Recaps

Si Ming agreed to help Mu Wu’s army by breaking open Qianjin City’s gate, despite He Qichang’s warning about the risks. As the assault began, Si Ming charged toward the gate with a siege hammer and was caught in an explosive ballista barrage, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Si Ming explained that helping Mu Wu would ease his conscience and argued that Su State’s lack of relations with the Barbarian Hu made the intervention acceptable.
• Ji Da gave Si Ming a heavy spiked hammer and relayed Mu Wu’s permission for him to attack the city gate alone.
• Mu Qingfeng gave Si Ming protective items, and Si Ming prepared for battle while Liu Qingqing urged him to stay safe.
• When the drums sounded, Si Ming shouted “Son of Light, sortie!” and raced toward Qianjin City’s gate with the hammer.
• The defenders fired eight explosive ballista bolts at Si Ming, and the blasts engulfed him in dust and debris.

Si Ming endured Qianjin City's defenses and smashed its gate open while Mu Wu kept Boyan from intervening. The Mu Family Army charged through the breach, but Si Ming stood alone against the Barbarian Hu cavalry pouring out to meet them.

• Si Ming survived the ballista blasts and arrows, then battered the city gate with repeated hammer strikes despite the flames and explosions.
• Boyan prepared to shoot Si Ming, but Mu Wu's spear intent forced him to hold back, leaving the two Spirit Transformation experts locked in a standoff.
• Si Ming's third blow smashed the gate off its hinges, and the Mu Family Army rushed toward the opening.
• The Barbarian Hu sent a thousand cavalry through the gate to fight in the open, but Si Ming blocked their advance with Ground-Sweeping Wild Flowers, crushing the riders at the front.

Mu Wu defeated Boyan and captured Qianjin City, then spared the surrendered defenders and distributed the city’s surplus grain. After the battle, he summoned Si Ming and the others to the council hall, where he confronted Di Zhongyi for joining the Barbarian Hu.

• Mu Wu attacked Boyan with Ten Thousand Zhang of Golden Light Rends Heaven and Earth, broke through Boyan’s arrow formation, and collapsed part of Qianjin City’s wall.
• Mu Wu overpowered Boyan in their duel, severed his arm, and let him escape so he could spread word of the Li State force’s advance toward the Barbarian Hu capital.
• After Boyan fled, most of Qianjin City’s defenders surrendered, and Mu Wu spared them and ordered the city’s remaining grain distributed to residents and refugees.
• Si Ming and He Qichang discussed how long they might remain in Qianjin City and whether He Qichang would use the war to hone his Demon Blade Art.
• Mu Qingfeng summoned Si Ming and the others to the council hall, where Mu Wu accused Di Zhongyi of siding with the Barbarian Hu.

Si Ming denounced Di Zhongyi for joining the Barbarian Hu and argued that he remained a citizen of Li State because he had never legally renounced his nationality. Di Zhongyi was left speechless and disgraced in front of the assembled generals.

• Di Zhongyi defended joining the Barbarian Hu as revenge for the injustice and family tragedy inflicted by Emperor Shenzong.
• Si Ming mocked Di Zhongyi’s justification, and Mu Wu argued that personal revenge should not bring suffering to innocent people.
• Di Zhongyi claimed that the Barbarian Hu could end the troubled times by unifying the realm, leaving the hall divided and uncertain.
• Si Ming accused Di Zhongyi of betraying Li State and used the law to argue that he had never renounced his citizenship.
• Di Zhongyi trembled and fell silent as Si Ming branded him a traitor, lackey, and sellout.

After Si Ming’s taunts caused Di Zhongyi to die, Mu Wu gave him books found in the Vulture King’s residence and announced the army would soon surround Hao Capital. Si Ming chose to remain with the army as an observer, and he gave Liu Qingqing the Heavenly Firmament Arrow Formation Technique.

• Si Ming denounced Di Zhongyi as a Huaxia traitor, and Di Zhongyi spat blood and died.
• Mu Wu said Di Zhongyi’s death could warn other Huaxia traitors, then gave Si Ming an account book and the Heavenly Firmament Arrow Formation Technique.
• Si Ming learned that Mu Wu’s army would advance on Hao Capital and said he wanted to stay to witness the war.
• Mu Wu agreed to let Si Ming accompany the army as an observer, and Si Ming returned to share the news with his companions and hand Liu Qingqing the martial arts manual.

Mu Wu’s siege of Haojing City forced the Barbarian Hu army to retreat from the front lines, but a report warned that the Single-Winged Eagle King might be heading to relieve the capital. Mu Wu planned to withdraw the next day and remained confident that the enemy would not dare pursue his army.

• He Qichang complained that Mu Wu had kept the group watching rather than letting them fight, until a telegraph report announced the Barbarian Hu army’s retreat.
• Mu Wu’s forces sent Marshal Xue a message about their planned withdrawal and received a warning that the Single-Winged Eagle King might be coming to Hao Capital.
• Mu Wu judged that he could face the Eagle King and Silver Wolf King, while Liu Yongzhan and the others could handle the injured Vulture King.
• Mu Wu discussed the telegraph’s technology with its operator and wondered whether martial arts could someday allow people to communicate over long distances.
• Liu Yongzhan asked whether the Silver Wolf King might attack the withdrawing army, and Mu Wu insisted the capital’s remaining defenders would not dare pursue them.
• Ji Da agreed with Mu Wu and declared that they would take Hao Capital if the Barbarian Hu came after them.

Mu Wu learned that Shenzong’s crown prince might still be alive in Haojing City and decided to rescue him despite the possibility that the report was a trap. He arranged for Si Ming to enter the city while Mu Wu occupied the Silver Wolf King and the Vulture King.

• The Mu Family Army returned safely to Qianjin City while the Heavenly Wolf King and the Vulture King followed without attacking.
• Two disguised men told Mu Wu that the Barbarian King had secretly kept Shenzong’s crown prince alive and raised him without revealing his identity.
• Mu Wu’s generals debated whether the report was a trap, and Zhang Xingjiao warned that a rescue could delay the army’s withdrawal and risk an ambush.
• Mu Wu decided to verify the report and rescue the crown prince, then asked his Su State allies to help ensure the plan succeeded.
• Liu Yongzhan told Si Ming that he would charge into Haojing City to seize the crown prince while Mu Wu kept the Silver Wolf King and the Vulture King occupied.

Si Ming and his companions agreed to rescue the crown prince of Li State in Haojing City, while Murong Qing challenged Liu Yongzhan’s account that her father had betrayed the prince. After Mu Wu brought them to the city, they infiltrated through the damaged walls to begin the rescue.

• Si Ming accepted Liu Yongzhan’s request and asked him to prepare antidote pills; He Qichang and Murong Qing chose to accompany him.
• Liu Yongzhan told Murong Qing that her father, Murong Zhe, had betrayed the crown prince, but Murong Qing and Si Ming defended Murong Zhe’s integrity and questioned the story.
• Murong Qing learned that the crown prince might help clear her father’s name and urged the group to leave at once.
• Mu Wu carried Si Ming and the others to Haojing City, telling them to act after he drew the Vulture King and the Silver Wolf King away.
• Si Ming led the group through the ruined city walls and instructed them to move quietly without drawing attention.

Si Ming broke into Zhang Baobao’s residence and carried him off as a golden dragon drew the city’s attention to a battle at the palace. Murong Qing intercepted one of the watchers and killed her, while the fight’s outcome and the others’ progress remained unknown.

• A golden dragon attacked the imperial palace, prompting Mu Wu to battle the Silver Wolf King and Vulture King and giving Si Ming’s group a chance to act.
• Si Ming broke into the residence, knocked out its occupants, confirmed that the boy was Zhang Baobao, and carried him away.
• Murong Qing and He Qichang confronted two watchers who emerged from the alley.
• Murong Qing recognized her opponent’s Well Moon Saber Technique and fought her with the Thousand Directions Afterimages sword technique.
• Murong Qing used her Glacier True Qi to create an opening, severed the woman’s saber, and killed her with a downward slash.

Ju Beichen and the Heavenly Lion King Chidahu debated their political beliefs while playing chess, until a message revealed that the child was being rescued. Chidahu confirmed that the child was the real crown prince and introduced a book of New Mohist Studies, leaving Ju Beichen curious about its ideas.

• Ju Beichen stopped Chidahu from taking back a chess move and explained why he served Li State’s rulers rather than claiming the throne.
• Chidahu defended rule by strength and criticized Huaxia, while Ju Beichen argued that the Barbarian Hu refused to face its weaknesses.
• Ju Beichen received a telegraph message from the Mu Family Army and asked whether Chidahu’s hidden crown prince was genuine.
• Chidahu revealed that the prince had been switched with a substitute before the substitute was beheaded, and said the child was likely being rescued that night.
• Chidahu showed Ju Beichen Ghosts and Gods Metropolis and introduced its ideas as New Mohist Studies.

After rescuing the former crown prince from Haojing City, Si Ming and his companions questioned how easily the escape had gone. Their journey south was interrupted when the monk Xunan appeared and demanded the child.

• Ju Beichen realized the Heavenly Lion King had let the former crown prince escape as part of a political plan and tried to leave to stop Mu Wu from rescuing him.
• The Heavenly Lion King trapped Ju Beichen on Jade Pillar Peak and kept him from departing.
• Si Ming and his companions stopped after escaping Haojing City, and Si Ming and Murong Qing wondered whether their smooth rescue had been arranged in advance.
• Murong Qing recognized the rescued boy as her cousin and criticized his Barbarian Hu hairstyle, while He Qichang agreed it was ugly.
• The monk Xunan blocked the group's path and said he had come for the boy, prompting He Qichang to prepare for a fight.

He Qichang’s Demon Blade wounded Monk Xunan, then He Qichang transformed into a demon and attacked him again. Si Ming intervened to protect Xunan, but He Qichang turned his frenzied assault on Si Ming.

• Si Ming recognized Xunan’s Flower-Picking Finger, and Xunan was surprised by Si Ming’s knowledge of Buddhist martial arts.
• He Qichang used Demon Blade: Moon Eclipse to wound Xunan’s soul, then battered him until his Golden Bell Cover broke.
• Xunan struck He Qichang with the Demon-Subduing Lion’s Roar, but He Qichang shook it off and transformed into a demon.
• He Qichang wounded Xunan with Demon Blade: Rushing Thunder and overwhelmed his Flower-Picking Finger with Demon Blade: Torrent.
• Si Ming blocked He Qichang’s attack with Bullet Fist and called for him to calm down, but He Qichang launched a frenzied assault on Si Ming.

Si Ming and Murong Qing subdued He Qichang, then learned that Zhang Baobao was Xunan’s disciple and a Buddha’s Child. The group debated the boy’s future, and He Qichang later woke at a dock.

• Si Ming broke He Qichang’s saber and knocked him unconscious while Murong Qing froze him with Glacier True Qi.
• Xunan questioned Si Ming about He Qichang’s demonic connection, and Si Ming defended treating demons as sentient beings deserving compassion.
• Xunan revealed that Zhang Baobao’s Buddhist name was Bukong and admitted he had taken the boy as a disciple because he was a Buddha’s Child.
• Murong Qing considered taking her cousin to Su State, while Si Ming said Zhang Baobao’s wishes and Marshal Mu’s opinion had to be considered.
• He Qichang woke on a straw mat at a dock and smelled the sea.

He Qichang woke after his demon transformation and feared his secret had been exposed, but Si Ming and Murong Qing accepted him without judgment. The group prepared to leave, while Ying Zhou and Murong Wu visited a dessert shop in Tange City.

• He Qichang recalled how his half-demon blood caused his transformation and how an earlier loss of control had left him isolated.
• Si Ming asked He Qichang about his transformation, then treated it casually and walked away.
• Murong Qing told He Qichang she judged people by their actions rather than their nature, and Xunan gave her a copy of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra.
• A woman reminded He Qichang that Heart Moon Fox had also been accepted despite being a pure-blooded demon, and Si Ming called the team aboard the boat to leave.
• Ying Zhou bought two cakes at a dessert shop and gave the strawberry cake to Murong Wu, who enjoyed it.

Ying Zhou taught Murong Wu to act tough, and Murong Wu beat up a young man who had dirtied Ying Zhou’s clothes. After winter vacation, Si Ming and Murong Qing discussed how much Murong Wu had changed.

• Ying Zhou taught Murong Wu to insult an interfering woman, and she left after Ying Zhou frightened her.
• A young man bumped into Ying Zhou and dirtied his clothes, then refused to apologize.
• Murong Wu kicked and beat the young man, and Ying Zhou led him away before the shop staff intervened.
• Murong Wu returned to the orphanage, where Murong Qing scolded him for fighting, while Ying Zhou left for the company.
• After winter vacation, Si Ming observed that the classmates had changed, and Murong Qing worried that Murong Wu had become overly manly.

Yu Shuying joined Si Ming’s class as a strikingly beautiful but aloof transfer student, then announced that only people with extraordinary identities should approach her. After she silenced Chen Shimi, Si Ming noticed that her repeated glances at him seemed deliberate.

• Murong Qing complained that Ying Zhou had led her younger brother astray and vowed to demand an explanation from him.
• The homeroom teacher introduced Yu Shuying, who wrote her name on the blackboard and took the seat beside Chen Shimi.
• When classmates discussed how to welcome Yu Shuying, she declared that she had no interest in ordinary people and listed four exceptional conditions for anyone who approached her.
• Chen Shimi tried to connect with Yu Shuying through his fantasies about fate, but she threatened him with two fingers near his eye until he stopped talking.
• Si Ming noticed Yu Shuying glance at him again and realized her attention was not an illusion.

Si Ming learned that Xiao Xuan had nominated him as a Grandmaster Candidate, but he declined to pursue the position for himself and agreed to protect Yu Shuying during her trial. Yan Jinghong prepared him for the journey with new equipment and the Juntian Sword Art, whose full power depended on Li State’s lost imperial weapon.

• Yan Jinghong asked Si Ming whether he wanted to become Grandmaster, and Si Ming said he had no interest in politics or leading the Mohists.
• Yan Jinghong told Si Ming that Xiao Xuan had nominated him as a Grandmaster Candidate and explained that candidates had to leave verifiable achievements in various countries.
• Yan Jinghong revealed that Yu Shuying was also a candidate and asked Si Ming to protect her while they took part in the trial together under the guise that she was his assistant.
• Si Ming accepted the request and asked for help improving his combat ability before the journey.
• Yan Jinghong promised Si Ming custom Profound Armor and gave him the incomplete Juntian Sword Art, explaining that its divine weapon had once let Li State’s founding emperor challenge a Void Returning grandmaster.

Si Ming observed Yu Shuying at school and agreed to test their martial skills, with Murong Qing joining them. At Weiyang Hall, Yu Shuying revealed her mastery of the whip and began fighting Murong Qing, whose spear swept toward her after she deflected the opening attack.

• Si Ming condensed the Cauldron Armor Seal and Light Lotus Seal, but could not yet master the Earth-Splitting Seal.
• Si Ming watched Yu Shuying at school as she defended her choice to sleep through lessons and study at her own pace.
• Yu Shuying recognized Si Ming's plan to understand her through a fight and agreed to exchange blows; Murong Qing joined them.
• A crowd gathered at Weiyang Hall, where Murong Qing and Yu Shuying took up a spear and whip, respectively.
• Murong Qing attacked first, but Yu Shuying wrapped her whip around the spear and deflected its point before Murong Qing countered with Snow Swallow Returns to the Sky.

Yu Shuying defeated Murong Qing in a platform match by anticipating her tactics and using Frost-Defying Plum Fist to send her off the edge. She then challenged Si Ming, who insisted on waiting until she had rested before they fought.

• Murong Qing used Glacier True Qi to pressure Yu Shuying and gradually freeze her whip until she broke it with a spear strike.
• Yu Shuying hurled the broken whip at Murong Qing and struck her shoulder with Frost-Defying Plum Fist, overcoming her rushed counterattack.
• Murong Qing staggered off the platform, and the referee declared Yu Shuying the winner.
• Murong Qing asked whether Yu Shuying had anticipated all her tactics, but Yu Shuying turned to Si Ming and challenged him.
• Si Ming refused to fight while Yu Shuying was tired and said they should wait until she had rested.

Si Ming reluctantly began his match with Yu Shuying after spectators favored him to win, then discovered her palm technique could push him toward the edge despite his Jade-Clad Dharma Body. He countered her snow-like force with Drought God Palm, but Yu Shuying circled around to attack again.

• Si Ming delayed the match, but Yu Shuying rested and returned to the stage to fight him.
• Ke Chajing, Hu Jixian, and Tao Chengsi judged Si Ming the favorite, prompting him to worry that their confidence would jinx him.
• Yu Shuying opened with a feint and a knee strike, then used Heaven and Earth Spin to unleash the Auspicious Snow Abundant Spirit Palm.
• Yu Shuying's palm force steadily pushed Si Ming toward the edge, so he rooted himself in place and countered with Drought God Palm.
• Si Ming's fiery palm broke through Yu Shuying's force, but she dodged and circled to his left for another attack.

Si Ming and Yu Shuying countered each other until neither dared attack, while Si Ming’s durability kept him in the fight. He announced he was charging up an ultimate move, and Ke Chajing told the spectators to move back.

• Si Ming saw through Yu Shuying’s Auspicious Snow Abundant Spirit Palm and Frost-Defying Plum Fist, but Yu Shuying used traps and strikes to counter his attacks.
• Yu Shuying swept Si Ming’s ankle and struck his elbow, sending him face-first across the arena before he caught the edge and got back up.
• Si Ming and Yu Shuying circled without attacking, each wary that the other would counter the first move.
• Si Ming declared that he was charging up his ultimate move and told everyone to move back.
• Ke Chajing believed Si Ming might mean it and urged the spectators to retreat.

Si Ming unleashed Blazing Sun Light Burst against Yu Shuying, but she struck him with cold, yin True Qi after his power was spent and won the sparring match. Si Ming and Murong Qing questioned how Yu Shuying could wield both yin and yang cultivation, while their classmates comforted him over the loss.

• Si Ming charged up Blazing Sun Light Burst, intending to lure Yu Shuying close or overwhelm her with the blast.
• Yu Shuying recognized Si Ming's trap and waited as he fired the particle streams across the arena.
• The blast filled Weiyang Hall with smoke and knocked Si Ming out of the arena, while Yu Shuying announced her victory and ran to the women's changing room.
• Si Ming told Murong Qing that Yu Shuying's cold, yin True Qi had struck him when his dantian was empty.
• Murong Qing recalled sensing yang-aligned True Qi from Yu Shuying and speculated that she had learned an art in which yin and yang coexisted.
• Si Ming's classmates comforted him, saying the arena rules had limited the advantages of his body-hardening martial arts.

Si Ming received the Vermilion Bird Machine, a prototype Profound Armor equipped for flight, speed, and combat, and learned about its weapons and limitations. He tested the armor at the training ground but found its powerful functions consumed more True Qi than his level-five cultivation could sustain.

• Si Ming learned that the Mohist Academy of Science had issued him the Vermilion Bird Machine as a Grandmaster candidate.
• The doctor explained the armor’s flight systems, vector thruster, heat sink, and weapon capabilities to Si Ming.
• Si Ming tested the Vermilion Flame Sword and found that it could reach three thousand degrees while rapidly draining his True Qi.
• The doctor told Si Ming that several advanced weapons and abilities required Spirit Transformation-level Internal Cultivation.
• Si Ming ran, jumped, flew, and fired a True Qi beam cannon during a test run at the training ground.

Si Ming became fascinated with the Vermilion Bird Machine and spent the day eager to return to it. His quiet routine ended when Yu Shuying arrived with a suitcase and announced she was moving into the orphanage.

• Si Ming mastered the Vermilion Bird Machine, and the doctor explained its weaknesses and the roles of the other divine machines.
• Si Ming stayed up playing with the machine, woke late, and saw Murong Qing practicing swordsmanship while Yao Bilian and Hongdou caused trouble during their morning routines.
• Si Ming stopped trying to improve his relationship with Yu Shuying and hurried home after school to admire the Vermilion Bird Machine.
• Yu Shuying arrived carrying a suitcase, declared that she was moving in, claimed an empty room, and hung a warning sign on its door.
• Yao Bilian asked Si Ming why his classmate was another problem child.

Si Ming and the others discussed how to welcome Yu Shuying, who continued to keep her distance from the household. They decided to hold a dinner party and planned to make her attend if she refused.

• Si Ming found that Yu Shuying had left her room before the others and worried that she would not build rapport with the household.
• Murong Qing reprimanded Murong Wu for eating noisily and continued enforcing strict manners on the younger residents.
• Yao Bilian proposed a welcome party for Yu Shuying, and Si Ming suggested asking Lu Mao to prepare dinner when he returned on Friday.
• Murong Qing warned that Yu Shuying might refuse the invitation, while Si Ming argued that the group should still enjoy a dinner together if she declined.
• Si Ming decided to force Yu Shuying to attend if necessary, and Murong Qing agreed to help him.