Chapter Summaries

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.

After watching Yan Kai’s Spring Festival Gala performance, Si Ming and the others realized that the Painting King was using his sword technique to seek a successor, though Hongdou declined to learn from him. After the group welcomed the New Year, Yao Bilian sneaked into Si Ming’s room and propositioned him, but he tried to throw her out.

• Si Ming and the others watched Yan Kai paint a twenty-meter carp-leaping-over-the-Dragon-Gate scene with two brushes and recognized that his performance concealed a sword technique.
• Murong Qing explained that Yan Kai was seeking a successor, while Hongdou said she had learned something but would not take him as her master.
• Yan Kai completed the painting with a final burst of ink, appearing weary but hopeful as the performance ended.
• After the gala, Si Ming watched the New Year fireworks and resolved to work harder in the coming year.
• Yao Bilian climbed into Si Ming’s room and propositioned him, but Si Ming dodged her and threatened to kick her out.

Yao Bilian told Si Ming she had once planned to raise him as a potential partner and explained how Yan Jinghong had taken him away from that plan. She then tried to seduce Si Ming, revealing how carefully she had arranged the night, and began a provocative dance when her first attempt failed.

• Yao Bilian admitted she had applied to direct the orphanage partly to find a handsome, accepting man who could protect her, and that she had once considered Si Ming a candidate.
• Yao Bilian explained that Yan Jinghong had recognized Si Ming's talent and taken him as a disciple, disrupting her plans.
• Yao Bilian said she had intended to approach Si Ming after he slept with Liu Qingqing and Yu Shuying, but decided to act sooner because Yu Shuying was absent and Liu Qingqing was busy.
• Yao Bilian tried to seduce Si Ming, and he accused her of helping Hongdou partly to make him more receptive to a third partner.
• Yao Bilian changed into a masked outfit after revealing she had put sleep medicine in the juice, then began dancing for Si Ming.

After spending the night with Yao Bilian, Si Ming discussed their relationship with her and agreed they did not need to define it. The next morning, he learned Ying Zhou had gone to the cemetery and suggested that he and Murong Qing visit a grave as well.

• Si Ming questioned his night with Yao Bilian, who said they could enjoy each other without making promises or separating affection from love.
• Yao Bilian admitted she found Si Ming hard to resist and urged him to continue their encounter before Murong Qing and the others woke.
• Si Ming went downstairs for breakfast and felt guilty when he met Murong Qing, who made no mention of what had happened.
• Murong Wu told Si Ming that Ying Zhou had gone to the cemetery, though she did not know whose grave he was visiting.
• Si Ming suggested that he and Murong Qing sweep a tomb after breakfast, and she agreed.

Ying Zhou and Xia Guanxue fought at a cemetery while visiting the graves, but Si Ming and Murong Wu stopped them before they could decide a winner. After the group finished tending the graves, Si Ming invited Xia Guanxue to a future class reunion, but Xia Guanxue said they belonged to different worlds.

• Ying Zhou and Xia Guanxue argued over who had cared for Ying Zhou’s father’s grave and attacked each other with a broom and a branch.
• Ying Zhou and Xia Guanxue exchanged a hundred moves, using powerful techniques and carefully directing their force away from the tombstones.
• Si Ming broke up their clash with a burst of fist force, and Murong Wu treated their injuries and ordered them to stop quarreling.
• Ying Zhou gave up burning paper money and followed the others in cleaning the tombstones.
• Si Ming asked Xia Guanxue about missing the class reunion and invited him to the next one, but Xia Guanxue declined because he felt they belonged to different worlds.

Si Ming questioned Xia Guanxue about the demon tide tragedy and learned that the Realm of Eternal Sinking had been damaged, likely by someone powerful inside the Mohist School. After they discussed possible culprits, Xia Guanxue asked Si Ming to spar with him.

• Si Ming invited Xia Guanxue to the orphanage, while Murong Wu repeatedly stopped Ying Zhou from objecting.
• Si Ming arranged to speak with Xia Guanxue alone and asked whether he had uncovered the truth about the demon tide tragedy.
• Xia Guanxue said the Realm of Eternal Sinking sealed demonic beasts and that the culprit who damaged it was likely a high-ranking Mohist with at least Spirit Transformation strength.
• Si Ming showed Xia Guanxue the Dragon Scale Sword and revealed that he had joined Heaven's Will Palace, gaining access to the confidential investigation.
• Si Ming and Xia Guanxue considered whether a disguised demon could have infiltrated the Mohist School, but neither had a clear answer.
• Murong Qing announced that lunch was ready, and Xia Guanxue asked Si Ming to spar with him.

Xia Guanxue sparred with Murong Qing to understand Spirit Transformation, and she explained its precise control of Qi and other abilities. At dinner, Yao Bilian teased Ying Zhou about a letter from Lü Mo, prompting Xia Guanxue to stare at him.

• Xia Guanxue and Murong Qing sparred, and Murong Qing repeatedly gained the advantage with more precise control of her sword and Qi.
• Xia Guanxue explained that Spirit Transformation Grandmasters conserved True Qi through exact control, while Murong Qing described its uses in cultivation, memory, and teaching.
• Murong Qing told Si Ming that Spirit Transformation was a sublimation of life, not primarily a way to increase combat strength.
• Si Ming invited Xia Guanxue to stay for a meal, and Murong Wu brought Ying Zhou downstairs to join them.
• Yao Bilian teased Ying Zhou about a letter from Lü Mo in Germany, and Xia Guanxue stared at him.

Ying Zhou and Xia Guanxue argued over Ying Zhou visiting Xia Guanxue’s sister’s grave, while Murong Qing restored order at dinner. Afterward, Xia Guanxue told Si Ming that the Ji Lineage planned to target someone close to Liu Qingqing, likely her mother, instead of Liu Qingqing herself.

• Ying Zhou denied being nervous about receiving a New Year’s card from a pen pal.
• Xia Guanxue told Ying Zhou to stop visiting his sister’s grave, and the two argued until Murong Qing ordered them to eat quietly.
• Murong Wu explained that Xia Guanxue had spoken for Ying Zhou’s own good, hoping he would not remain tied to Xia Guanxue’s sister.
• Si Ming found Xia Guanxue at the sink, and Xia Guanxue thanked him for inviting him to dinner and shared a memory of eating with his sister.
• Xia Guanxue warned Si Ming that the Ji Lineage had failed to target Liu Qingqing and now planned to target someone close to her, likely her mother and her entertainment company.

Si Ming resumed his campaign to clear Xing Daozhuang’s name, earning the Thunder King’s thanks, while Germany barred him from a Grandmaster Trial mission. Ji Shichen then offered him a chance to join a covert operation against a Remote Heaven Society stronghold, leaving Si Ming wary of the team leader, Chen Xiangduan.

• Si Ming invoked Murong Qing’s reputation to deter the Ji family, then set aside his stalled effort to reach Spirit Transformation and resumed supporting Xing Daozhuang in the court of public opinion.
• After Si Ming helped rally public support for Xing Daozhuang, Ji Shichen gave him the Thunder King’s thank-you letter and news that Germany had refused him entry.
• Ji Shichen explained that Germany’s refusal canceled Si Ming’s planned search for a Divine Pillar, so he would not need to undertake another Grandmaster Trial for some time.
• Ji Shichen offered Si Ming an optional mission to destroy a Remote Heaven Society stronghold, whose danger-sensing expert made a direct assault impractical.
• Ji Shichen said Liu Qingqing and Lin Qingxiang would use their concealment skills alongside Si Ming, under Chen Xiangduan’s leadership, and Si Ming questioned whether Chen could be trusted.

Liu Qingqing defeated Lin Qingxiang in a spar after unleashing the power of the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood, and Ji Shichen explained the treasure’s benefits and risks. He then sent the siblings on a mission that would count toward Liu Qingqing’s assessment to become Holy Maiden, prompting Si Ming to wonder why the position was being assessed while its current holder was still alive.

• Si Ming followed Ji Shichen to the training grounds, where Liu Qingqing and Lin Qingxiang sparred in the rain.
• Liu Qingqing used the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood to boost her abilities and defeat Lin Qingxiang, who stopped short of using a lethal technique.
• Ji Shichen explained that the treasure absorbed negative emotions and warned that they could rebound if Liu Qingqing lost it.
• Ji Shichen told Liu Qingqing and Lin Qingxiang to prepare for a mission with Commander Chen, which would count toward Liu Qingqing’s Holy Maiden assessment.
• Si Ming questioned why the Mohist Religion needed a Holy Maiden trial and wondered how old its current Holy Maiden was.

Si Ming and his companions discussed Liu Qingqing’s dangerous mission and her resolve to pursue it before arriving at the station to meet Chen Xiangduan. Si Ming mistook a water-chestnut seller for Chen, and the old man took him hostage when railway police approached.

• Ji Shichen explained that Saintesses often died in their sixties, though none had agreed to investigate the cause.
• Lin Qingxiang urged Liu Qingqing to abandon her mission, but she insisted on following her own path.
• Lin Qingxiang asked Si Ming to protect Liu Qingqing, and Si Ming accepted the responsibility.
• At the station, Si Ming guessed that a water-chestnut seller was Chen Xiangduan and tried to engage him.
• The seller realized railway police had exposed him, seized Si Ming, and threatened to slit his throat if anyone came closer.

Si Ming was mistaken for a hostage during a railway-station arrest, then joined Chen Xiangduan’s covert mission to capture Mi Haichao, a charitable Spirit Transformation Grandmaster suspected of belonging to the Remote Heaven Society. After Mi Haichao was found missing from his home, a signal from Chen Xiangduan’s hidden subordinates revealed where he had fled.

• Geng Guang tried to escape with Si Ming as a hostage, but Liu Qingqing struck him down after Si Ming called for her to act.
• Chen Xiangduan reprimanded Si Ming and explained that their target was Mi Haichao, a respected philanthropist and suspected Remote Heaven Society member.
• Chen Xiangduan, Si Ming, Lin Qingxiang, and Liu Qingqing went to Mi Haichao’s villa, where Chen Xiangduan wounded two guards who tried to stop them.
• The group searched the house but found Mi Haichao gone, and the guards refused to reveal where he had gone.
• A firework signal appeared over a distant hill, and Chen Xiangduan led the group in pursuit of Mi Haichao.

Si Ming and his companions pursued Mi Haichao through the forest while Chen Xiangduan and Si Ming kept the ambushers from interfering. Their chase was part of a larger plan, but an unexpected Sword Qi strike and explosion interrupted it just as Chen Xiangduan moved to capture Mi Haichao, leaving Fuzang and his allies at the blast site.

• Chen Xiangduan drove back Mi Haichao’s supporters with his Mystic Void Divine Needle, killing or injuring those who blocked the pursuit.
• Si Ming warned the ambushers that Mi Haichao was suspected of colluding with the Heaven-Defying Society to bring demon beasts into Su State, and they stopped interfering.
• Chen Xiangduan told Si Ming to slow the pursuit so Mi Haichao would believe they were closing in without suspicion.
• As Chen Xiangduan tried to ensnare Mi Haichao with needle force, a burst of Sword Qi cut off his attack and a talisman-triggered explosion shook the area.
• The Seal Talisman Master said the blast could injure a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster and urged his companions to leave, but Fuzang told them they could not go yet.

Lin Qingxiang and Lin Qingtong fought a fierce duel, with each unleashing powerful sword techniques and neither holding back. Lin Qingtong broke Lin Qingxiang’s sword and badly wounded him, but his residual lightning paralyzed her and engulfed her in a swarm of thunder moths; she remained standing afterward.

• Lin Qingxiang attacked Lin Qingtong with the Xiaolian Sword, while she defended herself with her alloy greatsword and mocked his lack of killing intent.
• Lin Qingxiang accused Lin Qingtong of betraying their master and stealing their sect’s martial arts, and she admitted she used whatever techniques were useful.
• Lin Qingxiang unleashed Frenzied Moth Thunder Assault, and Lin Qingtong countered with Cloud Peng Rends the Sky, shattering his thunder dragon and breaking the tip of his sword.
• Lin Qingtong’s strike sent Lin Qingxiang flying, leaving him severely wounded with a broken hand.
• Residual lightning paralyzed Lin Qingtong, and Lin Qingxiang’s thunder moths engulfed her in white-hot lightning.
• Lin Qingtong fell forward but caught herself and slowly stood back up.

Lin Qingtong defeated Lin Qingxiang and defended her choice to abandon humanity for power, while Liu Qingqing challenged her to prove that choice wrong in a one-on-one duel. After Liu Qingqing deliberately wounded her right eye to match Lin Qingtong’s injury, the sisters launched their attacks, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Lin Qingtong explained that she had abandoned her human body to grow stronger and prepared to kill the defeated Lin Qingxiang.
• Liu Qingqing stopped Lin Qingtong and argued that humanity and benevolence could make someone stronger, then challenged her to a duel.
• Lin Qingxiang offered to join Liu Qingqing, but she insisted on fighting Lin Qingtong alone, and he stepped aside in trust.
• Lin Qingtong gathered fierce winds around her heavy sword, while Liu Qingqing cut her own right eye to make their injuries equal.
• Lin Qingtong unleashed a storm with her heavy sword as Liu Qingqing fired Supreme White Arrow, Fierce Breaking Kill through the wind and dust.

Liu Qingqing unleashed the power of the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood against Lin Qingtong, who answered with her metal body’s strength and regeneration. After blocking Lin Qingtong’s seven sword strikes, Liu Qingqing formed a great hammer from the blood and brought it down toward her.

• Liu Qingqing used the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood to fire a stone pillar arrow, which Lin Qingtong shattered with her greatsword.
• Liu Qingqing fired a flaming arrow, and Lin Qingtong survived the blast by using Peng's Heavenly Whirl before launching a surprise attack from above.
• Lin Qingtong struck Liu Qingqing’s blood-wing shield and was thrown backward, while Liu Qingqing followed with a rain of arrows that Lin Qingtong endured through her regeneration.
• Lin Qingtong surrounded Liu Qingqing with seven sword strikes, but Liu Qingqing formed blood fists that blocked each blow.
• Liu Qingqing reshaped the blood fists into a great hammer and swung it toward Lin Qingtong.