Chapter Summaries

After defeating Lin Yuyan, Qin Lian accepted Purple Cloud Peak’s compensation and reaffirmed his ties to Cloudmist Peak, while arranging for a Qin family member to come to Pure Yang. Elsewhere, Heavenly Martial Bureau Deputy Commissioner Fang Tianqian advanced a plan to provoke conflict between Pure Yang and Overlord Blade and ultimately bring the sects under the Great Shang court’s control.

• Xie Caixia left with Lin Yuyan after agreeing to deliver compensation, and Yuan Tianhe, Liu Xu, and other Cloudmist Peak members arrived to support Qin Lian.
• Qin Lian accepted a Jade Nectar Returning-Truth Pill and ten portions of Dao-Enlightenment Spirit Tea, while Yuan Tianhe refused his offer to share the tea.
• Liu Xu and the others praised Qin Lian’s victory over Lin Yuyan, and Qin Lian said he had asked the Qin family to send someone to Pure Yang, likely Qin Daozhi.
• Purple Cloud Peak delivered the remaining tea, and Qin Lian decided to test its reputed effects.
• Fang Tianqian ordered Black Tortoise to give the Heavenly Extreme Demon Sword to Ye Yingxiong and outlined a scheme to provoke a war involving Pure Yang and Overlord Blade.
• Fang Tianqian told Black Tortoise to have Vermilion Bird ensure an Overlord Blade core disciple died, then declared his intent to end the sects’ independence under the Great Shang court.

Qin Lian perfected the Vertical and Horizontal Art, gained the Wind Riding trait, and advanced his cultivation with Enlightenment Tea while arranging for Qin Daozhi and Qin Lingzhi to train on Cloudmist Peak. After Li Wangxu reported that Xu Hailong had killed Xue Li in a duel and offered to discuss the Great Void Visualization Diagram, he ended their six-hour conversation by urging Qin Lian to start a family.

• Qin Lian perfected the Vertical and Horizontal Art while running through Shouyang Mountain and gained the Wind Riding trait, which he hoped would let him fly.
• Qin Lian chose Chasing the Wind and Pursuing the Sun to practice and sent Qin Daozhi and Qin Lingzhi to become disciples on Cloudmist Peak.
• Qin Lian practiced for two months, bringing the Rising Sun One-Qi Formula, Chasing the Wind and Pursuing the Sun, and Liuhe Duzun Sword Art to major accomplishment.
• Li Wangxu told Qin Lian that Xu Hailong had killed Xue Li in their duel over Taibai Mine Mountain, then offered to discuss the Great Void Visualization Diagram with him.
• After six hours of answering Qin Lian's questions about the visualization diagram, Li Wangxu asked whether Qin Lian had considered choosing a woman and starting a family.

Qin Lian expanded Li Wangxu’s understanding of the Great Void by proposing that the world was round and surrounded by vast emptiness, prompting them to continue their discussions. The next day, Qin Lian met Tang Yao, a girl who had come to visit the late Peak Master Tang Yue, and recognized her Beast Gathering and Bird-Taming Art.

• Qin Lian gained nine points in his Great Void Visualization Diagram during six hours of discussion with Li Wangxu, mostly from the sect master’s guidance.
• Qin Lian described a round world surrounded by an immense Great Void beyond the sun and moon, leaving Li Wangxu stunned by the expanded vision.
• Li Wangxu agreed to consider Qin Lian’s theory and meet with him again the next day to discuss the Great Void.
• Qin Lian went to the Pure Yang Hall the next day and waited in a garden while Li Wangxu attended to other matters.
• Qin Lian saw Tang Yao sitting peacefully among a cat and birds, learned she had come to visit the late Peak Master Tang Yue, and recognized her Beast Gathering and Bird-Taming Art.

Qin Lian discovered that Tang Yao knew several magical arts and suspected she possessed an extraordinary Dao body. After learning that her origins were unknown and her relatives would soon take her away, he agreed to look after her while discussing the Dao with Li Wangxu.

• Qin Lian questioned Tang Yao about her magical arts, and she followed him after asking him to teach her about great divine abilities.
• Qin Lian suspected Tang Yao's spiritual grace came from an extraordinary Dao body and directed her toward Forget-the-World Peak.
• Tang Yao continued following Qin Lian as he went to meet Li Wangxu for a discussion of the Dao.
• Li Wangxu told Qin Lian that Tang Yao had come to the mountain seeking help from the late Peak Master Tang and was awaiting relatives who would take her away.
• Li Wangxu explained that Tang Yao's special Dao body would be at risk if exposed, and Qin Lian agreed to look after her in exchange for daily discussions with Li Wangxu.

Qin Lian spent a month rapidly improving through cultivation and daily discussions of the Dao, while Tang Yao puzzled over his strange explanations of time and light. He learned that Overlord Blade had challenged the sect over Taibai Mine Mountain, but the elders planned to shield him from the dispute so he could pursue Divine Intent.

• Qin Lian discussed the Dao with Li Wangxu each afternoon while Tang Yao questioned him about black holes, time, and the Speed of Light.
• Qin Lian wrote the Mass-Energy Equation for Tang Yao and left her to study the unfamiliar script.
• Qin Lian overheard Li Wangxu, Lu Jianping, and Mu Xingchui discuss Gao Qianchi's challenge over Taibai Mine Mountain and Xu Hailong's poor odds of defeating him.
• Li Wangxu told the elders that Qin Lian's rapid progress made him confident Qin Lian would attain Divine Intent within a year or two.
• The elders decided to keep Qin Lian away from the dispute and make up his share of the mine's income, while discussing the Heavenly Martial Bureau and Grand Preceptor Wen.
• Qin Lian realized that the Pure Yang Sword Sect had quietly protected him from trouble so he could continue cultivating.

Qin Lian decided to focus on cultivation and consider abandoning Taibai Mine Mountain rather than risk fighting Gao Qianchi before advancing further. When Tang Yao asked him to translate talisman-like symbols he had written, he could not help her and instead went to Forget-the-World Peak to seek guidance from Supreme Elder Shan Hui on the Great Void Visualization Diagram.

• Qin Lian judged that he could not reach second grade soon and resolved to prioritize cultivation, while considering abandoning Taibai Mine Mountain rather than fight Gao Qianchi.
• Tang Yao waited outside Qin Lian’s home and showed him a booklet of symbols, saying she suspected they were Secret Transmission Talismans and asking him to translate them.
• Qin Lian admitted the symbols were not a supreme spell but brushed Tang Yao off and left for Forget-the-World Peak.
• On the way, Qin Lian met Yuan Tianhe, who offered to guide him to Supreme Elder Shan Hui.
• Yuan Tianhe explained that Shan Hui had missed his chance to cultivate a Yin Spirit because he had delayed refining qi into spirit while the sect needed him to hold the fort.

Qin Lian visited Daoist Shan Hui to discuss the Great Void Visualization Diagram, and Shan Hui used the Dream-Wedding Technique to help him overcome a barrier in his understanding. The dream carried Qin Lian to major accomplishment, but he glimpsed Blue Star before awakening on Forget-the-World Peak.

• Yuan Tianhe brought Qin Lian to meet Daoist Shan Hui on Forget-the-World Peak.
• Qin Lian explained his understanding of the Great Void Visualization Method, and Daoist Shan Hui identified a barrier between it and the method's conventional essence.
• Daoist Shan Hui demonstrated visions of the Great Void and suggested Qin Lian's view of the starry cosmos might help him perfect the visualization method.
• Daoist Shan Hui cast the Dream-Wedding Technique, letting Qin Lian experience three years of contemplation atop Shouyang Mountain.
• Qin Lian's Great Void Visualization Diagram reached major accomplishment, and he saw what appeared to be Blue Star before falling back into his body and waking in the courtyard.

Qin Lian gained insight into how to attain Divine Intent and received the Blazing Sun Treasure Jade from Yuan Tianhe. Back at the Library Pavilion, he rewarded Qin Daozhi for reaching fifth grade and discovered that Tang Yao’s booklet contained a Talisman Crafting legacy.

• Qin Lian thanked Daoist Shan Hui for showing him a possible path to Divine Intent, then told Yuan Tianhe he was confident he could attain second grade before thirty-five.
• Yuan Tianhe gave Qin Lian a Blazing Sun Treasure Jade to aid his Rising Sun One-Qi Formula practice and asked him to look after Chu Ying.
• Qin Lian concluded that his golden light absorbed the underlying intent of cultivation methods, with greater differences in understanding producing more initial progress.
• Qin Lian returned to the Library Pavilion, where Qin Daozhi reported reaching fifth grade, and Qin Lian gave him a Jade Nectar Returning-Truth Pill to help him reach fourth grade.
• Qin Lian examined Tang Yao’s booklet and discovered it was a Talisman Crafting legacy, then resolved to make his formulas easier for her to understand.

Qin Lian continued cultivating the Rising Sun One-Qi Formula while rumors spread about his refusal to accept Gao Qianchi’s challenge. He bid farewell to Tang Yao as Fairy Yunshang took her away on a Treasure Artifact Flying Boat, and he realized he would soon gain a Dao Body.

• Qin Lian advanced the Rising Sun One-Qi Formula to 95/100 and expected to perfect it within a few days.
• Qin Lian overheard disciples debating whether his refusal to fight Gao Qianchi would harm his reputation, but he returned to his courtyard without responding.
• Tang Yao told Qin Lian she was leaving with her family and thanked him for his teachings before bidding him farewell.
• Fairy Yunshang enlarged a green boat into a Flying Boat and carried Tang Yao away into the sky.
• Li Wangxu and Ning Qing explained that the Flying Boat was likely a Treasure Artifact, and Qin Lian reflected that his formula would soon give him a Dao Body.

After Tang Yao left, Qin Lian studied Spirit Refining and discovered that the golden light’s “Never Regress” trait greatly accelerated his progress. Two days later, perfecting the Rising Sun One-Qi Formula activated his fire spirit Dao body, letting him open his Upper Origin Palace and cultivate Dharma Power.

• Yun Shang True Person dismissed Tang Yao’s belief that Mr. Qin was an accomplished hidden master, while Tang Yao remained convinced he was extraordinary and resolved to return to Great Shang after becoming a True Person.
• Qin Lian returned to his courtyard, regretted Tang Yao’s departure, and began studying the Chi Xiao Treasure Canon while his meridians recovered.
• Qin Lian found that the golden light’s “Never Regress” trait let him rapidly improve at Spirit Stabilization and sustain the practice for more than half an incense stick.
• Two days later, Qin Lian perfected the Rising Sun One-Qi Formula, activating his fire spirit Dao body and sensing fire spirit power around him.
• Qin Lian drew in and subdued the fire spirit power, which surged into his Niwan Palace and opened his Upper Origin Palace.
• Qin Lian cultivated his first strand of Dharma Power and realized he had begun cultivating immortality.

Qin Lian explored how Dharma Power could refine his innate abilities and considered studying powerful spells, but chose to begin with two movement and sword arts. Meanwhile, Fang Tianqian advanced the Heavenly Martial Bureau’s plans, sending Luo Chong toward Jiangzhou and ordering preparations to expand their influence.

• Qin Lian discovered that Swiftness and Blood Burning could be activated through Dharma Power and potentially used on others, then wondered whether refining spells could elevate them into divine abilities.
• Qin Lian found Blazing Sun in the Chi Xiao Treasure Canon too complex to study and decided to focus first on the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art and the Chasing the Wind and Pursuing the Sun Movement Art.
• Black Tortoise reported that Heavenly Blade Han Yu had agreed to serve the Heavenly Martial Bureau, and Fang Tianqian discussed the lack of fighting around Chunyang and Qin Lian’s refusal to accept Gao Qianchi’s challenge.
• Fang Tianqian rejected attacking Qin Lian’s clansmen and ordered Luo Chong to be sent to Jiangzhou rather than used in Yi Province.
• Fang Tianqian told Black Tortoise to expand the refugee tide and transfer their people while testing whether Chunyang and other sects would intervene.

Qin Lian attended a Council of Elders meeting where Li Wangxu proposed helping Ten Thousand Swords Manor in exchange for the Heavenly Extreme Sword. The elders debated the offer’s strategic value and the dangers of the Demon Sword, but the meeting ended without a decision.

• Qin Lian reviewed his slow cultivation progress and hoped to obtain more Enlightenment Tea from Purple Cloud Peak.
• A Library Pavilion deacon summoned Qin Lian to the sect's Council of Elders, where Xie Caixia and Liu Xu greeted him before Supreme Elder Song Huangting arrived.
• Li Wangxu explained that Ye Wuji had requested Pure Yang's aid against Ye Yingxiong and offered the six southeastern commanderies of Sword Province in return.
• Song Huangting revealed that Ye Wuji had also offered the Heavenly Extreme Sword if Pure Yang helped defeat Ye Yingxiong and his followers.
• The elders argued over whether to intervene, weighing the sword's promise of power against the dangers that had brought Ten Thousand Swords Manor to ruin.

The Pure Yang Sword Sect’s elders debated whether to aid Ten Thousand Swords Manor, with many supporting intervention to gain strength and pursue the chance to become Martial Saints. Sect Master Li Wangxu ordered operations in Jiangzhou, Qing Province, and Sword Province, and assigned Qin Lian to take Spirit Radiance Commandery for its Heavenly Splendor Fruit.

• Song Huangting argued that the sect needed to seize the Heavenly Extreme Demon Sword and break through to Martial Saint before the Heavenly Martial Bureau overwhelmed them.
• Most elders favored aiding Ten Thousand Swords Manor, while Qin Lian worried the sect would be drawn into a dangerous conflict.
• Li Wangxu said the Heavenly Martial Bureau was already destabilizing Jiangzhou and Qing Province, so the sect should fight in Sword Province rather than wait for the threat to reach its own territory.
• Li Wangxu assigned Lu Jianping to sweep Jiangzhou and Qing Province, while Song Huangting volunteered to lead the campaign against Ye Yingxiong and secure the Six Southeastern Commanderies.
• Li Wangxu offered the six commanderies’ resources to the six peaks and asked Qin Lian to lead Cloudmist Peak into Spirit Radiance Commandery to obtain Heavenly Splendor Fruit that might help him comprehend Divine Intent.

Qin Lian and Cloudmist Peak joined the Pure Yang Sword Sect’s campaign to suppress Ye Yingxiong’s faction and secure Spirit Radiance Commandery. At Heavenly Splendor Mountain, Elder Li Xiu challenged Qin Lian to a duel over the treasure tree, but Qin Lian swiftly disarmed him and held a sword to his throat.

• Li Wangxu assigned Qin Lian to help take Spirit Radiance Commandery while Song Huangting led the campaign against Ten Thousand Swords Manor’s headquarters.
• Qin Lian and Liu Xu assembled Cloudmist Peak’s forces and rode with other Pure Yang Sword Sect troops into Sword Province.
• At Heavenly Splendor Mountain, Liu Xu told Li Xiu they had come at Ye Wuji’s request to quell Ye Yingxiong’s rebellion and take control of key locations.
• Li Xiu refused to surrender the Heavenly Splendor Treasure Tree and challenged Qin Lian, promising his people would withdraw if he lost.
• Qin Lian activated Swiftness and Blood Burning, struck Li Xiu’s sword from his hand, and placed Azure Sky at his throat.

Qin Lian defeated Li Xiu and secured the Heavenly Splendor Treasure Tree for Cloudmist Peak. Meanwhile, Song Huangting and Ye Wuji reached Ten Thousand Swords Manor, where Ye Xiuyun confronted them, but Ye Yingxiong was nowhere to be sensed inside the main hall.

• Qin Lian defeated Li Xiu in a few moves, spared him, and accepted his surrender of the Heavenly Splendor Treasure Tree.
• Cloudmist Peak's disciples took control of Heavenly Splendor Mountain, and Qin Lian stayed to guard the tree as Xiao Hong explained when its fruits would ripen.
• Song Huangting led the Pure Yang Sword Sect's main force to Ten Thousand Swords Manor, meeting little resistance along the way.
• Ye Xiuyun accused Ye Wuji of betraying the manor, while Ye Wuji defended his claim and said he planned to offer the Heavenly Extreme Sword to Song Huangting.
• Song Huangting demanded that Ye Yingxiong face him, then realized he could not sense Ye Yingxiong inside the hall.

Song Huangting agreed to give Ye Xiuyun three days to deliver the Heavenly Extreme Sword in exchange for Chunyang withdrawing from Sword Province. Meanwhile, Qin Lian ate a Heavenly Splendor Fruit and began making rapid progress in his techniques as a black-robed figure arrived on Heavenly Splendor Mountain.

• Ye Xiuyun warned Song Huangting that Ye Yingxiong would retaliate against Chunyang if it continued interfering in Ten Thousand Swords Manor’s affairs.
• Ye Xiuyun offered to hand over the Heavenly Extreme Sword if Chunyang withdrew, and Song Huangting gave her three days to deliver it.
• Ye Xiuyun revealed that Ye Yingxiong had already captured Ye Wuji’s companions, leaving Ye Wuji shaken.
• Qin Lian ate a ripe Heavenly Splendor Fruit and found it effortless to practice the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art and Chasing the Wind and Pursuing the Sun movement technique together.
• A black-robed figure carrying a cloth-wrapped sword arrived on Heavenly Splendor Mountain.

Qin Lian was ambushed by a Second Grade Divine Intent Grandmaster from Ten Thousand Swords Manor and fought back with a relentless barrage of sword strikes. After his opponent survived thirty-three attacks, Qin Lian used his Spirit Refining powers to turn the Blood-Burning Art against him.

• Qin Lian sensed a black-robed man approaching and learned that he was a Heaven Ranking Grandmaster from Ten Thousand Swords Manor.
• The man attacked with Second Grade Divine Intent, but Qin Lian evaded the first strike and countered with the Azure Sky Treasure Sword.
• Qin Lian combined [Swiftness] and [Blood Burning] to unleash thirty-three consecutive strikes, while the black-robed man barely managed to block them.
• Realizing his swordsmanship alone could not defeat the man, Qin Lian circulated Dharma Power and used the Blood-Burning Art during his thirty-fourth strike.

Qin Lian used the Blood-Burning Curse and Sword Art to drive off a black-robed second grade divine intent grandmaster, though the fight left him badly weakened. Liu Xu, Xiao Qing, and Xiao Hong realized Qin Lian’s combat strength rivaled a second grade grandmaster’s, giving the Pure Yang Sword Sect a powerful new fighter amid an unsettled situation.

• The black-robed man’s blood and qi fell into turmoil from Qin Lian’s Blood-Burning Curse, slowing him as Qin Lian pressed his thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth strikes.
• The black-robed man used sword intent to break the curse, but Qin Lian’s sword qi cut his face and drew blood.
• The black-robed man escaped with Blood Shadow Divine Escape after throwing a starlight-patterned sword to delay Qin Lian.
• Xiao Hong explained that Blood Shadow Divine Escape was a technique requiring second grade divine intent, revealing the black-robed man’s level.
• Liu Xu gave the exhausted Qin Lian a Nine Suns Returning Heaven Pill, and he meditated to recover.
• Liu Xu, Xiao Qing, and Xiao Hong concluded that Qin Lian had repelled a second grade grandmaster and now fought at comparable strength.

After surviving Jiang Heng’s attack, Qin Lian discovered that his sword had been damaged by a strange starlight-patterned blade. When he examined the blade, its power trapped him in an illusion of endless slaughter, and he realized he needed divine intent to escape.

• Xiao Qing returned from searching for the attacker, and the group concluded that Jiang Heng had attacked Qin Lian before Liu Xu confirmed that security had been strengthened and a message sent for help.
• Qin Lian noticed that his Azure Firmament Sword had been chipped and cracked, then found the starlight-patterned sword that had damaged it lying nearby.
• Qin Lian examined the intact sword, whose patterns came alive and seized his mind.
• Qin Lian found himself trapped in an illusion of endless slaughter and realized he needed divine intent to break free.

Qin Lian broke free of the Heavenly Extreme Demon Sword’s illusion and comprehended divine intent, reaching the Second Grade. He recognized the sword’s sinister nature, then discovered that his breakthrough had also raised his comprehension and granted him a powerful spirit-wandering spell.

• Qin Lian expanded his vision into the Great Void, saw the world’s slaughter as insignificant within the vast universe, and attained divine intent.
• Qin Lian entered the Second Grade divine intent grandmaster realm and identified the weapon as the Heavenly Extreme Demon Sword.
• Qin Lian suspected the sword’s illusion revealed a Demon God using endless slaughter to understand life and death, and wrapped the sword to avoid its patterns.
• Qin Lian discovered that Great Void Visualization Diagram perfection had raised his comprehension from 39 to 42 and improved his understanding of his unfinished techniques.
• Qin Lian grasped the Wandering the Great Void spell, a spirit-wandering technique he judged to be at least right law level and possibly a Profound Mystique-level spell.