Chapter Summaries

Bai Yi joined No. 2 Middle School’s delegation for the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam in Qunlan City, where Blue Mountain’s schools faced rivals from Luanshan City over their cities’ allocated resources. The group arrived at the examination site and met the Luanshan principals, setting up a contest between the neighboring cities.

• Bai Yi received Li Bantou’s notice to gather for the preliminary exam and left home the next morning with his Two Flying Swords.
• The Old Principal praised Hua Ming’s progress, then welcomed Bai Yi and promised him a Cultivation Room to make up for his time in the Secret Realm.
• Bai Yi and the other Dao Students boarded an airship and traveled to Qunlan City, where they saw the vast Qunlan Tree network.
• The Blue Mountain school principals asked the Old Principal to lead their delegation in competing for allocated resources.
• The Old Principal insulted the Luanshan principals, whose city competed with Blue Mountain for the following year’s additional resources.

Hua Ming defeated Qiu Yong in the city Dao Studies combat, but Lu Zheng, a transfer student from a First-Level City, then overwhelmed Hua Ming with his Formation Daoist Arts. Lu Zheng apologized for competing and turned to Bai Yi, asking him for a favor before their match began.

• Hua Ming volunteered to fight for Blue Mountain No. 2 Middle School and defeated Qiu Yong of Luan Mountain No. 1 Middle School with successive fire talismans.
• Lu Zheng introduced himself as a former student of Qunlan No. 6 Middle School who had transferred to Luan Mountain No. 1 Middle School, drawing complaints from the watching Dao students.
• After recovering his Spiritual Power, Hua Ming fought Lu Zheng, who froze and shattered Hua Ming's sea of fire with his Formation Daoist Arts.
• Lu Zheng apologized to Bai Yi and asked him for a favor, while Bai Yi told him to recover his Spiritual Power first.

Bai Yi defeated Lu Zheng in the Dharma Combat Arena by breaking his Year-Cold Formation with Swordlight Transforms into a Rainbow. His display stunned the Dao Studies principals, who recognized him as an exceptionally gifted Sword Cultivator, while the Old Principal took pride in Blue Mountain's prospects for the upcoming assessment.

• Bai Yi introduced himself on the arena, and Lu Zheng attacked him with the Year-Cold Formation.
• Bai Yi unleashed Swordlight Transforms into a Rainbow, shattering Lu Zheng's ice defenses and astonishing the watching principals.
• Lu Zheng reversed his formation into an Ice Crystal Giant Python, but Bai Yi guided his sword around the attack and stopped it at Lu Zheng's throat.
• Bai Yi told Lu Zheng to yield and left the arena, while Lu Zheng stood stunned by his defeat.
• The Old Principal celebrated Blue Mountain's advantage over its rivals, and the principals praised Bai Yi's rare Sword Dao talent.

Bai Yi joined the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam Assessment, where a Golden Core True Person summoned the Immortal Ascension Stairway and set a fifty-step passing requirement. Bai Yi quickly overcame the first nine steps’ heart-questioning illusions and reached the tenth, where a Rogue Cultivator from the Dragon Gourd Sect appeared to test him.

• Old Principal told Bai Yi that passing the assessment would qualify him for special admission to a First-Rate Academy, though Bai Yi remained focused on goals beyond the Ten Palaces.
• A white-haired Golden Core True Person arrived, verified the Dao Studies Tokens, and announced the Immortal Ascension Stairway assessment, requiring students to climb fifty steps.
• Bai Yi cut through an illusion of his past life on the first step and used Sword Light to climb onward while many other students remained trapped.
• Bai Yi overcame illusions of family and life’s hardships on the following steps, then reached the tenth step ahead of the crowd.
• A fat old man from the Dragon Gourd Sect appeared before Bai Yi, and the white-haired examiner watched to see how Bai Yi would fare against the Outer Domain Cultivator.

Bai Yi rapidly defeated the cultivators guarding the Immortal Ascension Steps and reached the twentieth tier, where he chose the Iron-Slashing Sword Art for a comprehension test. He used an Enlightenment Glimmer to deepen his understanding as the principals watched his progress.

• Bai Yi defeated the gourd elder on the tenth tier and rode his sword onward while the other students struggled to catch up.
• A crew-cut boy cleared the tenth-tier checkpoint in thirteen breaths, but saw Bai Yi already advancing from the twelfth tier.
• Bai Yi defeated the lightning-wreathed cultivator on the thirteenth tier and continued cutting through opponents up to the nineteenth tier.
• On the twentieth tier, Bai Yi found a test requiring him to comprehend one Magic Art to entry level and selected the Iron-Slashing Sword Art.
• Bai Yi used an Enlightenment Glimmer to study the sword art, while the Dao School principals discussed his rapid ascent.

Bai Yi comprehended the Iron-Slashing Sword Art’s Dao Resonance to perfection in an hour and drew the attention of a Golden Core True Person. He continued up the Immortal Ascension Stairway, defeated the conjured opponents through the forty-ninth level, and faced the final level of the assessment.

• The Old Principal wagered six Spirit-Breaking Pills that Bai Yi would reach the proficient stage, while a rival principal doubted his comprehension.
• After about an hour, Bai Yi cultivated the Iron-Slashing Sword Art to Dao Resonance Perfection, astonishing the watching principals.
• The Golden Core True Person from Skywave Academy summoned the Old Principal and asked him to bring Bai Yi for a meeting after the assessment.
• Bai Yi defeated the conjured opponents on the stairway, progressing from the twenty-first level through the forty-ninth.
• Bai Yi slew the Demon Tiger and its Beast-Taming Sect Disciple opponent, then looked toward the fiftieth level that marked the assessment’s end.

Bai Yi reached the fiftieth tier of the Immortal Ascension Stairway and faced a stronger opponent wielding complementary Spirit Dao Arts. He revealed the Azure Cloud Sword Art to defeat the opponent, while the White-Haired Youth watched with heightened interest.

• Bai Yi rode his sword past the lower tiers toward the fiftieth checkpoint, and the White-Haired Youth praised his sword talent while hoping he would not climb higher.
• Bai Yi encountered a simulated inner sect disciple whose White Crane Spirit Dao Art unleashed feathers and rain against him.
• Bai Yi used the Heart-Questioning Sword and Azure Edge Sword to pierce the white crane, but the opponent countered with a Striped Fierce Tiger and knocked aside the Heart-Questioning Sword.
• Bai Yi summoned the Azure Cloud Sword Art, intertwining clouds, Clearwind, and rainbow Sword Light around his two swords.
• Bai Yi's swords destroyed the Spirit Dao Tiger and white crane, then struck down the young opponent and cleared the fiftieth tier.

Bai Yi defeated the sect youths through the upper levels of the Immortal Ascension Stairway and reached the sixtieth level, where he entered the Heavenly Pool. The pressure of the fourteen statues bore down on him as he struggled to take another step toward them.

• Bai Yi recovered after passing the fiftieth level, then continued climbing despite the white-haired youth’s wish to speak with him.
• Bai Yi defeated the crimson-robed youth on the fifty-first level and pressed onward through the levels above it.
• Bai Yi overcame the sect youth on the fifty-ninth level with his remaining Spiritual Power, then rested for four hours.
• Bai Yi reached the sixtieth level and found a Heavenly Pool surrounded by fourteen towering statues.
• Bai Yi entered the Heavenly Pool, where the statues’ combined Dao Resonance crushed down on him, and he strained to walk forward.

Bai Yi pushed through the Immortal Ascension Stairway’s immense pressure, relying on his sword techniques and Minor Five Elements Art to resist attacks on his body and Divine Soul. Near the True Lord statues, he merged a fourth Dao Resonance and struck at the barrier, but his Azure Edge Sword began to crack.

• Bai Yi used his Heart-Questioning and Azure Edge swords to advance through the Clearwind Dao Resonance’s pressure toward the hundred-meter boundary.
• Bai Yi crossed the boundary and withstood a Divine Soul attack when his perfected Minor Five Elements Art activated.
• The White-Haired Youth praised Bai Yi’s achievements but doubted he could pass the final stretch to the True Lord statues.
• Bai Yi merged Azure Cloud Dao Resonance with his two swords and forced his way to within thirty meters of the statues.
• When three merged Dao Resonances proved insufficient, Bai Yi added the Iron-Slashing Sword Art’s Dao Resonance and forged all four into a perfected resonance.
• Bai Yi slashed at the invisible barrier, exhausting his Spiritual Power as the Azure Edge Sword cracked under the pressure.

Bai Yi survived the final trial beneath the Heavenly Pool statue, drawing the attention of two True Lords who awarded him Upper Palace Tokens for Zhenyi Palace and Qianyuan Palace. Though his goal remained the Four Academies, he received a powerful Flying Sword from Cui Tianyuan before the examination concluded.

• Bai Yi fused the complete Dao Resonance of a Lower Vehicle Sword Art into his sword, crossed the final thirty meters, and recovered as the pearl healed his injuries.
• Two True Lord statues focused their gazes on Bai Yi and bestowed Upper Palace Tokens granting entry to Zhenyi Palace and Qianyuan Palace without entrance examinations.
• Bai Yi asked whether the Four Academies offered similar tokens, and Cui Tianyuan explained that their rare Immortal Academy Tokens went to exceptional prodigies.
• Cui Tianyuan learned Bai Yi was from a branch of the Qing River White Household in Blue Mountain and gave him a high-grade Azure Immortal Sword.
• Cui Tianyuan announced that Bai Yi had obtained an Upper Palace Token, that twenty-one others had passed the fiftieth level, and that the examination was over.
• After Cui Tianyuan left with the students, the Dao School principals and students reacted in astonishment to Bai Yi's Upper Palace Token.

Bai Yi revealed that he had received Upper Palace Tokens from both Zhenyi Palace and Qianyuan Palace, stunning the examination crowd. After Bai Yunqi arrived with Bai Xiaojing and invited him to return to the Qing River White Household, Bai Yi agreed.

• Bai Yi showed the Old Principal his two Upper Palace Tokens, one from Zhenyi Palace and one from Qianyuan Palace.
• The Dao Students and principals reacted with shock, while Lanshan City's students struggled with their disappointment at failing to reach the twentieth level.
• Bai Yunqi arrived at the plaza with Bai Xiaojing and told Bai Yi that the White Household's Golden Core ancestor had ordered him to bring Bai Yi back.
• Bai Yunqi invited Bai Yi to return with him to the Qing River White Household, and Bai Yi agreed.

Bai Yi returned to Qinghe with Bai Yunqi and Bai Xiaojing, where the White Household Old Ancestor welcomed him after learning of his talent and Upper Palace Tokens. The Old Ancestor asked Bai Yi to become the White Household's Dao Heir.

• Bai Yunqi arranged for Bai Luo to bring Bai Yi's parents from Blue Mountain to Qinghe.
• Bai Xiaojing excitedly examined the two Upper Palace Tokens Bai Yi had earned, and Bai Yunqi explained that the White Household would help him enter one of the Four Academies.
• Bai Yunqi brought Bai Yi and Bai Xiaojing to the White Household's ancestral island in Qinghe City, where they met the Golden Core Old Ancestor.
• The Old Ancestor praised Bai Yi's sword bone and dismissed Cui Tianyuan's attempt to recruit him to Skywave Academy.
• The Old Ancestor asked Bai Yi to become the White Household's Dao Heir, a position the family had lacked for over a hundred years.

The White Household's old ancestor named Bai Yi its Daoist Son and called for a challenge to settle the appointment. Bai Yi entered an arena to face Bai Hong of the Main Lineage, leaving the outcome undecided.

• The old ancestor offered Bai Yi the Daoist Son position and asked whether he dared shoulder the White Household's burdens; Bai Yi accepted confidently.
• The old ancestor summoned the clan to the ancestral hall, alarming Bai Yundu and interrupting a celebration for Bai Hong and Bai Fei's exam results.
• The old ancestor declared Bai Yi, a descendant of Bai Yuntian's branch, the White Household's Daoist Son, and Bai Yundu retrieved the Daoist Son Seal.
• Bai Hong objected to Bai Yi's appointment, while Bai Fei stayed silent among the crowd.
• The old ancestor ordered Bai Yi and Bai Hong to fight for the position, and Bai Yi entered the sealed arena to face Bai Hong of the Main Lineage.

Bai Yi defeated Bai Hong and was formally appointed Dao Student of the White Household. The old ancestor explained the Four Academies’ importance and began preparing the Green River Water Estate’s formation to strengthen Bai Yi’s cultivation.

• Bai Yi shattered Bai Hong’s lightning techniques and defeated him with a sword strike empowered by four Dao Resonances.
• The White Household’s old ancestor declared Bai Yi its Dao Student, and the clansmen reacted with astonishment at his strength.
• Bai Xiaojing showed the clansmen her two Upper Palace Tokens, and Bai Hong took comfort in having lost to someone who had earned them.
• The old ancestor told Bai Yi that the Four Academies stood far above the Ten Palaces and hinted at secrets beyond the Immortal Alliance.
• The old ancestor urged Bai Yi to beat disciples of the Sun Palace to avenge an old grudge against Liu.
• The old ancestor opened the Water Eye beneath the lake and prepared to empower the Water Estate’s formation to raise its Spiritual Power concentration for Bai Yi.

The White Household ancestor brought Bai Yi to a hidden Water Mansion powered by a grand formation and supplied him with premium cultivation pills. Inside its Fourth-Tier Spirit Land, Bai Yi rapidly broke through to Qi Refining, Sixth Layer and resumed cultivating toward the next bottleneck.

• The White Household ancestor killed an Aquatic Demon Beast that attacked the Water Mansion’s protective formation.
• The White Household ancestor explained the Water Mansion’s formation and gave Bai Yi bottles of Spirit-Gathering Pills, Spirit-Breaking Pills, and Meridians Pills.
• Bai Yi entered the Water Mansion and began cultivating amid its dense spiritual energy, using the pills to accelerate his progress.
• After two days, Bai Yi broke through to Qi Refining, Sixth Layer, much faster than he had expected.
• Bai Yi resumed refining pills and spiritual energy, aiming to break through the Late Qi Refining bottleneck before his ten days in the Water Mansion ran out.

Bai Yi broke through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, impressing the White Household's ancestor, who revealed the family's history and gave him the Book of the Innate Unity of the Dao to study. The ancestor then turned to a second matter and began explaining how technology had helped the Immortal Alliance survive contact with the Myriad Heavens Dao Realms.

• Bai Yi used several medicinal pills to force his way through the bottleneck and reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining.
• The White Household's ancestor praised Bai Yi's progress and explained that Bai Linlu had died pursuing the Great Dao in an outer-domain world.
• The ancestor revealed that Bai Linlu had obtained three volumes of the Book of the Innate Unity of the Dao, a method that could forge spirit bodies and bloodlines by devouring Dao Resonance.
• The ancestor gave Bai Yi the book's stored knowledge and advised him to pursue a Sword Dao bloodline if he mastered the method.
• The ancestor introduced a second matter, saying that technology's ascension had enabled the Immortal Alliance to survive after contacting the Myriad Heavens Dao Realms.

The White Household's old ancestor helped Bai Yi implant the Hyper-Analytical Atomic Framework Spiritual Root Derivation Device, which could gradually improve his Spiritual Root. Bai Yi completed the initial binding and began a year-long refinement, leaving him temporarily at a Three Spiritual Root level before he could reach Dual Spiritual Roots.

• The White Household's old ancestor explained that the device used Dao-Building Crystals to reforge Spiritual Roots and said he had enough contribution points to raise Bai Yi to a Dual Spiritual Root.
• After Bai Yi reached the Late Qi Refining stage, the old ancestor guided him in refining the device by entering his Essence Blood, Divine Sense, and Spiritual Power.
• The device attached itself to Bai Yi's spine and dissolved its Spiritual Root crystal into his backbone as he endured the painful Life Marrow scan.
• Bai Yi completed the device's initial binding, and its silver scales covered part of his spine.
• The old ancestor told Bai Yi that he was temporarily at a Three Spiritual Root level and would need a year to refine the device fully into a Dual Spiritual Root.

Bai Yi used the Dao-Building Crystal and Spiritual Root Derivation Device to improve his cultivation, then studied dozens of sword arts and artifacts with the White Household's ancestor's help. After ten days of practice, he comprehended the embryonic form of Sword Intent, which shattered the Water Abode's dome before the ancestor stopped his strike.

• Bai Yi asked the White Household's ancestor for the family's sword arts and artifacts so he could study traditional artifact refining and swordsmanship.
• The ancestor brought Bai Yi more than thirty Qi Refining Sword Arts and over forty artifacts, then told him to comprehend Sword Intent within ten days.
• Bai Yi refined the artifacts to gain Enlightenment Glimmers and used them to study a succession of sword arts.
• After ten days, Bai Yi combined the sword arts in a duel between the Heart-Questioning Sword and the Azure Immortal Sword, awakening a razor-sharp embryonic Sword Intent.
• The White Household's ancestor confronted Bai Yi's sword rainbow with the Qing River's gathered waters, subdued the attack, and descended into the damaged Water Abode holding the Azure Immortal Sword.

Bai Yi comprehended the embryonic form of Sword Intent, and the White Household's Old Ancestor brought him to Mingzhou City to borrow a Bixin Wood Bead from the Huang Household. The chapter ended as the Old Ancestor hinted that he wanted the Jade Liquid from the Huang Household's third-rank Bixin Jade Willow Tree.

• Bai Yi emerged from his enlightenment with traces of Sword Intent, and the White Household's Old Ancestor praised his talent.
• The White Household's Old Ancestor took Bai Yi aboard his warship and flew to Mingzhou City to borrow a Bixin Wood Bead.
• The White Household's Old Ancestor performed risky aerial maneuvers before switching the warship to Intelligent Flight Control, leaving Bai Yi shaken.
• Huang Antian intercepted the warship and learned that the White Household's Old Ancestor had come to the Huang Household after missing its Daoist Son Ceremony.
• The White Household's Old Ancestor arrived at the Huang Household's garden and asked Huang Antian whether the Bixin Jade Willow Tree's Jade Liquid had formed.

Bai Yi entered the Huang Household’s Bixin Jade Willow Tree Secret Realm to seek the Bixin Wood Bead from its third-tier mother tree. He sped past the grove’s defenses, stole the Huang juniors’ collected Jade Liquid, and continued toward the mother tree.

• The White Household’s Ancestor forced Huang Antian to let Bai Yi enter the Huang Household’s secret realm.
• Huang Antian opened the secret realm, and Bai Yi entered after the Huang Household’s juniors.
• Bai Yi collected Jade Liquid from a first-tier Bixin Jade Willow Tree and killed two Jade-Scaled Apes that attacked him.
• Bai Yi rode his Azure Immortal Sword toward the mother tree, evading the second-tier trees’ whipping branches.
• Bai Yi darted through the central grove and took every Jade Liquid bottle from the Huang Household youth leading the collection.
• Bai Yi accelerated toward the third-tier mother tree as its branches continued to attack.