Recaps

Chen Sanshi sold most of the anomalous White Deer, arranged for Niu Gai to make him a powerful bow, and learned that an early-arriving Elite Selection Officer might become involved in the political struggle over the Eight Great Camps. After eating the deer heart, he practiced through the night as it restored his body, while Lan Jie'er waited for the usual ordeal that never came.

• Chen Sanshi kept some of the White Deer’s valuable parts, sold the rest for two hundred and eighty taels, and brought its sinews to Niu Gai to commission a bow.
• Wang Zhi told Chen Sanshi that Commander Xiang had ordered an investigation into the Witch God Cult and that the Elite Selection Officer would arrive before winter to inspect the troops.
• Wang Zhi explained that Xiang Tingchun was using the spring campaign to court the Crown Prince’s Faction and urged Chen Sanshi not to abandon his plan to join the Eight Great Camps and learn spear technique from Governor Sun.
• Chen Sanshi reminded Wang Zhi to watch for missing living people, then returned home and ate the White Deer heart.
• The deer heart’s coolness repaired Chen Sanshi’s body and let him practice spear technique through the night, while Lan Jie'er waited beside the bed and eventually fell asleep.

Chen Sanshi discovered signs that Liang Zhan, Song Lao Wu, and Pan Quan were connected to the disappearances, but he withdrew rather than confront the three Bone Refining martial artists. He warned Zhao Qiao and the other hunters to stay off the mountain, then returned to camp planning to break through to major accomplishment in Blood Refining.

• Chen Sanshi sparred with General Flag Fang and proved stronger, while saying he expected to reach major accomplishment in Blood Refining within days.
• Chen Sanshi learned that recent disappearances had shifted from the county town to poor people in the countryside.
• Chen Sanshi found Liang Zhan, Song Lao Wu, and Pan Quan guarding the route to the medicinal valley and suspected they were behind the killings.
• Liang Zhan urged the others to stop killing people, while Song Lao Wu and Pan Quan discussed the missing immortal treasure and their dealings with Xiang Tingchun.
• Chen Sanshi hunted a Black Bear, warned Zhao Qiao and the others to avoid the mountain, and lent them grain.
• Chen Sanshi returned to the military camp, intending to break through to major accomplishment in Blood Refining.

Chen Sanshi reached great accomplishment in Blood Training and gained Dragon Elephant Blood, earning a promotion and rewards from Xiang Tingchun. Xiang Tingchun, unable to find the Witch God Cult followers or secure the immortal treasure, ordered Luo Dongquan to frame the martial academies.

• Chen Sanshi learned the dispensary had run out of medicinal materials, drank Blood Replenishing Soup, and resumed his breakthrough training.
• Wang Zhi persuaded Xiang Tingchun to promise Chen Sanshi a three-hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng if he reached great accomplishment in Blood Training.
• Chen Sanshi pushed his body to its limit, unified his four streams of blood and qi throughout his body, and gained the Dragon Elephant Blood effect.
• Xiang Tingchun promoted Chen Sanshi to Chief Banner, promised him the Blood Ginseng, and announced rewards for the soldiers.
• Luo Dongquan reported that the martial academies doubted Xiang Tingchun's sincerity and that his men had failed to find the Witch God Cult followers.
• Xiang Tingchun ordered Luo Dongquan to pin a crime on the martial academies.

After confirming Chen Sanshi had Supreme Grade qi and blood, Wang Zhi offered him a choice of bone-refining spear techniques, and Chen chose the endurance-focused Indestructible Golden Snake Spear. On the way to lend grain to Zhao Qiao, Chen learned that Tailei Martial Arts School disciples had surrounded Zhao Qiao’s home and rode into the village while Xu Wencai ran for the Thousand Household Office.

• Wang Zhi judged Chen Sanshi’s qi and blood to be Supreme Grade and explained that Innate Martial Physiques were rarer still.
• Wang Zhi offered Chen three bone-refining spear techniques, and Chen chose the Indestructible Golden Snake Spear for its endurance.
• Chen left camp with Xu Wencai, carrying rice to lend to Zhao Qiao, and agreed that Xu could write an announcement to recruit men.
• Scabby Head told Chen that more than thirty Tailei Martial Arts School disciples had surrounded Zhao Qiao’s home.
• Chen rode into Yanbian Village, while Xu Wencai turned back toward the Thousand Household Office for help.

Chen Sanshi returned to find Huang Tao and his men beating Zhao Qiao, Wu Da, and Zhuang Yi to lure him into a trap. He killed Zhang Chao and Li Hao with arrows, then gave the others ten counts to leave.

• Huang Tao had Zhang Chao and Li Hao frame Zhao Qiao, Wu Da, and Zhuang Yi for theft and beat them to force Chen Sanshi to come.
• Zhao Qiao realized the men were targeting Chen Sanshi and refused to call him, despite the beating.
• Huang Tao ordered Wei Xu to fetch Chen Sanshi, but Wei Xu and the others balked.
• Chen Sanshi rode in on a white steed as Huang Tao threatened the hunters and demanded an apology.
• Chen Sanshi shot Li Hao through the heart and killed Zhang Chao with a second arrow.
• Chen Sanshi spared everyone except Huang Tao and Wei Xu for the moment and counted down from ten for the others to leave.

Chen Sanshi killed Huang Tao and the Tailei Martial Arts School disciples who confronted him in Yanbian Village. Song Lao Wu arrived to find the bodies and angrily challenged Chen Sanshi, leaving their confrontation about to begin.

• Chen Sanshi counted down as Huang Tao and more than thirty Tailei Martial Arts School disciples blocked his horse, but most fled before he finished.
• Chen Sanshi shot the disciples who remained, including Wei Xu, then charged Huang Tao on horseback and killed him with his spear.
• Zhao Qiao, Wu Da, and Zhuang Yi worried about the consequences, but Chen Sanshi said nothing would happen and told them to hide as more people approached.
• Song Lao Wu hurried to Yanbian Village after learning Huang Tao had taken men to confront Chen Sanshi, and he found the disciples dead.
• Song Lao Wu saw Chen Sanshi on his horse and angrily accused him of insolence.

Chen Sanshi fought Song Lao Wu after Song accused him of killing the martial hall disciples, while soldiers from the Poyang Thousand Households Command tried to contain the confrontation. Chen Sanshi held his own against the Bone Tempering martial artist, and Xu Bin and Zhu Tong surrounded the disciples as they waited for reinforcements.

• Song Lao Wu ordered his disciples to seize Chen Sanshi, but Xu Wencai returned with General Flag Fang and soldiers from the Poyang Thousand Households Command.
• General Flag Fang tried to defuse the dispute, but Song Lao Wu rejected his offer and charged Chen Sanshi himself.
• Chen Sanshi met Song Lao Wu's Thunderclap Swordplay with his Reed Leaf Spear, and their first exchange left neither with a clear advantage.
• Fang Ping rushed to find Commander Wang and urged the soldiers to keep the situation from worsening.
• Xu Bin and Zhu Tong led thirty soldiers in surrounding the martial hall disciples, while Chen Sanshi and Song Lao Wu continued fighting.

Chen Sanshi defeated and killed Song Lao Wu in Yanbian Village, then claimed responsibility to protect his companions. At Eight Treasures Restaurant, Xiang Tingchun used reports of the Tailei Martial Arts School’s attack on Great Sheng soldiers to kill Song Nanshan and order the school’s destruction, while threatening the other masters into replenishing the Military Camp’s grand storehouse.

• Chen Sanshi outlasted Song Lao Wu in battle, wounded him with his spear, and shot him with an arrow when he tried to flee.
• Chen Sanshi caught up with Song Lao Wu on the White Swan Horse and killed him, then told the villagers he would report the matter to Lord Thousand Households himself.
• Xiang Tingchun demanded the four martial arts school masters cooperate and promised to hand over the goods after spring, while threatening to search their residences for weapons and armor.
• Fang Ping sent word that disciples of the Tailei Martial Arts School had surrounded and attacked Great Sheng soldiers in broad daylight.
• Xiang Tingchun killed Song Nanshan, declared the Tailei Martial Arts School guilty of treason, and ordered troops to exterminate it.
• Xiang Tingchun threatened the remaining three masters, demanding they refill the Military Camp’s grand storehouse before dusk the next day.

After Chen Sanshi killed Song Lao Wu, Wang Zhi arrived and ordered Tailei Martial Arts School wiped out, ending the Song family’s power in Poyang County. Chen Sanshi then trained to advance his cultivation and collected a powerful fifteen-stone bow, leaving him better equipped for the dangers ahead.

• Wang Zhi arrived in Yanbian Village, confirmed that Chen Sanshi had killed Song Lao Wu, and ordered his soldiers to exterminate Tailei Martial Arts School for treason.
• The soldiers and villagers killed the martial arts school disciples, and the Song family’s household was executed while its wealth and property were confiscated.
• Martial arts schools began donating military supplies, while Chen Sanshi decided to investigate the medicine valley himself and entered closed-door cultivation to reach Bone Tempering.
• Chen Sanshi trained with the Indestructible Golden Snake Spear and used Xiang Tingchun’s Blood Ginseng to support his cultivation.
• Chen Sanshi collected a fifteen-stone bow and several types of arrows from Niu Gai, then tested a Triangular Armor-piercing Arrow by shattering a large stone from a hundred paces.

Chen Sanshi bought expensive Bone Nurturing Soup and looked for ways to earn money and improve before the Elite Selection Officer arrived. When more than a hundred people from Poyang came to enlist under him, Xiang Tingchun placed them all under Chen Sanshi’s command, and Chen Sanshi gained the Troop Command skill.

• Chen Sanshi bought two batches of Bone Nurturing Soup and considered hunting exotic beasts to earn money and find better Cultivation Resources.
• Wang Li told Chen Sanshi that more than a hundred people from Poyang had gathered outside the Military Camp to enlist under him.
• Chen Sanshi warned the villagers that war could cost them their lives, but they insisted on joining him.
• Luo Dongquan drew his blade when the villagers demanded to follow Chen Sanshi, prompting many to prepare to leave.
• Xiang Tingchun promised the villagers reliable rations and pay and assigned them all to Chen Sanshi despite Luo Dongquan’s objections.
• Chen Sanshi registered the recruits, arranged them in ranks, and saw a System Panel for Troop Command appear.

Chen Sanshi began organizing the 115 recruits under his command as Xiang Tingchun explained that he expected many to die before the next campaign. Meanwhile, Sun Li and Sun Buqi traveled to Poyang County on a mission tied to the vanguard selection and another investigation.

• Chen Sanshi counted 115 recruits, memorized their names and faces, and promised to teach them martial arts starting the next day.
• Luo Dongquan objected to Chen Sanshi gathering his own following, but Xiang Tingchun said the recruits would likely die in the coming campaign and warned that a new county magistrate appointed by the Emperor was coming with the prefect.
• Sun Li and Sun Buqi discussed the vanguard selection and the Sun family's military burdens as they rode toward Poyang County.
• Sun Buqi missed a rabbit with his bow, then killed it with his spear, prompting Sun Li to scold him for neglecting his duties.
• Sun Li and Sun Buqi reached Poyang County before nightfall.

Chen Sanshi studied military command and learned that Prefect Ji was pressuring him to leave Poyang County and serve as a guard in his residence. As Chen Sanshi prepared to respond, a woman invoked his registration with the Governor's Mansion to challenge the Prefect.

• Chen Sanshi practiced his spear, read military texts, and considered how training troops could improve his Troop Command skill.
• General Flag Fang summoned Chen Sanshi to the Training Ground for an inspection by Prefect Ji and the newly appointed County Magistrate.
• Commander Liu warned Chen Sanshi that Prefect Ji backed the Song family and might seek trouble over Chen's involvement in its destruction.
• Prefect Ji offered Chen Sanshi resources and a promise of reaching Transformative Force if he became a guard in his residence, while implying refusal could lead to a battlefield accident.
• A female voice objected that Chen Sanshi was a vanguard martial officer registered with the Governor's Mansion and accused Prefect Ji of trying to poach him.

Sun Li arrived in Poyang to select elites and questioned Chen Sanshi about his rapid progress and breathing technique. She recognized the Vast Exhalation Breathing Technique, asked about Wang Zhi, and went with Chen Sanshi to his home, while Ji Guangxian and Xiang Tingchun argued over Chen and an investigation into the Witch God Cult.

• Sun Li presented her Copper Token and challenged Prefect Ji's claim that he was merely offering Chen Sanshi another option, then took Chen aside to speak privately.
• Xiang Tingchun confronted Ji Guangxian over targeting Chen, and Ji ordered him to investigate suspected Witch God Cult followers in Poyang.
• Ji insisted he would keep Chen from serving Lord Governor, while Xiang warned him that Chen was ruthless and had ordered a Fifteen-stone Heavy Bow.
• Sun Li learned that Chen had reached Bone Tempering after two months and warned that an Inferior Grade breathing technique could lock his future potential.
• Chen told Sun Li that he practiced the Vast Exhalation Breathing Technique taught by Wang Zhi, prompting her to ask where Wang was.
• After learning Wang had gone to the prefectural city, Sun Li accompanied Chen to his home and asked him for tea.

Chen Sanshi welcomed Sun Li into his home and trained with her, while she investigated the Witch God Cult and the disappearances in Poyang County. Two days later, Chen began drilling his soldiers and awakened the Troop Command skill.

• Chen Sanshi answered Sun Li's questions about his background, and she invited him to join her in Liangzhou as a junior brother next spring.
• Sun Li stayed at Chen Sanshi's home and offered to train him; he sparred with her for hours and advanced his Indestructible Golden Snake Spear technique.
• Sun Li suspected the secret meeting between the emperor and barbarian envoys might be connected to the Witch God Cult.
• Chen Sanshi organized his soldiers' stance training and personally corrected their forms, awakening the Troop Command skill.

Chen Sanshi discovered that the Mainstay trait could help him build an unshakable army, then impressed Sun Buqi with his archery and agreed to teach him. Sun Li and Sun Buqi continued investigating the Witch God Cult, while Chen Sanshi prepared to advance his martial cultivation.

• Chen Sanshi recognized that becoming a Mainstay could help his soldiers stay calm under pressure and eventually forge an elite army.
• At the archery range, Chen Sanshi shot down two eagle vultures with one arrow from a distance of one hundred and fifty paces.
• Sun Buqi offered Chen Sanshi two hundred taels a month to teach him archery, and Chen Sanshi agreed to meet him at the Training Ground the next day.
• Sun Buqi reported to Sun Li that Chen Sanshi's background was clean and that he had risen from nothing to nearly Bone Tempering in just over two months.
• When Sun Buqi said the Witch God Cult could not be found in the city, Sun Li ordered him to search the mountains and the homes of officials and martial arts schools.
• Chen Sanshi bought Bone Nurturing Soup and a Medicinal Bath, saying he had encountered a rich young master, and prepared for a breakthrough.

Chen Sanshi tempered his sinews and discovered that he had the Nine Dragons Body, then earned promotion to Hundred Household Commander. After spotting Prefect Ji Guangxian, he planned a secret nighttime trip to the Medicine Valley and used Lan Jie'er to make Sun Li believe he stayed home.

• Chen Sanshi used Bone Nurturing Soup, Dragon Elephant Blood, and Sun Li's guidance to temper his sinews and awaken Nine Dragons Vitalizing Tendons.
• Sun Li identified Chen Sanshi's physique as the Nine Dragons Body and explained how it developed with each realm.
• Chen Sanshi reported his Bone Tempering breakthrough, and Xiang Tingchun promoted him to Hundred Household Commander.
• Chen Sanshi saw Prefect Ji Guangxian leave the Military Camp and decided to investigate the Medicine Valley that night.
• Chen Sanshi arranged for Lan Jie'er to help maintain the appearance that he stayed home, while Sun Li quietly left after hearing the bedroom commotion.

Chen Sanshi infiltrated the martial arts school’s medicine valley and discovered Liang Zhan using Spirit Grain and living victims to make powerful pills. After hearing Liang Zhan plot against him, Chen Sanshi attacked and burst into the residence, leaving Liang Zhan and the others wounded.

• Chen Sanshi sneaked into the medicine valley and silently put its eight guards to sleep with Plum Needle Arrows.
• Chen Sanshi spied on Liang Zhan, Pharmacist Li, and an old servant as they fed Spirit Grain to a captive and extracted a pill from the dead man’s body.
• Liang Zhan swallowed the pill and praised Pan Quan’s method of filtering Spirit Grain’s toxins through living people.
• Liang Zhan said the martial arts schools should pressure Prefect Ji to eliminate Chen Sanshi or drive him from Poyang County.
• Chen Sanshi shot the old servant, Liang Zhan, and Pharmacist Li with Armor-piercing Arrows, then crashed through the roof and confronted Liang Zhan.

Chen Sanshi interrogated Liang Zhan and uncovered the plot behind the immortal treasure and the experiments using spirit grain. He killed Liang Zhan and turned to the dying pharmacist, asking for sacks.

• Chen Sanshi shot and wounded Liang Zhan, then forced him to explain the immortal treasure and Xiang Tingchun's scheme.
• Liang Zhan recounted how the Tuoba prince stole the treasure, the four great martial halls tried to seize it, and the prince eventually died outside the city with the treasure passing to Chen Sanshi.
• Liang Zhan revealed that the treasure could refine cultivation medicine and that the martial halls had used captured peasants to extract spirit grain's essence.
• Liang Zhan offered Chen Sanshi wealth and the medicine garden, but Chen Sanshi rejected him and reminded him that he had come from the countryside too.
• Chen Sanshi killed Liang Zhan with a Plum Needle Arrow and asked the dying pharmacist whether there were any sacks.

After killing the people at the mountain apothecary and burning their bodies, Chen Sanshi hid his loot and returned to the military camp, where he expelled Zhao Jin and demanded discipline from his soldiers. At the academy, Liang Shengzhi and the other masters wrongly concluded that Xiang Tingchun had massacred the medicine garden to seize an immortal treasure.

• Chen Sanshi burned the apothecary’s corpses, hid the stolen goods in Yanbian Village, and returned to the Military Colony of the Thousand Household Office.
• Sun Li and Sun Buqi arrived at the burning medicine garden, realized someone had been there first, and left to investigate the other gardens later.
• Chen Sanshi dismissed Zhao Jin for shirking training and warned his soldiers that anyone else who slacked off would be sent home.
• Liang Shengzhi grieved over the charred bodies while Pan Quan and the Zhao academy master speculated about who had killed the medicine garden’s guards.
• Pan Quan and the Zhao academy master blamed Xiang Tingchun for seeking the immortal treasure, and Liang Shengzhi swore revenge against him.

Chen Sanshi taught Sun Buqi archery, then used costly medicinal baths to improve his cultivation. After his money ran low, he returned to his hidden supplies and began testing whether the immortal treasure’s strange flames could remove the toxins from Spirit Rice.

• Chen Sanshi coached Sun Buqi at the target range, and Sun Buqi revealed that Sun Li was his older sister and insisted on calling Chen Sanshi his master.
• Sun Li arrived, explained that she and Sun Buqi still had matters to attend to, and took her younger brother away.
• Chen Sanshi endured repeated medicinal baths and spear practice, raising his Indestructible Golden Snake Spear progress to 58/500 while spending most of his silver.
• After confirming nobody was watching him, Chen Sanshi retrieved his hidden medicinal materials, Spirit Rice, tools, and books from Yanbian Village.
• Chen Sanshi tried boiling Spirit Rice over lamp-oil flames, but the strange fire burned through the iron pot, so he decided to test scorching the rice directly.

Chen Sanshi tested spirit grain ash on animals and a Zhao Clan Martial Arts School disciple, then discovered it greatly accelerated his spear training while leaving dangerous toxins in his meridians. He returned home determined to learn medicine as the recruits’ assessment period approached its end.

• Chen Sanshi burned spirit grain into ash and found that feeding it to a rabbit and a cheetah caused severe agitation and fatal or near-fatal internal bleeding.
• Chen Sanshi captured a Zhao Clan Martial Arts School disciple, forced him to consume the ash and practice his blood-refining method, then killed him after confirming the method helped control its effects.
• Chen Sanshi consumed a tiny amount of ash and discovered it produced qi that entered his meridians, repaired injuries, and dramatically boosted his spear-training progress, though its toxins accumulated there.
• Chen Sanshi suspected the spirit grain and crimson-burning lamp oil could be part of an alchemy setup, then decided the immortal treasure would be blamed on Xiang Tingchun rather than himself.
• Chen Sanshi returned home, read medical books from Medicine Valley, and considered learning medicine while awaiting the end of the recruits’ assessment period.

Chen Sanshi inspected his recruits, received his promotion to Hundred Household Commander, and learned that he would take over Great Wall watch duty. After Xiang Tingchun demonstrated how a Viscera Refining Martial Artist could deflect his arrow and warned him about Prefect Ji Guangxian, Chen Sanshi suspected Xiang was encouraging an assassination but decided to improve his strength first.

• Chen Sanshi assigned temporary Squad Leader duties to Zhu Tong, Wang Li, and others, while Xu Wencai volunteered to train the troops.
• Ji Guangxian presented the soldiers with medicinal wine made from saber-toothed tiger blood, which could be exchanged for military merit.
• Chen Sanshi completed the promotion procedures and received his appointment as a Sixth Rank Hundred Household Commander; Luo Dongquan was promoted to Deputy Thousand Households.
• Xiang Tingchun told Chen Sanshi to take over Great Wall watch duty in two days and demonstrated that he could cut Chen's arrow out of the air.
• Xiang Tingchun warned Chen Sanshi that Prefect Ji Guangxian had ties to the Song family, gave him Ji's residence and mentioned his Viscera Refining guard.
• Chen Sanshi resolved not to act against Ji until he was stronger and went to find Officer Jiang at the medicine room.

Chen Sanshi began learning medicine while pondering the power of spirit grain and the possibility of immortals, then prepared for war with help from Sun Li. He left the Military Camp with more than a hundred men to take charge of Poyang County’s Great Wall defenses.

• Chen Sanshi studied medicinal herbs under Liuzi and raised his Medicine skill progress to 35/100.
• Chen Sanshi reasoned that spirit grain and an immortal treasure might explain the barbarians’ growing strength, and resolved to build an elite force while prioritizing survival in the coming war.
• Sun Li and Sun Buqi discussed the Thousand Household Office’s troop deployment with Chen Sanshi over dinner, and Gu Xinlan declined to discuss her family’s past exile.
• Sun Li lent Chen Sanshi three hundred taels, and he sparred with her to help absorb the spirit grain in his meridians.
• Chen Sanshi reported to the Military Camp and led more than a hundred men out under Zhao Kang’s guidance to take charge of Poyang County’s Great Wall defenses.

Chen Sanshi completed ten days of Great Wall watch duty while training his spear technique and helping at the pharmacy during rest periods. After returning to camp, he learned that Wang Zhi had changed his mind about asking Sun Li for help, and Chen Sanshi advanced his Medical Arts skill to the beginner stage.

• Chen Sanshi took over Great Wall watch duty and learned how the beacon system relayed warnings and intelligence.
• During ten days of patrols and pharmacy work, Chen Sanshi nearly spent his silver on Spirit Grain and raised his Indestructible Golden Snake Spear progress to 410/500.
• Commander Feng relieved Chen Sanshi, whose horsemanship progress had also risen to 150/200.
• Chen Sanshi told Wang Zhi that Sun Li said she did not know him, and Wang Zhi asked him not to mention him to Governor Sun before fleeing.
• Chen Sanshi returned to the pharmacy, where his knowledge of medicinal materials and formulas advanced Medical Arts to the beginner stage.

Chen Sanshi found a hidden cave to prepare medicinal ingredients and cultivate, then witnessed Sun Buqi confront Wang Zhi, who was revealed to be Tang Ruoshan, the former Main General of Xuanwu Camp. Sun Li spared Tang Ruoshan for the time being and ordered him to die on the battlefield in spring.

• Chen Sanshi discovered that his new ability let him identify every detail of medicinal formulas and decided to brew his own medicine.
• Chen Sanshi found a concealed cave on Tiger Head Mountain, prepared medicinal doses, and cultivated there.
• Sun Buqi attacked Wang Zhi, accusing him of being Tang Ruoshan and blaming him for his third brother's death.
• Wang Zhi admitted his identity and asked Sun Buqi to kill him.
• Sun Li stopped Sun Buqi, told Tang Ruoshan to keep his life and die on the battlefield in spring, and led Sun Buqi away.
• Chen Sanshi connected Tang Ruoshan to the defeat of Xuanwu Camp in Year 57 of Longqing, when Sun Buhui had been its Deputy General.