Chapter Summaries

Duàn Yì assessed the unknown young man as a White Lotus Sect demon and ordered Zhu Meng to kill Li Ziming while the Mansion's Guest Officials restrained the young man. Zhu Meng advanced to resume their fight, confident he could overpower Li Ziming.

• Li Ziming let the eight white-robed book attendants die under the archers' barrage rather than spend his true qi saving them.
• Duàn Yì asked Zhu Meng how the Mansion's Guest Officials had been defeated, and Zhu Meng explained that the unknown young man had sealed ten of their qi channels and knocked them unconscious.
• Xie Feng could not identify the young man, so Duàn Yì declared him a White Lotus Sect demon and ordered Zhu Meng to take Li Ziming's head.
• Duàn Yì withdrew the ordinary guards and sent the remaining Guest Officials to surround and restrain the young man.
• Zhu Meng approached Li Ziming on the ruins of White Cloud Study, intending to suppress him by force.

Li Ziming tried to use his skill and the chaos of battle to reach Duàn Yì, but Zhu Meng’s formidable Bronze Statue Skill let him withstand the attacks and kill Li Ziming. Duàn Yì praised Zhu Meng, then ordered him to help the other Guest Officials defeat the remaining White Lotus Sect demons.

• Li Ziming spotted Duàn Yì and considered capturing him as a way to escape.
• Li Ziming attacked Zhu Meng with the Flying Flower Hand while maneuvering closer to Duàn Yì.
• Zhu Meng endured Li Ziming’s strikes, then seized his moment of hesitation and smashed his head with a single punch.
• Duàn Yì recognized Zhu Meng’s overwhelming strength and praised him after the fight.
• Duàn Yì ordered Zhu Meng to join the other Guest Officials in taking down the remaining demons, dampening Zhu Meng’s pride.

A young martial artist using extraordinary leg techniques defeated the mansion’s experts when they tried to seize him. Duàn Yì and Qin Xin recognized the threat he posed, while the young man remained surrounded by the county soldiers and mansion guards.

• Zhu Meng questioned the young man about helping the White Lotus Sect, and Xie Feng demanded that he give his origins to the Heir Apparent.
• Duàn Yì ordered Zhu Meng and the mansion Guest Officials to seize the young man after he refused to explain himself.
• The young man scattered the study’s wreckage with a stomp and used his speed to kick all twelve attacking experts, leaving seven unconscious and the rest injured.
• Qin Xin became wary of the young man and relied on the Heavenly Demonic Qin to steady herself.
• Duàn Yì realized the young man had circled and struck every expert in an instant, and compared the style’s speed to the Sunflower Manual and Bixie Sword Manual.

Duàn Yì ordered Xie Feng and the Prince's Mansion guards to help Zhu Meng capture the young man, who had been mistaken for a White Lotus accomplice. When the guards’ battle formation and Zhu Meng’s attack cornered him, the young man became an immense azure tornado that engulfed the fighters and tore apart the surroundings.

• Duàn Yì judged the young man’s strength and ordered Xie Feng to lead fifty Prince's Mansion guards in assisting Zhu Meng.
• Xie Feng arranged the guards into coordinated formations, and Duàn Yì recognized the power of their battle tactics.
• The young man warned his opponents that he had shown mercy, but Zhu Meng insisted on capturing and questioning him.
• The fifty guards unleashed a united saber strike while Zhu Meng and four other masters attacked the young man.
• The young man transformed into an azure tornado that swallowed the saber qi and then swept up the guards and Guest Officials, grinding apart everything around it.

Duàn Yì used his understanding of heaven and earth to find the weak point in the young man’s tornado and shattered the technique with one strike, wounding him. The onlookers were left in awe of Duàn Yì’s overwhelming strength.

• Duàn Yì recognized that the young man’s wind technique drew on the power of heaven and earth and decided to test his own cultivation against it.
• Duàn Yì found the tornado’s weak point and struck it with Severing Pulse Sword Qi, breaking the technique and injuring the young man’s right shoulder.
• The young man sealed the sword qi and bleeding in his shoulder while staring at Duàn Yì in shock.
• The tornado’s aftermath left most of the Zhenbei King's Mansion Guest Officials and guards unconscious or gravely wounded.
• Duàn Yì explained that his deeper comprehension of heaven and earth had let him break the young man’s technique, and the county soldiers and others regarded him with genuine awe.

Duàn Yì defeated a young fighter who revealed that he practiced the Wind God's Leg, and recognized that he was likely a disciple of Divine Marquis Wei. Duàn Yì ordered him imprisoned separately for questioning, leaving the young man relieved that his identity and connection to Six Gates had not been exposed publicly.

• Duàn Yì questioned the wounded young man about his martial art, and the young man identified it as the Wind God's Leg.
• Duàn Yì recalled Yang Wuxia's account of Divine Marquis Wei, his three supreme arts, and his defeat of the Four Great Divine Constables.
• Duàn Yì inferred that the young man was probably Divine Marquis Wei's disciple and wondered why he had joined the White Lotus Sect's people.
• Duàn Yì ordered his men to imprison the young man separately and told them not to mistreat him.
• The young man accepted Duàn Yì's decision and felt relieved that the matter had not been made public.

After the failed assault on the first White Lotus Sect stronghold, Duàn Yì ordered Zhu Meng and Xie Feng to tend to their wounded and prepare to attack the Blade Factory. Xia Hong sent Wéi Táng and thirteen men as reinforcements, and Duàn Yì left for the next battle.

• Zhu Meng bound the captured young man and handed him to the county soldiers before he and Xie Feng knelt to beg Duàn Yì’s forgiveness.
• Duàn Yì ordered Xie Feng to tend to the wounded and handle the aftermath while Zhu Meng rallied the remaining county soldiers for the attack on the Blade Factory.
• Qin Xin told Duàn Yì that the young expert from the first stronghold could have defeated her, and Duàn Yì reflected on the strength of the royal mansion’s forces.
• Wéi Táng arrived with thirteen men sent by Xia Hong and declared that they would serve under Duàn Yì.
• Duàn Yì told Wéi Táng to consult with Zhu Meng about destroying the White Lotus bandits, and Wéi Táng privately welcomed the opportunity to serve Second Young Master.

Wéi Táng joined Zhu Meng and Xie Feng in supporting the Heir Apparent, and they investigated the White Lotus Sect’s stronghold at a Blade Factory outside Heyin County. After learning the factory held seventy-eight followers, including three skilled martial artists in Shen Mozhi’s family, they began planning a larger assault.

• Wéi Táng left the Second Young Master’s service and joined the Heir Apparent’s side with a group of experts.
• Zhu Meng and Xie Feng learned that the White Lotus Sect’s second stronghold was a Blade Factory in Heyin County’s northern outskirts.
• The investigation identified Shen Mozhi, his wife, and their child as the factory’s main martial arts experts, while seventy-five other followers worked there.
• Xie Feng, Zhu Meng, and Wéi Táng reported to Duàn Yì and discussed how to attack the factory.
• Zhu Meng and Xie Feng planned to enlist county soldiers and request more manpower from Xia Hong to avoid another setback.

Duàn Yì questioned whether the Blade Factory’s workers were truly White Lotus Sect followers and worried that an attack would kill innocent people. He ordered Qin Xin to incapacitate them with the Eight Dragon Sounds and insisted that only those proven guilty should be punished as the army approached the factory.

• As the county soldiers marched toward the Blade Factory, Duàn Yì reflected on how to draw upon the power of heaven and earth in his martial arts.
• Duàn Yì asked whether anyone had investigated all the Blade Factory workers and confirmed they belonged to the White Lotus Sect.
• Xie Feng explained that the factory supplied weapons to the sect and argued that the workers could be killed whether or not they knew the truth.
• Duàn Yì ordered Qin Xin to use the Eight Dragon Sounds to render the workers unconscious and told the others to release anyone who was innocent.
• Qin Xin was moved by Duàn Yì’s compassion and saw his kindness in a new light.

Duàn Yì and the others surrounded the Blade Factory, where Qin Xin used the Heavenly Demonic Qin and Eight Dragon Sounds to incapacitate everyone inside. After signaling the assault, she left Xie Feng, Zhu Meng, and their men to enter the factory while Duàn Yì reflected on the limits of her technique.

• Duàn Yì, Wéi Táng, Xie Feng, and Zhu Meng sent scouts to assess the Blade Factory and chose a coordinated assault using Qin Xin's group attack technique.
• Qin Xin sat by the river, opened the Heavenly Demonic Qin case, and began playing the instrument.
• The qin melody entered the hearts of Xie Feng and the others, briefly darkening their vision and weakening their limbs before Qin Xin let them recover.
• Qin Xin's playing silenced the Blade Factory and incapacitated everyone inside without killing them.
• Qin Xin signaled Xie Feng, Zhu Meng, and the others to storm the factory, and they leaped over its walls.
• Duàn Yì judged that Qin Xin's growing skill gave her control over the technique, though she could not reach its full potential without a sixth finger.

After the Blade Factory was captured, Duàn Yì rode away with Qin Xin, troubled by the prisoners’ fate but soon finding relief in the open wilderness. He reassured Qin Xin that he planned to leave the Heir Apparent role after the August Marriage by Combat and use the time to strengthen himself.

• Xie Feng had county soldiers escort more than a hundred prisoners from the Blade Factory, including Shen Mozhi’s injured son, while Duàn Yì left the remaining affairs to him.
• Zhu Meng praised Duàn Yì’s kindness, while Xie Feng silently looked down on Wéi Táng for switching allegiance and Wéi Táng hoped Duàn Yì would remember him.
• Duàn Yì and Qin Xin rode into the wilderness, where the fresh air and a stream lifted Duàn Yì’s spirits.
• Qin Xin urged Duàn Yì to withdraw from the King of Zhenbei’s Mansion and the conflict surrounding it.
• Duàn Yì told Qin Xin he would leave the Heir Apparent role after the August Marriage by Combat, delay Xia Hong’s orders, gather benefits, and rely on his martial strength to protect them.

Duàn Yì and Qin Xin prepared to return to the county town when Duàn Yì discovered a concealed stranger and forced him to reveal himself. The man called himself Mr. Chen and said he had come at someone else’s request to assess Duàn Yì for an important responsibility, but Duàn Yì remained wary.

• Duàn Yì sensed someone hidden nearby and warned Qin Xin to prepare for danger.
• Duàn Yì struck the ground with a powerful vibration, splitting trees and forcing a concealed man to leap from the grove.
• The middle-aged stranger landed and praised Duàn Yì’s skill and reputation in Hebei.
• Duàn Yì introduced himself cautiously and asked the stranger’s identity.
• The man called himself Mr. Chen and said he had been sent to judge Duàn Yì’s ability to shoulder a great responsibility.
• Mr. Chen claimed he meant to help Duàn Yì, but Duàn Yì stayed guarded because he had been hiding nearby.

Chen Xing revealed that he served the imperial court and explained how Duàn Yì’s royal blood had changed the struggle over Zhenbei King's Mansion. He left Duàn Yì knowing that the Crown Prince supported his claim and that the court wanted him to replace the established line.

• Chen Xing showed Duàn Yì his token and explained that his Brocade-Clad Guard identity was only a cover, though he served the imperial court.
• Chen Xing explained that Prince Duan had volunteered to take over Zhenbei King's Mansion, while the court had originally planned to install him there and transfer the old royal line to the Imperial Capital.
• Chen Xing told Duàn Yì that his weak foundations made him a more useful successor to the court than Prince Duan, who might eventually build enough power to challenge the court.
• Chen Xing revealed that a powerful noble supported Duàn Yì’s claim and identified that patron as the Crown Prince.

Duàn Yì weighed the Crown Prince’s offer of support against the rival factions surrounding him and the danger of becoming entangled in Xia Hong’s plans. Though Chen Xing promised to secure his imperial identity and provide influential allies, Duàn Yì declined to commit until he understood Zhenbei King’s intentions.

• Duàn Yì considered how Zhenbei King's Mansion, Prince Duan’s branch, and the central imperial family each had reasons to use or oppose him.
• Chen Xing said the Crown Prince was working to establish Duàn Yì’s identity in the imperial records and had sent allies, including Yang Yang and General Yang Zhenwen.
• Duàn Yì recognized that the Crown Prince’s backing gave him legitimacy and military strength, while leaving him a more important piece in the court’s struggle with Zhenbei King's Mansion.
• Duàn Yì remained uneasy that Xia Hong might have deliberately created an opening for the court and resolved not to risk himself before learning the King’s plans.
• Duàn Yì smiled but declined Chen Xing’s offer, and Chen Xing left after recalling his instructions.

Duàn Yì refused the Crown Prince’s request, recognizing that the messenger had only conveyed someone else’s intentions and asserting his independence. At Heyin County’s yamen, Prince Duan explained to Xia Shu that the real gap between their estate and Zhenbei King’s was autonomy: the emperor could revoke what he had bestowed, but could not easily take away the King’s independent power.

• Qin Xin questioned why Chen Xing left after Duàn Yì refused, and Duàn Yì said Chen Xing had merely delivered someone else’s thoughts.
• Duàn Yì judged that neither Zhenbei King’s Mansion nor the Crown Prince offered him enough reason to yield, and he intended to make both sides treat him with care.
• Prince Duan wrote “King of Zhenbei” and asked Xia Shu where the gap between their estate and the King’s lay.
• Xia Shu attributed the gap to strength, but Prince Duan said its essence was autonomy and explained that the emperor could strip Prince Duan’s Estate of its granted authority.
• Xia Shu understood that Zhenbei King’s independent foundations could not be easily taken away, unlike the possessions of Prince Duan’s Estate.

Prince Duan explained how his initiative to seize control of Zhenbei King's Mansion had stirred the emperor’s suspicions, while Duàn Yì’s emergence gave the court another possible ally. Xia Shu studied Duàn Yì’s records, recognized his remarkable rise, and concealed his personal resentment over Yang Wuxia as his father urged him to focus on power.

• Prince Duan told Xia Shu that volunteering to take control of Zhenbei King's Mansion had made the emperor suspect his ambitions, and the court’s new alternative had left their family vulnerable.
• Prince Duan gave Xia Shu the intelligence Six Gates had gathered on Duàn Yì and dismissed him as an unsuitable wild Jianghu man for the mansion’s responsibilities.
• Xia Shu read about Duàn Yì’s rapid rise from a village youth and saw a report suggesting that Duàn Yì and Yang Wuxia were romantically involved.
• Xia Shu admitted that Duàn Yì’s talent and achievements surpassed his own, while hiding the resentment he felt because Yang Wuxia had rejected him.
• Prince Duan told Xia Shu that martial arts were for self-defense and that their family needed to hold power firmly.

Prince Duan told Xia Shu that King of Zhenbei had likely raised Duàn Yì as a temporary move to buy time, though his true intentions remained unclear. He urged Xia Shu to defeat Duàn Yì for both political and personal reasons, and Xia Shu agreed.

• Xia Shu asked Prince Duan why King of Zhenbei had made Duàn Yì Heir Apparent, and Prince Duan said he suspected it was a ploy to divide the court and buy time.
• Prince Duan admitted he had planned to blame King of Zhenbei for the attack, but Xia Hong had quickly traced it to the White Lotus Sect, leaving Prince Duan at a disadvantage.
• Xia Shu worried about his abducted half-sister, while Prince Duan dismissed the White Lotus Sect and told him to focus on Zhenbei King's Mansion and Duàn Yì.
• Prince Duan asked why Xia Shu had reacted to Duàn Yì's information, and Xia Shu confessed he was shaken by the claim that Wu Xia might have a private relationship with Duàn Yì.
• Prince Duan told Xia Shu that Duàn Yì was their main opponent and urged him to defeat the Heir Apparent for public and private reasons; Xia Shu agreed.

After Duàn Yì and Qin Xin spent three days cultivating at home, news of the White Lotus Sect strongholds’ destruction stirred Heyin County’s powerful Lineages, which sought to win Duàn Yì’s favor. When Xia Hong finally visited, Duàn Yì noticed his second uncle acting wary and asked whether he had mishandled the task Xia Hong had assigned him.

• Duàn Yì and Qin Xin stayed in their courtyard for three days, cultivating and practicing their arts.
• People across Heyin County spread stories about Duàn Yì leading the destruction of two White Lotus Sect strongholds.
• Three Lineages prepared banquets, gifts, and women in hopes of gaining Duàn Yì’s favor, but he rejected their advances.
• Would-be retainers approached Duàn Yì through the county yamen, but he had no interest in taking them on.
• After three days without news from Xia Hong, Duàn Yì noticed his second uncle’s wary distance when he finally arrived and asked if he had mishandled Xia Hong’s previous instruction.

Duàn Yì confronted Xia Hong over his treatment of him and resisted the King of Zhenbei’s attempt to intimidate him, leaving them wary of each other. Xia Hong then told him the young man from White Cloud Study was a Six Gates agent and revealed that Duàn Yì’s position as Heir Apparent had been recorded in the imperial clan genealogy.

• Duàn Yì recalled how his efforts against the White Lotus Sect had helped the Zhenbei King's Mansion and challenged Xia Hong for treating him with suspicion.
• Xia Hong unleashed his martial aura to pressure Duàn Yì, but Duàn Yì resisted and recognized that the display was not as powerful as it seemed.
• Xia Hong dropped his hostile demeanor and reminded Duàn Yì that he was now the mansion’s Heir Apparent.
• Duàn Yì became wary of Xia Hong and asked what he had come to tell him.
• Xia Hong identified the young man from White Cloud Study as a Wind Roaming Secret Agent of the Six Gates and a disciple of a peerless expert.
• Xia Hong told Duàn Yì that the Imperial Clan Court had entered him into its records as the eldest legitimate grandson and recorded his position as Heir Apparent.

Duàn Yì learned that the Imperial Clan Court had recognized his royal bloodline and Heir Apparent status, a move that made Xia Hong wary of the Crown Prince’s plans. Xia Hong also told him the Dragon’s Tooth of the Soaring Dragon had been secured, then revealed that Prince Duan had invited them to a banquet.

• Duàn Yì realized the Crown Prince had arranged for the Imperial Clan Court to recognize his lineage and status, giving him a lawful claim to the throne and making Xia Hong suspicious.
• Duàn Yì reassured Xia Hong that he wanted only to pursue martial arts and had no political ambitions, while privately resisting the Crown Prince’s attempt to manipulate him.
• Xia Hong told Duàn Yì that the Dragon’s Tooth of the Soaring Dragon had been found and would be available in half a month.
• Duàn Yì rejoiced at the news, thinking that obtaining the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus from the Yuwen Family would complete the Three Great Hatreds and let him take the Yang Core Pill.
• Xia Hong assessed Duàn Yì’s cultivation and considered cultivating him as an asset to the Zhenbei King’s Mansion.
• Xia Hong told Duàn Yì that Prince Duan had invited them to a banquet to thank them for destroying the White Lotus Sect stronghold.