Chapter Summaries

Qin Lian improved his comprehension, cultivated Divine Sense, and began to understand the Blazing Sun Art. Meanwhile, Chunyang Sect confronted Ten Thousand Swords Manor over Jiang Heng’s attack, and Mu Xingchui questioned whether Ye Yingxiong had truly delivered the Heavenly Extreme Sword to Spirit Radiance Commandery.

• Qin Lian realized his broad knowledge helped him understand Mystic Sublime Art and devised a new way to cultivate the Blazing Sun Art.
• Qin Lian condensed Divine Sense, used it to heal his damaged vital energy, and formed a second strand by nightfall.
• Mu Xingchui received news that Jiang Heng had attacked Qin Lian at Heavenly Splendor Mountain, then brought the report to Ten Thousand Swords Manor.
• Song Huangting angrily demanded an explanation from Ye Xiuyun, who denied that Jiang Heng had left the manor and said Ye Yingxiong had delivered the Heavenly Extreme Sword to Spirit Radiance Commandery.
• Mu Xingchui asked Ye Xiuyun whether Ye Yingxiong had really delivered the Heavenly Extreme Sword in person.

Song Huangting and Mu Xingchui learned that Ye Yingxiong had delivered the Heavenly Extreme Sword and fought Qin Lian, then traveled to Heavenly Splendor Mountain to verify the news. Qin Lian revealed that he had comprehended divine intent during the battle, leaving Chunyang’s leaders astonished by his strength and progress.

• Ye Xiuyun told Song Huangting that Ye Yingxiong had delivered the Heavenly Extreme Sword to Spirit Radiance Commandery, and Song agreed to verify it before Chunyang withdrew from Ten Thousand Swords Manor’s internal affairs.
• Song Huangting and Mu Xingchui arrived at Heavenly Splendor Mountain, where Xiao Hong told them Qin Lian was recovering after using the Blood Burning secret art.
• Qin Lian explained that the Black-Robed Man had withdrawn from their duel and that he believed the man had left the Heavenly Extreme Sword for him.
• Song Huangting revealed that the Black-Robed Man was Ye Yingxiong, not Jiang Heng, and praised Qin Lian for withstanding thirty-seven sword strikes from a peak second-grade expert.
• Qin Lian told Song Huangting and Mu Xingchui that he had comprehended divine intent during the battle, after earlier guidance from Supreme Elder Shanhui.

Qin Lian revealed that he had cultivated Second Grade Divine Intent, delighting Song Huangting and Mu Xingchui. With the Heavenly Martial Bureau threatening the regional sects, they agreed to conceal Qin Lian’s breakthrough and support his cultivation as the Pure Yang Sword Sect’s hidden trump card; Qin Lian then set his sights on advancing toward First Grade.

• Qin Lian used Great Void Divine Intent to break Song Huangting’s illusory rising sun, confirming that he had reached Second Grade.
• Song Huangting and Mu Xingchui praised Qin Lian’s strength and realized he might defeat even the strongest Second Grade experts.
• Mu Xingchui proposed keeping Qin Lian’s breakthrough secret so he could become the sect’s trump card against the Heavenly Martial Bureau.
• Qin Lian agreed to remain hidden while cultivating and said he wanted to strive for First Grade.
• Mu Xingchui offered Qin Lian resources, and Song Huangting promised him access to the Great Sun Visualization Diagram and other sect texts.

Qin Lian warned Song Huangting about the Heavenly Extreme Sword, and Song chose to delay using it while the Pure Yang Sword Sect faced the Heavenly Martial Bureau. After three months of training, Qin Lian perfected the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art, gained the Swordsmanship trait, and completed Great Void Sword Qi.

• Qin Lian explained that the Heavenly Extreme Sword could trap its wielder in a murderous illusion and corrupt their humanity, but Song Huangting said he might need it to help Chunyang survive.
• Mu Xingchui urged Song to wait before risking the sword, and Song agreed to study it without borrowing its power for cultivation.
• Song Huangting and Mu Xingchui left with the Heavenly Extreme Sword, while Qin Lian stayed at the Heavenly Splendor Treasure Tree to train and wait for its fruit to ripen.
• Three months later, Qin Lian perfected the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art and gained the Swordsmanship trait, which let him send a sword out and guide it back with True Qi and Divine Intent.
• Qin Lian used the trait to correct flaws in his Great Void Sword Qi and completed the art, learning to send Sword Qi beyond his body to cut targets at a distance.

Qin Lian redirected his journey to Taibai Mine Mountain to confront Gao Qianchi for seizing the Taibai Sword Sect’s territory and bullying its disciples. He defeated Gao Qianchi with overwhelming speed and pierced his head, leaving his fate at the brink of death.

• Qin Lian learned that Gao Qianchi had repeatedly challenged him and chosen the road to Mount Tai Prefecture to settle the matter.
• Qin Lian led more than forty Cloudmist Peak elites to Taibai Mine Mountain and sent a deacon to summon Sect Leader Xu and the Taibai Sword Sect.
• Gao Qianchi accused Qin Lian of bringing Cloudmist Mountain’s forces to overwhelm him, while Qin Lian challenged him to face punishment for seizing Taibai Mine Mountain.
• Qin Lian evaded Gao Qianchi’s saber with his swift movement technique and closed in from multiple directions.
• Gao Qianchi tried to concede, but Qin Lian appeared behind him and pierced his head with a sword.

Qin Lian killed Gao Qianchi and reclaimed Taibai Mine Mountain for the Taibai Sword Sect. After learning that Jiang Yi might have come to Taibai for his sake, he rejected the idea of a relationship and prepared to return to Cloudmist Peak with Liu Xu.

• Qin Lian killed Gao Qianchi, and the Overlord Blade disciples agreed to withdraw from Taibai Mine Mountain.
• Qin Lian ordered Liu Xu to oversee the withdrawal and met Xu Hailong and the Taibai Sword Sect members who had come to take over the mountain.
• Qin Lian told Jiang Yi to return to Sun-Viewing Peak, then agreed to leave Taibai with Liu Xu.
• Liu Xu told Qin Lian that Jiang Yi likely loved him and had once obtained a Nine Suns Returning Heaven Pill for him.
• Qin Lian said he saw Jiang Yi only as Jiang Xin's younger sister and set out to return to the sect with Liu Xu.

Qin Lian returned to the Pure Yang Sword Sect after noticing suspicious outlaws disguised among refugees from Yi Province. Back at Shouyang Mountain, he sparred with Li Wangxu, and their duel ended in a draw despite Qin Lian never using [Blood Burning].

• On the journey back, Qin Lian spotted several dozen unusually capable people disguised among refugees, and Xiao Hong said the sect was investigating the unrest.
• Qin Lian returned to Shouyang Mountain, where Li Wangxu welcomed him and invited him to spar.
• Song Huangting assessed the fighters and expected Li Wangxu's experience to give him the advantage in a sparring match.
• Qin Lian used [Swiftness] and [Swordsmanship] to keep pace with Li Wangxu through hundreds of swift exchanges.
• Li Wangxu's Void-Heaven Sword shattered Qin Lian's wooden sword, while Qin Lian sent a broken piece toward Li Wangxu, and both attacks were stopped by their protective True Astral Qi.
• The spar ended in mutual destruction, and Qin Lian had not used [Blood Burning].

Li Wangxu and Qin Lian agreed to defend the Pure Yang Sword Sect against the Heavenly Martial Bureau’s campaign, which involved Blood-Blade Luo Chong stirring up unrest in Jiangzhou and Qingzhou. After securing a supply of Spirit-Consolidating Incense, Qin Lian visited Daoist Shan Hui, who discovered that Qin Lian had developed Divine Sense.

• Li Wangxu and Qin Lian finished their sparring match in a draw, though Li Wangxu declared himself the loser because Qin Lian had not used Blood Burning.
• Mu Xingchui and Li Wangxu explained that Luo Chong and the refugees from Yi Province were part of the Heavenly Martial Bureau’s plan to destabilize Jiangzhou and Qingzhou.
• Li Wangxu and Song Huangting said the sect had to find Luo Chong and dismantle Fang Tianqian’s campaign without drawing the Bureau’s full attention.
• Qin Lian asked for Spirit-Consolidating Incense, and Li Wangxu directed him to find Peak Master Ning Qing at Forget-the-World Peak.
• Qin Lian went to thank Daoist Shan Hui for his Dream-Wedding Technique, and Daoist Shan Hui sensed that Qin Lian had developed Divine Sense.

Daoist Shan Hui discovered that Qin Lian had awakened a fire spirit Dao Body and urged him to conceal his Spirit Refining cultivation while he trained to protect Pure Yang Sword Sect. He brought Qin Lian to inherit Chi Xiao True Person’s legacy, leaving Qin Lian in possession of the secluded cave abode and its treasures.

• Daoist Shan Hui examined Qin Lian and learned that he had awakened a fire spirit Dao Body after cultivating with Blazing Sun Treasure Jade and the Rising Sun One-Qi Formula.
• Daoist Shan Hui explained that mastering the Blazing Sun Art and cultivating a Yin Spirit could make Qin Lian powerful enough to deter the Heavenly Martial Bureau and ease Pure Yang’s crisis.
• Daoist Shan Hui gave Qin Lian a Spirit Marsh Treasure Jade and a Breath-Concealment Secret Art, warning him to hide his Dao Body and Spirit Refining cultivation because other fire spirit Dao Bodies had died mysteriously.
• Daoist Shan Hui led Qin Lian to Chi Xiao True Person’s secluded cave abode and introduced Yanlan, its guardian.
• Yanlan showed Qin Lian Chi Xiao True Person’s handwritten notes, Chi Xiao Magical Sword, and thirteen Fire Spirit Stones, then gave him the keys to the cave abode.

Qin Lian studied the spirit-refining path and Chi Xiao True Person’s notes, then discovered that his Swordsmanship trait greatly improved his control of the Chi Xiao Flying Sword. He prepared to use the thirteen Fire Spirit Stones to build up his Dharma power and pursue spirit-soul excursions.

• Qin Lian read the Chi Xiao Treasure Canon and learned that nine strands of divine sense and nine streams of Dharma power were needed for night wandering.
• Qin Lian realized he already had nine strands of divine sense but only three streams of Dharma power, and he examined the thirteen Fire Spirit Stones left by Chi Xiao True Person.
• Qin Lian finished studying Chi Xiao True Person’s notes and learned about Yin Spirit travel, True Persons, spells, and lands beyond Great Shang.
• Qin Lian tested the Chi Xiao Flying Sword and found that his Swordsmanship trait made it respond to his thoughts with far greater agility.
• Qin Lian discovered that he could not control the flying sword once it left his field of vision, then resolved to cultivate Dharma power with the Fire Spirit Stones.