Chapter Summaries

Ning Chenxin rejected a Pure Heart Temple monk’s invitation to become the Buddhist Son, while Lu Changsheng set out to thank Yun Jing for helping Ye Qiubai. As Huang Yitong took matters into his own hands against Ye Qiubai, Hong Ying learned she must rebuild the Cloud Phoenix Empire before the age of great contention began.

• Ning Chenxin rejected the old monk’s invitation to return to Pure Heart Temple and continued on his journey to spread the Dao.
• Qin Tiannan told Lu Changsheng that Yun Jing had intervened when Ye Qiubai got into trouble at the Main Academy, then urged Lu Changsheng to go thank him.
• Lu Changsheng asked Qin Tiannan where the Northern Region’s Hidden Dao Academy was before departing to find Yun Jing.
• Huang Yitong faulted Huang Tian Ming for failing to kill Ye Qiubai and ordered him to stay out of the matter, while Huang Tian Ming feared losing his position as heir.
• Jiang Chan felt relieved that Ye Qiubai was safe but worried about their relationship.
• Hong Ying learned from a weak soul that she had to gather her former subordinates and rebuild the Cloud Phoenix Empire before the age of great contention and the next battle on the Heavenly Road.

Lu Changsheng visited Yun Jing to thank him for helping Ye Qiubai, but Yun Jing refused his gifts and asked for guidance on the sword Dao instead. Lu Changsheng’s casual advice helped Yun Jing comprehend Heart Sword, leaving Yun Jing with a breakthrough in his cultivation.

• Lu Changsheng found Yun Jing cultivating in the forbidden mountains and introduced himself as Ye Qiubai’s master.
• Lu Changsheng offered Yun Jing five pills that could instantly restore Spiritual Qi, then created a powerful Spirit Gathering Array when Yun Jing refused the pills.
• Yun Jing asked Lu Changsheng for help understanding how to use the heart as a sword and demonstrated his cultivation technique.
• Lu Changsheng suggested that Yun Jing give up using his eyes as swords.
• After a day of meditation, Yun Jing comprehended Heart Sword and sensed the world around him without opening his eyes.

Yun Jing gained a new insight into sword cultivation from Lu Changsheng’s words and instructed Wu Deshi to support Ye Qiubai. After reaching fifth place in the Land of Hundred Refinements, Ye Qiubai went to Dao-Seeking Mountain and approached a white-haired woman whose icy physique froze everything near her.

• Yun Jing abandoned his sword eyes and sensed the sword with his heart, breaking through after hearing Lu Changsheng’s advice.
• Yun Jing told Wu Deshi to help Ye Qiubai whenever possible, saying that doing so would bring the Hidden Dao Academy a great opportunity.
• Ye Qiubai rose to fifth place in the Land of Hundred Refinements and left to absorb his insights rather than rush his cultivation breakthrough.
• Ye Qiubai reached Dao-Seeking Mountain and found a white-haired woman by a stream, where her physique had frozen a fish.
• The woman warned Ye Qiubai that approaching her would be dangerous, but he entered her icy mist protected by the life intent of the Primordial Sword Scripture.

Ye Qiubai met Mu Ziqing, cooked her a grilled fish, and learned she could not leave the icy mist around Dao-Seeking Mountain. After entering the mountain, he went to Sword Peak, where the sword marks on a rock wall began drawing Sword Intent toward him.

• Ye Qiubai used the essence of endless renewal to approach Mu Ziqing and grilled a fish for her without being affected by the icy mist.
• Mu Ziqing thanked Ye Qiubai and told him to look for a sword insight recorded on a rock wall behind Sword Peak.
• Ye Qiubai paid 1,000 points to enter Dao-Seeking Mountain for half a day, and the old man at the entrance recognized his talent.
• Ye Qiubai headed to Sword Peak and found a man studying the sword marks on the rear rock wall.
• Ye Qiubai closed his eyes before the marks, and strands of Sword Intent flowed toward him, astonishing the man beside him.

Ye Qiubai received the Sword Domain inheritance on Sword Peak and learned that its creator had fallen in the battle to breach the Heavenly Road. After demonstrating the technique, he met Liang Feng, while Hong Ying reached a ruined city marked Cloud Phoenix.

• The Sword Intent in Sword Peak’s stone wall flowed toward Ye Qiubai, and its creator appeared to him as a lingering wisp of will.
• The old man explained that the Cloud Phoenix Empire had led a failed assault on the Heavenly Road, where countless powerhouses, including himself, had fallen.
• The old man taught Ye Qiubai the Sword Domain, a technique that filled an area with Sword Intent, and then vanished as Ye Qiubai began comprehending it.
• Ye Qiubai unleashed the Sword Domain on Sword Peak, then withdrew it without harming Liang Feng, who introduced himself as belonging to the Hidden Sword Sect.
• The old man at the foot of Dao-Seeking Mountain arranged for Ye Qiubai to receive the spot, while Hong Ying stood before a ruined city bearing the words Cloud Phoenix.

Hong Ying returned to the ruins of the Cloud Phoenix Empire to gather the Nine Heavens Division, while Ye Qiubai was summoned by the dean and chosen to visit the Hidden Sword Sect. Ye Qiubai learned he would depart in two days to seek a Sword Saint's legacy in the Sword Tomb.

• Hong Ying learned that only Yun Zhan remained to complete the Nine Heavens Division and went to the old Cloud Phoenix Empire site with Yun Ming.
• Ye Qiubai left Dao-Seeking Mountain and told Mu Ziqing that his master might be able to resolve her constitution.
• The dean chose Ye Qiubai to represent the Hidden Dao Academy in the Hidden Sword Sect's secret realm because Ye Qiubai had comprehended the Sword Edge Stone Wall.
• The dean explained that Ye Qiubai would enter the Sword Tomb to seek a Sword Saint's legacy and would depart in two days.
• A figure questioned the dean's decision to replace Guan Zongyan with Ye Qiubai, and the dean cited Elder Mu's orders before granting Guan Zongyan three days to cultivate in Dao-Seeking Mountain.

Ye Qiubai accepted Guan Zongyan’s challenge for the right to visit the Hidden Sword Sect, intending to test his Sword Domain against him. The duel began with Guan Zongyan suppressing his cultivation, but Ye Qiubai’s wooden sword effortlessly shattered his wind-infused sword attack.

• Ye Qiubai’s friends visited him, and he teased them before defeating all three in a sparring match.
• Guan Zongyan publicly challenged Ye Qiubai at the Yan Cloud Platform for the right to visit the Hidden Sword Sect.
• Ye Qiubai accepted the challenge, while Guan Zongyan offered to suppress his cultivation to the middle stage of the Qi Sea Realm.
• Ye Qiubai objected to Guan Zongyan suppressing his cultivation, saying he would not last more than a few moves, and Guan Zongyan began the duel anyway.
• Guan Zongyan attacked with Sword Intent combined with Wind Conception, but Ye Qiubai’s wooden sword shattered the swords of wind, leaving Guan Zongyan stunned.

Ye Qiubai defeated Guan Zongyan by unleashing the Sword Domain, proving his superiority despite being in the Qi Sea Realm. He left for the Land of Hundred Refinements as the dean anticipated the Hidden Sword Sect’s surprise at his talent.

• Guan Zongyan attacked Ye Qiubai with sword shadows, but Ye Qiubai’s Sword Intent repelled them and revealed his great mastery of Sword Intent.
• Guan Zongyan stopped suppressing his cultivation and used a fusion of Wind Intent and Sword Intent against Ye Qiubai.
• Ye Qiubai covered the Yan Cloud Platform with his Sword Domain, which suppressed Guan Zongyan’s Sword Intent and overwhelmed his attacks.
• Guan Zongyan conceded, and Ye Qiubai left the platform for the Land of Hundred Refinements.
• The dean heard about the battle and said the Hidden Sword Sect would be shocked by Ye Qiubai.

Huang Tian Ming decided to kill Ye Qiubai despite the Hidden Dao Academy’s protection, while Lu Changsheng received a mission to recruit a powerful disciple in the Central Region. Ye Qiubai’s journey to the Hidden Sword Sect ended in a confrontation with Huang Tian Ming and the Sunset Dynasty’s Asura Iron Cavalry.

• Huang Tian Ming regretted offending Ye Qiubai but resolved to ambush and kill him on the way to the Hidden Sword Sect.
• Five figures discussed a powerful formation beyond the plane, then a black-flamed object crashed into the Central Region and an arm emerged from its stone shell.
• Lu Changsheng received a mission to take a disciple with an SSS-rank talent and a Heavenly Demon Physique, then set out for the Central Region.
• Ye Qiubai broke Guan Zongyan’s Land of Hundred Refinements record by reaching the forty-ninth floor and departed for the Hidden Sword Sect with Liang Feng and an elder.
• Huang Tian Ming blocked their ship with the Asura Iron Cavalry and declared his intention to kill Ye Qiubai despite the elder’s warning that the academy would protect him.

Lu Changsheng found Xiao Hei emerging from a black stone, recruited him as a disciple, and claimed the Wilderness Sacred Body as his reward. In the present, Ye Qiubai faced Huang Tian Ming’s force of five Martial Ranking experts and the Asura Iron Cavalry.

• Lu Changsheng found a man emerging from a black stone in the Taibai Mountain Range, and the man could remember neither his name nor his past.
• Lu Changsheng recruited the man as his disciple, named him Xiao Hei, and received the Wilderness Sacred Body, the Nine Heavens Devil Halberd, and the Eternal Devil Body through the system.
• Lu Changsheng gave Xiao Hei the Nine Heavens Devil Halberd and the Eternal Devil Body cultivation method, then received a mission to undo Xiao Hei’s seal and recover his memories without forcibly breaking it.
• In the present, Ye Qiubai faced Huang Tian Ming, Fan Jingrao, Eunuch Ming, three other Martial Ranking experts, and the Asura Iron Cavalry.
• Huang Tian Ming told Ye Qiubai that he had arranged the force to kill him.

Ye Qiubai fought Eunuch Ming while Huang Tian Ming ordered the Asura Iron Cavalry to attack, pushing Ye Qiubai to prepare to draw the Azure Cloud Sword. A white-robed man appeared and effortlessly destroyed both attacks, telling Ye Qiubai to behave more like his master.

• Huang Tian Ming confronted Ye Qiubai with the Asura Iron Cavalry and declared that he would kill him.
• Ye Qiubai and Liang Feng divided their opponents, and Ye Qiubai charged at Eunuch Ming while Liang Feng and the inner academy elder engaged other Martial Ranking experts.
• Ye Qiubai used his Sword Domain and the seventh of the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon to stop Eunuch Ming's attack, but suffered an injury.
• Huang Tian Ming ordered the Asura Iron Cavalry to attack as Eunuch Ming tried to ensnare Ye Qiubai with his fly whisk.
• Ye Qiubai prepared to draw the Azure Cloud Sword, but a white-robed man appeared and shattered the fly whisk strands and the cavalry's blood-colored spear with a flick of his finger.

Lu Changsheng arrived during Ye Qiubai’s battle with the Sunset Dynasty and killed Eunuch Ming and the Asura Iron Cavalry, leaving Huang Tian Ming for Ye Qiubai to handle. Huang Tian Ming escaped with a teleportation jade pendant, while Lu Changsheng departed with his new disciple and Ye Qiubai continued toward the Hidden Sword Sect.

• Lu Changsheng recognized Ye Qiubai in the battlefield and rushed to intervene, revealing that he had just taken a new disciple.
• Lu Changsheng killed Eunuch Ming with a flick of his finger and destroyed the Asura Iron Cavalry with a punch.
• Lu Changsheng spared Huang Tian Ming and told Ye Qiubai to settle their grudge himself.
• Ye Qiubai attacked Huang Tian Ming, but Huang Tian Ming escaped by crushing a teleportation jade pendant.
• Ye Qiubai said he still needed to visit the Hidden Sword Sect, and Lu Changsheng left with his new disciple.
• A Law Enforcement Hall elder arrived and learned from the inner academy elder that Lu Changsheng had dealt with the attackers.

Dean Yan confronted Huang Yitong over the Sunset Dynasty’s attempt to kill Ye Qiubai, while both waited for news from the Central Region. After the Asura Iron Cavalry was wiped out and Eunuch Ming died, Huang Yitong stripped Huang Tian Ming of his heirship and placed a bounty on Ye Qiubai.

• Dean Yan warned Huang Yitong that the Sunset Dynasty would be destroyed if Ye Qiubai died, and Huang Yitong hinted that he had hidden backing.
• A soldier reported that the Asura Iron Cavalry had fallen, Eunuch Ming had died, and the five Attendants had fled.
• Dean Yan left the palace after hearing the news, while Huang Yitong learned that Huang Tian Ming was alive but missing.
• Huang Yitong stripped Huang Tian Ming of his position as heir and offered any three items from the national treasury to whoever killed Ye Qiubai.

At the Cottage, Lu Changsheng tried to find a place of extreme heat so Xiao Hei could cultivate his body-tempering technique, then asked the little bird to create a fiery pit. Xiao Hei endured the bird’s Nirvana Fire and began showing signs of progress, while Ye Qiubai arrived at the Hidden Sword Sect.

• Dean Yan learned that Ye Qiubai’s master had killed Eunuch Ming and the Asura Iron Cavalry in two moves.
• Lu Changsheng brought Xiao Hei to the Cottage and learned that his body-tempering technique required a place of extreme heat.
• Lu Changsheng asked Qin Tiannan about such a place, but Qin Tiannan said none existed in the academy or the Southern Region.
• Lu Changsheng persuaded the little bird to fill a pit with her flames so Xiao Hei could temper his body.
• Xiao Hei endured the flames, developed fiery markings, and grew stronger as Lu Changsheng watched over him.
• Ye Qiubai arrived at the Hidden Sword Sect.

Ye Qiubai arrived at the Hidden Sword Sect to cultivate in its Sword Tomb, where he drew the attention of disciples who doubted his swordsmanship. After recovering overnight, he went with Liang Feng to the Sword Tomb, as news of his arrival spread through the sect.

• Liang Feng explained the Hidden Sword Sect’s strict mountain hierarchy, and the sect master summoned him to the summit.
• Ye Qiubai told the academy elder he planned to return to the Southern Region afterward, then learned to fly on his wooden sword while following a sect elder to a mountainside cave abode.
• Several Hidden Sword Sect disciples mocked Ye Qiubai and challenged him to spar, but he refused so he could recover from his injuries before entering the Sword Tomb.
• Ye Qiubai spent the night repairing his meridians with the Primordial Sword Scripture.
• Liang Feng came to escort Ye Qiubai to the Sword Tomb and again asked him to spar afterward; word of Ye Qiubai’s entry spread among the disciples.

Ye Qiubai entered the Hidden Sword Sect’s Sword Tomb and used his Primordial Sword Physique to withstand its Sword Intent and comprehend the swords’ inheritances. He reached thirty meters, where his progress sent a surge of Sword Intent skyward and shocked the Hidden Sword Sect.

• Liang Feng explained the Sword Tomb’s dangers and said his own best attempt had reached eighty meters.
• Ye Qiubai entered the Sword Tomb while Hidden Sword Sect disciples gathered outside to watch his progress.
• Liang Feng told Lin Rufeng that Ye Qiubai had reached the Great Sword Master level and would likely go at least as far as he had.
• Ye Qiubai crossed five and ten meters, then sat down to absorb the Sword Intent and gain new insights into the Sword Dao.
• Ye Qiubai advanced to thirty meters and sat down to comprehend again as a streak of Sword Intent rose thirty zhang above Sword Peak, startling the sect.

Ye Qiubai advanced through the Sword Tomb, strengthening his Sword Dao but refusing an offered inheritance. At the Cottage, Xiao Hei absorbed the Nirvana Fire and stunned Qin Tiannan by sending him flying with a single punch before they fought in earnest.

• Ye Qiubai endured the Sword Tomb’s solid sword intent and advanced to forty-five meters, where a broken sword offered him its owner’s Sword Dao insights.
• Ye Qiubai declined the broken sword’s inheritance and sat down to continue comprehending the sword intent.
• Xiao Hei absorbed the Nirvana Fire, emerged with newfound strength, and told Lu Changsheng that his cultivation had worked.
• Lu Changsheng arranged for Qin Tiannan to spar with Xiao Hei, and Xiao Hei’s unadorned punch sent Qin Tiannan flying.
• Qin Tiannan unleashed his late Qianyuan Realm strength and met Xiao Hei’s next attack with a punch.

Lu Changsheng stopped Xiao Hei after his battle frenzy nearly injured Qin Tiannan, then learned that an unstable desert presence threatened the Southern Region. Meanwhile, Ye Qiubai’s Sword Intent reached a thousand feet in the Hidden Sword Sect’s Sword Tomb, and he chose to press onward.

• Xiao Hei’s battle frenzy drove him to strike Qin Tiannan until Lu Changsheng intervened and brought him back to his senses.
• Lu Changsheng realized Xiao Hei did not remember losing control, while Qin Tiannan urged him to teach his new disciple properly.
• Qin Tiannan told Lu Changsheng that an unstable presence in the Southern Region’s desert could rupture space and destroy nearly half the region, and said experts planned to stabilize it and explore a possible secret realm.
• Ye Qiubai’s Sword Intent surged to a thousand feet in the Hidden Sword Sect’s Sword Tomb, surpassing Liang Feng’s first-attempt record.
• Ye Qiubai considered accepting an ancient sword’s inheritance, then chose to keep moving forward.

Ye Qiubai broke through the Sword Tomb’s barriers and reached its deepest point, where he claimed the Cloud-Hidden Sword Saint’s inheritance. As a phantom appeared from the ancient sword, an old man in the sect’s bamboo grove also awakened as a great era approached.

• Ye Qiubai shattered the Sword Tomb’s barriers with his Sword Intent, broke through to the Late Qi Sea Realm, and reached a height no one in the Hidden Sword Sect had ever attained.
• Ye Qiubai overcame the ninth barrier with the Primordial Sword Scripture, while Lin Rufeng and Liang Feng recognized his extraordinary Sword Dao talent.
• Ye Qiubai found the final barrier protecting the Cloud-Hidden Sword Saint’s sword and spent a day trying to fuse his Sword Domain, the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon, and the Primordial Sword Scripture.
• Ye Qiubai fused the three sword techniques, broke the final barrier, and reached two hundred zhang in the Sword Tomb.
• Ye Qiubai grasped the ancient sword’s hilt, and a phantom appeared from within it.

Ye Qiubai received the Hidden Sword Sect founder’s legacy: a cultivation method that nurtured a Sword Core as a second dantian, along with a token to enter the Cloud Phoenix Secret Realm. After the sect master offered him the Hidden Sword Sect’s support, Ye Qiubai sparred with Liang Feng and decisively overwhelmed him with his Sword Intent and Sword Domain.

• The phantom passed Ye Qiubai the founder’s cultivation method, which nurtured a Sword Core that could serve as a second dantian, and gave him a Cloud Phoenix Secret Realm token.
• Ye Qiubai left the Sword Tomb and went to the sect master’s hall at the elders’ request.
• Liang Feng asked how Ye Qiubai had obtained the legacy, then led him to meet Lin Rufeng.
• Lin Rufeng welcomed Ye Qiubai as the recipient of the founding ancestor’s legacy and gave him the Hidden Sword Sect’s sect master token.
• Ye Qiubai and Liang Feng sparred, and Ye Qiubai broke through Liang Feng’s sword attacks and formation with his Sword Intent and Sword Domain.