Chapter Summaries

Yong Ji defeated Gao Ge with a sword stroke linked to Pei Ye’s past, prompting Pei Ye to suspect that Prince Yan had given Yong Ji an unusual eye. Pei Ye decided to enter the Feather-Scale Trial and went to meet Ying Suyu after she summoned him.

• Yong Ji defeated Gao Ge with a crude but fearsome imitation of [Unbound], leaving spectators and senior cultivators wondering what power was inside his body.
• Gu Yuan and Xiu Lü recognized the sword stroke from an earlier era, while Gu Yuan recalled Pei Ye’s Heart Sword at the Phantom Tower.
• Pei Ye told Xu Chuo that Yong Ji’s rapid progress came from something teaching him how to use techniques, and suspected it was the unusual eye Grandpa Yue once possessed.
• Xu Chuo concluded that Prince Yan had staked his eye on Yong Ji’s victory; Pei Ye then said he wanted to compete in the Feather-Scale Trial.
• Jiang Yiner invited Pei Ye to meet her master, Ying Suyu, who asked him to come closer after he arrived at Shenxiao Villa.

Pei Ye learned from Ying Suyu that Yong Ji’s strange swordsmanship came from a living Immortal Pupil that recorded Yue’s sword experience and could project [Unbound]. The next day, Yong Ji won three more matches without repeating the stroke, while demonic changes around his left eye and body became more visible.

• Pei Ye met Ying Suyu, gave her the jade sword Yue had left him, and told her that Yong Ji had used part of [Unbound] in the arena.
• Ying Suyu explained that Yongbei had received the living Immortal Pupil eighteen years earlier and that it could record sword forms and offer combat judgments.
• Pei Ye admitted that he could not yet use [Unbound] properly, and Ying Suyu urged him to have Yue teach him again in the Mirage Realm.
• Yong Ji defeated Shao Xiuyuan, Wen Li, and Ning Chaolie at the Winter Sword Platform, but did not repeat his lightning-fast sword stroke.
• Spectators noticed red lines around Yong Ji’s left eye and sharp protrusions beneath his clothes, and they feared the changes were the price of his sword stroke.

Pei Ye returned to the Mirage Realm’s Bright Moon Hall and persuaded Yue Muzhou to teach him swordsmanship after Ying Suyu urged Yue to take him on. As Ying Suyu recalled her bond with Yue and feared his death, Pei Ye explained that he needed to learn because someone’s sword was faster than his.

• Pei Ye visited the ruined Bright Moon Hall with Ying Suyu and entered a memory of the hall in spring, where he asked Yue Muzhou to teach him swordsmanship.
• Yue Muzhou resisted until Pei Ye said Ying Suyu had accepted him as Yue’s disciple, and Ying Suyu appeared and insisted that Yue teach him Unbound properly.
• Ying Suyu cried as she told Yue Muzhou about dreaming that he was tortured and killed in the North.
• Ying Suyu and Yue recalled their promise to meet each year at the Hundred-Troupes Garden, and she urged Yue to teach Pei Ye so someone could continue using his sword.
• Pei Ye told Yue Muzhou that his opponent had a very fast sword move, faster than Pei Ye’s but not faster than Unbound.

Pei Ye learned from Yue Muzhou’s Mirage shadow that mastering Unbound required believing his sword could overcome any opponent, and he found peace in recognizing himself as Yue Muzhou’s successor. The chapter then moved to the Scale Trial’s round of thirty-two, as the Great Tang watched the Teal List heroes compete.

• Pei Ye asked Yue Muzhou how to counter a fast strike like Unbound and requested instruction in the technique.
• Yue Muzhou explained that Unbound arrived when the swordsman’s thought and belief reached it, then tested Pei Ye’s strike and showed that his doubt had held it back.
• Pei Ye told Ying Suyu that Yue Muzhou’s shadow might have lost confidence in protecting Empress Wei, and thanked her for bringing him to Bright Moon Hall.
• Pei Ye realized he did not need the Mirage Realm to confirm his bond with Yue Muzhou, because their years together in Fenghuai had made him Yue Muzhou’s successor.
• The Scale Trial’s round of thirty-two began on the Thirteenth Day of the Fourth Month after three days of celebrated matches among the Teal List heroes.

The Feather-Scale Trial’s round of thirty-two began with Yong Ji facing Xu Wensang, who used Yannri Palace sword arts to wound and nearly defeat him. Yong Ji unleashed his monstrous strength and beast-like transformation to win, leaving the crowd stunned as the physicians treated Xu Wensang.

• Pei Ye watched the opening matches from a rooftop with Jiang Yiner, who said she had lost to Zuo Qiu and resolved to keep cultivating.
• Yong Ji began his match against Xu Wensang of Kunlun Sunlit Palace, having won twenty-seven consecutive Trial matches.
• Xu Wensang used the Seven Forms of Dusk Shadow Sword to evade Yong Ji’s spear and cut him repeatedly.
• Xu Wensang activated the Dawn Art’s Seabed Golden Crow and attacked Yong Ji with Six Blades Cut the Sun.
• Yong Ji shouted “Hou! Zhuyan!”, extinguished the Golden Crow flames with his true qi, shattered Xu Wensang’s Intent Sword, and defeated him after twenty-nine exchanges.
• After physicians carried Xu Wensang away, Yong Ji closed his wounds and revealed the beast-like transformation covering most of his right arm, restrained by two golden bands.

The Feather-Scale Trial narrowed to sixteen, with Yu Qing defeating Chen Quan and Yong Ji overcoming Zhao Jiajia before Pei Ye learned he would face Yu Qing. Yongbei told Yong Ji that Pei Ye’s survival through repeated deadly trials had forged a stronger heart, leaving Yong Ji to prepare for an opponent he might not be able to overcome.

• Yong Ji defeated Xu Wensang with a spear and walked away after revealing his Mountain and Sea Blood transformation.
• Ji Jiuying, Yan Feiqing, Liang Yanni, Shang Yunning, Yang Zhenbing, Ji Zhuowu, Yu Qing, and Yong Ji advanced to the final sixteen.
• Yu Qing defeated Chen Quan in seven exchanges and revealed himself as Yunlang’s inheritor of the Northern Dark Fish.
• Yong Ji drew his sword and defeated Zhao Jiajia after nearly two hundred exchanges, while Pei Ye and Jiang Yiner saw that Pei Ye would face Yu Qing.
• Yongbei told Yong Ji that his next opponent, Pei Ye, had been forged by surviving repeated deadly ordeals, and that Yong Ji lacked the same strength of heart.

Pei Ye learned how Yong Ji’s three kinds of Mountain and Sea Blood worked and prepared to fight in the final day of the Feather-Scale Trial. The southern division began its matches, and after Lu Wei defeated Liang Yanni, Pei Ye, Yan Feiqing, and Yang Zhenbing watched the next bout.

• Yongbei told Yong Ji that if he defeated Zheng, he might someday live while Yongbei died, and said he had given him everything he could.
• Ying Suyu and Li Xizhou explained to Pei Ye that Yong Ji’s Hou, Zhuyan, and Zheng bloods had different powers, and that Yongbei had added Zheng to counter Pei Ye’s combat instincts.
• Pei Ye told Li Xizhou he wanted a proper fight in the Feather-Scale Trial, and she said she would tie the jade belt around him if he won the Martial Examination.
• The final day began with the sixteen contestants split into northern and southern divisions, and the southern division opened with Lu Wei against Liang Yanni.
• Lu Wei beat Liang Yanni after seventeen exchanges, and Pei Ye, Yan Feiqing, and Yang Zhenbing debated the match before Yang asked who would win the next one.

Li Zhi defeated Mei Jianxi, while Yong Ji defeated Qiu Si with a growingly powerful sword stroke, leaving the gathered sects unable to find anyone who could stop him. As repairs began, the elders discussed the trial’s rules and hoped the northern section might produce a challenger.

• Li Zhi defeated Mei Jianxi after 238 exchanges, displaying the power of Heaven-Qilin-Book of Changes.
• Yang Zhenbing lost to Qun Fei and returned to sit with Pei Ye and Yan Feiqing.
• Qiu Si challenged Yong Ji’s swordsmanship, but Yong Ji defeated him after a long fight and his sword stroke grew stronger.
• The southern section’s victors were named as Lu Wei, Li Zhi, Qun Fei, and Yong Ji, while Qiu Si was carried away injured.
• Qiu Jiashu and Xiu Lü discussed whether anyone could beat Yong Ji and debated the trial’s rules about powers and equipment.
• Gu Yuan and the other elders speculated that Heavenly Matriarch or someone from the northern section might challenge Yong Ji.

The Heavenly Matriarch swiftly defeated Ji Jiuying by using a more practiced version of Ji Jiuying’s own sword move. The chapter then turned to Shang Yunning and Yan Feiqing’s closely watched duel, where Yan’s precise swordsmanship began to answer Shang’s formidable attacks.

• The Heavenly Matriarch disarmed Ji Jiuying and praised her execution of [Mountain-Rushing River-Falling].
• Nan Guannu and the Shaolong Sword Sect watched the matches and discussed Pei Ye’s expected performance.
• Shang Yunning and Yan Feiqing stepped onto the platform, drawing attention as two celebrated young swordsmen.
• Shang Yunning attacked with the Heavenly Mountain Sword, building a deep sequence of linked strikes.
• Yan Feiqing met Shang Yunning’s onslaught without showing an opening, and Pei Ye watched his swordsmanship with renewed attention.

Pei Ye faced Yu Qing in his first Feather-Scale Trial match and revealed a varied sword style, but Yu Qing’s adaptable swordsmanship and relentless pressure brought Pei Ye close to defeat. The match ended on a sudden burst of killing intent from Yu Qing’s sword.

• Yan Feiqing defeated Shang Yunning through superior swordsmanship, and He Yaoyao defeated Ji Zhuowu before Pei Ye and Yu Qing were called to the platform.
• Pei Ye and Yu Qing exchanged formal greetings, then began their match with Pei Ye using the Sparrow Section’s forms and Yu Qing studying his moves.
• Yu Qing used the Butcher's Manual of Ox Dissection to counter Pei Ye and knocked his sword away, but Pei Ye dispersed the remaining sword momentum and recovered his weapon.
• Pei Ye’s Locust Tree Matters style filled the platform with blossoms, but Yu Qing stood firm with a hard, unyielding sword defense and pressed Pei Ye back.
• Yu Qing countered Pei Ye’s true-qi sword techniques with simple, forceful moves, pushing him toward a serious disadvantage before killing intent erupted from Yu Qing’s sword.

Pei Ye defeated Yu Qing by trapping him and the Northern Dark Fish with [Bloom Together at Dawn, Wither Together at Dusk]. After the round of sixteen, the quarterfinals were set to begin, with Pei Ye preparing to face He Yaoyao and Lu Wei facing Li Zhi.

• Yu Qing used his Northern Dark Fish to devour Pei Ye’s immortal rebirth, but Pei Ye sent a drop of water into the fish’s realm and spread a net of threads that immobilized both Yu Qing and the fish.
• Pei Ye sheathed his sword, ended the contest, and helped Yu Qing to his feet after winning.
• Li Wuyan celebrated Pei Ye’s victory and predicted he would defeat He Yaoyao next.
• Di Jiu confirmed that documents for the Immortal Platform had been delivered and told Xie Chuantang to trust Pei Ye’s plans for the prison cells.
• Pei Ye returned to his seat, agreed to fight Yan Feiqing, and then watched Lu Wei face Li Zhi as the quarterfinals approached.

At the Winter Sword Platform, Lu Wei defeated Li Zhi and Yong Ji defeated Qun Fei, deciding the southern section’s victors. Pei Ye then fought He Yaoyao in the rain, and their water-sword duel continued with Pei Ye plunging down in a powerful strike.

• Lu Wei found a gap in Li Zhi’s heaven-and-earth domain and brought his sword within three inches of Li Zhi’s throat, winning their bout.
• Yong Ji defeated Qun Fei with his spear and a devastating sword strike, leaving Lu Wei and Yong Ji as the southern section’s victors.
• Pei Ye and He Yaoyao agreed to avoid injuring each other, but Pei Ye suggested waiting for rain so they could use their water swords.
• Rain began to fall, and He Yaoyao attacked Pei Ye with Xudao Mountain’s exquisite sword art, Touching the Fish.
• Pei Ye countered with Sword Washes Water, then cut down rain from above and plunged toward He Yaoyao with a powerful descending strike.

Pei Ye defeated He Yaoyao in Sword Chess, and the Heavenly Matriarch overwhelmed Yan Feiqing with powerful attacks. Yan Feiqing then stopped her latest strike, revealing an enormous Yin-Yang formation across the Winter Sword Platform.

• Pei Ye used [Divine Lord Washes the Sword, Northern Rain Falls from Heaven] to trap He Yaoyao and win their match.
• He Yaoyao accepted her loss, and the rain stopped before the next match.
• The Heavenly Matriarch faced Yan Feiqing for the final place in the four-person finals and quickly gained the advantage with varied sword arts.
• The Heavenly Matriarch broke through Yan Feiqing's taiji defenses and sent him flying with repeated heavy strikes.
• Yan Feiqing met the Heavenly Matriarch's next attack without being overwhelmed, as an enormous pair of Yin-Yang fish appeared across the Winter Sword Platform.

Yan Feiqing revealed that he cultivated immortality through the Qingwei Primordial Descent Great Method, not the sword, and defeated the Heavenly Matriarch in the Feather-Scale Trial quarterfinals. The final four pairings were set, with Pei Ye to face Yan Feiqing after an hour’s interval.

• Yan Feiqing reversed the force of the Heavenly Matriarch’s strikes and wounded her, then explained that his sword cultivation had only been the fruit of his first twenty years.
• Yan Feiqing summoned thunder through the Qingwei Primordial Descent Great Method, revealing that he cultivated immortality rather than the sword.
• The Heavenly Matriarch attacked Yan Feiqing with her Butterfly Heart Sword, but he countered with Fire Inquiry and pierced her Heart Sword realm.
• Yan Feiqing and the Heavenly Matriarch fought for an hour, until she conceded that she could not overcome his flawless immortal embryo.
• The quarterfinals ended with the Heavenly Matriarch eliminated, setting the final four pairings as Lu Wei versus Yong Ji and Pei Ye versus Yan Feiqing.

Pei Ye considered the danger of fighting Yan Feiqing while Li Xizhou urged him to preserve his strength for Yong Ji. He then watched Lu Wei unveil the Mirror sword art against Yong Ji, who searched for a way to overcome its domain.

• Cui Zhaoye and Qu Xin discussed Yan Feiqing’s strength and the uncertain odds for Pei Ye and the other contenders.
• Li Xizhou brought Pei Ye food and suggested he could concede to Yan Feiqing, but Pei Ye continued weighing the risks of their fight.
• Lu Wei and Yong Ji began their semifinal duel, and Yong Ji used his strength and Mountain and Sea Blood armor to pressure Lu Wei.
• Lu Wei spread his Mirror sword art across the platform, creating a domain of countless mirrored shards that let him evade Yong Ji’s attacks.
• Yong Ji used the Pupil of Zhuyan to study the domain, failed to locate Lu Wei, and charged toward where Lu Wei had stood.

Lu Wei used the Mirror, Star, and Yin-Yang sword arts to trap Yong Ji and prepare a counter to his devastating sword. Their final exchange ended with both men wounded, and Yong Ji leaving the platform as the strongest fighter on the Teal List.

• Lu Wei used Mirror and Star to wound Yong Ji, but Yong Ji read the sword’s pattern and pierced him through the mirror realm.
• Lu Wei used Yin-Yang to trap Yong Ji and leave a True Profound marker, then waited for the mirror realm to break.
• As Yong Ji escaped with Heavenly Roar, Lu Wei struck with a faster Star, but Yong Ji drew his sword and cut Lu Wei’s neck.
• Yong Ji sheathed his sword and left the platform, while Qun Fei remarked that Yong Ji used the same approach every time.

Pei Ye entered the Sword Platform to face Yan Feiqing in the penultimate bout of the Feather-Scale Trial finals. After recognizing that fear of losing to Yan Feiqing—not concern about Yong Ji—had made him hesitate, Pei Ye chose to fight seriously.

• Qun Fei explained that Yong Ji studied opponents through exchanges before ending fights with his sword strike, and Shi Zanxue admitted how strong he was.
• Pei Ye spoke with Zhao Jianfei and Zhao Zhixiong about the mysterious origins of Yong Ji’s sword strike and learned that Zhao Jianfei admired Pei Ye.
• Li Xizhou encouraged Pei Ye to fight Yan Feiqing and pushed him onto the Sword Platform.
• Pei Ye realized he feared losing to Yan Feiqing and had been using the need to face Yong Ji as an excuse to avoid the bout.
• Pei Ye asked Yan Feiqing about his wounds and said they should have a serious fight.

Pei Ye fought Yan Feiqing on the Winter Sword Platform, using his Xia Sword arts and a vast fire domain against Yan Feiqing’s flawless swordsmanship. Yan Feiqing countered with the Heart Sword “Fire Inquiry,” but Pei Ye answered by creating an ice realm, leaving the duel unresolved between opposing domains.

• Pei Ye used “Lotus Trust” and other sword arts against Yan Feiqing, but Yan Feiqing’s Limitless Sword Force suppressed him.
• Pei Ye unleashed “Flourishing Things Sequence” and drew on the Chi Flame Blossoms he had planted across the platform to summon the fire dragon “Zhurong.”
• Yan Feiqing allowed the flames to engulf him, then used the Heart Sword “Fire Inquiry” to turn the fire domain against Pei Ye.
• Pei Ye endured Yan Feiqing’s Heart Sword and formed the ice realm “Bright Mirror, Ice Heaven Reflects Me,” dividing the platform into fire and ice domains.

Pei Ye, nearly depleted and unable to overcome Yan Feiqing’s Qingwei Immortal Embryo with his usual powers, abandoned his true qi and relied on his mortal body and swordsmanship. He reached Yan Feiqing in the air and cut his neck, but the two fell together amid a renewed clash of lightning, clear qi, and sword light.

• Pei Ye escaped Yan Feiqing’s lightning prison, but Yan Feiqing invoked Thunder Lord Descends and attacked him with overwhelming lightning.
• Pei Ye recognized that his Chi Flame and other powers could not break through Yan Feiqing’s defenses, while spectators watched him struggle against the stronger swordsman.
• Pei Ye cast aside his true qi and entered Bare Heart, Revealed Blade, using his sword to catch Yan Feiqing’s lightning and propel himself through the air.
• Pei Ye reached Yan Feiqing and cut his neck, prompting Yan Feiqing to unleash clear qi and lightning as the two fell together in a fierce exchange.

Pei Ye defeated Yan Feiqing, then insisted on facing Yong Ji immediately as the Martial Examination final. He fought Yong Ji with overwhelming strength and fierce sword techniques, but Yong Ji drew his sword and became far more dangerous, leaving their duel unresolved.

• Pei Ye defeated Yan Feiqing by striking his neck just before their three-breath duel ended, and Yan Feiqing admitted defeat.
• Pei Ye refused to rest and asked for Yong Ji to come up, and the Ministry of War approved making their match the Martial Examination final.
• Yong Ji opened with a powerful spear thrust, but Pei Ye met him head-on and unleashed a relentless series of heavy sword strikes.
• Pei Ye used Rain Worker Flowing Form and Vermilion Flame to wound Yong Ji, then drove his sword through Yong Ji’s chest and abdomen before retreating from a counterattack.
• Yong Ji recovered, drew the sword at his waist, and attacked Pei Ye with both sword and spear, breaking through Pei Ye’s defense as the duel continued.