Chapter Summaries

After reading Ying Woqiu’s Mysterious Skill Manual, Duàn Yì comprehended its principles and transformed his True Qi into Primordial Vital Energy. He achieved great mastery in internal cultivation, though his overall True Qi cultivation remained below average.

• Duàn Yì recognized the Mysterious Skill Manual as a profound art that explained the principles behind internal cultivation and allowed practitioners to improve across martial arts.
• Duàn Yì realized that Ying Woqiu had embedded his understanding of the manual into its characters, enabling readers with sufficient cultivation and spiritual attainments to gain extraordinary insight.
• Duàn Yì’s meridians opened and his True Qi returned to its source, becoming Primordial Vital Energy that could transform into different kinds of internal energy.
• Duàn Yì connected his comprehension to Ying Woqiu’s transmission, his prior insight into Ruyi True Qi, and his accumulated knowledge.
• Duàn Yì reached Great Accomplishment in internal cultivation, with True Qi of a Transcendent Saint nature despite having below-average cultivation depth in the True Essence realm.

Duàn Yì remained in Lin'an County for the New Year while preparing for his journey to Hundred Flowers Valley. Ding Ran introduced two powerful members of the Ding family, sent by Ding Ling to assist Duàn Yì, leaving him suspicious of her intentions.

• Duàn Yì realized that mastering the Mysterious Skill Manual had brought his internal, external, and spiritual cultivation to their attainable peak.
• Duàn Yì stayed in Lin'an County for the New Year because the Zhuang and Guo families would not reach Hundred Flowers Valley until April.
• Duàn Yì joined Qin Xin and Ding Ran for breakfast, where Ding Ran introduced Fang Gang and Han Erniang as members of the Ding family sent by Ding Ling.
• Duàn Yì questioned why Ding Ling had sent such capable experts to help him and suspected she wanted them to monitor him.

Duàn Yì reflected on his suspicion of Ding Ling, apologized to her supporters, and earned their respect. Fang Gang then challenged him to test whether he was strong enough to face the Zhuang family, leaving the two poised to fight.

• Fang Gang angrily rebuked Duàn Yì for doubting Ding Ling’s goodwill, while Han Erniang watched in displeasure.
• Duàn Yì admitted he had spoken wrongly and apologized to Ding Ran, Fang Gang, and Han Erniang.
• Ding Ran urged Fang Gang not to take Duàn Yì’s words too seriously, and Fang Gang accepted the apology.
• Fang Gang privately doubted Ding Ling’s claims about Duàn Yì’s martial arts and decided to test him.
• Fang Gang stepped in front of Duàn Yì and launched a challenge, while Han Erniang watched with interest.

Fang Gang tested Duàn Yì with his Six Yang Vajra Palm to judge whether he was capable of opposing the Zhuang family. Duàn Yì effortlessly redirected even a stronger follow-up strike, leaving Fang Gang shocked by the depth of his cultivation.

• Fang Gang and Han Erniang resolved to test Duàn Yì before committing themselves to helping him confront the Zhuang family.
• Fang Gang attacked Duàn Yì with the Six Yang Vajra Palm, initially holding back much of its force.
• Duàn Yì stood still as Fang Gang's palm struck his chest, and a mysterious method redirected the force without harming him.
• Fang Gang unleashed a stronger strike with seventy percent of his power, but Duàn Yì remained unharmed.
• Fang Gang sensed that Duàn Yì's Internal Energy rivaled or surpassed his own decades of cultivation.

Duàn Yì effortlessly withstood Fang Gang’s Six Yang Vajra Palm and sent him stumbling back, leaving Fang Gang awed by his power. Ding Ran then explained that Ding Ling’s plan was to disrupt the Guō and Zhuang families’ Marriage Alliance through strategy, with Duàn Yì acting only when necessary.

• Fang Gang tested Duàn Yì with the Six Yang Vajra Palm, but Duàn Yì’s protective true qi and force-dispersing method repelled him without injury.
• Duàn Yì praised Fang Gang’s palm technique and gave him a chance to save face, but Fang Gang admitted that even his full strength could not hurt Duàn Yì.
• Ding Ran told Fang Gang that Duàn Yì’s most terrifying quality was his extraordinary rate of improvement.
• Ding Ran explained that Ding Ling wanted them to disrupt the Marriage Alliance through planning and support Duàn Yì rather than let him charge blindly into danger.
• Fang Gang and Han Erniang recalled that Ding Ling wanted them to keep Duàn Yì safe, while the group recognized that she also opposed the Zhuang family gaining power through a Guō family marriage.

Duàn Yì explained that his cultivation let him absorb Primordial Vital Energy, so he no longer needed to eat much, and the breakfast gathering eased tensions with Fang Gang and Han Erniang. After the meal, he met with them to discuss how to deal with Hundred Flowers Valley in Mengzhou.

• Ding Ran invited Duàn Yì, Fang Gang, and Han Erniang to breakfast, where they ate together and grew more comfortable with one another.
• Fang Gang questioned Duàn Yì's small appetite, and Duàn Yì explained that his martial arts drew energy from Primordial Vital Energy rather than food.
• Fang Gang realized Duàn Yì's internal art was exceptionally profound, while Han Erniang and Qin Xin looked enviously at his ability to go without food.
• After breakfast, Qin Xin returned to her room and Ding Ran remained absorbed in the Nine Dragon Jade Cup.
• Duàn Yì went with Fang Gang and Han Erniang to his study to discuss how to resolve the matter of Hundred Flowers Valley in Mengzhou.

Fang Gang explained how Zhuang Shili’s proposed marriage to Guō Qíng gained support from Guo Wei and the Guo family, while Han Erniang warned that Guo Wei would come to Hundred Flowers Valley with an elder. Duàn Yì stayed composed at first, but Chou Dong’s role as matchmaker made him visibly wary.

• Fang Gang told Duàn Yì that Zhuang Shili had first sought to marry Ah Ling, then proposed marrying a Guo family daughter after returning from that failed attempt.
• Fang Gang explained that Guo Wei had suggested Zhuang Shili marry Guō Qíng, allowing the Guo family to form ties with the Zhuang family without risking its reputation.
• Fang Gang said Guo Wei likely had private dealings with Zhuang Shili and would attend the marriage talks with an elder capable of restraining Guō Nuǎn.
• Han Erniang considered whether Duàn Yì would kill Guo Wei or find another way to stop the marriage, but Duàn Yì showed no visible anger or intent.
• Fang Gang named Chou Dong, deputy gang leader of the Nujiang Gang, as another matchmaker, and Duàn Yì’s expression turned cold at the news.

Duàn Yì considered how to stop the marriage alliance between the Guō and Zhuang families, while Fang Gang and Han Erniang warned him that killing Zhuang Shili could be a trap. He kept his plans to himself, weighing a covert attack against eloping with Guō Qíng if no safer option emerged.

• Fang Gang reasoned that Duàn Yì would have to persuade or sabotage the Guō family because Zhuang Shili was unlikely to abandon the alliance.
• Han Erniang suggested faking Guō Qíng's death, but Duàn Yì rejected making her lose her identity and proposed killing Zhuang Shili instead.
• Fang Gang and Han Erniang warned Duàn Yì that Zhuang Shili might be using the marriage alliance to lure him out, and that powerful fighters protected Zhuang Shili.
• Duàn Yì considered his advantages in remaining hidden and recognized that Zhuang Shili did not know how much his martial arts had improved.
• Duàn Yì privately resolved that he could elope with Guō Qíng and leave Hundred Flowers Valley if he could find no opening, while keeping Fang Gang and Han Erniang away from the direct conflict.

On New Year's Eve, Duàn Yì remembered his childhood home and traveled to Yuxi Village to pay his respects to his deceased parents. While cleaning their house, he discovered a hollow section of wall behind a wardrobe.

• Duàn Yì shared a joyful reunion dinner with Ding Ling, Ding Ran, Fang Gang, Han Erniang, and Qin Xin in Lin'an County.
• Duàn Yì reflected on the home he had left behind and decided to return to Yuxi Village that night.
• Duàn Yì reached his family home, aired it out, lit the heated brick bed, and cleaned and honored his parents' memorial tablets.
• Duàn Yì decided to stay at home and considered living there until April, when he planned to set out for Hundred Flowers Valley.
• Duàn Yì moved a wardrobe while cleaning and found a hollow section of wall behind it, wondering if his parents had hidden savings there.

While cleaning his family’s old farmhouse, Duàn Yì discovered a hidden One Yang Finger manual and wondered whether his deceased father had ties to the Dali Duan Clan. After paying respects to his parents, he took the manual to the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts to study its profound techniques.

• Duàn Yì broke open a mud-smeared wall and retrieved a paper-wrapped bundle hidden inside.
• Duàn Yì discovered that the bundle contained the One Yang Finger manual, a profound martial art unrelated to Moon Worship Palace.
• Duàn Yì suspected that his father, Duàn Yuè, might have belonged to the Dali Duan Clan, though he could not explain why his father had never practiced the art.
• Duàn Yì put away the manual, kowtowed to his parents’ memorial tablets, and studied the One Yang Finger by lamplight.
• Duàn Yì entered the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts and began contemplating the finger technique.

Duàn Yì studied One Yang Finger in the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts, learning its combat and healing principles and rapidly advancing his cultivation. After leaving the tower, he reached the late fourth-rank realm and believed his luck had improved since escaping Zhang Qingshan.

• Duàn Yì learned that One Yang Finger grew more powerful with each rank and could eventually rival the Six Meridian Divine Sword.
• Duàn Yì studied how One Yang Finger’s pure yang energy and precise acupoint control could heal severe injuries, though doing so depleted the practitioner’s vitality.
• Duàn Yì stepped out of the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts with the manual and circulated its mental method through his Primordial Vital Energy.
• Duàn Yì advanced from ninth rank to the late fourth-rank realm in moments, and the resulting Yang Energy tempered his body.
• Duàn Yì reflected that his recent fortune had improved after surviving Zhang Qingshan.

Duàn Yì confronted Ding Ling after she tricked him into rushing to Mengzhou with false news that Zhuang Shili was approaching Hundred Flowers Valley. Their argument turned to Duàn Yì’s closeness with the Heavenly Demonic Qin Master, and Ding Ling’s real reason for summoning him remained undisclosed.

• Duàn Yì refused to eat or drink with Ding Ling, angry that he had raced to Mengzhou after hearing Zhuang Shili was headed for Hundred Flowers Valley.
• Ding Ling showed Duàn Yì a record of Zhuang Shili’s movements, revealing that he had not reached Hebei and that the urgent warning was false.
• Duàn Yì accused Ding Ling of deceiving him, while she retorted that he had neglected his serious business in Wei Prefecture.
• Ding Ling accused Duàn Yì of stargazing and exchanging affection with the Heavenly Demonic Qin Master while Guō Qíng was in danger.
• Duàn Yì denied that his relationship with the Heavenly Demonic Qin Master was improper, then demanded to know why Ding Ling had summoned him.

Ding Ling told Duàn Yì that the Huaxiu Merchant Association would support his efforts to disrupt the Zhuang and Guo Lineages’ Marriage Alliance, but he suspected the Association was pursuing its own strategic interests. The Northern Demonic Cult planned to use his connection with Guō Qíng to prevent the alliance and strengthen its prospects in the south.

• Ding Ling explained that Duàn Yì and his two assistants could not challenge the Zhuang and Guo Lineages alone, and said the Huaxiu Merchant Association had agreed to help him.
• Duàn Yì doubted the offer was altruistic and concluded that the Association wanted to weaken the Southern Demonic Cult by stopping the Marriage Alliance.
• Ding Ling described the Northern Demonic Cult’s failed expansion into the south, including the death of a promising genius amid rumors that Zhuang Shili had orchestrated his defeat.
• The Northern Demonic Cult agreed to use Duàn Yì and Guō Qíng’s relationship to sabotage the alliance, while Guō Qíng hoped to build ties with the Guo Lineage and gain a foothold in the south.

Ding Ling outlined her ambition to build merit for the Northern Demonic Cult and persuaded Duàn Yì to cooperate in disrupting the Zhuang-Guo marriage alliance. She described the formidable forces backing Zhuang Shili and revealed that Elder Kang had been making arrangements across Hebei.

• Ding Ling privately planned to expand the Northern Demonic Cult's influence southward to strengthen her claim to power, while making sabotaging the Zhuang-Guo marriage alliance her immediate goal.
• Ding Ling offered Duàn Yì a frank account of the merchant association's interests and asked him to cooperate; Duàn Yì agreed to hear her plan.
• Ding Ling explained that Zhuang Shili had brought Death Warriors and numerous peak experts, including Mad Daoist, Feng Daozhong, Zhong Qingliu, Ding Shihua, and Nangong Shi.
• Duàn Yì considered the dangers posed by the southern experts and the possibility that Nangong Shi had motives beyond protecting Zhuang Shili.
• Ding Ling told Duàn Yì that Elder Kang had remained in Hebei after Zhuang Shili's earlier failure and had visited local families, gangs, and sects while the Huaxiu Merchant Association monitored him.

Ding Ling explained how Elder Kang used the Guo Family’s name to rally Hebei forces behind Zhuang Shili’s supposed marriage to Guō Qíng, and Duàn Yì realized the scheme threatened Guō Qíng’s reputation. Ding Ling proposed that Duàn Yì use his connection to Guō Qíng to expose the deception and that Elder Kang be killed to frighten the allied forces.

• Ding Ling told Duàn Yì that Elder Kang had invoked the Guo Family’s name to recruit at least fifteen Hebei forces to support Zhuang Shili.
• Duàn Yì understood that publicizing the supposed marriage could damage Guō Qíng’s reputation if she refused Zhuang Shili or chose Duàn Yì.
• Ding Ling praised Duàn Yì’s rapid progress after his anger stirred a powerful aura that frightened the guards outside the pavilion.
• Duàn Yì guessed that Ding Ling wanted him to use his ties to Guō Qíng and Hundred Flowers Valley to refute the marriage claim.
• Ding Ling said Duàn Yì should write to Guō Qíng so Hundred Flowers Valley could clarify matters, and she proposed killing Elder Kang to make the fifteen forces back down.

Ding Ling and Duàn Yì planned to use both persuasion and force to stop the fifteen families from siding with Zhuang Shili, while Guō Qíng struggled with the Guō family’s plan to marry her to Zhuang Shili. Guō Nuǎn warned her that fleeing could put Duàn Yì in greater danger, leaving Guō Qíng to ask how they could resist the marriage.

• Ding Ling told Duàn Yì that they needed both persuasion and intimidation to sway the fifteen families, and Duàn Yì asked who should kill Elder Kang.
• Guō Qíng practiced the White Python Whip Technique by the lake, but Guō Nuǎn pointed out that her troubled heart was disrupting her moves.
• Guō Qíng demanded that Guō Nuǎn let her leave Hundred Flowers Valley rather than be forced to marry Zhuang Shili.
• Guō Nuǎn explained that the Zhuang family could spread false news of the marriage if Guō Qíng fled, potentially luring Duàn Yì into danger.
• Guō Qíng realized the risk and asked Guō Nuǎn whether she could defy the Guō family’s main branch and refuse the marriage.

Guō Qíng feared that Hundred Flowers Valley could not withstand the Guō and Zhuang families, but Duàn Yì’s letter reassured her that he had gained powerful allies and would handle the threat. Guō Nuǎn agreed to rally the valley’s connections against Zhuang Shili’s plans, leaving Guō Qíng to wait for Duàn Yì’s return.

• Guō Nuǎn gave Guō Qíng a letter from Duàn Yì, who promised to deal with Zhuang Shili’s scheme and revealed that he had gained a major ally.
• Duàn Yì asked Guō Nuǎn and Guō Qíng’s faction to inform fifteen forces with ties to the Guō Family, undermining Zhuang Shili’s plans.
• Guō Qíng asked whether Guō Nuǎn would risk offending the main Guō Family, and Guō Nuǎn vowed to protect her daughter and take a firm stand.
• Guō Nuǎn told Guō Qíng to stay in Hundred Flowers Valley, practice martial arts, and avoid stirring up trouble while Duàn Yì sought a solution.
• Guō Nuǎn praised Duàn Yì’s sense of responsibility, and Guō Qíng secretly hoped he would return soon.

Ding Ling and Duàn Yì watched a roadside tea stall with a Thousand-Mile Eye as they prepared to intercept Elder Kang. Ding Ling explained that she had lured apparent bandits to the stall to make Kang mistake them for assassins and then lower his guard.

• Ding Ling showed Duàn Yì the Thousand-Mile Eye and explained that she had obtained it from the Hebei army.
• Duàn Yì used the device to inspect the tea stall and noticed several suspicious customers behaving like poor impostors.
• Ding Ling said Elder Kang had visited Heyin County seven times and always stopped at this stall, so she expected him to follow the same routine again.
• Ding Ling revealed that she had lured the apparent bandits with false information about a wealthy merchant caravan.
• Duàn Yì inferred that the bandits were meant to make Kang suspect an assassination attempt, and Ding Ling explained that this would likely cause him to relax his guard once he discovered they were ordinary robbers.

Ding Ling and Duàn Yì watched a dangerous Black-Clad Swordsman approach the herbal tea stall, unsure whether he would disrupt their plan to kill Elder Kang. They held back and waited as Elder Kang arrived at the stall.

• Duàn Yì spotted the Black-Clad Swordsman approaching and warned Ding Ling that he might disrupt her arrangements.
• Ding Ling realized the newcomer had likely dealt with the hidden guards she had stationed along the road.
• Ding Ling and Duàn Yì debated whether the swordsman meant to kill Elder Kang or protect him, then decided to wait and respond to events as they unfolded.
• Old Man Wang served the Black-Clad Swordsman steamed buns, pickles, and herbal tea while keeping his distance.
• Ding Ling spotted Elder Kang approaching and warned Duàn Yì to stay alert.

Elder Kang arrived at Wang's Herbal Tea stall and sat near the Black-Clad Swordsman, whose guarded stance convinced Duàn Yì and Ding Ling that the two were strangers rather than allies. Ding Ling then questioned Duàn Yì about who had sent the swordsman, and he denied knowing, suggesting Hundred Flowers Valley might be involved.

• Elder Kang greeted Old Man Wang warmly and entered the herbal tea stall, where he noticed the Black-Clad Swordsman.
• Customers fled the tense stall, leaving Elder Kang, the Black-Clad Swordsman, and four bandits who stayed to target a lightly guarded merchant caravan.
• Duàn Yì and Ding Ling watched through the Thousand-Mile Eye and realized Elder Kang and the swordsman were wary of each other.
• Ding Ling asked Duàn Yì who had sent the Black-Clad Swordsman, and Duàn Yì denied knowing while raising the possibility of Hundred Flowers Valley.