Recaps

Huang Xiao fought Yao Qiu after luring him away, and Yao Qiu’s attempt to kill him intensified when he discovered Huang Xiao’s Heavenly Demon Skill. The two clashed at full strength, while Demon Phoenix watched and studied Huang Xiao’s abilities.

• Huang Xiao evaded Yao Qiu’s attacks with Lingbo Ethereal Steps, and their blows caused enough destruction to worry them about attracting attention.
• Huang Xiao revealed his Heavenly Demon Skill, disrupting Yao Qiu’s control of heaven and earth momentum and making Yao Qiu realize Huang Xiao had important backing.
• Yao Qiu decided to kill Huang Xiao and frame Chao Jue, believing he could conceal the crime and protect himself.
• Huang Xiao said he would not let Yao Qiu leave alive, then met Yao Qiu’s attack with Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist at seventh-stage force.
• Huang Xiao and Yao Qiu traded powerful attacks across the ruined ground as Demon Phoenix watched and noted Huang Xiao’s impressive techniques.

Huang Xiao fought Yao Qiu through the latter’s increasingly powerful sword techniques, revealing enough strength to surprise the Void Martial Realm expert. After Yao Qiu unleashed the seventh sword of the Fallen Seven Swords, Huang Xiao used his Minghong Saber to meet its compressed sword glint, and the chapter ended as the collision’s force struck his blade.

• Huang Xiao used his healing, internal-power recovery, and martial arts to hold Yao Qiu in a deadlock until Yao Qiu drew his longsword.
• Yao Qiu attacked with the fifth sword of the Fallen Seven Swords, but Huang Xiao deflected the sword glints with his palms while dodging.
• Yao Qiu unleashed the sixth sword, surrounding Huang Xiao with a thousand sword glints, and Huang Xiao charged through them using his Heavenly Demon True Qi and unarmed attacks.
• Yao Qiu was astonished by Huang Xiao’s protective true qi, then launched the seventh sword as Huang Xiao charged toward him.
• The seventh sword’s glints merged into one, so Huang Xiao drew the Minghong Saber and used the fourth form of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber to meet it.
• Huang Xiao braced the Minghong Saber across his chest, and the force of the collision struck the blade.

Huang Xiao survived Yao Qiu’s seventh sword and faced his newly created Eighth Sword, which blended the Fallen Seven Swords with the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques. As Huang Xiao recognized and countered its moves, he gained a sudden insight into the fifth form of the saber techniques, though the chapter ended before he revealed the result.

• Huang Xiao blocked the remaining force of Yao Qiu’s seventh sword with the Minghong Saber and neutralized what entered his meridians.
• Yao Qiu revealed that he had created an Eighth Sword inspired by the later forms of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques and challenged Huang Xiao to withstand it.
• Yao Qiu attacked with the Eighth Sword, but Huang Xiao recognized its borrowed saber moves and began countering his swordsmanship.
• Huang Xiao’s fight with Yao Qiu prompted him to envision the Minghong Saber completing the fifth form of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques.
• Huang Xiao realized the imagined saber had passed the point where his true qi usually failed, and a flash of inspiration followed as the saber continued the technique.

Huang Xiao mastered the Fifth Form of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques while killing Yao Qiu, then returned to help Zhangsun Youyue, but Chao Jue escaped. Afterward, Chao Jue found Yao Qiu’s corpse and recognized the saber technique that had killed him.

• Yao Qiu attacked Huang Xiao, who mastered the Fifth Form and severed Yao Qiu’s wrist before splitting him in two.
• Demon Phoenix discussed Huang Xiao’s breakthrough with him, and Huang Xiao hurried back after remembering Zhangsun Youyue was fighting Chao Jue.
• Chao Jue fled when Huang Xiao returned, while Zhangsun Youyue said people from the Jianghu were approaching and urged them to leave.
• Chao Jue found Yao Qiu’s corpse and identified the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques, deciding to ask Peng Ku about the killing.
• Huang Xiao, Zhangsun Youyue, and Xiao Qing traveled several dozen li away, and Zhangsun Youyue recovered her internal power along the way.

Huang Xiao reached Imperial City with Zhangsun Youyue and Xiao Qing, where people discussed the investigation into Yao Qiu’s death. With the Ranking Contest five days away, Huang Xiao searched for lodging but found every inn full, then heard that the contest rules had been announced.

• Zhangsun Youyue guessed that Huang Xiao had killed Yao Qiu, and he tacitly admitted it.
• Three days later, Huang Xiao and the two women reached Imperial City, where he asked Zhangsun Youyue to help find Chen Jiao.
• At the city gate, they heard that Yao Qiu and other people had been killed, and that the Imperial Court and Heavenly Sword Sect were investigating.
• Zhangsun Youyue offered Huang Xiao a place at Bishui Palace’s residence, but he declined and accepted her offer to find him an inn.
• Huang Xiao found every inn full, then heard people calling out that the Ranking Contest rules had been announced.

Huang Xiao read the Tiger and Dragon Rankings rules with Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin, who hoped to place highly in the contest. Wang Lin insulted the veteran Tiger Rankings experts, and Lang Tao, the Water-Cutting Saber ranked third, confronted them.

• Huang Xiao pushed through the crowd and ran into Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin, who had been searching for him in the Imperial City.
• Huang Xiao brought them to the notices and read the rules for the Tiger Rankings and Dragon Rankings contests.
• Wang Lin declared that Cheng Duanjin should aim for the top ten, and Cheng Duanjin said the field was too strong for first place to be realistic.
• A nearby martial artist mocked Wang Lin's ambition, and she retorted that the veteran top ten had stopped improving and would become stepping stones.
• Lang Tao, the Water-Cutting Saber ranked third on the Tiger Rankings, heard Wang Lin's insult and challenged her to name who would use him as a stepping stone.

Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin invited Huang Xiao to stay at their inn, and he accepted. After arriving, Huang Xiao decided to enter the Ranking Contest with his true face so that the Heavenly Demon Hall would notice him and he could pursue the final levels of the Heavenly Demon Skill.

• Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin said they would challenge powerful contestants, and Huang Xiao urged them to aim high.
• Wang Lin offered Huang Xiao one of the empty rooms at her inn, and he agreed to stay with them.
• Huang Xiao, Wang Lin, and Cheng Duanjin walked to the inn, stopping to eat along the way, where Wang Lin bought wine for Demon Phoenix.
• Demon Phoenix asked Huang Xiao what identity he would use in the Ranking Contest and urged him to draw the Heavenly Demon Hall's attention.
• Huang Xiao restored his original appearance and chose to compete under his true identity, accepting the trouble it might bring.

Huang Xiao revealed his true identity to Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin, then joined them to inspect the Ranking Contest grounds. As they set out, he admitted that he was not the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor.

• Wang Lin questioned Huang Xiao until Cheng Duanjin recognized him as the man who had saved his life and explained their earlier encounter.
• Huang Xiao showed Wang Lin that he had been disguised as her Uncle Huang, and asked her and Cheng Duanjin to call him Brother Huang.
• Wang Lin told Huang Xiao that preparations for the Ranking Contest’s first-stage elimination were underway, and he agreed to inspect the grounds with her and Cheng Duanjin.
• Huang Xiao left the inn with Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin, carrying his restored Minghong Saber and long flute while Demon Phoenix rested on his shoulder.
• Wang Lin asked about rumors that Huang Xiao was an impostor, and Huang Xiao confirmed that he was not the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor.

Huang Xiao and his companions learned that the Main Arena would host Tiger Rankings bouts and could also be used for sanctioned fights. Lang Tao provoked Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin into a challenge, while Huang Xiao suspected a distant Half-Step Martial Realm expert was behind Lang Tao's actions.

• Huang Xiao saw the completed Main Arena and learned it would host the Tiger Rankings contest and possibly the first Dragon Rankings selection.
• Lang Tao told Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin they were unqualified to compete in the Main Arena, then provoked them while glancing at Huang Xiao.
• Huang Xiao noticed a distant Half-Step Martial Realm expert watching them and suspected Lang Tao was acting on someone's instructions.
• Lang Tao explained that Jianghu fighters could apply to settle disputes in the Main Arena, where fights could be to the death.
• Wang Lin accepted Lang Tao's challenge, and Huang Xiao again noticed the old man watching the confrontation.

Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin agreed that Cheng Duanjin would face Lang Tao in a death match, while Huang Xiao watched a suspicious old man. At the arena, Blood Ghost Luo Ji confronted Lang Tao and announced he would challenge him in the third stage of the Ranking Contest.

• Huang Xiao chose Cheng Duanjin to fight Lang Tao first, and Cheng Duanjin stepped forward despite Wang Lin wanting to go.
• Huang Xiao's group reached the death-match arena, where a fighter died and the next bouts proceeded.
• The arena official recognized Lang Tao as the third-ranked expert on the Tiger Rankings, and Wang Lin disputed his reputation as a righteous hero.
• Blood Ghost Luo Ji arrived, called Lang Tao a hypocrite, and said he would challenge him in the third stage after losing to him repeatedly.
• Huang Xiao noticed the old man's reaction to Luo Ji's accusation and suspected the man was acting on someone else's orders.
• Wang Lin urged Lang Tao to apply for the death match and told Luo Ji and the official not to interfere.

Cheng Duanjin and Lang Tao signed up for a fight to the death in the Main Arena, and Huang Xiao advised Cheng Duanjin to avoid revealing his connection to Senior Saber King. Cheng Duanjin entered the arena and charged at Lang Tao, beginning their fight.

• Luo Ji provoked Lang Tao, who then applied with Cheng Duanjin for a fight to the death in the Main Arena.
• Cheng Duanjin and Lang Tao signed the rules and left their handprints before waiting for their turn.
• After the other matches ended, Lang Tao entered the arena, and Huang Xiao warned Cheng Duanjin not to use Senior Saber King's saber techniques.
• Huang Xiao told Cheng Duanjin to hold out and leave the platform if necessary, while Wang Lin worried about him.
• Cheng Duanjin drew his great chopping saber and charged at Lang Tao.

Cheng Duanjin fought Lang Tao on the Main Arena, revealing formidable strength and surviving Lang Tao’s furious saber attack with only superficial wounds. Lang Tao charged him again, and their fierce clash continued as Wang Lin watched closely.

• Cheng Duanjin’s enormous chopping saber clashed with Lang Tao’s Water-Cutting Saber, and Lang Tao suffered a slight injury from the blow.
• Lang Tao attacked Cheng Duanjin with killing intent, while Cheng Duanjin decided to hold back the saber technique Uncle Wang had taught him and eventually concede.
• Lang Tao used his speed to surround Cheng Duanjin with afterimages and blasted a crater into the platform, but Cheng Duanjin blocked the attack and suffered only superficial wounds.
• Lang Tao charged again, and Cheng Duanjin met him in a rapid exchange of saber blows that sent nearby spectators retreating.
• Wang Lin watched the fight and suspected Cheng Duanjin had been hiding his true strength.

Cheng Duanjin struggled against Lang Tao, the third-ranked expert on the Tiger Rankings, while concealing his identity and refusing to use the Saber King’s techniques. He bluffed about unleashing hidden strength, then feigned an attack and ran for the edge of the arena to escape.

• Cheng Duanjin tried to leave the arena, but Lang Tao attacked and forced him back into the fight.
• Cheng Duanjin fought desperately as Lang Tao’s relentless saber attacks drove him to the brink of defeat.
• Cheng Duanjin pretended to raise his internal power, convincing Lang Tao and the onlookers that he had been hiding his strength.
• Cheng Duanjin drew his saber and feigned a charge, then turned and dashed toward the arena’s edge, enraging Lang Tao.

Cheng Duanjin tricked Lang Tao into thinking he was fleeing the platform, then changed his mind and returned to fight him. After regulating his breathing, Cheng Duanjin launched an attack that revealed a terrifying change in his saber aura.

• Cheng Duanjin reached the platform's edge but stopped, making clear to Lang Tao that he had no intention of leaving.
• Huang Xiao wondered why Cheng Duanjin stayed, while Wang Lin voiced her frustration and Huang Xiao said Cheng Duanjin knew his limits.
• Cheng Duanjin told Lang Tao that he had changed his mind and now intended to kill him, then walked back to the center of the platform.
• Cheng Duanjin circulated his internal power and warned Lang Tao to use his full strength before pointing his saber at him.
• Cheng Duanjin suddenly appeared before Lang Tao, whose pupils contracted as he sensed the terrifying aura of Cheng Duanjin's saber technique.

Cheng Duanjin overwhelmed Lang Tao in their arena fight, forcing Lang Tao to call for his master. Huang Xiao intercepted the arriving master, but Alliance Guards intervened and warned them against fighting during the Ranking Contest.

• Cheng Duanjin's saber technique broke through Lang Tao's defenses and drove him back, leaving Lang Tao unable to understand the sudden reversal.
• Lang Tao tried to flee the arena, but Cheng Duanjin caught him, struck him down, and blocked his attempt to escape using the recoil.
• With Cheng Duanjin approaching, Lang Tao shouted, "Master, save me!" Huang Xiao told Wang Lin to stay put and rushed toward the arena.
• Demon Phoenix moved from Huang Xiao's shoulder to Wang Lin's, blocking her attempts to stroke it.
• Huang Xiao met Lang Tao's arriving master in midair, and their clash sent the spectators below scattering.
• Three Alliance Guards rose between them and warned Huang Xiao and the newcomer that unauthorized fighting was forbidden during the Ranking Contest.

Huang Xiao helped Cheng Duanjin finish his death match against Lang Tao, whose master Qi Yi rescued him at the cost of his right arm. Qi Yi then challenged Huang Xiao to a fight to the death, and Huang Xiao left the crowd waiting by asking what would happen if he refused.

• Huang Xiao blocked Qi Yi long enough for Cheng Duanjin to badly wound Lang Tao in their fight to the death.
• Cheng Duanjin brought his saber down, but Qi Yi rescued Lang Tao and sealed his acupoints after the strike severed Lang Tao's right arm.
• Cheng Duanjin told Qi Yi he had spared Lang Tao's life, then promised Huang Xiao he would train harder and kill Lang Tao next time.
• Qi Yi mistook Huang Xiao's earlier disguise for his true appearance and challenged him to a fight to the death.
• Huang Xiao asked what Qi Yi would do if he refused, as the crowd waited for his answer.

Huang Xiao left the fighting platform rather than immediately challenge Qi Yi, but then applied for a deathmatch against the Dragon Rankings expert. The chapter ended with the official needing to ask whether Qi Yi accepted.

• Qi Yi admitted that someone had asked him to teach Huang Xiao a lesson and revealed that he wanted to test Huang Xiao’s strength and take his life.
• Huang Xiao suspected that people from the Heavenly Sword Sect or the Divine Saber Sect had arranged the attack because of his past conflict with them.
• Cheng Duanjin and Wang Lin urged Huang Xiao to leave the platform, and Huang Xiao went down with Cheng Duanjin while Qi Yi watched angrily.
• As Qi Yi prepared to leave with Lang Tao, Huang Xiao stopped him and told Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin to wait.
• Huang Xiao applied for a deathmatch against Qi Yi, ranked twenty-fifth on the Dragon Rankings, and told the official to ask whether Qi Yi agreed.

Huang Xiao agreed to Qi Yi’s Deathmatch and signed the agreement, then faced him in the Main Arena before a crowd of powerful onlookers. The chapter ended with Qi Yi drawing his saber and Huang Xiao challenging him to attack without drawing his own.

• Qi Yi signed the Deathmatch agreement, and Huang Xiao signed and pressed his handprint despite Wang Lin’s warning.
• Qi Yi leaped onto the Main Arena, and Huang Xiao followed after reassuring Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin.
• Huang Xiao spotted Min Yi and Lin Kuien among the onlookers, along with Zhangsun Youyue, Li Chaoxun, Chao Jue, and other experts.
• Qi Yi taunted Huang Xiao about dying before the crowd, but Huang Xiao said he would let Qi Yi have that honor.
• Qi Yi drew his saber, and Huang Xiao refused to draw his own as he beckoned Qi Yi to attack.

Huang Xiao overwhelmed Qi Yi in close combat after Qi Yi chose to leave his Redfire Saber sheathed. As Huang Xiao prepared to finish the fight, he sensed a shift in the surrounding heaven and earth momentum and neutralized it.

• Qi Yi charged Huang Xiao barehanded, confident in his strength, and Huang Xiao met him with the Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist.
• Huang Xiao outmaneuvered Qi Yi with punches, palms, kicks, and claw strikes, driving him to his knees and then kicking him across the platform.
• Qi Yi tried to draw his Redfire Saber, but Huang Xiao struck its hilt and forced it back into its sheath.
• Huang Xiao stayed close and battered Qi Yi, preventing him from drawing his saber as Qi Yi demanded a saber fight.
• Huang Xiao explained that Qi Yi had brought the defeat on himself by choosing not to use his saber, then sensed a change in the heaven and earth momentum and neutralized it.

Huang Xiao defeated Qi Yi in the deathmatch and learned that Lin Kuien of the Heavenly Sword Sect had arranged the attack. Jia Kong, the number one on the Dragon Rankings, intervened to save Qi Yi, but Huang Xiao rejected his attempt to mediate.

• Huang Xiao broke Qi Yi's right arm and demanded to know who had put him up to the attack.
• Qi Yi named Lin Kuien of the Heavenly Sword Sect and revealed that Lin Kuien's father was a Void Martial Realm elder.
• Jia Kong arrived in the arena and stood between Huang Xiao and Qi Yi, offering to discuss taking Qi Yi away.
• Huang Xiao challenged Jia Kong for failing to counsel Qi Yi when he forced Huang Xiao into the deathmatch.
• Jia Kong advised Huang Xiao to leave himself a way out, but Huang Xiao rejected his mediation.

Huang Xiao killed Qi Yi with a saber strike as Qi Yi fled the arena, revealing that he had been hiding his Demonic Path cultivation and saber technique. Jia Kong avoided intervening, and the witnesses recognized Huang Xiao’s Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques.

• Qi Yi offered Huang Xiao treasures to spare his life, but Huang Xiao refused, and Jia Kong’s threats failed to stop him.
• Qi Yi tried to escape the arena, so Huang Xiao drew the Minghong Saber and unleashed the Fourth Form of the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber.
• Jia Kong dodged instead of blocking Huang Xiao’s slash, and the Saber Force struck Qi Yi as he crossed beyond the arena’s edge.
• The Jianghu witnesses found Qi Yi dead and realized Huang Xiao had concealed his strength and used a Demonic Path technique.
• Several experts identified Huang Xiao’s saber technique as the Heavenly Demon Demon Saber Techniques.

Huang Xiao drew the Heavenly Demon Hall’s attention after defeating Qi Yi, but avoided fighting Jia Kong so he would not have to reveal his full strength. Chao Jue arrived and accused Huang Xiao of stealing the Hall’s cultivation methods, leaving the crowd unsure of Huang Xiao’s identity.

• Huang Xiao revealed the Heavenly Demon Skill and Demon Saber Techniques to attract the Heavenly Demon Hall’s notice and seek a chance to obtain the skill’s final three levels.
• Jia Kong realized Huang Xiao used the Heavenly Demon Hall’s methods, regretted intervening for Qi Yi, and turned to leave rather than risk a fight.
• Huang Xiao decided he had achieved his goal and avoided challenging Jia Kong, judging that fighting him would require revealing too much of his strength.
• Chao Jue entered the arena, ignored Jia Kong, and demanded to know where Huang Xiao had obtained the Heavenly Demon Hall’s cultivation methods.
• Huang Xiao recognized Chao Jue and praised his reputation, while the crowd and Jia Kong concluded that Huang Xiao’s youthful appearance was a disguise.

Huang Xiao confronted Chao Jue and Deputy Hall Master Peng Ku after displaying the Heavenly Demon Hall’s techniques, while concealing his identity and the truth about Yao Qiu’s death. Chao Jue recognized him as the middle-aged man connected to Yao Qiu’s death, and Peng Ku questioned whether a powerful expert was backing him.

• Chao Jue threatened Huang Xiao with the Heavenly Demon Hall’s retaliation after the Ranking Contest, but Huang Xiao taunted him for lacking the strength to challenge him.
• Huang Xiao offered Chao Jue a deathmatch, and Chao Jue drew his imitation Supreme Demon Saber before Peng Ku stopped him.
• Peng Ku introduced himself as a Deputy Hall Master of the Heavenly Demon Hall and demanded that Huang Xiao confess, but Huang Xiao remained calm and denied belonging to the Hall.
• Chao Jue recognized Huang Xiao as the altered middle-aged man connected to Yao Qiu’s death, and Peng Ku speculated that a void martial realm or martial realm expert was supporting him.
• Peng Ku claimed the Heavenly Demon Hall could crush any expert backing Huang Xiao, while Huang Xiao remained silent.

Huang Xiao left the arena after defeating the Heavenly Demon Hall’s challenge, then returned to the inn with Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin. Zhangsun Youyue visited him and revealed that she had recognized his true identity, leaving them to speak openly about their past misunderstanding.

• Huang Xiao refused Chao Jue’s demand to stop, and Peng Ku led Chao Jue away from the arena.
• Jia Kong decided that Huang Xiao still owed him compensation for the losses and humiliation he had suffered.
• At the inn, Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin questioned Huang Xiao about his age and extraordinary strength, and he attributed it to fortuitous encounters.
• Zhangsun Youyue arrived at the inn, and Wang Lin pulled Cheng Duanjin away to leave her alone with Huang Xiao.
• Zhangsun Youyue told Huang Xiao there was no need to keep pretending, and he acknowledged that he was not the Transcendent Immortal Sword Lord’s successor.
• Zhangsun Youyue recalled that Huang Xiao had truthfully told her he was not skilled in swordsmanship, though she had mistaken his words for modesty.

Huang Xiao spoke with Zhangsun Youyue about his demonic techniques and the danger of attracting the Heavenly Demon Hall, while she offered to help him escape after the Ranking Contest. They discussed his chances against Li Chaoxun and the other contenders, and Zhangsun Youyue began to suspect Huang Xiao wanted to face Pang Yi because of his demonic art.

• Huang Xiao told Zhangsun Youyue that he was not from the Demon Hall, and she warned that his use of the Heavenly Demon Skill and Heavenly Demon Demon Saber could draw the Heavenly Demon Hall’s attention.
• Zhangsun Youyue offered to use Bishui Palace’s power to help Huang Xiao escape the Imperial City and Imperial Province after the Ranking Contest.
• Wang Lin and Cheng Duanjin secretly peeked at Huang Xiao and Zhangsun Youyue, but Zhangsun Youyue noticed them and closed the door.
• Huang Xiao told Zhangsun Youyue that he had fought Li Chaoxun before and believed he could protect himself if they met in the Ranking Contest.
• Zhangsun Youyue learned that Huang Xiao had sought Phoenix Blood while injured, and Huang Xiao said he wanted to test himself against Pang Yi.
• Zhangsun Youyue asked whether Huang Xiao’s interest in Pang Yi had something to do with the demonic art he practiced.