Chapter Summaries

Wang Ming blocked Zhu Yuyan while Dugu Feng fought Wan Wan over Heshibi Jade. After Zhu Yuyan intervened to save Wan Wan, Wang Ming claimed the jade and prepared to leave with Dugu Feng, but someone called for him to stay.

• Wang Ming stopped Zhu Yuyan from reaching Heshibi Jade and identified himself as Dugu Qiubai.
• Zhu Yuyan proposed a wager that the winner of Wan Wan and Dugu Feng's fight would decide who left with Heshibi Jade, and Wang Ming agreed.
• Dugu Feng and Wan Wan fought, with Dugu Feng breaking through Wan Wan's Heavenly Demon Field using the Qi Breaking Stance.
• Zhu Yuyan deflected Dugu Feng's sword to save Wan Wan, conceded the wager, and retreated with her disciple.
• Wang Ming picked up Heshibi Jade and started to leave with Dugu Feng, but a voice called, “Benefactor, please stay!”

Wang Ming refused to surrender the Heshibi Jade to Liao Kong, Hou Xibai, and Shi Feixuan, and let Dugu Feng fight in his place. Dugu Feng defeated Hou Xibai and faced Shi Feixuan while Zhu Yuyan and Wan Wan watched from the forest, waiting for a chance to act.

• Wang Ming rejected Liao Kong's claim to the Heshibi Jade and refused Shi Feixuan's request to take it for the common people.
• Dugu Feng stepped forward to fight Shi Feixuan, but Hou Xibai intervened to protect his friend and fought Dugu Feng instead.
• Dugu Feng used the Nine Swords of Dugu to defeat Hou Xibai in a few moves.
• Shi Feixuan fought Dugu Feng with the Cihang Sword Canon, rapidly changing techniques to counter Dugu Feng's attacks.
• Zhu Yuyan and Wan Wan watched from the forest as Zhu told Wan Wan to study Shi Feixuan for their coming decisive duel.

Dugu Feng defeated Shi Feixuan in the fight over the Heshibi Jade, while Wang Ming refused to return it and challenged Cihang Pure Monastery’s claim to act for the common people. The chapter ended with Yang You ordering his forces to surround the gathering at Jingnian Zen Monastery.

• Experts from several factions gathered to watch Dugu Feng and Shi Feixuan fight over the Heshibi Jade.
• Yang You learned that Li Shimin had escaped Luoyang, then ordered Dugu Sheng to lead experts to surround Jingnian Zen Monastery after scouts reported the gathering there.
• Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Ba Feng Han recovered from their injuries and left the area after Xu Ziling sensed danger.
• Dugu Feng broke Shi Feixuan’s sword technique and nearly struck her down, but Monk Liao Kong stopped the attack with the sound of a bronze bell and conceded the battle.
• Liao Kong challenged Dugu Feng, but Wang Ming ordered her to step down and refused Hou Xibai and Shi Feixuan’s requests to return the Heshibi Jade.
• Wang Ming accused Cihang Pure Monastery of pursuing its faction’s interests under the pretense of serving the common people.

At the cliff clearing behind Jingnian Zen Monastery, Wang Ming argued that the stolen Heshibi Jade belonged to the Sui court and proposed ending the war by having Yang Guang abdicate and the rebels surrender. When the factions rejected his proposal and Liao Kong attacked, Wang Ming defeated him and turned his greatsword on the others.

• Shi Feixuan demanded that Wang Ming return the Heshibi Jade, while Wang Ming argued that it was unclaimed Qin property and proposed that Yang Guang abdicate in exchange for the rebels surrendering.
• Shen Luoyan challenged Wang Ming's claim that Yang Guang would abdicate, and Wang Bo rejected the idea of preserving the Sui Dynasty.
• Liao Kong demanded the Heshibi Jade and attacked Wang Ming with a bronze bell and his palms after Wang Ming handed the jade to Dugu Feng.
• Wang Ming fought Liao Kong with his giant sword, overwhelmed him even after he received an iron staff, and blasted him into a pile of rubble.
• When Hou Xibai urged Wang Ming to spare them because he claimed to Subdue with Virtue, Wang Ming swept his sword at the gathered fighters and revealed that its name was Virtue.

Wang Ming overwhelmed Liao Kong and the others with his heavy sword and was about to kill them when an unknown newcomer blocked his final strike. Shi Feixuan recognized the newcomer as her master, and Wang Ming suspected the Daoist beside her was the true source of the intervention.

• Dugu Feng praised Wang Ming after he defeated Liao Kong, while Shi Feixuan and the others braced themselves against him.
• Wang Ming attacked Liao Kong, Shi Feixuan, Wang Bo, Hou Xibai, and their allies, leaving them badly injured as they struggled to parry his heavy sword.
• Wang Ming’s next strike was stopped by a boulder that flew in from a nearby grove.
• Shi Feixuan called the nun-dressed woman who emerged from the grove her master, and Wang Ming became wary of the Daoist accompanying her.

Wang Ming threw the Heshibi Jade away to escape, but Ning Daoqi blocked his path while Fan Qinghui and Liao Kong pushed for him to be taken to Jingnian Zen Monastery. As Shen Luoyan and Zhu Yuyan's groups withdrew, Wang Ming faced the threat of being forced into Buddhist custody.

• Wang Ming snatched the Heshibi Jade from Dugu Feng and tossed it into the crowd before trying to flee.
• Ning Daoqi stopped Wang Ming, and Liao Kong and Fan Qinghui proposed taking him to Jingnian Zen Monastery to be purified.
• Shen Luoyan decided to withdraw after learning Ning Daoqi had arrived, and Wang Bodang and the others agreed.
• Zhu Yuyan told Wan Wan that Buddhism might cripple Wang Ming, imprison him, and convert him to claim his martial knowledge.

Wang Ming fought Ning Daoqi and turned the surrounding martial artists’ attacks against him, leaving both men badly injured before an approaching army forced their duel to stop. Dugu Feng took the Heshibi Jade, and Wang Ming asked her to take him back to the imperial palace.

• Ning Daoqi attacked Wang Ming and pressed him with the Scattering Hand Eight Trigrams, while Zhu Yuyan and Wan Wan watched and assessed the fight.
• Wang Ming attacked the onlookers to provoke them into striking him, then used Star Shift to redirect their attacks onto Ning Daoqi and wounded him.
• Wang Ming and Ning Daoqi exchanged fierce attacks until both were badly injured, and Wang Ming prepared to use the Three Apocalyptic Slashes for their final clash.
• Ning Daoqi sensed a large army approaching and called for a retreat, while Dugu Feng revealed that she had taken the Heshibi Jade.
• Wang Ming asked Dugu Feng to take him back to the imperial palace as he and Ning Daoqi suppressed their serious injuries.

After the Mandate-Selecting Emperor event collapsed, Wang Ming studied the Heshibi Jade, warned Yang You to train so he could protect himself, and retaliated against Buddhism by dismantling Jingnian Zen Monastery. The exposed wealth turned public opinion against Buddhism as other factions and bandits began targeting its resources.

• Yang You’s army surrounded Li Shimin, but experts from the Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and Saint sects defected and helped Li Shimin escape, ending the Mandate-Selecting Emperor event in chaos.
• Cihang Pure Monastery’s plan to endorse Li Shimin failed after the Heshibi Jade was lost, worsening tensions between Li Shimin, Li Yuan, and Li Jiancheng.
• Dugu Feng gained fame for defeating Shi Feixuan and Wan Wan, while challengers seeking Wang Ming—now known as Dugu Qiubai—forced her to fight and kill until her swordsmanship advanced.
• Wang Ming recovered from his injuries and found that the Heshibi Jade’s strange energy could be transferred to other jade, though he could not absorb it himself.
• Wang Ming questioned Yang You about his memorials and martial arts training, warning him that training could save his life if Li Shimin attacked.
• Wang Ming raided and demolished Jingnian Zen Monastery, seized its land and wealth, and displayed its records publicly, turning people against Buddhism and drawing raids from rebel factions and bandits.

Wang Ming maintained Luoyang’s peace while refugees poured into the city, then convened court to address crime and poverty by distributing land and imposing measures on aristocratic families. He left the court having clarified that he would tolerate such families only if they did not exploit commoners or block social mobility.

• Yang You and Dugu Feng told Wang Ming that refugees were worsening public disorder in Luoyang, and he promised to address the problem at court.
• Wang Ming ordered commoners entering Luoyang to receive land, using confiscated temple fields and land seized from aristocratic families whose clansmen refused to return from rebel factions.
• Wang Ming directed that land outside Luoyang be treated as ownerless and available for redistribution.
• Dugu Feng asked whether Wang Ming intended to abolish aristocratic families, and he said he opposed only those that exploited commoners, evaded taxes, seized farmland, or blocked advancement.

Wang Ming refused Li Mi’s alliance and watched the rival powers grow while keeping Luoyang’s military strength in reserve. As Kou Zhong and Li Shimin became the last major contenders, Wang Ming said Buddhist forces and Shi Feixuan would prevent Kou Zhong from taking Luoyang, but left Yang You wondering how they could stop him.

• Yang You told Wang Ming that the influx of settlers had overwhelmed Luoyang’s prisons, and Wang Ming ordered criminals assigned to labor according to their crimes, with murderers, rapists, and traffickers sent to serve as experimental subjects.
• Over the following years, Luoyang grew into the realm’s leading city as Wang Ming’s schools, training classes, and other institutions filled the gaps left by departing aristocratic families and sects.
• Shen Luoyan visited on Li Mi’s behalf to propose an alliance against Li Shimin, but Wang Ming rejected her offer and later remained indifferent when Li Mi surrendered to Li Shimin.
• After Du Fuwei’s Jianghuai Army merged with Kou Zhong’s Young Marshal Army, Yang You warned Wang Ming that Kou Zhong and Li Shimin had swept away the other rebel forces and might attack Luoyang.
• Wang Ming told Yang You not to act, arguing that Luoyang was well fortified and that Buddhism, Cihang Pure Monastery, and Shi Feixuan would not allow Kou Zhong to seize the city while Li Shimin remained their chosen investment.

After ten years of cultivating and ruling Luoyang, Wang Ming learned that Kou Zhong and Li Shimin had joined forces to attack the city. Luoyang’s people prepared to defend the home and future they had built, while Wang Ming faced the coming war.

• Wang Ming reached the fourth realm of the North Darkness Divine Skill and discovered that its slow flight was mainly convenient for hovering instead of walking.
• Yang You rushed into the imperial study and told Wang Ming that Kou Zhong and Li Shimin were attacking Luoyang from opposite directions.
• Wang Ming questioned why his rivals had joined forces, while Kou Zhong and Li Shimin sought to remove Luoyang before their own struggle for the empire.
• Aristocratic families and religious sects opposed Luoyang’s reforms, and rumors had given the city a terrible reputation beyond its borders.
• Luoyang’s educated residents returned from serving other powers and prepared to defend their city, its laws, and the hope they had found there.

Wang Ming defended Luoyang against the combined armies of Kou Zhong and Li Shimin, using his Sonic Power Skill to devastate the attackers before stopping to conserve his strength against the grandmasters targeting him. The siege continued as Luoyang’s outnumbered soldiers fought on, while the enemy’s leaders prepared to eliminate Yang Guang.

• Wang Ming and Yang You surveyed the two-million-strong coalition surrounding Luoyang, and Yang You regretted that they had not killed Kou Zhong earlier.
• The coalition began its assault, and Wang Ming used his Sonic Power Skill to kill nearly a thousand soldiers before stopping when he realized the enemy was trying to drain his true qi.
• Yang You and Dugu Feng understood the enemy’s plan, and Wang Ming left the defense to them so he could preserve his strength against Ning Daoqi and the other grandmasters.
• Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Shi Feixuan praised Xu Xingzhi’s strategy of using ordinary soldiers to exhaust Wang Ming, while their coalition’s experts assembled to target Yang Guang.
• The attack resumed, and Luoyang’s well-trained but greatly outnumbered soldiers struggled to defend the city.

Luoyang's defenders repelled a multi-gate assault led by the forces around Kou Zhong, while Wang Ming watched the attackers and suspected they were trying to draw away his allies. After Li Shimin was arrested, Shi Feixuan met Xu Ziling in secret, but Xu Ziling remained too afraid of the consequences to accept her feelings.

• Wang Ming sent Dugu Feng, You Chuhong, and Yang You to defend Luoyang's south, north, and west gates against expert attackers.
• Dugu Feng drove Ba Feng Han and Hou Xibai away, You Chuhong fought Fan Qinghui and Liao Kong, and Yang You battled the Four Holy Monks.
• The defenders returned after the attackers withdrew, and Wang Ming saw the retreating troops leave the battlefield in disarray.
• Fan Qinghui told Shi Feixuan that Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng had stripped Li Shimin of military authority and arrested him, with the Demonic Sect possibly behind them.
• Shi Feixuan secretly met Xu Ziling outside the camp, but Xu Ziling feared the consequences of choosing her and could not bring himself to accept her feelings.

Shi Feixuan urged Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong to support Li Shimin, arguing that Kou Zhong’s victory would bring division and foreign invasion. After learning Fan Qinghui had gone to persuade Song Que, Kou Zhong lost confidence in victory and decided to surrender to Li Shimin.

• Shi Feixuan asked Xu Ziling to persuade Kou Zhong to abandon his bid for the throne, but Xu Ziling said Kou Zhong could no longer withdraw without betraying his army and Song Que.
• Xu Ziling brought Shi Feixuan to Kou Zhong, where she challenged Kou Zhong to kill her and argued that his mercy made him unfit to be emperor; Xu Ziling stopped Kou Zhong when killing intent rose.
• Kou Zhong explained to Xu Ziling and Ba Feng Han that he could not abandon the Young Marshal Army after its soldiers had risked their lives trusting him to unify the world.
• Xu Ziling urged Kou Zhong to help Li Shimin defeat Li Yuan, the Demonic Sect, and Jieli, while Ba Feng Han admitted he understood both brothers’ positions.
• Kou Zhong questioned whether his blood feud with Li Shimin could be set aside, then angrily protested that he had to surrender despite years of struggle.
• After hearing that Fan Qinghui had gone to persuade Song Que, Kou Zhong concluded that Song Que might abandon him and decided to surrender to Li Shimin.

Kou Zhong accepted Xu Ziling's proposal, rescued Li Shimin, and brought him to Song Que, signaling that he had given up his bid for the throne. With the struggle for Luoyang next, the group settled on a plan after discussing the danger posed by Yang Guang and his Demonic Saber.

• Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Shi Feixuan, Ba Feng Han, Hou Xibai, and Buddhist experts drove Zhu Yuyan, Wan Wan, and Shi Zhixuan to retreat, then killed Yang Xuyan.
• Kou Zhong rescued Li Shimin, discussed surrender terms with him, and took him to meet Song Que.
• Ning Daoqi accepted Song Que's challenge but surrendered when Kou Zhong and Li Shimin arrived, while Song Que began discussing matters with Li Shimin.
• Kou Zhong and Li Shimin discussed absorbing Kou Zhong's troops and attacking Luoyang with Song Que, Shi Feixuan, Xu Ziling, and Ning Daoqi.
• Song Que explained that Yang Guang's Demonic Saber could unleash continuous saber qi and that his strength and heavy armor made him difficult to defeat, and the group finalized their plan.

Li Shimin’s forces intensified their siege of Luoyang after Kou Zhong surrendered, while the city’s defenders endured the assault despite being vastly outnumbered. As the commanders planned to send grandmasters over the walls, You Chuhong fought off Fan Qinghui and Liao Kong, leaving the siege unresolved.

• After Kou Zhong surrendered, Li Shimin concentrated his forces on a relentless frontal assault against Luoyang, and Yang You and the defenders struggled to hold the walls.
• Li Jing reported that ten attacks had failed, and Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Shi Feixuan, and the other experts discussed how to break through the city’s defenses.
• The allied commanders planned a comprehensive assault to distract the garrison while their grandmasters scaled the walls and tried to open the gates.
• Luoyang’s soldiers, despite despairing of victory against the much larger army, refused to surrender and fought on to protect their freedom and dignity.
• You Chuhong overwhelmed Fan Qinghui and Liao Kong with her Cape Staff Technique, forcing them to defend themselves against her powerful attacks.

As Li Shimin and Kou Zhong’s unified forces assaulted Luoyang, Wang Ming observed the battle and confronted Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Shi Feixuan. He exposed the cost of Kou Zhong’s decision to abandon his bid for the throne and challenged the others’ claims of selflessness, leaving their spiritual and martial prospects in doubt.

• You Chuhong held off Fan Qinghui and Monk Liao Kong while Dugu Feng broke Ba Feng Han’s swordplay and nearly killed him before Hou Xibai intervened.
• Yang You confronted the Four Holy Monks, but their coordinated formation gradually suppressed him.
• Wang Ming realized Li Shimin and Kou Zhong’s armies had united and noticed Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Shi Feixuan approaching Luoyang’s walls.
• Kou Zhong declared that he had given up competing for the throne, and Shi Feixuan and Xu Ziling urged Wang Ming to surrender to the Prince of Qin.
• Wang Ming told Kou Zhong that the soldiers’ sacrifices had been wasted, shaking Kou Zhong’s fighting spirit as nearby troops heard their exchange.
• Wang Ming argued that Kou Zhong’s guilt and Xu Ziling and Shi Feixuan’s incomplete states of mind would prevent them from reaching the pinnacle of martial arts.

Yang You was overwhelmed by the Four Holy Monks until Wang Ming intervened, killed them, and saved him. Wang Ming then drew enemy attacks away from Luoyang’s defenders, while Kou Zhong pursued him, hoping to capture Yang Guang and spare the former Young Marshal Army further losses.

• The Four Holy Monks used their formation to suppress Yang You and prepared to capture him for Li Tang.
• Wang Ming’s words unsettled Shi Feixuan and Kou Zhong, but he rushed to Yang You’s side, stunned the Four Holy Monks, and killed them with Six Meridian Divine Sword qi.
• Kou Zhong challenged Wang Ming, who left Yang You behind and rose into the air to draw enemy forces away from Luoyang’s walls.
• Li Shimin’s archers fired thousands of arrows at Wang Ming, but his protective qi blocked them and he sent the arrows flying back at nearby soldiers.
• Kou Zhong attacked Wang Ming with his Well Moon Saber, and Wang Ming’s sword qi drove him back while leaving a mark on the blade.
• Kou Zhong renewed his pursuit, determined to kill Yang Guang and reduce the losses among the former Young Marshal Army.

Wang Ming fought Kou Zhong until Xu Ziling and Shi Feixuan joined in, while Yang You returned to Luoyang’s walls and rallied its defenders. As Li Tang pressed into the city, Wang Ming wounded Xu Ziling with a hidden Six Meridian Divine Sword strike, leaving the three opponents injured but still alive.

• Wang Ming used the Six Meridian Divine Sword and Flame Blade to keep Kou Zhong at bay, and Kou Zhong deduced that Yang Guang was vulnerable at close range.
• Xu Ziling and Shi Feixuan joined Kou Zhong, while Yang You warned Wang Ming that the defenders were nearly overwhelmed and ran back toward the city.
• Yang You rallied the defenders on Luoyang’s walls and went to mobilize a legion of ten thousand women martial artists.
• You Chuhong feinted at Fan Qinghui and struck Liao Kong down, then fled toward the city walls when she sensed danger.
• Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Shi Feixuan launched their strongest attacks, but Wang Ming countered with Flame Blade strikes and concealed Six Meridian Divine Sword qi, injuring Xu Ziling.

Yang You brought nearly thirty thousand reinforcements to Luoyang as its exhausted defenders faced Li Shimin’s overwhelming army. Wang Ming drove back his pursuers with fire and ice techniques, then rested on the walls while Li Shimin’s commanders tried to restore the shaken army’s morale.

• Yang You arrived at Luoyang with nearly thirty thousand volunteers, giving the exhausted defenders a chance to recover.
• Wang Ming used Flame Blade to burn soldiers and repel Shi Feixuan, Kou Zhong, and Xu Ziling, then froze the ground and city wall to stop the attackers from climbing.
• Wang Ming returned to the ramparts and told Yang You, You Chuhong, and Dugu Feng to hold their positions while he recovered from the energy-draining ice technique.
• Shi Feixuan, Kou Zhong, and Xu Ziling returned to Li Shimin’s command tent, where the commanders discussed Wang Ming’s fire and ice martial arts and the damage to military morale.
• Kou Zhong demonstrated his own ice technique and agreed to show it to Li Tang’s soldiers to ease their fear of Wang Ming.