Chapter Summaries

After Yang Chen endured eleven days on the Grand Dao Platform, Ye Huatian and Chen Xin told him the Sword Stele would open in three months and that all Hidden Sword Peak disciples had to attend. Zhang Shaotian challenged Yang Chen to a fight at the Sword Stele, while two watching young men discussed Yang Chen’s unusual fused Great Dao and the coming peak competition.

• Ye Huatian warned Yang Chen that obtaining the Sword Stele’s resonance was difficult and said it would open in three months.
• Chen Xin told Yang Chen to prepare and required every Hidden Sword Peak disciple to participate in the Sword Stele event.
• Zhang Shaotian threatened Yang Chen and demanded a fight when the Sword Stele opened, and Yang Chen accepted.
• Wei Xiang offered to help Yang Chen, who said he would face Zhang Shaotian rather than yield to threats.
• Two young men observed Yang Chen, and the stern one predicted Zhang Shaotian would suffer a loss because Yang Chen’s Great Dao had fused several Great Daos.

Yang Chen cultivated for three months on Hidden Sword Peak, stabilizing his late True Immortal strength and advancing his Nine-Turn Demonic Dragon Body to its third turn. His final sign-in granted him Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi, whose name reminded him of the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.

• Yang Chen reflected on the demonic dragon and the powerful middle-aged man before tempering his Devour Great Dao and using an Enlightenment Card.
• Over two months, Yang Chen signed in for several items and stabilized his late True Immortal realm.
• Yang Chen advanced his Nine-Turn Demonic Dragon Body to the third turn and became confident he could defeat Zhang Shaotian.
• Yang Chen continued cultivating for another half month and signed in to receive Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi.
• Yang Chen recognized the Sword Qi's name and wondered whether it was connected to the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.

Yang Chen arrived at Hidden Sword Peak’s Sword Stele qualification contest just before it began, despite Zhang Shaotian’s threats. After Chen Xin explained the rules and started the challenges, Yang Chen stepped onto Zhang Shaotian’s arena to face him.

• Chen Xin and Ye Huatian arrived at the arena, and the crowd noticed Yang Chen was absent.
• The disciples speculated that Zhang Shaotian had scared Yang Chen away, while Chu Xiong insisted Yang Chen would come.
• Yang Chen arrived before Chen Xin began the contest and rejoined the disciples.
• Chen Xin announced that challengers had one hour to defeat the ten arena holders and earn entry to the Sword Stele.
• Yang Chen challenged Zhang Shaotian directly, asking him to enlighten him.

Yang Chen challenged Zhang Shaotian, the Heavenly Sword Alliance leader, and fought him with his ninety-nine-li Great Dao. Zhang Shaotian struck Yang Chen down, but Yang Chen called out to him from the dust, showing the fight was not over.

• Yang Chen challenged Zhang Shaotian, whose Explosive Great Dao stretched two hundred li, and the disciples watching predicted Yang Chen would lose.
• Yang Chen revealed his ninety-nine-li Great Dao and attacked Zhang Shaotian with Blizzard, splitting his Devour Great Dao into the Gale and Ice and Snow Great Daos.
• Zhang Shaotian charged through the blizzard, struck Yang Chen with his body, and revealed that he also had a Celestial Immortal-level physical body.
• Yang Chen used the Divine Turtle Shield and Black Tortoise Body to defend himself, but Zhang Shaotian's heavy sword sent him crashing onto the arena.
• As Zhang Shaotian turned to leave, Yang Chen chuckled from the dust and told him the fight was not over.

Yang Chen used the Black Tortoise Body to withstand Zhang Shaotian’s attacks, then turned the tide with his demonic dragon physique, a Battle Card, and the Four Seasons Sword Art. Wounded but still standing, Zhang Shaotian began gathering the power for a powerful move of his own.

• Yang Chen used the Black Tortoise Body and Azure Dragon Five Tiger Sword to fight Zhang Shaotian to a standstill.
• Zhang Shaotian realized the Black Tortoise Body was fading and taunted Yang Chen, who said he had gauged Zhang Shaotian’s strength.
• Yang Chen activated the Third Revolution of the Nine-Turn Demonic Dragon Body and used a Battle Card to extend his Great Dao to one hundred and ninety-eight li.
• Yang Chen stunned Zhang Shaotian with demonic dragon pressure and struck him with the Four Seasons Sword Art, leaving him badly wounded.
• Zhang Shaotian announced he would use Sacred Blaze Slash and poured the power of his Great Dao into his heavy sword.

Yang Chen and Zhang Shaotian clashed using their earth-rank peak martial skills in the sword peak tournament. Yang Chen emerged from the blast and declared that he had won by one move.

• Zhang Shaotian unleashed Sacred Blaze Slash, revealing his heavy sword’s fiery power and surprising the spectators with his mastery of the skill.
• Yang Chen countered with the Azure Dragon Fury Sword Art, summoning a mighty azure dragon and making Tian Meng fear for Zhang Shaotian.
• Zhang Shaotian and Yang Chen’s attacks collided, filling the arena with an explosion and obscuring both fighters.
• A body fell into the arena, then Yang Chen walked from the firelight and said he had narrowly won by one move.

Yang Chen defeated Zhang Shaotian and held his arena spot as the disciples’ rankings were finalized. Chen Xin and Ye Huatian opened the Sword Stele, and Yang Chen entered Sword Peak seeking the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.

• Yang Chen asked whether he had succeeded, and Chen Xin confirmed that he had while warning him to keep holding the arena if challenged.
• The Heavenly Sword Alliance disciples backed down, and Zhang Shaotian admitted defeat to Yang Chen before challenging and knocking a weaker disciple from an arena.
• The remaining arena spots stayed largely unchanged as an hour passed, and Chen Xin declared the rankings settled.
• Ye Huatian released the power that opened Sword Peak’s seal, and the elders gave each disciple a jade slip for escape.
• Chen Xin explained that the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art was at the summit, then admitted the gathered disciples into Sword Peak.
• Yang Chen prepared himself, received Chen Xin’s nod, and flew into Sword Peak.

Yang Chen entered Sword Edge and began climbing the Ten Steps of Heavenly Evolution, where disciples tested their Sword Dao against powerful Sword Steles. He sat to comprehend the first stele despite others assuming he had given up, and his consciousness entered it.

• Yang Chen entered Sword Edge and used the power of the Great Dao to withstand its violent Sword Qi and immense pressure.
• Chu Xiong explained the Ten Steps of Heavenly Evolution and said he had never passed the seventh step, then used his late-stage Sword Heart to race past Wei Xiang and Zhang Shaotian.
• Chen Xin and Ye Huatian judged Yang Chen's early-stage Sword Heart too weak for him to obtain the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.
• Yang Chen struggled onto the first step and sat down before its Sword Stele to begin comprehending it.
• The disciples and the Heavenly Sword Alliance mocked Yang Chen for stopping at the first step, while his consciousness surged into the Sword Stele.

Yang Chen entered the first Sword Stele’s trial, killed a strange creature with his sword, and gained a million Kill Points and a surge of swordsmanship insight. After reaching the peak of the initial Sword Heart stage, he climbed to the second level and began comprehending its Sword Stele.

• Yang Chen found himself in a barren space where only sword qi remained, and a black-scaled creature charged at him.
• Yang Chen used his Sword Heart and Azure Dragon Five Tiger Sword to destroy the creature, triggering a system reward of one million Kill Points.
• Yang Chen absorbed a swordsman’s life insights and advanced to the peak of the initial Sword Heart stage as the trial ended and the first Sword Stele cracked.
• Yang Chen emerged from the Sword Stele, astonishing the watching disciples and drawing attention from Chen Xin and Ye Huatian.
• Yang Chen braved the pressure to reach the second level, approached its Sword Stele, and entered it to comprehend its sword intent.

Yang Chen rapidly advanced through the Sword Stele trials, raising his Sword Heart cultivation and reaching the sixth step. As Zhang Shaotian struggled toward the seventh, Yang Chen passed him and continued upward.

• Yang Chen cleared the second Sword Stele, earned one million Kill Points, and wondered whether the creatures inside the trial were real.
• Yang Chen broke through to the middle stage of Sword Heart, reached the third step, and then quickly advanced through the fourth step.
• Yang Chen defeated the fourth step’s late-stage True Immortal creature and moved on to the fifth step.
• Yang Chen reached the fifth step, comprehended its sword intent, and broke through to late-stage Sword Heart before heading to the sixth.
• Yang Chen sat beside Zhang Shaotian on the sixth step while Zhang Shaotian challenged him to surpass him in swordsmanship and advanced toward the seventh.
• Yang Chen flashed past Zhang Shaotian on the way to the seventh step and told him, “I've surpassed you!”

Yang Chen reached the seventh step after comprehending the Sword Steles from the first through sixth, shocking Wei Xiang and Nalan Xue. He defeated the seventh step’s mysterious creature and advanced to peak Sword Heart, leaving Wei Xiang and Nalan Xue to witness his breakthrough.

• Zhang Shaotian was overwhelmed by Yang Chen’s late-stage Sword Heart and gave up on reaching the seventh step.
• Yang Chen arrived at the seventh step and told Wei Xiang and Nalan Xue that he had comprehended every Sword Stele from the first through sixth steps.
• Yang Chen entered the seventh step’s Sword Stele world and struggled against a mysterious creature comparable to a Heavenly Immortal.
• Yang Chen tore the creature apart with his physical strength, then destroyed its halves with his Yin-Yang and Blizzard sword techniques.
• The Sword Dao intent from the defeated creature entered Yang Chen, raising his realm to peak Sword Heart and astonishing Wei Xiang and Nalan Xue.

Yang Chen used ten million Kill Points to break through from the peak of Sword Heart to Sword Soul on the seventh step of Sword Edge. He then climbed to the eighth step, where Chu Xiong was stunned to see him arrive.

• Yang Chen spent ten million Kill Points and comprehended Sword Soul, frightening Wei Xiang and Nalan Xue.
• Chen Xin and Ye Huatian recognized Yang Chen's talent and resolved to protect him, hoping he would help the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect return to Central Province and reveal the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.
• Yang Chen tested his new swordsmanship, then told Wei Xiang and Nalan Xue he was heading onward as they began comprehending the seventh Sword Stele.
• Chu Xiong reached the eighth step for the first time and looked toward the tenth step's ancient Sword Stele.
• Yang Chen walked past Chu Xiong on the eighth step, and the platform's force crushed Chu Xiong onto the ground as he asked whether Yang Chen was human or a ghost.

Yang Chen easily cleared the eighth-step Sword Stele trial using his Sword Soul, leaving Chu Xiong astonished. After Chu Xiong explained that the summit held Hidden Sword Peak’s ancient foundation and the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art, Yang Chen declared that he wanted to reach the summit.

• Chu Xiong struggled under the eighth step’s gravity and was bewildered when Yang Chen said he could endure it.
• Yang Chen entered the eighth-step Sword Stele space and used his Sword Soul to destroy three mysterious creatures.
• The system rewarded Yang Chen with one million Kill Points, and he realized the eighth-step sword dao insights were below his current level.
• Yang Chen finished comprehending the stele quickly, leaving Chu Xiong shocked and irritated by his claim that the trial was simple.
• Chu Xiong told Yang Chen that the mountaintop held Hidden Sword Peak’s foundation and the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art, and Yang Chen said he wished to reach the summit.

Yang Chen overcame the pressure of Sword Edge’s ninth and tenth steps and reached the mountaintop. There, he found the ancient Heavenly Evolution Stele, while Chen Xin worried that Yang Chen’s demonic dragon phantom might be connected to the Primordial Demon Dragons.

• Yang Chen unleashed a pitch-black demonic dragon phantom as he began climbing, and Chen Xin identified its appearance as that of a Primordial Demon Dragon.
• Chen Xin explained the Primordial Demon Dragons’ immense power and rarity to Ye Huatian, who suggested Yang Chen’s phantom might come from a cultivation technique.
• Yang Chen reached the ninth step by shattering Sword Edge’s pressure with his fists, then prepared to cross the final stretch to the summit.
• Yang Chen’s Reincarnation Sword Qi broke through the powerful suppressive force, and the ancient stone stele trembled, causing the surrounding pressure to vanish.
• Yang Chen reached the mountaintop as Sword Edge fell silent and discovered the three engraved characters, Heavenly Evolution Stele.

Yang Chen reached the Heavenly Evolution Stele and used the Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi in his mind to break through its defenses and enter its inner world. When he activated the sword qi there, a mysterious presence noticed him and questioned how a True Immortal could possess it.

• Yang Chen reached the tenth step, where Chen Xin and Ye Huatian watched and discussed the Heavenly Evolution Stele's trial.
• Yang Chen approached the stele, and the Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi in his mind made it grow docile.
• Yang Chen sent his will into the stele and used the sword qi to break through its resistance and enter its barren inner world.
• Yang Chen wandered the seemingly endless world, found no trial creatures, and activated the Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi.
• A mysterious presence turned its attention to Yang Chen and asked how a mere True Immortal could possess Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi.

Yang Chen met the spirit of the Heavenly Evolution Stele, who explained that the mysterious creatures in the Sword Steles were fragments of a Demonic Beast he had been weakening and suppressing. To earn the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art, Yang Chen had to help weaken the beast further, and the stele spirit revealed it beneath their feet.

• The Heavenly Evolution Stele spirit questioned Yang Chen about the Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi on his body, then confirmed he was a Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect disciple and brought him before its human form.
• The stele spirit said Yang Chen was only the third person to enter the stele, after its master and Li Xiaoyao, and explained that he could grant the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art after a trial.
• The stele spirit recognized that Yang Chen had passed through other Sword Steles and said their trials had helped him suppress a Demonic Beast.
• The stele spirit explained that the Sword Steles were his incarnations, which divided the Demonic Beast's power into nine fragments, but weak Hidden Sword Peak disciples had allowed it to grow stronger.
• The stele spirit revealed the immense, dark Demonic Beast beneath the stele, and it raised its scarlet eyes to stare at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen fought the Demonic Beast’s extracted strength after the Stele Spirit weakened it and restored his cultivation. His attacks failed to harm the creature, which formed a face resembling the Stele Spirit.

• The Stele Spirit warned Yang Chen not to meet the sealed Demonic Beast’s eyes and said even its former master might not have defeated it at its peak.
• The Stele Spirit extracted one-tenth of the Demonic Beast’s energy, then became too weak to continue and told Yang Chen to destroy the creature’s strength.
• Yang Chen learned that his trial had passed and regained the ability to use his Great Dao, then used a Battle Card to extend his Devour Great Dao to two hundred li.
• Yang Chen attacked the mysterious creature with sword techniques and his Nine-Turn Demonic Dragon Body, briefly suppressing it before striking with Yin-Yang.
• The Yin-Yang wheel shattered without harming the creature, which formed a human face resembling the Stele Spirit.

Yang Chen saw through the stele spirit's deception and helped the real stele spirit defeat the Demonic Beast. The stele spirit rewarded him with the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art and sealed Sword Edge to help him cultivate, leaving Yang Chen unconscious.

• Yang Chen recognized that the Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi was warning him that the supposed stele spirit was actually the Demonic Beast, and he attacked the impostor.
• Yang Chen and the real stele spirit struck the Demonic Beast together, revealing their true identities and restoring the desolate landscape.
• The stele spirit split the weakened Demonic Beast in two, and Yang Chen and the stele spirit each destroyed one half.
• The stele spirit thanked Yang Chen and promised him the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.
• The stele spirit sealed Sword Edge to aid Yang Chen's cultivation, and Yang Chen passed out.

Yang Chen remained inside Sword Edge as the awakened Heavenly Evolution Stele spirit expelled everyone else and barred Chen Xin from entering. Guided through a sword-qi realm by the Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi, Yang Chen found a damaged stone sword bearing the words “Heavenly Evolution Sword.”

• The Sword Stele trial participants and everyone on the platforms were expelled as Sword Edge’s sword qi turned violent, but Yang Chen remained inside.
• Chen Xin tried to enter Sword Edge and was driven back by its sword qi, then concluded that Yang Chen had awakened the Heavenly Evolution Stele’s spirit.
• Chen Xin sent the gathered disciples away and waited outside while news spread that Yang Chen had comprehended the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.
• Yang Chen endured repeated destruction and restoration of his soul until the Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi appeared and led him through a realm filled with sword qi.
• The Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi stopped before a damaged stone sword, and Yang Chen read the three characters “Heavenly Evolution Sword” on its blade.

Yang Chen witnessed the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect founder use the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art to destroy and suppress a Demonic Beast within the Heavenly Evolution Stele. After Yang Chen vowed to inherit the founder’s will, the sword radiance entered his sea of consciousness and revealed the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art to him.

• Yang Chen touched the Heavenly Evolution Sword, causing it to crumble and reveal a strange current of air.
• The current of air showed Yang Chen a vision of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect founder fighting mysterious creatures beyond Immortal Kings.
• The founder used the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art and the Heavenly Evolution Stele to destroy and suppress a Demonic Beast, then left a message for those who came after him.
• Yang Chen bowed and vowed to inherit the founder’s will.
• The Heavenly Evolution Sword Qi merged with the current of air, entered Yang Chen’s sea of consciousness, and revealed the Heavenly Evolution Sword Art.