Chapter Summaries

Chu Zhiyuan reached Grandmaster Perfection after refining the Thunderclap Sword and returned to Prince Qing’s Estate, where officials’ impeachments and his growing reputation remained matters of concern. Chu Qingfeng then began explaining why the Great Jing Imperial Clan produced so many Great Grandmasters.

• Bai Ningshuang objected to the officials impeaching Chu Zhiyuan, while Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Minghou discussed the court’s motives and whether Imperial Consort should intervene.
• Chu Zhiyuan told Chu Yi and Li Suyue that he was close to Grandmaster Perfection and encouraged them to pursue Great Grandmaster realms.
• Chu Zhiyuan broke through to Grandmaster Perfection, found that the Thunderclap Sword could develop meridians through the Void Controlling Sword Scripture, and celebrated his progress.
• Chu Qingfeng praised Chu Zhiyuan’s calm state of mind and advised him to visit Moon Invitation Palace, while the princes gathered to hear about his actions in the Eastern Territory.
• Chu Zhiyuan joined the others in cultivating the Violet Sun True Scripture but found that his cultivation no longer advanced after reaching Grandmaster Perfection.
• Chu Qingfeng took Chu Zhiyuan to Autumn Knowing Hall and began explaining why the Great Jing Imperial Clan produced so many Great Grandmasters.

Chu Qingfeng revealed that the Great Jing Imperial Clan used the Kunlun Visualization Diagram to help suitable members perceive the Grandmaster Gate, then took Chu Zhiyuan to see it. Chu Zhiyuan began studying the ancient diagram but could not yet visualize it clearly.

• Chu Qingfeng explained that the Kunlun Visualization Diagram could reveal the Grandmaster Gate to those with sufficient aptitude, but warned Chu Zhiyuan that his heavy killing intent made it dangerous.
• Chu Qingfeng told Chu Zhiyuan that Chu Mingrui could not master the diagram or become a Grandmaster, while the Emperor's Sword remained the key obstacle to Chu Zhiyuan's succession.
• Chu Qingfeng brought Chu Zhiyuan to an underground palace and explained that the Great Ancestor had found the diagram in a cave mansion after it was passed down from the Yuchuan Sect.
• Chu Zhiyuan tried to visualize the faded snow-mountain painting, but the image remained blurred in his mind despite his Super Sensation.

Chu Zhiyuan used the Kunlun Visualization Diagram to advance toward the Grandmaster realm, enduring illusions that gradually clarified the diagram and calmed his state of mind. After leaving to observe Weng Qifeng’s progress, he learned that the Jade Cauldron Sect might retaliate by storming the Prince’s Mansion.

• Chu Zhiyuan endured more than ten illusions while visualizing the Kunlun Visualization Diagram, and its image became clear, though Chu Qingfeng told him it still needed to come alive before revealing the Grandmaster Gate.
• Chu Qingfeng explained that the illusions tempered the heart and refined essence, qi, and spirit, while Chu Zhiyuan found his mind becoming calmer.
• Chu Zhiyuan replenished his exhausted mental strength with the Heavenly Yuan Art, and Chu Qingfeng told him to stop for the day and visit Moon Invitation Palace before resuming visualization.
• Chu Zhiyuan decided to visit Weng Qifeng at the other courtyard to study how a Grandmaster advanced from Grandmaster Perfection.
• Chu Zhiyuan met Gao Jiuqu on Phoenix Avenue and asked whether the evil sects would retaliate for his slaughter of them.
• Gao Jiuqu warned that the Jade Cauldron Sect might break into the inner city and storm the Prince’s Mansion, and Chu Zhiyuan said he had not killed enough.

Chu Zhiyuan learned from Gao Jiuqu that four Jade Cauldron Sect Grandmasters planned to attack Prince Qing's Estate, then sparred with him at the Great Zhen Pavilion. He wagered with Li Hongzhao that he would reach the Great Grandmaster realm within a month in exchange for entry to her most elite Yunmeng Secret Land, and left as she warned him about the evil sects' retaliation.

• Gao Jiuqu warned Chu Zhiyuan that four Jade Cauldron Sect Grandmasters would attack Prince Qing's Estate within the next few days, and Chu Zhiyuan realized his family was in danger.
• Chu Zhiyuan refused Li Hongzhao's request to watch his private spar with Gao Jiuqu, then defeated him in a prolonged sword exchange.
• Chu Zhiyuan told Li Hongzhao he had reached Grandmaster Perfection and believed the Great Grandmaster realm was within reach.
• Chu Zhiyuan wagered that he would enter the Great Grandmaster realm within one month, asking for access to Li Hongzhao's most elite Yunmeng Secret Land if he succeeded.
• Li Hongzhao accepted the wager and warned Chu Zhiyuan to beware the evil sects' retaliation before he departed.

Chu Zhiyuan learned that the Jade Cauldron Sect planned to send four Grandmasters to attack Prince Qing's Estate and prevent him from reaching the Grandmaster realm. As he entered seclusion, Chu Qingyan reinforced the estate while news of Chu Zhiyuan's cultivation spread.

• Chu Zhiyuan told Chu Qingyan that the Jade Cauldron Sect planned a Grandmaster raid, and they suspected the attackers were prepared to flee to Great Meng after their strike.
• Chu Qingyan explained that Grandmasters of the Duyuan Sect had once killed Chu Zhiyuan's uncle and cousin, prompting the Emperor to destroy their sect, and said he would send four Grandmasters to guard the estate.
• Chu Zhiyuan announced that he was entering seclusion, but Gao Jiuqu could not use Heaven's Machine Art to see his fate.
• Li Hongzhao worried that Chu Zhiyuan might soon become a Grandmaster and that the evil sects would try to stop him.
• Chu Qingyan personally led three Grandmasters to Prince Qing's Estate to protect Chu Zhiyuan during his seclusion.

Chu Zhiyuan broke through to the Great Grandmaster realm after five days of cultivation, while a heavenly phenomenon drew attention across Yujing City. Li Hongzhao advanced to Grandmaster Perfection after witnessing his breakthrough, and news of Chu Zhiyuan’s achievement spread throughout the city.

• Chu Zhiyuan cultivated the Kunlun Visualization Diagram for five days until his Gang Qi transformed into Spiritual Qi and a nine-story Golden Tower appeared between his brows.
• Dark clouds and thunder gathered over Prince Qing's Estate, revealing Chu Zhiyuan's breakthrough to the Great Grandmaster realm to onlookers across Yujing City.
• Chu Zhiyuan realized the Golden Tower was an almost impossible barrier to surpass, then found he could control his sword and Flying Daggers more easily.
• Li Hongzhao witnessed the celestial phenomenon and advanced to Grandmaster Perfection in the Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Technique.
• News that the Fourth Heir Apparent had entered the Great Grandmaster realm spread throughout Yujing City.

Chu Zhiyuan became a Grandmaster and learned that his new strength let him perceive Spiritual Power, the mind, and other people’s cultivation in extraordinary detail, though the Golden Tower within him seemed even harder to destroy. He set out to learn the later portions of the Violet Sun True Scripture, while Li Hongzhao decided to honor her wager and enter a secret realm.

• The crowd at Bright Moon Tower celebrated Chu Zhiyuan as the greatest prodigy of all time, while Li Hongzhao worried that his breakthrough meant she had lost their wager; she ultimately agreed to enter the secret realm.
• Chu Zhiyuan examined his newly awakened Grandmaster abilities, saw the soul and Spiritual Power in his mind, and realized the Golden Tower was collecting Yin energy as well as Spiritual Power.
• Chu Zhiyuan visited Chu Qingyan, who told him to learn the later portions of the Violet Sun True Scripture and warned him not to kill people in secret realms or Cave Heavens, except for evil sect Demonic Humans.
• Chu Zhiyuan traveled to Bright Martial Hall, found he could see through others’ cultivation, and discovered he still could not recall the patterns on his Feng Script jade pendant.
• Chu Qingfeng welcomed Chu Zhiyuan as a Grandmaster and asked whether he wanted a higher Ministry of Rites post; Chu Zhiyuan declined, saying his Left Assistant Minister position was enough.

Chu Zhiyuan learned how the Rising Sun Visualization Diagram gathered Spiritual Power and tried using the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique to break through the Grandmaster Realm. He found that even empowered Dragon Binding Ropes and Blade Intent could not damage his Golden Tower, leaving him discouraged.

• Chu Qingfeng explained that the Rising Sun Visualization Diagram stored Spiritual Power, could form a domain, and helped ease breakthroughs, while uncontrolled Spiritual Power had led the Flying Heaven Sect to abandon blade cultivation.
• Chu Qingfeng told Chu Zhiyuan that he could test whether the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique, which he had mastered, would help him break through the Grandmaster Realm.
• Chu Zhiyuan visualized the rising sun, gathered his Spiritual Power into it, and confirmed that the Heavenly Yuan Art and Earthly Yuan Art drew power from heaven and earth respectively.
• Chu Zhiyuan formed ten Dragon Binding Ropes and sent them against his Golden Tower, but they left it unscathed and further attempts threatened to strain his Meridians.
• Chu Zhiyuan condensed Blade Intent into Spiritual Qi and attacked again, but the Golden Tower remained unharmed, and he despaired at the difficulty of advancing beyond the first Grandmaster layer.

Chu Zhiyuan explored the limits of his Rising Sun Visualization Diagram and sought ways to advance beyond the Grandmaster Realm. He learned the Evil Sect still planned to attack Prince Qing’s Estate, then questioned Li Hongzhao about her continued cultivation and concluded she relied on external power.

• Chu Zhiyuan cultivated the Rising Sun Visualization Diagram, extending its range to one hundred meters and discovering that his Spiritual Power could intervene on the spiritual level but not affect physical objects.
• Chu Zhiyuan realized the Grandmaster Realm limited his Visualization Diagram, and considered Cave Heaven secret lands, the Glazed Saber Scripture, and the Kunlun Visualization Diagram as paths to advancement.
• Chu Zhiyuan visited Gao Jiuqu, who warned that the Evil Sect would attack Prince Qing’s Estate within ten days, likely during a heavy snowfall.
• Chu Zhiyuan tracked Li Hongzhao to Lingyun Tower and asked whether the Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Technique could advance beyond the Grandmaster Realm.
• Li Hongzhao confirmed that her technique could progress further, and Chu Zhiyuan guessed she was borrowing Outer Heavenly Power or another external force.

Chu Zhiyuan learned that Grandmasters could not serve as generals because their soldiers’ killing counted against them, complicating his bid to claim the Emperor’s Sword. He tested his Bright Moon Blade’s soul-killing power against Jade Cauldron Sect agents and then continued cultivating as snow began to fall.

• Li Hongzhao told Chu Zhiyuan that Grandmasters could not serve as generals because their troops’ slaughter counted as their own, and said he lacked the military merit needed for the Emperor’s Sword.
• Chu Zhiyuan left Lingyun Tower, met Huang Shirong, Xu Mengyu, and Wen Qianqian, and continued through the city.
• Chu Zhiyuan used Spiritual Power to send the Bright Moon Blade into an alley, where it killed a middle-aged couple who were agents of the Jade Cauldron Sect.
• Chu Zhiyuan watched the couple’s yin energy rise toward the Jade Cauldron Sect’s presence in the void and considered whether his Blade Soul could eventually kill a Grandmaster.
• At Prince Qing’s Estate, Chu Zhiyuan cultivated his Spiritual Power until Zou Fang announced that it was snowing.

Chu Zhiyuan waited in the snow for Jade Cauldron Sect Grandmasters who were targeting Prince Qing’s Estate, then intercepted one of them and killed him with his Bright Moon Blade Soul. He moved to confront a second Grandmaster to test the cost of using his actual sword.

• Chu Zhiyuan ordered everyone at Prince Qing’s Estate into the underground tunnel and told Chu Qingyan he would try to intercept the attackers.
• Chu Zhiyuan took up a position near the south city gate, expecting the enemy to enter there.
• Four disguised Jade Cauldron Sect Grandmasters entered the city and split up, but Chu Zhiyuan detected them with Super Sensation.
• Chu Zhiyuan attacked the northeast-bound Grandmaster with his Bright Moon Blade Soul, shattered the man's Jade Giant Cauldron manifestation, and killed him.
• After realizing the Blade Soul had lost significant power, Chu Zhiyuan drew the Bright Moon Blade and approached the Grandmaster walking north.

Chu Zhiyuan killed a Jade Cauldron Sect Grandmaster and discussed the threat of further attacks with Chu Qingyan. He then tested whether spiritual pressure could strengthen Gao Jiuqu’s cultivation, leaving him investigating how the Golden Tower appeared in a person’s mind.

• Chu Zhiyuan used the Bright Moon Blade, Blade Soul, and Spiritual Qi to kill the old Jade Cauldron Sect Grandmaster, then left.
• Chu Zhiyuan told Chu Qingyan he had killed the attackers one by one and worried that other evil sects might target Prince Qing’s Estate.
• Chu Zhiyuan proposed using statues taken from evil sects to locate their lairs, and Chu Qingyan agreed to let him try.
• Chu Zhiyuan visited Gao Jiuqu and subjected him to spiritual pressure while he cultivated, then returned the next morning to examine the effects.
• Chu Zhiyuan found Gao Jiuqu’s mind had grown more resilient and his Spiritual Power purer, and wondered whether the Golden Tower had been hidden between the eyebrows or had fallen there later.

Chu Zhiyuan discovered that his external power could not reach the Golden Tower and learned that Chu Mingrui had been poisoned by someone inside his trusted circle. He planned to seek help from the Carefree Cult and received a chest of evil sect statues that could help him track their experts.

• Chu Zhiyuan tested whether the Fearless Great Perfection Hand Seal could reach the Golden Tower, but found that its power could not merge with his Spiritual Power or touch the tower.
• Chu Zhiyuan told Weng Qifeng that he had reached Grandmaster two days earlier and observed the Golden Tower hidden behind the fog between Weng Qifeng's brows.
• Chu Zhiyuan learned that Chu Mingrui was suffering from a strange poison that spirit pills could not cure, and suspected an insider had poisoned him.
• Chu Zhiyuan decided to send the Detoxification Pearl and consult Meng Canglan about having a Carefree Cult expert treat Chu Mingrui.
• Bai Ningshuang and Chu Minghou discussed Chu Mingrui's illness, while Chu Zhiyuan reassured his mother that he could not be sent to the battlefield as a Grandmaster.
• Feng Xi reported that the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court had sent a chest of evil sect statues, and Chu Zhiyuan ordered it brought to his courtyard.

Chu Zhiyuan examined the evil sect statues and discovered that every sect had disciples hidden in Yujing City and its surrounding areas. He rejected Zou Fang’s proposal to watch them, deciding to begin wiping them out that night.

• At breakfast, Bai Ningshuang praised Chu Zhiyuan for defeating Grandmasters, while Chu Minghou warned him to rein in his reputation.
• Chu Zhiyuan opened a Spirit Sealing Box containing twelve grotesque statues linked to evil sects and used his Super Sensation to locate their disciples.
• Chu Zhiyuan found that the Nine Yuan Sect had a particularly large presence around Yujing City, while the other sects also had hidden disciples nearby.
• Zou Fang suggested keeping the evil sects under surveillance, but Chu Zhiyuan refused because they could harm innocent people.
• Chu Zhiyuan told Zou Fang not to rush into becoming a Grandmaster and ordered him to join the purge of the evil sects that night.

Chu Zhiyuan used Gao Jiuqu’s practice of the Wentian Sword Art to help him discover the Grandmaster Gate. Gao Jiuqu prepared to return to Wentian Cliff, newly hopeful that he could free his master from suffering.

• Chu Zhiyuan stored the statues of evil sects and decided to search for more so he could detect their disciples and Grandmasters near Jade Capital.
• Chu Zhiyuan watched Gao Jiuqu perform the Wentian Sword Art repeatedly until Gao Jiuqu entered Dao through skill and sensed the Grandmaster Gate.
• Gao Jiuqu rejoiced at his breakthrough and said he could finally help his master find release.
• Gao Jiuqu told Chu Zhiyuan that his Heaven’s Machine Art could not see clearly through the military’s heavy Killing Intent or King Ying’s presence.
• Gao Jiuqu announced he would return to Wentian Cliff, and Chu Zhiyuan agreed to visit him there.

Chu Zhiyuan learned why the Emperor tolerated Consort Shu’s refusal to return to the palace, arranged for Wentian Cliff, Li Hongzhao, and Xu Yingying to gather evil-sect statues, and discovered that becoming a grandmaster had greatly strengthened his cultivation aid. Xu Yingying revealed that the power of heaven and earth limited grandmasters to the First Layer, leaving Chu Zhiyuan resolved to challenge that barrier in pursuit of immortality.

• Gao Jiuqu told Chu Zhiyuan that Consort Shu still refused to return to the palace and explained her history with the Emperor, then revealed that the Seventeenth Prince was coming to Jade Capital.
• Gao Jiuqu agreed to have Wentian Cliff send Chu Zhiyuan the evil-sect statues it had collected.
• Chu Zhiyuan asked Li Hongzhao to gather evil-sect statues, and she agreed after he rejected her objections that evil sects could never be eradicated.
• Chu Zhiyuan visited Xu Yingying, who agreed to bring over the Divine Cult’s evil-sect statues and cultivated with him, breaking through several layers to the Ninth Heaven.
• Xu Yingying explained that the Cult Leader had reached the Second Layer of grandmaster through a Meditation Technique, but that the power of heaven and earth made further breakthroughs extraordinarily difficult.
• Chu Zhiyuan considered the limits imposed by heaven and earth and resolved to keep pursuing immortality despite the challenge.

Chu Zhiyuan visited Xiao Ruoling at Moon Invitation Palace, sought statues to track the evil sects, and learned about the Profound Yin Palace and the Emperor’s Sword. He left with thirty new statues to guide his planned assault on the evil sects.

• Chu Zhiyuan reunited with Xiao Ruoling and told her what had happened in the eastern region.
• Chu Zhiyuan asked to collect statues of the evil sects, and Shen Hanyue eagerly offered the statues kept by Moon Invitation Palace.
• Xiao Ruoling explained that the Profound Yin Palace could help Grandmasters advance and that even its Palace Master could only escape the Emperor’s Sword.
• Shen Hanyue brought Chu Zhiyuan thirty-eight statues, including thirty he had not seen before.
• Chu Zhiyuan sensed red lines on the statues and realized that many evil sects remained despite Moon Invitation Palace’s long collection.

Chu Zhiyuan asked Meng Canglan for help with evil-sect statues and learned that Chu Mingrui’s illness might be caused by the Southern Border’s Curse Technique rather than poison. Meng Canglan agreed to travel to the Northern Territory to examine King Ying, while Chu Zhiyuan prepared a letter to his uncle.

• Chu Zhiyuan asked Shen Hanyue to summon Meng Canglan and discussed Chu Mingrui’s poisoning with Xiao Ruoling.
• Meng Canglan arrived and agreed to give Chu Zhiyuan the Carefree Cult’s collected evil-sect statues.
• After hearing Chu Mingrui’s symptoms, Meng Canglan suspected the Curse Technique, a secret art passed down in the Southern Border.
• Meng Canglan explained that the curse could be traced or removed only by someone who knew the same art, and that even a Great Grandmaster could not break it.
• Chu Zhiyuan asked Meng Canglan to visit Chu Mingrui in the Northern Territory, and she agreed to go and investigate.
• Chu Zhiyuan began writing a letter to his uncle for Meng Canglan’s journey.

Chu Zhiyuan identified members of the Four-Eyed Demonic Sect hiding in a village near Moon Invitation Palace and discovered they were Death Warriors who exploded when they died. The young woman escaped his grasp but detonated over the river, leaving Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue to see the bloody water drift downstream.

• Chu Zhiyuan received thirty-two statues from the Carefree Cult and identified one-eyed and four-eyed evil sects with Demonic Humans nearby.
• Chu Zhiyuan, Xiao Ruoling, and Shen Hanyue went to a nearby village and found a family of three from the Four-Eyed Demonic Sect.
• Shen Hanyue and Xiao Ruoling examined the family and realized their strange cultivation methods had concealed them from Moon Invitation Palace.
• Chu Zhiyuan released the young woman’s sealed acupoints, and she attacked him before fleeing the courtyard.
• The young woman exploded into bloody mist above the river, and Chu Zhiyuan recognized the family as Death Warriors.
• Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue reached the riverbank and watched the bloodied water flow downstream.

Chu Zhiyuan and the Moon Invitation Palace disciples discovered that members of the Divine Eye Sect had infiltrated a nearby village. After torturing Qi Yunlai into revealing his identity, Chu Zhiyuan deduced that the sect planned to use Mutual Destruction to assassinate Moon Invitation Palace disciples during spring farm work.

• Shen Hanyue explained that the Dharma Eye Sect preyed on Moon Invitation Palace disciples, and Chu Zhiyuan killed two hidden sect members with his Blade Soul.
• Chu Zhiyuan and Xiao Ruoling concluded that the Divine Eye Sect had been hiding near Moon-Inviting Peak to target the palace.
• Chu Zhiyuan crippled and tortured a young couple, preventing them from using Mutual Destruction.
• Chu Zhiyuan questioned the young man, who identified himself as Qi Yunlai of the Divine Eye Sect but initially refused to explain the mission.
• Chu Zhiyuan deduced that the sect planned to assassinate Moon Invitation Palace disciples by triggering Mutual Destruction during spring farm work, shocking Shen Hanyue.