Chapter Summaries

On the championship day of Bowang’s Martial Competition, Pei Ye watched as the eight finalists were announced and Heavenly Mountain’s Gu Yunfu arrived with other distinguished guests. Zhang Junxue, newly sharpened by her hatred for Shang Huaitong, began the first match against Shen Yao.

• Shang Huaitong studied the Nether Immortal scroll through the night while five grass blades remained in his wooden box.
• Li Weiru and Cheng Lin greeted Gu Yunfu and his companions at Bowang’s western gate, where Gu introduced Shi Zanxue.
• Pei Ye arrived at the packed Martial Field and spoke with Li Piaoqing, Yang Yan, Zhang Zongyuan, and Shang Huaitong before noticing Zhang Junxue’s changed bearing.
• Director of Merit Xu announced the eight finalists and named Zhang Junxue and Shen Yao as the first championship pairing.
• Gu Yunfu joined Li Weiru in the dignitaries’ stand and recognized Luo Defeng before watching Zhang Junxue and Shen Yao take the platform.
• Shen Yao drew her sword and attacked Zhang Junxue, confident that she had a strong chance against her opponent.

Zhang Junxue defeated Shen Yao in the Championship Tournament by concealing her ability to control Wave Stacking and catching Shen Yao’s attack. The second match began with Yu Yingcai facing Shang Huaitong, whose newly revealed sword was named Fire on the Plain.

• Shen Yao tested Zhang Junxue’s defense, then used [Upside-Down Hawk Wing] to reach her opponent’s back during the interval between Wave Stacking strikes.
• Zhang Junxue abandoned the expected saber rhythm, redirected her blade with overwhelming force, and pinned Shen Yao at the neck to win the first match.
• Shen Yao realized Zhang Junxue had deliberately baited her, then saluted and left the platform as Zhang Junxue was declared the winner.
• Gu Yunfu and Li Weiru discussed Shen Yao’s swordsmanship and watched the second match begin.
• Yu Yingcai and Shang Huaitong took the platform, and Shang Huaitong revealed his commissioned sword, Fire on the Plain.

Shang Huaitong defeated Yu Yingcai with his Intent Sword in the Championship Tournament, drawing Gu Yunfu’s attention. Gu Yunfu then recognized Pei Ye’s name and watched as Pei Ye faced Li Piaoqing, leaving the match’s outcome unresolved.

• Shang Huaitong enveloped the arena in his sword intent and forced Yu Yingcai to attack through the oppressive darkness.
• Shang Huaitong parried Yu Yingcai’s Shoulder-Crossing Slash, defeated him, and was declared the winner of the second match.
• Gu Yunfu identified Shang Huaitong’s sword as an Intent Sword, and Li Weiru explained that Shang planned to enter the Sword Cultivation Academy with it.
• Director of Merit Xu announced the third match between Jade Feather’s Li Piaoqing and Fenghuai’s Pei Ye, and Gu Yunfu reacted sharply to Pei Ye’s name.
• Gu Yunfu questioned Li Weiru about Pei Ye’s identity and predicted that Li Piaoqing would lose, while Li Weiru defended his disciple’s chances.
• Pei Ye took his place on the arena with his sword raised as the crowd watched.

Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing fought a fierce duel in the Bowang Martial Competition, each using refined swordsmanship and newly learned techniques to counter the other. Pei Ye caught Li Piaoqing off guard with Treading Water, Plucking Scales, leaving the match’s outcome unresolved.

• Pei Ye attacked as soon as the cauldron sounded, forcing Li Piaoqing to tie off her sleeves while parrying his opening stroke.
• Li Piaoqing used Yellow Jadeite’s Cloud-Hiding Sparrow-Catching, but Pei Ye evaded with Shell Shedding and nearly struck her before she countered with Treading Water, Plucking Scales.
• Li Piaoqing exploited her superior strength to pressure Pei Ye, then launched Fire-Sweeping Through the Waterfall and followed with Fallen Leaf Returning Tide.
• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing hesitated over their decisive moves, each trying to make the other strike first.
• Pei Ye suddenly used Treading Water, Plucking Scales, a move he had recently learned from Yellow Jadeite, and Li Piaoqing could not react before their swords clashed.

Pei Ye defeated Li Piaoqing in the Championship Tournament, then tried to comfort Zhang Junxue, who believed her need for revenge would eventually set her against her friends. Their argument left Pei Ye questioning whether she trusted him or Shang Huaitong’s belief that he would reach the Sword Cultivation Academy.

• Pei Ye used [Clear Cry] to break Li Piaoqing’s defense and won the third match of the Championship Tournament.
• Gu Yunfu praised Pei Ye’s swordsmanship as more natural than Shang Huaitong’s, whose skill he described as stiff despite the Intent Sword’s superiority.
• Li Piaoqing accused Pei Ye of playing dirty by using the 'Wind Yao Chapter' against her, then asked him to go easy on her; Pei Ye avoided responding and went to check on Zhang Junxue.
• Zhang Junxue told Pei Ye she should not have befriended them because hatred could ultimately divide or turn her against others.
• Pei Ye urged Zhang Junxue not to kill Shang Huaitong in the arena, arguing that Jade Feather and Heavenly Mountain could stop him from reaching the Sword Cultivation Academy.
• Zhang Junxue insisted the Martial Competition was her last chance, and Pei Ye asked whether she trusted him or Shang Huaitong.

Yang Yan faced Zhang Zongyuan in the Championship Tournament and struggled against the older fighter’s overwhelming staff attacks. He managed to absorb several strikes with Sea-Swallowing, but Zhang Zongyuan closed in and exploited Yang Yan’s inexperience before the fight’s outcome was revealed.

• Pei Ye urged Zhang Junxue not to risk her life fighting Shang Huaitong, but she insisted that killing him mattered deeply to her.
• Zhang Zongyuan and Yang Yan began the final bout of the Championship Tournament’s first round as Zhang Dingyun cheered for Yang Yan from the stands.
• Zhang Zongyuan struck first with Grass Startle, forcing Yang Yan to defend and use Sea-Swallowing earlier than planned.
• Yang Yan swallowed the force of Zhang Zongyuan’s attacks while concealing his ability to return it, following the plan he had developed with Pei Ye.
• Zhang Zongyuan changed his sweeping staff strike into an upward thrust and then rushed Yang Yan at close range, exploiting his difficulty using a long weapon against fast punches.

Yang Yan abandoned his planned tactics and began attacking Zhang Zongyuan by instinct, using his saber to redirect force and seize every opening. Though Zhang Zongyuan wounded him repeatedly, Yang Yan cut Zhang Zongyuan across the chest and knee, and their fierce fight continued.

• Yang Yan ignored his plan and struck Zhang Zongyuan’s staff with his saber, breaking free of his defensive rhythm.
• Zhang Zongyuan knocked Yang Yan off balance and attacked, but Yang Yan countered with sudden saber cuts and redirected the force of Zhang Zongyuan’s blows.
• Yang Yan cut Zhang Zongyuan across the chest, then wounded his knee while enduring a strike to his abdomen.
• Zhang Zongyuan retrieved his staff and resumed attacking, while Yang Yan rushed in and drew more blood.
• Yang Yan and Zhang Zongyuan traded relentless attacks at close range as Yang Yan fought amid constant danger.

Yang Yan defeated Zhang Zongyuan in the Championship Tournament’s first round by absorbing the force of his devastating staff technique with the second chapter of Sea-Swallowing, Whale. After the victory, spectators and judges praised Yang Yan’s fighting and raised their assessment of his standing.

• Zhang Zongyuan trapped Yang Yan’s saber in his shoulder and unleashed Breaking Out of the Cage, expecting the staff strike to decide the bout.
• Yang Yan used Whale to swallow the staff technique’s accumulated force, drew his saber free, and held it to Zhang Zongyuan’s neck.
• The referee declared Yang Yan the winner of the fourth match, and the arena erupted in cheers.
• Zhang Dingyun celebrated Yang Yan’s victory from the stands as the spectators’ opinion of the young saber wielder rose.
• Gu Yunfu and Li Weiru discussed Yang Yan’s talent and Zhang Zongyuan’s defeat, and Gu Yunfu praised the competitors in the tournament.

Li Weiru and the other judges ranked the four Championship Tournament contestants, while Pei Ye urged Zhang Junxue to abandon her plan against Shang Huaitong and she refused. Sui Zaihua arrived to assess a candidate for the Sword Cultivation Academy, but his reason for considering Shang Huaitong remained unclear.

• Li Weiru and Gu Yunfu ranked Shang Huaitong first, Yang Yan second, Pei Ye third, and Zhang Junxue fourth, and the results were written on the arena curtain.
• Pei Ye asked Zhang Junxue to leave Shang Huaitong alone, but she said she could not let go of her need to confront him.
• The crowd accepted the rankings, and the second round of the Championship Tournament was about to begin.
• Sui Zaihua arrived at the dais and told Zhao Zhang that he had come to assess a candidate for admission to the Sword Cultivation Academy.
• Sui Zaihua said he had reconsidered Shang Huaitong because Shang claimed to know an Intent Sword technique, while Gu Yunfu cautioned that Shang had not mastered it.

Shang Huaitong spread his Intent Sword across the Martial Field and prepared to fight in the championship tournament, while Yang Yan and Pei Ye waited for their own matches. The first matchup was announced as Shang Huaitong against Zhang Junxue, who stepped onto the platform after a tense exchange with Pei Ye.

• Sui Zaihua told Gu Yunfu that Shang Huaitong intended to master his incomplete sword art that day, and Gu Yunfu judged that doing so could make him an Eight Steeds candidate.
• Shang Huaitong’s sword intent gradually covered the Martial Field, leaving spectators convinced of his power while many still believed Yang Yan could challenge him.
• Yang Yan felt his connection to the whale in the void strengthen, while Pei Ye and Zhang Junxue sensed Shang Huaitong’s intent.
• Shang Huaitong taunted Yang Yan and said he would rather face Pei Ye, then walked toward the platform.
• Zhang Junxue and Pei Ye argued over anger and whether he would use his special move against Shang Huaitong, but Pei Ye said he would accept defeat and fight as planned.
• Director of Merit Xu announced Shang Huaitong versus Zhang Junxue, and Zhang Junxue silently went up to the platform.

Zhang Junxue fought Shang Huaitong and endured the Nether Growth Sword’s crushing realm of intent. Drawing on a memory of ice and snow, she broke through the darkness and brought her third stacked saber strike down on him.

• Zhang Junxue opened the duel with a full-strength Waist-Slaying Saber strike, and Shang Huaitong stopped its force with his sword.
• Shang Huaitong unleashed the Nether Growth Sword’s intent, surrounding Zhang Junxue with a suffocating darkness that weakened her attacks.
• Zhang Junxue forced herself to stack a second and then a third wave of her saber technique despite the intent’s growing pressure.
• As the realm of intent overwhelmed her, Zhang Junxue found a foothold in a memory of snow-white feathers and a bright, icy moon.
• Zhang Junxue’s flames surged through the snow-and-ice realm, restoring her senses as she flew toward Shang Huaitong with her third stacked strike.

Zhang Junxue broke through Shang Huaitong’s Nether Growth Intent, forcing him to unleash his life-burning sword art against her. She endured his successive attacks and disrupted the third move, but Shang Huaitong’s sword remained faster and the duel was unresolved.

• Zhang Junxue’s saber strike drove Shang Huaitong back and revealed that she could withstand his Nether Growth Intent.
• Shang Huaitong attacked with [First Fire Burns Life], using his burning True Qi to break through Zhang Junxue’s guard and wound her shoulder.
• Zhang Junxue counterattacked while wounded, but Shang Huaitong continued with [Second Fire Opens Life] and cut her beneath the ribs.
• Shang Huaitong launched [Three Fires Conceal Life], and Zhang Junxue recognized the move from watching him at the Egret Isle Poetry Gathering.
• Zhang Junxue gambled on the sword’s second phase and struck Shang Huaitong, breaking his stance, but he hit her saber before her blow could land and his final attack lost its force.

Shang Huaitong overwhelmed Zhang Junxue with successive forms of his Weed-Pulling sword art while bearing the weight of the Nether Growth Realm in pursuit of completing his unfinished Intent Sword. After six forms, he prepared the seventh, while Zhang Junxue sensed a chance to strike back.

• Zhang Junxue used Wave Stacking to seize the initiative, but Shang Huaitong answered with Four Fires Bestow Life and sent her saber crashing into her chest.
• Shang Huaitong followed with Five Fires Illuminate Life, breaking Zhang Junxue’s guard and making her spit blood as the spectators and Yang Yan watched in alarm.
• Shang Huaitong struck again with Six Fires Reveal Life, leaving Zhang Junxue badly battered and unable to rebuild Wave Stacking.
• Shang Huaitong judged that he could bear the remaining weight of the Nether Growth Realm and prepared the seventh form of his sword art.
• Zhang Junxue recognized that Shang Huaitong’s burden gave her an opening to attack and began to recover enough to threaten another violent saber strike.

Shang Huaitong completed the seven forms of the "Weed-Pulling Chapter" and began forging the Nether Growth Sword, but Zhang Junxue’s accumulated Wave Stacking shattered his defense. He survived her strike by detonating "Fire on the Plain," and she charged again while unleashing the Fifth Layer of Wave Stacking.

• Shang Huaitong completed the seventh form, [Seven Fires, Life Unbound], and began linking the Nether Growth Realm into the Nether Growth Sword.
• Zhang Junxue stayed on her feet and attacked while Shang Huaitong focused on finishing the realm, revealing the immense force she had stored through four layers of Wave Stacking.
• Shang Huaitong’s defense crumbled under Zhang Junxue’s strike, so he detonated the South Sea Fire Cinnabar in "Fire on the Plain" to escape a grievous injury.
• The explosion threw Zhang Junxue and Shang Huaitong apart, but Zhang Junxue immediately charged again despite her failing body.
• Gu Guang recognized that Zhang Junxue had unleashed the Fifth Layer of Wave Stacking, a self-injuring technique he had developed to use against one enemy.

Shang Huaitong linked the Seven Intents and used [Seven Lives Forge Fire] to defeat Zhang Junxue’s fifth-layer Wave Stacking, then stopped her final attack without seriously injuring her. He won the Championship Tournament’s second-round match and stood recognized as the competition’s peak.

• Shang Huaitong completed the Seven Intents and unleashed [Seven Lives Forge Fire], hurling Zhang Junxue to the arena floor.
• Zhang Junxue rose and attacked again with a final Waist-Cleaving Strike, but Shang Huaitong stopped her saber with his hand and bent its blade.
• Sui Zaihua intervened by striking Zhang Junxue’s wrist with a teacup and separating the fighters, declaring the outcome decided.
• Director of Merit Xu announced Shang Huaitong as the winner of the first match of the Championship Tournament’s second round.

After Shang Huaitong revealed an Intent Sword and earned Lord Sui's interest, Pei Ye comforted the injured Zhang Junxue and promised to help her take revenge. The next match was announced: Yang Yan would face Pei Ye, while spectators wondered whether Yang Yan could defy the odds.

• Shang Huaitong's sword strike stunned the spectators, and Lord Sui decided to recruit him for the Sword Cultivation Academy in Shaolong Prefecture.
• A physician treated Zhang Junxue's injuries and explained that her hand would recover with rest.
• Pei Ye told Zhang Junxue that she had lost her chance to kill Shang Huaitong, then asked whether she considered him a friend.
• Zhang Junxue called Pei Ye her friend, and he promised to help her take revenge on Shang Huaitong.
• Director of Merit Xu announced the match between Yang Yan and Pei Ye, and spectators turned their attention to the arena.

Pei Ye and Yang Yan fought in the Golden Autumn Martial Contest, where Pei Ye’s linked, layered swordplay forced Yang Yan to retreat before they resumed their clash at equal intensity. Their fierce exchange continued as the crowd realized Pei Ye was matching the strength Yang Yan had used to defeat Zhang Zongyuan.

• Yang Yan and Pei Ye agreed to fight their Martial Contest match seriously, and the Cauldron Chime began their bout.
• Pei Ye chained together sword moves with precise continuity and layering, catching Yang Yan off guard and forcing him to retreat with Crossing the Ice Lake.
• Gu Yunfu applauded Pei Ye’s swordsmanship, while Li Weiru questioned how Pei Ye had produced Clear Cry and Shang Huaitong watched with heightened interest.
• Pei Ye told Yang Yan he intended to beat him using the same moves, and Yang Yan charged into another exchange.
• Yang Yan abandoned relying on Sea-Swallowing and met Pei Ye’s sword with direct attacks, as both fighters clashed fiercely without either giving ground.

Pei Ye defeated Yang Yan by combining Supporting Tree and Clear Cry with a sword technique that continued after he released his weapon. The crowd was left astonished as Yang Yan recognized the final strike as Pei Ye’s new combination of Spread Wings and Treading Water, Plucking Scales.

• Yang Yan waited for Pei Ye to use Clear Cry so he could swallow the sword’s momentum with the Whale chapter.
• Pei Ye used Supporting Tree to bring his sword close, then struck with Clear Cry, but Yang Yan swallowed its momentum and left him weakened.
• Pei Ye released his sword, which continued through the air and swept over Yang Yan’s head, deciding the match.
• The spectators mistook the flying sword for a sign of Seventh Growth before realizing it had attacked without true qi or a tether.
• Yang Yan recognized the finishing strike as Treading Water, Plucking Scales powered by Spread Wings, a combination Pei Ye had devised to counter his saber technique.

Pei Ye defeated Yang Yan with a carefully prepared sword strike and advanced to the championship final, but the victory brought him no joy because of Zhang Junxue’s injuries. He faced Shang Huaitong on the cleared platform, determined to treat the man as an enemy to eliminate rather than a martial opponent.

• Pei Ye used the force of Yang Yan’s saber against his released sword to complete a strike that defeated Yang Yan.
• Director of Merit Xu declared Pei Ye the winner, and Yang Yan congratulated him, but Pei Ye felt no excitement despite the crowd’s cheers.
• During the interval, Pei Ye saw Zhang Junxue receiving care in the stands and noticed the worry among Jade Feather’s people as the Seven Flood Dragons regained their morale.
• The Prefectural Office combined the platforms and cleared the grounds for the championship final.
• Pei Ye and Shang Huaitong entered the final platform, and Shang Huaitong gave Pei Ye a formal martial salute.

Pei Ye and Shang Huaitong fought the championship final in a fierce sword duel, with Shang Huaitong limiting his true qi to sixteen meridians. Pei Ye broke through Shang Huaitong’s signature techniques and drove him to defend with his full strength, and the fight continued as Pei Ye dragged his sword down Shang Huaitong’s blade.

• Before the Cauldron Chime, Pei Ye drew his sword while Shang Huaitong proposed a fair contest and promised to use only sixteen meridians.
• When the match began, Pei Ye attacked with [Treading Water, Plucking Scales], and Shang Huaitong trapped his blade with [Sevenfold Refining Locks Iron].
• Pei Ye shattered the sword trap with a powerful strike, and Shang Huaitong countered with [First Fire Burns Life].
• Pei Ye used [Clear Cry] and [Shell Shedding] to turn aside Shang Huaitong’s attacks, then broke apart [Three Fires Conceal Life] and forced Shang Huaitong to block a strike at his throat.
• Shang Huaitong drew on his full Sixth Growth strength to stop Pei Ye’s sword, and Pei Ye dragged his blade down Shang Huaitong’s with a shower of sparks.