave through the southern gate, he encounters masked cultivators fighting over a Marrow Cleansing Pill and realizes that looters are raiding the ruined Treasure Pavilion.
• Recognizing that valuable auction items remain inside—and sensing Zhuqi Realm cultivators among the looters—Chen Xuan disguises himself with a corpse’s clothing and enters the chaos.
• His goal is specifically to obtain additional Marrow Cleansing Pills, ideally enough to further improve his innate bone aptitude.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: Having consumed a Marrow Cleansing Pill, he improves his innate bones and breaks through to the Zhuqi Realm. His enhanced senses and movement allow him to navigate the panicked crowd efficiently. Although cautious and initially determined to avoid trouble, his desire for further cultivation resources leads him to take advantage of the destruction.
• Shen Qianqiu: Revealed as calculating and morally ruthless. He calmly accepts the sacrifice of one hundred thousand civilians as a necessary means to obtain the ancient legacy.
• Liu Rufeng: Represents the supposedly righteous faction but shares the same disregard for ordinary lives. He treats mass slaughter as an acceptable sacrifice for sect interests.
• Li Baichuan: Openly mocks the hypocrisy of the righteous sects, pointing out that their actions are no different from those of the devilish path. Despite his hostility toward them, he participates in the staged pursuit.
• The Seven Kill Sect: Presented as a group of deathsworn followers willing to massacre the city, though they are unknowingly being used by the three major sects.

Significant Themes

• Hypocrisy and moral corruption: The “righteous” sects secretly arrange a mass killing while condemning the devilish path, blurring the distinction between good and evil.
• Power over human life: The elders view one hundred thousand deaths as a mere number and a tool for unlocking greater power.
• Deception and manipulation: The Seven Kill Sect believes it is acting independently but is actually being guided and exploited by stronger factions.
• Chaos as opportunity: While ordinary people suffer, martial artists and looters exploit the disaster to seize treasures.
• Self-interest and survival: Chen Xuan avoids unnecessary danger but is willing to disguise himself and enter the ruined pavilion when the potential reward becomes worthwhile.

Character Interactions

• Shen Qianqiu, Liu Rufeng, and Li Baichuan discuss the massacre and openly expose their conflicting attitudes: the first two rationalize the slaughter, while Li Baichuan condemns their hypocrisy.
• Li Baichuan leaves to organize the Blood Fiend Devil Sect’s staged pursuit, while Shen Qianqiu and Liu Rufeng remain focused on ensuring the plan proceeds convincingly.
• Masked cultivators inside the ruined Treasure Pavilion fight viciously over surviving auction treasures, particularly a Marrow Cleansing Pill.
• Chen Xuan observes these conflicts, interprets the situation, and chooses to enter the looting operation rather than flee immediately.

Chapter Summary: “A Sudden Windfall”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan rushes into an alley where two groups of martial artists are fighting over treasures looted from Treasure Pavilion.
• His overwhelming speed and strength immediately disrupt the battle, sending six fighters flying and badly injuring them.
• Chen Xuan demands the Marrow Cleansing Pill, revealing that he intends to seize the treasure rather than investigate the conflict.
• A group leader at the Peak Eighth Layer of Body Tempering attacks him, but Chen Xuan kills him with a single punch, crushing his chest and smashing him into a brick wall.
• Terrified by this display of power, the remaining fighters stop resisting.
• Chen Xuan identifies a nervous, thin man hiding the pill. When the man denies possessing it, Chen Xuan grabs him and kills him by crushing his throat, then retrieves the pill from his clothing.
• He orders everyone else to surrender all their possessions. Fearful of suffering the same fate, they obey and place their stolen goods on the ground.
• Chen Xuan searches the items and discovers:
  • Five

Marrow Cleansing Pills

• Two

Pulse Breaking Pills

• A superior-grade weapon
• A martial arts manual for the

Zhuqi Realm

• More than two hundred thousand taels’ worth of silver and gold notes
• He keeps the valuable items and ignores ordinary weapons and low-grade pills, treating the encounter as an unexpectedly lucrative windfall.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan is portrayed as extraordinarily powerful, fast, decisive, and ruthless. He effortlessly defeats opponents who would be considered experts by ordinary standards.
• His calm demeanor contrasts sharply with his brutal actions; he kills without hesitation and treats his victims as insignificant obstacles.
• Chen Xuan demonstrates sharp observation by immediately recognizing who possesses the pill and carefully inspecting every item for value.
• The defeated martial artists are reduced from aggressive treasure hunters to frightened, obedient survivors once they recognize the enormous gap between their strength and Chen Xuan’s.

Significant Themes

• Power creates absolute authority: The fighters’ willingness to surrender everything shows that strength, rather than morality or fairness, determines control in this world.
• Greed and violence: The original battle began over valuable pills and money, with the combatants killing one another for wealth. Chen Xuan then benefits from the same greed-driven chaos.
• Ruthlessness and survival: The chapter presents a harsh martial world where hesitation or deception can result in immediate death.
• Unexpected opportunity: Chen Xuan’s intervention transforms a dangerous battle into a major gain, emphasizing the theme of fortune appearing amid disorder.
• Improving one’s potential: The Marrow Cleansing Pills are especially important because they can enhance Chen Xuan’s aptitude and support his future cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan confronts both factions as a superior outsider, forcing them to shift their attention from fighting each other to fearing him.
• The brawny group leader challenges Chen Xuan directly but is killed instantly, establishing the power imbalance.
• Chen Xuan interrogates the black-clothed man, who tries to conceal the pill but is exposed by his nervous behavior and body language.
• After Chen Xuan kills him, the remaining fighters submit without protest and surrender their possessions.
• The interactions are dominated by intimidation: Chen Xuan speaks briefly and calmly, while everyone else responds through fear, hesitation, and obedience.

Chapter Summary: “Departure”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Chen Xuan defeats numerous looters in a blood-soaked alley, he allows the surviving attackers to flee.
• He senses a battle inside the Treasure Pavilion and realizes that an exceptionally powerful cultivator—above the Seventh Layer of the Zhuqi Realm—has appeared.
• Recognizing that such a Tuosu Realm expert can influence or destroy an opponent’s mind, Chen Xuan wisely retreats rather than risk fighting.
• A massive clash erupts inside the Treasure Pavilion. The auction hall collapses, sending destructive shockwaves and deadly debris through the area. Many looters and martial artists are killed or badly injured.
• More than a dozen Zhuqi Realm cultivators flee the Treasure Pavilion in terror.
• Chen Xuan reaches the southern city gate, where civilians and martial artists are attempting to escape the city amid widespread panic.
• The City Lord’s Mansion has imposed martial law to prevent Seven Kill Sect traitors from escaping. Chen Xuan passes inspection by presenting his Guiyuan Sect and Red Sun Gang identity tokens.
• Meanwhile, the Seven Kill Sect’s deathsworn continue fighting throughout the city. They refuse to surrender and are almost entirely wiped out, but their sacrifice gives the deputy sect master time to escape with the Seven Kill Sword.
• Shen Qianqiu and Liu Rufeng observe the slaughter from a rooftop and reveal the larger scheme: the Seven Kill Sword must absorb the blood of one hundred thousand people to activate Sword Venerable Shasheng’s inheritance.
• The Three Great Sects intend to claim that inheritance, though they remain wary of interference from the Blood Fiend Devil Sect.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates restraint and practical judgment. Although confident against lower-level Zhuqi Realm cultivators, he understands the overwhelming difference between his strength and that of a Tuosu Realm expert and chooses survival over recklessness.
• His desire to avoid unnecessary conflict and focus on cultivation becomes clearer. He is determined to increase his strength rather than become involved in the Seven Kill Sect’s conflict.
• The Seven Kill Sect deathsworn are portrayed as fanatically loyal. They fight to the death without surrendering, accepting their deaths as a sacrifice for their sect’s greater objective.
• The deputy sect master successfully escapes with the Seven Kill Sword, showing that the deathsworn’s final stand achieved its purpose.
• Shen Qianqiu and Liu Rufeng are revealed as calculating and morally detached. They regard mass civilian deaths as an acceptable price for obtaining the inheritance.

Significant Themes

• Strength and survival: The chapter emphasizes that power determines one’s fate in the martial world. Chen Xuan survives because he accurately recognizes when he is outmatched.
• The cost of ambition: The struggle for Sword Venerable Shasheng’s inheritance leads to mass slaughter, with ordinary civilians treated as expendable.
• Fanaticism and sacrifice: The Seven Kill Sect’s followers willingly die for their cause, illustrating extreme loyalty and ideological devotion.
• Moral corruption among the powerful: The Three Great Sects condemn the demonic path while simultaneously planning to benefit from the deaths of one hundred thousand people.
• Chaos beneath political order: The city’s martial law and official inspections create an appearance of control, but the city remains overwhelmed by violence and competing factions.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan confronts and dismisses the looters before fleeing when the powerful Treasure Pavilion expert appears.
• He cooperates calmly with the city guards, using his Guiyuan Sect affiliation to pass through the gate.
• The guards’ attitude becomes more respectful once they recognize his connection to one of the Three Great Sects.
• The Seven Kill Sect deathsworn fight against the City Lord’s Mansion forces, dying in large numbers but delaying their enemies.
• Shen Qianqiu and Liu Rufeng discuss the bloodshed and the plan to activate the Seven Kill Sword, revealing their shared willingness to sacrifice civilians for the inheritance.
• Their conversation also establishes tension with the Blood Fiend Devil Sect, foreshadowing a larger conflict over Sword Venerable Shasheng’s legacy.

Chapter Summary: “One Sword, Forty-Five Shadows”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan’s cultivation interface reveals that he has reached the First Layer of Qi Casting, with thirty-six qi meridians opened and one point of Zhaoxi Value available.
• The chapter explains the structure of the Qi Casting Realm and the importance of opening qi meridians. Ordinary, superior, top-tier, Ultimate, and Divine Arts each have different limits, with fully connected meridians granting overwhelming power.
• Chen Xuan considers using his Zhaoxi Value to open more meridians through the Vajra Technique, but decides that improving his swordsmanship will provide a greater immediate advantage.
• He uses the Zhaoxi Value to cultivate the Nine Shadow Killing Sword, mentally experiencing a year of training in an instant.
• His first-layer swordsmanship reaches perfection, allowing him to create nine sword shadows. He then advances to the second layer, which requires precise control of true qi through the sword.
• After countless failures—including breaking over a hundred swords—Chen Xuan reaches the Second Layer, Proficient level, capable of producing forty-five tangible sword shadows with one thrust.
• He tests the technique using the Hanfeng Sword. The resulting sword shadows shred leaves, dust, and air, demonstrating lethal power.
• Confident that the attack can instantly kill opponents of the same realm and threaten even stronger Qi Casting experts, Chen Xuan resumes his journey home.

Character Development

• Chen Xuan demonstrates strategic judgment by prioritizing combat ability over merely increasing his meridian count.
• His persistence is emphasized through his repeated failures while mastering true qi control and sword projection.
• He advances from relying on ordinary sword shadows to wielding genuine Sword Qi, greatly increasing his offensive strength.
• His confidence grows after successfully testing the technique, though he remains practical and focused rather than boastful.

Significant Themes

• The importance of cultivation foundations: The number of opened meridians determines the quantity, quality, and circulation of true qi.
• Aptitude versus effort: Spirit Bodies and superior techniques provide natural advantages, but Chen Xuan’s persistence and system-assisted cultivation allow him to overcome limitations.
• Strategic growth: Power is not gained simply by advancing realms; selecting the right martial skill can offer a greater advantage.
• Persistence and mastery: Repeated failure is presented as an essential part of achieving precise control and breakthrough.
• Lethal efficiency: The second layer of the Nine Shadow Killing Sword transforms speed-based illusions into simultaneous, tangible attacks that target multiple vital points.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct interactions with other characters in this chapter.
• Chen Xuan’s primary “interaction” is with his cultivation system, his martial techniques, and the Hanfeng Sword, using each to test and refine his growing power.

Chapter Summary: “Root Bone Improved Again, Upper-Middle Grade”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan returns to the Cross Street Branch in Qingshi Town after traveling through the night. Despite the long journey, his Zhuqi Realm physique leaves him almost entirely unaffected by fatigue.
• Internal Affairs Envoy Zhao Yuanshan is waiting for him with an urgent assignment connected to Baishui Town.
• Chen Xuan learns that the Blood Wolf Gang’s Baishui Town Branch was destroyed by a mysterious lone attacker. Branch Master Han Tieshan and the hidden Ninth Layer Body Tempering expert Zhao Hanjiang were both killed.
• Taking advantage of the Blood Wolf Gang’s weakened position, the Red Sun Gang and Iron Sword Sect jointly seized control of Baishui Town.
• Since both factions want the larger share of the territory, they agree to settle the division through a contest between their younger disciples.
• Each side will send three participants under the age of twenty. The first side to win two of three matches will receive sixty percent of Baishui Town.
• The Red Sun Gang’s leader asks Chen Xuan to participate. Although he appears to be only at the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering, his actual combat strength is much greater.
• Chen Xuan accepts after learning that winning one match will earn him a Minor Merit, while winning three matches consecutively will earn him a Great Merit.
• The competition will take place in Baishui Town three days later, with both faction leaders present.
• After Zhao Yuanshan leaves, Chen Xuan consumes five Marrow Cleansing Pills to improve his cultivation aptitude. After enduring increasingly intense pain and successfully absorbing all five pills, his root bone advances from middle grade to upper-middle grade.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: Demonstrates composure and secrecy by concealing his connection to the destruction of the Blood Wolf Gang’s branch. He also shows ambition and strategic foresight, accepting the competition because merit can later be exchanged for more powerful cultivation techniques. His endurance and determination are emphasized during the painful marrow-cleansing process.
• Zhao Yuanshan: Acts as the messenger of the Red Sun Gang’s leadership and reveals the political and territorial struggle surrounding Baishui Town. He clearly trusts Chen Xuan’s hidden strength.
• The Red Sun Gang and Iron Sword Sect: Their temporary alliance is shown to be pragmatic rather than friendly, since both sides immediately begin competing for a larger share of the captured territory.

Significant Themes

• Power and territorial competition: Baishui Town becomes the center of a struggle among rival factions, with military strength and younger-generation talent used to determine political control.
• Hidden strength and deception: Chen Xuan maintains the appearance of a weaker cultivator while secretly possessing far greater ability and knowledge than others realize.
• Merit and advancement: Chen Xuan views the contest not only as a factional duty but also as an opportunity to accumulate resources for future cultivation.
• Perseverance and self-improvement: The painful process of consuming the Marrow Cleansing Pills reflects Chen Xuan’s willingness to endure hardship to improve his foundation.
• Political pragmatism: The Red Sun Gang and Iron Sword Sect cooperate when necessary, but their alliance is driven by mutual benefit and remains fragile.

Character Interactions

• The branch guards warmly welcome Chen Xuan and inform him of Zhao Yuanshan’s arrival.
• Zhao Yuanshan and Chen Xuan discuss the destruction of Baishui Town, the temporary alliance between the Red Sun Gang and Iron Sword Sect, and the upcoming disciple competition.
• Zhao Yuanshan conveys the gang leader’s offer of merit rewards, persuading Chen Xuan to participate.
• Chen Xuan interacts with the factional conflict indirectly, keeping his knowledge of the true culprit behind the Baishui Town massacre hidden from Zhao Yuanshan.
• The chapter ends with Chen Xuan alone, successfully raising his root bone aptitude to upper-middle grade and strengthening his prospects for the coming competition.

Chapter Summary: Qi Casting Realm Second Layer

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan receives another point of Zhaoxi Value, which he uses to improve his Vajra Technique.
• His newly upgraded Above-Average Bone Aptitude dramatically increases his cultivation speed and his ability to refine medicinal pills.
• Over the course of a year of accelerated cultivation, he opens ten additional qi meridians, raising his total from thirty-six to forty-six.
• Chen Xuan realizes that, with his current aptitude, he can open roughly ten meridians per day and potentially reach the Qi Casting Realm Second Layer within a few days.
• He takes a Pulse Breaking Pill, which softens and protects his meridians, allowing him to open three meridians with a single pill rather than the one usually possible for someone with inferior aptitude.
• After refining both Pulse Breaking Pills, his opened meridians increase to fifty-two.
• By April 22, further cultivation raises the total to seventy-two meridians.
• Opening the final meridian triggers a major breakthrough: Chen Xuan enters the Qi Casting Realm Second Layer, Middle Pimai Stage.
• The breakthrough takes only three days after his aptitude improvement, confirming the enormous benefit of his enhanced talent.

Character Development

• Chen Xuan becomes increasingly confident in his cultivation potential after witnessing how much Above-Average Bone Aptitude improves his progress.
• He gains a clearer understanding of the importance of innate talent, recognizing the vast differences between inferior, medium, above-average, superior, transcendent, and spirit-body aptitudes.
• His physical strength, true qi quality, meridian circulation, and pill-refining efficiency all improve substantially.
• His ambitions expand: he now aims to reach the Ninth Layer of Qi Casting, obtain stronger martial arts or divine techniques, and find treasures capable of further improving his Bone Aptitude.

Significant Themes

• Talent and cultivation speed: The chapter emphasizes how Bone Aptitude determines a martial artist’s potential and how even a modest improvement can transform one’s progress.
• Accumulation leading to breakthrough: Chen Xuan’s advancement comes through steadily opening every qi meridian, showing the importance of persistence and preparation.
• Efficiency and resource amplification: His improved aptitude allows him to gain far greater benefits from the same pills and cultivation methods than ordinary practitioners.
• Ambition and long-term advancement: Each breakthrough raises Chen Xuan’s goals, shifting his focus from immediate survival to pursuing the highest levels of martial power.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan has no major direct interactions with other characters in this chapter.
• His primary “interaction” is with his cultivation system, the Vajra Technique, and the Pulse Breaking Pills, all of which respond to and amplify his improved aptitude.
• His internal reflections also establish his understanding of sect standards and the relative status of different types of cultivators.

Chapter Summary: “Contest”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On April 23, Chen Xuan and Zhao Yuanshan travel by carriage from Baishui Town to Qingshi Town for the agreed contest between the Red Sun Gang and the Iron Sword Sect.
• Zhao Yuanshan explains the Iron Sword Sect’s three representatives:
  • Wan Shengkuang, an Eighth-Layer Body Tempering cultivator specializing in powerful defensive training.
  • Wan Yifan, another Eighth-Layer cultivator skilled in the swift Gale Sword Technique.
  • Wan Guiyun, a mysterious Direct-Line Disciple of Ten Thousand Sword Villa and likely the strongest of the three.
• Zhao and Chen discuss the unusual presence of Wan Guiyun, since Direct-Line Disciples are rarely sent to a small and chaotic location like Lianshan City.
• At Baishui Town, both factions gather before a large crowd, including spies from other local powers. The contest rules are announced: each side sends three fighters, and the first to win two bouts wins. Killing is forbidden, and a contestant loses by being knocked from the arena or conceding.
• Chen Xuan volunteers to fight first, hoping to earn merit and end the contest quickly.
• The Iron Sword Sect sends Wan Shengkuang as his opponent. Wan boasts that Chen should surrender before being killed.
• Once the fight begins, Wan attacks with overwhelming force. Chen calmly catches his iron-like fist with one hand, demonstrating vastly superior strength.
• Chen crushes several bones in Wan Shengkuang’s fist and releases him. Shocked and terrified, Wan admits defeat after only one exchange.
• The Red Sun Gang wins the first bout, astonishing the spectators and visibly pleasing Gang Master Sun Tianxing.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates extraordinary physical strength and confidence. Rather than evade Wan Shengkuang’s attack, he meets it directly and defeats him effortlessly, establishing himself as far stronger than an ordinary Eighth-Layer Body Tempering cultivator.
• Zhao Yuanshan acts as an informed and cautious senior, providing Chen with intelligence about the opponents and warning him particularly about Wan Guiyun.
• Wan Shengkuang is introduced as arrogant and physically formidable, but his confidence collapses immediately when Chen overwhelms him. His surrender shows that he recognizes the immense gap between them.
• Wan Guiyun is established as an important potential threat. His Direct-Line status and concealed sharpness suggest that he may possess exceptional talent and be the Iron Sword Sect’s true source of confidence.
• Sun Tianxing becomes increasingly confident in Chen, openly enjoying the first victory and taking pride in the Red Sun Gang’s strength.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and underestimation: Wan Shengkuang assumes Chen is merely capable because he killed Liu Lie, but Chen’s true power is far beyond his expectations.
• Confidence versus arrogance: Wan’s boastful confidence is destroyed in a single exchange, while Chen’s calm restraint reflects genuine strength.
• Factional rivalry and political stakes: The contest is not merely a martial competition; representatives of other local powers attend to judge the balance of power between the Red Sun Gang and Iron Sword Sect.
• Talent and status: The explanation of Ten Thousand Sword Villa’s Direct-Line Disciples emphasizes the importance of bloodline, aptitude, comprehension, and elite martial status.
• Merit and ambition: Chen deliberately takes the first match because victories in the contest can help him gain merit and advance his standing.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Yuanshan briefs Chen on the Iron Sword Sect’s fighters and urges him to be wary of Wan Guiyun.
• Chen and Wan Shengkuang clash verbally before the fight, with Wan threatening him and Chen responding through silence and composure.
• During the battle, Chen’s restrained comments—especially that Wan’s strength is “not enough”—underscore the enormous difference between them.
• After Chen breaks Wan’s hand, he gives him the opportunity to continue, but Wan chooses to surrender.
• Sun Tianxing’s pleased reaction reflects his growing confidence in Chen and the Red Sun Gang’s position in the rivalry.

Chapter Summary: Sword Dao Prodigy

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wan Guiyun volunteers to fight the second round of the duel on behalf of Ten Thousand Sword Villa.
• He is introduced as a seventeen-year-old sword prodigy with only ordinary innate physical talent but extraordinary comprehension focused on swordsmanship.
• Despite being a Ninth-Stage Body Tempering martial artist like Wan Shengkuang, Wan Guiyun is considered unmatched among warriors of the same realm because he has mastered:
  • Over one hundred sword techniques
  • Twenty-three Superior Sword Techniques at perfection
  • Three Peak Sword Techniques at perfection
  • One Ultimate Sword Art
• Wan Guiyun confidently tells Chen Xuan to surrender, but Chen Xuan mocks his boasting and challenges him to prove his ability.
• Wan Guiyun attacks with the Meteor Sword Technique, but Chen Xuan casually deflects the supposedly blindingly fast strike.
• He follows with the tricky Spirit Snake Sword Technique, targeting Chen Xuan’s vital points from unpredictable angles. Chen Xuan catches the sword between two fingers, demonstrating overwhelming physical strength.
• Wan Guiyun retreats and begins using Peak Sword Techniques:
  • The Nine-Fold Mountain Sword Technique, based on immense force, is blocked by Chen Xuan’s bare forearm.
  • The Falling Leaf Sword Technique, relying on agility and unpredictability, repeatedly strikes Chen Xuan’s chest but cannot even damage his clothing.
  • The Armor-Piercing Sword Technique, designed to penetrate body-tempering defenses, also fails completely. Its concentrated force merely produces a metallic clang against Chen Xuan’s chest.

Character Developments

• Wan Guiyun is established as calm, highly disciplined, and extraordinarily talented in swordsmanship. Initially confident and somewhat boastful, he becomes increasingly surprised and excited as Chen Xuan neutralizes each technique. His composure begins to crack when even his strongest attacks fail.
• Chen Xuan remains calm, stationary, and dismissive throughout the fight. His confidence is justified by his superior cultivation and astonishing physical defense. He reveals that his body-tempering ability is powerful enough to withstand attacks specifically designed to penetrate such defenses.
• Wan Zhenshan trusts Wan Guiyun to handle the second round, recognizing his exceptional reputation and combat ability.
• The observing disciples are impressed and shocked by Wan Guiyun’s advanced sword techniques, but Chen Xuan’s effortless defenses leave them even more astonished.

Significant Themes

• Absolute strength versus technical mastery: Wan Guiyun possesses immense sword knowledge and refined technique, but Chen Xuan’s overwhelming physical power renders his complex attacks ineffective.
• Limits of specialization: Wan Guiyun’s extraordinary comprehension is concentrated almost entirely in swordsmanship, while Chen Xuan appears to possess broader and more powerful cultivation advantages.
• Confidence and humiliation: Wan Guiyun begins by demanding Chen Xuan’s surrender, but each failed attack undermines his certainty and forces him to acknowledge Chen Xuan as a far more formidable opponent.
• The difference between realm and actual combat power: Although both fighters are described as Ninth-Stage Body Tempering martial artists, Chen Xuan’s true strength is clearly far beyond what his apparent realm suggests.

Character Interactions

• Wan Guiyun politely asks Wan Zhenshan for permission to fight, reinforcing his controlled and composed personality.
• He calmly explains his achievements to Chen Xuan and urges him to admit defeat.
• Chen Xuan responds with sarcasm, accusing Ten Thousand Sword Villa disciples of relying on their words rather than their swords.
• The insult provokes Wan Guiyun into attacking seriously.
• During the duel, Wan Guiyun repeatedly changes techniques to overcome Chen Xuan’s defenses, while Chen Xuan barely moves and answers each attack with effortless resistance.
• The chapter ends with Wan Guiyun’s Armor-Piercing Sword Technique failing against Chen Xuan’s body, leaving him shocked by the apparent invulnerability of his opponent.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• During the arena match, Wan Guiyun’s perfected Peak Sword Technique, Armor-Piercing Sword Technique, strikes Chen Xuan directly in the chest but fails to injure him.
• The audience is stunned, speculating that Chen Xuan has perfected the Vajra Technique or obtained another extraordinary external-hardening art. Some even suspect he was the mysterious expert who destroyed a Blood Wolf Gang branch.
• Sun Tianxing, representing the Guiyuan Sect, is surprised but accepts Chen Xuan’s unexplained progress, reasoning that a disciple’s loyalty and value matter more than knowing every secret behind his abilities.
• At the Iron Sword Sect’s side, Wan Zhenshan loses confidence in Wan Guiyun’s victory. Wan Shengkuang and Wan Yifan realize that Chen Xuan’s earlier defeat of Wan Shengkuang was achieved with considerable restraint.
• Wan Guiyun acknowledges that ordinary techniques cannot defeat Chen Xuan and decides to use the Yiyuan Sword Art, one of Ten Thousand Sword Villa’s three Ultimate Sword Arts.
• He launches the powerful Tianyuan Sword Strike, condensing all his force qi and much of his qi and blood into a single, piercing point. The attack is so powerful that it approaches or surpasses ordinary true qi.
• Chen Xuan recognizes the technique’s excellence but explains internally that his breakthrough into the Zhuqi Realm has greatly strengthened his body. He catches the sword tip between two fingers, causing the condensed sword radiance to disperse and proving that even Wan Guiyun’s strongest attack cannot harm him.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan is revealed to possess extraordinary physical defenses, far beyond what should be possible for an ordinary Body Tempering cultivator. His recent breakthrough has made his body several times tougher and allows him to withstand an Ultimate Sword Art effortlessly.
• Wan Guiyun shifts from confidence to grave determination. After seeing his Peak Sword Technique fail, he risks damaging his meridians and exhausting his qi and blood by using the unfinished but extremely powerful Yiyuan Sword Art.
• Sun Tianxing becomes more interested in Chen Xuan’s potential. Rather than questioning the source of Chen Xuan’s strength, he views him as a possible future pillar of the Guiyuan Sect.
• Wan Zhenshan becomes visibly anxious as the battle turns against his side, though he still hopes Wan Guiyun’s strongest technique can secure victory.
• Wan Shengkuang and Wan Yifan recognize the immense gap between themselves and Chen Xuan. Wan Shengkuang realizes his earlier defeat was merciful, while Wan Yifan understands he likely could not survive a direct confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Hidden talent and miraculous advancement: Chen Xuan’s rapid rise suggests that extraordinary opportunities can transform an apparently ordinary martial artist.
• Strength beyond conventional limits: The chapter contrasts the expected limits of Body Tempering cultivation with Chen Xuan’s abnormal physique and Zhuqi-enhanced body.
• Sect loyalty versus personal secrets: Sun Tianxing emphasizes that a sect need not know every secret behind a disciple’s power as long as the disciple remains loyal and benefits the sect.
• Overwhelming defense versus ultimate offense: Wan Guiyun’s perfectly focused sword attack represents the highest level of offensive technique, while Chen Xuan’s effortless defense demonstrates an even greater disparity in raw power.
• Respect for genuine skill: Although Chen Xuan dominates the fight, he sincerely admires the precision and power of the Yiyuan Sword Art.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan and Wan Guiyun: Their confrontation escalates from Wan Guiyun’s probing techniques to his ultimate attack. Chen Xuan remains calm and respectful, while Wan Guiyun grows increasingly desperate and determined.
• Sun Tianxing and Chen Xuan: Sun Tianxing silently reassesses Chen Xuan, choosing trust and practical support over suspicion.
• Wan Zhenshan and his disciples: Wan Zhenshan tries to reassure himself and his faction that Wan Guiyun can still win, while Wan Shengkuang and Wan Yifan privately confront the reality of Chen Xuan’s overwhelming strength.
• Chen Xuan and the audience: Chen Xuan’s performance transforms him from an underestimated young disciple into a mysterious, almost monstrous figure in the eyes of everyone watching.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wan Guiyun, a prodigy from Ten Thousand Sword Villa, unleashes his strongest attack, the Ultimate Sword Art Yiyuan Sword Art, against Chen Xuan.
• Chen Xuan effortlessly catches the sword between two fingers and snaps the ancient blade, demonstrating an overwhelming difference in cultivation and physical strength.
• Chen Xuan criticizes Wan Guiyun’s swordsmanship as refined but ineffective because his Body Tempering cultivation is too weak to unleash its true power.
• Wan Guiyun reflects on his former arrogance and remembers his master’s warning that geniuses are plentiful and that true strength requires experience, humility, and life-or-death tempering.
• Accepting his defeat without resentment, Wan Guiyun promises to return after reaching the Zhuqi Realm and challenge Chen Xuan again.
• Chen Xuan praises Wan Guiyun’s ability to remain composed after defeat but privately realizes that his own rapid cultivation growth will make the future gap between them even greater.
• Chen Xuan’s victory gives the Red Sun Gang control of sixty percent of Baishui Town’s territory and earns him the position of Branch Master there.
• Sun Tianxing praises Chen Xuan, promises to seek additional merit for him, and places Baishui Town’s resources and personnel under his authority. Zhao Yuanshan is ordered to remain and assist him.
• Sun Tianxing warns Chen Xuan that the Iron Sword Sect may send a deputy to interfere with the medicinal fields and that Qin Sihai of the Blood Wolf Gang is unlikely to forgive the loss of Baishui Town.
• At the Blood Wolf Gang headquarters, Qin Sihai learns of Chen Xuan’s strength and deduces that Chen Xuan was likely responsible for destroying the Baishui Town branch.
• Because powerful figures are forbidden from directly bullying weaker opponents, Qin Sihai decides to eliminate Chen Xuan indirectly by “borrowing a knife.”

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: Establishes himself as overwhelmingly stronger than other Body Tempering experts. His victory increases his reputation, authority, and influence within the Red Sun Gang. His special cultivation advantage allows him to advance far faster than ordinary geniuses.
• Wan Guiyun: Suffers his first decisive defeat and recognizes that his swordsmanship alone cannot compensate for insufficient cultivation. Rather than becoming bitter, he transforms humiliation into motivation and gains a more mature, humble outlook.
• Sun Tianxing: Shows strong confidence in Chen Xuan and rewards him with substantial political and territorial authority.
• Qin Sihai: Reveals himself as ruthless and calculating. Instead of confronting Chen Xuan directly, he begins planning an indirect assassination.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation foundation versus technique: Even the most sophisticated martial art is limited by the user’s realm and physical strength.
• Humility through defeat: Wan Guiyun’s loss becomes valuable because it exposes his weaknesses and forces him to abandon his arrogance.
• The abundance of geniuses: Talent is widespread, and even celebrated prodigies can encounter someone far stronger.
• Victory and political power: Chen Xuan’s martial victory directly changes the balance of territory and resources between rival factions.
• Indirect conflict and factional rules: Open warfare is constrained by unspoken laws, forcing enemies like Qin Sihai to rely on schemes and intermediaries.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan and Wan Guiyun: Their brief duel becomes a major turning point for Wan Guiyun. Chen Xuan’s overwhelming response both defeats him and teaches him the limits of his current path.
• Chen Xuan and Sun Tianxing: Sun Tianxing publicly celebrates Chen Xuan’s achievement and grants him authority over Baishui Town, reinforcing their mutual trust.
• Sun Tianxing and Wan Zhenshan: Sun Tianxing openly claims the territorial victory, while Wan Zhenshan reluctantly accepts the loss on behalf of the Iron Sword Sect.
• Chen Xuan and Zhao Yuanshan: Zhao is assigned to support Chen Xuan as he takes control of Baishui Town.
• Qin Sihai and his scout: The report about Chen Xuan’s strength allows Qin Sihai to connect him to the destruction of the Blood Wolf Gang’s branch and begin plotting against him.

Chapter Summary: “Killing with a Borrowed Blade”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Sihai devises a scheme to eliminate Chen Xuan without attacking him directly. He sends a trusted spy to the Tyrant Blade Sect to provoke Sect Master Lei Hu into taking action.
• Qin Sihai frames Chen Xuan as a potential enemy of the Tyrant Blade Sect by emphasizing that:
  • The Vajra Sect was destroyed by the Tyrant Blade Sect.
  • Chen Xuan rescued a surviving Vajra Sect disciple.
  • Chen Xuan has successfully cultivated the Vajra Technique.
• He deliberately withholds the fact that Chen Xuan survived Wan Guiyun’s powerful Ultimate Sword Art without injury. Qin knows that revealing Chen Xuan’s true defensive strength might make Lei Hu hesitate.
• Qin’s plan has multiple stages:
  1. Use Lei Hu to attack Chen Xuan and force him to reveal hidden abilities.
  2. Have Liu Feng, an Inner Disciple of the Blood Fiend Devil Sect who is expected to have reached the Third Layer of Qi Casting, finish Chen Xuan afterward.
• Meanwhile, at the Baishui Town Branch, Chen Xuan asks Zhao Yuanshan about exchanging Great Merit for an Ultimate Art or Divine Art after witnessing the strength of Wan Guiyun’s Yiyuan Sword Art.
• Zhao explains that Guiyuan Sect’s Scripture Pavilion contains five levels of martial arts:
  • Ordinary Techniques
  • Superior Techniques
  • Top-tier Techniques
  • Ultimate Arts
  • Divine Arts
• Inner Disciples may freely read Ultimate Arts and Divine Arts because they are extraordinarily difficult to master. The sect has five Divine Art manuals, but no disciple has ever cultivated one to great completion apart from the founding patriarch.
• Zhao explains the importance of a legendary Spirit Body, which possesses naturally connected meridians and allows extraordinary cultivation speed. Those without one may still reach the entry level of a Divine Art with exceptional bone aptitude, but progress becomes increasingly slow after entering the Qi Casting realm.

Character Developments

• Qin Sihai is revealed as calculating, manipulative, and willing to exploit rival sects. He carefully constructs misinformation to make Lei Hu fear Chen Xuan’s possible revenge and uses multiple assassins as successive stages of his plan.
• Chen Xuan becomes increasingly aware of the danger posed by higher-level martial arts. Although his physical defense is powerful enough to withstand Wan Guiyun’s Ultimate Sword Art, he recognizes that a stronger opponent using true qi could threaten him. His interest in Ultimate and Divine Arts marks a desire to strengthen his own offensive abilities.
• Zhao Yuanshan serves as an experienced mentor, explaining the sect’s martial-art hierarchy, cultivation limits, and the rarity of Divine Art mastery.
• Lei Hu is characterized indirectly as suspicious and likely to react aggressively when presented with evidence that Chen Xuan may seek vengeance for the Vajra Sect.
• Liu Feng is positioned as the most dangerous part of Qin Sihai’s plan, having likely advanced to the Third Layer of Qi Casting.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and indirect violence: Qin Sihai embodies the idea of “killing with a borrowed blade,” using another sect’s fear and resentment to eliminate Chen Xuan.
• Perception versus reality: Qin carefully controls the information sent to Lei Hu, demonstrating how selective truth can be more powerful than outright lies.
• The limits of strength: Chen Xuan’s defense is formidable, but the chapter emphasizes that cultivation realm, true qi, and advanced martial arts can dramatically alter the balance of power.
• Talent and destiny: The discussion of Spirit Bodies and Superior Bone Aptitude highlights the tension between innate talent and perseverance.
• The burden of cultivation: Divine Arts offer immense potential but require extraordinary time and aptitude, making mastery nearly impossible for ordinary martial artists.

Important Character Interactions

• Qin Sihai and his spy: Qin instructs the spy on exactly how to manipulate Lei Hu, showing his strategic control and willingness to distort information.
• Qin Sihai and Lei Hu: Although they do not meet directly, Qin attempts to influence Lei Hu by presenting Chen Xuan as a possible future enemy of the Tyrant Blade Sect.
• Chen Xuan and Zhao Yuanshan: Their conversation combines Chen Xuan’s growing anxiety about stronger opponents with Zhao’s explanation of the sect’s highest-level techniques and cultivation history.
• Chen Xuan and Wan Guiyun: Wan Guiyun does not appear in the present events, but his earlier sword strike remains central to Chen Xuan’s thinking and motivates him to seek more powerful martial arts.

Chapter Summary: “Assassination”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Yuanshan explains why almost no one cultivates Divine Arts. Although they can create the strongest foundation and offer hope of surpassing the grandmaster realm, their cultivation speed is so slow that reaching mastery could take over a thousand years—far beyond an ordinary martial artist’s lifespan.
• Chen Xuan realizes that Divine Arts are uniquely suitable for him because his Zhaoxi Value can replace years of cultivation. What would take others centuries or millennia could take him only a few years.
• Chen asks about becoming an Inner Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect. Since he is an externally assigned disciple, he must first reach the Zhuqi Realm, apply for promotion, and complete an assessment task assigned by the sect. The task might involve retrieving an item, killing demon beasts, or eliminating hostile martial artists.
• Chen reveals that he has already reached the Zhuqi Realm, claiming that he consumed a rare golden spirit fruit while traveling. He describes it as a Golden Marrow Spirit Fruit, which supposedly cleanses the marrow, improves bone aptitude, and greatly enhances compatibility with metal-element techniques.
• Zhao Yuanshan identifies the fruit and compares Chen’s opportunity to the legendary fortune of the Vajra Sect’s founding patriarch. He believes Chen may eventually match or surpass that ancestor, especially because Chen is only seventeen.
• Zhao explains that Chen can have the Red Sun Gang’s leader submit his Inner Disciple application. The gang would benefit greatly if one of its members became an Inner Disciple.
• After Zhao leaves to organize patrols, Chen uses one point of Zhaoxi Value to advance his Vajra Technique, opening ten additional qi meridians. He is close to breaking through to the Third Layer of Qi Casting.
• Late that night, Chen detects an extremely stealthy intruder approaching the branch headquarters. The unknown figure climbs over the thirty-foot wall and enters the inner courtyard, setting up the chapter’s impending assassination confrontation.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: Demonstrates his unusual advantage: time is no longer a limitation because of the Zhaoxi Value system. He carefully conceals the true source of his rapid progress by inventing the Golden Marrow Spirit Fruit story. His confidence and ambitions grow as he considers cultivating Divine Arts and pursuing the Inner Disciple position.
• Zhao Yuanshan: Becomes increasingly impressed by Chen’s talent and fortune. He shifts from seeing Chen as an exceptional junior to believing that Chen could rival a legendary founder and potentially reach the grandmaster realm.
• Red Sun Gang: Its possible connection to an Inner Disciple promises greater prestige, more influence within the Guiyuan Sect, and improved access to externally assigned disciples.

Significant Themes

• Time versus talent: Divine Arts are not rejected because they are weak, but because ordinary martial artists cannot survive long enough to cultivate them. Chen’s system removes this fundamental limitation.
• Fortune and opportunity: The Golden Marrow Spirit Fruit represents the unpredictable opportunities that can transform an ordinary person into a great martial artist. Chen’s fabricated explanation also highlights how advancement often depends on both luck and secrecy.
• Concealed power: Chen must disguise the true reason for his progress, allowing others to attribute his achievements to a rare treasure rather than his system.
• Ambition and advancement: Becoming an Inner Disciple is Chen’s next major step, while his long-term potential extends toward the grandmaster realm and beyond.
• Danger beneath prosperity: Although the Red Sun Gang has just secured Baishui Town, the arrival of a mysterious intruder shows that power and influence immediately attract threats.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Zhao have a respectful but increasingly significant conversation about cultivation, Chen’s breakthrough, and sect promotion.
• Zhao’s curiosity about the spirit fruit allows Chen to establish a believable explanation for his rapid advancement.
• Their discussion also reveals mutual benefit: Zhao wants Chen to succeed because Chen’s promotion would elevate the Red Sun Gang’s status.
• The chapter ends without the intruder being identified, but Chen’s heightened senses give him the advantage as the assassination attempt begins.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xuan suspects the assassin may have been sent by either the Blood Wolf Gang or the Blood Fiend Devil Sect, both of which have reasons to target him.
• The intruder, Lei Hu, leader of the Tyrant Blade Sect, sneaks into Chen Xuan’s room at night and launches a powerful broadsword attack.
• Chen Xuan effortlessly catches Lei Hu’s full-strength strike between two fingers, revealing that his cultivation has surpassed the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering and reached the Zhuqi, or Qi Casting, Realm.
• Terrified by the difference in strength, Lei Hu abandons his weapon and attempts to flee.
• Chen Xuan uses the second layer of the Nine Shadow Killing Sword, producing forty-five golden sword shadows that seal every escape route and pierce Lei Hu’s body, cutting him into forty-six pieces in a single move.
• After Lei Hu’s death, Chen Xuan identifies him through a “Tyrant Blade” token and realizes the assassination was motivated by the Tyrant Blade Sect’s fear that the Vajra Sect might be revived.
• Chen Xuan then detects a faint hidden presence outside the courtyard. Believing someone witnessed the fight and revealed their aura in shock, he rushes toward the southeast alley to confront them.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates a dramatic increase in power. His mastery of the Vajra Technique and Nine Shadow Killing Sword allows him to defeat a First Layer Qi Casting expert effortlessly.
• His calm response to Lei Hu’s attack highlights his confidence, composure, and growing dominance.
• Chen Xuan also displays enhanced perception, detecting a concealed observer after the battle.
• Lei Hu is revealed to be overconfident and poorly informed. Believing Chen Xuan was only at the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering, he attacks without realizing Chen Xuan has already entered the Zhuqi Realm.
• Once he recognizes the disparity in strength, Lei Hu abandons his weapon and attempts to escape, but this only leaves him more vulnerable.

Significant Themes

• Misjudgment and hidden strength: Lei Hu’s failure comes from relying on outdated information about Chen Xuan’s cultivation.
• Revenge and sect conflict: The Tyrant Blade Sect destroyed the Vajra Sect, and Chen Xuan’s possession of the Vajra Technique makes him a potential threat to its future.
• Overwhelming martial power: The battle emphasizes the vast difference between cultivation levels and the lethality of advanced techniques.
• Fear and deterrence: Chen Xuan’s effortless victory establishes him as a major force whose enemies can no longer treat him as an ordinary martial artist.
• Unseen threats: Even after killing the assassin, Chen Xuan remains alert, suggesting that the attack may involve a larger conspiracy or another powerful enemy.

Character Interactions

• Lei Hu attacks Chen Xuan without warning, but Chen Xuan immediately reverses the power dynamic by stopping his blade and questioning him.
• Chen Xuan’s calmness contrasts sharply with Lei Hu’s shock and fear.
• Lei Hu refuses or is unable to reveal who sent him, choosing flight instead.
• The chapter ends with Chen Xuan pursuing an unidentified observer, setting up another confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “The Spy”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Ma Wen, an elite spy from the Blood Wolf Gang’s Shadow Hall, has been secretly observing Chen Xuan from outside the Baishui Town Branch under Qin Sihai’s orders.
• He witnesses Chen Xuan kill Lei Hu with a single strike that produces forty-five sword shadows. He is also shocked by Chen Xuan’s physical strength, which allows him to withstand Lei Hu’s powerful blade attack with two fingers.
• Ma Wen accidentally reveals his presence through a brief fluctuation of aura and attempts to flee.
• Chen Xuan quickly catches him despite Ma Wen’s excellent movement and concealment abilities, demonstrating the overwhelming speed advantage of the Zhuqi Realm.
• Ma Wen launches poisoned silver needles as a last resort, but Chen Xuan effortlessly deflects them back, causing Ma Wen to be struck by his own weapons.
• Chen Xuan cripples Ma Wen by shattering his spine, then tortures him into revealing Qin Sihai’s plans.
• Ma Wen confesses that Qin Sihai arranged for Lei Hu to attack Chen Xuan after misleading him about Chen Xuan’s cultivation. Qin Sihai also contacted Liu Feng of the Blood Fiend Devil Sect, whose brother Liu Lie was killed by Chen Xuan.
• Liu Feng was initially in seclusion attempting to advance to the Third Layer of Qi Casting, so another disciple was sent in his place. By the time Liu Feng emerges, Chen Xuan expects to have grown strong enough that Liu Feng will no longer be a serious threat.
• Just as Chen Xuan is about to kill Ma Wen, the spy claims to possess information valuable enough to buy his life.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Xuan: His true strength is revealed as far greater than his apparent cultivation. He possesses exceptional swordsmanship, extraordinary physical defense, and superior speed. He also shows a calm, ruthless, and calculating side while interrogating Ma Wen.
• Ma Wen: Although highly skilled at concealment and intelligence-gathering, he is helpless in direct combat against Chen Xuan. His confidence and professionalism collapse into fear and desperation once captured.
• Qin Sihai: He is portrayed as a cautious and manipulative strategist who avoids personal risk by using rival forces to attack Chen Xuan and employing spies to gather intelligence.
• Lei Hu and Liu Feng: Their actions and motives are explained indirectly. Lei Hu was manipulated into attacking Chen Xuan, while Liu Feng seeks revenge for his brother Liu Lie’s death.

3. Significant Themes

• The gap between apparent and true strength: Chen Xuan’s visible cultivation does not reflect his actual combat power, causing enemies to underestimate him.
• Espionage and counter-espionage: Ma Wen’s concealment skills allow him to observe Chen Xuan, but a tiny mistake exposes him, showing the risks of intelligence work.
• Strategic manipulation: Qin Sihai uses others as disposable weapons, ensuring that he benefits whether Chen Xuan wins or loses.
• Power and intimidation: Chen Xuan’s physical dominance and willingness to inflict pain force Ma Wen to abandon his loyalty and reveal information.
• Survival and desperation: Ma Wen relies on every available tactic—flight, poison, silence, and finally bargaining—to avoid death.

4. Character Interactions

• Ma Wen and Chen Xuan: Their pursuit and confrontation form the chapter’s central interaction. Chen Xuan hunts Ma Wen down, defeats his final attack, cripples him, and interrogates him.
• Chen Xuan and Qin Sihai: Although Qin Sihai never appears directly, his schemes drive the conflict. Chen Xuan learns that he is the mastermind behind the attacks.
• Qin Sihai and Lei Hu: Qin manipulates Lei Hu by sending false information about Chen Xuan’s cultivation, using the Tyrant Blade Sect warrior as a test and potential assassin.
• Qin Sihai and Liu Feng: Qin also attempts to exploit Liu Feng’s personal hatred of Chen Xuan over Liu Lie’s death.
• The chapter ends with Ma Wen making a final attempt to negotiate for his life by offering Chen Xuan additional information.

Chapter Summary: “Ultimate Art, Huanri Technique”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ma Wen reveals that he cultivates the Huanri Technique, an Ultimate Art he discovered while robbing a great tomb before joining the Blood Wolf Gang.
• He offers Chen Xuan the technique in exchange for his life, claiming to possess the Body Tempering, Zhuqi, and Grandmaster Realm chapters from memory.
• The Body Tempering chapter specializes in concealing aura, while the higher chapters allow the user to:
  • Alter their appearance by changing their muscles and bones.
  • Imitate the true qi of other cultivation techniques.
  • Reproduce martial techniques after experiencing or studying them.
  • Infiltrate sects, impersonate disciples, gather intelligence, and frame others.
• Chen Xuan verifies the booklet and orders Ma Wen to write the remaining chapters. Despite his crushed right hand and injured body, Ma Wen writes the complete technique with his left hand over the course of an hour.
• Chen Xuan confirms that the written manual is genuine when the technique appears on his cultivation panel as an uninitiated art that can be accelerated using Zhaoxi Value.
• Chen Xuan keeps his promise not to kill Ma Wen himself and instructs Zhao Yuanshan to escort him out.
• Zhao Yuanshan interprets Chen Xuan’s unspoken intention: although Chen Xuan promised not to kill Ma Wen, he never promised to let him escape. Zhao kills Ma Wen by crushing his throat and orders his body buried outside town.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan demonstrates his strategic judgment and pragmatism. He recognizes the immense value of the Huanri Technique, carefully verifies its authenticity, and uses Ma Wen’s desire to survive to obtain it.
• Chen also reveals a cold, indirect ruthlessness: he technically honors his promise while allowing Zhao Yuanshan to eliminate Ma Wen as a security risk.
• Ma Wen is shown as opportunistic and cautious. He had hidden the true nature of his cultivation technique for years because he feared being robbed or killed. His desperate bargaining and relief at being spared emphasize his survival instinct.
• Ma Wen’s physical condition deteriorates severely: his right hand is crushed, his lumbar spine is broken, and he is left paralyzed before ultimately being executed.
• Zhao Yuanshan proves perceptive and loyal. He understands Chen Xuan’s silent signal and carries out the killing without requiring explicit orders.

Significant Themes

• Power of hidden knowledge: The Huanri Technique is valuable not merely for combat but for disguise, espionage, infiltration, and deception.
• Trust and technical promises: Chen Xuan’s wording allows him to keep his promise while still ensuring Ma Wen’s death, showing how literal agreements can conceal deadly intentions.
• Pragmatism and ruthlessness: Survival and security outweigh mercy; valuable information is extracted before the threat is removed.
• Identity and deception: The technique’s ability to imitate appearances, auras, true qi, and martial arts highlights the danger of appearances and the difficulty of distinguishing ally from enemy.
• Loyalty and silent communication: Zhao Yuanshan’s ability to understand Chen Xuan’s glance reflects their growing cooperation and mutual understanding.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Xuan and Ma Wen: Ma Wen bargains with the Huanri Technique, while Chen Xuan interrogates, tests, and exploits him before granting a conditional reprieve.
• Chen Xuan and Zhao Yuanshan: Chen gives Zhao a seemingly simple escort order, but their brief eye contact communicates the real intention to eliminate Ma Wen.
• Zhao Yuanshan and Ma Wen: Zhao initially supports Ma Wen as though helping him escape, then reveals the distinction between being spared by Chen Xuan and being allowed to live. He executes Ma Wen and disposes of the body discreetly.

Chapter Summary: Fifth Layer of Qi Casting

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the Blood Wolf Gang headquarters, Qin Sihai grows increasingly uneasy after both Lei Hu and Ma Wen fail to return from Baishui Town. He suspects Chen Xuan is far stronger than expected.
• Qin places his hopes in Liu Feng, a Blood Fiend Devil Sect inner disciple at the Third Layer of Qi Casting, believing Liu Feng can kill Chen Xuan even if Chen has reached the First Layer.
• In Baishui Town, Chen Xuan spends his accumulated Zhaoxi Value to cultivate the Huanri Technique, an Ultimate Art focused on controlling aura, flesh, and appearance.
• The Huanri Technique allows Chen Xuan to:
  • Mimic the true qi of other techniques.
  • Conceal his aura.
  • Change his facial structure so completely that even physical examination would not reveal the disguise.
• Chen Xuan then accelerates his Vajra Technique cultivation. He connects all 108 qi meridians, advances to the Third Layer of Qi Casting, and begins opening acupoints.
• Over the following days, he opens enough acupoints to advance from the Fourth to the Fifth Layer of Qi Casting, reaching a total of 74 opened acupoints.
• Meanwhile, Liu Feng arrives at Baishui Town to kill Chen Xuan. He deliberately releases the pressure of his Third-Layer cultivation, terrifying the townspeople.
• Liu Feng attacks the Red Sun Gang branch, killing its two guards with a single burst of blood-colored true qi before entering the compound.

Character Developments

• Chen Xuan makes a major leap in power, advancing to the Fifth Layer of Qi Casting and gaining access to powerful disguise and concealment abilities.
• His growing mastery of the Huanri Technique makes him far more difficult to track or identify, suggesting he is preparing for covert movement and deception.
• Qin Sihai becomes increasingly cautious and suspicious of Chen Xuan’s true strength. His confidence in his original plans has weakened, though he still believes Liu Feng can resolve the threat.
• Liu Feng is introduced as an arrogant and ruthless inner disciple. He is confident that his superior cultivation will allow him to kill Chen Xuan easily.
• The unnamed Red Sun Gang guards are established as powerless victims of Liu Feng’s intimidation and brutality.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation and hidden strength: Qin Sihai and Liu Feng judge Chen Xuan based on incomplete information, unaware that his cultivation has surpassed their expectations.
• Transformation and concealment: The Huanri Technique symbolizes Chen Xuan’s ability to hide his identity, strength, and intentions while preparing to strike.
• Power hierarchy: The chapter explains the progression from qi meridian cultivation to acupoint opening, emphasizing how different techniques provide vastly different advantages.
• Ruthlessness and intimidation: Liu Feng’s public display of power and murder of the guards demonstrate the violent methods used by the Blood Fiend Devil Sect.
• Preparation before confrontation: While Liu Feng openly announces his arrival, Chen Xuan quietly strengthens himself, creating tension before their inevitable clash.

Character Interactions

• Qin Sihai privately evaluates Chen Xuan’s unknown cultivation and discusses the threat with himself, placing his hopes in Liu Feng.
• Chen Xuan interacts mainly with the cultivation panel and tests his transformed appearance in a mirror, showing his methodical and self-reliant nature.
• Liu Feng confronts the people of Baishui Town through his overwhelming aura, then attacks the Red Sun Gang guards when they try to stop him.
• The chapter ends with Liu Feng entering the Red Sun Gang branch, setting up his confrontation with Chen Xuan.