The protagonist, annoyed by his lack of progress, visits the Azure Academy, noticing the disciples' inadequate training methods compared to what he remembers from the past. The chapter shifts to the Grand Elder who, after the Sect Leader's collapse, has secluded himself in the Mystic Palace, desperately seeking a breakthrough by obsessively reviewing martial arts manuals. He is particularly focused on finding a mystic art manual but finds them to be lacking, before attempting to study the martial arts of the 'Sword God'.