Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ning tested his newly acquired Deep Pool and Still Wind, discovering that its devastating power could pulverize everything within a hundred zhang but that his body could withstand only three steps. After replenishing his strength, he set out for Sunset Valley to join the move against Divine Sword Manor, and the chapter ended with a white-browed elder noticing him cross the Cang River.

• Jiang Ning activated Deep Pool and Still Wind, whose first step suppressed everything nearby and whose later steps unleashed destructive force.
• After three steps left him badly injured, Jiang Ning saw that the divine power had turned the surrounding trees and rocks to powder, then recovered quickly.
• Jiang Ning ate three Crimsonflame Blood Crystals and prepared to travel toward Sunset Valley while continuing to train Wind-Thunder Steps.
• Jiang Ning headed for Divine Sword Manor, reasoning that the Inspection Office had to strike before the manor and the Heaven-Answering Alliance learned of Shangguan Guyun's death.
• At the Cang River, Jiang Ning crossed the wide river on foot over the waves, drawing praise and curiosity from a white-browed elder and his granddaughter aboard a pleasure boat.

Jiang Ning led Zhao Yulong and the Inspection Office’s forces to surround Divine Sword Manor, where they confronted Shangguan Jincheng and called Sun Ming out. Sun Ming revealed that he had mastered sword intent and crossed the barrier between heaven and man, leaving Zhao Yulong facing the commandery’s strongest fighter.

• Jiang Ning joined Zhao Yulong, Su Zhi, and Bai Luoyu at Sunset Valley, and the Inspection Office force marched toward Divine Sword Manor.
• Shangguan Jincheng learned that Zhao Yulong’s men had surrounded the manor, ordered its warning bell rung five times, and sent for Sun Ming and the former manor lord.
• Zhao Yulong presented Shangguan Jincheng with a list of people accused of breaking Great Xia’s laws and demanded they come to Dongling City for questioning.
• After a manor member insulted Zhao Yulong, Zhao Yulong struck back and overpowered Shangguan Jincheng, then stopped when the warning bell began ringing.
• Sun Ming appeared at the manor entrance and revealed his breakthrough, displaying sword intent that convinced Zhao Yulong he had crossed the barrier between heaven and man.

Sun Ming confronted Zhao Yulong at Divine Sword Manor and refused to surrender the manor’s people when Zhao rejected his compromise. Meanwhile, Jiang Ning discovered the manor’s hidden foundation, Shangguan Feilong, and their clash escalated as Feilong prepared another strike.

• Sun Ming offered to hand over fifty people and punish the other accused, but Zhao Yulong refused, prompting Sun Ming to challenge him and reveal that Shangguan Guyun had likely been captured or killed.
• Jiang Ning broke into Divine Sword Manor’s treasury, plundered its treasures into his Mustard-Seed Leaf, and encountered Shangguan Feilong.
• Shangguan Feilong demanded the return of the treasures, then drew and launched the family’s Divine Sword with the Thunderclap Sword Cry technique.
• Sun Ming arrived and watched Jiang Ning knock Feilong’s sword away with his fingers, though Jiang Ning was forced back three steps.
• Shangguan Feilong performed the Heavenly Immortal from Beyond the Heavens technique as Zhao Yulong and Shangguan Jincheng arrived, and Feilong’s sword began gathering power for another strike.

Jiang Ning overwhelmed Shangguan Feilong’s divine-sword attack and then battled Sun Ming, who wielded the Shangguan Clan’s spirit sword and approached the strength of a top Grandmaster. After a prolonged clash, Sun Ming was still retreating under Jiang Ning’s relentless attacks, with no sign that he could turn the tide.

• Jiang Ning caught Shangguan Feilong’s divine sword barehanded and held it fast despite its spirit’s attempts to break free.
• Sun Ming struck Zhao Yulong aside and sent sword light at Jiang Ning, giving Shangguan Feilong a chance to retrieve the blade.
• Shangguan Feilong passed the divine sword to Sun Ming, who bonded with it and felt his sword intent and fighting strength surge.
• Jiang Ning struck Sun Ming twice, sending him flying and injuring him despite the spirit sword’s automatic defenses.
• Sun Ming unleashed River Sword Intent, but Jiang Ning used Fire Eye to spot its weak point and shatter it, injuring bystanders with the scattered sword light.
• Jiang Ning pressed Sun Ming through several courtyards, breaking each River Sword Intent and forcing Sun Ming to defend and retreat.

Jiang Ning defeated Sun Ming and subdued Divine Sword Manor, then examined the Shangguan Clan’s spirit sword and began refining it until it pleaded for mercy. The sword asked him to recognize it as his master through a blood ritual, and Jiang Ning considered its extraordinary ability to help martial artists comprehend sword intent.

• Jiang Ning unleashed his Blade Bone and full Saber Intent, overcame Sun Ming’s spirit sword, and cut Sun Ming down.
• Jiang Ning ordered Divine Sword Manor to surrender, and Shangguan Feilong and Shangguan Jincheng accepted the manor’s defeat.
• Jiang Ning assessed the strength of Shangguan Feilong and Sun Ming, checked his growing source energy, and took up the inherited divine sword.
• Jiang Ning threatened to refine the spirit sword with Glazed Divine Fire, and it begged him to stop and offered to communicate mind to mind.
• The spirit sword asked Jiang Ning to drip blood onto its blade to recognize him as its master, while Jiang Ning reflected on its power to help others comprehend sword intent.

Jiang Ning claimed Sword Nine, learned that it could help others comprehend sword intent, and gave it to Xie Xiaoj iu before spending Source Energy to break through his Wood-Chopping Saber Technique. His saber intent reached a higher level, leaving him stronger as he prepared for the Yang Lake Secret Grotto-Heaven.

• Jiang Ning refined Sword Nine, learned its spirit could help people comprehend sword intent, and reached beginner-level sword intent himself.
• Jiang Ning gave Sword Nine to Xie Xiaoj iu and ordered it to help her master sword intent within a month.
• Jiang Ning learned Zhao Yulong and Shangguan Feilong had not yet reported back about the Sky-Pervading Sect, then considered how to strengthen himself before visiting the Yang Lake Secret Grotto-Heaven.
• Xie Xiaoj iu oversaw Divine Sword Manor and found manuals containing the Awakening of Insects saber intent and several incomplete seasonal scrolls.
• Jiang Ning spent fifty thousand Source Energy to break through the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique, producing a vast saber-intent phenomenon over Divine Sword Manor.
• Jiang Ning saw that his saber intent had risen another level and gained the Peerless in Saber and Sword trait.

Jiang Ning studied Divine Sword Manor’s incomplete solar-term scrolls and rapidly mastered several artistic conceptions with help from Sword Nine. He discovered that mastering four spring solar terms had revealed the higher-level Springtime Canon, which remained incomplete until he learned Clear and Bright and Grain Rain.

• Xie Xiaoj iu brought Jiang Ning Divine Sword Manor’s martial arts manuals and incomplete solar-term scrolls, including Beginning of Spring.
• Jiang Ning comprehended Beginning of Spring and advanced it from Minor Accomplishment to Perfection by practicing with his saber and Sword Nine.
• Jiang Ning studied the Rain Water scroll and raised Rain Water to Mastery with Sword Nine’s help.
• Jiang Ning comprehended Spring Equinox and discovered the Springtime Canon (Fragment), a higher-level art that required the Clear and Bright and Grain Rain conceptions to complete.
• Jiang Ning resolved to gather the remaining spring solar-term scrolls from Divine Sword Manor.

Jiang Ning guarded Divine Sword Manor while reading its accumulated books and consuming its pills, then chose to focus on breaking through Literacy as his source energy neared the required threshold. Meanwhile, Li Sixiang learned of Jiang Ning’s conquests and decided the Heaven-Answering Alliance should defer confronting him while the Vermilion Bird Envoy headed for the Yang Lake secret realm.

• Jiang Ning perfected two more solar-term concepts, collected treasures and manuals from Divine Sword Manor, and spent three days raising Literacy to its full experience limit.
• Jiang Ning found that he had 93,177 source energy points but still lacked enough to break Literacy through its current limit, and he chose that breakthrough over advancing the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique.
• Jiang Ning went to Water-Moon Sword Palace to look for Lin Qingyi, but Xiao Emei had not seen her, so he left and resolved to return in a month.
• Li Sixiang learned that Jiang Ning had destroyed the Five Swords Sect, forced Divine Sword Manor to submit, and ended the Sky-Pervading Sect’s influence in Dongling Commandery.
• Li Sixiang rejected an immediate attack on Jiang Ning, citing his strength and the danger of provoking the Inspection Office, and sent the Vermilion Bird Envoy toward the Yang Lake secret realm while he planned to consult the alliance leader.

After recovering, Jiang Ning secured the Shangguan Family’s allegiance by restoring Shangguan Feilong’s vitality and giving Shangguan Jincheng a drop of essence blood. He then spent one hundred thousand source energy to break through his Yin Spirit’s transformation while Xie Xiaoj iu guarded the courtyard.

• Jiang Ning confirmed his body had recovered, and Shangguan Feilong reported that the requested arrangements were ready and agreed to keep Divine Sword Manor’s remaining people inside for three months.
• Jiang Ning gave Shangguan Feilong a drop of essence blood, demonstrated his control over the resulting bond, and accepted the Shangguan Family’s allegiance.
• Shangguan Jincheng pledged himself to Jiang Ning, received a drop of essence blood, and said he expected to enter the third rank soon.
• Shangguan Feilong and Shangguan Jincheng discussed their decision and agreed that serving Jiang Ning offered the family a chance to recover and rise again.
• Jiang Ning asked Xie Xiaoj iu to guard the courtyard, spent one hundred thousand source energy on his Yin Spirit’s transformation, and invited Zhao Yulong and Su Zhi inside.

After leaving the fate of the Sky-Pervading Sect’s remnants to the Shangguan Family, Jiang Ning examined his panel and discovered that traits had gained color-coded grades. He set off alone for Yang Lake by way of Luoshui County, intent on developing his high-grade techniques and their traits.

• Jiang Ning told Zhao Yulong to leave the Sky-Pervading Sect’s remaining affairs to the Shangguan Family, and Zhao Yulong decided to return home.
• Jiang Ning’s panel displayed color grades for traits after consuming all his source energy, revealing that higher-grade techniques tended to produce stronger traits.
• Jiang Ning assessed his traits and soul, realizing that his Yin God was only two patches away from becoming a Yang God and that his divine sense now reached far beyond Divine Sword Manor.
• Jiang Ning decided to prioritize high-grade techniques and recognized Wind-Thunder Steps’ potential because it had produced the purple-tier trait Shrinking Earth to Inches.
• Jiang Ning left Divine Sword Manor alone, told Xie Xiaoj iu to inform Zhao Yulong that he would visit Yang Lake, and entrusted Zhou Xing with overseeing the delivery of the manor’s remaining resources.
• Jiang Ning traveled toward Luoshui County while practicing Wind-Thunder Steps, rested overnight, and saw that he had gained 11,317 source energy points.

Jiang Ning returned to Luoshui County, visited Wang Jin and his old home, then investigated the White Horned Dragon in Luo Water Lake. He discovered the lost Human Emperor Sword inside the dragon and concluded that it was part of a larger plot threatening Great Xia, leaving him worried about how to protect the people he cared about.

• Jiang Ning visited Wang Jin at Blue-Wave Martial Academy, learned that Wang Jin had advanced to the sixth rank, and warned him about the Grotto-Heaven secret realm near Yang Lake.
• Jiang Ning visited Ye Qiu and Hong Minghu, then checked on his abandoned home and asked Constable Feng to ensure no one damaged it.
• Jiang Ning entered Luo Water Lake and used his Heavenly Eye to search for the White Horned Dragon and the mysterious figure who had wounded Shen Wenyuan.
• Jiang Ning saw the White Horned Dragon and discovered the lost Human Emperor Sword inside its belly.
• Jiang Ning concluded that someone had placed the sword in the dragon as part of a scheme against Great Xia and realized he was still too weak to confront the forces behind it.

Jiang Ning arrived at Yang Lake as strange spatial ripples signaled that a secret realm grotto-heaven was nearing its opening. He reunited with Zhong Ling and Zhong Yue, who invited him aboard and warned him against becoming entangled in the struggle for the throne.

• Jiang Ning reached Yang Lake and observed the spatial ripples and many factions gathered around the lake.
• Desert Flying Eagle invited Jiang Ning aboard his pleasure boat after recognizing his exceptional movement arts.
• Zhong Ling spotted Jiang Ning, and Zhong Yue called him over to their boat.
• Zhong Yue accused Jiang Ning of compromising Zhong Ling's innocence and demanded that he marry her, but Jiang Ning cited his agreement with the Seventeenth Princess.
• Jiang Ning told Zhong Yue about his connection to Ji Mingyue and Ji Minghao, and Zhong Yue advised him to avoid the princes' succession struggle.
• Zhong Yue invited Jiang Ning to stay on his tower ship and offered to explain the notable figures gathered at Yang Lake.

Jiang Ning joined Zhong Yue on Yang Lake as they waited for the Secret Grotto-Heaven to open, and learned about its dangers and the powerful factions gathering there. The Heaven-Answering Alliance’s Vermilion Bird Envoy and Azure Dragon Envoy planned to kill him, while signs of wider upheaval left Jiang Ning wondering whether the world was about to descend into chaos.

• Jiang Ning told Zhong Yue he intended to enter the Yang Lake Secret Grotto-Heaven, and Zhong Yue explained how a Grotto-Heaven differed from a secret realm and why second-grade grandmasters rarely entered one.
• The Vermilion Bird Envoy identified Jiang Ning and decided to attack him inside the Grotto-Heaven, summoning the White Tiger Envoy and Black Tortoise Envoy while the Azure Dragon Envoy agreed to join her.
• Jiang Ning recognized Long Xingyun on the Eighteen Dragon Heads’ ship, where Long Xiaofeng welcomed him as family and promised to introduce him to their relatives.
• Zhong Yue warned Jiang Ning not to provoke the Eighteen Dragon Heads, whose Dragon Head was an invincible grandmaster, and pointed out that the Heaven-Answering Alliance and Qingyang Sect were also gathered at Yang Lake.
• Zhong Yue described the rise of Grotto-Heaven Blessed Lands and religious cults as the Martial Saint’s long absence unsettled the world, and Jiang Ning asked whether chaos was coming.

Jiang Ning learned that the realm stood on the brink of chaos as the Martial Saint’s life neared its end, while a mysterious man found the Human Emperor Sword within White Horned Dragon but chose to leave it undisturbed. On Yang Lake, Zhong Yue pressed Jiang Ning to take Zhong Ling with him after the secret grotto-heaven, and Jiang Ning finished grinding Wind-Thunder Steps to its limit.

• Zhong Yue told Jiang Ning that the realm would remain peaceful only while the Martial Saint lived, though he did not know the Martial Saint’s condition.
• A black-robed man located White Horned Dragon on Luo Water Lake, confirmed the Human Emperor Sword was inside it, and left without taking the sword.
• Jiang Ning practiced Wind-Thunder Steps aboard the ship, then shared a meal with Zhong Yue and Zhong Ling as they traveled across Yang Lake.
• After Zhong Ling drunkenly told Jiang Ning she had missed him, Zhong Yue urged him to marry her and decided she should leave with him after the Yang Lake Secret Grotto-Heaven.
• Zhong Yue privately hoped Jiang Ning would keep Zhong Ling safe from the dangers gathering in Five Peaks Prefecture.
• Jiang Ning practiced through the night and raised Wind-Thunder Steps to 8000/8000, unlocking its plus sign.

Jiang Ning broke through Wind-Thunder Steps and gained the Spatial Resonance trait after sensing the spatial ripples surrounding Yang Lake. As the Secret Grotto-Heaven neared its opening, he returned to the ship and turned his attention to advancing the Springtime Canon.

• Jiang Ning spent source energy to break through Wind-Thunder Steps, and the intensified spatial ripples drew him into an unusual state of comprehension.
• Zhong Yue and Zhong Ling found Jiang Ning motionless on deck and made sure no one disturbed him until he woke.
• Jiang Ning discovered the Spatial Resonance trait on his panel and tested it, stirring the lake into a frenzy before a monk from Golden Light Temple asked him to stop.
• Jiang Ning met Jin Chan and his martial uncle, who praised Jiang Ning's Indestructible Vajra Body and advised Jin Chan to seek his help inside the Yang Lake Secret Grotto-Heaven.
• Jiang Ning realized his breakthrough had brought him closer to the mysteries of space and considered pursuing his sixth blood exchange.
• Jiang Ning found Zhong Ling asleep in his room, left without waking her, and studied the missing fragments needed to complete the Springtime Canon.

Jiang Ning trained in Yang Lake, drew in the sun’s essence, and learned that powerful forces feared the rise of another Martial Saint. As the Grotto-Heaven secret realm neared opening, Sun Yuancheng arrived and acknowledged Jiang Ning’s strength.

• Jiang Ning practiced Indestructible Vajra Body on the lakebed and then drew in the sun’s essence from the deck.
• Ye Zhengqi advised Jiang Ning that drawing in the sun’s essence from a high mountain could be more effective once his organs were strong enough.
• The White Tiger Envoy praised Jiang Ning’s Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique, while the Azure Dragon Envoy argued that the world and the imperial family would oppose another Martial Saint.
• Jiang Ning overheard the Heaven-Answering Alliance envoys and considered how the Martial Saint’s dominance had kept the world beneath his shadow for over eight hundred years.
• Jiang Ning joined Ye Zhengqi and Zhong Yue for wine and food after finishing his practice.
• Sun Yuancheng arrived as the Grotto-Heaven secret realm neared opening, and Ye Zhengqi told him Jiang Ning had subdued Dongling Commandery’s three great sects, prompting Sun Yuancheng to acknowledge him.

Jiang Ning entered the Shangyang Immortal Sect’s Grotto-Heaven, where ten suns filled the sky and unusual spiritual plants could strengthen his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique. After testing the world’s oppressive conditions and its bitterly cold lake water, he learned that the first trial required him to be the last person left on his island.

• The entrance to the Grotto-Heaven opened above Yang Lake, and Jiang Ning followed Sun Yuancheng and Zhong Yue inside before they were scattered across the world.
• Jiang Ning found flame grass beneath ten suns, ate it, and gained experience in the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique rather than risk absorbing the suns’ essence directly.
• Jiang Ning used Fire Eye to locate energy-rich spiritual plants and gathered them to advance his technique.
• Jiang Ning explored his island, discovered that the world suppressed movement and heavenly abilities, and confirmed that his water-related traits let him withstand the lake’s bitter cold.
• Jiang Ning learned that ten people, including himself, had landed on the island and that he would pass the first trial only after everyone else was gone.

Jiang Ning entered the Shangyang Immortal Sect’s Yang Lake Grotto-Heaven trial and rapidly advanced his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique by consuming spiritual plants and ores. After defeating several opponents and taking their gathered treasures, he reached over 8,000 experience points and continued toward the next trial round.

• Jiang Ning learned that each participant had to defeat an assigned opponent to win the island’s trial, and he found that the Grotto-Heaven’s yang-rich resources accelerated his technique training.
• Jiang Ning discovered his Mustard-Seed Leaf no longer worked, then ate Six-Aperture Ore and raised his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique progress above 6,000.
• The Curly-Bearded Guest challenged Jiang Ning, conceded after one blow, and left behind a bundle of spiritual plants that Jiang Ning consumed, pushing his progress above 7,000.
• A woman in a long green dress killed a participant who attacked her and followed the Grotto-Heaven’s guidance toward her next opponent.
• Jiang Ning defeated a burly man who conceded, then ate the crimson ore he had carried and increased his technique progress to over 8,000.

Jiang Ning waited on the mountain summit and fought Wang Xuan of Qingyang Grotto-Heaven, testing her Sword Control and talisman-enhanced abilities. He defeated her without killing her, and Wang Xuan vowed to repay the humiliation.

• Jiang Ning spotted Wang Xuan approaching the summit and identified her as a Qingyang Sect cultivator using his Heavenly Eye.
• Wang Xuan introduced herself, explained that the Shangyang Immortal Sect’s trial ground preserved Primordial Era conditions, and attacked Jiang Ning with Sword Control.
• Jiang Ning dodged Wang Xuan’s sword techniques, struck the real sword away with his palm, and injured her through the backlash.
• Wang Xuan used Golden Body, Divine Strength, and Divine Speed talismans to attack Jiang Ning, but he caught her kick and repeatedly slammed her into the ground.
• Jiang Ning left Wang Xuan alive, and she restored her clothing before vowing to make him pay for the humiliation.

Wang Xuan returned to her Qingyang Sect companions after Jiang Ning defeated her and took her bonded flying sword, while Jiang Ning scavenged Upper Yang Grotto-Heaven to advance his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique. After defeating the timid Zhou Yun and receiving her blazing stone, he began refining it and saw his technique experience rise rapidly.

• Wang Xuan told her senior brother and sister that Jiang Ning had defeated her and realized she had left her bonded flying sword behind in Upper Yang Grotto-Heaven.
• Jiang Ning recovered Wang Xuan's cracked flying sword, used her bundles to carry it, and refined her spirit plants and rare treasures, raising his technique progress.
• Jiang Ning surveyed and scoured the island for solar-essence-rich treasures, advancing the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique to 17,344 points.
• Jiang Ning found Zhou Yun and beat her until she surrendered, then received her ruby-like stone and learned she was from Azure Cloud Heaven.
• Jiang Ning recognized the stone's concentrated solar essence, bit into it, and began gaining large amounts of technique experience as he refined it.