Recaps

At Xie Xuanyuan’s sixtieth birthday banquet, Xie Huaijin worried over the absence of Xie Jinlin and He Zhaoming, who had been invited from the Azure City Sword Sect. Xie Xuanyuan told him to have Xie Jinghan host the young guests, leaving Jinghan alone in the side hall as a servant went to summon him.

• Guests gathered at the Xie Residence to celebrate Xie Xuanyuan’s sixtieth birthday.
• Xie Huaijin welcomed the guests and praised the Xie family’s heritage while concealing his worry about Xie Jinlin’s absence.
• Xie Huaijin recalled that Xie Jinlin had left seven days earlier to invite He Zhaoming from the Azure City Sword Sect, but neither had arrived.
• Xie Xuanyuan asked about Xie Jinlin and instructed Xie Huaijin to have Xie Jinghan entertain the young guests.
• Xie Huaijin sent a servant to summon Xie Jinghan, who sat alone in the side hall with his sword beside him.

After years of hiding his talent and training with his Martial Arts Proficiency Panel, Xie Jinghan completed the Sword-Drawing Technique and reached the Sword Intent Realm. When his eldest brother was absent, he was sent to host the young guests at the Xie Household’s birthday banquet, where Liu Chengyu asked about his cultivation.

• Xie Jinghan reflected on his former life, his low standing in the Xie Household, and the Martial Arts Proficiency Panel he had kept secret.
• After three years of practicing the Sword-Drawing Technique, Xie Jinghan completed it, comprehended sword intent, and advanced toward the perfected Postnatal Realm.
• Lai Fu told Xie Jinghan that the Old Master had ordered him to receive the banquet guests because Xie Jinlin had not returned.
• Xie Jinghan calmly greeted the gathered young talents and offered to host them in his brother’s stead.
• Liu Chengyu tested Xie Jinghan by asking what cultivation rank he had reached.

At the Xie Household’s birthday banquet, Xie Jinghan concealed his strength while assessing the martial artists gathered there. The celebration turned into a confrontation when Wu Hen led assassins into the hall, revealed a severed arm identified as Xie Jinlin’s, and demanded revenge for Black Tiger Stronghold; Xie Jinghan prepared to kill him.

• Xie Jinghan understated his martial ability, then quietly gauged the guests and identified Wang Zhongze as the hall’s only Acquired Grade One expert.
• Wu Hen and a group of black-clad assassins stormed the banquet, and Wu Hen warned the guests not to aid the Xie Household.
• Wu Hen threw a wooden box into the hall, revealing a bloodied severed arm that Xie Huaijin recognized as Xie Jinlin’s.
• Wu Hen accused Xie Xuanyuan of destroying Black Tiger Stronghold thirty years earlier and vowed to make the Xie Household pay.
• Xie Xuanyuan defended the destruction of the stronghold as a response to its crimes, while Wu Hen insisted his family had been wronged.
• Xie Jinghan gripped his sword and fixed his gaze on Wu Hen, deciding that the man would die for murdering Xie Jinlin and humiliating the Xie Household.

Black Tiger Stronghold attacked the Xie Household during its birthday banquet, while the guests refused to intervene. Xie Jinghan saved Xie Xuanyuan by killing Wu Hen with a single sword strike, forcing the surviving assassins to flee.

• Xie Huaijin begged Wang Zhongze to help defend the Xie Household, but Wu Hen threatened Wang Zhongze's son and forced him to remain uninvolved.
• Wu Hen ordered the Black Tiger Stronghold assassins to kill everyone in the Xie Household, and they overwhelmed the household's defenders.
• Xie Xuanyuan fought to protect Xie Huaijin but was drained of strength and left vulnerable to Wu Hen's killing strike.
• Xie Jinghan stepped in and killed Wu Hen with one sword-drawing strike, then sheathed his sword without a drop of blood on his robes.
• The remaining assassins panicked and fled the banquet hall.

After Xie Jinghan defeats Wu Hen, the Xie Residence resumes its birthday banquet, and his swordsmanship becomes famous throughout Central Province. Three days later, Xie Jinghan cultivates in seclusion with the treasured Thunderclap Sword given to him by his family.

• Xie Xuanyuan declares the turmoil over and orders the birthday banquet to continue as the servants restore the hall.
• Wang Zhongze apologizes to Xie Xuanyuan and hastily leaves with the Wang Clan members.
• Liu Chengyu and the other guests praise Xie Jinghan after learning he has Acquired Grade One cultivation and defeated Wu Hen.
• Three days later, a storyteller at Rain-Listening Tower recounts Xie Jinghan's victory and his rising fame across Central Province.
• Xie Jinghan cultivates beneath a parasol tree with Thunderclap, the treasured sword Xie Xuanyuan and Xie Huaijin gave him.

Xie Jinghan cultivated his sword intent and completed the Postnatal Breathing Method, then broke through the mystic gate and entered the First Stage of the Innate Realm. He began stabilizing his new cultivation.

• Xie Jinghan studied the Thunderclap Sword and cultivated his Sword Intent Realm, steadily improving his sword intent and martial foundations.
• Xie Jinghan completed the Postnatal Breathing Method and brought his Postnatal cultivation to perfection.
• Xie Jinghan opened the mystic gate, drew spiritual energy into his body, and transformed his inner force into Innate True Qi.
• Xie Jinghan checked his proficiency panel, saw that he had reached the First Stage of the Innate Realm, and laughed aloud.
• Xie Jinghan continued circulating Innate True Qi to stabilize his new realm.

After reaching Innate Stage One, Xie Jinghan cleaned himself up and joined the Xie Household’s family banquet. Xie Xuanyuan revealed that Xie Jinlin might still be alive and that the Azure City Sword Sect had never received him.

• Xie Jinghan concealed his new cultivation, washed away the grime expelled during his breakthrough, and went with Lai Fu to the banquet.
• Xie Jinghan joined the gathered Xie Household members, where Xie Jinlin’s seat remained empty.
• Xie Xuanyuan encouraged the family to set aside their worries and eat together.
• Xie Xuanyuan said Wu Hen had delivered only Xie Jinlin’s severed arm, leading him to believe Xie Jinlin might still be alive.
• Xie Xuanyuan reported that the Azure City Sword Sect had replied that it never received an invitation to the birthday banquet and had never seen Xie Jinlin visit.

Xie Jinghan agreed to search for his missing elder brother, Xie Jinlin, and the Xie Household prepared an expedition to leave at dawn. At the banquet, he revealed that he had reached the first level of the Innate Realm, then ended the night with a farewell conversation with his mother.

• Xie Huaijin asked Xie Jinghan to investigate Xie Jinlin's disappearance near Black Tiger Mountain and bring back word of his fate.
• Xie Jinghan accepted the mission, and Xie Huaijin assigned Xie Cang, Xie Heng, Xie Yan, and Xie Yue to organize supplies, transport, medicine, and twelve escorts for the journey.
• Xie Jinghan told Xie Xuanyuan and the gathered family that he had reached the first level of the Innate Realm at seventeen, astonishing the Xie Household.
• After the banquet, Madam Yang urged Xie Jinghan to put his safety first, and he reassured her before returning to Wutong Courtyard.

Xie Jinghan led the Xie Clan to Wusheng Pass, where they met Wang Zhongze and prepared to investigate the black-clad assassins’ trail. After setting out for Black Tiger Mountain, they reached the ruins of Black Tiger Stronghold.

• Xie Jinghan and Xie Yue led twelve Xie Clan members on a three-day ride from Heaven-Bearing Prefecture toward Black Tiger Mountain.
• Xie Jinghan’s party met Wang Zhongze and his clan at Wusheng Pass, where they agreed to rest before searching the mountains together.
• Wang Zhongze led the group to Clear Breeze Inn and warned them that Wusheng Pass was dangerous; Xie Jinghan later scared off suspicious figures lingering outside their room.
• Xie Jinghan and the others left the pass at dawn and rode through the mountains for half a day.
• Xie Jinghan’s party arrived at the overgrown, abandoned Black Tiger Stronghold.

Xie Jinghan used the perfected Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Art to uncover a hidden trail leading from Black Tiger Stronghold to a concealed courtyard. He opened a secret underground passage and found a blood-stained, freezing darkness below.

• Wang Zhongze and Xie Jinghan found no trace of the missing assassins at Black Tiger Stronghold, so they organized a search and sent Xie Jinghan into the stronghold alone.
• Xie Jinghan used his martial arts proficiency panel to perfect the Wilderness Tracking Art, which transformed into the Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Art.
• Xie Jinghan detected concealed traces west of the stronghold, learned the Leaping Art, and followed the trail across the mountains.
• Xie Jinghan found a hidden courtyard and sensed a dense life-and-blood aura beneath it.
• Xie Jinghan struck a concealed pattern on a bluestone slab, opening a passage that released a cold, foul, blood-scented gust.

Xie Jinghan infiltrated Black Tiger Stronghold and discovered that the Blood Slaughter Sect used a Blood Pool to strengthen its assassins with the vital blood of martial artists. He found Xie Jinlin imprisoned and near death, and his killing intent surged.

• Xie Jinghan entered the underground passage and silently killed the blood-robed guards he encountered.
• Xie Jinghan slipped through the cavern, killing more than a dozen blood-robed martial artists before reaching the deepest chamber.
• The Blood Slaughter Sect members argued over the dwindling Blood Pool and were ordered to stay hidden until a new branch master arrived.
• Xie Jinghan recognized Black Tiger Stronghold as a hidden pawn of the Blood Slaughter Sect and identified the Blood Pool as its secret cultivation method.
• Xie Jinghan spotted three prisoners in a thorn-covered cage and recognized the badly injured young man as Xie Jinlin.

Xie Jinghan ambushed the Blood Slaughter Sect members holding Xie Jinlin and killed them with his newly comprehended Flowing Light sword technique. He rescued Xie Jinlin and two other prisoners, then returned underground to destroy the Blood Pool and the sect's evil implements.

• The blood-robed men discussed keeping Xie Jinlin alive as leverage against the Xie Household and using a captured Wang Household disciple to replenish the Blood Pool.
• Xie Jinghan overheard the men and attacked them with Draw Sword Technique: Flowing Light, killing more than ten Blood Slaughter Sect members.
• Xie Jinghan broke open the cage and used Innate True Qi to stabilize Xie Jinlin and the two other wounded prisoners.
• Xie Jinghan carried the three rescued men outside and set them down where their breathing and lives had stabilized.
• Xie Jinghan returned underground and ignited the Blood Pool and the stone chamber with Innate True Qi.

Xie Jinghan rescued the severely injured Xie Jinlin, Wang Tianfeng, and Ling Yun from the Blood Slaughter Sect stronghold and brought them safely back toward Heaven-Bearing Prefecture. After the three survivors swore brotherhood, Xie Jinghan recited two prophecies that seemed to fit their bond and hinted at their future.

• Xie Jinghan destroyed the Blood Slaughter Sect stronghold, carried the injured Xie Jinlin, Wang Tianfeng, and Ling Yun out of the forest, and reunited with the Wang and Xie clans.
• Wang Zhongze treated the three injured men with Foundation-Stabilizing Pills, and the group traveled from Wusheng Pass toward Heaven-Bearing Prefecture.
• Ling Yun proposed that he, Wang Tianfeng, and Xie Jinlin become sworn brothers, and they stopped on a mountain to perform the oath ceremony.
• Wang Tianfeng became the eldest brother, Ling Yun the second, and Xie Jinlin the youngest after they pledged to share fortune and hardship.
• Xie Jinghan recited two prophecies about a golden qilin, wind, clouds, and a dragon, leaving Wang Zhongze and the gathered clansmen pondering their meaning.

Xie Jinghan reunited with Xie Jinlin and escorted him and his companions home, while Bloodslaughter Cult men discovered their destroyed stronghold and began investigating the culprit. On the road, Xie Jinghan took in a wounded escort who had escaped bandits, driving the attackers away with his Innate True Qi.

• Wang Tianfeng and Ling Yun thanked Xie Jinghan for rescuing them, and Xie Yue explained the recent upheavals at the Xie residence to Xie Jinlin.
• Seven Bloodslaughter Cult men found the remains of Black Tiger Stronghold and the destroyed Blood Pool, and their helm master identified the culprit as an Innate Realm expert with Sword Intent.
• The helm master ordered one man to report to the Holy Cult headquarters and told the others to hide, investigate the culprit, and wait for an opportunity to strike.
• A wounded escort master from the Heavenly Wolf Escort Agency staggered in front of the convoy and said bandits had killed his fellow escorts and seized their cargo.
• Xie Jinghan invited the youth to travel with the convoy and released a wisp of Innate True Qi, frightening the bandit leader into fleeing with his men.

After reaching Yangluo Prefecture, Xie Jinghan accepted Miao Cunyi’s sword manual and mastered its Single-Character Lightning Sword, then agreed to teach him for three days without taking him as a disciple. The group resumed their journey to Heaven-Bearing Prefecture, while Wang Zhongze stayed behind to handle estate matters.

• Xie Jinghan and his companions arrived in Yangluo Prefecture and rested at the Wang family’s Golden Valley Garden.
• Miao Cunyi gave Xie Jinghan his treasured Single-Character Lightning Sword manual as thanks for saving his life.
• Xie Jinghan mastered the manual’s Thousand Flashes technique and demonstrated its power, leaving Miao Cunyi awestruck.
• Miao Cunyi begged Xie Jinghan to accept him as a disciple, but Xie Jinghan refused and offered to teach him swordsmanship for three days instead.
• The group departed for Heaven-Bearing Prefecture the next morning, while Wang Zhongze remained in Yangluo Prefecture.

After returning from Black Tiger Mountain, Xie Jinghan wondered why his sword intent advanced faster in battle than during secluded cultivation. Ling Yun explained that battle and other experiences could strengthen the mind and help cultivate the Sword Intent Realm.

• Xie Jinghan reviewed his cultivation progress and realized that one sword drawn against Wu Hen had advanced his sword intent more than days of practice.
• Ling Yun visited Parasol Tree Courtyard after recovering from his injuries and said the Mystic Azure Sword Sect had given him time to recuperate before returning.
• Xie Jinghan asked Ling Yun why his sword intent grew much faster during battle than through ordinary cultivation.
• Ling Yun explained that realm cultivation depended on a martial artist's true heart, intent, and Dao heart, and that the Sword Intent Realm began with understanding oneself and nourishing sword intent.
• Ling Yun described diligent cultivation, battle, worldly experience, and rare medicinal pills as methods for strengthening the mind and advancing sword intent.

Ling Yun explained the paths to cultivating artistic conception and the martial realms to Xie Jinghan, who realized he needed broader experience of the martial world. Ling Yun proposed that Xie Jinghan challenge his senior brother Chu Ning, but Xie Jinghan chose to keep cultivating safely.

• Ling Yun described arduous cultivation, battle, worldly experience, and a miraculous pill as ways to advance artistic conception.
• Xie Jinghan learned about the Innate, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core realms and their martial ranks and lifespans.
• Ling Yun explained that the Sword Challenge Register let Innate martial artists settle disputes through public duels under the rules of the court and sects.
• Ling Yun revealed that Chu Ning planned to challenge swordsmen after leaving seclusion and urged Xie Jinghan to duel him.
• Xie Jinghan declined, judging sword challenges too dangerous and choosing to strengthen his sword intent through steady cultivation.

Xie Jinghan continued his steady cultivation before meeting Chu Ning, a disciple of the Mystic Azure Sword Sect who had come to visit Ling Yun. Chu Ning challenged him to a sword duel, and Xie Jinghan accepted in exchange for Sword Condensation Pills, agreeing to decide the match with a single sword.

• Xie Jinghan spent more than a month honing his sword intent in the Xie Household courtyard and studied the Sword Challenge Register, including Murong Ye's record.
• Xie Jinghan learned that Chu Ning had arrived at the Xie Residence and went to the front hall to meet him.
• Chu Ning thanked Xie Jinghan for saving Ling Yun and recognized the strength of his sword intent.
• Chu Ning offered Xie Jinghan a bottle of Sword Condensation Pills in exchange for a duel to help him seek the Water Intent Realm.
• Xie Jinghan accepted and declared that he would draw his sword only once, with that strike deciding the winner.

Chu Ning and Xie Jinghan met for their long-awaited sword duel at Wangjiang Terrace, where their opposing sword intents clashed before they finally exchanged a single decisive strike. Xie Jinghan pierced Chu Ning’s defenses and won, and the crowd erupted in astonishment.

• Chu Ning and Xie Jinghan agreed to fight at Wangjiang Terrace three days later, and news of their duel spread throughout the martial world.
• Chu Ning prepared by meditating beside the river, while crowds gathered at Wangjiang Terrace to watch the duel.
• At noon, Xie Jinghan arrived, and the two swordsmen released their sword intents and faced off for three hours.
• A sudden downpour disrupted the stillness, giving Xie Jinghan the opening to draw his Thunderclap Sword as Chu Ning countered with Heaven-Overturning Giant Waves.
• Xie Jinghan’s sword light and lightning broke through Chu Ning’s defenses, and Chu Ning admitted defeat.
• The crowd celebrated Xie Jinghan’s victory, praising the speed and power of his single sword strike.

After learning from his duel with Chu Ning, Xie Jinghan watched Chu Ning and his companions depart for the Mystic Azure Sword Sect, then assessed his swordsmanship and examined the Sword Condensation Pills he had won. Blood Slaughter Sect spies identified Xie Jinghan as the sword master who had attacked their forces and reported his identity to their headquarters.

• Two Blood Slaughter Sect spies recognized Xie Jinghan at Wangjiang Terrace and secretly reported his identity to their headquarters.
• Chu Ning thanked Xie Jinghan for the duel’s insights and departed with Xie Jinlin, Wang Tianfeng, and Ling Yun for the Mystic Azure Sword Sect.
• Xie Jinghan encouraged Xie Jinlin to overcome the loss of his arm and pursue sword cultivation with his left hand.
• Xie Jinghan reviewed the duel, identified flaws in his swordsmanship, and saw that his Sword-Drawing Technique proficiency had increased substantially.
• Xie Jinghan took out the ten Sword Condensation Pills and examined one of them.

After three months of seclusion, Xie Jinghan had become the focus of martial-world attention for defeating Chu Ning, and Gong Feiyu identified him as the swordsman who had disrupted the Blood Slaughter Sect’s plans. Gong Feiyu ordered the Xie Residence sealed and sent a challenge, while Uncle Dong forced his way inside and confronted the Xie Household.

• Xie Jinghan took a Sword Condensation Pill every ten days and cultivated his Sword Intent in seclusion for three months.
• A storyteller at Rain-Listening Tower recounted how Xie Jinghan had shattered Chu Ning’s Canglang Sword Intent with one sword strike at Wangjiang Terrace.
• Gong Feiyu learned that Xie Jinghan’s Sword Intent matched the one that had destroyed the Blood Slaughter Sect’s Blood Baleful Intent at the Black Tiger Stronghold outpost.
• Gong Feiyu ordered the Blackfeather Guard to seal the Xie Residence and sent Uncle Dong with a Sword Challenge Letter to challenge Xie Jinghan.
• The Blackfeather Guard blocked every exit as Uncle Dong entered the Xie Residence and pushed past its guards toward the Parasol Tree Courtyard.
• Xie Xuanyuan and other Xie Household leaders confronted Uncle Dong, who unleashed his aura.

A Seventh Stage Innate Realm elder delivered Gong Feiyu’s challenge to Xie Jinghan, with the Xie Household’s survival staked on the duel. Xie Jinghan accepted and prepared to face Gong Feiyu at Wangjiang Terrace in three days, convinced his recent cultivation had made victory possible.

• A gray-robed elder threatened to exterminate the Xie Household unless Xie Jinghan fought Gong Feiyu at Wangjiang Terrace in three days.
• Xie Jinghan withstood the elder’s pressure and accepted the Sword Challenge Letter.
• Xie Huaijin urged Xie Jinghan to flee if he lacked confidence, while Xie Xuanyuan reminded him to prepare carefully for the duel.
• Xie Jinghan told his father and grandfather that he had no absolute confidence but believed he could win after further cultivation.
• Alone in the courtyard, Xie Jinghan reviewed his progress and declared his readiness to test himself against the heroes of the world.

Xie Jinghan faced Gong Feiyu at Wangjiang Terrace in a life-or-death duel that would decide the Xie clan’s fate. After Gong Feiyu revealed his Fourth Stage Innate Realm cultivation and Divine Weapon Blood Rain, the two unleashed opposing powers, and their clash began.

• Xie Jinghan spent three days refining his body, mind, and sword intent before arriving alone at Wangjiang Terrace.
• Gong Feiyu arrived using the Blood Shadow Technique and declared that the Xie Household would be spared if Xie Jinghan won, but destroyed if he lost.
• Gong Feiyu revealed his Fourth Stage Innate Realm cultivation and summoned the Divine Weapon Blood Rain as the gathered martial artists watched in alarm.
• Xie Jinghan drew together his True Qi and sword intent within the Thunderclap Sword, and silver-white sparks spread across his body.
• Gong Feiyu unleashed blood-red sword rain as Xie Jinghan’s lightning power met it, dividing Wangjiang Terrace into opposing silver-white and blood-red domains.

Xie Jinghan defeated Gong Feiyu with the Sword-Drawing Technique's One Hundred Thousand Volts, leaving him badly injured. After Gong Feiyu conceded and Uncle Dong took him away, the watching martial artists and sect representatives praised Xie Jinghan, who soon departed.

• Xie Jinghan and Gong Feiyu clashed with their strongest sword techniques, and Xie Jinghan's blinding sword strike distracted Gong Feiyu before lightning hit him.
• Uncle Dong rushed to save Gong Feiyu, but Gong Feiyu admitted defeat and ordered him to leave with him.
• Xie Jinghan refused Uncle Dong's threats as the crowd criticized the Blood Slaughter Sect for interfering in the duel.
• Chu Yi, the white-clad youth, and a man from the Mystic Azure Sword Sect assessed Xie Jinghan's skill while the crowd celebrated his victory.
• Representatives of several powers congratulated Xie Jinghan, who acknowledged them and left Wangjiang Terrace.

After defeating Gong Feiyu and securing the Xie Household, Xie Jinghan reflected on the battle and resolved to build up the clan’s combat strength. Miao Cunyi sent him a rare sword manual before departing for Shuzhong, leaving Xie Jinghan wondering about the man’s unusual fortune.

• Xie Jinghan returned to the Xie Residence, assured Xie Xuanyuan, Xie Huaijin, and Madam Yang that the Blood Slaughter Sect’s threat had passed, then went to the Parasol Tree Courtyard.
• Xie Jinghan reviewed how his Clear Swordheart, Thunderclap Sword, and Heart-Severing technique had helped him narrowly defeat Gong Feiyu.
• Xie Jinghan recognized that the Xie Household lacked Innate Realm fighters and decided to train its younger members into a core force with Xie Huaijin’s help.
• Lai Fu delivered a letter and package from Miao Cunyi, who was leaving for Shuzhong and offered the manual in repayment for Xie Jinghan’s kindness.
• Xie Jinghan opened the package and discovered the Seven-Star Sword Art, then dismissed Lai Fu and pondered Miao Cunyi’s mysterious journey.