Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping broke the bone bracelet that had suppressed his qi and blood, revealed his Raging Dragon Realm Dragon Whale Physique, and defeated Zhou Yuanqing. He continued beating Zhou Yuanqing after he tried to concede, then turned toward a terrifying aura rising from the stands.

• Zhou Yuanqing cut Xu Taiping's feet and approached as Xu lay battered, but Xu still refused to concede.
• Junior Sister Tiancheng urged Xu to fight without holding back, and Xu thanked her before shattering his bone bracelet.
• Xu unleashed his Raging Dragon Realm Dragon Whale Physique and shattered Zhou Yuanqing's blade shadow with a Baxia strike.
• Xu broke Zhou Yuanqing's protective shield and continued attacking, refusing to let him concede.
• An aged voice ordered Xu to stop, and Xu threatened whoever came down before turning to face the immense aura from the stands.

Xu Taiping defeated and killed Zhou Yuanqing despite the Mystic Blade Ancestor’s intervention, and Qiu Shanyuan declared him the winner while promising protection from the Mystic Blade Sect. The chapter left Lu Rushuang asking Ping'an whether he had heard a woman’s voice.

• Xu Taiping blocked the Mystic Blade Ancestor’s attack, and Qiu Shanyuan warned the elder not to interfere with the match.
• Xu Taiping rejected the Mystic Blade Ancestor’s claim that Zhou Yuanqing had conceded and killed Zhou Yuanqing with his flaming blade.
• The Mystic Blade Ancestor charged Xu Taiping, but Qiu Shanyuan’s golden flood dragon swallowed him and returned beneath the pool.
• Qiu Shanyuan checked Xu Taiping’s injuries, offered to handle the Mystic Blade Sect, and announced Xu Taiping as the winner.
• Chu Tiancheng and Lu Rushuang rejoiced over Xu Taiping’s victory, and Lu Rushuang asked Ping'an whether he had heard a woman’s voice.

At Mad Wolf Stronghold, the Buddhist abbots discovered a Primordial Demon Seed inside a Mystic Blade Sect expert and gained enough merit to break through into the Arhat Realm. The Demon Seed revealed that the Seventh Demon Abyss had set a trap for the Golden Scale Assembly, and Xuanzhi warned Lu Rushuang to pass the news to Taiping.

• Lu Rushuang told Xuanzhi that Taiping had won the battle and was not seriously injured.
• The five abbots destroyed the Mystic Blade Sect expert’s Primordial Spirit and uncovered a Primordial Demon Seed.
• Golden light empowered the monks, and the five abbots broke through into the Arhat Realm.
• Xuanzhi suggested interrogating the fragile Demon Seed, which agreed to answer their questions.
• The Demon Seed revealed that the Seventh Demon Abyss had laid a trap at the Golden Scale Assembly to wipe out the elites of the Five Heavens.
• Xuanzhi told Lu Rushuang that the threat to the Golden Scale Assembly needed to be passed on to Taiping.

Mu Yuchen told Mu Yun and Ji Ye how the Mystic Blade Sect had threatened Xu Taiping and manipulated the Golden Scale Assembly, while Mu Yun worried about how the sect had bypassed the ranking’s rules. New intelligence suggested Xu Taiping’s friend might have been rescued from Mad Wolf Stronghold, and Mu Yun prepared Ji Ye for the sixth round.

• Mu Yuchen explained that an expelled Mystic Blade Sect steward had abducted Xu Taiping’s friend and used her as leverage, while the Mystic Blade Ancestor had prepared Zhou Yuanqing for the Golden Scale Assembly.
• Mu Yun pointed out that the intelligence did not explain how the Mystic Blade Ancestor had circumvented the Golden Scale Ranking’s rules.
• Mu Yuchen reported that Buddhist Chan forces from Cloud-Hidden Temple and the Five Great Temples had besieged Mad Wolf Stronghold and rescued a wounded woman who might have been Xu Taiping’s friend.
• Mu Yun told Mu Yuchen to keep investigating and warned that the other sects might target Ji Ye in the sixth round.
• Ji Ye said he no longer needed to hide his strength, while Mu Yuchen hoped he might receive a bye among the fifteen remaining contestants.

Ji Ye revealed that he had learned the Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody, while Xu Taiping received a bye into the Golden Scale Assembly’s top eight and learned more about the hidden profound calamity demon seed. Blade Ghost then offered to guide Xu Taiping in attempting to comprehend a blade domain.

• Mu Yun and Mu Yuchen worried that Ji Ye would face Zhu Qiongmo, but Ji Ye said he had learned to play the Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody.
• Ji Ye told Mu Yun and Mu Yuchen he could nearly play the entire piece, and Mu Yun celebrated the return of the long-lost legacy.
• Xu Taiping discovered that his bye advanced him to the Golden Scale Assembly’s top eight, and Lu Rushuang advised him to rest and watch the other contestants.
• Lu Rushuang warned Xu Taiping that a profound calamity demon seed was hidden among the fifteen contestants and could grow stronger by defeating opponents.
• Blade Ghost told Xu Taiping he could enter the blade domain the next night and try to comprehend one, leaving Xu Taiping stunned.

Blade Ghost explained why he was helping Xu Taiping cultivate a blade domain, warning that recovering his memories might free him from the Ghost-Sealing Talisman's restraints and lead him to kill Xu Taiping. Xu Taiping accepted the risk and began learning about the Eight-Zhang Blade Domain, but Blade Ghost left him to figure out how to control ultimate intent on his own for six months.

• Blade Ghost said that testing blades with Xu Taiping had restored his memories and that training Xu Taiping could help him recover them further.
• Blade Ghost warned that regaining his complete memories might free him from the Ghost-Sealing Talisman's restraints and make him kill Xu Taiping, but Xu Taiping chose to continue learning.
• Blade Ghost explained that the Eight-Zhang Blade Domain let its cultivator sense an opponent's intentions within one zhang and stay one step ahead within ten steps.
• Xu Taiping asked Blade Ghost to teach him how to wield ultimate intent, but Blade Ghost said he would leave him to comprehend it himself for the first half of the year.

Xu Taiping watched Zhu Qiongmo face Ji Ye in the sixth round while Lu Rushuang explained the Nine Abysses’ Demon Seeds and warned that one of the competitors might be possessed by a Profound Calamity Demon Seed. The duel began with Zhu Qiongmo’s sword shadows surging against Ji Ye’s sound-made flying swords.

• Lu Rushuang noticed Xu Taiping looked pale, and he said he had stayed up practicing his blade.
• Lu Rushuang warned Xu Taiping that a competitor in the sixth round might be the vessel of a Profound Calamity Demon Seed.
• Lu Rushuang explained the types of Demon Seeds and how Profound Calamity Demon Seeds possessed hosts and grew stronger by defeating opponents.
• Zhu Qiongmo unleashed thousands of sword shadows that formed a mighty river of Sword Intent.
• Ji Ye calmly played his ancient qin, sending waves of sound transformed into flying swords against Zhu Qiongmo’s attack.

Ji Ye surprised the spectators by matching Zhu Qiongmo’s swordsmanship and blocking his powerful strike with a figure formed from zither notes and blue-green gang qi. Zhu Qiongmo then manifested a divine weapon Jueque, and Lu Rushuang explained that Kongming Cave possessed a more complete sword-nurturing legacy than Qingxuan.

• Ji Ye and Zhu Qiongmo traded sword attacks, surprising the spectators with Ji Ye’s skill.
• Lu Rushuang asked Xu Taiping to sense whether Ji Ye’s aura revealed a Profound Calamity Demon Seed, and he used his ultimate intent to watch for changes.
• Zhu Qiongmo condensed his sword qi into a massive strike, and Ji Ye stopped it with a human figure formed from zither notes and gang qi.
• Zhu Qiongmo formed a sword shadow resembling the divine weapon Jueque, which Xu Taiping recognized from Zhou Tong’s weapon.
• Lu Rushuang explained that Kongming Cave’s sword-nurturing swordsmanship shared origins with Qingxuan’s but preserved a more complete legacy.

Xu Taiping and Lu Rushuang watched Ji Ye use the Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody to withstand Zhu Qiongmo's Jueque Sword. As Zhu Qiongmo revealed the sword's true power, Ji Ye began summoning the Five Emperors into the formation.

• Xu Taiping sensed a terrifying power hidden within Zhu Qiongmo and suspected he had obtained an Origin Law Inheritance.
• Ji Ye used the Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody to summon an ancient army whose battle-intent shield stopped Zhu Qiongmo's Jueque Sword.
• Lu Rushuang identified Ji Ye's music as Great Emperor Peerless Nether's Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody, a technique said to rival the Origin Laws on the Spirit Bone Stele.
• Xu Taiping told Lu Rushuang he sensed no unusual power in either prodigy beyond the terrifying force within Zhu Qiongmo.
• Zhu Qiongmo urged Ji Ye to summon the Five Emperors, and Ji Ye invited the True Martial Great Emperor into the formation.

Ji Ye manifested a phantom of the True Martial Great Emperor to face Zhu Qiongmo’s Junque Sword, and their opposing powers shook the Golden Scale Pool. As both sides gathered strength for a decisive clash, Xu Taiping sensed that the outcome would come within ten breaths.

• Ji Ye summoned a phantom formed from a trace of the True Martial Great Emperor’s Divine Intent, and its pressure shattered three of the Golden Scale Pool’s five barriers.
• Princess Tiancheng suffered pain from looking at the phantom, so Lu Rushuang covered her eyes and Xu Taiping offered her wine.
• Zhu Qiongmo summoned the Junque Sword, whose heavy sword intent shattered the restored barriers and cut off the phantom’s pressure nearby.
• The Junque Sword and the True Martial Great Emperor’s phantom exchanged surges of power as Ji Ye and Zhu Qiongmo prepared their strongest attacks.
• Lu Rushuang and Xu Taiping assessed the weakening forces, and Xu Taiping judged that the outcome would be decided within ten breaths.

Ji Ye defeated Zhu Qiongmo with the True Martial Great Emperor’s phantom, alarming the Golden Scale Assembly contestants. The next-round matchups paired Ji Ye with Xu Taiping, who prepared to train in the Blade Domain before their fight in two days.

• Ji Ye summoned the True Martial Great Emperor through the Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody, whose sword shattered Zhu Qiongmo’s Junque Sword and struck him down.
• The spectators feared drawing Ji Ye, and Xu Taiping joked that the thing people feared was most likely to happen.
• Xu Taiping, Lu Rushuang, and the others watched the Golden Scale Ranking announce the next-round matchups.
• Xu Taiping drew Ji Ye, and Blade Ghost ordered him to train in the Blade Domain that night.
• Mu Yuchen celebrated the matchup and said Xiao Ye could avenge Mu Yun, while Mu Yun noted that they knew Xu Taiping’s strengths and weaknesses.

Xu Taiping mastered the ability to open his Eight-Zhang Blade Domain at will after three days of brutal training with Blade Ghost. Before the seventh round of the Golden Scale Assembly, Lu Rushuang revealed that winning could grant him access to a treasury containing a treasure tied to Lü Daoxuan’s life or death.

• Blade Ghost healed Xu Taiping’s injuries, then attacked him, prompting Xu Taiping to open his Eight-Zhang Blade Domain at will and sever Blade Ghost’s arm.
• Blade Ghost congratulated Xu Taiping but warned that he still had to develop a unique ability for the domain to master it fully.
• Xu Taiping left the domain and joined Little Martial Aunt, Chu Tiancheng, and the others for breakfast before the seventh round.
• Lu Rushuang told Xu Taiping that winning the match could qualify him to enter Emperor Youyun’s treasuries and find a treasure that might affect Lü Daoxuan’s fate.

As Xu Taiping faced Ji Ye on the Golden Scale Platform, Azure Profound Sect’s disciples learned that Duan Xiaoyu had been rescued and that powerful allies in Youyun Heaven would protect him. The match began with Ji Ye’s blade-dance melody, and he challenged Xu Taiping to endure it before he would play the Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody.

• Zhao Linglong asked Jiang Zhi to pinch her as she watched Xu Taiping stand on the Golden Scale Platform.
• Dugu Qingxiao played Huang Que’s message, which confirmed Duan Xiaoyu had been rescued by Xuanzhi and that Youyun Heaven’s Chan School and other allies would support Xu Taiping.
• The Seven Peaks disciples learned that Xu Taiping was no longer under threat in Youyun Heaven, and Lin Buyu felt relieved.
• The Sword Qi walls on the Golden Scale Platform burst apart, beginning Xu Taiping and Ji Ye’s match.
• Ji Ye played Guangling Pavilion’s Slaying Demons melody, while Xu Taiping watched him and ignored the phantom dancer as a diversion.
• Ji Ye told Xu Taiping he had to endure Slaying Demons before he could hear the Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody, then struck a forceful note on the Ancient Qin.

Xu Taiping revealed his mastery of the Demon-Slaying Blade and broke through Ji Ye’s Huanqiu Fairy attack with the Chaotic Cicada Stance. Ji Ye snapped three zither strings to summon Huanqiu Fairy again and stop Xu Taiping’s approaching strike.

• Huanqiu Fairy’s twin blades battered Xu Taiping and drove him backward as Ji Ye played “Slaying Demons.”
• Zhu Qiongmo noticed that Xu Taiping was gradually closing the distance to Ji Ye despite appearing to struggle against Huanqiu Fairy’s blade force.
• Xu Taiping unleashed the Demon-Slaying Blade’s Chaotic Cicada Stance and shattered Huanqiu Fairy’s blade force.
• Xu Taiping’s converging blade shadows formed a massive strike aimed at Ji Ye.
• Ji Ye snapped three zither strings, causing Huanqiu Fairy’s phantom to reappear and raise its blades against Xu Taiping’s strike.

Xu Taiping pressed Ji Ye after shattering his defenses, forcing Ji Ye to unleash the remnant soul of Ancient Beast Kui within the Ancient Qin. Xu Taiping then overwhelmed the beast’s phantom with his fists, leaving the bloodied Ji Ye trying to restring the instrument as the fight continued.

• Xu Taiping destroyed Fairy Huanqiu’s blade force and used his hidden Mysterious Origin Avatar to knock Ji Ye away before striking him again.
• Ji Ye snapped the Ancient Qin’s strings, summoning the phantom of Ancient Beast Kui, whose roar sent Xu Taiping skidding hundreds of zhang.
• Mu Yun scolded Mu Yuchen for urging Ji Ye to humiliate Xu Taiping, then recognized Xu Taiping’s exceptional blade skill and powerful cultivation.
• Xu Taiping strengthened his aura, cut through Kui’s sound waves, and attacked the phantom with Great Sun Golden Flame and the Raging Thunder Form.
• Xu Taiping’s punches passed through Kui’s phantom and battered Ji Ye, who kept restringing the Ancient Qin while Mu Yuchen anxiously urged him on.

Xu Taiping refused to yield as Ji Ye summoned the True Martial Great Emperor, then revealed a Blade Domain that slowed the Emperor’s descending sword. The chapter ended with the spectators recognizing Xu Taiping’s domain.

• Ji Ye repaired his zither and resumed playing the “Heavenly Demon Formation-Entering Melody,” summoning armored phantoms to block Xu Taiping.
• Xu Taiping pressed forward through the phantoms and told Ji Ye to summon the True Martial Great Emperor, insisting he had to win.
• Ji Ye called the True Martial Great Emperor into the formation, and the phantom swung a spiritual-energy sword at Xu Taiping.
• Chu Tiancheng urged Xu Taiping to concede, but Xu Taiping drew his blade instead of retreating.
• Xu Taiping opened his Blade Domain, surrounding himself and the True Martial Great Emperor with a crane shadow and a lotus throne of blade shadows that slowed the Emperor’s sword.

Xu Taiping opened an eight-zhang blade domain, shattered the True Martial Great Emperor's phantom, and defeated Ji Ye. As the others considered the threat he posed, Zhu Huai warned that Xu Taiping could become far more dangerous if he mastered the domain further.

• Xu Taiping's blade domain shattered the True Martial Great Emperor's phantom, and Ji Ye conceded after his qin strings snapped and his aura weakened.
• Xu Taiping confirmed that this was his first time opening a blade domain, and Mu Yun realized he had comprehended it in less than half a month.
• Zhu Huai told Third Prince Chu Yinan to have his Second Sister apologize to Xu Taiping's allies to avoid provoking the expert guiding him.
• Zhu Huai explained that Xu Taiping's domain countered Ji Ye's technique but had limits, and advised Chu Yinan to prepare against its eight-zhang range.
• Chu Yinan promised not to disappoint Zhu Huai, who warned that Xu Taiping might master the domain further and develop power of his own.

After Xu Taiping displayed a Blade Domain, the Nine Prefectures leaders considered what his success could mean for True Martial Heaven and its lost inheritance. They resolved to reopen the Sword Chief Ranking if he won the championship.

• Chu Yinan told Zhu Huai he had investigated Tang Yan and would remove one of his rings for their match.
• The Nine Prefectures leaders celebrated Xu Taiping’s Blade Domain and discussed how his ranking could help restore True Martial Heaven’s martial fortune.
• Sword Maniac Qian Yi pointed out that a top-three finish could earn True Martial Heaven martial fortune true words from Emperor Youyun, potentially reviving the True Martial Great Emperor Inheritance.
• The Guest Elder from Yellow Maple Valley warned that reopening the Sword Chief Ranking could let cultivators from other heavens take True Martial Heaven’s remaining treasures.
• A Meng and Qian Yi said Xu Taiping could win the championship, and Liu Chuxuan vowed to reopen the Sword Chief Ranking if he did.
• Lu Rushuang privately prayed that Xu Taiping would succeed, calling his journey the last chance for the Taixuan Sect lineage.

Xu Taiping met Dongfang Yuejian while recovering from his injuries, and she offered to help him obtain Transformation Pills for Ping'an and Bai Yu through her family. Their conversation ended when Mo Yachu arrived and confronted them in the great hall.

• Xu Taiping contacted Little Martial Aunt and asked Ping'an for another Qi-Gathering Pill as he continued recovering.
• Dongfang Yuejian asked to hold Ping'an, recognized his Mountain-Lifting Ape bloodline, and discovered he had reached the Great Yao King Realm.
• Dongfang Yuejian offered to arrange a low-priced Transformation Pill through her family's spirit-beast business and gave Xu Taiping a Jade Jue with directions to the Dongfang Household's residence.
• Ping'an told Xu Taiping that Dongfang Yuejian cared for abandoned elderly spirit pets, and Xu Taiping sensed her kindness in how carefully she handled Ping'an.
• Mo Yachu entered the hall and complained about the noise, prompting Dongfang Yuejian to apologize and Xu Taiping to recognize him as her opponent.

Xu Taiping discovered that Mo Yachu was a Profound Calamity Demon Seed who planned to slaughter everyone at the Golden Scale Pool, but he could not warn anyone without triggering the seed’s power. He gave Dongfang Yuejian a Moonshadow Stone containing footage of his fighting, then hurried back to the stands as the next match was announced.

• Xu Taiping sensed no demon seed in Mo Yachu and prepared to leave after bidding Dongfang Yuejian farewell.
• Ping'an revealed that Mo Yachu was cursing them, speaking to someone about gaining magical power, and intended to kill everyone to win.
• Xu Taiping realized Mo Yachu was a Profound Calamity Demon Seed and decided he could not openly warn Dongfang Yuejian or Youyun Prefecture.
• Xu Taiping gave Dongfang Yuejian a Moonshadow Stone as a return gift and left without explaining its contents.
• Dongfang Yuejian watched Xu Taiping’s battle footage, studied his techniques and physique, and considered using them with One Stroke Opens Heaven.
• Qiu Shanyuan announced the match between Chu Yinan of Youyun Heaven and Tang Yan of Chenglong Heaven, and Xu Taiping reached the Mysterious Cloud Martial Hall stands.