Recaps

After Zhou Liangchen withdrew from the Life-and-Death Arena, Chu Xisheng lost the chance to win a large purse but gained Martial Dao Points from the ensuing rumors. On the ferry back to the martial hall, he spotted Xie Zhenqing traveling with four armed guards.

• Chu Xisheng found Lu Luanli's Paper Crane saying she had gone out on business, then asked Chu Yunyun to review his saber techniques.
• Zuo Qingyun told Chu Xisheng that Zhou Liangchen had withdrawn from their match, reportedly because of a sudden illness, and gave Chu two hundred taels in banknotes.
• Zuo Qingyun offered Chu Xisheng free entertainment and gambling chips, but Chu Xisheng declined and asked to return to the martial hall with Chu Yunyun.
• Rumors spread through Ancient Market Town that Zhou Liangchen feared Chu Xisheng, and Chu Xisheng's Martial Dao Points rose to 26.
• On the ferry, Chu Xisheng saw Xie Zhenqing accompanied by four burly young men in iron armor.

Chu Xisheng and the passengers were attacked by Heluo Fish while crossing the Divine Splendor River, and he escaped while trying to keep his newly tattooed blade techniques dry. After the beasts retreated, Xie Zhenqing blamed him for stepping on her underwater, while Spirit Eye discovered that the ambush had failed and his two assassins were dead.

• Xie Zhenqing approached Chu Xisheng on the ferry to discuss meeting him, but Heluo Fish attacked and tore the boat apart.
• The Female Guard fought off the beasts as Chu Xisheng dodged their tentacles, while Chu Yunyun secretly killed two black-clad men lurking underwater.
• Chu Xisheng stepped on Xie Zhenqing while escaping the tentacles, sending her underwater again before he hauled her back with a rope.
• The Heluo Fish retreated after the Female Guard drove off their leader, and Xie Zhenqing silently vowed to put Chu Xisheng on the Azure Cloud Ranking.
• Spirit Eye learned that the operation had failed and that Blood Hand and Black Snake were dead, and suspected an unknown expert had protected Chu Xisheng.

After returning to Zhengyang Martial Academy, Chu Xisheng trained in his blade techniques but grew worried when Lu Luanli went missing. A message from Wu Meiniang placed someone resembling Lu Luanli at Firebone Cavern, where Bloodwind Bandits had gathered, so Chu Xisheng and Chu Yunyun hurried toward the city gate.

• Li Dehou ferried Chu Xisheng and Chu Yunyun across the river, and Xie Zhenqing followed them to the academy, where Chu Xisheng learned she was the Martial Discourse Tower's master.
• Chu Xisheng spent the afternoon studying blade techniques with Chu Yunyun and then practiced them in a virtual dreamscape.
• When Lu Luanli failed to appear at morning training, Chu Xisheng worried about her and sent a paper crane to Wu Meiniang for information.
• Wu Meiniang reported that a woman resembling Lu Luanli had been seen at Firebone Cavern and warned that Bloodwind Bandits had gathered nearby.
• Chu Yunyun denied leaving a God-Defying Banner clue at Firebone Cavern, then headed for the city gate with Chu Xisheng following, suspecting the Bloodwind Bandits had set a trap for Lu Luanli.

Chu Xisheng and Chu Yunyun found Firebone Cavern’s market town slaughtered by mounted bandits and learned the Bloodwind Bandits were searching for Lu Luanli. Chu Yunyun tracked the attackers through the cavern, where Chu Xisheng came face-to-face with the one-eyed Bloodwind Bandit who had pursued Lu at the Library Tower.

• Chu Xisheng and Chu Yunyun found the market town pillaged and its residents killed by mounted bandits.
• Chu Yunyun identified the Bloodwind Bandits as likely instigators, and the siblings changed clothes before approaching a cavern entrance.
• Chu Yunyun defeated the bandits guarding the entrance, and Chu Xisheng learned the raiders had come to help the Bloodwind Bandits make money and capture a woman.
• Chu Yunyun used the Sound-Listening Echo-Return method to locate activity deeper in the cavern and led Chu Xisheng toward it.
• Chu Yunyun defeated another bandit squad, and Chu Xisheng began questioning a survivor about the girl they were pursuing.
• Chu Xisheng spotted two Bloodwind Bandits, including the one-eyed man who had pursued Lu Luanli at the Library Tower, and Chu Yunyun’s murderous intent surfaced.

Chu Xisheng found the wounded Lu Luanli as she fled through Firebone Cavern and carried her away, but a Bloodwind Bandit ambushed them and left her gravely injured. Surrounded by Bloodwind Bandits and White Cloud Stronghold fighters, Chu Xisheng stood between Lu Luanli and her captors as they attacked.

• Chu Yunyun killed a seventh-rank fighter, wounded the one-eyed Bloodwind Bandit, and chased him deeper into the cavern after he escaped with a jade talisman.
• Chu Xisheng heard pursuers and recognized the bloodied Lu Luanli, then carried her as she fled and listened as she explained that blood bats could track her scent.
• Two blood bats appeared, and a blood-clad seventh-rank Bloodwind Bandit attacked; Lu Luanli severed his left hand but suffered shattered ribs.
• Ge Ping'an and White Cloud Stronghold fighters surrounded Chu Xisheng and Lu Luanli, while the blood-clad man ordered his men to capture Chu Xisheng alive.
• Chu Xisheng drew his saber and stood protectively in front of Lu Luanli as more than twenty mounted bandits rushed at him.

Chu Xisheng redeemed Qin Muge’s age-eleven Character Card to gain her martial strength and used it to fight the White Cloud Stronghold bandits. He slaughtered dozens of them while Lu Luanli lost consciousness, leaving the blood-robed man and Ge Ping’an facing his overwhelming saber techniques.

• Chu Xisheng rejected the idea of abandoning Lu Luanli and redeemed the Qin Muge Age 11 Character Card using 10 Martial Dao Points.
• The card granted Chu Xisheng Qin Muge’s eighth-rank cultivation, formidable martial arts, heightened perception, and a second mental core.
• Chu Xisheng cut down the first mounted bandits as Lu Luanli watched before losing consciousness.
• Chu Xisheng killed more bandits with controlled, precise saber strokes, alarming the blood-robed man.
• Ge Ping’an ordered the remaining bandits to attack, but Chu Xisheng’s Wind Sweeps Away the Clouds killed or paralyzed many, and he charged into the crowd.

Chu Xisheng slaughtered the White Cloud Stronghold bandits in the cavern, then turned their arrows and hidden weapons back on them. Ge Ping'an and the blood-clothed swordsman attacked together; Chu Xisheng killed Ge Ping'an but was blasted backward while blocking the swordsman’s strike.

• Chu Xisheng used wind, lightning, and his blade to kill dozens of bandits, forcing Ge Ping'an to order the survivors to retreat and fire arrows and crossbows.
• As bandits attacked Lu Luanli and Chu Xisheng with arrows and hidden weapons, Chu Xisheng used a beastly Geng Metal aura to daze them and redirected many of their attacks.
• Chu Xisheng charged through the archers and crossbow wielders, killing more bandits and leaving Ge Ping'an’s forces heavily depleted.
• Ge Ping'an and the blood-clothed man attacked Chu Xisheng together, and Ge Ping'an knocked his blade away after three exchanges.
• Chu Xisheng killed Ge Ping'an with the Lightning-Pursuing Finger, seized his miaodao, and blocked the blood-clothed man’s sword, though the impact sent him staggering backward.

Chu Xisheng used Qin Muge's Blood of Ten Thousand Ages to replenish his strength and annihilated the mounted bandits who had trapped him. After Chu Yunyun found him, she questioned his account of the battle and recognized a familiar Saber Intent in the corpses' wounds.

• The blood-robed man taunted Chu Xisheng, believing his True Essence was nearly exhausted, but Qin Muge's Blood of Ten Thousand Ages replenished his strength.
• Chu Xisheng severed the blood-robed man's hand and head with successive Wind-Chasing Blade strikes.
• Chu Xisheng killed the remaining mounted bandits in the cavern and poured Corpse-Dissolving Water on the corpses.
• Chu Yunyun found Chu Xisheng beside the corpses and saw that Lu Luanli had been treated and was breathing steadily.
• Chu Xisheng claimed an unknown expert had saved them, while Chu Yunyun suspected he had fought the bandits himself.
• Chu Yunyun examined the corpses and recognized that the Saber Intent in their wounds resembled her own from childhood.

After escaping Firebone Cavern, Chu Xisheng continued studying Qin Muge’s martial arts while Chu Yunyun treated Lu Luanli. Zhou Liangchen challenged Chu Xisheng to a duel, and Chu Xisheng defeated him instantly, winning his lightning-type jade pendant.

• Chu Yunyun and Chu Xisheng destroyed the corpses in Firebone Cavern and left with the badly wounded Lu Luanli.
• Chu Xisheng reviewed his system panel and discovered that Qin Muge’s full-version Character Card granted two minutes of combat power for 10 martial dao points.
• Chu Yunyun entered an apothecary to prepare remedies for Lu Luanli while Chu Xisheng waited outside and practiced his saber forms.
• Zhou Liangchen confronted Chu Xisheng and demanded a duel to settle their Life-and-Death Arena match.
• Zhou Liangchen offered an eighth-rank lightning-type jade pendant as a stake, but Chu Xisheng drew first and pointed his saber at Zhou Liangchen’s throat before he could unsheathe his sword.

Chu Xisheng returned to Xiushui City with Chu Yunyun and Lu Luanli, where rumors of the Lie King's Treasure and a stolen banner erupted into a chase. Jian Zangfeng revealed that the treasure maps and banners were fakes meant to entangle the Bloodwind Bandits and Embroidery Guard, then ordered the Library Tower opened the next day.

• Chu Xisheng told Chu Yunyun that he had defeated Zhou Liangchen with one saber strike and showed her the Azure Thunder Jade.
• Chu Xisheng, Chu Yunyun, and Lu Luanli reached the city gate and heard that a treasure map and the God-Defying Banner had been found at Zhengyang Martial Academy.
• Lu Luanli woke, learned they had survived the Bloodwind Bandits, and demanded the Wind Escape Talisman back from Chu Xisheng.
• Academy Master Lei Yuan and Ye Zhiqiu shouted conflicting claims about who held the treasure map and banner as a blood-clad man fled over the wall and martial experts pursued him.
• Jian Zangfeng told Lei Yuan and Ye Zhiqiu that he had forged the maps and banners to ensnare the Bloodwind Bandits and Embroidery Guard.
• Jian Zangfeng ordered the Library Tower opened the following day.

Zhou Liangchen returned to the Zhou Clan Manor after Chu Xisheng defeated him in one exchange, prompting Zhou Xiongba to take an interest in Chu Xisheng’s strength. At the Zhengyang Martial Academy, Chu Xisheng gained Martial Dao Points, advanced to three leaves, and prepared to enter the Library Tower’s seventh floor.

• Zhou Liangchen told the Zhou Clan that Chu Xisheng defeated him in one exchange despite matching his ninth-rank upper cultivation.
• Du Yunlai explained how Zhou Liangchen had gone to find Chu Xisheng after the Life-and-Death Arena bouts.
• Zhou Liangchen said Chu Xisheng was stronger than Linhai Commandery’s Two Young Tigers and identified him as an inner disciple of Zhengyang Martial Academy.
• Chu Xisheng saw his Martial Dao Points rise to 55 and his reputation change to eighth-rank lower (transcendent).
• Chu Xisheng asked Ye Zhiqiu to promote him to three leaves, then registered to enter the Library Tower’s seventh floor.
• Chu Xisheng realized Ye Zhiqiu had not recorded his earlier visits, leaving him six more free reading days below the seventh floor after the new benefit.

Chu Xisheng studied the Yazi Diagram on the Library Tower’s seventh floor and advanced his Yazi Remnant Intent, then collected the proceeds from selling his Firebone Cavern spoils. He learned that more than a hundred disciples resented his rise and that Three-Leaf disciples were joining forces against him.

• Chu Xisheng studied the martial diagrams on the Library Tower’s first six floors, then spent two days examining the seventh floor’s Yazi Diagram.
• Chu Xisheng spent 3 Martial Dao Points to raise his Yazi Remnant Intent to the third layer.
• Lu Luanli gave Chu Xisheng 2,100 taels of demon silver from selling the weapons and artifacts he had recovered from Firebone Cavern.
• Chu Yunyun asked Chu Xisheng whether he had paid the Hu Brothers to spread his fame, and he admitted that he had.
• Lu Luanli warned Chu Xisheng that Three-Leaf disciples were banding together to put him in his place, while his status screen showed that over a hundred ninth-rank cultivators harbored hostility toward him.

Chu Xisheng claimed he would take a true disciple spot, while Liu Xingruo considered joining a scheme to hinder his cultivation. After Chu Yunyun revealed her Suanni spell and explained its connection to Pangu, she and Chu Xisheng looked ahead to the spirit baleful entities at the academy.

• Chu Xisheng caught a falling girl in the Dining Hall, gaining Martial Dao Points as more than three hundred ninth-rank Martial Cultivators’ malice strengthened his Yazi Saber Intent.
• Liu Xingruo refused at first to challenge Chu Xisheng, but the Short-Haired Youth proposed using the Essence-Gathering Formation to damage Chu Xisheng’s Divine Soul, and Liu Xingruo asked what reward he would receive.
• At the Storage Yard, Lu Luanli shared spell manuals with Chu Yunyun and later cooked a meal for her and Chu Xisheng.
• Chu Yunyun showed Chu Xisheng her Suanni spell, explaining that her ninth-rank upper cultivation drew on her first-rank golden-body blood and sunflame true intent.
• Chu Yunyun explained that Suanni was one of Pangu’s nine powers and said their opportunities lay near the academy’s Suanni- and Yazi-shaped spirit baleful entities.

Chu Xisheng advanced his Lightning-Pursuing Finger to the First Layer through virtual training, then arrived late at an Essence-Gathering Formation after being delayed by disciples seeking his guidance. He realized the other eight martial artists inside were hostile, and their wills struck toward him as the formation began.

• Chu Xisheng completed a night of virtual practice and saw that his Lightning-Pursuing Finger had reached the First Layer.
• At morning practice, Chu Xisheng patiently gave saber pointers to several female disciples, angering Lu Luanli, who later questioned his motives.
• Chu Xisheng and Lu Luanli arrived late at the Grand Training Ground and entered the only Essence-Gathering Formation still waiting for participants.
• Chu Xisheng sensed hostility from the eight Three-Leaf disciples inside, including Liu Xingruo, and told Lu Luanli to let him handle any trouble.
• The instructor activated the formation, and eight streams of will blasted toward Chu Xisheng as he began regulating his breathing.

Chu Xisheng resisted a coordinated Divine Sense attack by eight Three-Leaf Inner Disciples, using his Yazi Saber Intent to turn part of their assault back on them. As academy leaders arrived to intervene, Academy Master Lei Yuan noticed something unexpected and delayed stopping the formation.

• The eight Three-Leaf Inner Disciples attacked Chu Xisheng through the Essence-Gathering Formation, but his Third Layer Yazi Saber Intent let him withstand their combined assault and reflect some of their Divine Sense back at them.
• Lu Luanli realized Chu Xisheng’s Saber Intent, rather than his Divine Soul alone, was holding off the attackers.
• Liu Xingruo offered to withdraw their wills and then promised ten Essence-Gathering Pills each, but Chu Xisheng refused to lower his Saber Intent.
• Liu Xingruo bit through his tongue to strengthen his Divine Sense, while Ye Zhiqiu arrived and demanded that the formation be stopped.
• Shao Lingshan warned that stopping the formation would damage the disciples’ Divine Souls, and Academy Master Lei Yuan arrived and initially ordered it stopped.
• Lei Yuan suddenly paused his order after noticing something inside the formation.

Chu Xisheng withstood a coordinated spiritual attack by Liu Xingruo and seven Three-Leaf disciples, then revealed powerful Yazi Saber Intent that shattered their combined assault. Academy Master Lei Yuan and the instructors praised his potential, while Chu Yunyun noticed that the newborn Yazi spirit baleful intent was resonating with him.

• Chu Yunyun, Hu Kan, and Hu Lai noticed the clash at the Essence-Gathering Formation, where Liu Xingruo and seven disciples were attacking Chu Xisheng.
• Hu Kan and Hu Lai explained to the gathered disciples that the eight had used the formation to combine their spiritual awareness against Chu Xisheng.
• The eight disciples intensified their attack, but Chu Xisheng's Yazi Saber Intent strengthened and he recalled the saber intent he had unleashed in the Firebone Cavern.
• Chu Xisheng's saber intent took the form of a gigantic beast, making all eight disciples spit blood and collapsing their combined spiritual attack.
• Jian Zangfeng identified Chu Xisheng's Yazi Saber Intent as having reached the third layer and promised to report his achievement to the sect.
• Chu Yunyun sensed the newborn Yazi spirit baleful intent answering Chu Xisheng's saber intent from the academy's rear courtyard.

After Liu Xingruo and the others were expelled, Chu Xisheng impressed the academy leaders and gained recognition for his martial talent. He advanced quickly in the Essence-Gathering Formation but realized his limited funds could hinder his training before the True Inheritance Assessment.

• Jian Zangfeng praised Chu Xisheng's Yazi Saber Intent, and Lei Yuan ordered the storeroom to give him cultivation medicine.
• The instructors expelled Liu Xingruo and the other rule-breakers, while Shao Lingshan rebuked the disciples who had stopped to watch.
• Eight Three-Leaf Inner Disciples entered the Essence-Gathering Formation, wary of Chu Xisheng after witnessing his strength.
• Chu Xisheng gained 31 Martial Dao Points and cultivated in the formation, absorbing yang essence at triple his usual rate until pain forced him to stop.
• Chu Xisheng saw that perfecting his Origin-Nourishing Art and preparing for its next layer would require more resources than his savings could comfortably cover, and hoped Young Master Zuo would find him paid opponents.

After Chu Xisheng’s victory drew a crowd of female disciples, he missed the Dining Hall’s best food and found Lu Luanli and Chu Yunyun avoiding him. He was then summoned by Shangguan Longjian and, suspecting the Shangguan Clan was behind the earlier attack, went to confront him.

• Lu Luanli warned Chu Xisheng that his kindness toward female disciples could leave him vulnerable, and the two practiced saber techniques together.
• Female disciples crowded around Chu Xisheng to ask about his injuries and saber intent, delaying him until the Dining Hall’s food was gone.
• Lu Luanli and Chu Yunyun left their table when Chu Xisheng joined them, so he hurried after them after eating.
• Shangguan Yuan introduced himself as an Inner City Shangguan Clan disciple and told Chu Xisheng that his master, Shangguan Longjian, wanted to speak with him.
• Chu Xisheng spotted Shangguan Longjian surrounded by Three-Leaf inner disciples and suspected he had orchestrated Liu Xingruo’s earlier attack.
• Chu Xisheng put his hand on his saber and walked toward Shangguan Longjian beneath the locust tree.

Chu Xisheng confronted Shangguan Longjian, who demanded he yield first place in the year-end True Inheritance Assessment and threatened him when he refused. As their sides prepared to fight, Zhou Xiangshan arrived to pay his respects to Chu Xisheng and found the group at a standoff.

• Chu Xisheng accused Shangguan Longjian of plotting against him, and Shangguan Longjian apologized for his subordinates before demanding that Chu yield first place in the assessment.
• Chu Xisheng refused, and Shangguan Yuan threatened him with the fates of previous chief inner disciples who had challenged the Shangguan Clan.
• Shangguan Longjian ordered Shangguan Han to kill Chu Xisheng, but Chu's manifested Yazi Saber Intent froze the twelve sword-bearing youths and made them bleed.
• Qiu Feng arrived with Zhou Xiangshan, who greeted Chu Xisheng as a young hero before asking Qiu what was happening.

Qiu Feng intervened when Shangguan Longjian’s disciples threatened Chu Xisheng, and Zhou Xiangshan declared the Linhai Zhou Clan’s support for Chu before demonstrating his strength. At a banquet, Zhou Xiangshan explained that the Zhou Clan wanted Chu to help secure an Immortal Palace Secret Key, setting up their bid to enter the Cloudsea Immortal Palace.

• Qiu Feng rebuked Shangguan Longjian for threatening Chu Xisheng, then introduced Zhou Xiangshan as a Linhai Zhou Clan steward who had come to visit Chu.
• Zhou Xiangshan presented Chu with lavish gifts, but Chu declined them and agreed to join him for a banquet.
• Zhou Xiangshan warned Shangguan Longjian not to harm Chu and destroyed the locust tree with a palm force; Shangguan Longjian left while vowing to pursue the Origin-Nourishing Art battle diagram.
• Chu Xisheng decided that he would eventually have to kill Shangguan Longjian to end their conflict.
• At the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, Zhou Xiangshan told Chu and Qiu Feng that the ninth-rank secret realm was connected to the Cloudsea Immortal Palace and asked Chu to help the Zhou Clan obtain an Immortal Palace Secret Key.
• Zhou Xiangshan explained that key holders could bring five people into the Cloudsea Immortal Palace for the Cloudsea Showdown, and said the Zhou Clan wanted Chu’s strength among its ten allotted entrants.

Chu Xisheng accepted the Zhou Family’s invitation to compete for a Ninth-Rank Secret Realm after learning the winner’s rewards included a Divine Origin Rejuvenation Pill. Chu Yunyun warned him that the contest would be far more dangerous than Zhou Xiangshan had claimed, leaving Chu Xisheng suspicious of the steward’s motives.

• Zhou Xiangshan offered Chu Xisheng two thousand taels of demon silver and promised the Zhou Family would give him additional gifts if he secured the secret realm and later brought two of their experts into the Cloudsea Immortal Palace.
• Zhou Xiangshan described the contest’s rewards, including a Divine Origin Rejuvenation Pill, which Chu Xisheng knew could help heal Chu Yunyun’s injuries and restore some of her true essence.
• Chu Xisheng agreed to enter the contest, and Chu Yunyun questioned his decision while he practiced with his saber.
• Chu Yunyun told Chu Xisheng that past secret-realm contests had caused severe casualties and that the previous Azure Cloud Ranking listed seven ninth-rank prodigies he could not currently defeat.
• Chu Yunyun warned that top fighters might suppress or cripple their cultivation to enter the contest, and that demon and secluded-sect experts could also participate.
• Chu Xisheng realized Zhou Xiangshan had understated the danger and wondered why the Zhou Family was so determined to lure him into the contest.

Chu Xisheng prepared for the dangerous Ninth-Rank Secret Realm struggle as Chu Yunyun bought him a powerful enchanted cloak and began intensive training. He learned the realm would open on October fifteenth, while Zhou Xiangshan told Qiu Feng that Chu Xisheng had defeated Zhou Liangchen in one exchange.

• Chu Xisheng learned the secret realm would open at dawn on October fifteenth and planned to reach Linhai Commandery the night before.
• Chu Yunyun took Chu Xisheng's money to search the South Street Temple Fair for an enchanted item because assassins threatened him if he went outside.
• Zhou Xiangshan told Qiu Feng that Zhou Liangchen was Zhou Xiongba's son and had lost to Chu Xisheng in a single exchange without drawing his sword.
• Zhou Xiangshan claimed Chu Xisheng would easily overcome the Eastern Province prodigies in the secret realm, then rode toward Linhai to report to his family head.
• Chu Xisheng's martial dao points rose to 91, and he slept at home until Chu Yunyun returned.
• Chu Yunyun gave Chu Xisheng an upper seventh-rank Spirit-Gathering Cape and ordered him to train with her until he mastered her instruction before October fourteenth.

Chu Xisheng prepared for the Ninth-Rank Secret Realm after twenty days of training, while Chu Yunyun advised him on how to survive and compete. Lu Luanli gave him protective jade talismans, and Chu Xisheng finished equipping himself before setting out.

• Chu Xisheng practiced the Wind-Chasing Blade and demonstrated two fifth-layer-level strikes infused with wind-thunder martial intent to Chu Yunyun.
• Chu Yunyun told Chu Xisheng to reveal enough strength early in the secret realm to deter opponents, fight for the top ten if possible, and withdraw if he could not.
• Chu Yunyun gave Chu Xisheng a booklet of intelligence about Azure Cloud Ranking prodigies and warned him that some of it might be outdated.
• Lu Luanli brought Chu Xisheng three Divine Speed Talismans and two Wind-Thunder Talismans, voicing her anger and worry about his participation.
• Chu Xisheng explained that the secret realm was a chance to advance despite his lack of wealth and influence, then equipped himself with the Zhou Family's armor, his Rune Blood Refinement Saber, and Chu Yunyun's Spirit-Gathering Cape.

Chu Xisheng traveled to Linhai Commandery to compete in the Ninth-Rank Secret Realm, while Chu Yunyun and Lu Luanli secretly followed him. He arrived to find Zhou Xiangshan waiting with a group that included Zhou Liangchen.

• Chu Xisheng left the martial academy in disguise and boarded a fast boat for Linhai, telling Chu Yunyun and Lu Luanli to return.
• After Chu Xisheng departed, Chu Yunyun secretly chartered a boat to Linhai, and Lu Luanli independently joined the same boat.
• On the journey, Chu Xisheng studied Chu Yunyun’s booklet and weighed whether to spend his Martial Dao Points refreshing the treasury or improving his abilities before the secret realm contest.
• Chu Xisheng reached Linhai Commandery, aiming to place in the top three and obtain a Divine Origin Rejuvenation Pill.
• At the wharf, Chu Xisheng found Zhou Xiangshan waiting with a group that included Zhou Liangchen, whom Chu Xisheng had previously defeated.

Chu Xisheng arrived at the Zhou Clan’s camp for the secret-realm contest and realized the clan expected him to win after mistaking his borrowed strength for his own. He followed Zhou Xiangshan to Tongfu Inn, where Lu Chen questioned his status and Zhou Liangchen defended him, drawing the gathered youths’ attention.

• Zhou Xiangshan welcomed Chu Xisheng and introduced Zhou Liangchen, revealing that the Zhou Clan had brought Chu in to compete for the secret realm.
• Chu Xisheng realized the Zhou Clan had mistaken his victory over Zhou Liangchen for proof that he could win the contest, and he worried about backing out or being exposed.
• During the carriage ride, Zhou Liangchen praised Chu’s strength and vowed to catch up with him, while Chu concealed his anxiety about relying on Qin Muge’s Character Card.
• Zhou Xiangshan brought Chu and Zhou Liangchen to Tongfu Inn, where competitors and their entourages had gathered near the secret realm.
• Lu Chen mocked Zhou Liangchen for acting like Chu’s lackey and asked who Chu was; Zhou Liangchen identified Chu as Zhengyang Martial Academy’s chief inner disciple and an honored Zhou Clan guest.