Chapter Summaries

Lin Lin traveled from Hundred Flowers Valley toward Hui Ping Town and learned to cultivate inner power while riding by developing Dual-Mindedness. He reached the mission site in the middle of the night and began investigating without resting.

• Lin Lin left Hundred Flowers Valley, borrowed a thousand mile horse, and set off on his first journey through the martial world.
• Lin Lin attempted to practice an Inner Power Cultivation Method while controlling his horse, starting with a tiny wisp of Inner Breath.
• Lin Lin gradually learned to ride and cultivate at the same time, increasing the amount of Inner Breath he could control.
• Lin Lin gained the Beginner-level Intent Realm ability Dual-Mindedness and saw its potential to support multiple activities at once.
• Lin Lin arrived near Hui Ping Town late at night and immediately began investigating the mission.

Lin Lin arrived at Xia Family Martial Hall to investigate the disappearances and reviewed Xia Da’s intelligence. He concluded that a bandit group was hiding in Lianyun Mountain and arranged a local militia search, leaving himself to guard against a counterattack.

• Lin Lin introduced himself to Xia Da as an Official Disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley and was warmly welcomed at the martial hall.
• Lin Lin cautiously checked the wine and mutton before eating with Xia Da and his family.
• Xia Da gave Lin Lin detailed reports about disappearances that continued despite villages being placed under lockdown.
• Lin Lin compared the reports with a terrain map and inferred that the perpetrators were hiding in Lianyun Mountain and were likely becoming mountain bandits.
• Lin Lin told Xia Da to contact local gentry, gather several thousand militia, and invite local experts to search the mountain while he protected ordinary people from a counterattack.

Lin Lin organized the local gentry and more than eight thousand Local Militia to search Lianyun Mountain for the people responsible for the disappearances. He led the northern search as the three families took the other directions.

• Lin Lin explained his deductions to Xia Da and sent him to gather the local gentry.
• Xia Da invited the leaders and elders of the Xu, Shi, and Xia families to the Xia Family Martial Hall, where they offered support and gifts.
• Lin Lin assigned the three families to search the east, south, and west of Lianyun Mountain while he planned to lead the northern search.
• More than eight thousand Local Militia gathered near the mountain, including volunteers from neighboring villages and towns.
• Lin Lin ordered each group to search its assigned direction and rode ahead with the northern militia.

Lin Lin led more than eight thousand Local Militia to surround a Mountain Stronghold and spent two days assessing the bandits’ strength. After confirming the enemy’s numbers and capabilities, he ordered a full assault.

• Lin Lin and the Local Militia searched the Lianyun Mountain Range and located the Mountain Stronghold, where captured villagers were forced to work.
• Xu Jing and Shi Mo discussed the danger of the bandits escaping, while Xia Da and the village leaders asked Lin Lin for instructions.
• Lin Lin ordered the militia to hold their positions and observed the stronghold for two days, identifying more than fifteen hundred trained bandits and five chiefs with modest martial cultivation.
• After confirming that the visible forces made up the entire bandit group, Lin Lin ordered the full assault to begin in one hour.
• Lin Lin restored his strength while the Local Militia prepared, then led the army forward at his command.

The Mountain Bandits prepared to defend their stronghold, confident that its terrain and their weapons would defeat Hui Ping Town’s Local Militia. When the militia attacked, the azure-robed young man overwhelmed the defenders with Flying Daggers, needles, and sword strikes, leaving the bandits in chaos.

• Hun Yuan Pi Li Wei Da Wang reassured his bandits that their fortified position would let them defeat the larger Local Militia.
• The Mountain Bandits reinforced the stronghold and prepared stones, logs, and arrows while the militia surrounded them.
• Hun Yuan Pi Li Wei Da Wang ordered more than five hundred archers to wait until the charging militia came within range.
• The azure-robed young man leaped into the air and hurled Flying Daggers, badly wounding Hun Yuan Pi Li Wei Da Wang and other defenders.
• The young man landed on the walls and cut down the archers, causing the remaining bandits to panic and flee.
• The young man appeared among the bandits by the gates and attacked them with Flying Daggers, needles, and sword strikes.

Lin Lin led the Hui Ping Town militia in breaching the stronghold, defeating the Mountain Bandits, and freeing the captured villagers. After the battle, he reflected on his performance and anticipated a major advance in his martial arts as Clan Elders reported on the cleanup.

• Lin Lin blasted open the stronghold gate, and the Hui Ping Town militia charged in behind him to overwhelm the Mountain Bandits.
• Xia Da, several Clan Elders, and sturdy young men surrounded the five wounded bandit leaders on the stronghold wall.
• Lin Lin cleared the guards near the shacks, and the militia freed the captured villagers, who joined the fight.
• The militia subdued the remaining Mountain Bandits, captured Hun Yuan Pi Li Wei Da Wang, and began clearing the battlefield.
• Lin Lin recovered on the Hall of Gathering Righteousness roof, reviewed the battle, and expected his martial arts to improve greatly.
• Several Clan Elders approached Lin Lin after he leapt down to report on the battlefield cleanup.

After Lin Lin’s forces crushed the Mountain Bandits, he reviewed the casualties and spoils and decided how to deal with the prisoners. He kept the valuable spoils for his cultivation, treated the soldiers to a feast, and directed that the money from selling the bandits to nearby mines go toward helping the victims rebuild their lives.

• Xia Da reported that the battle had left no one dead, more than two hundred wounded, and over three hundred Mountain Bandits captured, while four of their five leaders had died.
• Xia Da and the other clan chiefs offered Lin Lin the captured weapons, armor, valuables, and supplies, praising him for defeating the bandits.
• Lin Lin checked the ledger and valued the spoils at about twenty-eight thousand taels of silver, or up to thirty thousand at a premium, and accepted them for his cultivation.
• Lin Lin ordered a feast for the soldiers, offering them grain, meat, liquor, and livestock from the spoils.
• Lin Lin ordered the bandit leader killed and the remaining bandits starved into obedience, branded, and sold to nearby mines, with the proceeds reserved for the victims of the bandit raids.

After returning to Hui Ping Town, Lin Lin arranged the sale of the mountain bandit prisoners and seized goods, then distributed the proceeds and supplies to those harmed by the bandits. With the town settling into safety and his deeds spreading, he converted the remaining weapons, armor, jewels, and silver into portable Silver Notes.

• Lin Lin celebrated the victory with a banquet, slept, and led the group back to Hui Ping Town, where news of the bandits' defeat spread and stories of his deeds circulated.
• Lin Lin invited a Hundred Flowers Valley merchant association steward from Zhenyuan County to collect the supplies seized from the Mountain Stronghold.
• Lin Lin escorted 343 prisoners to a mine in Heyun Province and sold them for 5,200 taels of silver, then distributed the money and other goods to help the bandits' victims rebuild.
• Lin Lin told the recipients to ask Xia Da for justice if they were oppressed and promised to return himself if Xia Da could not help them.
• Steward Cui offered Lin Lin 24,000 taels for the weapons and armor, and Lin Lin accepted and asked him to exchange the jewels and silver for Silver Notes.

Lin Lin returned to Hundred Flowers Valley after helping Hui Ping Town, and Zhang Zhou confirmed that he had completed the Elite Disciple Promotion Mission with a Grade A+ evaluation. The chapter ended with Lin Lin collecting an Elite Disciple’s robes before visiting the Elder of Teaching Skills the next day.

• The residents of Hui Ping Town gave Lin Lin three valuable Old Ginseng roots as farewell gifts, and he rode back to Hundred Flowers Valley.
• Lin Lin returned his borrowed horse, entered the Mountain Gate, and submitted his mission dossier to Zhang Zhou at the Hall of Affairs.
• Zhang Zhou compared the dossier with an intelligence report, confirmed Lin Lin’s account, and awarded him a Grade A+ mission evaluation and a Credentials Letter.
• Zhang Zhou told Lin Lin to visit the Elder of Teaching Skills the next day and suggested he collect an Elite Disciple’s robe first.
• At Rainbow Dress Pavilion, the attendant saw Lin Lin’s Credentials Letter and prepared twelve sets of fitted seasonal clothes for him.

Lin Lin returned home after completing his Elite Disciple promotion mission, and Zhang Fei celebrated his safe return and highest evaluation. He gave her the wealth he had earned on the journey, then recounted his experiences, leaving her amazed by how much he had changed.

• Lin Lin returned home in his Elite Disciple robe and told Zhang Fei he had completed his promotion mission.
• Zhang Fei welcomed Lin Lin, prepared a celebratory meal, and read his Credentials Letter, which gave him the highest evaluation, First Grade, Upper Class.
• Lin Lin handed Zhang Fei twenty-five thousand taels in Silver Notes and three Old Ginseng roots to support the household and his training.
• Zhang Fei questioned Lin Lin about the mission, and he described his experiences in Yin Wind Gorge.
• Zhang Fei marveled at Lin Lin's transformation and wondered whether she should visit Yin Wind Gorge herself.

Lin Lin discussed how to invest his newly acquired wealth and choose a Superior Martial Art with his mother, Zhang Fei. After learning about the sect’s contribution discounts and restrictions, he asked why martial artists rarely had children, then read his parents’ martial arts document, cultivated, and went to sleep.

• Lin Lin and Zhang Fei shared tea after dinner, and Zhang Fei proposed buying him superior equipment, a fine horse, and medicinal ingredients for cultivation.
• Zhang Fei told Lin Lin to consider which Superior Martial Art to learn and gave him a document listing the eight martial arts she and Lin Yue knew.
• Lin Lin asked whether married disciples received discounts on each other’s martial arts, and Zhang Fei explained the sect’s rules for spouses and access to its highest arts.
• Lin Lin asked why she, Lin Yue, and many Martial Uncles had no younger children, and Zhang Fei blushed before telling him to go practice and sleep.
• Lin Lin reasoned that childbirth could endanger a martial artist’s vitality and combat strength, then read the document, cultivated, and went to bed.

Lin Lin registered as an Elite Disciple and asked Ji Yun for guidance on which Superior Martial Arts suited his fighting style. Ji Yun recommended several techniques, including a Forbidden Martial Arts, leaving Lin Lin with a path for further cultivation.

• At breakfast, Lin Lin explained to Zhang Fei that he seemed distracted because he was practicing Dual-Mindedness while cultivating his inner power.
• Lin Lin visited Ji Yun at the Skill Transmission Hall, submitted his Credentials Letter, and received his Elite Disciple identity token and handbook.
• Ji Yun granted Lin Lin permission to learn two Superior Martial Arts because of his Grade A+ evaluation, with the Sect Contribution to be made up later.
• Lin Lin described his existing martial arts and his sword-focused fighting style to Ji Yun, who praised his clear goals.
• Ji Yun recommended Cold Plum Swordplay, Azure Lotus Sway, Immovable as a Mountain, and Hundred Flowers True Qi for Lin Lin to cultivate.
• Ji Yun also urged Lin Lin to learn the Forbidden Martial Arts Hundred Flowers Wither, which could temporarily multiply his strength by igniting his qi and blood.

Lin Lin learned the Superior Martial Arts Cold Plum Swordplay and Immovable as a Mountain from Elder Ji Yun, while planning to learn three others from his family. After leaving the Skill Transmission Hall, he set out to find work and earn Sect Contribution Points so he could repay his debt to the sect.

• Ji Yun advised Lin Lin on five Superior Martial Arts and helped him reduce the Sect Contribution Points he would owe by learning three from his parents.
• Lin Lin thanked Ji Yun and chose to learn Cold Plum Swordplay and Immovable as a Mountain at the Skill Transmission Hall.
• Ji Yun gave Lin Lin the two jade manuals to study and explained the rules for learning and reviewing the martial arts.
• Lin Lin quickly comprehended both arts with Ji Yun's help and returned the manuals after the morning practice bell.
• Lin Lin left to find work and earn Sect Contribution Points, mindful that he had to repay at least a tenth of his debt each year.

Lin Lin reviewed Hundred Flowers Valley’s Sect Contribution system and chose a job that would fit around his cultivation. He settled on overseeing the Cold Iron Mine, where the harsh cold could help train his physique and the work posed little danger.

• Lin Lin considered the many ways Hundred Flowers Valley earned money and how its disciples gained Sect Contribution through work and missions.
• Lin Lin decided he needed a nearby, safe job that would leave time for cultivating his five newly acquired Superior Martial Arts.
• Lin Lin learned that the Cold Iron Mine thirteen li beyond Hundred Flowers Town was difficult to staff because its frigid conditions made work miserable and dangerous for miners.
• Lin Lin recognized that the mine’s cold would aid his Immovable as a Mountain training, while its proximity and lack of combat suited his needs.
• Lin Lin chose to work as an overseer at the Cold Iron Mine for its suitable conditions and decent Sect Contribution rewards.

Lin Lin accepted a three-month mission as manager of the Cold Iron Mine near Hundred Flowers Town, planning to train in two Superior Martial Arts before starting. Meanwhile, four former playmates mocked his absence until they unexpectedly encountered him in his Elite Disciple uniform.

• Lin Lin chose the Cold Iron Mine manager mission, which offered Sect Contribution and silver, and Gao Xiang arranged his documents and recorded his acceptance.
• Lin Lin learned that his assignment would begin nine days later and planned to practice two Superior Martial Arts before leaving.
• Four Official Disciples, including one girl, joked that Lin Lin might have been punished, injured, or met with an accident while away.
• The four youths rounded a cliff wall, saw Lin Lin in his Elite Disciple uniform, and the youth in front nervously greeted him as Senior Brother Lin Lin.

After hearing Chai Guanglin, Luo Kang, Zhou Yuhu, and Zhao ChuXue disparage him, Lin Lin beat them severely and left them plotting revenge. He returned home and began cultivating the Superior Martial Arts he had obtained.

• Lin Lin stopped Chai Guanglin, Luo Kang, Zhou Yuhu, and Zhao ChuXue after hearing them badmouth him, and announced he would offer them martial arts guidance.
• Lin Lin overwhelmed Chai Guanglin and repelled Luo Kang and Zhou Yuhu, then injured Zhao ChuXue with a flurry of strikes.
• Lin Lin left the four injured youths and told them to train harder, while they cursed him and recovered.
• Zhao ChuXue decided they would attend class so fellow disciples could see their injuries and help them seek revenge against Lin Lin.
• Lin Lin heard their plan but dismissed them, returned home, and began cultivating his newly obtained Superior Martial Arts.

Lin Lin practiced Cold Plum Swordplay and Immovable as a Mountain, learning that Superior Martial Arts required many additional acupoints and focused training. After speaking with Zhang Fei about his choices and the four disciples he had beaten, he spent his newly available time reading a medical text.

• Lin Lin mastered Cold Plum Swordplay to initial mastery and realized its techniques required him to open additional acupoints.
• Lin Lin concluded that learning multiple Superior Martial Arts would take more time than expected and that he would need to focus his cultivation.
• Lin Lin told Zhang Fei about Elder of Teaching Skills Ji Yun’s advice, his Cold Iron Mine assignment, and his fight with Zhao ChuXue and the other three.
• Zhang Fei agreed to teach Lin Lin the Inner Power method and life-risking technique, and warned him to keep his distance from the four disciples he had beaten.
• Lin Lin spent the evening reading a medical text and found he could study calmly without growing restless.

Lin Lin cultivated several Superior Martial Arts, learned Azure Lotus Sway, and became the talk of Hundred Flowers Valley after his father, Lin Yue, bragged about his achievements. As Lin Lin continued his studies and training, the day arrived for him to take up his post as supervisor at the Cold Iron Mine.

• Lin Lin advanced Immovable as a Mountain to initial insight, then studied Hundred Flowers True Qi and practiced the activation of Hundred Flowers Wither without completing it.
• Lin Yue returned from his assignment, learned of Lin Lin’s promotion and valuable haul, and drunkenly spread the news around Hundred Flowers Valley.
• Hundred Flowers Valley disciples heard about Lin Lin’s turnaround and began taking their own cultivation more seriously, while Lin Lin stayed focused on training.
• Lin Yue taught Lin Lin the movement technique Azure Lotus Sway, completing his instruction in five newly acquired Superior Martial Arts.
• Lin Lin attended Ji Yun’s lesson, continued reading and cultivating, and eventually reached the day he was to become supervisor at the Cold Iron Mine.

Lin Lin took over as manager of the Cold Iron Mine near Hundred Flowers Valley, where brutal cold made mining difficult and thousands of miners worked under strict supervision. After Qiao Mo explained the mine’s operations and warned him not to sell ore secretly, he introduced Lin Lin to the miners and overseers.

• Lin Lin met Qiao Mo and checked in as the mine’s new manager while Qiao Mo eagerly anticipated leaving the cold Mining Area.
• Qiao Mo explained that the mine’s roughly five thousand miners were divided between shackled prisoners and slaves and unshackled recruits, who worked in two shifts.
• Qiao Mo described the overseers’ duties and told Lin Lin that Elite Disciples mainly had to maintain order and could spend much of the day practicing martial arts.
• Qiao Mo warned Lin Lin that the sect closely monitored Cold Iron Ore and that secretly selling it could bring him before the Hall of Law Enforcement.
• Qiao Mo brought Lin Lin to the camp square and announced him as the new manager to the miners and overseers.

Lin Lin took charge of the Cold Iron Mine, inspected its facilities and mining operations, and learned how harsh the work was for the miners. He discovered that the overseers were skimming profits and concluded their schemes would have to be dealt with if he wanted to raise production.

• Lin Lin introduced himself as the mine’s new Chief Manager and assured the miners that their work would continue as before.
• Chi Bencheng and Shi You presented Lin Lin with the mine’s production and expense ledgers, but he returned them and asked to inspect the mine.
• Lin Lin toured the Camp Area and Mining Area, watched the miners extract cold iron, and personally tested how the ore’s chill made mining difficult.
• Lin Lin asked Chi Bencheng and Shi You to disclose what they knew about the mine’s operations, and they admitted to skimming profits from supplies, recruitment, and wages for nonexistent workers.
• Lin Lin compared their admitted two hundred taels of monthly profit with the mine’s accounts and recognized that the schemes stood in the way of increasing production.