Chapter Summaries

Zhao Hongming killed a Han Country assassin marked String Seven after the assassin murdered Dai Gongzheng in Memorial Palace. Palace guards investigated the deaths and mistook the unknown killer for a powerful Netherworld assassin, leaving them fearful as Wan Youqing ordered tighter security.

• Zhao Hongming used the final move of the Heaven and Earth Severing Slash to kill the assassin in one strike, then searched both the assassin and Dai Gongzheng before fleeing.
• Palace guards found the two bodies and summoned Wan Youqing, who struck Li Yongfa for failing to provide investigation results.
• A Can reported that Dai Gongzheng had been poisoned and that the other corpse bore a Han Country tattoo reading “String Seven.”
• Wan Youqing and Li Yongfa concluded that an unknown third party had killed the assassin in a single slash, prompting speculation that an Innate Realm assassin was in the palace.
• Wan Youqing said he would report the matter to His Majesty, ordered the guards to stay alert, doubled their salaries, and banned drinking.

After killing an assassin and discovering how vulnerable even powerful Martial Warriors could be, Zhao Hongming resolved to cultivate harder and rely on himself. Wan Youqing uncovered suspicious changes to the palace guard rosters and sent extra guards to protect Zhao Hongming, while the prince kept his role in the events secret.

• Zhao Hongming reviewed his fight with the assassin, concluded that clear thinking mattered as much as martial skill, and decided to strive for the Innate Realm.
• Zhao Hongming counted the silver and Wish Stones taken from the corpses and resolved to cultivate diligently because assassins had appeared inside the palace.
• Wan Youqing found that only two of the five guards assigned to Zhao Hongming's residence had reported for duty, and learned that Miao Muwang had transferred the other three.
• Wan Youqing learned that Miao Muwang's body had been found, sent five guards to protect Zhao Hongming, and hurried to report the affair to the Jian'an Emperor.
• Wang Bao told Zhao Hongming that five more night guards had arrived, and Zhao Hongming kept his suspicions to himself while deciding that relying on himself was better than relying on others.

Wan Youqing reported that Dai Gongzheng and Miao Muwang had been killed by an assassin targeting the Fifth Prince, prompting Zhao Yongxu to order tighter security and an investigation into the palace infiltrations. Zhao Yongxu also granted Minister Chen’s Daughter permission to enter the palace and stay overnight, leaving the Fifth Prince with an added layer of protection.

• Wan Youqing entered Qianqing Palace to report the deaths of Dai Gongzheng and Miao Muwang, and said the assassin had been sent by Han Country’s Netherworld to target the Fifth Prince.
• Wan Youqing told Zhao Yongxu that the assassin was dead and that he had reinforced the guards at the East Fifth Residence.
• Zhao Yongxu angrily rebuked Feng Dabao and Wan Youqing for failing to discover how the assassins entered Daliang and the palace, then ordered them to investigate possible collaborators and protect the princes and Imperial Princesses.
• Zhao Yongxu asked whether Minister Chen’s Daughter had been getting along with the Fifth Prince and granted her a token to enter the palace and stay overnight.

Wan Youqing reflected on the emperor’s mortality and the shifting balance of power, while the Chen family speculated that Chen Xuerong had been assigned to protect Zhao Hongming. Several days later, Chen Xuerong began sparring with Zhao Hongming, who believed he could fight without holding back.

• Wan Youqing left Qianqing Palace and considered the emperor’s frailty and the need to make plans for himself.
• Chen Cheng'an urged Chen Mou to introduce Chen Xuerong to the Third Young Master of the Li Family, but Chen Xuerong kicked him out of his chair and rejected the match.
• Chen Xuerong and Chen Mou concluded that the emperor likely wanted her to protect the Fifth Prince from Han Country assassins under the pretext of teaching him Martial Arts.
• Chen Xuerong visited Zhao Hongming regularly, and she instructed him to spar with her using their wooden sabers.
• Zhao Hongming smiled and thought that if he fought at full strength, Chen Xuerong might not be able to withstand him.

Zhao Hongming sparred with Chen Xuerong, impressing her with his martial skill despite hiding his cultivation. A eunuch’s interruption led to Zhao Hongming being injured, and he punished the servant and Wang Bao for the disruption.

• Zhao Hongming chose to spar with Chen Xuerong and attacked with Heaven and Earth Severing Slash.
• Chen Xuerong countered Zhao Hongming’s moves, but he blocked her attacks and the two continued sparring using only physical strength.
• Chen Xuerong grew astonished when Zhao Hongming repeatedly matched and outmaneuvered her with his Martial Skills.
• A little eunuch interrupted the spar to announce that Commandant Wan Youqing requested an audience, distracting Zhao Hongming and allowing Chen Xuerong’s Wooden Sword to strike his arm and break.
• Chen Xuerong tended Zhao Hongming’s wound, and he blamed the interruption on the little eunuch, ordering twenty strokes of the cane for him and ten for Wang Bao.

Zhao Hongming recovered from his sparring injury while Chen Xuerong treated him and Wan Youqing investigated an attempted assassination. After everyone left, Zhao Hongming used the Eternal Life True Intent to heal his wound completely, revealing the technique’s extraordinary power.

• Zhao Hongming dismissed Wan Youqing, saying he was injured and needed to recuperate, and Chen Xuerong praised his martial arts talent after their fight.
• Wang Bao punished the little eunuch for reporting directly to Zhao Hongming, then told Wan Youqing that Zhao Hongming could not receive him; Wan Youqing explained he was investigating an assassin sent by the Emperor.
• Wang Bao ordered himself beaten for ten strokes, and Wan Youqing watched before departing with his Subordinates.
• Chen Xuerong treated Zhao Hongming’s badly wounded arm and offered to remain in the palace overnight while he rested.
• After Chen Xuerong and the servants left, Zhao Hongming used the Eight Desolations Eternal Youth Technique, and the Eternal Life True Intent healed his wound without a trace.

Zhao Hongming used his injury to avoid sparring and focus on cultivation while Chen Xuerong cared for him. After she brought him nourishing soup, he asked her to teach him practical combat without sparring, and she agreed.

• Zhao Hongming told Chen Xuerong he could not spar while recovering, and she accepted responsibility for injuring him.
• Zhao Hongming took healing Pills sent by his elder brothers and gave Wang Bao Trauma Medicine for his injured backside.
• Chen Xuerong brought Zhao Hongming Eight-Nine Seed Soup and tasted it before he drank it.
• Zhao Hongming said the soup moved him because no one had cooked for him before, and Chen Xuerong recalled his lonely childhood.
• Zhao Hongming asked Chen Xuerong to explain practical combat instead of sparring, and she agreed.

After recovering, Zhao Hongming continued training with Chen Xuerong and overheard Palace Guard officers discussing Han assassins, the Three Kingdoms alliance, and their plans to keep their options open. Mistaken for an Innate Realm assassin because of his Heaven and Earth Severing Slash, Zhao Hongming realized war might threaten Wei and hurried back to cultivate toward the Innate Realm.

• Zhao Hongming finished pretending to recover and continued learning combat skills from Chen Xuerong, who urged him to train his body.
• Wan Yongqing and the Palace Guard officers discussed the alliance of Chu, Zhao, and Han, the threat of assassins, and the possibility that an Innate Realm assassin had used Heaven and Earth Severing Slash.
• Wan Yongqing advised his subordinates to keep some strength in reserve and avoid binding themselves too closely to the Zhao Clan, hinting that an opportunity might arise in two months.
• Zhao Hongming overheard the meeting while eating Eight-Nine Seed Soup and worried that the alliance could bring war to Wei.
• Zhao Hongming checked his cultivation panel, saw that he had not yet reached the Innate Realm, and returned to cultivate in secret.

The Jian'an Emperor learned that Qi would attack Zhao, easing pressure on Wei’s eastern front, but he also uncovered signs that General Huo was building power and embezzling military funds. He ordered an investigation and proposed binding the Huo Family through marriage, while Empress Tu Lihua reflected on the sacrifice she had made for her family.

• Xiao Boling told the Jian'an Emperor that Qi had agreed to send troops against Zhao, and the Emperor said he would consult Daoist Bi about the threat posed by Chu’s Red River Palace Master.
• The Jian'an Emperor instructed Xiao Boling to prepare provisions for the departing generals and asked Feng Dabao whether Generals Cen, Huo, and Feng had acted unusually.
• Feng Dabao reported that Huo Yu had filled the Eastern Army with his confidants and secretly colluded with Sword Casting Villa to embezzle military funds.
• The Jian'an Emperor ordered an investigation into Huo Yu and told Feng Dabao to inform the Empress that she should arrange a marriage between Huo Xianshui and a suitable prince.
• Empress Tu Lihua finished lifting stone locks, examined the signs of age in the mirror, and reaffirmed that she did not regret sacrificing decades of her life for her family’s prosperity.
• A palace attendant told Tu Lihua that Eunuch Feng had arrived with a message from His Majesty.

Tu Lihua arranged for Fifth Prince Zhao Hongming to meet the Huo Family’s eldest daughter, following Emperor Zhao Yongxu’s plan to build goodwill with the family. Zhao Hongming learned of the proposed match and asked what preparations he was expected to make.

• Feng Dabao told Tu Lihua that the Emperor wanted a prince to visit the Huo Residence and show goodwill, and she gave him a Crimson Dragon Longevity Pill.
• Tu Lihua concluded that Zhao Yongxu meant for Fifth Prince Zhao Hongming to be matched with a Huo daughter and sent someone to his residence.
• Wang Bao told Zhao Hongming that the Empress had sent a messenger, and Zhao Hongming went to meet Jiang Guanfu.
• Jiang Guanfu told Zhao Hongming that the Empress planned to arrange a match with the Huo Family’s fifteen-year-old eldest daughter.
• Zhao Hongming asked Jiang Guanfu to explain what preparations the proposed match required.

Zhao Hongming overheard the Empress and the Crown Prince discussing the proposed match with the Huo Family and learned it was a political ploy to appease them. He resolved to find a way to leave the palace and escape being used in the court’s schemes.

• Jiang Guanfu told Zhao Hongming that the Empress planned to invite Huo Family Miss to the palace and advised him to prepare entertainment for their meeting.
• Zhao Hongming considered marriage but returned to his bedroom to cultivate while Chang Wubing and Wang Bao worried about his increasing isolation.
• That night, Zhao Hongming secretly listened outside Kunning Palace as the Crown Prince questioned Empress Tu Lihua about the proposed match.
• Empress Tu Lihua explained that the marriage arrangement was meant to placate the Huo Family, and the Crown Prince agreed that Zhao Hongming should be forced to pursue it if necessary.
• Zhao Hongming recognized the match as bait and decided he needed to leave the palace as soon as possible.

Huo Xianshui learned that the Empress intended to arrange her marriage to Zhao Hongming and planned to meet him, but Zhao Hongming attacked her in disguise and severed her legs. He left the scene believing her disability would end the proposed match.

• Huo Xianshui heard that the Empress wanted her to marry the unfavored Fifth Prince Zhao Hongming and learned conflicting accounts of his character.
• Huo Xianshui agreed to meet Zhao Hongming and planned to judge him for herself.
• A hidden attacker struck Huo Xianshui in her courtyard, killing a maidservant she used as a shield and severing both her lower legs.
• Zhao Hongming escaped through the snowy streets, burned his disguise, and concluded that Huo Xianshui's injury would stop the marriage arrangement.

Zhao Hongming crippled Huo Xianshui to prevent the Huo Family from securing a marriage alliance with him, then escaped the residence undetected. Huo Xianshui had her legs reattached but learned she would never regain her former abilities, and she blamed Han Country assassins as she prepared to inform her father.

• Zhao Hongming infiltrated the Huo Residence, severed Huo Xianshui’s legs, and escaped without leaving clues.
• Song Chaoping determined that Huo Xianshui’s legs could be reattached, though she would lose the ability to practice martial arts and move swiftly.
• Song Chaoping operated on Huo Xianshui, who endured the pain and ordered her steward to investigate the attacker.
• The steward reported that the Huo Residence had found no clues and suggested Han Country assassins were responsible.
• Huo Xianshui ordered ink prepared so she could write to her father and seek justice.

After Huo Xianshui was attacked, her father Huo Yu gave up command of the Eastern Army to seek revenge and expand his influence, while the Jian'an Emperor suspected his ambitions but still relied on him. Zhao Hongming remained unaware of the turmoil caused by his actions, and entered the sixth rank of the Aperture-Opening Realm as the New Year began.

• Empress Tu Lihua learned that Huo Xianshui had lost both legs and abandoned plans to match her with the Fifth Prince, while two assassins in Daliang decided to lie low until Chu Country's delegation arrived.
• Huo Yu asked to exchange defense zones with General Feng, and Jian'an Emperor Zhao Yongxu approved his move to the western border despite suspecting he wanted to extend his control over the armies.
• Huo Xianshui read Huo Yu's letter urging her to approach the Fifth Prince, but rejected the match and insisted that she would recover and pursue a better future.
• Zhao Hongming continued cultivating and discreetly asked Jiang Guanfu about the matchmaking matter, unaware that his earlier actions had disrupted other people's plans.
• At Wei Country's New Year's Eve, Zhao Hongming advanced to the sixth rank of the Aperture-Opening Realm.

At the New Year family banquet, the Jian'an Emperor and Clan Elder tested the Zhao Clan with riddles and handed out rewards. Zhao Hongming stayed in the background, eating instead of competing, while Eighth Prince Zhao Hongguang urged him to answer but was too timid to try himself.

• The Jian'an Emperor, Zhao Yongxu, and Empress Tu Huali arrived at Qianqing Palace, where the gathered Zhao Clan members welcomed them.
• The Jian'an Emperor delivered New Year’s remarks, then began the banquet and joined the guests in games and drinking.
• The Clan Elder posed allusion riddles, and princes and Imperial Daughters won gifts by answering them.
• Zhao Hongli correctly answered a riddle about guarding against lust and received a Marrow Cleansing Pill from the Jian'an Emperor.
• Eighth Prince Zhao Hongguang told Zhao Hongming the answer to a riddle, but Zhao Hongming declined to speak up, and Seventh Prince answered instead.
• Zhao Hongming continued eating while Zhao Hongguang admitted he had been too scared to answer for himself.

After the New Year’s Eve lantern ceremony, Zhao Hongming shared hot pot with Chen Xuerong and asked her to teach him a new martial skill. Chen Xuerong recommended Mountain Shaking Fist, and Zhao Hongming prepared to learn it.

• The Jian'an Emperor led the Zhao Clan through the lantern lighting ceremony, while Zhao Hongming stayed quiet and focused on eating at the family banquet.
• A few days later, Zhao Hongming invited Chen Xuerong to share YuanYang Hot Pot at the East Fifth Residence.
• Chen Xuerong told Zhao Hongming that Huo Xianshui’s leg had been reset and that the Empress might arrange a marriage between them, but Zhao Hongming said he would accept whatever fate brought.
• Zhao Hongming asked Chen Xuerong to teach him a fist technique, and she recommended the eighteen-level Mountain Shaking Fist.

Chen Xuerong introduced Zhao Hongming to Mountain Shaking Fist and demonstrated its first nine levels. With her instruction and Heaven's Reward, Zhao Hongming quickly learned the moves and broke through to the first level, astonishing Chen Xuerong with his talent.

• Chen Xuerong explained that Mountain Shaking Fist emphasized heavy, ruthless strikes and demonstrated its first nine levels to Zhao Hongming.
• Zhao Hongming carefully recalled Chen Xuerong's demonstration and began practicing the fist technique in the courtyard.
• Chen Xuerong corrected Zhao Hongming's posture as he practiced, and he steadily grew more proficient.
• Zhao Hongming checked Heaven's Reward's Martial Arts Panel and saw that Mountain Shaking Fist needed only 10 points to break through.
• Zhao Hongming broke through Mountain Shaking Fist, gaining extensive practice memories and improving his form.
• Chen Xuerong noticed Zhao Hongming's sudden improvement and realized his talent surpassed her expectations.

Zhao Hongming practiced Mountain Shaking Fist and resolved to master it in about eleven days. Gao Yanshi underwent castration to enter the palace and was assigned to serve Zhao Hongming at Clear Breeze Pavilion.

• Chen Xuerong advised Zhao Hongming on the later stages of Mountain Shaking Fist before taking her leave.
• Zhao Hongming used the Eight Desolations Eternal Youth Technique while striking a boulder, shattering it without breaking the skin on his fist.
• Gao Yanshi entered the Cautious Punishment Division and chose to undergo castration, hoping to cultivate Martial Arts and support his family.
• A chief steward assigned Gao Yanshi to Wang Bao, who brought him to East Fifth Residence and explained that it was called Clear Breeze Pavilion.
• Zhao Hongming told Wang Bao to have Gao Yanshi wait outside for orders, then continued his cultivation.

Zhao Hongming advanced to Aperture Opening Seventh Grade and mastered the Mountain Shaking Fist, while Gao Yanshi quietly learned from his morning reading and devoted himself to serving him. Zhao Hongming tested his growing Divine Soul perception and practiced his newly mastered fist before continuing with saber training.

• Gao Yanshi memorized lines from Zhao Hongming’s morning reading and carefully helped him wash and groom.
• Over the next ten days, Zhao Hongming advanced his Eight Desolations Eternal Youth Technique to Aperture Opening Seventh Grade and mastered the Mountain Shaking Fist.
• Zhao Hongming visualized his Heaven and Earth Bridge and briefly sensed his surroundings with greatly expanded perception before pain forced him to stop.
• Zhao Hongming went to the rear courtyard and had Gao Yanshi guard the entrance while he practiced the Mountain Shaking Fist.
• Zhao Hongming displayed the iron-hard marks of mastery on his fists, completed the routine without tiring, and began practicing saber techniques.

Wei’s court prepared to receive Chu’s envoys, but found them all slaughtered, giving Chu, Zhao, and Han a pretext to declare war. The three allied kingdoms mobilized their armies and advanced toward Wei.

• Jian'an Emperor Zhao Yongxu ordered Wu Hanwen and the Golden Guard General to escort Chu’s envoys into Great Liang City, while warning that Wei needed to prepare for the Red River Palace Master’s Creation Realm strength.
• Wu Hanwen and the Golden Guard General discovered that all seventy or eighty Chu envoys had been killed near Great Liang City.
• Xiao Boling warned Zhao Yongxu that the killings would give Chu a pretext for war and that Wei could not investigate quickly enough to prevent an attack.
• Chu Lord Xiong Tuo accused Wei of discourtesy, injustice, and disloyalty in a proclamation of war.
• Chu, Zhao, and Han formally declared war on Wei, gathered their armies along the borders, and advanced.