Chapter Summaries

Yu Ci traveled with Li You, Daoist Li, and the Tu family brothers toward the mountain gates, where he saw the sect’s spectacular cloud sea and Luoxue Waterfall. They encountered Senior Sister Meng singing on a small boat, and she asked whether Yu Ci was there.

• Li You welcomed Yu Ci back to the mountain sect and defended him against Zhan Chuanyi’s earlier attempt to make trouble over Good Deeds.
• Zhan Chuanyi departed stiffly to attend his lesson, while Yu Ci and the others continued toward the mountain gates.
• Yu Ci marveled at Luoxue Waterfall and the vast, life-filled landscape around the Tongtian River.
• The group spotted Zhan Chuanyi on a floating mountain and heard Senior Sister Meng singing as she drifted toward them in a boat.
• Senior Sister Meng stood and asked whether Junior Brother Yu was there, leaving Yu Ci at the center of everyone’s gaze.

Yu Ci traveled toward the Li Chen Sect with Meng Wei, who advised him to avoid conflicts within the Empirical Branch. He gave her a crimson gauze artifact that could help with her lingering injury, and the group arrived at the sect’s mountain gate.

• Meng Wei arrived by floating cloud boat to escort Yu Ci, and he chose to ride with her instead of Daoist Li.
• As they traveled, Meng Wei warned Yu Ci that Zhou Yu and other Empirical Branch disciples resented his actions in Juebi City and urged him to keep the peace.
• Yu Ci noticed Meng Wei’s injury had not healed, and she confirmed that she still needed time to recuperate.
• Yu Ci presented Meng Wei with a crimson gauze artifact whose unusual patterns caught her attention, and she accepted it temporarily so she could copy them.
• The group reached the Li Chen Sect’s mountain gate, leaving Daoist Li, the Tu brothers, and Zhan Chuanyi wondering about Yu Ci’s relationship with Meng Wei.

Yu Ci dealt with rumors that he could influence Meng Wei’s disciplinary decisions when Ge Hui and Nie Zong asked him to help free their sword-array partner, Dong Ji, from punishment. At Qi Ping Peak, Yu Ci struggled to follow a debate on Yin and Yang before he recognized Senior Brother Zhou Yu watching him.

• Yu Ci struggled to navigate the Li Chen Sect’s shifting mountain paths on his way to Qi Ping Peak.
• Ge Hui and Nie Zong asked Yu Ci to put in a good word with Meng Wei so Dong Ji could leave Wangyu Peak before the Sword Garden gathering, but Yu Ci refused.
• Yu Ci recalled that Li You’s earlier request for help with Meng Wei had spread rumors about their relationship, prompting several disciples to seek his influence.
• Yu Ci arrived at Qi Ping Peak and found the debate on Yin and Yang too profound to follow easily.
• As Yu Ci prepared to leave, he saw Senior Brother Zhou Yu watching him.

Yu Ci was summoned to the Lingxiao Pavilion after drawing attention at the debate assembly, where Meng Wei and Old Mr. Zhu revealed that the technique recorded on his red gauze had been entered into the sect archives. Old Mr. Zhu planned to lock it away on the twenty-seventh floor because its dangerous shortcuts could tempt young cultivators.

• Yu Ci noticed Senior Brother Zhou Yu’s wary glance at him at the debate assembly and left Qi Ping Peak.
• Zhao Fu of the Scholarly Branch invited Yu Ci to the Lingxiao Pavilion, mentioning that Meng Wei was there.
• Yu Ci met Old Mr. Zhu, who was managing the pavilion’s books, while Meng Wei returned the red gauze she had borrowed.
• Meng Wei thanked Yu Ci, and Old Mr. Zhu revealed that the technique from the gauze had been recorded and would be stored on the twenty-seventh floor.
• Yu Ci agreed that the technique’s shortcuts were dangerous, recalling that the gauze described a God Slaying Thorn that could be cultivated into a lethal hidden weapon.

Yu Ci agreed to let the God Slaying Thorn technique be placed on Lingxiao Pavilion’s restricted twenty-seventh floor, and Old Mr. Zhu gave him a medallion granting mountain-gate access to libraries and academies. After recognizing Yu Ci’s earlier contribution of a talisman scripture, Old Mr. Zhu told him to prepare for this year’s Hanzhang Dharma Assembly.

• Yu Ci accepted Old Mr. Zhu’s offer to place the God Slaying Thorn technique on the twenty-seventh floor, and Old Mr. Zhu gave him a medallion granting mountain-gate disciple privileges at libraries and academies.
• Meng Wei explained that the medallion would make it easier for Yu Ci to access resources despite the discrimination outer disciples faced, and that she had introduced him to Old Mr. Zhu to help him establish himself.
• Old Mr. Zhu praised Yu Ci for keeping his judgment while studying the red gauze techniques, and Yu Ci offered to lend him the gauze for research, but Old Mr. Zhu declined.
• Old Mr. Zhu found a record of Yu Ci’s earlier donation of a talisman scripture and recognized him, then sent Yu Ci and Meng Wei away while he thought over the matter.
• As Yu Ci and Meng Wei left, Old Mr. Zhu told Yu Ci to prepare to participate in this year’s Hanzhang Dharma Assembly.

Yu Ci learned that Old Mr. Zhu could recommend him for the Minor Hanzhang Dharma Assembly, but he needed greater fame and credentials, which the upcoming Sword Garden Grand Event might provide. At Wanfa Jing She, Li You sent Yu Ci toward a brawny fighter while he went to confront Wang Jiu over a Sword Offering Token.

• Meng Wei explained the Hanzhang Dharma Assembly and said Old Mr. Zhu could recommend Yu Ci, though Yu Ci still lacked fame and credentials.
• Li You suggested that the Sword Garden Grand Event could help Yu Ci qualify, and Meng Wei invited them to discuss preparations that evening.
• Meng Wei said Ge Hui and Nie Zong would likely have their restrictions lifted temporarily so they could attend the Sword Garden Grand Event.
• Li You brought Yu Ci to Chutian Peak, where he pointed out the sparring grounds as a place to build his credentials and fame.
• Old Hong arrived looking for a fight, and Li You tossed Yu Ci toward him before leaving to take Wang Jiu's Sword Offering Token.

Yu Ci was swept into a Sword Offering Token challenge on Chutian Peak, where his elusive swordsmanship nearly killed the Daoist who attacked him. Hong Qianqiu stopped their clash just in time, then demanded to know why Yu Ci had struck with lethal intent.

• Yu Ci watched Li You fight Wang Jiu while Hong Qianqiu explained the strength of the Empirical Branch's leading disciples.
• Hong Qianqiu mistook Yu Ci's question about the Sword Offering Token for a request to join the contest and shoved him toward Chutian Peak.
• Yu Ci caught a Sword Offering Token that flew toward him as another contestant tumbled past.
• A gray-bearded Daoist attacked Yu Ci, who evaded his sword strikes with mist-like movement while keeping the token out of his Storage Ring.
• Yu Ci's sword nearly cut the Daoist's throat, but Hong Qianqiu intervened and broke apart their clash.
• Hong Qianqiu scolded Yu Ci for using a potentially fatal strike in a sparring match.

Yu Ci fought his way down Chutian Peak while holding the Sword Offering Token, impressing Hong Qianqiu and Li You with his ruthless swordsmanship. After Yu Ci secured the token, Hong Qianqiu and Li You explained that it admitted him to the Sword Garden and began recounting its ancient origins.

• Yu Ci defeated a gray-bearded Daoist with precise swordsmanship, and Hong Qianqiu told him he had to keep the Sword Offering Token in hand until he reached the foot of the mountain.
• Yu Ci admitted he did not know what the token was, and Hong Qianqiu postponed the explanation until Yu Ci had made it safely down the mountain.
• Hong Qianqiu watched Yu Ci win five perilous fights and praised his wild, lethal sword style, while Li You suggested that Chutian Peak could not provide opponents strong enough for him.
• Li You and Hong Qianqiu agreed Yu Ci needed a more challenging place and began discussing a plan to move him on.
• That night, Hong Qianqiu and Li You explained that the Sword Offering Token was connected to the vast Sword Garden, a graveyard for swords, and Li You began telling Yu Ci how eight thousand sword cultivators had marched west eighteen thousand years earlier.

Yu Ci learned that Sword Garden held the remains and legacies of powerful sword cultivators and that the coming Sword Garden Grand Event offered a rare chance to test himself. As disciples competed for its limited tokens, Yu Ci prepared for a sword match against Senior Brother Zhang Yan.

• Hong Qianqiu and Li You argued over the ancient western expedition and explained that Sword Garden was a cemetery for the fallen sword cultivators.
• Hong Qianqiu and Li You began fighting, so Yu Ci left the peak and headed toward Meng Wei’s place.
• A disciple challenged Yu Ci for his Sword Offering Token, but a passerby stopped him because Yu Ci was expected to duel Zhang Yan that night.
• Yu Ci learned that Zhang Yan planned to wager Sword Offering Tokens on their sword match, despite being a Core Formation senior brother.
• Meng Wei explained that the Sword Garden Grand Event had become a major opportunity to find sword arts, encounter lingering masters’ intent, and test one’s cultivation.

Yu Ci arrived early at Chutian Peak to prepare for his wagered duel with Zhang Yan, whose ruined cultivation and gambling addiction made him seem an unlikely opponent. After questioning Zhang Yan about why he wanted the duel, Yu Ci revealed that he enjoyed gambling too, leaving his plan unclear.

• Yu Ci surveyed Chutian Peak and weighed his slim chances against Zhang Yan’s experience and Core Restoration cultivation.
• Yu Ci encountered Zhang Yan resting in the cliff’s shadow before their appointed duel and suggested they begin early, but Zhang Yan insisted they follow the agreement.
• Yu Ci sat beside Zhang Yan and asked why he sought the wagered duel, given his gambling addiction and lack of money.
• Yu Ci recalled that the sect had cut off Zhang Yan’s supplies to curb his gambling, but Zhang Yan had continued wagering and squandering his earnings.
• Yu Ci realized how to approach the duel and told Zhang Yan that he enjoyed gambling too.

Yu Ci explained that his gambling nature was bound to his life, then demonstrated it by attacking Zhang Yan with a relentless sword assault. Zhang Yan recognized that Yu Ci wagered his life on striking first and conceded that he had lost their bet.

• Zhang Yan suspected Yu Ci was using talk of gambling as a psychological tactic, but Yu Ci said he could not separate gambling from his life.
• Yu Ci suddenly attacked Zhang Yan with a sword strike aimed at his head, forcing Zhang Yan to counter.
• Yu Ci pressed Zhang Yan with an uninterrupted assault, ignoring opportunities to defend as they fought across Chutian Peak.
• Zhang Yan realized Yu Ci was gambling his life on his sword being faster than his opponent's, then tested him with a lethal counterattack.
• After Zhang Yan's protective force sent Yu Ci crashing into the cliff, Zhang Yan asked about his gambling method and admitted he had lost.

After Yu Ci defeated Zhang Yan, Meng Wei and the Empirical Branch’s senior disciples agreed to limit his matches and nominate him for a place in the Fa Tian Secret Realm. Yu Ci spent half a month cultivating and studying there before two challengers arrived to confront him.

• Li You and Hong Qianqiu regretted arranging Zhang Yan’s fight with Yu Ci after Zhang Yan admitted defeat, fearing the result would attract more challenges.
• Meng Wei warned that Yu Ci’s lethal sword style made sparring dangerous, and Daoist Li admitted he had helped arrange the match.
• Meng Wei and the Empirical Branch’s senior disciples agreed to take care with Yu Ci’s future matches and nominate him for the Fa Tian Secret Realm.
• Yu Ci cultivated and studied sword theory in the secret realm for half a month, strengthening his cultivation while reading the Introduction to Sword Scripture Theory.
• Two brothers confronted Yu Ci, vowing to make him accept defeat completely.

Yu Ci sparred with the Tu family brothers in spirit roaming and yin-spirit artifact control, then observed their advanced Respond to Opportunity technique. The contest ended when Senior Brother Zhang Yan arrived outside Yu Ci’s room, and Tu Rilun asked Yu Ci to return his missing flying sword.

• Yu Ci accepted the Tu family brothers’ challenge to compete in yin-spirit artifact control after they had previously raced their spirits.
• Tu Rilun and Tu Rifei demonstrated their skill with a flying sword and whisk, and Yu Ci conceded the contest.
• Tu Rilun explained soul attachment, intent guidance, and Respond to Opportunity, then tried to use the last technique to send his flying sword toward Yu Ci’s room.
• Yu Ci used the Soul Illumination Eye to study the technique as Tu Rilun’s flying sword vanished, and the brothers realized Senior Brother Zhang Yan was waiting outside Yu Ci’s room.
• Tu Rilun asked Yu Ci to tell Senior Brother Zhang that he wanted his flying sword returned.

Zhang Yan challenged Yu Ci to another sword duel in the Fa Tian Secret Realm, then praised Yu Ci’s daring judgment and asked him to teach him his gambling skill. Yu Ci agreed, sensing that Zhang Yan was preparing for a major change.

• Zhang Yan waited outside Yu Ci’s stone chamber and asked him to gamble in combat again.
• Yu Ci accepted despite knowing he had little chance of defeating a Core Formation cultivator at full strength.
• Yu Ci and Zhang Yan fought fiercely in the cramped chamber, exchanging dangerous sword strikes until Zhang Yan’s true Baleful Intent slammed Yu Ci into the wall.
• Zhang Yan helped Yu Ci up, praised his grasp of qi flow and courage, and asked him to instruct him in gambling skill.
• Tu Rilun opened the door and saw Zhang Yan bowing to Yu Ci, then retrieved his flying sword and shut the door again.
• Zhang Yan insisted he needed Yu Ci’s guidance, and Yu Ci nodded while sensing that Zhang Yan was preparing for a drastic turn.

Yu Ci visited Lingxiao Pavilion to apologize for destroying a borrowed book, where Old Mr. Zhu urged him to pursue a reserved place at the Hanzhang Dharma Assembly rather than rely on the Sword Garden. Zhang Yan revealed that he had turned to a Demonic Cultivation Method, and Old Mr. Zhu showed Yu Ci a Talisman Disk.

• Yu Ci apologized to Old Mr. Zhu for destroying a copy of Introduction to Sword Scripture Theory, and Old Mr. Zhu told him to repay its fifteen thousand Good Deeds value.
• Old Mr. Zhu questioned Yu Ci's plan to build renown in the Sword Garden and explained that the Minor Hanzhang Dharma Assembly could nominate him for a reserved place at the high-level assembly.
• Zhang Yan explained how reserved places could lead to recognition as one of the Three Thousand Heroes and a path to becoming a core disciple.
• Old Mr. Zhu confronted Zhang Yan about his gambling habit and heart demon, while Zhang Yan credited Yu Ci with helping him find a way forward.
• Meng Wei said Zhang Yan had adopted a Demonic Cultivation Method and reported himself to the Discipline Court; Zhang Yan then left for the Myriad Laws Secret Realm.
• Old Mr. Zhu showed Yu Ci an object, and Yu Ci recognized it as a Talisman Disk.

Yu Ci received the restored Shooting Star Disk, but Old Mr. Zhu criticized his neglected talisman arts and weak magical implements as he prepared for the Sword Garden. He agreed to teach Yu Ci the Flying Stars of the Heavens talisman art, leaving Yu Ci with a daily lesson to attend.

• Old Mr. Zhu and Meng Wei gave Yu Ci the restored Talisman Disk, which he recognized as the Shooting Star Disk.
• Li You revealed that Yu Ci relied mainly on his sword, and Old Mr. Zhu examined Yu Ci's sword and magical implements before criticizing their poor refinement.
• Old Mr. Zhu scolded Yu Ci for neglecting talisman arts and struck him with a book scroll until Meng Wei and Li You intervened.
• Old Mr. Zhu argued that talisman arts and cultivation better served Yu Ci's path to a golden core than swordsmanship alone.
• Old Mr. Zhu agreed to teach Yu Ci the Flying Stars of the Heavens for two hours each day, and Yu Ci bowed in thanks.

Yu Ci, Zhang Yan, and the Tu family brothers crossed the Fa Tian Spirit Sea and emerged through a sluice gate beyond the Li Chen Sect’s mountain gate. They reached the dangerous gang-wind belt, where Yu Ci searched for Mist Flow Beasts to earn the Good Deeds he needed before the next day’s deadline.

• Yu Ci awoke from meditation as Zhang Yan guided the group across the lower level of the Fa Tian Secret Realm toward the spirit sea’s sluice gate.
• Zhang Yan led Yu Ci and the Tu family brothers through the liquid spiritual energy, while Yu Ci’s Heavenly River Auspicious Prayer Curse protected them from its effects.
• The group followed a powerful vortex out of the spirit sea and emerged into the high-altitude gang winds beyond the mountain gate.
• Zhang Yan used his Embracing Core True Sha Sword Qi to shield the group from the gang winds near the weakened edge of the mountain-protecting formation.
• Tu Rilun explained that the sluice gate was one of the Li Chen Sect’s primordial-energy conversion gates, while Yu Ci searched the void for Mist Flow Beasts before his deadline to earn Good Deeds.

Yu Ci and his companions hunted Azure Void Demonic Shadows in the gale-wind belt, where he captured one using a talisman and stored it for Good Deeds. When a vast swarm attacked as they headed toward the Tongtian River, Zhang Yan fought to clear their path and Yu Ci unleashed a sword light from his Shooting Star Disk.

• Zhang Yan warned Yu Ci and the Tu family brothers to stay below the dangerous Azure Sky Domain as they traveled through the gale-wind belt.
• Zhang Yan killed one Azure Void Demonic Shadow, and Yu Ci exposed and captured another with his Hooking Machine Star Sand Curse.
• Yu Ci sealed the captured shadow in a Shadow Subduing Bottle, while Tu Rifei explained how valuable it was and how difficult mature shadows were to capture.
• Zhang Yan spotted a huge gathering of Azure Void Demonic Shadows, and the group set out west toward the Tongtian River with Yu Ci riding the Ghost Gauze Cloud.
• Hundreds of shadows attacked, so Zhang Yan sent a warning flying sword and used his Sun Piercing Sword Art to scatter them while Yu Ci activated his Shooting Star Disk and sent a brilliant sword light skyward.

Yu Ci used his new Nine Luminaries Dragon Abyss Sword Talisman to fight off the Azure Void Demonic Shadows and spotted a Light Demon Sect intruder hiding among them. As Zhang Yan engaged the intruder, Senior Brother Wang Jiu arrived and killed him with the Abyssal Ice Pure Snow Sword.

• Yu Ci and Zhang Yan helped clear the first wave of Azure Void Demonic Shadows, then Yu Ci assigned the group to take turns attacking as a denser wave approached.
• Yu Ci used his Soul Illumination Eye to discover that the demonic shadows were gnawing at their soul sources and that a different creature was concealed among the approaching shadows.
• Yu Ci struck the concealed intruder with Palm Thunder, and Zhang Yan followed with his sword, forcing the enemy to reveal himself.
• The Tu family brothers recognized the fleeing intruder's Flowing Light Chain Escape Technique as a method of the Light Demon Sect.
• Zhang Yan let the intruder escape when snow began to fall, and Senior Brother Wang Jiu killed him with a storm of wind and snow.

Wang Jiu rescued Yu Ci and the others from the Azure Void Demonic Shadows, then explained that Di She had been scouting for Di Tianluo ahead of the Sword Garden Grand Event. After four months of cultivation aboard the flying boat, Yu Ci had refined his Dao Scripture Master Treasure Seal to the Second Heaven, and the party was nearing the Sword Garden.

• Wang Jiu arrived and used his Great Desolate Avalanche sword attack to wipe out the Azure Void Demonic Shadows.
• Yu Ci greeted Wang Jiu, who explained that Di She had fled after abandoning two doppelgangers and had come to scout for Di Tianluo.
• Wang Jiu named Di Tianluo, Jian Ziyu, Xia Boyang, Wen Shifei, and Daoist Tian Jun as people expected at the Sword Garden Grand Event, then left with his captive.
• The Tu family brothers said Wang Jiu was nearly at the Void Walking realm, while Yu Ci felt stirred by the gathering of powerful contenders.
• Li You learned from Zhang Yan that Yu Ci had refined the Dao Scripture Master Treasure Seal to the Second Heaven after four months of focused cultivation.
• Yu Ci welcomed Li You aboard the flying boat as their group of more than forty prepared to reach the Sword Garden's outer perimeter that afternoon.