Chapter Summaries

After Jing Jiu defeated Gu Qing, the elders recognized his extraordinary talent and competed to recruit him into their peaks. Jing Jiu postponed choosing, and Zhao Layue stepped forward to inherit a sword, drawing everyone’s attention to her decision.

• The Nine Peaks elders recognized Jing Jiu’s keen Sword Eye, abundant Sword Essence, and exceptional sword talent after his fight with Gu Qing.
• Elder Mo invited Jing Jiu to join Heavenly Light Peak, but elders from several other peaks also tried to recruit him.
• Mei Li and True Person Guangyuan argued that their peaks had recognized Jing Jiu first, while the elders continued competing for him.
• Jing Jiu considered the different peaks, then told the presiding elder he needed more time to choose before the assembly ended.
• Jing Jiu returned to Zhao Layue, who praised his talent, and she walked toward the stream as the crowd wondered which peak she would choose.

At the Sword Inheritance Assembly, Zhao Layue rejected invitations from the Sect Master and Yuan Qijing and chose Divine End Peak, explaining that she wanted to continue its lineage because Jingyang had chosen her as his Sword-Inheriting Disciple. Jing Jiu realized this was the reason behind her choice.

• The Shiyue Peak elder excused Zhao Layue from demonstrating her sword, and no disciple challenged her.
• The Nine Peaks spoke in turn to persuade Zhao Layue to join them, with Yuan Qijing offering to teach her personally and the Sect Master inviting her to Heavenly Light Peak.
• Yuan Qijing insisted Zhao Layue could choose freely, and Zhao Layue declared that she wanted to inherit the sword of Divine End Peak.
• Qingrong Peak's master warned that Divine End Peak had not taken part in the assembly for hundreds of years and might be replaced by a new lineage.
• Zhao Layue said she wanted to continue Divine End Peak's lineage because Jingyang had chosen her as his Sword-Inheriting Disciple.
• Jing Jiu understood that this was why Zhao Layue had chosen the Ninth Peak.

Zhao Layue won permission to attempt the dangerous inheritance of Divine End Peak, and Jing Jiu stunned the gathered cultivators by choosing the same peak. As Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu set out toward the sealed mountain, the chapter left their fate uncertain.

• Yuan Qijing warned Zhao Layue that climbing Divine End Peak without opening a new sword meridian was nearly impossible and imposed a three-year restriction if she failed, but Zhao Layue insisted on inheriting True Person Jingyang's sword.
• Guo Nanshan proposed that Zhao Layue join Twofold Forgetting Peak as a fallback, and the Peak Master of Qingrong Peak agreed.
• Jing Jiu chose Divine End Peak after the other disciples had found their places, shocking everyone at the ceremony.
• The Shiyue Peak elder explained that reaching the summit and finding the Unthought Sword would renew True Person Jingyang's lineage, while Jing Jiu warned Zhao Layue that she might die.
• Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu walked toward Divine End Peak as Elder Mochi and Liu Sui watched with concern.

Zhao Layue entered Divine End Peak’s sword formation by sensing its sword intent with her eyes closed, while Jing Jiu followed by copying her steps and making precise adjustments. As they rested on the mountain path, Jing Jiu realized Zhao Layue had prepared for this challenge in advance, but she did not explain why.

• The guests gathered outside Divine End Peak watched as Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu approached, while Gu Han grew resentful at their closeness.
• Zhao Layue understood that Divine End Peak’s formation severed the peak from the outside and divided its interior with strands of sword intent.
• Zhao Layue closed her eyes and used Sword Sense to cross the formation’s boundary, suffering cuts to her sleeve and robe.
• Jing Jiu copied Zhao Layue’s movements with precise adjustments and followed her safely into Divine End Peak.
• Zhao Layue advanced slowly along the mountain path, and Jing Jiu followed her while she sustained cuts to her clothes, hair, and earlobe.
• After they rested, Jing Jiu realized Zhao Layue had been preparing for this journey through Sword Intent Tempering Body, but she left his question unanswered and continued toward the summit.

Zhao Layue struggled through Divine End Peak’s sword formations with Jing Jiu accompanying her and quietly guiding her. Near the summit, she told him she was truly Great-Uncle-Master Jingyang’s chosen Sword-Inheriting Disciple and fell asleep from exhaustion, while Jing Jiu remained concerned about the dangerous climb.

• Zhao Layue continued up Divine End Peak despite mounting wounds, while Jing Jiu followed and said he was tired whenever she neared exhaustion.
• Zhao Layue considered using the Sword Restraint to probe the path, but Jing Jiu warned her that someone was watching, so she kept it hidden.
• Outside the peak, Elder Mo urged the Sect Master not to forget Jing Jiu when rescuing Zhao Layue, while Yuan Qijing heard Chi Yan’s report and remarked that they had no idea whether they would live or die.
• Near the summit, Zhao Layue told Jing Jiu that Great-Uncle-Master Jingyang had truly chosen her as his Sword-Inheriting Disciple, and Jing Jiu said he believed her.
• Zhao Layue explained that she was hurrying because she feared there would not be time, then fell asleep against a pine as Jing Jiu watched the dangerous cliffs.

Jing Jiu carried the sleeping Zhao Layue up Divine End Peak, forcing his way through the sword array while unseen watchers observed. At the summit, he dealt with a Nether Spirit and entered his former cave abode, where he found a white robe among his old garments.

• Jing Jiu transformed Zhao Layue’s bracelet into the Sword Restraint, secured her in it, and carried her toward the summit.
• Jing Jiu walked straight through the peak’s sword array, enduring its sword intent until his robe was torn to strips while Zhao Layue slept.
• Jing Jiu reached the summit and faced a Nether Spirit formed from the lingering soul fire of Nether Department masters.
• Jing Jiu dispersed the Nether Spirit and entered his former cave abode, using its mechanism to clear away the dust.
• Jing Jiu explored the building and selected a white robe from the garments in a hidden chamber.

Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue reached True Person Jingyang’s cave abode on Divine End Peak, where Zhao Layue feared Jingyang was dead and collapsed after her sword broke. Jing Jiu saved and tended to her, then left her furious about the little topknot he had tied in her hair.

• Zhao Layue questioned Jing Jiu about how they had reached the summit, and he gave her an implausible story about a white-bearded immortal.
• Zhao Layue searched for Jingyang’s sword but found no trace of it, and she concluded that Jingyang was likely dead.
• Zhao Layue’s grief overwhelmed her; her blue sword broke, and she spat blood before losing consciousness.
• Jing Jiu told Zhao Layue that Jingyang was not dead, then used Sword Essence to protect and repair her Sword Heart.
• Jing Jiu cleaned Zhao Layue’s face and combed her short hair into a small topknot while she remained unconscious.
• Zhao Layue woke, saw the topknot, and angrily demanded to know what Jing Jiu had done to her.

Jing Jiu revealed that Zhao Layue’s sword bracelet concealed the Unthought Sword, and Zhao Layue accepted it as the legacy of Divine End Peak. The mountain’s sword formation then broke, restoring Green Mountain Ninth Peak and its inheritance.

• Jing Jiu removed the bracelet’s covering and revealed the Unthought Sword to Zhao Layue.
• Zhao Layue questioned whether she deserved to inherit the sword, and Jing Jiu explained that Jingyang had chosen her from birth.
• Zhao Layue placed the Unthought Sword in the sword pedestal inside the cave abode.
• A great wind and brilliant light swept across Divine End Peak, and a clear sword sound rang out.
• The sword formation’s restrictions lifted, Divine End Peak reappeared, and the gathered disciples recognized that Green Mountain Ninth Peak’s legacy had been renewed.

News of Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu inheriting Divine End Peak’s sword spread through the cultivation world, stirring anxiety among rival powers. At the Guest-Welcoming Platform, the disciples saw off their guests, and Liu S sui prepared to visit his village with a request from Jing Jiu.

• Word spread that Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu had inherited Divine End Peak’s sword, and Zhao Layue’s reputation grew across the cultivation world.
• Gu Han criticized Jing Jiu’s conduct during the climb, while Lin Wuzhi and Guo Nanshan discussed his place in the inheritance.
• The new disciples gathered at the Guest-Welcoming Platform to see off the visiting sects, where Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu drew attention.
• A young disciple from the Hanging Bell Sect invited Liu S sui and Zhao Layue to visit and promised Jing Jiu a pair of bells, though she asked him not to visit.
• Two dukes asked Zhao Layue for a letter to take to Chaoge City, but she declined.
• Liu S sui asked Jing Jiu what to bring back from his village, and Jing Jiu requested bamboo to repair his chair.

After Zhao Layue inherited a sword on Divine End Peak, Guo Nanshan tried to recruit her and Jing Jiu to Twofold Forgetting Peak, but both refused. Jing Jiu pointed out that Zhao Layue was now their elder by sect lineage, leaving the disciples on the Guest-Welcoming Platform to disperse rather than address him as Martial Uncle.

• The Wind Saber Sect envoy departed after the Sword Inheritance Assembly, and Guo Nanshan brought Gu Han to congratulate Zhao Layue and invite her to study at Twofold Forgetting Peak.
• Zhao Layue refused the invitation, saying she only wanted to study Great-Granduncle Jingyang's swordsmanship.
• Guo Nanshan praised Jing Jiu's sword techniques and tried to recruit him, but Jing Jiu criticized Twofold Forgetting Peak's reliance on external pressure to temper disciples.
• Gu Han berated Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue, and Jing Jiu corrected him that Zhao Layue was now his Martial Aunt and her Peak Master.
• When Gu Han asked whether he had to call Jing Jiu Martial Uncle, Jing Jiu said yes, prompting the disciples to leave and Guo Nanshan to address him as Martial Uncle.

At a council on Past Arrival Peak, Green Mountain’s elders argued over Gu Qing’s use of Shiyue Peak’s sword technique, unresolved deaths on Jade Lake Peak, and the mysteries surrounding Jing Jiu. The chapter ended with Chi Yan suspecting Jing Jiu came from Fruitful Accomplishment Temple.

• Several peak masters stayed away from the council because Zhao Layue had become their peer after Divine End Peak reopened.
• Chi Yan announced an investigation into how Gu Qing had learned Shiyue Peak’s Six Dragons Returning Sun technique, while the Shiyue Peak elder urged the peaks to preserve harmony.
• Elder Cheng demanded answers about the deaths of Jade Lake Peak’s Lei Poyun and Junior Brother Zuo, and Chi Yan said Shangde Peak had leads but no certainty.
• The elders questioned Jing Jiu’s origins and how he had brought Junior Brother Mo’s sword down from Sword Peak; Chi Yan said Jing Jiu was from Chaoge City and had no suspicious origins.
• Chi Yan suggested Jing Jiu had played a major role in reopening Divine End Peak, prompting the elders to wonder whether Yuan Qijing had entered the Heaven-Connecting Realm.
• After the elders raised more doubts about Jing Jiu’s cultivation and ascent, Chi Yan said he suspected Jing Jiu came from Fruitful Accomplishment Temple.

Chi Yan and Yuan Qijing discussed suspicions that Jing Jiu had ties to the Fruitful Accomplishment Temple, while Yuan Qijing ordered the investigation into Zuo Yi’s death to continue and criticized the elders for avoiding questions about the Unthought Sword. On Divine End Peak, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue spoke about secrets and their shared aims, and Zhao Layue tried on one of Jingyang’s robes.

• Chi Yan suggested that Jing Jiu might have come from the Fruitful Accomplishment Temple, citing his family’s hidden imperial connection, the temple’s visit, and his ability to reach Divine End Peak.
• The elders of Green Mountain debated the theory, and the Peak Master of Past Arrival Peak said they would continue raising Jing Jiu regardless.
• Chi Yan told Yuan Qijing that the elders had mostly dismissed his suspicions, and Yuan Qijing ordered him to continue investigating Zuo Yi’s death through Twofold Forgetting Peak.
• Yuan Qijing asked whether anyone had mentioned the Unthought Sword, and Chi Yan said they had not; Yuan Qijing remarked that everyone had a ghost in their heart.
• Zhao Layue asked Jing Jiu whether he was angry about rumors that she had helped him reach the summit, and he said he preferred less trouble.
• Zhao Layue changed into one of Jingyang’s robes, and the Unthought Sword shortened its sleeves and hem after Jing Jiu said the robe was too big.

Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue discussed her admiration for Jingyang while resting on Divine End Peak, and Jing Jiu examined his cultivation progress. When monkeys from Shiyue Peak invaded the returning monkeys’ territory, Jing Jiu went to help defend them.

• Zhao Layue told Jing Jiu she admired Jingyang and felt happy to be living on his peak.
• Jing Jiu examined his Dao Tree and Sword Fruit, noting that his progress toward the Mind-Bearing Realm depended on waiting.
• Zhao Layue meditated with the Unthought Sword and was expected to reach the Wuzhang Realm within two years.
• Jing Jiu quieted the monkeys returning to Divine End Peak, then explained that they were moving back home.
• Monkeys from Shiyue Peak attacked the returning monkeys, and Jing Jiu headed down the mountain to help them fight.

Jing Jiu wrote Zhao Layue a sword manual, while Gu Qing was expelled from Twofold Forgetting Peak and returned to Sword-Washing Creek. As Gu Qing considered abandoning cultivation, Liu S sui suggested he try going to Divine End Peak.

• Jing Jiu offered to handle the peak’s preparations and swordsmanship instruction, then wrote and bound a sword manual for Zhao Layue.
• Zhao Layue recognized the manual as the Nine Deaths Sword Manual and wondered whether Jing Jiu had received it from Jingyang.
• Gu Han and Guo Nanshan discussed Shangde Peak’s investigation and accepted Gu Qing’s expulsion as the sacrifice needed to protect Twofold Forgetting Peak.
• Gu Qing returned to Sword-Washing Creek, endured the Sword-Washing Disciples’ mockery, and asked Liu S sui what sort of person Jing Jiu was.
• Gu Qing said he planned to leave because waiting three more years could prevent him from reaching the Wuzhang Realm in time, and Liu S sui suggested he try going to Divine End Peak.

Gu Qing went to Divine End Peak seeking a place as a steward, but Jing Jiu offered him the chance to live there instead. Meanwhile, Liu S sui faced questioning about his whereabouts on the night Uncle-Master Zuo was killed and refused to give a more specific answer.

• Liu S sui advised Gu Qing to stay in the Green Mountain Sect and consider joining Jing Jiu on Divine End Peak.
• Gu Qing visited Divine End Peak and asked Zhao Layue whether they needed a steward, but she refused to take him on in that role.
• Jing Jiu told Gu Qing that Divine End Peak was too empty with only the monkeys living there, suggesting Gu Qing could build a house and live on the mountain.
• Duan Liantian questioned Liu S sui about leaving his room on the night Uncle-Master Zuo was killed, and Liu S sui said he had gone for a walk.
• Duan Liantian warned Liu S sui that he remained under suspicion and would be questioned again, while Ma Hua waited for him outside.

Gu Han warned Liu S sui to prepare for unfair treatment as Shangde Peak investigated him, while Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue discussed the inquiry and her memories of True Person Jingyang. At the place where Zhao Layue had heard a mysterious sigh, Jing Jiu examined a preserved Nether Department corpse and discovered a small hollow behind its brow.

• Gu Han told Liu S sui that Shangde Peak would likely investigate him and warned him to expect unfair treatment later.
• Jing Jiu told Zhao Layue that Liu S sui had visited him on the night in question and that he had confessed to killing the man.
• Zhao Layue recalled hearing a sigh when her granduncle ascended and wondered whether he had left her a message; Jing Jiu asked why she thought True Person Jingyang had failed to ascend.
• Zhao Layue led Jing Jiu to the grove where she had buried a Nether Department disciple, and Jing Jiu uncovered the preserved corpse.
• Jing Jiu examined the corpse and found a smooth, ginseng-fruit-shaped hollow deep behind its brow.

Zhao Layue explained her investigation into Yin San, Master Meng, and the missing thunder soulwood, but Jing Jiu destroyed Yin San’s corpse and told her to stop. After returning to Divine End Peak, he found Zhao Layue still determined to continue investigating because Yin San had not appeared.

• Zhao Layue told Jing Jiu that she could not find Yin San in the Nether Book and had begun investigating Master Meng and Shangde Peak.
• Zhao Layue said the Curtain Rollers had traced two missing pieces of thunder soulwood from Jade Lake Peak, but she had alerted the peak before she could investigate further.
• Jing Jiu urged Zhao Layue to stop investigating, then burned Yin San’s corpse to ashes; Zhao Layue flew away in anger.
• Jing Jiu reflected on Yin San’s false death and left the restaurant, hoping they would meet again.
• Jing Jiu returned to Divine End Peak, gave a healing pill to the injured apes, and passed Gu Qing building a house.
• Zhao Layue told Jing Jiu she would keep investigating because Yin San still had not appeared.

Jing Jiu tried to persuade Zhao Layue to focus on cultivation rather than investigating what might have happened to Jingyang, while Zhao Layue remained concerned. Gu Qing struggled with his place at Divine End Peak until Gu Han confronted him, and Gu Qing accepted that admitting his wrongdoing did not mean accepting all the blame.

• Jing Jiu told Zhao Layue that cultivators had to keep their distance from worldly affairs and seek to fly higher, but she said she could not ignore what might have happened to Jingyang.
• Jing Jiu woke to find Gu Qing tending the stove, and Zhao Layue warned that Gu Han would be angry about Gu Qing serving them.
• Gu Qing worked alone to build a house, reflected on his low standing in the Gu Household and his recent punishment, and felt sad about his situation.
• Gu Han found Gu Qing and accused him of using privately taught sword arts to avoid losing.
• Gu Qing admitted he had been wrong, but said he had already paid the price by confessing, being expelled from Twofold Forgetting Peak, and losing the right to inherit a sword for three years.

Gu Han failed to take Gu Qing from Divine End Peak, while Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue discussed the possibility of intrigue within the Green Mountain Sect. During a midsummer thunderstorm, Jing Jiu decided to investigate Jade Lake Peak and seek answers from a ghost.

• Gu Han threatened to punish Gu Qing under family rules, but Gu Qing challenged his authority and Gu Han left for the summit.
• Jing Jiu summoned Zhao Layue, who refused Gu Han’s request to take Gu Qing away because he was staying at Divine End Peak temporarily.
• Gu Han grew jealous after seeing Zhao Layue speak closely with Jing Jiu and released sword intent that split a tree, which the apes later carried off.
• Zhao Layue wondered whether Gu Qing was a spy, and Jing Jiu warned that the Nine Peaks’ internal problems could eventually erupt.
• During a midsummer thunderstorm, Jing Jiu recalled the missing thunder soulwood and Lei Poyun’s role, then decided to go to Jade Lake Peak and ask a ghost for answers.

Jing Jiu infiltrated Jade Lake Peak to confront White Ghost, the white cat guarding the palace where Green Mountain nurtured soulwood with lightning. He challenged White Ghost over the Thunder Soulwood and the disaster four years earlier, and White Ghost’s bristling tail and the storm’s intensifying power left their confrontation on the verge of violence.

• Jing Jiu crossed Jade Lake Peak’s defenses and entered the lake, sinking to its bed to approach the island without being seen.
• He reached the island and sensed a powerful presence near the guardian’s palace, then realized someone had detected him.
• Lightning revealed White Ghost, a white cat resting on the palace windowsill, and Jing Jiu greeted it and asked who Lei Poyun had given the Thunder Soulwood to.
• Jing Jiu said he had come to confirm his answer and accused White Ghost of watching his disaster four years earlier without considering what would happen if he survived.
• White Ghost’s tail rose and its fur bristled as lightning and rain intensified around them.