Chapter Summaries

Qi Ling and Tang Hao fought a fierce duel until Qi Ling broke Tang Hao’s Divine Slaughter’s Domain and forced him back. Tang Hao’s serious old injuries stopped the fight, and Qi Ling suspected he had recently sought revenge on Qian Xunji.

• Tang Hao paralyzed Qi Ling with a roar and struck him with the Clear Sky Hammer, but Qi Ling escaped with Utsusemi and kicked Tang Hao’s shoulder.
• Qi Ling hurled the Overbearing Dragon Spear at Tang Hao, whose Clear Sky Hammer flew from his hand after the clash.
• Tang Hao unleashed the Divine Slaughter’s Domain, but Qi Ling broke it with Dragon Dominates the World and forced Tang Hao back with Tyrant Dragon Fist.
• Tang Hao coughed up blood, and Qi Ling and Tang San stopped the duel after discovering how severe his injuries were.
• Qi Ling and Tang San told Tang Hao to rest until they could find a way to treat him, and Qi Ling asked whether he had gone after Qian Xunji.

After Tang Hao recovered, Qi Ling received a system choice that would shape his future and chose the Path of the King, which required a sword-skilled partner for its trials. He returned to his fief, where Ning Rongrong and Xue Ke noticed how much stronger and more imposing he had become.

• Tang Hao's injuries stabilized after three days, and he resumed training Tang San in Clear Sky Sect secrets.
• Qi Ling received four possible paths from the system and chose the Path of the King after rejecting the chance to leave the decision to a die.
• The system granted Qi Ling the right to undertake the King's trial and told him to choose a partner proficient in swordsmanship.
• Qi Ling decided to seek Sword Douluo Chen Xin's help and returned first to his fief.
• Ning Rongrong and Xue Ke welcomed Qi Ling, and he praised Xue Ke's progress in governing and studying.
• Qi Ling summoned his Divine Dragon Emperor Martial Soul and red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, astonishing Ning Rongrong and Xue Ke.

Qi Ling visited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to ask Sword Douluo Chen Xin for help with a sword-related trial. Chen Xin explained that his disciple Jian Lan had been stuck at rank forty-nine for three years because she lacked a clear sword heart, and declared that Qi Ling was the destined encounter who could help her.

• Ning Rongrong and Xue Ke were amazed by Qi Ling's hundred-thousand-year fifth soul ring.
• Ning Rongrong led Qi Ling to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where Ning Fengzhi welcomed him and Chen Xin joined them.
• Qi Ling explained that his trial involved swords, and Chen Xin said he had a favor to ask concerning Jian Lan.
• Chen Xin revealed that Jian Lan's Soul Power had stalled at rank forty-nine for three years because she did not know why she wielded her sword.
• Chen Xin told Qi Ling that he believed Qi Ling was Jian Lan's destined encounter.

Qi Ling enlisted Jian Lan to accompany him in a mysterious trial that might also help resolve her doubts about swordsmanship. They entered the trial world and encountered a motionless manifestation of Sword Intent, which Qi Ling struggled to understand as Jian Lan began teaching him how to wield the sword.

• Qi Ling agreed to have Jian Lan accompany him after Chen Xin explained her strength and swordsmanship.
• Ning Rongrong brought Qi Ling to Jian Lan, and he explained the trial and asked for her help.
• Jian Lan eagerly agreed, and Qi Ling started the trial after the system confirmed her as the accompanying participant.
• Qi Ling and Jian Lan entered a vast white training space while an invisible barrier kept Ning Rongrong outside.
• An iron sword and a motionless shadow appeared, and Jian Lan identified the figure as a manifestation of Sword Intent.
• Qi Ling failed to imitate the shadow's stance, so Jian Lan took his sword hand and began teaching him.

Qi Ling and Jian Lan completed the first stage of the King's Trial after mastering one hundred and eight thousand sword moves in a perceived ten years that passed in a single instant. Qi Ling received the divine sword skill One Hundred and Eight Thousand Swords, and a new door appeared to lead them to the next trial.

• Jian Lan corrected Qi Ling's posture as he learned sword moves from the system's shadows.
• Qi Ling and Jian Lan continued practicing as the moves became more complex, while neither grew tired or hungry.
• Qi Ling mastered all one hundred and eight thousand sword moves and realized their ten years of practice had passed in an instant.
• Jian Lan confirmed that they had passed the first trial, and Qi Ling complained about spending ten years learning swordsmanship.
• The system awarded Qi Ling the divine sword skill One Hundred and Eight Thousand Swords and announced that four trials remained.
• A door appeared in the boundless space, guiding Qi Ling and Jian Lan onward.

Qi Ling and Jian Lan entered the second trial, where the system stripped away their powers and forced them to survive in hostile wilderness. They endured repeated transports through different environments for three hundred days, completing the trial’s three thousand worlds.

• Qi Ling and Jian Lan entered a dense forest and discovered that the system had taken away their Soul Power and sealed Qi Ling’s Nine Revolutions True Dragon Art.
• They realized the trial required them to survive among hostile creatures using only ordinary abilities and the sword they carried.
• After Qi Ling said he could learn the forest’s patterns in two hours, the system transported them to a grassland filled with predators.
• The system kept moving them to unfamiliar environments every two hours, retaining only what they held in their hands and allowing four hours of safe rest each day.
• Qi Ling and Jian Lan struggled through ten location changes a day for three hundred days, completing three thousand worlds.

After surviving three hundred days across shifting worlds, Qi Ling passed the second trial and gained the Xuanyuan Sword Realm. He and Jian Lan entered the third trial, where Qi Ling’s attempt to use the new domain to locate the Xuanyuan Sword sent tens of thousands of swords flying toward him.

• Qi Ling and Jian Lan returned to the blank space after three hundred days of trials, and the system awarded Qi Ling the Xuanyuan Sword Realm.
• Qi Ling and Jian Lan entered the third trial and found a vast landscape filled with swords.
• Qi Ling wondered whether he had to identify the real Xuanyuan Sword, while Jian Lan suggested the trial might have another purpose.
• Qi Ling activated the Xuanyuan Sword Realm and called out to the Xuanyuan Sword, causing the swords around them to rise and fly toward him.
• Qi Ling stopped the domain before the swords struck him, and Jian Lan teased him about controlling so many real swords.

Qi Ling earned the Xuanyuan Sword’s acknowledgment by summoning the authority of his Divine Dragon Emperor Martial Soul and passed the third stage of the King's Trial. He and Jian Lan then entered the fourth trial, where a train-track dilemma forced Qi Ling to choose between five lives and one.

• Jian Lan advised Qi Ling to consider what about himself would persuade the Xuanyuan Sword to acknowledge him.
• Qi Ling summoned the Divine Dragon Emperor Martial Soul, whose kingly presence shattered every sword in the room except the Xuanyuan Sword.
• Qi Ling drew the Xuanyuan Sword and received the system’s confirmation that he had passed the third stage of the King's Trial.
• Qi Ling told Jian Lan that the trials were meant to test his qualifications and help him obtain the Power of the King.
• A shadowy figure began the fourth trial and presented Qi Ling with a train headed toward five people, while switching tracks would kill one person instead.
• Jian Lan recognized that Qi Ling had to choose between letting five people die and personally diverting the train to kill one.

Qi Ling chose to sacrifice one person to save five in the king’s trial, but told Jian Lan he would never sacrifice someone he loved. At the final trial, they faced their past selves, and Jian Lan quickly defeated hers while Qi Ling struggled against his own.

• Qi Ling pulled the lever to save five people at the cost of one and received the reward “Qualifications of a King.”
• Jian Lan asked whether Qi Ling would sacrifice her or someone else important to him, and he said he would rather betray the world than betray them.
• Qi Ling and Jian Lan entered the final trial and faced opponents identical to their past selves.
• Qi Ling found his past self difficult to fight, while Jian Lan easily suppressed and defeated hers, showing she had overcome the obstacle in her heart.
• Jian Lan refused to help Qi Ling and challenged him to defeat himself on his own.

Qi Ling completed the King's Trial, received Xuanyuan Sword Intent and the Xuanyuan Sword’s recognition, then returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Xue Qinghe recognized Qi Ling as a threat to his ambitions and decided to accelerate his plans while keeping him alive for now.

• Qi Ling defeated his former self, passed the fifth trial, and earned Xuanyuan Sword Intent and the qualifications of a king.
• Qi Ling and Jian Lan returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where Chen Xin greeted them and asked Jian Lan to test her sword against his.
• Qi Ling reunited with Ning Rongrong and Ning Fengzhi, while Xue Qinghe noticed the change in Qi Ling and questioned him about his training.
• After leaving, Xue Qinghe called Qi Ling dangerous but rejected killing him, choosing instead to speed up his plans.
• Xue Qinghe asked about Qian Xunji’s injuries, and the cold beauty said Sleepless City’s seal still prevented treatment.

After recovering in his fief, Qi Ling learned that Jian Lan had reached rank 50 and welcomed Qian Renxue and her knights to the city. He teased her squad captain Tuo Lei and asked Qian Renxue why she had come, leaving her purpose still unknown.

• Qi Ling heard from Ning Rongrong that Jian Lan had broken through to rank 50, and learned that Chen Xin had taken her to find a Fifth Soul Ring.
• Qi Ling spent his rest days posing for Xue Ke while she painted him.
• Two months later, a guard reported that Qian Renxue had arrived with knights from the Holy Temple Knight Order.
• Qi Ling greeted Qian Renxue and rebuked Tuo Lei after the captain objected to how he addressed her.
• Qi Ling welcomed Qian Renxue and her knights into the city, then asked what had brought her to his fief.

Qian Renxue asked Qi Ling to help investigate Sleepless City, whose members were headed to Slaughter City, and Qi Ling agreed to go with her. After Tuo Lei repeatedly insulted him, Qi Ling challenged him to a duel to prove his strength.

• Qi Ling invited Qian Renxue and Tuo Lei to his manor, where they met Xue Ke and Ning Rongrong.
• Qian Renxue told Qi Ling that Spirit Hall had tracked Sleepless City to Slaughter City and asked him to help investigate.
• Qian Renxue explained that Slaughter City suppressed the Holy Temple Knight Order, so she needed Qi Ling's help.
• Tuo Lei mocked Qi Ling and questioned whether he could handle Slaughter City, despite Qian Renxue's objections.
• Qi Ling challenged Tuo Lei to a duel, and the two left to find a suitable place to fight.

Qi Ling sparred with Tuo Lei at Qian Renxue’s suggestion and overwhelmed the arrogant Soul Emperor without using a Soul Skill. Tuo Lei ended the match unconscious in a crater, while Qian Renxue assured Qi Ling that healers could treat him.

• Tuo Lei introduced himself as a level 63 Defense System Battle Soul Emperor and summoned his Holy Shield, while Qi Ling revealed his Divine Dragon Emperor and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
• Tuo Lei attacked Qi Ling with Holy Light Illumination, but Qi Ling stood unharmed and joked that the skill felt like a heat lamp.
• Tuo Lei charged with his Holy Shield, but Qi Ling anchored himself with Divine Power of the Earth and stopped him with one hand before pushing him backward.
• Tuo Lei challenged Qi Ling to attack, so Qi Ling unleashed a Gaia Energy Cannon that broke through Tuo Lei’s shield and left him unconscious in a crater.
• Qian Renxue said the Holy Temple Knight Order had healers and reassured Qi Ling that Tuo Lei had brought the defeat upon himself.

Qian Renxue, Qi Ling, and Jian Lan disguised themselves and entered the passage to Slaughter City through a pawnshop. After Qian Renxue killed the men who threatened them, Qi Ling warned her not to leave witnesses or use her recognizable Angel Sword.

• Qian Renxue offered masks to conceal their identities, while Qi Ling used Divine Head and Ghost Face and explained that he trusted her and Jian Lan with the artifact.
• The three entered a pawnshop and used the password Qian Renxue had taught Qi Ling to gain access to the tunnel leading toward Slaughter City.
• Qi Ling, Qian Renxue, and Jian Lan joked as they descended, unsure what awaited them below.
• A group of men leered at the women and threatened Qi Ling, so Qian Renxue drew her Angel Sword and killed them in seconds.
• Qi Ling drew his own sword and told Qian Renxue to eliminate the remaining witnesses and avoid using her recognizable Angel Sword.

Qi Ling, Qian Renxue, and Jian Lan killed the attackers in the pawnshop and faced the shopkeeper’s test to enter Slaughter City. Qi Ling refused to drink the Bloody Mary, forced the shopkeeper to let them pass, and led the group underground toward the city.

• Qi Ling killed the remaining attackers, and Qian Renxue and Jian Lan reacted to his efficient methods and powerful killing intent.
• The shopkeeper arrived and found the attackers dead, but Qi Ling claimed they had fallen asleep and asked to begin the trial.
• The shopkeeper said they had to drink Bloody Mary to enter Slaughter City, but Qi Ling knocked the glasses away and challenged him over the drink’s safety.
• Qi Ling pressed his sword to the shopkeeper’s neck, and the shopkeeper declared that all three had passed the test.
• The shopkeeper led Qi Ling, Qian Renxue, and Jian Lan through a hidden door and underground passage as Qi Ling sensed Slaughter City’s malice below.

Qi Ling, Qian Renxue, and Jian Lan entered Slaughter City, where Qi Ling confronted Terror Knight Kogath. After Kogath’s killing aura caught his interest, Qi Ling used the Xuanyuan Sword Realm to frighten him into fleeing.

• The innkeeper stopped at the boundary of Slaughter City, and Qi Ling continued into the dark passage with Qian Renxue and Jian Lan.
• A voice welcomed the trio to Slaughter City, but Qi Ling mocked its claims about providing anything they desired.
• Terror Knight Kogath confronted the trespassers and warned Qi Ling that Soul Skills were sealed inside the city.
• Kogath released his killing aura, and Qi Ling responded with the Xuanyuan Sword Realm, overwhelming him.
• Qi Ling split Kogath’s helmet with the Xuanyuan Sword and threatened him, so Kogath fled deeper into Slaughter City.

Qi Ling, Qian Renxue, and Jian Lan entered Slaughter City, where newcomers received numbered tokens and a twenty-four-hour protection period. After learning the city’s rules and how to escape, Qi Ling remained confident he could overcome its dangers.

• Qi Ling frightened Kogath into fleeing, took his warhorse, and led Qian Renxue and Jian Lan toward Slaughter City.
• At the city gate, a black-veiled guide gave the three numbered tokens and told them Kogath had been executed.
• The guide explained that newcomers were protected for twenty-four hours unless they killed someone, and that survival in Slaughter City depended on strength.
• The guide said escape required winning the Hell Slaughter Arena, earning the right to challenge Hell Road, and fighting through it; Qi Ling confidently predicted more Slaughter Gods would soon emerge.
• The guide warned Qi Ling that bringing Qian Renxue and Jian Lan could attract danger, then pointed out destitute residents who survived by trading their blood.

Qi Ling entered Slaughter City’s inner city with Qian Renxue and Jian Lan, intent on claiming a comfortable house before visiting the Hell Slaughter Arena. As a crowd of men began following them, Qi Ling let them close in, confident he could handle them.

• The black-veiled young woman warned Qi Ling that people in the inner city could do anything if they were strong enough, but he left her protection and activated his Xuanyuan Sword Realm.
• Qian Renxue suggested visiting the Hell Slaughter Arena, while Jian Lan agreed that they should first learn the area; Qi Ling instead chose to find a big, free house.
• Qi Ling noticed that the inner city’s buildings grew more luxurious toward the center and that residents preyed on anyone they desired.
• Dozens of men followed Qi Ling and the two women, waiting for a chance to attack, but Qi Ling and Qian Renxue chose not to stop them.
• The men finally overcame their fear and charged at Qi Ling and the two women.

Qi Ling, Qian Renxue, and Jian Lan reached the area around the Hell Slaughter Arena, where Qi Ling discovered how killing intent accumulated and challenged a thirty-match veteran for his house. The chapter ended with Du Leisi’s axe failing to harm Qi Ling, who was disappointed by how weak the attack was.

• Qi Ling killed more than a dozen attackers with his Xuanyuan Sword Realm, making the rest too afraid to approach him.
• Qi Ling sensed his growing killing intent and realized that Slaughter City gathered killing aura from victims, with the eventual victor becoming the new Slaughter God.
• Qi Ling and the two women arrived near the Hell Slaughter Arena and chose a two-story house for their lodging.
• Qi Ling demanded that Du Leisi leave the house, but Du Leisi mocked him and revealed he had survived thirty matches.
• Qi Ling told Du Leisi to strike him, and Du Leisi’s full-strength axe attack failed to break Qi Ling’s skin.

Qi Ling drove Du Leisi out of the house and used the World-Destroying Black Flame to burn away its contents while preserving the structure. He furnished the cleaned house with supplies from his Infinite Space, leaving Qian Renxue and Jian Lan astonished by his preparations.

• Du Leisi failed to harm Qi Ling with his axe, and Qi Ling kicked him into a wall.
• Du Leisi left with the three women, who abandoned their interest in Qi Ling when Qian Renxue and Jian Lan arrived.
• Qi Ling told Qian Renxue and Jian Lan to stay still and used the World-Destroying Black Flame to burn everything inside the house except its structure.
• Qi Ling brought replacement furniture and bedding out of his Infinite Space after Jian Lan asked where they would sleep.
• Qian Renxue asked Qi Ling whether men always prepared so thoroughly when they traveled.