Chapter Summaries

Tian Ling'er ended her relationship with Li Xiaoyu, criticizing his stalled Cultivation and comparing him unfavorably to Senior Brother Qi Hao. Alone on a cliff, Li Xiaoyu discovered that his wine gourd produced a powerful warm current, breaking his six-year bottleneck and advancing him to the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm.

• Tian Ling'er demonstrated the Amber Vermilion Ribbon’s object-driving ability and told Li Xiaoyu they were no longer on the same path.
• Tian Ling'er mocked Li Xiaoyu’s stagnation, praised Senior Brother Qi Hao’s gift, and demanded that Li Xiaoyu agree to part ways.
• Li Xiaoyu accepted the breakup, picked up his gourd, and left as Shang Zhengliang watched from a nearby maple grove.
• Shang Zhengliang recalled Li Xiaoyu’s early promise, then blamed Tian Buyi and left.
• At a back-mountain cliff, Li Xiaoyu drank from his gourd, entered a tranquil state, and felt powerful warmth flow through his meridians.
• Li Xiaoyu broke through to the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm and lifted a stone with object-driving.

Li Xiaoyu awakened the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and discovered that it had absorbed and refined his spiritual energy, allowing him to reach the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm. The next morning, Shang Zhengliang sensed his sudden breakthrough, suspected demonic cultivation, and arrived at Li Xiaoyu’s courtyard to investigate.

• Li Xiaoyu awakened the Immortal-Slaying Gourd with his blood and learned that it had consumed his spiritual energy and held a strand of Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi.
• Li Xiaoyu reached the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm, severed his ties to the past, and vowed to live for himself and the immortal path.
• Li Xiaoyu returned to his hut on Morning Sun Peak, tested his newfound cultivation, and meditated through the night.
• Shang Zhengliang sensed Li Xiaoyu’s breakthrough and suspected he had used the Demon Sect’s arts.
• Shang Zhengliang rushed to Li Xiaoyu’s courtyard and found him calmly sweeping, though he remained wary.

Shang Zhengliang confronted Li Xiaoyu over his sudden breakthrough, confirmed that his spiritual energy was pure, and resolved to protect his disciple’s newfound talent. He then summoned Morning Sun Peak’s disciples to the Martial Arts Arena, where they gathered, including Shen Tiandou.

• Shang Zhengliang accused Li Xiaoyu of using demonic arts, but Li Xiaoyu explained that grief and sudden enlightenment had led to his breakthrough.
• Shang Zhengliang examined Li Xiaoyu’s meridians and found exceptionally pure spiritual energy, then watched him demonstrate skilled control of the Object-Driving Realm.
• Shang Zhengliang accepted Li Xiaoyu’s explanation, apologized for doubting and neglecting him, and told him to hide his talent while stabilizing his cultivation.
• Shang Zhengliang returned to Morning Sun Peak’s main hall and ordered a disciple to summon the lineage to the Martial Arts Arena.
• Hundreds of disciples gathered at the arena, where Shen Tiandou wondered why Shang Zhengliang had called them together.

Shang Zhengliang announced that Li Xiaoyu had broken through to the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm, prompting Shen Tiandou to challenge his achievement and provoke him. Li Xiaoyu calmly deferred their spar to the sect’s tournament next month, and Shen Tiandou accepted the challenge.

• Shang Zhengliang announced that Li Xiaoyu had reached the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm after years of accumulation and an epiphany.
• Shen Tiandou accused Li Xiaoyu’s breakthrough of being suspicious and asked Shang Zhengliang to investigate it.
• Li Xiaoyu explained how his six years of effort led to his breakthrough and said his foundation was stable.
• Shen Tiandou pressured Li Xiaoyu with his fifth-layer aura and challenged him to a spar, while Chu Yuhong watched with concern.
• Li Xiaoyu declined to spar immediately and proposed they meet at the sect’s small tournament next month.
• Shen Tiandou angrily accepted Li Xiaoyu’s challenge and warned him not to back out.

After calmly defusing Shen Tiandou’s challenge, Li Xiaoyu returned to his hut to examine the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and learn the limits of its formidable sword qi. He resolved to cultivate his own realm while seeking treasures to nourish the gourd and its sword qi, preparing for the upcoming minor tournament.

• Li Xiaoyu calmly agreed to face Shen Tiandou in the minor tournament, leaving Shen angry and Shang Zhengliang impressed.
• Chu Yuhong praised Li Xiaoyu and worried about his chances against Shen, but Li Xiaoyu remained confident about the match a month away.
• Li Xiaoyu returned to his hut, set an alerting ward, and inspected the Immortal-Slaying Gourd’s golden spiritual essence and Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi.
• Li Xiaoyu learned that unleashing the entire sword-qi strand would consume it, while infusing a wisp into a magical treasure could temporarily strengthen the weapon.
• Li Xiaoyu resolved to advance his cultivation and seek treasures to replenish the gourd and strengthen the sword qi.

Li Xiaoyu secretly used the Immortal-Slaying Gourd to absorb metallic energy from an iron ore vein, hoping to nourish its Geng Metal Sword Qi. Lu Xueqi caught him and questioned his nighttime visit, leaving Li Xiaoyu to conceal the gourd and offer an explanation.

• Li Xiaoyu decided to feed the Immortal-Slaying Gourd by drawing metallic energy from a secluded iron ore vein.
• He went to the valley and used the gourd to absorb the ore's metallic essence, strengthening the golden clouds within it.
• Lu Xueqi, meditating nearby with Tianya, sensed the gourd and watched Li Xiaoyu from above.
• Lu Xueqi confronted Li Xiaoyu, who hid the gourd and claimed he was practicing a spell that needed metal-and-stone energy.

Lu Xueqi confronted Li Xiaoyu over the gourd, but he left without revealing its secret. A month later, Li Xiaoyu faced Shen Tiandou in a resource dispute at Morning Sun Peak, and their competition began with Shen Tiandou attacking first.

• Lu Xueqi sensed that the gourd was a high-grade spiritual treasure and demanded that Li Xiaoyu show it to her.
• Li Xiaoyu claimed his master, Shang Zhengliang, had forbidden him to reveal the gourd, then left the valley; Lu Xueqi let him go and murmured his name.
• A month later, Li Xiaoyu and Shen Tiandou met at the Martial Arts Arena to settle their dispute over cultivation resources through a competition.
• Shen Tiandou stopped the distributor from handing Li Xiaoyu his share until the competition ended, and Shang Zhengliang tacitly allowed it.
• Li Xiaoyu drew the Autumn Water Sword while Shen Tiandou drew the Bedrock Sword and launched his Mountain Crushing Style.

Li Xiaoyu defeated Shen Tiandou with one sword, shattering his Bedrock Sword and claiming victory in the small competition. He became Morning Sun Peak’s new senior brother and looked forward to the cultivation resources he had won for his Immortal-Slaying Gourd.

• Li Xiaoyu met Shen Tiandou’s Mountain Crushing Style with a direct thrust, overwhelming him with purified spiritual energy.
• Li Xiaoyu shattered Shen Tiandou’s Bedrock Sword, wounded him, and won the match.
• Shang Zhengliang awarded Li Xiaoyu Shen Tiandou’s cultivation resources for the next two months and named him Morning Sun Peak’s new senior brother.
• Shen Tiandou accepted the result, and the disciples bowed to Li Xiaoyu as their senior brother.
• Li Xiaoyu remained focused on the cultivation resources his Immortal-Slaying Gourd needed.

After defeating Shen Tiandou and becoming Morning Sun Peak’s Senior Brother, Li Xiaoyu reconciled with Shang Zhengliang and received the Autumn Water Sword. As news of his return spread across the Seven Peaks of Qingyun, an invitation arrived from Big Bamboo Peak.

• Chu Yuhong congratulated Li Xiaoyu on becoming Senior Brother, and Li Xiaoyu reflected on how his relationship with Tian Ling'er had changed.
• Shang Zhengliang told Li Xiaoyu he had taken him as a disciple because he saw his younger self in him, and apologized for growing distant during Li Xiaoyu’s six years of stalled cultivation.
• Li Xiaoyu forgave Shang Zhengliang and said his hardships had helped him find his Dao.
• Shang Zhengliang formally passed the Autumn Water Sword to Li Xiaoyu and warned him to avoid drawing attention before the Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament.
• News of Li Xiaoyu’s return spread through the Seven Peaks of Qingyun, and an invitation from Big Bamboo Peak arrived at Morning Sun Peak.

A disciple from Big Bamboo Peak invited Morning Sun Peak disciples to Tian Ling'er's coming-of-age ceremony but deliberately excluded Li Xiaoyu, who remained unmoved by the insult. On the eve of the ceremony, Shang Zhengliang assigned Li Xiaoyu a dangerous mission in the frontier city of Nameless, where demonic creatures had made people disappear.

• A Big Bamboo Peak disciple invited several Morning Sun Peak disciples to Tian Ling'er's ceremony while leaving Li Xiaoyu off the guest list, provoking anger among his supporters and mockery from Shen Tiandou's group.
• Li Xiaoyu continued practicing calmly and told Chu Yuhong that the slight did not matter to him, while Shang Zhengliang privately admired his composure.
• As disciples departed for Big Bamboo Peak, Li Xiaoyu reminded Chu Yuhong and the others to drink in moderation and not embarrass Morning Sun Peak.
• Shang Zhengliang summoned Li Xiaoyu to the cliff where his engagement had been broken off and explained that he would send him down the mountain to gain experience.
• Shang Zhengliang gave Li Xiaoyu a letter and map for a mission in Nameless, where demonic creatures had caused livestock and people to disappear and two investigating outer disciples had gone missing.

Li Xiaoyu left Green Cloud Mountain on a mission to investigate the demon creature in Nameless City and arrived in Heyang City to gather information. He learned that caravans and officials had gone missing near Nameless City, making his mission more dangerous than expected.

• Shang Zhengliang assigned Li Xiaoyu to investigate the demon creature in Nameless City, gave him supplies and a Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman, and urged him to leave the mountain that day.
• Li Xiaoyu descended Green Cloud Mountain and headed for Heyang City, hoping to restock and learn about Nameless City.
• Li Xiaoyu entered Heyang City and stayed at the Mountain Sea Pavilion, where he listened to the townspeople discuss his cultivation progress and recent tournament victory.
• Li Xiaoyu overheard merchants say that demon creatures had disrupted Nameless City, several caravans had vanished, and officials sent to investigate had not returned.

In Heyang City, Li Xiaoyu met the fortune-teller Zhou Yixian, whose prophecy revealed uncanny knowledge of Li Xiaoyu’s past and Immortal-Slaying Gourd. Li Xiaoyu continued toward Nameless City to complete his sect’s mission and investigate the demons there, while Zhou Yixian wondered whether he was a fated variable.

• Li Xiaoyu spent two days exploring Heyang City and found his state of mind settling through the experience.
• Zhou Yixian stopped Li Xiaoyu at a market and insisted on telling his fortune, with his granddaughter Xiao Huan encouraging him.
• Zhou Yixian prophesied that a trapped dragon would rise and that severing mortal ties would reveal the truth, matching Li Xiaoyu’s experiences and secret treasure.
• Li Xiaoyu realized Zhou Yixian was no ordinary man and thanked him, while Zhou Yixian secretly recognized the Immortal-Slaying Gourd as a legendary immortal treasure.
• After Li Xiaoyu left, Zhou Yixian wondered if he was a legendary variable and took Xiao Huan toward somewhere interesting.
• Li Xiaoyu set out to complete his sect’s mission and uncover the truth behind the demons in Nameless City.

Li Xiaoyu arrived in Nameless City and learned that monsters from Nameless Cave had been taking livestock and people, including constables and two Green Cloud Disciples. As he headed toward the cave, he met Jin Ping'er of the Joyous Union Sect, rejected her offer to join forces, and faced her as she approached under cover of night.

• Li Xiaoyu reached the desolate Nameless City and booked a room at an inn.
• The proprietor warned Li Xiaoyu that people and animals had vanished near Nameless Cave and that investigators, including two Green Cloud Disciples, had not returned.
• Li Xiaoyu went toward Nameless Cave at dusk and sensed a dangerous presence near the city gate.
• Jin Ping'er introduced herself as a disciple of the Joyous Union Sect and invited Li Xiaoyu to explore the cave together.
• Li Xiaoyu refused Jin Ping'er's invitation, and she approached him while releasing a strange fragrance.

Li Xiaoyu resisted Jin Ping'er's Charm Arts with the help of the Immortal-Slaying Gourd, then followed her warning to investigate the Nameless Cave. Inside, he discovered a horde of Bloodthirsty Demonic Rats and began fighting them.

• The Immortal-Slaying Gourd released a cool aura that freed Li Xiaoyu from Jin Ping'er's illusions.
• Li Xiaoyu warned Jin Ping'er to stop interfering, and she retreated after telling him that someone had penned monsters inside the cave.
• Li Xiaoyu headed to the Nameless Cave, where he found human clothing scraps, bones, and the stench of blood and decay.
• A swarm of Bloodthirsty Demonic Rats charged Li Xiaoyu, and he cut down dozens with the Green Cloud Sect sword technique Clear Wind Dissipates Evil.

Li Xiaoyu used the Immortal-Slaying Gourd’s Geng Metal Sword Qi to destroy the Bloodthirsty Demonic Rats and uncovered an abandoned Blood Refining Hall stronghold. After returning to Green Cloud Sect, he was confronted by Qi Hao, who brought Tian Ling'er to Morning Sun Peak under the pretense of apologizing.

• Jin Ping'er watched Li Xiaoyu struggle against the rats, but he unleashed a golden strand of sword qi that erased the swarm and drove off the survivors.
• Li Xiaoyu and Jin Ping'er found an abandoned altar marked with the Blood Refining Hall’s emblem, revealing the cave as a former stronghold where the rats had been raised.
• Li Xiaoyu parted from Jin Ping'er, returned to Green Cloud Sect, and reported his findings to Shang Zhengliang, who praised him and gave him restorative pills.
• Li Xiaoyu resumed his cultivation and sword practice while preparing for the Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament.
• Qi Hao arrived at Morning Sun Peak with Tian Ling'er and several Dragon Head Peak disciples, claiming he had brought her to apologize to Li Xiaoyu while showing off their relationship.

Li Xiaoyu rejected Qi Hao and Tian Ling'er’s attempt to provoke him, sending them fleeing and resolving his lingering turmoil. Months later, the Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament began, and Li Xiaoyu noticed the Big Bamboo Peak contingent.

• Li Xiaoyu told Qi Hao and Tian Ling'er that their paths were different and they had nothing to say to each other.
• Qi Hao grabbed the distraught Tian Ling'er and fled Morning Sun Peak, while Shang Zhengliang and the disciples celebrated Li Xiaoyu.
• Li Xiaoyu spent the next several months consolidating his cultivation and studying swordsmanship as his cultivation advanced.
• The Green Cloud Sect’s Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament began at Heaven-Reaching Peak, drawing disciples and leaders from all Seven Peaks.
• Disciples from the various peaks discussed Li Xiaoyu’s reputation and strength, while he calmly surveyed the venue and focused on Big Bamboo Peak.

At the Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament, Li Xiaoyu encouraged the overlooked Zhang Xiaofan before effortlessly defeating his first-round opponent with a single finger. The match left the sect leaders astonished and made Tian Buyi regret misjudging Li Xiaoyu.

• Li Xiaoyu approached Zhang Xiaofan, praised his hard work, and encouraged him to stay true to himself in the tournament.
• The disciples drew opponents, and Zhang Xiaofan received a first-round bye while others mocked him.
• Li Xiaoyu sensed two exceptionally pure energies within Zhang Xiaofan despite his impure Spiritual Energy.
• On platform three, Li Xiaoyu faced Sun He of Luoxia Peak, who attacked him with the Red Snake Exits Cave spell.
• Li Xiaoyu scattered Sun He's flaming serpent with one finger, severely wounded him, and won the match without drawing his sword.
• Shang Zhengliang celebrated Li Xiaoyu's strength, Tian Buyi regretted misjudging him, and Daoist Daoxuan took a keen interest in him.

Li Xiaoyu defeated a stronger Wind Return Peak disciple with one strike, while Zhang Xiaofan unexpectedly won his own match by unleashing the strange power of his fire poker. Daoist Cangsong recognized the aura of the Blood-Devouring Bead and became a threat to Zhang Xiaofan, whom Li Xiaoyu moved to protect.

• Li Xiaoyu sliced through his opponent’s Tortoise Shell Shield and won the match with one strike, confirming his reputation as the tournament’s dark horse.
• Zhang Xiaofan struggled against a Wind Return Peak disciple as spectators mocked him, while Li Xiaoyu noticed his steady stance and unusual fire poker.
• Zhang Xiaofan poured his two conflicting forces into the fire poker and defeated his opponent’s strongest attack, knocking him unconscious.
• Daoist Cangsong recognized the aura of the Blood-Devouring Bead in Zhang Xiaofan’s fire poker and quietly developed murderous intent.
• Li Xiaoyu praised Zhang Xiaofan, then noticed Daoist Cangsong’s hostility and discreetly moved to shield Zhang Xiaofan.

The Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament reached its final four, setting Zhang Xiaofan against Qi Hao and Li Xiaoyu against Lu Xueqi. Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi began their duel, with Lu Xueqi unleashing a freezing sword attack as Li Xiaoyu prepared to respond.

• Zhang Xiaofan impressed the Big Bamboo Peak disciples, while Li Xiaoyu continued winning his tournament matches and reached the final four.
• The tournament announced Qi Hao versus Zhang Xiaofan and Lu Xueqi versus Li Xiaoyu as the semifinal matchups.
• Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi recognized each other from their earlier meeting and regarded each other with curiosity and caution.
• Lu Xueqi drew the Tianya Divine Sword and sent a blizzard of freezing sword qi toward Li Xiaoyu.
• Li Xiaoyu remained calm as Lu Xueqi's attack closed in.

Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi fought a fierce swordsmanship duel at the tournament, with Li Xiaoyu calmly countering her attacks. The chapter ended with their swords locked together after Li Xiaoyu used the Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi to block Tianya, and both fighters called to clash again.

• Li Xiaoyu used a basic Green Cloud Sect sword form to dissolve Lu Xueqi’s icy attack and drew praise from the viewing platform.
• Lu Xueqi launched a relentless series of Small Bamboo Peak sword techniques, but Li Xiaoyu dodged and parried her attacks for over a hundred moves.
• Lu Xueqi controlled Tianya with her spiritual sense and sent it hurtling at Li Xiaoyu with overwhelming force.
• Li Xiaoyu channeled Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi from the Wine Gourd into the Autumn Water Sword and met Tianya head-on.
• The Autumn Water Sword held against Tianya, shocking Master Shuiyue and the onlookers, and Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi urged each other to continue.