Arc 21Chapters 501–525
No recap yet.
No recap yet.
Jiang Xiaobai cared for the poisoned and injured Chu Qingci in a cave until he regained consciousness. Chu Qingci learned that Meridian-Locking Powder had left him powerless, then grew embarrassed when Jiang Xiaobai explained how he had managed to give him water.
Jiang Xiaobai cared for the poisoned Chu Qingci as they waited in a valley cave for him to recover enough to leave. After Chu Qingci’s poison flared up again in the river at night, Jiang Xiaobai rescued him and hurried him back to the cave.
Jiang Xiaobai carried the recovering Chu Qingci from their riverside cave as heavy rain flooded it, learning the Nine Wind-Steps under Chu Qingci’s guidance. The next morning, Chu Qingci had recovered half his strength but kept it from Jiang Xiaobai as they continued toward higher ground.
As Feng Jitong worried about the missing Sect Master and Heir Jiang, the Elder Princess reassured him that her senior fellow disciple would survive the cliff and recover from the poison. Below the cliff, Jiang Xiaobai cared for Chu Qingci, found them shelter in an abandoned wooden house, and told him there was a grave behind it.
Jiang Xiaobai carried Chu Qingci to a grave, then cared for him in the Wooden House as his poison flared up while he washed in the river. After Chu Qingci recovered further overnight, Jiang Xiaobai told him about a pearly light in a nearby rock face, and they set out to investigate it.
Jiang Xiaobai and Chu Qingci found a hidden cave and discovered that its former inhabitant was Chu Qingci’s grandmaster, Huang Ting. They found no cultivation method inside, but planned to return at night to investigate the pearly light; Chu Qingci let Jiang Xiaobai continue carrying him back.
Jiang Xiaobai and Chu Qingci discovered a hidden compartment containing the Hidden Edge Force manual, which could help Jiang Xiaobai enter the Mysterious Dragon Gate. After Jiang Xiaobai memorized the manual, Chu Qingci prepared to help him establish its foundation.
Chu Qingci taught Jiang Xiaobai to cultivate hidden edge force, but the effort triggered Chu Qingci’s poison and left him unconscious. By the next morning, Chu Qingci had woken but pretended to be asleep while Jiang Xiaobai fed him water, and Jiang Xiaobai called him out.
Chu Qingci recovered from his poison, and he and Jiang Xiaobai left the cliff to return to Hidden Edge Mountain. At the Mysterious Dragon Gate, Fu Yuanzong returned with Qin Zhaoye and challenged the sect, claiming there was no one left to fear.
Xie Qianjun returned to challenge Chu Qingci for the Hidden Edge Sect leadership, but when he offered to fight Xiao Yunshu in Chu Qingci’s absence, Chen Jian attacked Fu Yuanzong and clashed with Xie Qianjun. Just as they were about to collide again, an unknown figure dropped from above and blasted Xie Qianjun backward.
Chu Qingci and Jiang Xiaobai returned to the Hidden Edge Sect, where Xie Qianjun presented a Challenge Token to challenge Chu Qingci for the sect master position. Jiang Xiaobai had Chen Jian destroy the token and called the group to attack, leaving Xiao Yunshu about to unleash a powerful kick on Fu Yuanzong.
Xiao Yunshu severely wounded Fu Yuanzong while Jiang Xiaobai intercepted Qin Zhaoye as he tried to flee. Jiang Xiaobai held Qin Zhaoye off with his new techniques until Xiao Yunshu arrived and killed him, then she checked on Jiang Xiaobai.
Jiang Xiaobai reunited with Xiao Yunshu, recovered a jade pendant from Qin Zhaoye’s corpse, and was granted the Hidden Edge Force. Xiao Yunshu teased Chu Qingci about Jiang Xiaobai, prompting Chu Qingci to flee after revealing her feelings through her silence.
Fu Yuanzong learned that his injuries might leave him paralyzed, while Xie Qianjun revealed a possible healer in Su City. At the Mysterious Dragon Gate, Jiang Xiaobai reached hidden edge fourth level and decided to open the gate that night.
Jiang Xiaobai failed to open the Mysterious Dragon Gate until Chu Qingci demonstrated its hidden mechanism, then opened it himself. As he prepared to enter, Helian Zhaoyue asked him for help, and Jiang Xiaobai guessed that Northern Yu wanted an iron box.
Jiang Xiaobai entered the Mysterious Dragon Gate with his companions and discovered that it was the Former Emperor’s tomb. He opened the iron box coveted by Northern Yu and his Second Brother, finding only a folded piece of yellow silk, and Xiao Yunshu asked whether he wanted to read it.
Jiang Xiaobai discovered that the iron box contained a succession edict naming Xiao Yunshu as the Former Emperor’s heir, then examined the other objects in the tomb. After giving Tang Ningshuang the Nation-Guarding Sword and finding nothing else of interest, Jiang Xiaobai led the others out.
Jiang Xiaobai emerged from the Mysterious Dragon Gate with three relics distributed among his companions and argued that he had brought nothing out, then demanded compensation from the Hidden Edge Sect. As he returned to Clearheart Courtyard, he reflected on the Succession Edict and the possibility that Xiao Yunshu might become empress.
Jiang Xiaobai examined the black seal and questioned Jiang Linquan about why he and his eldest brother had stayed away from the family. Jiang Linquan left without revealing the full story after Xiao Yunshu interrupted them, and Xiao Yunshu then said she had something to tell Jiang Xiaobai.
Xiao Yunshu told Jiang Xiaobai to visit the Azure Robe Society’s headquarters in Su City and use his literary talent to become one of its decision-makers. She revealed that his Green History Seal could help protect the Jiang Family, and Jiang Xiaobai agreed to go after handling matters in the capital.
Jiang Xiaobai secured permission to visit the Hidden Edge Sect’s Collection Pavilion and Blade-Viewing Wall as compensation for giving away the items he found in the Mysterious Dragon Gate. At the Blade-Viewing Wall, he saw a rusted saber and wondered whether it was the World's Number One Blade.
Jiang Xiaobai learned the history and hidden value of the rust-covered World's Number One Blade, then failed to pull it from its stone platform with his four layers of Hidden Edge Force. He proposed using firewood and cold water to loosen it and left the preparations to the Hidden Edge Sect before going elsewhere.
Jiang Xiaobai left the Blade-Viewing Wall after finding he could not comprehend it, while Chen Jian stayed behind to study its marks. At the Archive Pavilion, Jiang Xiaobai mistook an old sweeper for a hidden master and asked him to take him as a disciple.
Jiang Xiaobai became Elder Fei’s disciple and chose an old martial arts manual from the Hidden Edge Sect’s Collection Pavilion. He left with Feng Jitong, confident that the manual would help him draw the saber without relying on ninefold hidden edge.
Chu Qingci learned that the old sweeper had taken Jiang Xiaobai as his disciple, while Jiang Xiaobai chose a powerful manual and prepared to draw the World’s Number One Blade. As the fire died down, Xiao Yunshu wagered that if she lost, she would serve Jiang Xiaobai for life.