Chapter Summaries

Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng traveled to Thunder Marsh City and learned about the Martial Dao Tea Party hosted by the Thunder Princess. After Luo Qiu humiliated a Horizontal Ridge Region genius and insulted the Southern Zhuo Region, Gu Youyun stepped forward to challenge him.

• Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng left Thunderclap Tomb, reached Thunder Marsh City, and heard that the Thunder Region’s young geniuses far outclassed those of the Southern Zhuo Region.
• At Wind Rain Pavilion, Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng overheard four young heroes discussing the upcoming Martial Dao Tea Party and disparaging the Southern Zhuo Region and Horizontal Ridge Region.
• Zhao Feng challenged Luo Qiu, but Luo Qiu shattered his spear attack and sent him crashing through the pavilion wall.
• Luo Qiu mocked the Horizontal Ridge Region’s geniuses and said people from both regions should go home rather than embarrass themselves at the tea party.
• Ye Chen asked Murong Qingcheng which of them should respond, but Gu Youyun arrived and challenged Luo Qiu.
• Luo Qiu invited Gu Youyun to attack alongside her companion, boasting that he would defeat them both.

Gu Youyun fought Luo Qiu at the Wind Rain Pavilion and initially matched him with the Stone King's techniques, but his Martial Soul Embryo gave him the advantage. Murong Qingcheng intervened, and Ye Chen revealed his strength by defeating Luo Qiu's three companions with a single sword-finger strike.

• Gu Youyun challenged Luo Qiu alone and fought him outside the Wind Rain Pavilion, using the Stone King's Wrath to send him flying.
• Luo Qiu unleashed his Crimson Claw, but Gu Youyun countered with Stone King's Double Strike and broke his Protective True Essence.
• Luo Qiu revealed that he had condensed a Martial Soul Embryo and used martial will to overwhelm Gu Youyun with his Hundred-Splitting Claw.
• Murong Qingcheng stopped Luo Qiu's claw attack with an invisible force field and challenged him to reach her while she remained seated.
• Luo Qiu's three companions attacked Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng, but Ye Chen struck with his finger like a sword and sent all three crashing out through the fifth-floor windows.

Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng demonstrated their overwhelming strength at the Martial Dao Tea Party, defeating Thunder Region challengers and earning the title of the Southern Zhuo Region’s Twin Stars. After Murong Qingcheng crushed Luo Qiu’s final attack, two observers, including Huang Kaishan, departed.

• Ye Chen defeated Luo Qiu’s three companions with a single sword finger, leaving Luo Qiu wary of challenging him.
• Luo Qiu attacked Murong Qingcheng, but she blasted him away with wine and shattered his Crimson Claw with the Celestial Demon Hand Seal.
• Gu Youyun and Li Jie discussed Murong Qingcheng’s strength and wondered how Sikong Sheng would fare against Ye Chen.
• Murong Qingcheng repelled Luo Qiu again as he unleashed the Great Sun Crimson Divine Claw, overpowering him with her Demonic Will.
• The gathered elites hailed Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng as the Southern Zhuo Region’s Twin Stars, while Huang Kaishan and a red-clad young man watched before leaving.

Ye Chen began practicing the Undying Body’s first level, Flesh Healing, and discovered how to leave an incomplete mental mark in his flesh. By the end, he had tested the mark’s effect and healed a dagger wound near his heart in thirty blinks.

• Ling Han Ye watched Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng’s battle from Precious Form Tower, then set off with Feng Yanrou and Qing Zhu.
• After Murong Qingcheng defeated Luo Qiu, Ye Chen’s group withdrew from the fifth-floor hall and discussed the Martial Dao Tea Party with Gu Youyun and Li Jie.
• Gu Youyun explained that at least twenty people from the Southern Zhuo Region would attend, and Li Jie said Sikong Sheng would come as well.
• Ye Chen studied the Undying Body, Upper Scroll, and learned that mastering Flesh Healing required imprinting mental or soul marks on the body.
• Ye Chen repeatedly attempted to imprint a mental mark and eventually left an incomplete mark near his heart.
• Ye Chen tested the mark with a dagger wound and watched the bleeding stop, the flesh begin to heal, and the wound close completely after thirty blinks.

At the Wind Rain Pavilion, Ye Chen reflected on his training and heard other prodigies debate his standing among the younger generation. That night, the Five Poison Ghost General tried to kill him with poison qi, but Ye Chen detected and destroyed it, leaving the would-be assassin shocked by his defenses.

• Ye Chen considered his progress in the Azure Lotus Swordplay, the Azure Lotus Sword Style, the Undying Body, and the Void Piercing Finger while listening to prodigies discuss the strongest young fighters.
• The prodigies debated Ye Chen's strength and concluded that his defeat of three Thunder Region geniuses could place him among the Southern Domain Cluster's top twenty.
• The Five Poison Ghost General told Rain Elder that he wanted Ye Chen's Undying Body and planned to kill him that night.
• The Five Poison Ghost General sent invisible Heartless Poison Qi into Ye Chen's room and poisoned the tea beside his bed.
• Ye Chen sensed the poison, destroyed it with his Sword Intent, and left the Five Poison Ghost General astonished that his poison qi had been detected and restrained.

Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng survived a poison attack from an unidentified Spirit Sea Realm expert, whom Ye Chen suspected might be Five Poison Ghost General. As the group traveled toward Thunder Capital, they met Beast Tamer Prince Mo Xiang, who took an immediate interest in Murong Qingcheng before riding on.

• Five Poison Ghost General sent Heartless Poison Qi after Murong Qingcheng, but she detected and contained it, while the poison killed people across the surrounding area.
• Five Poison Ghost General and the hemp-clad man fled, and Ye Chen told Murong Qingcheng he suspected the attacker was a Spirit Sea Realm poison expert, possibly Five Poison Ghost General.
• The next day, Ye Chen, Murong Qingcheng, Gu Youyun, and their companion traveled north toward Thunder Capital.
• Mo Xiang, traveling with two Beast Taming Sect disciples on Black Wind Eagles, stopped Ye Chen's group after noticing Murong Qingcheng.
• Mo Xiang introduced himself, invited the group to travel together, and offered them his name if they encountered trouble in Thunder Capital, but Murong Qingcheng rebuffed his advances.
• Gu Youyun identified Mo Xiang as the Beast Taming Sect's chief disciple and a leading young genius, and Ye Chen's group continued toward Thunder Capital.

Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng arrived in Thunder Capital ahead of the Martial Dao Tea Party and struggled to find lodging amid the crush of young geniuses. At a restaurant, rumors of an unprecedented contender and a wager to eat a table circulated, while Li Daoxuan and Yan Chi Huo wondered whether Ye Chen would attend; Ye Chen sensed the two nearby.

• Ye Chen and his companions reached Thunder Capital and saw the vast city crowded with geniuses gathering for the Martial Dao Tea Party.
• After grand restaurants turned them away, Gu Youyun suggested splitting up, and Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng found rooms at a smaller restaurant.
• Young patrons discussed Wan Zhuoming's defeat and argued over whether a new True Dragon-Level Genius would appear, prompting one youth to wager that someone would eat a table.
• A young man who believed celestial signs foretold a powerful outsider's arrival left to spread his wager, while Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng sat down in the hall.
• At another restaurant, Li Daoxuan and Yan Chi Huo discussed whether Sikong Sheng and Ye Chen would attend the gathering.
• Ye Chen sensed the clashing saber and sword auras of Li Daoxuan and Yan Chi Huo nearby, though Murong Qingcheng had not detected them.

The Martial Dao Tea Party began in Thunder Capital as Ye Chen, Murong Qingcheng, and other young geniuses gathered for the event. At Embroidered Garden, entrants faced a demanding attack-power test, and many failed to qualify.

• Ye Chen sensed four streams of true dragon qi above Thunder Capital, while Yan Chi Huo and Li Daoxuan set out determined to fight for Southern Zhuo Region.
• Tuo Ba Ku arrived at Thunder Capital just before the event and appeared in the sky as a powerful false dragon.
• The Celestial Tome Prodigy noticed Tuo Ba Ku’s arrival, while Fourth Night entered the city with two companions and said Ye Chen would not fade into obscurity.
• Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng headed to Embroidered Garden, where Ye Chen told her she did not need to keep restraining her aura.
• Guards required entrants to score at least seventy-eight on the force-measuring pillars, and the first tested young man passed on his final attempt as others tried and failed.

Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng reached the Embroidered Garden after both scored black eighty on the strength test, where powerful young geniuses gathered for the Martial Dao Tea Party. There, Ye Chen reunited with old acquaintances and locked eyes with Sikong Sheng, now Fourth Night of the Evil King's Tower, who planned to challenge him.

• Murong Qingcheng and Ye Chen each scored black eighty on the strength-testing pillar, drawing attention from the crowd.
• The Celestial Tome Prodigy scored black eighty, You Xin shattered the crystal plate without a visible move, and Gang Lingzi scored eighty-four before entering the Embroidered Garden.
• Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng arrived at the Realm Guiding Platform, where they observed the Celestial Tome Prodigy and Gang Lingzi among the gathered geniuses.
• Yan Chi Huo, Li Daoxuan, Tuo Ba Ku, and Bing Ling greeted Ye Chen, while Tuo Ba Ku proposed fighting him after the tea party.
• Sikong Sheng told Seventh Night that Ye Chen seemed unremarkable, then revealed through his thoughts that he had risen to Fourth Night of the Evil King's Tower and intended to challenge Ye Chen.
• Ye Chen and Sikong Sheng met each other's gaze, and Ye Chen recognized that Sikong Sheng had grown stronger during their four years apart.

The Martial Dao Tea Party began with young elites from ten regions exchanging martial insights through sparring matches. After Ye Chen helped Mu Lingfeng defeat Dong Haoxiong, another Golden Sand Region fighter challenged him, and Ye Chen began advising Mu Lingfeng on how to fight.

• Jing Aoxuan arrived at the Realm Guiding Platform, welcomed the young elites, and told them to sit according to their regions.
• The Celestial Tome Prodigy and Jing Aoxuan introduced the tea party’s purpose, and Hua Feng defeated Lin Yinghao in its first match.
• Several Southern Zhuo Region fighters lost, prompting Dong Haoxiong to taunt the region and challenge its strongest fighter.
• Ye Chen warned Mu Lingfeng about Dong Haoxiong’s hidden left-handed saber technique, and Mu Lingfeng defeated him.
• A second Golden Sand Region fighter challenged Mu Lingfeng, and Ye Chen pointed out the opponent’s habits and advised Mu Lingfeng how to counter him.

Mu Lingfeng drew with Li Shao, while Xu Jiang defeated Cao Tie before losing to Fire Owl. Yan Chi Huo then won three consecutive matches for Southern Zhuo Region, and Li Daoxuan stepped in to face Shi Yan as Ye Chen assessed the evenly matched fighters.

• Mu Lingfeng fought Li Shao to a draw after adapting his saber technique to restrict Li Shao’s leg attacks.
• Xu Jiang defeated Cao Tie with a spear technique that shattered his defenses, but Fire Owl soon beat Xu Jiang with a powerful punch.
• Yan Chi Huo challenged Fire Owl and defeated him with a fiery saber strike and a thirty-three-slash blade net.
• Yan Chi Huo won two more matches, raising Southern Zhuo Region’s standing before Shi Yan of Black Gold Region challenged him.
• Li Daoxuan replaced the exhausted Yan Chi Huo to fight Shi Yan, and Ye Chen told Mu Lingfeng that the match would likely depend on whose will was stronger.

Li Daoxuan fought Shi Yan to a draw, showing how much Southern Zhuo Region had improved at the Martial Dao Tea Party. After Wang Lin challenged Southern Zhuo Region, Ye Chen stood up to accept, surprising the people who knew him.

• Li Daoxuan and Shi Yan battled evenly, trading serious injuries before their match ended in a draw.
• The crowd recognized Southern Zhuo Region as stronger than its former reputation, while Horizontal Ridge Region suffered another defeat when Wang Lin beat Sai Xingfeng.
• A young man from Horizontal Ridge Region tried to leave, but Thunder Princess and Sai Xingfeng persuaded him to sit back down.
• Wang Lin challenged Southern Zhuo Region after noting that Yan Chi Huo and Li Daoxuan were unable to fight again.
• Ye Chen rose to face Wang Lin, astonishing Tuo Ba Ku, Southern Zhuo Region, Feng Yanrou, and Ling Han Ye.

Ye Chen defeated Wang Lin and Wu Feihan at the Martial Dao Tea Party, drawing attention to Southern Zhuo Region. The chapter ended as Crimson Water Paragon Wang Chi entered the arena to challenge him, with the spectators expecting Ye Chen to lose.

• Ye Chen used a swift Sword Qi strike to force Wang Lin back and revealed his upper-stage sword mastery.
• Ye Chen countered Wang Lin's killing techniques and defeated him with a sword strike that pierced his Protective True Essence.
• Wu Feihan challenged Ye Chen, but Ye Chen cut apart his palm attacks and Protective True Essence until Wu Feihan conceded.
• Duan Lingyun refused Crimson Water Paragon's prompt to challenge Ye Chen, knowing Ye Chen had not shown his full strength.
• Crimson Water Paragon Wang Chi entered the arena to challenge Ye Chen, while the crowd doubted Ye Chen could beat Cloud Ripple Region's top young expert.

Ye Chen gained the upper hand against Wang Chi in their sparring match, then revealed overwhelming Sword Intent to shatter Wang Chi’s strongest attack. Wang Chi was badly struck, but the chapter ended before Thunder Princess announced the match’s result.

• Feng Yanrou predicted that Ye Chen would defeat Wang Chi as their sparring match began.
• Ye Chen countered Wang Chi’s Crimson Water Divine Fist attacks and broke his Fierce Water Vortex with the Thunder Marsh Sword.
• Ye Chen wounded Wang Chi with Sword Qi from his fingers, drawing astonished reactions from the spectators and Mo Xiang.
• Wang Chi persuaded Thunder Princess to let him continue and unleashed his Water Beast Billowing Fist against Ye Chen.
• Ye Chen’s Spirit Sea Realm-level Sword Intent shattered Wang Chi’s attack and sent blood spraying from Wang Chi’s mouth.

Ye Chen defeated Wang Chi with his attribute Sword Intent, raising the Southern Zhuo Region’s standing and drawing attention from the other regions. He stayed in the arena to secure his region’s place in the second tier, where the Black Swordsman challenged him with Slaughter Sword Intent.

• Ye Chen defeated Wang Chi with one sword strike, and the Celestial Tome Prodigy helped Wang Chi recover his composure before he left the arena.
• The Thunder Princess identified Ye Chen’s power as attribute Sword Intent, while Sikong Sheng said Ye Chen had not yet shown enough to interest him.
• Mu Lingfeng, Li Daoxuan, and Yan Chi Huo recognized Ye Chen’s achievement and resolved to keep improving as they pursued stronger rivals.
• Ye Chen remained in the arena to raise the Southern Zhuo Region’s standing, despite spectators criticizing his decision to stay.
• The Black Swordsman challenged Ye Chen and unleashed Slaughter Sword Intent, which Ye Chen evaded while recognizing that his opponent was stronger than Wang Chi.

Ye Chen fought the Black Swordsman in a fierce duel that devastated the sparring grounds and drew the attention of everyone in Thunder Capital. After gaining insight into a reversed form of Heavenly Thunder Severance, Ye Chen pierced the Black Swordsman with the decisive strike.

• Ye Chen and the Black Swordsman exchanged sword strikes, while Ye Chen used Azure Lotus Sword Qi to break through the Black Swordsman's defenses.
• Their clash created an enormous energy sphere, forcing the Thunder Princess and others to shield the sparring grounds as the blast tore through the Sky of Astonishment barrier.
• The Black Swordsman unleashed a wide-ranging sword wave, but Ye Chen countered with Heavenly Thunder Severance and gained insight into the technique.
• After dozens of exchanges, the Black Swordsman attacked with his Mystic Martial Art, Black Dragon Wave, and the onlookers feared Ye Chen would lose.
• Ye Chen reversed his grip and performed Reverse Form: Heavenly Thunder Severance, striking the Black Swordsman in the chest and drawing blood.

Ye Chen defeated the Black Swordsman by turning Black Dragon Wave back on him with Reverse Style: Heavenly Thunder Severance. After winning four consecutive battles, Ye Chen returned to rest as the Southern Domain Cluster's Number One Swordsman, while the tea party's other contenders still awaited their matches.

• Ye Chen sent the Black Swordsman's Black Dragon Wave back at him, wounding him and astonishing the spectators and Soul-Reaping Swordsman Leng Zhuo.
• Ye Chen explained that he had used a flash of inspiration to create Reverse Style: Heavenly Thunder Severance, a counterattack that could also serve as an offensive sword move.
• The Black Swordsman accepted his defeat but vowed to challenge Ye Chen again after the Martial Dao Tea Party.
• The Thunder Princess declared Ye Chen the winner, and Leng Zhuo told the purple-haired woman that he was inferior to Ye Chen and would not challenge him.
• Ye Chen said he needed to recover after four consecutive battles and returned to his seat, having secured the title of Southern Domain Cluster's Number One Swordsman.

Leng Zhuo, Murong Qingcheng, and Tuo Ba Ku displayed the Southern Zhuo Region’s growing strength at the Martial Dao Tea Party. Murong Qingcheng defeated Yin Zongli, and Tuo Ba Ku began crushing his opponents, leaving Yan Chi Huo under pressure.

• Leng Zhuo defeated four renowned swordsmen in succession, and Ye Chen explained that Leng Zhuo’s swordsmanship focused on delivering a single fatal blow.
• Bing Ling, Mo Yan, Gu Youyun, and Qian Yun challenged elites from other regions, while Murong Qingcheng defeated two high-ranked opponents.
• Yin Zongli challenged Murong Qingcheng, but she saw through his movement technique and defeated him with the Soaring Sky Assassin Slash.
• Tuo Ba Ku told Ye Chen that he wanted to defeat him, then took the stage and crushed his opponents.
• The Celestial Tome Prodigy recognized Tuo Ba Ku, Murong Qingcheng, and Ye Chen as three false dragons from the Southern Zhuo Region, while Yan Chi Huo felt pressure as Tuo Ba Ku caught up to Ye Chen.

Tuo Ba Ku fought Beast Tamer Prince Mo Xiang at the Martial Dao Tea Party, revealing a powerful Giant Lizard Phantom that forced the Thunder Princess to stop their battle before either could be killed. As dawn broke, the two remained eager for a rematch, while Tuo Ba Ku’s strength reshaped the gathering’s view of the Southern Zhuo Region and Sikong Sheng’s potential rival.

• Mo Xiang overwhelmed Tuo Ba Ku with a succession of attacks, then shattered his Dragon-Shaped Qi Force with Tiger Soul Cross Slash and sent him flying.
• Tuo Ba Ku recovered and unleashed a Giant Lizard Phantom, which bit Mo Xiang and injured him.
• Ye Chen wondered whether Tuo Ba Ku’s phantom and the Wang Family’s Three-Headed Serpent Phantom shared a connection, and concluded Tuo Ba Ku’s bloodline surpassed the King's Bloodline in combat power.
• The Thunder Princess declared the battle a draw before Mo Xiang and Tuo Ba Ku could continue fighting to the death.
• Spectators reconsidered Tuo Ba Ku as one of the gathering’s strongest fighters, while Seventh Night warned Sikong Sheng that Tuo Ba Ku might be his greatest opponent.
• Dawn arrived, and the Martial Dao Tea Party settled into quiet discussion as the participants reflected on the battles they had witnessed.

While studying other fighters’ Wood Intent at the Martial Dao Tea Party, Ye Chen discovered his own lack of Gold Intent and began to understand the Sword Dao he would pursue. The chapter leaves him watching Sikong Sheng defeat the formidable young expert of the Fire Swamp Region with a Mystic Martial Art that pins his opponent in place.

• Ye Chen observed the distinct forms of Wood Intent and gained the beginnings of insight into the ninth move of the Azure Lotus Sword Style.
• Practicing sword strikes with his fingers, Ye Chen pierced a teacup’s path without damaging the cup and realized that he lacked Gold Intent, the source of a swordsman’s sharpness.
• Ye Chen concluded that he must comprehend Gold Intent and began to see a personal Sword Dao that might one day lead him toward the title of Sword Emperor.
• Sikong Sheng took the arena stage against the number one young expert of the Fire Swamp Region and exchanged several dozen moves with him.
• Sikong Sheng’s Mystic Martial Art pinned his opponent with gravity, leaving him unable to retreat and forcing him to take the backlash of a shockwave.