Chapter Summaries

Xiao Xie took Murong Feng and Murong Huang to a slave market and bought forty-eight slaves for the Xiao Residence. After returning home, he set rules and promised the slaves meals, wages, and the possibility of freedom, then left Murong Feng and Murong Huang to assign their duties.

• Xiao Xie brought Murong Feng and Murong Huang to the largest slave market and told them to select people the residence needed.
• Xiao Xie chose twenty female slaves, while Murong Feng and Murong Huang selected twenty male guards and several slaves with specialized skills.
• Xiao Xie paid Wang Pangzi four hundred and eighty Gold Coins for the forty-eight slaves without haggling.
• Xiao Xie brought the slaves to the Xiao Residence, assigned the maids to the inner courtyard, and barred male guards from entering it.
• Xiao Xie promised the slaves daily meals with meat, monthly wages, and a chance to regain their freedom, then left Murong Feng and Murong Huang to organize their work.

Xiao Xie developed paper, glass, and fine liquor into profitable enterprises while expanding his influence around Azure Cloud City. After learning that Ge Nie had left the Qin Kingdom with Jing Tianming, Xiao Xie set out with Murong Feng and Murong Huang, as Qin soldiers surrounded Ge Nie and the child on a narrow path.

• Xiao Xie gave Murong Huang instructions for making paper and decided to produce glass to raise money.
• Xiao Xie targeted bandit strongholds for funds, and three months later Ascension Tower had opened as his businesses spread across the country.
• Murong Feng reported three hundred thousand taels of gold in profit, while Xiao Xie described his expanded forces and the cultivation of Murong Feng and Murong Huang.
• Murong Feng told Xiao Xie that Ge Nie had betrayed the Qin Kingdom over a child, so Xiao Xie prepared to travel with Murong Feng and Murong Huang.
• Xiao Xie left Shadow One and Shadow Two in charge of the Xiao Residence's defenses.
• Three hundred Qin soldiers surrounded Ge Nie and Jing Tianming on a narrow path, and their commander ordered his troops not to act without his signal.

Gai Nie protected Tian Ming while fighting three hundred Qin cavalrymen, as the Mohist Grandmaster and Master Ban watched from afar. After the Qin army reported the defeat to Ying Zheng, Li Si proposed using Gai Nie’s fellow Ghost Valley disciple to counter the rebel forces.

• Gai Nie told Tian Ming not to let fear make him weak as the Qin cavalry commander ordered them to surrender.
• The Mohist Grandmaster asked Master Ban about Tian Ming, and Master Ban reported the child’s troubled past and said he seemed irrelevant to their plans.
• The Qin commander redirected the cavalry to attack Tian Ming, while Gai Nie struggled to protect him amid the assault.
• A battle report reached Ying Zheng, reporting that Gai Nie and Tian Ming had defeated all three hundred cavalrymen.
• Li Si explained that Gai Nie was one of two opposing Ghost Valley disciples and proposed fighting the jianghu forces with their own kind; Ying Zheng assigned him the matter.

Red Practice learned that Xiao Xie was alive but did not approach him, while Wei Zhuang accepted Li Si’s offer to pursue Gai Nie in exchange for information about the child he protected. Xiao Xie and his companions found signal flares marking an attack on the village where Xiang Shaoyu and the others were training, and hurried toward them.

• Red Practice recalled recognizing Xiao Xie as her Seventeenth Brother but fleeing because she feared he would not recognize her.
• Li Si met Wei Zhuang at Quicksand’s stronghold, where Wei Zhuang killed a soldier who challenged him.
• Li Si told Wei Zhuang that Gai Nie’s whereabouts were tied to the Mohist School and that the child he protected was a life that should not remain in the world.
• Wei Zhuang agreed to obtain the child while Li Si helped him reach Gai Nie, then ordered Red Practice to gather Unmatched, Gray Wolf, and White Phoenix and have Unmatched investigate first.
• Xiang Shaoyu trained with members of the Xiang Clan until signal flares warned that enemies were attacking.
• Xiao Xie and the Murong siblings spotted the alarm flares and headed toward the village.

Xiao Xie rescued Tian Ming and the Xiang Clan from Wu Shuang Gui, then joined their flight toward a physician who could treat Gai Nie. The group set out, with Gai Nie stabilized by a Jade Dew Pill and Tian Ming and Xiang Shaoyu bickering along the way.

• Xiang Shaoyu’s party captured Tian Ming, but Wu Shuang Gui appeared and attacked him after killing A Long.
• Xiao Xie blocked Wu Shuang Gui’s punch, drained his internal energy, and killed him.
• Xiao Xie introduced himself to Xiang Shaoyu and Fan Zeng, identified Wu Shuang Gui as a Quick Sand Organization assassin, and agreed to travel with the Xiang Clan.
• Xiao Xie had Murong Huang give Gai Nie a Jade Dew Pill, and Fan Zeng arranged to take him to a divine physician.
• The Xiang Clan convoy departed, while Tian Ming and Xiang Shaoyu teased and wrestled with each other outside Xiao Xie’s carriage.

As the convoy crossed a desolate plain, Gai Nie awoke and warned that the Grey Wolf King and his wolves were pursuing them. The wolves surrounded the group after nightfall, while Xiao Xie and the Murong sisters remained calm.

• Tian Ming asked Shao Yu about their destination, and Shao Yu explained that their home lay far to the south and vowed to overthrow Ying Zheng with the Xiang Clan.
• Fan Zeng warned the convoy to stay alert in wolf territory, and the Grey Wolf King’s pack appeared across the wasteland.
• Gai Nie woke and summoned the others, but Xiao Xie explained that the Grey Wolf King, a member of the Quick Sand Organization, was their enemy.
• Gai Nie urged the convoy to abandon excess cargo, speed up, and use fire to keep the wolves away.
• Night fell before the group escaped the plain, and the wolves surrounded the stopped carriages as Xiao Xie and the Murong sisters stayed composed.

Xiao Xie’s group was attacked by the Grey Wolf King and his wolves, but Murong Feng swiftly defeated the assassin and Xiao Xie drained his internal energy. Yue Er then guided the group to Mirror Lake Medical Manor, where they arrived safely.

• The Grey Wolf King extinguished the torches and killed several guards before lunging at Tian Ming, who stood his ground despite his fear.
• At Xiao Xie’s command, Murong Feng used her soft sword to sever the Grey Wolf King’s tendons and bring him back to the carriage.
• Xiao Xie drained the Grey Wolf King’s internal energy, while Fan Zeng and Gai Nie recognized Murong Feng’s strength and swordsmanship.
• Xiao Xie played his flute, and the wolf pack dispersed after its alpha howled.
• Yue Er introduced herself and led Xiao Xie’s group by boat to Mirror Lake Medical Manor.

Shao Yu’s group brought the wounded Gai Nie to Duanmu Rong’s medical residence, but she refused to treat him because his injuries came from a sword fight. The chapter ended with Tian Ming angrily heading to tear down her sign.

• Yue Er explained that Duanmu Rong refused to treat Qin people, anyone surnamed Gai, and people injured in sword fights caused by showing off or fighting fiercely.
• Shao Yu introduced Xiao Xie, his maids, and Tian Ming to Duanmu Rong, then asked her to treat the injured Gai Nie.
• Duanmu Rong identified Gai Nie as an expert swordsman and exposed Shao Yu’s claim that he had been injured while saving the Chu Family.
• Duanmu Rong refused to treat Gai Nie and told Yue Er to see the group out despite Shao Yu’s appeal to the Mohist School’s principles.
• Tian Ming insulted Duanmu Rong and headed for the entrance, threatening to tear down her wooden sign.

Xiao Xie arrived at the Mohist School with his companions, where his identity as the wealthy master of Ascension Tower was recognized. Duanmu Rong agreed to treat Gai Nie, while Old Man Ban sent word about Xiao Xie's arrival and Shao Yu's group departed.

• Old Man Ban stopped Tian Ming from attacking Duanmu Rong's signboard, and Duanmu Rong disarmed the Xiang Clan members before Xiao Xie and Murong Feng blocked her needles.
• Old Man Ban recognized Xiao Xie as the master of Ascension Tower, and Shao Yu explained the wealth behind its wine and glass ornaments.
• Xiao Xie identified the injured Gai Nie and his sword Yuan Hong, prompting Duanmu Rong to order the patient and Tian Ming brought inside for treatment.
• Xiao Xie declined Shao Yu's invitation to leave with the Xiang Clan, and Old Man Ban sent a Mechanical Bird carrying news of Xiao Xie's arrival to the Mohist School's Grandmaster.
• Shao Yu and his companions set off, and Tian Ming traded playful stone throws with Shao Yu before Yue Er returned to help Duanmu Rong.

Tian Ming learned that the Mohist School required everyone to work for their meals, while Xiao Xie gave Duanmu Rong an Ascension Token and explained its privileges. Duanmu Rong returned the valuable token, but Xiao Xie urged her to accept it.

• Tian Ming ate ten bowls of rice before learning that he had to chop a towering pile of firewood to earn his meal.
• Xiao Xie gave Duanmu Rong a green Ascension Token, and Old Man Ban explained that it granted access to the Ascension Tower’s fourth floor and a yearly treasure.
• Tian Ming and Yue Er learned that treasures on the fourth floor were worth at least a thousand taels of gold, and Tian Ming imagined buying roast chickens with that wealth.
• Duanmu Rong returned the token because she felt she had done nothing to deserve it.
• Xiao Xie told Duanmu Rong that the token also brought privileges at Ascension Tower branches and the Tower’s protection, then urged her to keep it.

Xiao Xie offered Duanmu Rong an Ascension Token and discussed Tian Ming’s curse seal with Gai Nie and Old Man Ban. The next morning, Xiao Xie found Yue Er teaching Tian Ming about Mohist principles.

• Xiao Xie explained that Ascension Token holders received missions and rewards, and Duanmu Rong accepted one while Tian Ming asked for a token of his own.
• Old Man Ban, Duanmu Rong, and Yue Er left after Xiao Xie said Ascension Tower tokens depended on his mood, while Tian Ming went to chop firewood.
• Xiao Xie and Old Man Ban learned from Gai Nie that Tian Ming bore a Sealed Sleep Curse Seal that could cause memory loss and frenzied episodes and would kill him if not removed within five years.
• Gai Nie affirmed that he had promised Jing Ke to protect Tian Ming despite the dangers of opposing Ying Zheng, as a blue-and-white bird watched them.
• The next morning, Xiao Xie followed Tian Ming as he secretly approached Yue Er, who was praying to the Mohist Souls, and heard her explain non-aggression and universal love.

Xiao Xie challenged Yue Er’s idealistic beliefs, then the group discovered Qin spies had found the Medical Manor and fled toward Mechanic City. Their escape began after Gai Nie identified a spy bird linked to White Phoenix.

• Xiao Xie told Yue Er that equality and a world without war were impossible, and Tian Ming comforted her by promising to face whatever came with her.
• Duanmu Rong received a secret order revealing that Wei Zhuang’s men were helping hunt Gai Nie and agreed to proceed with the plan.
• Gai Nie thanked Duanmu Rong for saving him, and Xiao Xie defended her kindness despite her sharp words.
• Murong Feng and Murong Huang reported that an attacker had taken poison and died, and Gai Nie found a spider tattoo on the corpse.
• Duanmu Rong recognized a White Phoenix Feather Talisman on Tian Ming, and Gai Nie shot down the nearby Spywing Bird.
• Gai Nie ordered everyone to leave, and the group packed up and departed the Medical Manor by carriage.

Xiao Xie exposed Yue Er as a victim of the Fire Charm Technique after she revealed she had planted the Feather Talisman to guide the assassins toward Gai Nie. As Red Practice appeared with a swarm of venomous snakes, she revealed that Gai Nie had been poisoned, leaving the group surrounded and in danger.

• A giant white bird attacked the carriage, and Xiao Xie, Murong Feng, Murong Huang, Duanmu Rong, and Yue Er escaped as the carriage fell from the cliff.
• Xiao Xie identified Yue Er as the one carrying the Feather Talisman, and Yue Er confirmed it.
• Xiao Xie explained that the Fire Charm Technique had altered Yue Er's memories, making her believe Gai Nie had killed her father.
• Xiao Xie knocked Yue Er unconscious when she rejected the explanation, and thousands of venomous snakes surrounded the group.
• Red Practice emerged and revealed that Yue Er had helped poison Gai Nie, whose inner energy failed when he tried to fight.

Xiao Xie revealed his past as the Seventeenth Young Master of Han and reunited warmly with Red Practice before escaping with his companions toward Mohist Mechanic City. En route, a poisoned Black Eagle attacked the Mechanical Bird, leaving Old Man Ban poisoned and Tian Ming falling overboard.

• Xiao Xie recognized Red Practice as his sister and asked her to leave Quicksand, but she said she would preserve Han Fei's organization.
• Xiao Xie gave Red Practice a Glazed Mirror, then escaped with Tian Ming, Gai Nie, Duanmu Rong, Murong Feng, and Murong Huang aboard Old Man Ban's Mechanical Bird.
• White Phoenix pursued the Mechanical Bird on a giant white bird as Red Practice watched them depart.
• A Black Eagle struck Old Man Ban with its poisoned talons, and Duanmu Rong used silver needles to slow the poison.
• The Black Eagle attacked Tian Ming, who dodged its talons but toppled over the edge of the Mechanical Bird.

Xiao Xie and the others were pursued through the sky by White Phoenix and his poisonous bird flock, forcing Xiao Xie to pilot the Mechanical Bird under Old Man Ban’s guidance. They escaped the encirclement and flew through mountain passes, but White Phoenix’s forces remained in pursuit.

• White Phoenix and a vast flock of poisonous birds approached the Mechanical Bird, and Gai Nie identified White Phoenix as one of Wei Zhuang’s strongest assistants.
• With Old Man Ban unable to pilot and Yue Er unconscious, Xiao Xie took control while Murong Feng, Murong Huang, Gai Nie, and Duanmu Rong fought off the birds.
• Old Man Ban guided Xiao Xie through the Mechanical Bird’s controls, and they transformed it and accelerated out of the flock’s encirclement.
• Xiao Xie followed Old Man Ban’s directions to weave between mountain peaks, but the pursuing birds caught up with them.
• Tian Ming asked to pilot the Mechanical Bird, but Xiao Xie refused until they were out of danger.

Xiao Xie and the others escaped the Poison Birds and entered Mohist Mechanic City, where Yue Er woke and the group passed through the city’s password-protected entrance. They continued beneath the Crossbow Arrow Array as Old Man Ban piloted the Vermilion Bird.

• Old Man Ban waited until the Poison Birds were about to collide, then had Xiao Xie drop the Mechanical Bird so the flocks crashed into each other; the maneuver also ended Ban’s paralysis, though Xiao Xie had broken the control lever.
• Old Man Ban used the red button to propel the Vermilion Bird into a hidden passage in the cliff, and White Phoenix led the surviving Poison Birds away after they struck the closing entrance.
• Red Practice reported to Wei Zhuang that White Phoenix had found Mohist Mechanic City but had not attacked because its defenses were tight.
• Inside the Vermilion Bird, Yue Er woke and apologized to Gai Nie for poisoning him, and Tian Ming reassured her.
• Old Man Ban answered the guards’ password and piloted the Vermilion Bird past the Crossbow Arrow Array as Tian Ming learned that the lights above were arrows.

Xiao Xie and the others entered the Mohist Mechanic City and explored its hidden paradise, where Xiao Xie announced he would build a similar base for the Ascension Tower. They met Dao Zhi, who returned to welcome Duanmu Rong and acknowledged that even he could not infiltrate the Ascension Tower.

• Old Man Ban brought the Mechanical Bird through the city gate, and the group arrived at the lush refuge inside the mountain.
• Xiao Xie praised the Mechanic City and told Murong Feng to arrange for the Ascension Tower to build a similar base.
• Duanmu Rong explained the name of the Ink Rule Pool, and Old Man Ban introduced the Cloud Boat that carried the group onward.
• Dao Zhi arrived, rushed to greet Duanmu Rong, and Old Man Ban introduced him to Xiao Xie and the others.
• Xiao Xie praised Dao Zhi's Divine Travel Step, and Dao Zhi admitted that the Ascension Tower's guards had thwarted his attempt to steal from it.

Xiao Xie healed Dao Zhi’s internal injuries and learned the Lightning Flash Divine Travel Step after watching him use it once. The group boarded the Cloud Boat and ascended toward the Mohist School’s hidden refuge, while Old Man Ban and Dao Zhi worried about Xiao Gao seeing Gai Nie.

• Xiao Xie gave Dao Zhi an Ascension Token and offered him a Heavenly Saint Pill in exchange for demonstrating the Lightning Flash Divine Travel Step.
• Dao Zhi took the pill, and Duanmu Rong discovered that it had completely healed his internal injuries.
• Dao Zhi carried Xiao Xie through a circuit using the Lightning Flash Divine Travel Step, and Xiao Xie immediately reproduced the technique after sensing its energy circulation.
• Old Man Ban introduced Dao Zhi to Gai Nie, while Tian Ming jokingly demanded an introduction of his own.
• The group boarded the Cloud Boat, and Yue Er explained that the cliff characters meant “Paradise on earth.”
• Dao Zhi warned Old Man Ban that Xiao Gao might cause trouble if he saw Gai Nie, but Old Man Ban noted that Xiao Gao had not returned.

Xiao Xie and the others crossed a deadly mechanism-filled passage in Mohist Mechanic City, while Wei Zhuang prepared for the coming assault. They reached Master Xu, who took a keen interest in Yuan Hong, and Xiao Xie considered recruiting him to Ascension Tower.

• Old Man Ban explained that only sun-marked tiles were safe, and Gai Nie guided Tian Ming across the trapped path.
• Tian Ming pretended to fall toward a moon-marked tile, but Xiao Xie pulled him to safety and scolded him for worrying everyone.
• Wei Zhuang learned from a masked messenger that the Gongshu Family had mobilized and ordered Yin Fu and Lin Er to be sent.
• Xiao Xie noticed a Black Tortoise beneath the waterfall as the group crossed the suspension bridge.
• Master Xu ignored Old Man Ban, drew Yuan Hong from Gai Nie's hand, and examined the sword while Xiao Xie considered recruiting him.

Xiao Xie and the others entered the inner city of Mechanic City and went to watch Da Tie Chui compete with Shao Yu in strength. Shao Yu struggled to lift a 2,500-jin Bronze Cauldron above his head, leaving the contest unresolved.

• Master Xu recognized Yuan Hong as his mother’s last sword and warned Gai Nie that Xiao Gao carried the opposing Shui Han Sword.
• The group learned that Shao Yu had arrived and was competing with Da Tie Chui, then hurried to the Forging Department arena.
• Da Tie Chui lifted the 2,500-jin Bronze Cauldron over his head using his strength alone and challenged Shao Yu to match him.
• Shao Yu hurled the cauldron into the air, caught it as it fell, and slowly raised it above his head despite the strain.