Chapter Summaries

Lin Xuan watched Feng Yong break through to Great Emperor, then recruited her as the Sword Pavilion’s second Deputy Pavilion Master. When he opened the coffin, golden light engulfed him and transported him into an apparent illusion where he inhabited the body of a wastrel patriarch in the long-destroyed Vast Sea Saint Dynasty.

• Feng Yong woke after successfully breaking through, thanked Lin Xuan for guarding her, and agreed to join the Sword Pavilion.
• Lin Xuan appointed Feng Yong the Sword Pavilion’s second Deputy Pavilion Master and gave her a jade token, promising to bring her people to Supreme City.
• Feng Yong left the hall, and Lin Xuan gathered the skeletal remains before opening the jade-white coffin.
• Golden light burst from the coffin and spread throughout the Vast Sea Secret Realm, briefly showing others the rise and fall of a sacred dynasty.
• The golden light swallowed Lin Xuan, who awoke in an old courtyard wearing flashy red clothes and occupying the body of a wastrel patriarch in the supposedly long-destroyed Vast Sea Saint Dynasty.
• Lin Xuan realized that his surroundings were likely an illusory realm.

Lin Xuan realized he was trapped in an illusion as the wastrel head of the powerful Lin Household, then met other outsiders who discovered that the illusion's cultivation methods and treasures could have real effects. The gathering ended with Zhang Xiong warning Lin Xuan about a serious problem left by the person whose identity he was playing.

• Lin Xuan reviewed the wastrel's memories, learning that he had rejected leading imperial heirs to support the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess because he was infatuated with her.
• Lin Xuan failed to escape the illusion, chose to investigate it, and spent several days exploring the city in his assumed identity.
• Lin Xuan met several people who had also come from outside the illusion, and they arranged to discuss their situation at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
• The outsiders revealed that spirit pills and cultivation methods obtained inside the illusion worked, and they envied Lin Xuan's privileged identity in the Lin Household.
• Zhang Xiong told Lin Xuan that the predecessor whose identity he was playing had left him an enormous pit to fall into.

Zhang Xiong tried to recruit Lin Xuan to serve the Nineteenth Imperial Prince, arguing that the prince might be the future Vast Sea Saint King, but Lin Xuan refused and remained with the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess. When she invited him to her residence after he returned home, Lin Xuan declined, leaving his allegiance uncertain if she continued to bother him.

• Zhang Xiong urged Lin Xuan to leave the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess and join the Nineteenth Imperial Prince, hoping to win over the Lin Household.
• Lin Xuan refused, explaining to himself that he intended to compete in the Holy Dynasty Grand Ceremony and wanted to meet the young Vast Sea Saint King.
• Zhang Xiong shared information about the Holy Son and Holy Daughter selection, while some of the gathering's attendees accepted his invitation to join the Nineteenth Imperial Prince.
• Lin Xuan returned to the Lin Household without joining another faction.
• A maid told Lin Xuan that the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess had invited him to her residence, and he replied that he was not going.

Lin Xuan refused the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess’s summons, surprising both her and his maid. Before she could confront him, the Lin Household’s ancestor failed his breakthrough to the Saint Realm, and the princess still went to meet Lin Xuan, leaving them both puzzled by each other’s changed behavior.

• Lin Xuan refused to go to the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess, and his maid hurried away to relay his answer.
• Shen Zhi was shocked by Lin Xuan’s refusal and decided to visit him in person because she needed the Lin Household’s support.
• A surge of power from the Lin Household’s ancestral residence signaled that its ancestor had failed his breakthrough to the Saint Realm, leaving Shen Zhi anxious about her weakened faction.
• Shen Zhi chose to go to the Lin Household despite the ancestor’s failure, while considering what to do next.
• Lin Xuan was surprised when he heard Shen Zhi had arrived, and both he and Shen Zhi wondered why the other seemed so different.

The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess berated Lin Xuan after he refused to answer her summons, then expelled the Lin Household from her faction. Lin Xuan laughed when he heard the news, leaving the fallout to spread through the imperial capital.

• The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess demanded to know why Lin Xuan had ignored her summons and insulted him when he challenged her authority.
• Lin Xuan dismissed her words and left without showing anger.
• The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess returned to her residence, destroyed the room’s furnishings, and ordered the Lin Household expelled from her faction.
• News of the Lin Clan ancestor’s failed breakthrough and the Lin Household’s expulsion spread through the imperial capital.
• Lin Xuan heard the news and laughed aloud.

After the Thirty-Third Princess publicly cut ties with Lin Xuan and the Lin Household, Lin Xuan rejected other factions’ offers and retreated to cultivate. The overlooked Thirty-Fifth Princess then arrived to visit him, leaving Lin Xuan curious about her purpose.

• Lin Xuan judged the Thirty-Third Princess foolish for abandoning the Lin Household after its ancestor’s failed breakthrough.
• News of the ancestor’s failure spread through the imperial capital, and Lin Xuan rejected invitations from other factions seeking the Lin Household’s support.
• The Thirty-Third Princess lost her lingering worry after Lin Xuan refused other offers, then mocked him as a wastrel.
• Zhang Xiong and other envoys grew angry when Lin Xuan rejected their recruitment attempts, while the Lin Household’s former social contacts withdrew.
• Lin Xuan cultivated in peace until a maid announced that the Thirty-Fifth Princess had come to visit.

Lin Xuan discovered that the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess was an outsider from the True Spirit Prince's Mansion of the Taiyu Divine Dynasty. She revealed her mansion's danger of losing its standing in the coming Mansion Competition and the plan to rely on an invited prodigy from the Sword Ruins.

• Lin Xuan asked the nervous Thirty-Five Imperial Princess whether she had come from outside the illusion, and she confirmed that she was an outsider too.
• The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess told Lin Xuan that she came from the True Spirit Prince's Mansion in the Taiyu Divine Dynasty, without revealing her exact identity.
• Lin Xuan recalled that the Taiyu Divine Dynasty's hundred-year Mansion Competition could strip the bottom three mansions of their positions.
• The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess's mansion faced near-certain defeat after losing its Saint Realm ancestor and two prodigies, so it sought outside help.
• The True Spirit Prince's Mansion had paid a steep price to invite a top-tier prodigy from the Sword Ruins to help it compete.

The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess explained why she needed to obtain healing resources for the True Spirit Prince's Mansion and hoped to prove herself through the task. Lin Xuan accepted her invitation after discovering her golden heavenly destiny and asked her to join his Sword Pavilion.

• The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess revealed that the True Spirit Prince's Mansion needed to heal an injured prodigy from the Emotion-Extinguishing Sword Sect before the Mansion Competition.
• She admitted she hoped to win a top-ten reward so she could obtain healing items and earn recognition from her father, the mansion master.
• The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess nervously invited Lin Xuan to join forces with her.
• Lin Xuan initially prepared to refuse, but his system revealed her ninth-grade gold heavenly destiny and innate flawless sacred physique.
• Lin Xuan accepted her invitation and asked whether she would join his Sword Pavilion.

The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess joined Lin Xuan’s Sword Pavilion after he agreed to support her, while Lin Yusheng tried to persuade Lin Xuan to back the Twenty-Sixth Imperial Prince. Lin Xuan refused, leaving Lin Yusheng convinced that the Household Head had merely replaced one unsuitable imperial princess with another.

• Lin Xuan explained the Sword Pavilion’s rules, gave the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess its jade pendant, and accepted her as a disciple.
• Lin Yusheng told Lin Xuan that he and several elders had decided to serve the Twenty-Sixth Imperial Prince, who had offered a rare Seven-Treasure Heavenly Star.
• Lin Yusheng urged Lin Xuan to join the Twenty-Sixth Imperial Prince and take a Blood-Transforming Dragon-Ascending Pill to protect his health and cultivation.
• Lin Xuan said he had already chosen to join the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess instead.
• Lin Yusheng recalled Lin Xuan’s past obsession with the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess and angrily concluded that Lin Xuan had fallen for the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess.

After Lin Xuan backed the Thirty-Fifth Imperial Princess, Ye Yan and the Ye Household joined the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess, restoring her standing and elevating her to a first-tier contender for the saintly throne. Lin Xuan heard of her resurgence but remained unconcerned about Ye Yan’s reputation as the dynasty’s foremost heavenly genius.

• The Third Elder left Lin Xuan in despair, convinced that his choices were endangering the Lin Household.
• Ye Yan publicly announced that he and the Ye Household were joining the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess’s camp.
• The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess regained influence and entered the first tier of contenders alongside the First Imperial Prince, the Ninth Imperial Prince, and the Seventeenth Imperial Princess.
• The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess dismissed her former regret over expelling the Lin Clan, taking Ye Yan’s support as proof she had been right.
• Lin Xuan was surprised by the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess’s comeback but dismissed Ye Yan as an insignificant genius.

The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess resolved to keep building support for the True Spirit Prince's Mansion despite her past failures. At the Lin Household, the Rain-Overturning Sword Saint unexpectedly recognized Lin Xuan as an old acquaintance and agreed to serve under the princess as a representative of the Wang Household.

• The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess worried that her family would be destroyed if the True Spirit Prince's Mansion lost power, but resolved to keep trying to recruit allies.
• She checked her list of factions and went to the Lin Household to consult Lin Xuan about whom to approach.
• The Rain-Overturning Sword Saint arrived at the Lin Household, astonishing the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess with his presence.
• The Rain-Overturning Sword Saint recognized Lin Xuan as an old acquaintance and learned that Lin Xuan had chosen to serve the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess.
• The Rain-Overturning Sword Saint announced that he would represent the Wang Household and serve under the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess as well.

The Rain-Overturning Sword Saint joined the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess’s camp, revealing that he had sought her out because of Lin Xuan. The princess realized Lin Xuan was far more important than she had thought, though his true standing and the Sword Pavilion’s power remained unclear to her.

• The Rain-Overturning Sword Saint unexpectedly pledged the Wang Household’s support to the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess, leaving her stunned.
• Lin Xuan asked why the Rain-Overturning Sword Saint thought so highly of him, and the Saint mentioned seeing him slay the Wolf Ancestor.
• Lin Xuan recognized the Rain-Overturning Sword Saint as the former old Saint Teacher from Divine Firmament Holy Heaven.
• The Rain-Overturning Sword Saint explained that he had come looking for Lin Xuan after hearing rumors about him and chose to support him within the illusion.
• The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess understood that the Saint had joined because of Lin Xuan and wondered what kind of person he and the Sword Pavilion really were.

The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess gained the Vast Sea Wang Household’s support through Lin Xuan, but the Holy Dynasty Grand Ceremony’s new rules made outside help irrelevant and left her doubtful of her chances. As the ceremony neared, the Nineteenth Imperial Prince stunned the capital by breaking the Sea Yao Tower record and writing “Vast Sea” at the top of its rankings.

• The Rain-Overturning Sword Saint pledged the Vast Sea Wang Household to the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess, and news of the alliance spread through the capital.
• The Vast Sea Saint Dynasty changed the ceremony from a trial race at Boundless Valley to a contest in which eligible young prodigies fought for the position of Holy Son.
• The Thirty-Five Imperial Princess despaired because the new rules barred seniors like the Rain-Overturning Sword Saint from competing and left her uncertain about Lin Xuan’s strength.
• The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess celebrated the new format, believing Ye Yan’s reputation as the dynasty’s greatest prodigy gave her the advantage.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince cleared sixty-six trials in the Sea Yao Tower, broke its record, and wrote “Vast Sea” atop the rankings.

At the Holy Dynasty Grand Ceremony, outsiders believed the Nineteenth Imperial Prince was the legendary Vast Sea Saint King and expected him to win, while the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess relied on Lin Xuan to reach the top ten. The tournament began with Ye Yan matched against Fang Hong.

• Zhang Xiong concluded that the Nineteenth Imperial Prince was the Vast Sea Saint King and predicted his camp would win the ceremony.
• The outsiders who had backed other contenders regretted their choices, and many thought Lin Xuan must regret refusing Zhang Xiong's invitation.
• The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess remained confident that she could win with Ye Yan's help, while the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess gave up on first place and asked Lin Xuan if they could reach the top ten.
• Lin Xuan assured the Thirty-Five Imperial Princess that they could, intending to prove his strength through the competition.
• The imperial household steward opened the Holy Dynasty Grand Ceremony and drew the first arena match: Fang Hong versus Ye Yan.

At the Holy Dynasty Grand Ceremony, Fang Hong challenged Ye Yan and revealed the Fang Household’s Wielding Thunder Method. Ye Yan countered with rusted chains that awakened a True Dragon’s presence, leaving the visitors astonished by his Immortal Spirit bloodline.

• The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess watched Fang Hong take the stage and believed Ye Yan would secure victory.
• Fang Hong unleashed the Fang Household’s Wielding Thunder Method, covering his half of the arena in bright yellow lightning.
• The Rain-Overturning Sword Saint recognized Fang Hong as a Saint Realm seed and wondered how powerful Ye Yan would be.
• Ye Yan dismissed Fang Hong’s thunder and summoned countless rusted chains that spread across the arena.
• Ye Yan’s blood awakened the chains, releasing a dragon’s cry and revealing the presence of an Immortal Spirit.
• The visitors realized Ye Yan, Vast Sea’s foremost prodigy, possessed Immortal Spirit blood.

Ye Yan revealed his Immortal Spirit bloodline and overwhelmed Fang Hong, then continued winning every match in the grand ceremony. His next opponent was the Nineteenth Imperial Prince.

• Ye Yan shattered Fang Hong's lightning and revealed the power of his Immortal Spirit bloodline.
• Fang Hong attacked Ye Yan with his saber, but his blows could not even cut Ye Yan's skin.
• Ye Yan sent Fang Hong flying from the arena and won the first round.
• Ye Yan defeated one prodigy after another, remaining undefeated as the ceremony continued.
• The imperial steward announced that Ye Yan's next match would be against the Nineteenth Imperial Prince.

The Nineteenth Imperial Prince defeated Ye Yan with a single strike, stunning the audience and shattering the Thirty-Third Imperial Princess’s hopes of securing the Holy Maiden position. Many spectators realized that the Nineteenth Imperial Prince was the legendary Vast Sea Saint King, while Zhang Xiong mocked Lin Xuan for rejecting his faction.

• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince entered the arena after Ye Yan had overwhelmed his earlier opponents, and Ye Yan’s Immortal Spirit presence filled the platform.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince dismissed Ye Yan’s Dragon Race bloodline, vanished behind him, and pierced his chest with a palm strike.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince knocked Ye Yan off the platform and declared that he had lost, leaving Ye Yan and the spectators in shock.
• The Thirty-Third Imperial Princess realized Ye Yan’s defeat had ruined her hopes of becoming Holy Maiden and sank back into her chair in despair.
• Spectators recognized the Nineteenth Imperial Prince as the Vast Sea Saint King and believed the competition’s outcome was settled.
• Zhang Xiong celebrated the Nineteenth Imperial Prince’s likely victory and mockingly raised his brows at Lin Xuan for rejecting his invitation.

The Eldest Imperial Prince revealed that he had reached the Saint Realm before facing the Nineteenth Imperial Prince in the Holy Son contest. The Nineteenth Imperial Prince then unveiled a Saint Realm presence of his own, leaving their match poised to begin.

• Zhang Xiong taunted Lin Xuan over refusing to join the Nineteenth Imperial Prince's camp, but Lin Xuan cut off his voice transmission and ignored him.
• The imperial steward announced that the Nineteenth Imperial Prince would face the Eldest Imperial Prince.
• The Eldest Imperial Prince declared he would not yield the Holy Son position and revealed his Saint Realm strength, shocking the crowd.
• Lin Xuan noticed that many imperial princes and princesses were unsurprised by the Eldest Imperial Prince's hidden strength, while Ye Yan reacted with renewed distress.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince calmly acknowledged the Eldest Imperial Prince's strength and released his own Saint Realm presence.

The Nineteenth Imperial Prince revealed that he had reached the Saint Realm and defeated the Eldest Imperial Prince, establishing himself as the clear favorite to win the competition. When Lin Xuan was matched against him, he refused to concede and stepped into the arena to test himself against the future Vast Sea Saint King.

• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince shattered the Eldest Imperial Prince's Saint Domain and defeated him with a single attack.
• The Eldest Imperial Prince struggled to accept that the Nineteenth Imperial Prince had also reached the Saint Realm, while the Nineteenth Imperial Prince calmly thanked him for yielding.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince's subsequent opponents conceded without fighting.
• Lin Xuan heard his name called and entered the arena rather than conceding.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince asked whether Lin Xuan intended to fight, and Lin Xuan said he wanted to try.

Lin Xuan challenged the Nineteenth Imperial Prince, the legendary Vast Sea Saint King, and surprised everyone by standing firm against his Saint Weapon. The chapter ended with the prince and the spectators stunned that Lin Xuan had blocked the devastating blow without retreating.

• Lin Xuan entered the arena to challenge the Nineteenth Imperial Prince, despite the Thirty-Fifth Imperial Princess and others fearing he would be badly hurt.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince drew a blood-colored Saint Weapon halberd, while Lin Xuan recognized it as the weapon he had seen shattered beside a coffin outside the illusion.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince hurled the halberd at Lin Xuan with overwhelming force as Lin Xuan briefly lost himself in thought.
• Lin Xuan blocked the halberd with one arm and remained unmoved as the arena cracked beneath him.
• The Nineteenth Imperial Prince, Ye Yan, and the assembled spectators were stunned that Lin Xuan had withstood the attack.