During the Flying Sword Sect's annual entrance examination, Xuan Hao uses his system's divine sense to scan the thousands of nervous applicants, searching for a worthy disciple. Most possess mediocre talents, but his gaze suddenly locks onto Qing Yi, a young girl from the Qing family of Bright Sun City. Though she appears to have a weak fourth-stage Qi Condensation cultivation, the system reveals she possesses a dormant Bright Sun Divine Physique with an astronomical talent value of thirty-seven. Before Xuan Hao can act, the arrogant playboy Bai Cheng from a rival clan mocks the Qing family, boasting of his own selection through back-door connections with a sect elder and demanding that Qing Yi marry him to save her family from a looming crisis. In a classic face-slapping reversal, the elder announces Qing Yi's selection as a personal disciple, and Xuan Hao descends from the pavilion like a god, shocking the entire crowd and leaving the boastful Bai Cheng frozen in utter humiliation. By officially accepting Qing Yi, Xuan Hao instantly triggers his first system reward, breaking through to the second stage of the Nascent Soul Realm and comprehending True Sword Intent, which allows him to manipulate his sword for flight. He warns Qing Yi to keep her divine physique a secret, as jealousy in the cultivation world is deadly, and prepares a plan to help her awaken her dormant powers. To do this, he must obtain a rare spirit-grade herb known as the Infernal Heart Grass, which only grows in the extremely hot volcanic environments of the Burning Mountain Range. The problem is that this range lies deep within the territory of the Raging Flame Sect, the sworn enemy of the Flying Sword Sect, meaning Xuan Hao must risk his life on a covert infiltration mission where any mistake could trigger a full-scale war between the two giant sects, yet he resolves to slip past their border guards and enter the volcanic depths alone, unaware that a powerful enemy elder is already sweeping his divine sense across the border.

Infiltrating the hostile territory of the Raging Flame Sect, Xuan Hao disguises himself and joins an Explorer Union investigation team heading toward the volatile Fire Rock Mountain, utilizing them as free guides to locate the volcanic environments where the Infernal Heart Grass thrives. He successfully locates the rare herb near a distracted Core Formation tiger beast, harvesting it quietly while an arguing couple keeps the beast occupied. However, his return journey proves far more perilous, as smuggling a highly active fire-attribute spirit herb past the fire-sensitive Nascent Soul experts of the Raging Flame Sect is nearly impossible. As he attempts to cross the border, a massive flaming sword slash erupts from the enemy outpost, launched by Elder Gui, a ruthless fifth-stage Nascent Soul expert who senses the herb's pure energy. Refusing to back down, Xuan Hao unleashes his newly acquired True Sword Intent, shattering the flaming attack and engaging in a devastating duel that leaves the arrogant Elder Gui heavily wounded and screaming in agony. Sensing the rapid approach of multiple Raging Flame Sect reinforcements, Xuan Hao jumps onto his flying sword and escapes back to the safety of his peak, where he dilutes the herb to safely awaken Qing Yi's Bright Sun Divine Physique. With her physique awakened, Qing Yi's cultivation skyrockets, and Xuan Hao imparts to her the high-tier Heaven Burning Mantra, which perfectly aligns with her fire-attribute body. As the sect prepares for the upcoming newcomer tournament, Xuan Hao watches his disciple's rapid progress, but the peace is short-lived as the shadow of war begins to loom over the Heavenly Sky Kingdom, with the neighboring Azure Sky Kingdom massing troops at the borders and a mysterious organization of demonic cultivators starting to move in the dark, threatening to plunge the entire region into a bloody conflict that will force Xuan Hao to choose between his peaceful cultivation and the survival of his sect.

Accompanied by Xuan Hao, Qing Yi returns to her hometown of Bright Sun City to participate in the annual youth competition, determined to save her family from the oppressive Bai clan and their backers, the Black Rose Sect. Having broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Qing Yi easily dominates the qualifiers, setting up a highly anticipated final match against her rival Bai Fei, who has also reached the Foundation Establishment Realm with the help of a shortcut pill. During the duel, Bai Fei arrogantly unleashes his Black Rose Palm, but Qing Yi utilizes her Earth Rank sword and the Autumn Wind Sword technique to easily overpower him, smacking him flat on his face and sending him flying out of the stage. This humiliating defeat enrages Bai Fei's master, a black-robed Nascent Soul elder from the Black Rose Sect, who shamelessly attempts to execute Qing Yi on the spot with a deadly blood tendril. Xuan Hao intervenes instantly, unleashing his superior Nascent Soul power to shatter the attack and protect his disciple, exposing the Black Rose Sect's elder as a demonic cultivator who ruthlessly drains the blood and qi of his own allies, including the Bai family, to boost his strength. Although the demonic elder manages to escape with the help of a powerful accomplice, Xuan Hao's intervention saves the Qing family and secures their safety in Bright Sun City. However, the revelation of a major sect turning to demonic cultivation sends shockwaves through the Flying Sword Sect, as they realize that a terrifying conspiracy is brewing right on their borders, with demonic forces preparing a grand plan to throw the entire Heavenly Sky Kingdom into absolute chaos, leaving Xuan Hao with the realization that his peaceful days are officially over as he must prepare for an inevitable clash with an ancient evil.

On his journey back to the sect, Xuan Hao discovers a young man named Chu Yang fleeing from black-robed pursuers in a spirit valley. Utilizing his system's divine sense, Xuan Hao is shocked to find that Chu Yang possesses an incredible talent value of fifty-seven, far exceeding even the awakened Qing Yi. He swiftly executes the pursuers with his sword intent, rescuing Chu Yang and bringing him back to the Flying Sword Sect as his second disciple. Chu Yang, who had escaped his former sect after stealing the legendary Devil Immortal Jade to prevent them from summoning otherworldly demons, eagerly accepts Xuan Hao as his master to secure a powerful backing. By officially recruiting Chu Yang, Xuan Hao triggers a massive system reward, experiencing a triple breakthrough that elevates his cultivation from the third stage of the Nascent Soul Realm to the sixth stage in an instant, making him the second strongest expert in the entire Flying Sword Sect. Xuan Hao assigns Qing Yi to help her new junior brother register, while also tasking Chu Yang with learning botany to support Qing Yi's newly discovered passion for alchemy. However, as the two disciples begin to bond and train, a deadly new threat emerges as a mysterious plague artificially created by the Church of the Plague God begins to ravage the kingdom, targeting both mortals and cultivators alike. The Sect Master Feng Chen requests Xuan Hao to secretly investigate the source of the plague, knowing his true strength is hidden, but as Xuan Hao sets out, he realizes that the demonic forces are already prepared, laying a deadly trap that will test his newly acquired power to its absolute limits, with multiple Nascent Soul enemy elders lurking in the shadows, ready to assassinate any investigator who dares to uncover their dark secrets.