Chapter Summaries

Fang Yuan realized his Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique had advanced again, then fled his camp when the Little Purple Sable sensed approaching danger. After avoiding Senior Sister Li and her Five Tiger Sect group, he decided to keep his distance and seek a safer place to stabilize his breakthrough.

• Fang Yuan inspected his panel and understood that his saber technique had undergone a second advancement, revealing the essence of Severing Gate.
• The Little Purple Sable warned Fang Yuan about torch-bearing people approaching, so he grabbed his herbs and Ghost Head Saber and erased traces of his camp before escaping.
• Senior Sister Li and her Five Tiger Sect companions found the abandoned camp and deduced that someone had recently broken through; she told a junior disciple to remember the traces and watch for the martial artist.
• Fang Yuan overheard the group and recognized them as disciples from the county seat, then chose to avoid them and continue into the mountains with the Little Purple Sable.

Fang Yuan endured another night of eerie voices in the mountains before a badly wounded snow wolf stumbled into his camp. Little Purple Sable recognized the wolf as a friend, and Fang Yuan faced the choice of helping it despite its distrust.

• Fang Yuan made a concealed camp in a mountain hollow and set warning traps around it.
• A woman’s voice called Fang Yuan’s name outside the shelter, then an old man’s voice asked him for help, but he ignored both.
• The next morning, Fang Yuan heard his traps activate and saw a huge, badly wounded snow wolf collapse in the hollow.
• Little Purple Sable rushed to the wolf and showed Fang Yuan that it knew the animal and considered it a friend.
• Fang Yuan examined the wolf’s wounds while it growled at him, and Little Purple Sable anxiously tried to get him to help.

Fang Yuan treated the wounded snow wolf after Little Purple Sable vouched for him, then used Beast Language to speak with it. The wolf revealed that several two-legged beasts had attacked and chased it, leaving Fang Yuan to suspect they were the treasure-seeking group from the previous night.

• Little Purple Sable persuaded the wary snow wolf to let Fang Yuan treat its wounds.
• Fang Yuan cleaned and bandaged the snow wolf, and the wolf gave its dried meat to Little Purple Sable.
• Little Purple Sable smacked the snow wolf when it growled at Fang Yuan, and the wolf immediately quieted down.
• Fang Yuan used Intermediate Beast Language to ask the snow wolf its name, and the wolf said it had none.
• The snow wolf told Fang Yuan that several two-legged beasts had attacked it while it slept and chased it to the valley.
• Fang Yuan wondered whether the attackers had mistaken the snow wolf for a treasure guardian or a medicinal ingredient.

Fang Yuan received an icy-blue Exotic Fruit from the snow wolf, while the Five Tiger Sect searched for the wounded beast and the missing fruit. Li Qingwu agreed to split the group up to search the snowy mountains.

• The snow wolf awkwardly produced an icy-blue fruit, and Little Purple Sable took it and presented it to Fang Yuan.
• Fang Yuan recognized the fruit as a rare treasure, stored it in a Jade Box, and accepted it as the snow wolf's repayment.
• The seven Five Tiger Sect members found the bloodied snow hollow but discovered that the snow wolf and fruit were gone.
• Zhao Mang blamed Xu Feng for acting alone and alerting the snow wolf, while Li Qingwu stopped the argument and ordered them to focus on finding it.
• Li Qingwu examined the obscured tracks, and Zhao Mang proposed splitting up to search; she agreed.

Li Qingwu split her group to search for the injured snow wolf, while Zhao Mang secretly tracked it with scented powder. Fang Yuan found a century-old Snow Ginseng, but Zhao Mang confronted him and attacked to seize the ginseng and Little Purple Sable.

• Li Qingwu ordered the group to search in pairs, and Zhao Mang secretly veered northeast while leaving Hundred Mile Scent in the snow to track the wolf.
• Fang Yuan left the injured snow wolf in a cave with cured meat and went searching with Little Purple Sable, which led him to a century-old Snow Ginseng.
• Fang Yuan harvested the ginseng and decided to check one more valley before heading back.
• Zhao Mang followed the scent trail to Fang Yuan and demanded the ginseng and Little Purple Sable, mistaking Fang Yuan for an easy target.
• When Fang Yuan refused, Zhao Mang charged at him with a claw strike aimed at his throat.

Fang Yuan fought and killed Zhao Mang, a Third-Rank Five Tiger Sect disciple who tried to seize Little Purple Sable. He buried Zhao Mang’s body and fled Great Green Mountain, resolving to return to Qinghe County while recognizing that Black Heart Tiger remained far stronger.

• Zhao Mang attacked Fang Yuan, but Fang Yuan parried his strikes and matched his saber and movement techniques against him.
• Fang Yuan judged Zhao Mang’s strength and killed him with the Severing Gate saber move.
• Fang Yuan searched Zhao Mang’s corpse, found an identity token and tracking powder, then returned them and buried the body in a ravine.
• Fang Yuan took Little Purple Sable and fled the area, wary of searches and retaliation from the Five Tiger Sect.
• Fang Yuan assessed that he could defeat an ordinary Third-Rank Martial Artist but still lagged far behind Black Heart Tiger.

Fang Yuan escaped his pursuers while carrying the injured snow wolf, then found and removed the tracking powder hidden in its wound. He planned to return to Qinghe County and confront the Black Tiger Hall, but decided to stay in the mountains until the wolf could walk on its own.

• Fang Yuan returned to the cave and warned the snow wolf that its attackers were following them.
• Fang Yuan carried the injured snow wolf at full speed to a concealed mountain hollow.
• Fang Yuan found tracking powder in the wolf’s wounded hind leg and removed the contaminated fur and scent.
• Fang Yuan considered returning to Qinghe County but chose to remain until the snow wolf recovered enough to walk.
• Fang Yuan shared his remaining food with Little Purple Sable and the snow wolf.

Li Qingwu investigated Zhao Mang’s death and concluded that a formidable bladesman had likely taken the Ice Sculpture Fruit. Meanwhile, Fang Yuan shared a meal with Little Purple Sable and the snow wolf, deciding to keep the sable hidden from prying eyes.

• Li Qingwu found Zhao Mang dead from a precise blade strike and discovered traces of Hundred Mile Scent near his empty pouch.
• Li Qingwu deduced that Zhao Mang had tried to seize the Ice Sculpture Fruit alone and had been killed by a powerful bladesman.
• Li Qingwu ordered the Five Tiger Sect disciples to search in pairs toward the northeast and regroup by noon the next day.
• Fang Yuan roasted wild boar for Little Purple Sable and the snow wolf, then resolved to hide the sable and warn Wanwan to keep it close.
• Fang Yuan fed the snow wolf roasted meat and told it to call him Boss, but it continued calling him Boss Boss.

Fang Yuan named the recovering snow wolf Dogsheng and invited it to leave the mountains with him, but Dogsheng chose to remain in its wilderness home. Fang Yuan accepted its decision and warned it to avoid the hunters and other humans before they parted.

• Fang Yuan named the snow wolf Dogsheng, and the wolf happily accepted the name while Little Purple Sable looked on in dismay.
• Fang Yuan checked Dogsheng’s wounds and marveled at how quickly its injuries were healing.
• Fang Yuan invited Dogsheng to leave the snow mountains and return with him to the city, where it could find food and safety.
• Dogsheng decided to stay in the mountains, and Fang Yuan respected its choice despite regretting their coming separation.
• Fang Yuan gave Dogsheng more roasted meat and warned it to avoid the hunters and stay away from crowds.

Fang Yuan said farewell to Dogsheng and raced down Great Green Mountain toward Qinghe County. Dogsheng chased after him but stopped when Fang Yuan vanished from sight, while Fang Yuan continued on and neared the county walls.

• Fang Yuan found a Snow Ginseng and other Precious Medicines before deciding to leave the mountain and return to Qinghe County.
• Fang Yuan told Dogsheng he was leaving and said he might visit again; Little Purple Sable also nuzzled Dogsheng in farewell.
• Fang Yuan sped toward Qinghe County using Treading Snow Without Trace, while Dogsheng raced after him despite reopening its wounds.
• Dogsheng stopped after Fang Yuan disappeared beyond the mountain ridge, then slowly returned to its hollow, grieving the parting.
• Fang Yuan continued along a half-frozen stream, gained movement proficiency during his sprint, and spotted Qinghe County's walls ahead.

Li Qingwu pursued Fang Yuan after recognizing his Treading Snow Without Trace movement technique and questioned him about its origins. Though wary of one another, she gave him her identity token and invited him to seek her out at the Five Tiger Sect, leaving their encounter unresolved.

• Li Qingwu and her companions rode away from the mountains, and she rejected Xu Feng's offer to find her another Precious Medicine.
• Li Qingwu spotted Fang Yuan using Treading Snow Without Trace and pursued him, suspecting he might be the movement expert she had noticed before.
• Fang Yuan stopped beneath the trees and prepared to fight or flee as Li Qingwu and the others caught up and surrounded him.
• Li Qingwu asked Fang Yuan whether he was using the Carefree Sect's Treading Snow Without Trace, and he claimed he had practiced incomplete fragments he found by chance.
• After learning Fang Yuan was from Qinghe County, Li Qingwu gave him her identity token and told him he could use it to visit her at the Five Tiger Sect and qualify for its inner disciple examination.

Li Qingwu gave Fang Yuan an Inner Disciple Recommendation Order and left for the prefectural city, while explaining to her junior brothers why she believed his movement technique showed rare potential. She planned to find his name at the upcoming Qinghe Arena.

• Fang Yuan accepted Li Qingwu's token without committing to visit the prefectural city, and she rode away with Xu Feng and the other disciples.
• Xu Feng asked Li Qingwu why she had given the valuable recommendation order to a stranger from Qinghe County.
• Li Qingwu explained that Fang Yuan's movement technique hinted he was close to grasping the essence of Treading Snow Without Trace despite having limited instruction and resources.
• Li Qingwu described how sects used incomplete cultivation methods to identify talented martial artists in poorer counties, and she considered Fang Yuan a promising candidate.
• Li Qingwu realized she had forgotten to ask Fang Yuan's name, then decided she could inquire about him at the upcoming Qinghe Arena.

Fang Yuan returned to Qinghe County and learned that the White Lotus Sect had been aiding refugees outside the city, while the authorities warned people not to discuss or approach them. He encountered Ji Kun, who was shocked to find him alive, then returned safely to the Zhengyang Martial Arts School with roast chickens for Little Purple Sable.

• Fang Yuan paid the newly imposed entry tax after a gate squad leader explained that the county was under pressure from the war and warned him that the White Lotus Sect was running refugee relief outside the city.
• Fang Yuan noticed tension and hardship in Qinghe County and decided to ask Senior Brother Wang about recent events.
• Ji Kun saw Fang Yuan alive and realized that Zhang Shun had either failed to kill him or had taken Ji Kun's money without doing the job.
• Fang Yuan bought five roast chickens for Little Purple Sable and returned to the Zhengyang Martial Arts School after finding no sign of anyone watching him.

Fang Yuan returned to the Martial Arts School, found Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout safe, and learned that Chen Yin had been caring for them. Meanwhile, Ji Kun entered a hideout looking for Zhang Shun and discovered that Zhang Shun had recovered enough to ambush him.

• Fang Yuan returned to the courtyard and reunited with Little Bean Sprout and Liu Wanwan.
• Fang Yuan thanked Chen Yin for looking after Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout, and Liu Wanwan told him that Chen Yin had kept her company and taught her about medicinal herbs.
• Fang Yuan settled in with his family and decided to visit Chen Zhengyang to discuss what he had seen outside the city.
• Ji Kun disguised himself and slipped into an abandoned courtyard to find Zhang Shun.
• Zhang Shun ambushed Ji Kun from the darkness and held a blade to his throat.

Ji Kun pressed Zhang Shun to carry out the planned attack on Fang Yuan, and Zhang Shun agreed to strike within the next few days. The next morning, Fang Yuan prepared for the Qinghe Arena and revealed to Senior Brother Wang that his mountain trip had brought him a breakthrough.

• Ji Kun denied planning to betray Zhang Shun, then asked when he would attack Fang Yuan.
• Zhang Shun demanded a clean identity to escape the city, promised to deal with Fang Yuan soon, and threatened Ji Kun to stay away.
• Ji Kun fled the abandoned house in fear, while Zhang Shun decided Fang Yuan would be a chance to test his strength.
• Fang Yuan woke after gaining Basic Health Preservation Method proficiency and resolved to make his name at the Qinghe Arena.
• Senior Brother Wang noticed Fang Yuan's stronger presence, and Fang Yuan told him he had gained a little from finding medicinal herbs in the mountains.

Fang Yuan learned that the White Lotus Sect was gaining influence in Qinghe County while the County yamen struggled to contain it. Wang Pangzi revealed that the Wang Family planned to relocate to the prefectural city and invited Fang Yuan to his home to discuss the Qinghe Arena and the county’s uncertain future.

• Fang Yuan asked Wang Pangzi about the White Lotus Sect’s porridge stalls, and Wang Pangzi described its growing following and the martial artists protecting its relief efforts.
• Wang Pangzi explained that the sect appeared to demand nothing beyond faith, while the County yamen’s agents could investigate only its outer circle.
• Fang Yuan and Wang Pangzi considered the danger of the sect’s influence and the possibility that its charitable work concealed a greater purpose.
• Wang Pangzi said the Wang Family believed Qinghe County would soon fall into chaos and had decided to move the entire family to the prefectural city.
• Wang Pangzi said the family had stayed partly because of the Qinghe Arena and formally invited Fang Yuan to his home for a talk.

Fang Yuan considered the Wang Family’s offer to support his rise at Qinghe Arena in exchange for becoming its ally, and agreed to visit them to discuss the terms. He then showed Wang Pangzi an icy, extraordinary fruit, which Wang Pangzi could not identify but offered to take somewhere that could assess it.

• Wang Pangzi told Fang Yuan that the Wang Family wanted to invest resources in him and gain his support as a connection in the Martial Dao.
• Fang Yuan weighed the benefits and risks of binding himself to the Wang Family, then agreed to visit their home without committing to cooperation.
• Wang Pangzi was pleased that Fang Yuan accepted the invitation and privately thought the family should invest in him.
• Fang Yuan took out an ice-blue Exotic Fruit and asked Wang Pangzi to identify it.
• Wang Pangzi recognized that the fruit was an exceptionally rare treasure but did not know what it was, and said he knew a place that could identify and value it.

Fang Yuan learned that Myriad Treasures Pavilion had a discreet outpost in Qinghe County and asked Wang Pangzi to arrange an appraisal of his Exotic Fruit. After Wang Pangzi left to make contact, Fang Yuan reflected on his caution and trust in his senior brother, then began practicing the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique.

• Wang Pangzi told Fang Yuan about Myriad Treasures Pavilion and explained that his family could introduce Fang Yuan to its Qinghe County steward.
• Wang Pangzi warned Fang Yuan to decide whether he would only have the Exotic Fruit appraised or might trade it, and Fang Yuan said he would keep it if he could use it himself.
• Wang Pangzi left to contact Myriad Treasures Pavilion discreetly and promised to inform Fang Yuan when he had news.
• Fang Yuan assessed Wang Pangzi's reactions and concluded that his senior brother was trustworthy.
• Fang Yuan drew the Ghost Head Saber and practiced the thirty-six fundamental methods of channeling force from the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique.

Fang Yuan displayed his improved saber skills at the Martial Arts School before a visitor from Black Tiger Hall asked to meet him and settle their supposed misunderstandings. When Fang Yuan recognized the visitor’s tokens as belongings of Chen Zhiyuan and Chen Ling, he realized the visit was tied to them and reacted with cold alarm.

• Fang Yuan practiced his saber technique before gathered disciples, who admired how much his skill had improved.
• A disciple reported that a refined man from Black Tiger Hall had brought a calling card and wanted to resolve past misunderstandings with Fang Yuan.
• Fang Yuan suspected a trap and initially refused to meet the visitor, telling the disciple to cite his closed-door cultivation.
• The disciple revealed an old green sachet and a gilded hairpin that the visitor had left as proof Fang Yuan would understand.
• Fang Yuan recognized the sachet as Chen Zhiyuan’s and the hairpin as Chen Ling’s, then ordered the disciple to hand them over.

Fang Yuan went to meet Mr. Wen, a Black Tiger Hall advisor, after learning that Chen Ling and Chen Zhiyuan had been taken to pressure him. Mr. Wen invited him to meet Young Master Li at Wangjiang Restaurant, and Fang Yuan set out to confront the man behind the abduction.

• Fang Yuan ordered the messenger to tell Mr. Wen he would come, and instructed the disciples to alert his master if he had not returned within half an hour.
• Fang Yuan left Zhengyang Martial Arts School carrying his saber and met Mr. Wen at the entrance.
• Fang Yuan demanded to know where Chen Ling and Chen Zhiyuan were, and Mr. Wen promised they would be returned unharmed if Fang Yuan met Young Master Li.
• Mr. Wen explained that Young Master Li wanted to settle their past disputes over drinks at Wangjiang Restaurant.
• Fang Yuan learned that Young Master Li, rather than Black Heart Tiger, had sent Mr. Wen to invite him.