Chapter Summaries

Sanyue and Ye Weiming overcame Wang Yuyan’s interference to defeat Zang Yue and qualify for the Murong Family Martial Arts Selection Tournament. They learned the tournament would begin in ten minutes, though its rules remained undisclosed.

• Sanyue’s shouting disrupted Wang Yuyan’s guidance until Wang Yuyan used her authority to mute Sanyue.
• Ye Weiming drowned out Wang Yuyan by loudly reciting the multiplication table while calculating Zang Yue’s weaknesses.
• Ye Weiming told Sanyue to strike Zang Yue’s Shanzhong acupoint, and she landed the blow and unleashed a series of Thunderclap Palm attacks.
• Sanyue defeated Zang Yue, and Gongye Qian congratulated her and Ye Weiming on passing the test.
• A system notification announced that the Murong Family Martial Arts Selection Tournament would begin in ten minutes, with its rules to be revealed at the mission map.

Ye Weiming and Sanyue entered the Raging Sand Flats competition, where they learned that contestants could earn points by killing wolves and hunt Mechanism Men for Murong Family Entry Tokens. They spent over an hour grinding wolves together and climbed into the top ten before a piercing horn suggested that a Mechanism Man had appeared nearby.

• After Sanyue won her arena match, Ye Weiming and the other contestants were teleported to the Raging Sand Flats.
• Ye Weiming explained the competition rules to Sanyue, including the wolf points, player battles, and the need to carry an Entry Token to the central teleportation array.
• Ye Weiming buried Aobai's corpse with Sanyue's help, and the two set off toward the center while killing wolves along the way.
• Ye Weiming and Sanyue continued hunting wolves for over an hour and rose into the quest leaderboard's top ten.
• A piercing horn interrupted Sanyue's fight, and Ye Weiming identified it as a likely signal from a Mechanism Man.

Ye Weiming and Sanyue watched players turn a Mechanical Bronze Man encounter into a chaotic battle, then met Niu Zhichun, a Quanzhen Sect player who proposed teaming up to defeat another hidden Mechanism Man. The chapter left them considering his offer to secure an Entry Token.

• Ye Weiming and Sanyue found more than twenty players fighting around a Mechanical Bronze Man, which retaliated only against players who attacked it.
• Ye Weiming analyzed how the Mechanism Man's whistle drew players together and encouraged them to kill one another, then sat with Sanyue to eat and watch.
• Niu Zhichun arrived, introduced himself as a Quanzhen Sect player formerly named Niu Dachun, and shared buns with Ye Weiming and Sanyue.
• Niu Zhichun proposed that they cooperate to defeat a different Mechanism Man he had found in a secluded location.
• Ye Weiming, Sanyue, and Niu Zhichun saw that fourteen players remained below and were watching them warily, while Niu Zhichun insisted he had scouted an escape route.

Ye Weiming and Sanyue agreed to help Niu Zhichun find a Mechanical Bronze Man, though Ye Weiming remained wary and left Sanyue outside as a lookout. Inside the cave, Ye Weiming attacked the Mechanism Man, only to find that Tai Shan's Secret did not draw its attention.

• After Sanyue's Insightful Observation indicated that Niu Zhichun was telling the truth, Ye Weiming agreed to team up with him.
• Niu Zhichun shared what he had learned about team-based wolf points and led Ye Weiming and Sanyue to a hidden cave entrance.
• Ye Weiming asked Sanyue to remain outside and watch for trouble, then followed Niu Zhichun into the cave alone.
• Ye Weiming and Niu Zhichun found the Mechanical Bronze Man, and Ye Weiming switched the team's loot distribution to contribution-based mode.
• Ye Weiming initiated the fight with Tai Shan's Secret, but the Mechanism Man ignored the taunt.

Ye Weiming and Niu Zhichun fought the Mechanical Bronze Man while competing for its Entry Token, and Ye Weiming demonstrated the immense power of Tai Shan's Secret. The battle continued as Sanyue warned that Zang Yue and at least a dozen others were approaching.

• Ye Weiming used Tai Shan's Secret to deal 4,430 damage to the Mechanical Bronze Man with a single strike.
• Ye Weiming identified the Mechanical Bronze Man's red, yellow, and blue marks as its Vital Points, and Niu Zhichun struck one for a critical hit.
• Ye Weiming and Niu Zhichun rapidly reduced the Mechanical Bronze Man's health, while Niu Zhichun realized Ye Weiming's greater contribution left him with little chance of winning the Entry Token.
• Niu Zhichun asked Ye Weiming to switch the loot distribution to random, but Ye Weiming refused and gave him the team leader position; Niu Zhichun discovered the mode could not be changed during combat.
• Sanyue warned the team that at least a dozen people, including Zang Yue, were heading toward them.

Ye Weiming, Sanyue, and Niu Zhichun abandoned their fight with the Mechanical Bronze Man and hid in an upwind passage as Zang Yue's group approached. A second group triggered a massive brawl in the cave, leaving the Mechanical Bronze Man and Entry Token caught amid the chaos.

• After hearing Sanyue's warning, Ye Weiming asked Niu Zhichun whether he had lured the approaching players, then agreed with his plan to hide and wait.
• Ye Weiming led Sanyue and Niu Zhichun into an elevated upwind passage, where they concealed themselves and agreed to communicate through the Team Channel.
• Zang Yue arrived with his group, suspected that players were hiding nearby, and demanded that everyone clear the area before fighting the Mechanical Bronze Man.
• A group of around twenty newcomers entered the cave, and one of them cursed Zang Yue while a Tang Clan player attacked with hidden weapons.
• The gathered players erupted into a large-scale fight inside the cave.

Ye Weiming and his companions watched the players fight over the Mechanical Bronze Man and its token, then ambushed a player who tried to attack Sanyue. Ye Weiming picked up the unexpected Murong Family Entry Token, while the battle below continued over another token.

• The players stopped fighting each other long enough to destroy the Mechanical Bronze Man, then resumed brawling over its token.
• Ye Weiming deduced that Zang Yue had the token and Niu Zhichun ambushed him as he jumped into their passage.
• The crowd attacked Zang Yue, killed him, and fought over the token he dropped.
• A player with a saber slipped into the passage and attacked Sanyue, but Ye Weiming killed him with one thrust.
• Ye Weiming picked up the player's Murong Family Entry Token and explained that the man had hidden it by blending into the crowd.

Ye Weiming and Sanyue entered the battle for the Entry Token after Niu Zhichun used the melee to eliminate opponents without becoming a target. The three defeated everyone else, then Sanyue won the token in a rock-paper-scissors match.

• Ye Weiming explained to Sanyue why players were willing to fight for the Murong Family's Entry Token despite Niu Zhichun's obvious scheme.
• Ye Weiming joined the battle by killing a player who had blocked Niu Zhichun's attack, and the remaining fighters turned against his team.
• Ye Weiming, Sanyue, and Niu Zhichun defeated everyone else in the cavern and collected over 5,000 points each.
• Ye Weiming let Niu Zhichun choose how they would decide who got the Entry Token, and Niu Zhichun proposed rock-paper-scissors.
• Ye Weiming and Niu Zhichun both threw paper while Sanyue threw scissors, so Sanyue claimed the token.

Ye Weiming and his companions hunted Mechanical Bronze Men throughout the selection instance, earning Entry Tokens and mechanics manuals before the contest ended. Back at Chixia Manor, they exchanged points and saw other players punished for attacking a token holder, then Ye Weiming prepared to claim rewards with 16,360 points.

• Ye Weiming discovered that wrapping a broken Mechanical Bronze Man in a straw mat granted a Mechanics Mastery Manual, and he and his companions chose to keep exploring the instance rather than seek fights near the teleportation arrays.
• Ye Weiming, Sanyue, and Niu Zhichun defeated a surviving Mechanical Bronze Man, and Niu Zhichun received its Entry Token through random distribution while Ye Weiming obtained another manual.
• The trio hunted monsters and collected eight Mechanical Bronze Man corpses and manuals; Ye Weiming also gained another Entry Token before the mission timer teleported them back to Chixia Manor.
• After the contest ended, a player heading for the main hall was killed by a group, but no Entry Token dropped, and a manor NPC disqualified the attackers and reduced their points to zero.
• Ye Weiming, Sanyue, and Niu Zhichun went to A Bi to review the reward exchange rules, and Ye Weiming eyed his 16,360 points eagerly.

Ye Weiming and his companions spent their Murong Family points on cultivation, then negotiated rewards for their Entry Tokens with Gongye Qian. Ye Weiming left with an advanced swordsmanship manual, while Sanyue received and learned a hidden weapon manual.

• Ye Weiming, Sanyue, and Niu Zhichun exchanged their Murong Family points for Cultivation Points.
• Niu Zhichun became a Murong Family retainer, and Ye Weiming tried to do the same despite revealing that he belonged to the Divine Constable Bureau.
• Ye Weiming bargained with Gongye Qian and received an intermediate martial arts manual for one Entry Token.
• Ye Weiming presented a second Entry Token and accepted an advanced swordsmanship manual after Gongye Qian refused to combine the rewards.
• Ye Weiming persuaded Gongye Qian to give Sanyue the hidden weapon manual “Eighteen Broken City Strikes,” which she learned immediately.

Ye Weiming and Sanyue received Thunder God's Blast, then tested Gongye Qian with forged paintings while investigating stolen palace treasures. Gongye Qian drove them out and drew a crowd of greedy players toward them before sealing Chixia Manor’s gates.

• Sanyue’s two intermediate Hidden Weapon Techniques merged into the advanced Thunder God's Blast, which ignored opponents’ Defense.
• Ye Weiming showed Gongye Qian forged calligraphy and paintings, and Gongye Qian identified every piece as counterfeit.
• Ye Weiming revealed that genuine works had been stolen from the imperial palace and asked Gongye Qian to alert the Divine Constable Bureau if the thief approached him.
• Sanyue told Ye Weiming through the Team Channel that Gongye Qian was lying about not accepting stolen treasures.
• Gongye Qian’s announcement drew more than thirty players’ greedy attention to Ye Weiming, Sanyue, and their companion, then he shut the manor gates behind them.

Ye Weiming and Sanyue escaped Chixia Manor while Niu Zhichun drew the anger of the players they had defeated, then Ye Weiming received Fei Yu’s urgent request for help. Fei Yu’s account revealed that he had been captured in trouble during a Qingcheng Sect mission after mistaking Miao Renfeng for a Qingcheng disciple.

• Gongye Qian’s gates trapped Ye Weiming, Sanyue, and Niu Zhichun as the players charged, but the players recognized Niu Zhichun and chased him instead.
• Four players recognized Ye Weiming and Sanyue, then fled after Niu Zhichun when they realized they could not beat them.
• Ye Weiming inferred that Gongye Qian had lied about whether he would accept stolen goods, then left for Suzhou with Sanyue.
• Thirteen carrier pigeons delivered Fei Yu’s pleas for help, and Ye Weiming asked what had happened.
• Fei Yu explained that he had captured Feng Renyuan for a mission, then stopped a sallow-faced stranger and accused him of being a Qingcheng disciple named Miao Renfeng.

Ye Weiming agreed to rescue Fei Yu and Tang Sancai from Miao Renfeng, arranging for Fei Yu to repay him with information and help on a mission. He and Sanyue then searched for corpse-preparing tools, and Ye Weiming examined coffins that could improve his rewards.

• Sanyue and Ye Weiming learned that Miao Renfeng was guarding Lingyun Cave, where Fei Yu and Tang Sancai were trapped after resurrecting.
• Ye Weiming decided to seek Xiao Qiao's help and negotiate compensation, while Sanyue offered her pearl hairpin as a gift.
• Fei Yu told Ye Weiming that the Yuntai Sword Ring had dropped during a mission on Jianshan Penglai Island and promised to help with up to ten missions in return for a rescue.
• Ye Weiming messaged Fei Yu to stay safely in Lingyun Cave while he contacted Xiao Qiao and made preparations.
• Ye Weiming and Sanyue searched Suzhou City for a suitable gift, then entered a coffin shop where Ye Weiming inspected coffins with bonuses to corpse-preparation rewards.

Ye Weiming bought coffins at a discount and met Xiao Qiao to prepare for their confrontation with Miao Renfeng. After an awkward misunderstanding over a ring, he agreed to give her battle-enhancing grilled meat and examined the advanced Man-Ghost Path sword manual.

• Sanyue bargained with the coffin shopkeeper until Ye Weiming qualified for a permanent discount by spending exactly 200 gold on three coffins.
• Ye Weiming went to Dongpo Tower and told Xiao Qiao that Miao Renfeng was far stronger than the mission-state Yu Canghai they had fought.
• Ye Weiming offered Xiao Qiao a ring as thanks for joining the dangerous mission, but Sanyue pointed out that it looked like a proposal.
• Xiao Qiao asked Ye Weiming for grilled meat that boosted arm strength, and he agreed to provide it for their battle.
• While Sanyue and Xiao Qiao chatted, Ye Weiming inspected the advanced Kongtong sword technique Man-Ghost Path and read its cultivation requirements.

Ye Weiming learned the powerful sacrificial sword technique Man-Ghost Path and improved Deduction and Tai Shan's Secret by studying mechanics manuals. After agreeing to consider a silent investment in Xiao Qiao and Sanyue's shop, he and Xiao Qiao reached Lingyun Cave and tried to speak with Miao Renfeng.

• Ye Weiming learned Man-Ghost Path, a max-level sword technique that increased his attack and accuracy but endangered its user.
• Ye Weiming studied eight Mechanics Mastery Manuals, raising Deduction and Tai Shan's Secret through Cross-Discipline Comprehension.
• Sanyue left to discuss a shopfront, and Xiao Qiao told Ye Weiming that she and Sanyue planned to open a shop and asked him to invest.
• Ye Weiming agreed to consider a silent partnership but said he had little spare money.
• Ye Weiming and Xiao Qiao met Miao Renfeng at Lingyun Cave, where Miao Renfeng mocked Ye Weiming for not knowing his nickname.

Ye Weiming and Xiao Qiao challenged Miao Renfeng to free Fei Yu and the others, but they could not defeat the level-80 swordsman. Miao Renfeng revealed that Fei Yu’s tracking and disguise-detection skills could help him fulfill a wish, setting up a mission for the pair.

• Ye Weiming asked Miao Renfeng to release Fei Yu and the others, but Miao Renfeng demanded that they defeat him first.
• Ye Weiming and Xiao Qiao used Twin Swords Fusion, but Miao Renfeng broke their formation with one sword thrust.
• Miao Renfeng attacked the pair, and Ye Weiming ordered Xiao Qiao to flee while he attempted to strike Miao Renfeng with Man-Ghost Path.
• Miao Renfeng evaded Ye Weiming’s desperate attack and blocked their route down the mountain.
• Ye Weiming inferred that Miao Renfeng had kidnapped Fei Yu to compel them to complete a mission, and Miao Renfeng explained that Fei Yu’s skills could help fulfill a wish.

Miao Renfeng explained that he had tested Fei Yu and summoned reinforcements to find people strong enough to help him kill Yan Ji, the poisoner who murdered Hu Yidao. Ye Weiming, Xiao Qiao, Fei Yu, and Tang Sancai accepted the five-star mission, which promised to raise one swordplay or saber technique by a level.

• Miao Renfeng revealed that he had spared Fei Yu while seeking capable hunters, and Ye Weiming told Fei Yu it was safe to leave Lingyun Cave.
• Miao Renfeng recounted how Yan Ji poisoned Hu Yidao during his duel with Miao Renfeng and later used stolen pages of the Hu Family Saber Technique to become a bandit.
• Miao Renfeng assigned Ye Weiming, Xiao Qiao, Fei Yu, and Tang Sancai a mission to kill Yan Ji, whose last known location was outside Fuzhou City.
• The four players welcomed the reward of raising a swordplay or saber technique by one level and prepared to depart.
• Miao Renfeng warned the group about Yan Ji's poison and cautioned Ye Weiming and Xiao Qiao that their Twin Swords Fusion had a flaw caused by their lack of mutual understanding.

Fei Yu tracked the caravan murderer Yan Ji to a remote cottage, where Yan Ji poisoned him with Baisu Qingfeng. Xiao Qiao rescued Fei Yu from Yan Ji’s blade, but the group was left outside the poisoned cottage with Yan Ji refusing to come out.

• Fei Yu tracked the caravan murderer to a hillside cottage and identified him as Yan Ji.
• Yan Ji invited the group inside for tea, but refused to come out when Ye Weiming challenged him.
• Fei Yu entered the cottage and was poisoned by Baisu Qingfeng, leaving his attributes crippled and his internal energy unusable.
• Yan Ji approached Fei Yu with a Ghost Head Saber, but Xiao Qiao pulled Fei Yu away with her white silk and Tang Sancai caught him.
• Xiao Qiao noted that the cottage was poisoned and asked what they should do since Yan Ji would not come out.

Ye Weiming and his companions tried to force Yan Ji out of his cottage by surrounding it with firewood, and Fei Yu set it alight. Yan Ji emerged and fought Ye Weiming and Xiao Qiao, then ignored Ye Weiming’s taunt and charged at Fei Yu and Tang Sancai, leaving Ye Weiming stunned by the boss’s resistance.

• Yan Ji shut himself inside his cottage after Xiao Qiao spoke, while Fei Yu showed signs of poisoning.
• Ye Weiming proposed trapping Yan Ji by piling firewood around the cottage, and he, Xiao Qiao, and Tang Sancai carried out the plan.
• Fei Yu lit the firewood, accepting a loss of 20 Chivalry Points for arson.
• Yan Ji burst from the burning cottage and attacked Fei Yu, but Ye Weiming and Xiao Qiao’s combined sword strike drove him back inside.
• Yan Ji escaped through a window and sent burning wood flying at Ye Weiming and Xiao Qiao before charging at Fei Yu and Tang Sancai.
• Ye Weiming used Tai Shan's Secret to taunt Yan Ji, but Yan Ji ignored its effect and continued charging at Fei Yu and Tang Sancai.

Ye Weiming, Xiao Qiao, Tang Sancai, and Fei Yu defeated Yan Ji, permanently killing the Level 32 standard BOSS and completing their quest. Tang Sancai then discovered that Yan Ji’s poisoned saber had afflicted him with a deadly debuff, while Xiao Qiao prepared to loot the corpse.

• Tang Sancai bombarded Yan Ji with hidden weapons, then drew his sword to protect the poisoned Fei Yu when Yan Ji reached them.
• Ye Weiming and Xiao Qiao combined their attacks to drive Yan Ji back and overwhelm him with chained sword techniques.
• Ye Weiming, Xiao Qiao, Tang Sancai, and Fei Yu killed Yan Ji, completed the five-star quest, and received the final-kill rewards.
• Xiao Qiao celebrated the system announcement, while Tang Sancai disappeared after discovering that Yan Ji’s saber had poisoned him with Soul Severing Paste.
• Ye Weiming asked who would loot Yan Ji, and Xiao Qiao kicked the corpse to reveal its fixed, generous drops.