Chapter Summaries

After surviving the young master’s execution of two guards, Wéi Táng decided to defect and offer his loyalty to the illegitimate son. The young master then enlisted Iron Slave to assassinate that rival and revealed what he knew about the target and his forces.

• Wéi Táng fled after the young master killed two of his fellow guards and feared that he would be killed next.
• Wéi Táng resolved to switch allegiance to the illegitimate son and hurried to find Iron Slave as ordered.
• The young master told Iron Slave that he wanted a rival killed and asked whether Iron Slave would do it.
• Iron Slave promised to do his utmost, even at the cost of his life.
• The young master gave Iron Slave the target’s location and information about the forces protecting him.

Duàn Yì received a secret warning that an expert planned to kill him, then connected the threat to mysteries surrounding his family and began questioning his true background. He was left pondering whether Duàn Yuè or Yán Fāngfēi had a hidden past that explained why someone wanted him dead.

• Duàn Yì continued studying with Meng Wanqing and training his Fourteenth Sword, while Zhang Yan used the Heavenly Demonic Qin to temper his spirit.
• Duàn Yì realized that his impulsive handling of Zhuang Shiyi had helped provoke Zhuang Shili and the Marriage Alliance between the Guo and Zhuang families, though he felt no regret.
• An unidentified person threw Duàn Yì a pebble bearing a note that warned an expert would soon try to kill him and marked the message with the character Wei.
• Duàn Yì considered Zhuang Shili as a possible enemy but concluded that the assassin likely had power in the north and viewed him as a threat to their interests.
• Duàn Yì reviewed clues involving Zhang Qingshan, the One Yang Finger manual, and Yellow Heaven Demon Venerable, then wondered whether his parents had concealed pasts.

Duàn Yì’s careless question about whether Qin Xin’s osmanthus cake was poisoned sent her into a violent, near-Qi Deviation frenzy, which he stopped with a kiss. They discovered that the cake was indeed lethally poisoned, confirming that someone was trying to kill Duàn Yì.

• Qin Xin returned with osmanthus cake for Duàn Yì, who hesitated to eat it and asked whether it might be poisoned.
• Qin Xin took Duàn Yì’s question as an accusation, swore furiously that she would never harm him, and began to lose control of her qi.
• Duàn Yì pulled Qin Xin into his arms and kissed her until her agitation and surging qi settled.
• Duàn Yì explained that he had received a warning that someone wanted to kill him, and Qin Xin stopped him from eating the cake.
• Qin Xin fed a piece of cake to a puppy, which collapsed and died after tasting it, revealing that the pastry contained deadly poison.

After Qin Xin unknowingly brought Duàn Yì poisoned osmanthus cake, he suspected a powerful enemy had learned about his connections and decided to draw the attacker out. The next day, Duàn Yì walked alone through the rainy marketplace as bait and entered a state of profound Dao comprehension.

• Qin Xin tearfully apologized to Duàn Yì for bringing him poisoned osmanthus cake, and he reassured her that the poisoning was not her fault.
• Duàn Yì suspected a formidable enemy had tracked Qin Xin and considered that a traitor among his allies might have revealed his connections.
• Qin Xin suggested telling Yan Yunxiao, and Duàn Yì resolved to enlist Yan Yunxiao and Ding Ling while taking the initiative against the person targeting him.
• Duàn Yì whispered a plan to Qin Xin, then went out alone the next morning in ordinary clothes, carrying an umbrella through the drizzle.
• Duàn Yì used himself as bait while observing the marketplace, then began to merge with and comprehend heaven and earth.

Duàn Yì met the greatsword-wielding Yang Yang after Yang noticed him comprehending the Heavenly Dao, and the two shared a drink. Yang Yang revealed that he had come to Heyin for the Marriage by Combat in Hundred Flowers Valley.

• While comprehending the Heavenly Dao, Duàn Yì sensed Yang Yang watching him and turned to meet the greatsword-wielding stranger.
• Duàn Yì invited Yang Yang to drink, and Yang Yang accepted, promising to treat him next time.
• At a nearby tavern, Duàn Yì introduced himself, and Yang Yang recognized his reputation and apologized for disturbing his cultivation.
• Yang Yang introduced himself as a traveler from Liang Prefecture and praised Duàn Yì's martial talent.
• As they drank and grew familiar, Duàn Yì learned that Yang Yang had come to Heyin for the Marriage by Combat in Hundred Flowers Valley.

Duàn Yì and Yang Yang discussed their reasons for attending Hundred Flowers Valley's Marriage by Combat, then a gaunt, rain-soaked man with a sinister Iron Gauntlet approached them with strong Killing Intent. Duàn Yì recognized that someone meant to kill him and warned Yang Yang to leave, but Yang Yang chose to stand by his new friend as they faced the threat.

• Yang Yang told Duàn Yì that he had come to Hundred Flowers Valley at the request of a benefactor and hoped to challenge martial arts masters.
• Duàn Yì and Yang Yang discussed how fighting powerful opponents could improve their skills and win them fame.
• A gaunt, rain-soaked man wearing a sinister Iron Gauntlet entered the tavern, and Duàn Yì sensed his fierce Killing Intent.
• Duàn Yì warned Yang Yang that someone wanted to kill him and urged him to leave rather than risk being implicated.
• Yang Yang declared that he considered Duàn Yì a friend and would help him fight whoever came to kill him.
• Duàn Yì accepted Yang Yang's friendship but said he would call on him only if he could no longer hold on.

Green Demon Hand arrived at the tavern to kill Duàn Yì, brutally throwing the waiter aside before confronting him. Yang Yang bristled at the attack, but Duàn Yì took charge and faced the newcomer, who revealed his name and the fearsome properties of his poisoned Iron Gauntlet.

• Green Demon Hand entered the tavern, seized the waiter with his green-gloved hand, and hurled him through a table, leaving him badly injured.
• Yang Yang grew furious at Green Demon Hand for attacking an innocent attendant and released a powerful aura, but Duàn Yì stopped him from intervening.
• Duàn Yì confronted Green Demon Hand with bold confidence and demanded his name.
• Green Demon Hand called himself by that name and explained that his gauntlet was an exceptionally durable, poisonous martial treasure that enhanced his power.

Green Demon Hand attacked Duàn Yì with his full strength, but Duàn Yì repelled him with a single strike of sword qi. Realizing he could not win, Green Demon Hand began looking for a way to escape.

• Green Demon Hand flew into a rage at Duàn Yì’s contempt and attacked him with his weapon and a cloud of poison gas.
• Duàn Yì remained seated and struck Green Demon Hand’s palm with Severing Pulse Sword Qi, sending him flying backward.
• Green Demon Hand endured the blow but suffered pain and internal turmoil, recognizing that Duàn Yì was far stronger than he had expected.
• Green Demon Hand abandoned thoughts of loyalty to Second Young Master and decided to escape for his own survival.
• Green Demon Hand cautiously watched Duàn Yì and the tavern as he slowly retreated.

Duàn Yì agreed to spare the Green Demon Hand in exchange for information about who had ordered his assassination, but a newcomer suddenly drained the assassin’s power and killed him. Duàn Yì and Yang Yang watched the newcomer, who seemed poised to continue the mission against Duàn Yì.

• Duàn Yì warned the Green Demon Hand that he could not escape and agreed to spare him if he revealed who wanted Duàn Yì dead.
• Yang Yang looked down on the Green Demon Hand for betraying his master to save himself.
• A rain-soaked man burst through the tavern roof and drained the Green Demon Hand’s inner power, killing him.
• The Green Demon Hand’s shriveled corpse fell onto the injured waiter, who stayed silent and eventually fainted.
• Duàn Yì and Yang Yang focused on the newcomer, suspecting he had killed the Green Demon Hand for betraying their side and would take over the assassination mission.

Jin Renzong arrived after killing the Green Demon Hand by absorbing his inner strength, and Duàn Yì and Yang Yang recognized him as a notorious martial artist. Duàn Yì suspected that a powerful hidden force, perhaps connected to Great Xia's Imperial Family, had sent Jin Renzong to assassinate him.

• Jin Renzong killed the Green Demon Hand and claimed he had acted in the name of justice, while Yang Yang and Duàn Yì cautiously assessed him.
• Duàn Yì asked Jin Renzong what technique he had cultivated, but Jin Renzong turned cold and refused to answer.
• Yang Yang identified Jin Renzong as a former Kongtong Sect disciple notorious for betraying his master and joining the Valley of Evildoers.
• Duàn Yì recalled Jin Renzong's history and wondered what powerful force had recruited him as an assassin.
• Duàn Yì suspected the attempt on his life might be tied to a larger struggle for interests, possibly involving Great Xia's Imperial Family.

Duàn Yì tried to turn Jin Renzong against the mysterious Second Young Master, then proposed a wager to avoid a fight. Jin Renzong hesitated and, after Duàn Yì appealed to his past honor, seemed to realize something about Duàn Yì’s identity.

• Jin Renzong warned Yang Yang to leave and revealed that Duàn Yì had offended a powerful figure.
• Duàn Yì argued that the Second Young Master’s reliance on assassination showed he feared Duàn Yì, then offered Jin Renzong a place at his side.
• Jin Renzong considered betraying his master but feared Iron Slave and the consequences of defection.
• Duàn Yì challenged Jin Renzong to wager the Power Absorption Technique against Duàn Yì’s life, while Yang Yang warned him not to trust Jin Renzong.
• Duàn Yì said he believed Jin Renzong could keep faith with him once, and Jin Renzong appeared to realize the reason behind Duàn Yì’s confidence.

Duàn Yì wagered that Jin Renzong could not injure him in three moves, betting on Jin Renzong’s future allegiance. Jin Renzong’s first attack failed, and Duàn Yì’s Lion’s Roar sent him flying, leaving him stunned.

• Duàn Yì reasoned that Jin Renzong was wary of the hidden mastermind and proposed a wager that offered him a chance to choose his future.
• Duàn Yì challenged Jin Renzong to injure him within three moves, with Jin Renzong’s martial arts and head named as the stakes.
• Jin Renzong attacked with his yin-yang palm force, but Duàn Yì’s protective true qi stopped his palms before they reached him.
• Duàn Yì unleashed his Lion’s Roar, disrupting Jin Renzong’s qi and blasting him backward.
• Jin Renzong stopped three meters away and cried out in disbelief that Duàn Yì had resisted his strike and repelled him.

Duàn Yì faced Jin Renzong’s second attack in their wager, defending against the Kongtong Sect’s Seven Injuries Fist with Bodhi Buddha Light and Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill. Jin Renzong’s powerful assault ended without injuring Duàn Yì, while Jin Renzong was left exhausted.

• Jin Renzong praised Duàn Yì’s defense against Yin Yang Grinding and prepared to use his second move.
• Jin Renzong unleashed the Kongtong Sect’s Seven Injuries Fist, and Duàn Yì recognized its power and met it seriously.
• Duàn Yì activated Bodhi Buddha Light, shielding himself as Jin Renzong’s fists struck him repeatedly.
• Duàn Yì’s defenses weakened and absorbed the fist force, while Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill converted the internal attacks into nourishment.
• Jin Renzong’s assault subsided, leaving Duàn Yì unharmed and Jin Renzong panting with exhaustion.

Jin Renzong used the Lesser Star Absorbing Art against Duàn Yì, hoping its power-absorbing force would overcome his defenses. Duàn Yì sealed his True Qi with the Ice Seal Art, leaving Jin Renzong unable to absorb anything.

• After Jin Renzong’s Yin Yang Grinding and Seven Injuries Fist failed to harm Duàn Yì, he decided to use the Lesser Star Absorbing Art.
• Jin Renzong attacked Duàn Yì’s chest and abdomen with palms carrying a powerful absorbing force.
• Duàn Yì withdrew his Bodhi Buddha Light, planted himself with Thousand-Jin Drop, and met Jin Renzong’s palms directly.
• Jin Renzong’s Lesser Star Absorbing Art failed to draw any True Qi from Duàn Yì.
• Duàn Yì used the Ice Seal Art to conceal the True Qi in his meridians and dantian, rendering Jin Renzong’s Power Absorption Technique ineffective.

Duàn Yì resisted Jin Renzong's Lesser Star Absorbing Art, then defeated him by sending Ice Profound Energy through their joined palms. Jin Renzong conceded and secretly taught Duàn Yì part of the technique, while a distant killer's intent continued to target Duàn Yì.

• Duàn Yì used the Ice Seal Art to conceal his true qi and studied how Jin Renzong's Lesser Star Absorbing Art worked.
• Duàn Yì released his true qi as Ice Profound Energy and sent the freezing force into Jin Renzong, leaving him covered in frost and unable to resist.
• Yang Yang watched in astonishment as Duàn Yì flicked Jin Renzong's palm away and Jin Renzong admitted defeat.
• Duàn Yì demanded that Jin Renzong honor their wager and teach him the power-absorbing art, while Duàn Yì sensed a distant killer's intent locking onto him.
• Jin Renzong secretly taught Duàn Yì only the general outline and Absorbing Character Technique, withholding the Guiding Character Technique as he plotted to make Duàn Yì suffer Qi Deviation.

Duàn Yì comprehended the Lesser Star Absorbing Art and broke through to a level of power that tore apart the tavern around him. As he stood amid the ruins, more than thirty hidden attackers launched a poisoned-needle ambush against him.

• Duàn Yì studied Jin Renzong’s Lesser Star Absorbing Art and fused its principles with his own martial arts, greatly intensifying his absorbing force.
• Yang Yang and Jin Renzong fled the tavern with the unconscious waiter, then watched from beyond the reach of Duàn Yì’s suction.
• Duàn Yì’s breakthrough created a vast vortex that pulverized the tavern and lifted it into the air before shattering it.
• Yang Yang noticed suspicious martial artists edging toward Duàn Yì and warned him that someone intended to kill him.
• More than thirty attackers sprang from the crowd and fired a dense barrage of poisoned silver needles at Duàn Yì.

Duàn Yì survived a deadly needle ambush and crushed more than thirty assassins with his newly developed Vortex Strength, terrifying the onlookers. The hidden supreme expert never appeared, and as Duàn Yì left with Yang Yang, an Iron Masked Man seized Jin Renzong.

• Duàn Yì raised stone slabs and formed rings of ice shards to block the poisoned silver needles fired by more than thirty assassins.
• Duàn Yì used Vortex Strength to pull the assassins toward him and crush them to death with a single grip.
• The martial artists, Yang Yang, and Jin Renzong recoiled in fear as some onlookers called Duàn Yì a devil.
• Duàn Yì searched for the hidden Thousand Mile Soul Lock expert but found no trace, then departed with Yang Yang.
• An Iron Masked Man in black robes and a bamboo hat placed a hand on Jin Renzong’s shoulder and immobilized him.

Yan Yunxiao captured Jin Renzong after Duàn Yì’s assassination attempt, but Iron Slave arrived to confront him. Yan Yunxiao warned Iron Slave about the person behind him and released Jin Renzong, leaving Iron Slave to withdraw.

• Yan Yunxiao subdued Jin Renzong, whose Lesser Star Absorbing Art could not resist Yan Yunxiao’s sword qi.
• A powerful Killing Intent from the east targeted Yan Yunxiao, and he crushed Jin Renzong’s shoulder blade while facing the unseen challenger.
• Iron Slave emerged and warned Yan Yunxiao not to oppose the person behind him.
• Yan Yunxiao insulted Iron Slave, told him to persuade his master to abandon the assassination, and threw Jin Renzong back to him.
• Iron Slave hesitated instead of attacking and silently left with Jin Renzong.

After escaping the assassins, Duàn Yì and Yang Yang took refuge in a modest tavern and sparred with bamboo chopsticks. Duàn Yì countered Yang Yang’s powerful layered sword force with Vortex Strength, leaving him more confident about the Marriage by Combat at Hundred Flowers Valley.

• Iron Slave criticized Jin Renzong for acting recklessly, while Jin Renzong argued that Green Demon Hand was wavering and their target was too powerful to defeat.
• Yan Yunxiao ordered A'man to clear away the bodies, preserve Green Demon Hand’s corpse, and compensate affected civilians so they would keep quiet.
• Duàn Yì and Yang Yang reached a small tavern after fleeing west and discussed their martial arts over several rounds of wine.
• Yang Yang demonstrated Mysterious Iron Swordplay with bamboo chopsticks, using layered force that Duàn Yì recognized as similar to Surging Waves Strength.
• Duàn Yì used Vortex Strength to dissolve Yang Yang’s sword force and gained confidence in facing the Marriage by Combat at Hundred Flowers Valley.

Duàn Yì reunited with Zhang Qingshan, who revealed that he and Duàn Yì’s other acquaintances were acting under a master’s orders. Duàn Yì waited for that master to arrive, hoping to learn the truth about his origins while keeping his own choices open.

• Duàn Yì met Wang Ping An, Meng Wanqing, and Zhang Qingshan in a teahouse after receiving a message.
• Zhang Qingshan said that Duàn Yì would get answers when their master arrived and invited him to drink tea.
• Duàn Yì realized Zhang Qingshan had recognized him when his Human Skin Mask was destroyed, leading to the recent efforts to prepare him for noble life.
• Zhang Qingshan warned Duàn Yì not to show resentment before their master and argued that Duàn Yì stood to gain great status, wealth, and authority.
• Duàn Yì stayed quiet and waited for the master, seeking answers about his father, Duàn Yuè, while still intending to attend the Marriage by Combat at Hundred Flowers Valley and resolve Guō Qíng’s troubles.