Chapter Summaries

Nie Yun entered the first trial of the inheritance and learned that he had one hour to cultivate the Great Evolution Tianji Sword before facing a test. After calming his mind, he studied the sword art’s first three forms.

• Nie Yun learned that only twelve of 107 challengers had passed the first trial and that all 95 who failed had died because weapons and Talisman Armor were forbidden.
• Nie Yun entered the passage, and the stone turtle hoped he would succeed so it could be freed.
• Nie Yun reached a courtyard and discovered a stone stele bearing the Great Evolution Tianji Sword.
• Nie Yun learned that he had one hour to cultivate the sword art to a required level and pass a test without using weapons or magical treasures.
• Nie Yun regulated his breathing, cleared his mind, and studied the sword art’s first three forms: Shattering Stars, Chasing Stars Chasing Sun, and Sword Points to the Heavens.

Nie Yun studied the three forms of the Great Evolution Tianji Sword but found that he could not meet even the first two forms’ basic requirements. With the one-hour deadline approaching, he reconsidered whether the sword art had to be learned through ordinary practice.

• Nie Yun read the Great Evolution Tianji Sword’s three forms before attempting to cultivate them.
• Nie Yun tried to gather enough sword intent for Shattering Stars but failed to reach even one-tenth of the required amount.
• Nie Yun practiced Chasing Stars and Pursuing the Sun and discovered that his sword speed was only half the Heavenly Dao’s minimum required speed.
• Nie Yun realized that Sword Points to the Heavens required mastering the first two forms and abandoned the attempt.
• Nie Yun saw that more than half an hour had passed and began searching for another way to learn the sword art.

Nie Yun overcame the Great Evolution Tianji Sword’s demanding first trial by merging the sword intent of its first three moves into his Sword Dao Dantian. He shattered the first stone stele with a seventh-level purple sword light and turned toward the second test.

• A hidden stone turtle watched Nie Yun stop practicing and assumed he had given up on the trial.
• Nie Yun realized his weak cultivation, not his comprehension, prevented him from performing the Great Evolution Tianji Sword, so he merged the sword intent and methods of its first three moves into his Sword Dao Dantian.
• The Sword Dao Dantian advanced into the Top Ten before the trial’s hour ended.
• Nie Yun went to the first stone stele and unleashed purple sword light, shattering it with a seventh-level strike.
• The hidden stone turtle recognized the Great Evolution Tianji Sword’s seventh level, and its body shattered as the Formation around it broke.
• Nie Yun looked toward the second stone stele, preparing to face the next test.

Nie Yun broke the second stone stele and realized he could not perform the third sword move at the required level. With time running out, he attempted to fuse its two component techniques using both hands, while the watching stone turtle feared the dangerous backlash.

• Nie Yun used Chasing Stars and Pursuing the Sun to shatter the second stone stele.
• Nie Yun tested Sword Points to the Heavens and found that he could only execute its first level, below the fourth level required to break the final stele.
• Nie Yun decided to combine Shattering Stars and Chasing Stars and Pursuing the Sun with his Heavenly Hand Master Talent.
• The stone turtle watched Nie Yun and realized that his attempt to fuse the techniques could kill him.
• Nie Yun drew the two streams of sword qi together and strained to fuse them.

Nie Yun fused two moves of the Great Evolution Tianji Sword into a powerful new sword art, destroyed the trial’s stone steles, and passed the first trial. In the next courtyard, a stone turtle praised him and offered him the chance to return for the second trial after reaching the Perfected King Realm.

• The stone turtle tried to stop Nie Yun from fusing the sword moves, but watched in shock as he succeeded.
• Nie Yun combined Shattering Stars and Chasing Stars and Pursuing the Sun into a new sword art whose power he estimated had increased tenfold.
• Nie Yun’s fused sword intent blasted the stone stele and damaged the courtyard, completing the first trial.
• A ray of light transported Nie Yun to another courtyard, where a different stone turtle welcomed him.
• The stone turtle praised Nie Yun’s potential and offered him the chance to challenge the second trial after reaching the Perfected King Realm.

Nie Yun learned that Yan Huang Hall’s second trial required him to defeat ten Perfected King Realm experts and an early-stage Emperor Realm expert, so he chose to return when he was stronger. Stone Turtle revealed that the hall had six trials and allowed only three attempts, leaving Nie Yun to face a demanding path toward refining it.

• Stone Turtle explained that Nie Yun’s second trial would pit him against ten Perfected King Realm experts using the Great Evolution Tianji Sword while an early-stage Emperor Realm expert oversaw the battle.
• Stone Turtle said the first trial’s reward was the first three forms of the Great Evolution Tianji Sword and the preservation of Nie Yun’s memories, while the second trial offered a great but undisclosed reward.
• Nie Yun decided to attempt the second trial after reaching the Perfected King Realm, and Stone Turtle promised to leave a strand of consciousness that could bring him back.
• Stone Turtle revealed that Feng Zhen had been killed by the little Qiu Long Beast and had fought Nie Yun after fusing with Stone Turtle’s consciousness; it also said it had revived the beast.
• Stone Turtle confirmed that it controlled the Qiu Long Beasts, then warned Nie Yun that Yan Huang Hall allowed three attempts to pass all its trials and refine the palace.
• Nie Yun asked how many trials the hall contained, and Stone Turtle answered that there were six.

Nie Yun completed the first trial in Yan Huang Hall and returned to the altar with the Great Evolution Tianji Sword and a mark that let him return. After demonstrating Devouring Power, he convinced General Zhi Yao that he was the missing prince, and began to suspect his dantian could replicate the Great Daos of other Great Emperors.

• The stone turtle told Nie Yun that no one had passed all six trials, warned him that two who cleared the first four were killed outside, and said Yan Huang Hall's secret must remain hidden.
• Nie Yun promised to attempt the remaining trials, then used the mark left in him to return to the altar where Fei Tong and the others were waiting.
• General Zhi Yao questioned whether Nie Yun was truly the prince, so Nie Yun showed him a strand of Devouring Power.
• General Zhi Yao sensed the imperial bloodline in the power and knelt to greet Nie Yun as the prince.
• Nie Yun wondered whether his dantian could replicate the Great Daos of other Great Emperors, recalling that he had also replicated Miss Bi'er's Fire God Qi.

Nie Yun and General Zhi Yao left the hidden valley and learned that Zhi Yao’s troops had found the Spirit Awakening Flower. At the flower’s location, Nie Yun noticed something wrong and urged them to harvest it immediately, but Wang Yao objected.

• Nie Yun asked General Zhi Yao to keep his supposed princely identity secret, and the group left the valley without resistance from the Qiu Long Beasts.
• General Zhi Yao received word that the Spirit Awakening Flower had been found and led Nie Yun and the others to the soldiers guarding it.
• Wang Yao showed General Zhi Yao the pale purple flower and said it would mature within three days.
• Nie Yun noticed that the flower’s appearance seemed discordant and advised General Zhi Yao to harvest it at once.
• Wang Yao dismissed Nie Yun’s warning and shouted that harvesting the flower early would waste its medicinal effects.

Nie Yun dismissed the group's doubts about the Spirit Awakening Flower, settled into a cave with General Zhi Yao's men, and kept his princely identity concealed. That night, Miss Bi'er visited him and asked for help saving her Fire God Sect branch from a deadly accumulation of Fire Toxin.

• Nie Yun said the Spirit Awakening Flower was dead, but Wang Yao and General Zhi Yao doubted him.
• Wang Yao showed the group the cave he had prepared, and Nie Yun chose a room by the entrance.
• General Zhi Yao introduced Nie Yun as his friend, while Nie Yun described himself as an ordinary wandering cultivator.
• Nie Yun meditated and continued strengthening his cultivation until Miss Bi'er came to his room at night.
• Miss Bi'er explained that Fire Toxin was killing her branch and asked Nie Yun, whom she believed to be a prince with a pure Devouring Bloodline, to draw it from their bodies.

Nie Yun considered treating Bi'er’s fire toxin after learning the payment would include a Purple Cloud Fruit and a Perfected King Artifact. After discovering the toxin was suppressed in her Huiyin acupoint, he became embarrassed and suggested abandoning the treatment.

• Bi'er offered herself and then treasures and pills in exchange for Nie Yun helping her and her master remove their fire toxin, but he initially refused.
• Bi'er promised a Purple Cloud Fruit and a Perfected King Artifact, and Nie Yun agreed to examine her condition.
• Nie Yun sent Wood Life Qi and Devouring Qi through Bi'er’s body but found no fire toxin.
• Bi'er revealed that she had suppressed the toxin in her Huiyin acupoint, and Nie Yun felt too embarrassed to proceed.

Nie Yun considered how to draw the Fire Toxin from Miss Bi'er, but hesitated to use his hidden Fire God Flame and reveal that he possessed multiple abilities. Their discussion was interrupted when Wang Yao reported trouble with the Spirit Awakening Flower.

• Nie Yun proposed fishing the Fire Toxin out of Miss Bi'er's body, but she explained that a previous attempt using a Core Disciple's true energy flame had only strengthened the toxin.
• Nie Yun realized his replicated flame energy and Devouring Power might let him draw out and remove the Fire Toxin, but feared exposing his multiple abilities to Miss Bi'er and General Zhi Yao.
• Nie Yun told Miss Bi'er he could only help if she found a way to lure the Fire Toxin out, and declined to reveal his Fire God Flame.
• Wang Yao hurried into the cavern and anxiously reported that something had happened to the Spirit Awakening Flower.
• Nie Yun and Miss Bi'er went outside with General Zhi Yao to investigate.

Nie Yun examined the Spirit Awakening Flower after it rapidly turned white and lost its vitality, concluding that it had already been dead earlier and that no one had caused the change. He urged General Zhi Yao to harvest it quickly before its remaining medicinal power disappeared.

• General Zhi Yao and Wang Yao found the Spirit Awakening Flower covered in white specks and losing its vitality.
• General Zhi Yao called Nie Yun over to inspect the flower, while Wang Yao begged him to explain what had happened.
• Nie Yun recognized that the flower's aura had been misleading and said it had already been dead during the day.
• Nie Yun used the Heavenly Eye to inspect the flower and determined that no one had come near it or caused its deterioration.
• Nie Yun advised General Zhi Yao to harvest the flower immediately and store it before it turned completely white.

After the Spirit Awakening Flower lost much of its potency, Nie Yun stayed behind to investigate its cause. Tracking the loss of spiritual energy to a fissure beneath the mountaintop, he dug open a passage and entered it.

• General Zhi Yao ordered Wang Yao to harvest the damaged Spirit Awakening Flower and lead the soldiers away.
• Nie Yun stayed behind to investigate the flower’s sudden decline, while General Zhi Yao camped with the army at the mountain’s foot to wait for him.
• Nie Yun used a fallen leaf from the Spirit Awakening Flower and Tracking Qi to locate the source of the missing spiritual energy.
• Following the leaf, Nie Yun climbed to the summit of the mountain and found a snow-covered hillock where the trail stopped.
• Nie Yun broke open the hillock, uncovered a dark fissure, dug a passage into it, and slipped inside.

Nie Yun followed the leaf’s guidance through an underground cavern and found an Earth Vein Spirit Bamboo. He captured it and brought it into his Storage World, where he erased its intelligence.

• Nie Yun dug through rock with the Great Evolution Tianji Sword and fell into a vast natural cavern.
• Following the leaf, Nie Yun crossed the hot cave and reached a cooler cavern with a stream.
• Nie Yun found an Earth Vein Spirit Bamboo and set up a Nine Star Spirit Dispersion Formation to conceal its spiritual energy.
• Nie Yun cut down the spirit bamboo with sword energy and caught it before it could burrow away.
• Nie Yun stored the bamboo in his Storage World, stopped it from escaping, and eradicated its intelligence.

After tempering his body with the Earth Vein Spirit Bamboo, Nie Yun reached Peak King-Sealing strength and discovered that his Earth Walking Talent had improved. He left the cave with a new ability to burrow through the hard ground of the Universal Divine Realm.

• Nie Yun used less than a tenth of the Earth Vein Spirit Bamboo to temper his body and found that his physical strength had reached Peak King-Sealing.
• Nie Yun tested his strength by striking the Storage World and tearing open a vast rift, then cleaned himself and left the Storage World.
• Nie Yun punched through the mountain rock and realized his body resonated with the earth veins.
• Nie Yun discovered that his Earth Walker Master dantian had risen in rank and merged Earth Walking Qi into his body.
• Nie Yun tried earthwalking and successfully burrowed through the mountain rock, gaining a way to escape powerful enemies.

Nie Yun returned from Luoji Mountain with the Spirit Awakening Flower and entered Fire God City with General Zhi Yao’s troops. After learning how Fire God Coins worked, he realized he might be able to counterfeit them with his Storage World and Fire God Qi.

• Nie Yun emerged from the mountain hours later than promised, and General Zhi Yao’s group packed up and left Luoji Mountain with him.
• After traveling for nearly half a month and then walking another day, the group reached Fire God City, where General Zhi Yao expected Nie Yun to reunite with Nie Tong and the others.
• Nie Yun entered the city and learned from Fei Tong that Fire God Coins were its common currency and contained the aura of the Fire God Great Dao.
• Fei Tong said Lord Fire God had forged the coins and that no one could counterfeit them, prompting Nie Yun to consider using his Storage World and Fire God Qi to make his own.

Nie Yun learned that Nie Tong had been seized by the Joint Enforcement Team for being an ascender, and he demanded to know where they had taken him. When a commander mocked him and refused to cooperate, Nie Yun struck him down.

• Nie Yun arrived at General Zhi Yao's manor and searched the gathered soldiers for Nie Tong.
• General Zhi Yao asked Fan Zhong where Nie Tong was, and a commander revealed that the Joint Enforcement Team had taken him away as an ascender two days earlier.
• Nie Yun demanded to know where Nie Tong had been captured and where the Enforcement Team was.
• The commander insulted Nie Yun and dismissed his concern, so Nie Yun shattered the man's arms and struck him across the face.

Nie Yun learned that the Joint Enforcement Team had taken his younger brother, Nie Tong, and demanded help finding the secretive group. Just as General Zhi Yao admitted he could do nothing, Miss Bi'er offered to help.

• Nie Yun struck a commander who had challenged him, and General Zhi Yao ordered the others to lower their weapons.
• Fan Zhong explained that the Joint Enforcement Team had seized Nie Tong after identifying him as an ascender.
• General Zhi Yao told Nie Yun that the Joint Enforcement Team served the conservative factions of eight major powers and operated from hidden bases.
• Nie Yun learned that General Zhi Yao did not know where the local team was based and ordered him to help find it.
• Miss Bi'er told Nie Yun that she might be able to help.

Nie Yun and Bi'er traveled to Fire God Mountain so she could seek her master's help locating the Enforcement Team and Nie Yun's brother. They entered the Fire God Sect, and Bi'er led Nie Yun toward her master, warning him to be careful around her bad-tempered teacher.

• Bi'er offered to help Nie Yun find the Enforcement Team, and General Zhi Yao quickly carried them toward Fire God Mountain.
• After they left, Fei Tong told Fan Zhong and the others that Nie Yun's identity was so noble that no one would dare avenge even a slain general.
• General Zhi Yao stopped outside Fire God Mountain because his position in the Pu Tian Dynasty made entering the sect risky, and Bi'er continued with Nie Yun.
• Bi'er presented her identity token and introduced Nie Yun as a physician she had invited to treat her master's injuries, allowing them to pass the sect's strength inspection.
• Bi'er told Nie Yun she would ask her master to help locate the Enforcement Team and warned him that her master had a bad temper.

Nie Yun met Fairy Biluo to ask about the Enforcement Team’s residence and learned that captured ascenders were not necessarily killed, easing his fear for Nie Tong. Fairy Biluo explained that killing ascenders would burden the Enforcement Team with karmic sins, and Nie Yun asked how the team dealt with them instead.

• Miss Bi'er brought Nie Yun to her master’s courtyard and told him she had claimed they were bound by a marriage agreement so Fairy Biluo would agree to meet him.
• Nie Yun met Fairy Biluo and asked about the Enforcement Team because his friend had been captured.
• Fairy Biluo asked whether Nie Yun’s friend was an ascender, and Nie Yun confirmed it.
• Fairy Biluo explained that killing ascenders would bring karmic sins upon the Enforcement Team and hinder its members’ cultivation.
• Nie Yun felt reassured about Nie Tong’s safety and asked how the Enforcement Team dealt with captured ascenders.