Chapter Summaries

Jian'an Emperor Zhao Yongxu revealed that he had feigned unconsciousness and used the palace formation and government forces to crush the uprising in Great Liang City. Meanwhile, Zhao Hongming’s group arrived at the Zhengyi Sect, where the next storyline began.

• Jianghu martial artists, citizens, Imperial Guard soldiers, and officials joined the looting and fighting in Great Liang City as the palace defenses faltered.
• Lin Cang entered Wei Palace to confront its remaining Innate Ninth Grade martial artist and pursue the Demon Blade.
• Wan Youqing discovered that Jian'an Emperor Zhao Yongxu was awake, but Zhao Yongxu crushed him with National Destiny.
• Zhao Yongxu ordered the Seven Stars Heaven Severing Formation activated, killing Lin Cang and the invaders inside the palace as the Imperial City Division hunted down those outside.
• Zhao Hongming’s group arrived outside the Zhengyi Sect’s Mountain Gate.

Zhao Hongming arrived at the Zhengyi Sect with his companions and settled into a courtyard as a guest. Chen Xuerong revealed she had once studied there and stayed with Zhao Hongming’s party.

• After reaching the Zhengyi Sect’s mountain gate, Zhao Hongming thanked Battalion Commander Wu Qi, who led the Imperial Guards back to the Wei Palace.
• Chen Xuerong said she planned to visit her former master at the Zhengyi Sect, and Zhao Hongming invited her to go with them.
• Qu Ping welcomed Zhao Hongming and arranged for the sect’s disciples to carry up his party’s luggage.
• Zhao Hongming settled into a courtyard and told Wang Bao to organize their belongings.
• Zhao Hongming invited Chen Xuerong to stay in the courtyard, then took her wrist and pulled her inside as she stopped resisting.

Wu Qi learned that the Imperial Guards had been transferred to serve under Zhao Hongming, while Zhao Hongming accepted Zhao Hongli’s invitation to Princess Wu Yin’s banquet at Zhengyi Sect. The chapter ended with Zhao Hongming setting the social invitation aside to cultivate.

• Wu Qi returned to the battlefield, buried the fallen Wei guards and Chu soldiers, and prepared to take the surviving guards back to the palace.
• He Dafu arrived with an imperial transfer order stating that the guards had been removed from the Imperial Guard rolls and assigned to the Fifth Prince.
• Wu Qi accepted the transfer and ordered his men to keep everything about Zhao Hongming secret.
• Zhao Hongli told Zhao Hongming that Princess Wu Yin had arranged a banquet to welcome the princes and invited young talents from Zhengyi Sect.
• Zhao Hongming agreed to attend the banquet, then returned to his room to cultivate.

Chen Xuerong grew frustrated with Zhao Hongming for hiding his abilities despite her sincere help, while Zhao Hongming received an Imperial Edict placing Wu Qi’s Imperial Guard unit under his command. He planned to keep his cultivation secret and prepare an explanation for the Jian'an Emperor before returning to the Imperial Palace.

• Chen Xuerong compared her cultivation progress with Zhao Hongming’s and became angry that he had kept his abilities and background from her.
• A Martial Warrior from the Imperial City Division arrived at the Zhengyi Sect with an Imperial Edict and a Bronze Talisman for Zhao Hongming.
• The messenger informed Zhao Hongming that Wu Qi’s Imperial Guard unit had been placed under his authority and relayed the Jian'an Emperor’s warning against attracting attention.
• Zhao Hongming accepted the order, reasoned that the Jian'an Emperor already knew about his cultivation, and resolved to prepare an explanation for his return to the Imperial Palace.
• Zhao Hongming told Wang Bao to warn Guard Chang and Gao Yanshi to keep quiet, then said he would go find Chen Xuerong.

Zhao Hongming told Chen Xuerong about his new command over Wu Qi and the Imperial Guard, then received a personal invitation from Princess Wu Yin to a banquet at her residence. He agreed to attend the next day and meet children of the Zhengyi Sect.

• Zhao Hongming visited Chen Xuerong and advised her on refining her breath after cultivation.
• Zhao Hongming asked whether Chen Xuerong resented his secrecy, and she said she understood his difficulties.
• Zhao Hongming told Chen Xuerong that the Emperor had placed Wu Qi and the Imperial Guard under his command, and she promised to keep his affairs confidential.
• Princess Wu Yin arrived at Zhao Hongming's temporary residence and presented him with an invitation to a banquet at her home the next day.
• Princess Wu Yin encouraged Zhao Hongming to build relationships with children of the Zhengyi Sect, and he agreed to attend.

Zhao Hongming accepted an invitation to the Zhengyi Sect banquet, hoping to build useful connections before he was sent to his fief. At the feast, his brother-in-law Lan Tianjiao offered to arrange a meeting between him and an Elder Qin’s Daughter, and Zhao Hongming agreed to the match.

• Princess Wu Yin invited Zhao Hongming to a Zhengyi Sect banquet and advised him to make friends among the sect’s disciples.
• After Princess Wu Yin left, Zhao Hongming cultivated through the night and prepared to attend the noon feast with Chang Wubing.
• On the way to the banquet near the Flying Waterfall, Zhao Hongming met Lan Tianjiao, who explained the rarity of the Dragon Steed there.
• Lan Tianjiao asked Zhao Hongming what kind of wife he wanted and offered to introduce him to Elder Qin’s Daughter.
• Zhao Hongming learned that Elder Qin’s Daughter had little Martial Arts talent and agreed to Lan Tianjiao’s introduction.

Zhao Hongming attended a Zhengyi Sect banquet hosted by his brother-in-law, Lan Tianjiao, and used praise to smooth over Zhao Hongguang’s insulting remark. After Lan Tianjiao rearranged the guests’ seating by lottery, Zhao Hongming took one of the two remaining seats, and a woman named Sheng Nan arrived.

• Zhao Hongguang called Lan Tianjiao ugly, then apologized after learning he was Princess Wu Yin’s husband.
• Zhao Hongming praised Lan Tianjiao within earshot, winning Lan Tianjiao’s approval and possible favor.
• Lan Tianjiao welcomed the princes and Zhengyi Sect disciples at an outdoor banquet and introduced Gong Ji as the sect’s Senior Brother.
• Lan Tianjiao had the guests draw Bamboo Slips to mix up their seats, then directed Zhao Hongming to one of the two seats left vacant.
• The guests wondered why Sheng Nan had not arrived, and she appeared, apologizing for keeping them waiting.

Zhao Hongming attended Lan Tianjiao’s banquet, where Zhengyi Sect disciples discussed Chen Xuerong’s talent and Li Shengnan proposed a match that he declined. The gathering then turned toward the sect’s Dragon Steed, which Lan Tianjiao and Gong Ji planned to show everyone after the banquet.

• Lan Tianjiao introduced Li Shengnan to Zhao Hongming, and the guests began the banquet.
• Gong Ji brought up Chen Xuerong, and the Zhengyi Sect disciples praised her beauty and cultivation talent.
• Li Shengnan questioned Zhao Hongming’s martial arts prospects and offered him a chance to marry her, but Zhao Hongming politely refused.
• The Dragon Steed snorted beneath the waterfall, and Gong Ji and Lan Tianjiao agreed to take the guests to see it after the banquet.

Zhao Hongming rejected Li Shengnan’s proposed match, and the Zhengyi Sect guests led the princes to see its enormous Dragon Steed. Fourth Prince Zhao Hongli tried to mount it, but the beast frightened and threw him down, leaving him humiliated before the Zhengyi Sect.

• Zhao Hongming refused Li Shengnan, while Lan Tianjiao and Princess Wu Yin accepted that the match would not happen.
• Lan Tianjiao took the princes and their guards to the waterfall to see the Dragon Steed.
• Zhao Hongming and the other princes were astonished by the Dragon Steed’s immense size and savage appearance.
• Fourth Prince Zhao Hongli volunteered to mount the beast to defend the royal family’s dignity.
• When Zhao Hongli grabbed its whiskers, the Dragon Steed’s snort knocked him down, and its glare left him frozen in fear.
• Gong Ji pulled Zhao Hongli away and mocked his lack of martial arts training as the Zhengyi Sect members laughed.

Gong Ji tried to show the Wei princes how to ride a Dragon Steed, but it threw him into the pool and then approached Zhao Hongming with unexpected affection. Zhao Hongming rejected it, and the Dragon Steed ran wild again as the Zhengyi Sect disciples rushed to save Gong Ji.

• Gong Ji mounted the Dragon Steed and invited the Wei princes to try riding it.
• The Dragon Steed bucked Gong Ji off and kicked him into the pool, leaving him unconscious.
• The Dragon Steed approached Zhao Hongming, licked him, and curled a whisker around his wrist, but Zhao Hongming rejected it.
• The Dragon Steed plunged into the pool and thrashed wildly while Zhao Hongming dismissed the idea that it recognized a person of great destiny.
• Lan Tianjiao and the Zhengyi Sect disciples pulled Gong Ji from the pool, discovered his broken ribs, and hurried to take him to Elder Han.

After the Dragon Steed showed unusual affection for Zhao Hongming, he returned to his residence and began practicing Heaven and Earth Severing Slash, aiming to perform it ten thousand times. His training was interrupted when Chen Xuerong challenged him to a fight.

• Li Shengnan hurried back to alert her father about the Dragon Steed and decided to improve her appearance and pursue Zhao Hongming.
• The princes discussed the Dragon Steed's attack on Gong Ji and agreed they should bring more guards in the future.
• Zhao Hongming returned to his residence, reflected on the Dragon Steed's behavior, and resolved to practice his saber technique ten thousand times.
• Zhao Hongming practiced Heaven and Earth Severing Slash a hundred times before Chen Xuerong returned.
• Chen Xuerong demanded that Zhao Hongming fight her and struck while he was still confused.

Chen Xuerong fought Zhao Hongming, then revealed that she feared he would no longer need her and would choose the Elder's Daughter. Li Shengnan arrived to invite Zhao Hongming for a walk, saw Chen Xuerong embracing him, and left believing she still had a chance.

• Chen Xuerong attacked Zhao Hongming to vent her emotions, but he overpowered her when she demanded he fight seriously.
• Chen Xuerong cried and said Zhao Hongming would no longer need her and could be with the Elder's Daughter, making him realize she had feelings for him.
• Chen Xuerong embraced Zhao Hongming as he struggled to respond to her confession.
• Li Shengnan dressed up and went to invite Zhao Hongming for a walk, but found Chen Xuerong hugging him in the courtyard.
• Zhao Hongming declined Li Shengnan's invitation, and Chen Xuerong followed her after she left.

Chen Xuerong confronted Li Shengnan over her attempt to get close to Zhao Hongming, then returned to find him practicing saber techniques. Meanwhile, Li Zhiwu discovered the Dragon Steed behaving wildly but told the Zhengyi Sect disciples that it was fine.

• After admitting her feelings for Zhao Hongming, Chen Xuerong followed Li Shengnan and challenged her motives for pursuing the Fifth Prince.
• Li Shengnan claimed she could help Zhao Hongming contend for the throne, but Chen Xuerong insulted her and declared that Zhao Hongming was hers.
• Li Shengnan punched at Chen Xuerong, who kicked her down and warned her to stay away from Zhao Hongming.
• Li Shengnan left with her maid, vowing inwardly to destroy Zhao Hongming if she could not have him.
• Chen Xuerong returned to the courtyard, exchanged thanks with Zhao Hongming, and watched him practice saber techniques.
• Li Zhiwu tried to grab the Dragon Steed's whiskers, but it forced him back; he told the Zhengyi Sect disciples the steed was fine and warned them not to let others approach it.

News of the Crown Prince’s death and the Jian'an Emperor’s bloody purge reached the Zhengyi Sect, prompting the princes to consider their chances at the Eastern Palace. Zhao Hongming remained focused on cultivation, continuing to train his saber as the succession struggle began.

• Chen Xuerong told Zhao Hongming to stay inside for a while, and he asked her to call him Zhao Ming while agreeing to call her Rong'er.
• News arrived that the Jian'an Emperor had killed nearly ten thousand people in Great Liang City, including Li Yangchun and his clan, to reclaim Imperial Family authority.
• The princes learned that the Crown Prince had died, leaving the Eastern Palace vacant and giving the seven remaining princes a chance to contend for it.
• Zhao Hongli and Zhao Hongsheng began making plans to strengthen their claims, while each viewed the other as his main rival.
• Zhao Hongming dismissed the succession struggle as unimportant to him and continued practicing the Heaven and Earth Severing Slash, reaching his three-thousandth saber swing.

Bi Lingjun convened the Zhengyi Sect elders to discuss Wei Country’s recent turmoil and agreed to help the Wei King fend off Hai Chaosheng in exchange for Wei Country’s unfinished God-Demon Weapon. After ordering an investigation into the suspicious attack on the Crown Prince, she left the hall, where Gong Liangyi learned that his son Gong Ji’s martial future was likely over.

• Bi Lingjun asked the Zhengyi Sect elders for their views on Wei Country, and they discussed whether to keep supporting the Wei King.
• Bi Lingjun revealed that Wei Country’s God-Demon Weapon had taken shape and said she would wield it against Hai Chaosheng in exchange for the Wei King halting its development.
• Li Zhiwu raised suspicions about the Crown Prince’s attack and the disappearance of the Chu Army and investigators, so Bi Lingjun ordered him to investigate.
• Bi Lingjun ended the meeting and left the hall, followed by the elders.
• Han Shi told Gong Liangyi that Gong Ji’s injuries had left him with little chance of advancing further in Martial Arts, and Gong Liangyi was devastated.

Gong Liangyi sought help for Gong Ji’s damaged cultivation foundation, while Guest Elder Huo reflected on his family’s decline. After ten thousand practice swings, Zhao Hongming combined the Heaven and Earth Severing Slash with his Divine Soul to create a new saber technique, then sensed a tremor from Great Liang City.

• Gong Liangyi asked Han Shi to cure Gong Ji, and Han Shi warned that the damage to Gong Ji’s foundation made full recovery unlikely.
• Guest Elder Huo told Han Shi that the Huo Family needed to change if it hoped to remain powerful after his death.
• Zhao Hongming practiced the Heaven and Earth Severing Slash for seven days and completed ten thousand swings.
• Zhao Hongming used his Divine Soul to wield his saber and created a new technique, which appeared on Heaven’s Reward’s Martial Arts Panel as an unknown saber technique.
• Zhao Hongming set aside naming the technique and continued practicing, then felt a tremor and looked toward Great Liang City.

Zhao Hongming witnessed the Wei Country’s God-Demon Weapon emerge and saw Bi Lingjun wield it to split a mountain. The display convinced him of the weapon’s immense power, and he named his improved blade technique Heaven Opening.

• Zhao Hongming saw the God-Demon Weapon rise from Great Liang and break apart the clouds as lightning tempered it.
• Bi Lingjun flew from the Zhengyi Sect, seized the weapon, and returned to the sect with it.
• Bi Lingjun tested the blade by cleaving a mountain in two, then descended into the forest, visibly weakened by the strike.
• Chen Xuerong discussed the weapon’s likely effect on the war and said she planned to reach the eighth rank before returning home.
• Zhao Hongming watched the severed mountain and named his improved blade technique Heaven Opening.

Li Shengnan persuaded Li Zhiwu that Zhao Hongming might be tied to the vanished Chu Army and could threaten the Zhengyi Sect. Li Zhiwu agreed to consider secretly crippling the Fifth Prince, leaving Zhao Hongming in danger.

• Li Zhiwu struggled to understand why the Jian'an Emperor had concealed what happened to the Chu Army that entered Wei Country.
• Li Shengnan told Li Zhiwu that the Dragon Steed had knelt before Zhao Hongming and acknowledged him as its master.
• Li Zhiwu linked Zhao Hongming to the vanished Chu Army after learning that the Fifth Prince's Imperial Guard escort had been reorganized.
• Li Shengnan argued that Zhao Hongming might be a hidden martial arts prodigy and urged Li Zhiwu to remove the threat discreetly.
• Li Zhiwu said he would think over the plan to cripple Zhao Hongming, and Li Shengnan left pleased with her chance to harm him.

Zhao Hongming broke through Heaven Splitting and learned that his return to the palace was drawing near, while Li Zhiwu uncovered evidence linking the Fifth Prince to an attack on the Crown Prince. Li Zhiwu decided to act against the Fifth Prince to secure merit in the contest for Zhengyi Sect Master.

• Li Zhiwu resolved to investigate Li Shengnan's suspicion that the Fifth Prince posed a hidden danger, hoping to gain merit toward becoming Zhengyi Sect Master.
• After three days of practice, Zhao Hongming broke Heaven Splitting into its First Realm and used saber intent to summon a saber and slash a deep mark into the ground.
• Gao Yanshi told Zhao Hongming that Qi Country had entered the war and the Zhengyi Sect Master had repelled the Red River Palace Master, making a return to the palace seem imminent.
• Wary of further plots during his journey back, Zhao Hongming decided to cultivate harder so he could strengthen his defenses.
• Li Zhiwu learned that the Chu Army that attacked the Crown Prince was connected to the Fifth Prince and that the Jian'an Emperor had assigned the unit of Imperial Guards to him as a private army.
• Convinced that acting against the Fifth Prince would earn him substantial merit, Li Zhiwu prepared to seize the opportunity.

Chen Xuerong left to check on her father, and Zhao Hongming resumed cultivation, eventually breaking through to Innate Second Grade. Afterward, he noticed that Eight Desolations Secret Travel had changed to Desolations Secret Travel, with the character “Eight” missing.

• Chen Xuerong told Zhao Hongming that her father had encountered a problem and left for Great Liang City, warning him to watch Li Shengnan.
• Zhao Hongming refined Wish Stones for eight days and nights, sensing that as an Innate martial artist he could also absorb a trace of Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth.
• Zhao Hongming used the Heaven's Reward Martial Arts Panel to break through from Innate First Grade to Innate Second Grade.
• Zhao Hongming learned that Zhao Country had lost several cities to Qi Country, Chu Country had halted after taking South Suppression Pass and nearby cities, and Han Country had lost a city to Wei Country.
• Zhao Hongming checked his Martial Skills and discovered that Eight Desolations Secret Travel had become Desolations Secret Travel.