Recaps

Si Ming toured Sword-Forging Manor with his former classmate Yun Yinmo and learned how the manor’s smiths and sword pavilion operated. A divine weapon resonated with him, but he declined to take it, leaving the sword pavilion without a new master for it.

• Yun Fujian asked Yun Yinmo to show Si Ming around after learning they had been classmates, and the two discussed their backgrounds and studies.
• Yun Yinmo took Si Ming through the manor’s crowded workshops and explained that machines produced most ordinary weapons while master smiths made high-grade ones.
• Si Ming asked whether the manor had a sword graveyard, and Yun Yinmo explained that discarded weapons were melted down and reforged.
• Yun Yinmo showed Si Ming the sword pavilion, where visitors had to pass her great-grandfather’s test to claim a weapon.
• The Giant Soul Sword resonated with Si Ming, and Yun Yinmo offered it to him for free, but he declined because he could not make proper use of it.

Si Ming attempted to resonate with the Ten Thousand Ren Saber, but Sword-Forging Manor’s elder interrupted him and challenged his conduct. Their argument turned into a clash of forces that left Yun Yinmo unable to approach, and the chapter ended with Si Ming holding his own against her great-grandfather.

• Si Ming explored the Sword Pavilion and learned that its first-rate divine weapons cost ten billion each.
• Yun Yinmo said Sword-Forging Manor might give Si Ming the Ten Thousand Ren Saber if he resonated with it, and he began practicing a saber art to draw its response.
• An elderly man interrupted Si Ming with Sword Qi and accused him of trying to pull a trick.
• Si Ming challenged the elder’s authority to make rules, and they traded arguments about contention and martial skill.
• The elder stepped forward, intensifying their clash until Yun Yinmo had to retreat, astonished that Si Ming could hold his own against her great-grandfather.

Si Ming continued his spar with Yun Yinmo’s great-grandfather, switching through spear and staff techniques while the old man matched each art with formidable skill. Their fight drew a crowd to the sword pavilion, where onlookers recognized the Mad Dragon Myriad Forms Staff and wondered whether Zhu Zhitao was fighting inside.

• Si Ming cycled through eight spear arts, and the old man answered each with a matching technique.
• Si Ming switched to staff arts from the Glazed Temple, and the old man countered with the Mad Dragon Myriad Forms Staff.
• Yun Yinmo struggled to explain the fight to the people who had gathered outside the sword pavilion.
• The crowd recognized the old man’s staff art and speculated that Zhu Zhitao was the one fighting.

Si Ming fought Yun Yinmo’s great-grandfather in the Sword Pavilion, first matching his vast martial knowledge and then gaining the upper hand with urn-gold hammers. As the battle threatened to destroy the pavilion, the old man summoned four hammer-wielding clones and turned the fight against Si Ming.

• Yun Yinmo identified the fighter in the Sword Pavilion as her great-grandfather and named Si Ming as his opponent.
• The battle shook the ground around the Sword Pavilion, and Si Ming and the old man leaped outside while still fighting.
• Si Ming cycled through eighteen weapon types before using the Heavenly Wolf Hammer Technique to seize the initiative with his greater strength.
• The onlookers watched Si Ming batter the old man with relentless hammer blows and struggled to believe what they were seeing.
• After Si Ming increased the force of his attacks, the old man countered by creating four clones that attacked him from different directions.

After Si Ming fought Yun Fujian’s great-grandfather and blocked his challenge with a spell, Yun Fujian tried to encourage Yun Yinmo to pursue a relationship with her classmate, but she declined. Yan Jinghong then asked Yun Fujian to keep Si Ming’s clash with the Void Returning Great Grandmaster secret so Si Ming could cultivate without unwanted attention.

• Si Ming ended the fight by using Sin-Extinguishing Divine Lightning, then argued with the elder over whether spells counted in their contest.
• Yun Fujian asked Yun Yinmo whether she might date Si Ming, but she said she preferred a quiet life and did not want to join his female confidantes.
• Yun Fujian advised Yun Yinmo to remain friends with Si Ming and not distance herself because of gossip or envy.
• Yan Jinghong asked Yun Fujian to order everyone present not to spread word of Si Ming fighting the Void Returning Great Grandmaster.

Si Ming joined Heaven's Will Palace after Teng Baixin approved his membership, then spent three days learning martial arts from Yun Jinzang at Sword-Forging Manor. He departed to collect the Dragon Scale Sword and was astonished by the changes in Xiao Xuan's small border nation.

• Yun Fujian agreed to keep Si Ming's strength and spellcraft secret after Yan Jinghong warned him to be cautious.
• Yan Jinghong brought Si Ming to meet Teng Baixin, who approved his membership in Heaven's Will Palace.
• Si Ming traded insults with Yun Jinzang, then learned the old master's martial arts during three days of instruction.
• Yun Jinzang demonstrated a spell he had recently learned, and Si Ming praised his ability before leaving Sword-Forging Manor with Yan Jinghong.
• Si Ming parted from Yan Jinghong to collect the Dragon Scale Sword and traveled by river toward Xiao Xuan's nation.
• Si Ming saw sturdy stone-and-cement embankments and lush willow-lined riverbanks, and marveled at how much the country had changed.

Si Ming returned to Mystic Earth Country and saw how Xiao Xuan had transformed it with roads, farmland, and giant stone sculptures. After Si Ming told Xiao Xuan he had joined Heaven's Will Palace as the zodiac dragon, Xiao Xuan agreed to send him the Dragon Scale Sword and asked him to help turn wasteland into a farm.

• Si Ming walked through Mystic Earth Country and admired its improved roads, rice paddies, and enormous stone sculptures.
• Si Ming reached Dyed Azure Town, where Hu Xinyue greeted him and escorted him to Xiao Xuan at Mount Beimang.
• Si Ming flew Hu Xinyue to Mount Beimang and watched Xiao Xuan build a six-lane road through the mountain with his palm force.
• Si Ming told Xiao Xuan that he had joined Heaven's Will Palace as the zodiac dragon, and Xiao Xuan said he would send him the Dragon Scale Sword.
• Xiao Xuan led Si Ming to a tract of wasteland and asked him to till it for a new farm; Si Ming asked how much land Xiao Xuan wanted cultivated.

Si Ming received the Dragon Scale Sword and began learning its Imperial Dragon Heaven-Defying Sword Art so he could help Xiao Xuan bring rain to the farmland. He mastered the art’s basic principles but realized its powerful moves would quickly drain his True Qi.

• Xiao Xuan assigned Si Ming to plow about a hundred thousand mu, and Si Ming used Thousand Blades Scorching the Plains to till the land.
• Xiao Xuan said the Dragon Scale Sword came with a sword art that could make rain, and a guard brought him the sword case.
• Si Ming drew the Dragon Scale Sword, subdued its sword spirit, and accepted Xiao Xuan’s handwritten manual.
• Si Ming sensed the five streaks of Sword Qi hidden in the sword and experienced the art’s overwhelming force.
• Si Ming identified destructive power as the sword art’s core, but judged that his current Qi sea could barely support three moves.

Si Ming attempted to use the Imperial Dragon Heaven-Defying Sword Art’s rain-making move to help restore the damaged ecology around Xiao Xuan’s mountain range, but the technique backfired because his Cultivation Body did not meet its requirements. After identifying the cause and recovering, Si Ming attempted the move again despite the secretary’s warning.

• Si Ming studied the sword manual, rested, and went with Xiao Xuan’s secretary to the mission site after learning that Xiao Xuan’s destruction of the mountains had disrupted the local climate.
• Si Ming summoned water vapor with the sword move, but intercepted its power with the Great Yin-Yang Heaven-Severing Hand when his Cultivation Body could not handle the technique.
• The move backfired and blasted Si Ming into a newly formed lake, leaving him with internal injuries that he began to heal.
• Si Ming realized he needed to increase the power of his Cultivation Body, restored his True Qi, and raised his sword to try the move again as the secretary urged him to stop.

Si Ming completed the sword technique Rain Falls on All Things, Purple Dragon Billows, and unleashed a vast artificial storm. After discovering that the secretary and the government office staff were Mohists, he learned that Xiao Xuan intended to staff the government with Mohists to curb corruption, though Si Ming noted that Xiao Xuan’s own power also kept officials in line.

• Si Ming activated Solar Prominence Eruption and the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace, then completed his sword technique and summoned a torrential storm.
• Si Ming carried the secretary through the storm back to the government office building and noticed her coarse short jacket.
• The secretary told Si Ming that she and the other administrative staff were Mohists, while Secretary Hu was still being evaluated.
• Si Ming considered the strict requirements and responsibilities of Mohist membership and asked Xiao Xuan whether he planned to staff the government with Mohists.
• Xiao Xuan confirmed his plan, saying that replacing bureaucrats with Mohists had helped prevent corruption in Mystic Earth Country.

Xiao Xuan explained his plan to curb corruption by reserving the highest government posts for Mohists, and Si Ming considered the risks and promised his support. As Si Ming left, Xiao Xuan warned him that Holy Maiden Tu Wangyue might have helped frame and imprison him.

• Si Ming questioned whether Mohists could remain incorruptible and whether there were enough of them to govern Su State, while Xiao Xuan said he planned to replace corrupt officials with Mohists.
• Xiao Xuan proposed barring non-Mohists from the highest administrative posts so ambitious officials would have to join the Mohist School and accept its discipline.
• Si Ming warned that officials might unite against Mohist leaders, but Xiao Xuan said defending their authority was a test of their ability.
• Si Ming expressed admiration for Xiao Xuan's plan and offered to help him build a strong and peaceful country.
• Xiao Xuan cautioned Si Ming to watch Holy Maiden Tu Wangyue, suspecting she had played a dishonorable role in framing and imprisoning him.

Si Ming returned to Minggui Orphanage after discussing the Mohist School Sacred Sword with Xiao Xuan, who revealed that the Imperial Dragon Heaven-Defying Sword Art came from it. He found Hongdou asleep in the hall and ended up carrying her to the bathroom when she insisted on bathing.

• Xiao Xuan explained that the Sacred Sword could give anyone a chance to defeat a Void Returning Great Grandmaster, though it could not guarantee victory for someone below Spirit Transformation.
• Xiao Xuan revealed that the Imperial Dragon Heaven-Defying Sword Art came from the Sacred Sword.
• Si Ming returned to Minggui Orphanage at two in the morning after a tiring half-day journey through the air.
• Si Ming found Hongdou asleep on the hall carpet and carried her, while she drowsily clung to him and asked him to scratch her stomach.
• Hongdou insisted that she needed a bath and wanted Si Ming to carry her there, then suggested they bathe together.

Si Ming tried to leave Hongdou to bathe alone, but she threatened to stop bathing and eating until he joined her. They bathed together, and Si Ming fumbled through teasing conversation before noticing the bathwater was pale green.

• Si Ming filled the tub with hot water, but Hongdou grabbed his clothes and insisted he bathe with her.
• Hongdou threatened not to bathe, then recalled how she had once refused food for five days until Auntie Liu gave in over eggplant.
• Si Ming gave up and joined Hongdou in the tub after she said she wanted to bathe with him specifically.
• Hongdou teased Si Ming by offering to let him touch her, and he awkwardly changed the subject to Archimedes' principle and rabbits.
• Si Ming poured water over himself and noticed that the bathwater was an unusual pale green.

After Hongdou used Yao Bilian’s powder to help her become intimate with Si Ming, the two spent the night together. Si Ming woke to discover his Internal Cultivation had reached level fourteen, and he and Hongdou shared a happy morning before getting up.

• Si Ming suspected the fragrant bath powder Yao Bilian had given Hongdou, but he bathed with her anyway and found himself affected by it.
• Hongdou confessed she had used the powder because she wanted Si Ming to be willing to sleep with her, and Si Ming chose to be intimate with her.
• Si Ming woke in Hongdou’s embrace and realized that their union had raised his Internal Cultivation to level fourteen.
• Hongdou told Si Ming she felt like the happiest person in the world, and he recited a poem expressing his feelings.
• Si Ming embraced Hongdou, and they cuddled in bed for half an hour before getting up.

Si Ming thanked Yao Bilian for arranging his night with Hongdou, then worried about how Murong Qing would react. When Murong Qing returned, she calmly said she already knew and called the situation a happy occasion, leaving Si Ming relieved and impressed by her understanding.

• Si Ming admitted he owed Yao Bilian a favor for pushing him and Hongdou together, and Yao Bilian advised him to confess to Murong Qing rather than hide the truth.
• Si Ming learned Murong Qing had not stayed with them the previous night, but Yao Bilian warned that her powers of observation would expose what happened with Hongdou.
• Murong Qing returned after lunch, kissed Si Ming, and said she already knew about him and Hongdou.
• Si Ming explained that events had happened suddenly and that he could not refuse Hongdou's affection.
• Murong Qing calmly said there was nothing to regret and that they should celebrate, leaving Si Ming relieved.

Si Ming apologized to Murong Qing after getting involved with Hongdou, blaming Yao Bilian while accepting responsibility for hurting Murong Qing. Murong Qing forgave them both, then took Hongdou to bathe and fixed her hair.

• Si Ming apologized to Murong Qing and blamed Yao Bilian for drugging him and encouraging Hongdou.
• Murong Qing told Si Ming that he was still responsible and explained that their new relationship made his actions hurt more.
• Si Ming accepted the blame, and Murong Qing hugged him and said she cared about him too much to be indifferent.
• Murong Qing let the matter rest but asked Si Ming to stop hiding; Hongdou emerged from the basement and admitted she had been hiding to avoid apologizing.
• Murong Qing teased Hongdou, took her to bathe, and combed her hair into a half-up style.

Murong Qing told Si Ming about wanted criminal Qi Yunfei, who had killed the family of the man who ruined his wife’s life as well as those who had insulted her. She recruited Si Ming to help catch him after a ticket seller spotted him in Tange City, and the group arrived at the crowded martial arts tournament where he was expected to appear.

• Murong Qing styled Hongdou’s hair, and the two joked about their friendship and Murong Qing winning Si Ming’s affection.
• Si Ming asked Murong Qing what she needed help with, and she showed him a photograph of wanted Grade A criminal Qi Yunfei.
• Murong Qing explained that Qi Yunfei had killed the man who assaulted his wife, that man’s family, and the people who had insulted her after she died.
• Murong Qing told Si Ming that a ticket seller had spotted Qi Yunfei buying a VIP seat for a tournament match in Tange City.
• Si Ming, Murong Qing, and Hongdou went to the crowded National Martial Arts School Tournament, where Si Ming and Murong Qing joked that Hongdou’s presence might weaken their fighting strength.

Si Ming, Murong Qing, and Hongdou searched a packed martial arts tournament for the fugitive Qi Yunfei, but found no trace of him. The competition revealed that Ying Zhou had become a celebrated martial combat star, while the search for Qi Yunfei remained unresolved.

• Si Ming, Murong Qing, and Hongdou entered the venue with security badges and planned to provoke the fugitive if they could not find him by the tournament’s halfway point.
• The martial arts hall tournament began, but the three still found no suspicious person among the spectators.
• The announcer introduced Ying Zhou as a rising star and ace fighter for the Tange Martial Arts Hall Alliance.
• Murong Qing and Hongdou told Si Ming that Ying Zhou had joined the alliance a year earlier and had grown famous for his martial skills and music career.
• Si Ming called out a comparison to Iori Yagami, and Ying Zhou glanced at him before turning away as the crowd cheered.

Si Ming and Murong Qing watched the Martial Arts School Tournament, where Nie Wanzhi won a two-person match and Si Ming reflected on her debt and whether to help her. The chapter ended as Ying Zhou entered the arena for the third match.

• Si Ming compared the tournament’s tactical, points-based matches with the Youth Martial Dao League and watched Ying Zhou take his place as the team’s ace in the third match.
• Nie Wanzhi joined the second match, overwhelmed one opponent with a rapid assault, then teamed with her partner to defeat the remaining contestant.
• Si Ming noted that arena competition had improved Nie Wanzhi’s practical fighting but might have made her too reliant on tactics.
• Murong Qing reminded Si Ming that Nie Wanzhi had joined the tournament to repay her family’s eighty-million debt and would not borrow from him.
• Si Ming considered asking Hongdou to help Nie Wanzhi, but wondered whether doing so would deprive her of valuable hardship and growth.
• The crowd cheered as Ying Zhou entered the arena for the third match.

Si Ming, Murong Qing, and Hongdou searched Section A for fugitives by releasing a controlled wave of hostility while Ying Zhou fought Yun Haoran in the tournament. Ying Zhou remained in control and broke through Yun Haoran’s mechanical defenses, leaving Yun Haoran hurt and his contraption praised as more capable than he was.

• Ying Zhou deflected Yun Haoran’s hidden weapons and taunted him, while Si Ming and Murong Qing discussed Ying Zhou’s strength and his prospects for Spirit Transformation.
• Si Ming, Murong Qing, and Hongdou took positions around Section A, and Hongdou released controlled hostility to provoke any guilty fugitives into reacting.
• The spectators felt uneasy but saw no suspects, so the group decided to search the next section as Yun Haoran sent more puppet weapons after Ying Zhou.
• Yun Haoran’s weapons swarmed around Ying Zhou, but Ying Zhou’s saber Qi kept them at bay and he criticized Yun Haoran for relying on numbers.
• Ying Zhou broke through the swarm with a powerful slash, forcing Yun Haoran to form a shield with his weapons; the shield dispersed the blow, but Yun Haoran was still struck and Ying Zhou praised the device while insulting its maker.

Ying Zhou defeated Yun Haoran in the martial arts competition, while Si Ming and Murong Qing searched the crowd for a fugitive and failed to find him. After the home team won the competition, Si Ming realized they should investigate why the fugitive needed to attend, as the chapter ended with supporters congratulating Nie Wanzhi.

• Ying Zhou challenged Yun Haoran to give the match his best, and Yun Haoran formed his hidden weapons into a dragon-shaped puppet.
• Ying Zhou used his transformed ultimate move to destroy the puppet and defeated Yun Haoran, sparing him at the last moment.
• Ying Zhou returned to his seat to cheers, while Si Ming urged Murong Qing to hurry their search for the fugitive.
• The home team won the fourth match and finished the competition with a three-to-one victory, but Si Ming and Murong Qing still failed to find the fugitive.
• Si Ming suggested they investigate why the fugitive had needed to watch the competition, as spectators praised Nie Wanzhi for her performance.

Nie Wanzhi struggled with feeling left behind by her gifted friends, then met an elderly fan who seemed strangely familiar and gave her oranges. After the old woman left, Si Ming and Murong Qing confronted him as a fugitive and deduced that he had come to watch someone close to him compete.

• Nie Wanzhi listened as her teammates discussed the young fighters’ strength and felt discouraged by how far her friends had outpaced her, but she resolved to keep pursuing them.
• At her coach’s request, Nie Wanzhi met an elderly fan, let the old woman pat her head, and accepted a bag of oranges.
• The old woman declined Nie Wanzhi’s offer of a ride and promised to attend her matches again before disappearing into the crowd.
• After the bus left, Si Ming and Murong Qing cornered the elderly woman, identified him as a fugitive, and reasoned that he had come to watch a close younger relative compete.
• Si Ming and Murong Qing questioned why none of the contestants shared the fugitive’s surname, Qi.

Si Ming and Murong Qing persuaded Qi Yunfei to surrender by appealing to his wish to protect Nie Wanzhi, then brought him to the Mohist Knight Guard base. After discussing the promise to keep his identity secret, Si Ming, Murong Qing, and Hongdou reconciled and went out together as snow began to fall before New Year.

• Si Ming and Murong Qing confronted Qi Yunfei about his revenge against Nie Wanzhi’s uncle and warned that fighting could expose him to his daughter.
• Qi Yunfei surrendered after Si Ming and Murong Qing urged him to spare Nie Wanzhi the pain of learning his identity and crimes.
• Si Ming escorted Qi Yunfei to the Mohist Knight Guard base and sent his statement to Chen Xiangduan as proof of his voluntary surrender.
• Si Ming wondered whether they should tell Nie Wanzhi the truth, but Murong Qing reminded him they had promised Qi Yunfei to keep it secret.
• Hongdou complained that Si Ming and Murong Qing had left her out of the mission, and they agreed to take her to Glutton Street.
• Si Ming noticed snow falling and realized that New Year was approaching.

Si Ming celebrated New Year's Eve at the orphanage with Murong Qing, Hongdou, and their friends, then considered buying a home for his growing family. The chapter left him weighing the cost of a house after Yao Bilian advised him to give Liu Qingqing one as a gift.

• Hongdou and Murong Qing teased Si Ming about New Year's shopping before their snowball play escalated into a cultivation-powered sparring match.
• Si Ming spent New Year's Eve at the orphanage with Murong Qing, Hongdou, Ying Zhou, Murong Wu, and Yao Bilian, while Liu Qingqing and Lu Mao sent their greetings.
• Yao Bilian reminded Si Ming to prepare a gift for Liu Qingqing, and he asked her what would please Auntie Liu.
• Yao Bilian suggested that Si Ming give Auntie Liu a house, leading him to consider buying a home for himself and his partners.

Si Ming watched Su State’s Spring Festival Gala and compared its unrestricted satire, martial dances, and combat performances with the galas he remembered. The show continued with acts that drew mixed reactions, while Si Ming observed how Su State’s confidence shaped its entertainment.

• Yao Bilian revealed that she had bought the orphanage building as her dowry and refused to sell it to Si Ming.
• Si Ming praised the gala’s comedy sketches and political satire, then reflected on why Su State allowed such open criticism.
• A martial combat performance featuring a man and woman fighting with a golden dragon and silver phoenix disappointed Yao Bilian, Ying Zhou, and the others.
• The gala presented a darkly comic war sketch, and Murong Qing, Yao Bilian, and Si Ming discussed its story and audience.
• Si Ming noticed that foreign performers appeared in gala acts for their roles rather than to promote relations between countries.
• A sleight-of-hand act followed, showcasing tricks associated with the Eclectic School.