Chapter Summaries

Xiao Xie revealed that he had taken an Elixir of Immortality and might be able to refine another if they found the right meteorite. The group discussed taking refuge outside Sanghai City and deciphered Zhang Liang’s clues as a plan for Tian Ming and Shao Yu to enter the Little Sage Village, before Shi Lan arrived with an unexpectedly empty food box.

• Xiao Xie told the group he had taken an Elixir of Immortality and could potentially refine another using a special meteorite, while clarifying that immortality would not make him impossible to kill.
• Ding Pangzi recommended that the injured members stay at a concealed Mohist School hideout outside the city while they recovered, and Old Man Ban revealed Zhang Liang’s Brocade Sack for Shao Yu and Tian Ming.
• The group examined three pictures in Zhang Liang’s Brocade Sack, and Xiao Xie concluded that they were meant to lead Shao Yu and Tian Ming to the Little Sage Village.
• Xiao Xie told the group to let nature take its course, and Shi Lan arrived with a Food Box that Ding Pangzi discovered was empty.

Xiao Xie and the others discovered that the bamboo slip directed Tian Ming and Shao Yu to accompany Ding Pangzi to Xiao Shengxian Village, while Xiao Xie led the rest to Gui Hai Manor. They settled into the luxurious estate, where Murong Feng and Murong Huang welcomed them and showed them their rooms.

• Xiao Xie admitted that he had taken the tea snacks, but everyone assumed he was covering for Shi Lan until Gai Nie noticed the food box matched a pattern on the bamboo slip.
• Gai Nie learned that Ding Pangzi’s snacks were meant for Xiao Shengxian Village, confirming Xiao Xie’s interpretation that Tian Ming and Shao Yu should go there with Ding Pangzi.
• After eating at There is Inn, Xiao Xie led his group to Gui Hai Manor, while Tian Ming and Shao Yu left with Ding Pangzi for Xiao Shengxian Village.
• Murong Feng and Murong Huang welcomed Xiao Xie’s group and guided them through the estate to the guest rooms.
• Dao Zhi and the others admired the costly glazed windows and mirrors as they chose their rooms, while Xue Nu and Duanmu Rong were shown rooms with full-length mirrors.

Xiao Xie reviewed the first issue of Ascension Tower’s newspaper and explained how it would spread news, literature, and stories while building his reputation. The first batch went on sale across the realm, and Xiao Xie expected demand to grow.

• Xiao Xie welcomed Old Man Ban, Dao Zhi, Da Tie Chui, Xue Nu, and the others to Gui Hai Manor, where they discussed its comforts.
• Murong Feng brought Xiao Xie the first newspapers, which had begun selling at more than seven hundred Ascension Tower stores for one copper coin each.
• Xiao Xie showed the newspaper’s sections covering current events, people’s livelihoods, poetry, and myths, including his poem for Xue Nu and a Pangu story illustrated with a face resembling his own.
• Old Man Ban praised the newspaper’s potential to spread poetry, while Fan Zeng predicted Xiao Xie’s name and Xue Nu’s fame would spread throughout the realm.
• Murong Feng said the first run totaled two hundred thousand copies, and Xiao Xie anticipated that future sales would reach several million.

Ying Zheng and the Confucian leaders recognized newspapers as powerful tools for spreading knowledge, while Shao Yu introduced Tian Ming to the myth of Pangu. The chapter ended with Fu Nian learning that Ascension Tower’s owner was Xiao Xie and considering how to secure space for Confucian teachings in future issues.

• Ying Zheng ordered Li Si to find Ascension Tower’s owner after realizing how useful newspapers could be.
• At Xiao Shengxian Village, Shao Yu read Tian Ming the story of Pangu creating Heaven and Earth.
• Tian Ming wondered whether Pangu’s eye was as large as the sun, and Shao Yu explained that the tale was a myth.
• Fu Nian discussed using newspapers to promote Confucian teachings with Yan Lu and Zhang Liang.
• Zhang Liang identified Xiao Xie as Ascension Tower’s owner, and Fu Nian recognized his name from the newspaper.

Xiao Xie visited Xiao Shengxian Village and agreed to publish some Confucian teachings in his newspapers, provided the school remained his friend. As he was leaving, he intervened when Confucian disciples accused Shi Lan of being a spy and threatened her and Tian Ming.

• Fu Nian assigned Zhang Liang to invite Xiao Xie to Xiao Shengxian Village, and Xiao Xie arrived three days later with Murong Feng and Murong Huang.
• Xiao Xie agreed to print some Confucian teachings in his newspapers, on the condition that the Confucian School remained friends with him and that the poetry and prose section would not be filled entirely with their teachings.
• As Zhang Liang escorted Xiao Xie out, they found Zi Mu and other Confucian disciples accusing Shi Lan of being a Yin Yang Family spy and threatening her and Tian Ming.
• Xiao Xie challenged the disciples' conduct, and Zhang Liang ordered Zi Mu and the others to apologize to Tian Ming and Shi Lan.
• Zhang Liang punished Zi Mu by ordering him to copy The Analects ten times.

Xiao Xie refused Ying Zheng’s demand for the newspaper-making method and threatened to take the throne if the Qin ruler tried to seize it by force. Li Si left to report Xiao Xie’s warning to Ying Zheng.

• Zhang Liang punished Zi Mu and the others by ordering them to copy The Analects, and Xiao Xie invited Shi Lan to dine with him at There is Inn.
• Li Si arrived at There is Inn with soldiers outside and asked Xiao Xie to hand over the method for producing newspapers on Ying Zheng’s behalf.
• Xiao Xie refused to surrender the method but offered to sell White Paper through Ascension Tower.
• When Li Si implied that Ying Zheng might use force, Xiao Xie threatened that the Qin Kingdom would lose the Ying name.
• Xiao Xie told Li Si to warn Ying Zheng that he would become Emperor in his place if Ying Zheng rejected his goodwill.

Xiao Xie prepared Azure Cloud City for a possible Qin attack while his allies uncovered the Black Dragon Scroll. After a Mohist liaison outpost was attacked, Xiao Xie and the others found the disciples dead from the Yin Yang Family’s Six Souls Fear Curse.

• Li Si left Xiao Xie and hurried to report his words to Ying Zheng, while Xiao Xie ordered Murong Feng to prepare to slaughter any Qin troops sent against them.
• Xiao Xie sent Murong Feng and Murong Huang back to Azure Cloud City to prepare its defenses against a possible Qin attack.
• Dao Zhi and Da Tie Chui showed the group the Black Dragon Scroll, and Xiao Xie explained that its mechanism lock protected the documents with corrosive fluid.
• A Mohist disciple reported that the liaison outpost outside Sanghai City had been attacked, and Xiao Xie led the others there to investigate.
• Gai Nie identified the deaths of five Mohist disciples as the work of the Six Souls Fear Curse, and Da Tie Chui blamed Da Siming.

The Mohist leaders learned that A Zhong had been captured and controlled by Xing Hun, so Xiao Xie sent Ascension Tower to locate him while they deciphered the Black Dragon Scroll. Xiao Xie found A Zhong with Meng Tian’s Golden Fire Cavalry and cut down the charging troops, leaving Meng Tian frozen as he walked toward Xing Hun’s carriage.

• Gao Jianli and Gai Nie deduced that A Zhong was missing and might have been captured by the Yin Yang Family, where Xing Hun could use his Mind Reading Technique to expose the Mohist stronghold.
• Xiao Xie ordered Ascension Tower to locate A Zhong and promised to rescue him, while assigning the other Mohist leaders to decipher the Black Dragon Scroll.
• Xing Hun used Puppet Technique and Mind Reading Technique on A Zhong, guiding Meng Tian’s Golden Fire Cavalry toward the Mohist School’s secret stronghold.
• When the cavalry encountered dense fog, Meng Tian sent a scout ahead and ordered his troops into a defensive formation; the scout’s riderless horse soon returned.
• Xiao Xie appeared before Meng Tian and demanded A Zhong’s release, but Meng Tian ordered the Golden Fire Cavalry to attack.
• Xiao Xie killed the two hundred charging cavalrymen in an instant, then walked toward Xing Hun’s carriage as Meng Tian stood paralyzed by fear.

Xiao Xie defeated Xing Hun and helped Dao Zhi rescue the Mohist rebel, then headed toward There is Inn before searching the forest for Shi Lan and Shao Yu. Meanwhile, Fu Su ordered Meng Tian to search the southwestern mountains, and Xiao Xie found Shi Lan in the forest.

• Xiao Xie blocked Xing Hun's Gather Qi to Form Blade, then blasted him into the Golden Fire Cavalry with a stronger strike.
• Dao Zhi rescued the Mohist rebel during the clash, and Meng Tian ordered the injured Xing Hun and the Golden Fire Cavalry to withdraw.
• Xiao Xie learned Xing Hun's Gather Qi to Form Blade and changed course toward There is Inn to eat and see Shi Lan.
• Meng Tian reported his failure to Fu Su, who ordered a thorough search of the southwestern mountain region while Li Si raised concerns about the Black Dragon Scroll.
• Xiao Xie spotted White Phoenix searching the forest and remembered that Shi Lan and Shao Yu would encounter Yin Fu there.
• Xiao Xie searched the forest and found Shi Lan wearing a black skintight outfit.

Xiao Xie drove Shao Yu away, then rescued Shi Lan from Yin Fu and kissed her before her Black Panther, Xiao Hei, attacked him. After Shi Lan calmed Xiao Hei, Xiao Xie helped treat its injuries, and the panther accepted him.

• Xiao Xie found Shao Yu following Shi Lan and persuaded him to return to sleep.
• Xiao Xie watched Shi Lan bring food to the injured Black Panther, then intervened when Yin Fu attacked her.
• Xiao Xie struck Yin Fu with a wild fruit, causing Yin Fu to flee when he recognized him.
• Xiao Xie kissed Shi Lan, and she shyly pushed him away.
• Xiao Hei lunged at Xiao Xie, but Xiao Xie restrained it with vines until Shi Lan explained that he was not an enemy.
• Xiao Xie gave Shi Lan a Jade Dew Pill and used his inner energy to heal Xiao Hei, which then nuzzled into his arms.

Xiao Xie healed Black Panther and grew closer to Shi Lan, who revealed that her name was Xiao Yu and that she came from Shu Kingdom. After they returned to There is Inn, Ying Zheng ordered troops to destroy Ascension Tower, while Xiao Xie remained calm in the face of the looming threat.

• Xiao Xie used his inner energy to heal Black Panther, earning the panther’s affection and comforting Shi Lan as she longed for home.
• Shi Lan told Xiao Xie that her real name was Xiao Yu and explained that she came from Shu Kingdom.
• Xiao Xie and Shi Lan returned to There is Inn, where Ding Pangzi revealed that Tian Ming had lost the Black Dragon Scroll after delivering it to Zhang Liang.
• Ying Zheng ordered nearby troops to raze Ascension Tower within three days so he could seize Xiao Xie’s newspaper production method.
• After breakfast, Xiao Xie played chess with Zhang Liang while Ding Pangzi worried about the coming attack.

Tian Ming returned the Black Dragon Scroll to Zhang Liang, while Xiao Xie learned that Ying Zheng had sent fifty thousand Black Armor troops toward Azure Cloud City. Xiao Xie ordered the army destroyed to deter Ying Zheng, and Murong Feng prepared cannons for the coming battle.

• Tian Ming returned with the Black Dragon Scroll and gave it to Zhang Liang, who said he had leads to investigate.
• Xiao Xie took Shi Lan back to Gui Hai Manor, where he received Murong Feng’s report that fifty thousand Black Armor troops were marching toward Azure Cloud City.
• Xiao Xie sent Murong Feng a reply, and she ordered two hundred Kamui Cannons and a Kamui Great General deployed on the city wall.
• Murong Feng showed Murong Huang Xiao Xie’s order to kill without mercy, explaining that the attack was meant to annihilate the army and deter Ying Zheng from sending troops again.

Shi Lan rushed to the Back Mountain after sensing Xiao Hei was in danger, and Xiao Xie hurried after her on a flying sword. He arrived just in time to stop a big-bellied man from killing Shi Lan, then turned toward the man with killing intent.

• Shi Lan sensed that Xiao Hei was in danger and hurried toward the Back Mountain, while Shao Yu followed her out of curiosity.
• Dao Zhi told Xiao Xie that Tian Ming had become absorbed in mechanical arts and had restored the Shang Tong Mo Fang.
• Xiao Xie remembered that Shi Lan might be in danger, discovered she had left, and flew after her on a giant sword made of leaves.
• A big-bellied man raised his Giant Axe to kill Shi Lan, but Xiao Xie bound him with vines and rescued her.
• Xiao Xie comforted Shi Lan and asked her to turn to him first when she was in trouble, then faced the big-bellied man with killing intent.

Xiao Xie rescued Shi Lan and Xiao Hei, then left with Shi Lan as Shao Yu faced a challenger. At Azure Cloud City, Murong Feng prepared Ascension Tower’s defenses against the approaching Qin army, whose commander vowed to seize its treasures.

• Xiao Xie defeated the Big-bellied man but spared his life, then reunited with Tian Ming and Shao Yu, who arrived aboard Mechanical Wu Shuang Gui.
• Xiao Xie freed Xiao Hei from the nets, and an army horn prompted the soldiers to form ranks for an approaching arrival.
• Long Qie rode in and challenged Shao Yu to a duel, while Xiao Xie took Shi Lan away on Xiao Hei after explaining that Long Qie was Shao Yu’s subordinate.
• A scout reported that the Qin army was twenty li from Azure Cloud City, and Murong Feng ordered Ascension Tower’s Kamui Cannons prepared for battle while promising the soldiers a reward.
• Wang Qiang urged the Qin soldiers to attack Ascension Tower and promised them its treasures, wine, and women.

Murong Feng used Ascension Tower’s cannons to annihilate the fifty-thousand-strong Black Armor Army outside Azure Cloud City, and the city celebrated its victory. Later, Xiao Xie and Shi Lan encountered a ruffian tormenting a calm, impoverished swordsman on a bridge in Sanghai City, where the confrontation remained unresolved.

• Wang Qiang hurried the Black Armor Army toward Azure Cloud City, eager to seize Ascension Tower’s treasures.
• Murong Feng ordered the cannons to fire twice, killing all fifty thousand Black Armor soldiers.
• Murong Feng and Azure Cloud City’s residents celebrated the victory and their continued prosperity under Xiao Xie.
• After riding with Shi Lan around Back Mountain, Xiao Xie returned to Sanghai City and joined a crowd watching a bridge-side confrontation.
• A ruffian insulted a swordsman and demanded that he either kill him or crawl between his legs to cross the bridge.

Xiao Xie helped Han Xin and gave him an Ascension Token, while Ying Zheng reacted to the Ascension Tower’s destruction of the Black Armor Army and ordered Zhao Gao to investigate its weapons. Zhang Liang revealed that the Black Dragon Scroll used the Yin Yang Family’s Thousand Machines Cipher, then hinted that it had a key.

• Xiao Xie sent a hooligan into the river, gave Han Xin an Ascension Token, and told Shi Lan he hoped to build a connection with the talented man.
• Ying Zheng learned that the Ascension Tower’s thousand fighters had annihilated fifty thousand Black Armor Army soldiers and ordered Zhao Gao to investigate its weapons and hidden trump card.
• News of the Ascension Tower’s victory spread across the realm, and the Mohist allies celebrated the blow against Ying Zheng.
• Zhang Liang explained to Old Man Ban and the others that the Black Dragon Scroll used the Thousand Machines Cipher, which had millions of possible variations.
• Zhang Liang said that even an ingenious cipher had a key, leaving the group to wonder how to find it.

Zhang Liang explained that the Thousand Machine Cipher Copper Plate was hidden in the heavily guarded General's Residence and recruited Dao Zhi to steal it, warning him about the deadly traps inside the Thousand Machine Building. Later, Xiao Xie brought Shi Lan to Gui Hai Manor, still unable to improve his cultivation despite absorbing over six hundred years of internal energy.

• Zhang Liang said the Thousand Machine Cipher Copper Plate in the General's Residence was needed to decipher the Black Dragon Dossier.
• Gai Nie described the General's Residence's defenses, and Zhang Liang revealed that the copper plate was kept inside the Thousand Machine Building.
• Zhang Liang warned Dao Zhi that the building was protected by invisible, poisoned Blood Silkworm Silk, but Dao Zhi reluctantly agreed to attempt the theft.
• Master Xu lent Dao Zhi a purple crystal he used to protect his eyes while forging swords.
• Xiao Xie brought Shi Lan to Gui Hai Manor after absorbing over six hundred years of internal energy, though his sealed abilities prevented him from advancing his cultivation.

Xiao Xie learned that Master Ban and the others had gone to rescue Xiao Zhi, while Wei Zhuang confronted Li Si and asked about Sheng Qi. The chapter left Wei Zhuang intrigued by the imprisoned swordsman’s rise to the eleventh sword ranking.

• Xiao Xie urged Shi Lan to cultivate until she could break through to the Innate realm, then flew off to find Master Ban and the others after learning they had gone to rescue Xiao Zhi.
• A guard told Li Si that enemies had stolen the Thousand Machine Copper Plate, and Li Si ordered him to prioritize Fu Su’s safety.
• Wei Zhuang appeared in Li Si’s room and warned that friends could be more dangerous than enemies because they might betray him.
• Wei Zhuang asked Li Si about Sheng Qi, the wielder of Great Que, and Li Si explained how Sheng Qi rose to eleventh place after repeatedly escaping death prisons and defeating opponents.

Dao Zhi was trapped and wounded when Sheng Qi moved to kill him, but Shao Siming intervened and fought Sheng Qi over the Thousand Machine Cipher Copper Plate. As Gai Nie and Gao Jianli arrived, Shao Siming bound Sheng Qi with vines and launched a powerful attack.

• Li Si told Wei Zhuang that Gai Nie had captured Sheng Qi more than a decade earlier, confirming Wei Zhuang's suspicion about Gai Nie's strength.
• Sheng Qi found Dao Zhi pinned beneath a tree and prepared to kill him, while Dao Zhi hid the Thousand Machine Cipher Copper Plate in his clothes.
• Shao Siming appeared, and Dao Zhi revealed the copper plate to draw her attention before she attacked Sheng Qi with leaves and leafy whips.
• Sheng Qi knocked Shao Siming away from Great Que and countered her attacks, but she bound him with vines using her Yin Yang inner force.
• Gai Nie and Gao Jianli arrived as Shao Siming gathered countless leaves into a powerful attack aimed at the immobilized Sheng Qi.

Xiao Xie rescued Shao Siming while Wei Zhuang confronted Li Si about Han Fei’s death and the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations. Wei Zhuang left with Black Qilin after warning Li Si, who reflected on the powerful people he feared.

• Sheng Qi broke free of Shao Siming’s vines and struck at her, but Xiao Xie caught her as she was forced backward.
• Sheng Qi attacked Gai Nie, who deflected Great Que with a wooden sword before withdrawing.
• Wei Zhuang pressed Li Si about Han Fei’s death and threatened him with Shark Tooth until Li Si explained that Han Fei had died in prison from the Yin Yang Family’s Six Souls Fear Curse.
• Wei Zhuang revealed that Li Si wanted to keep Han Fei alive because of the secret within him: the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations.
• Black Qilin took Li Si’s appearance and dismissed Zhao Gao at the door, then left with Wei Zhuang.
• After they departed, Li Si wiped his sweat and thought about how he feared Ying Zheng, Xiao Xie, and Wei Zhuang.