Chapter Summaries

Ding Ling and Zhao Yun traveled through the mountains, where they encountered an extraordinary herb-gathering expert. Ding Ling asked to become his disciple, and the expert began considering what he could teach someone already at the Ultra-First-Rate level.

• Ding Ling abandoned plans to join the battle at Hulao Pass and continued south with Zhao Yun to seek the Inner Refining Breathing Method.
• Ding Ling and Zhao Yun traveled through dangerous mountain paths, with Ding Ling relying on his map and tracking skills to keep them from getting lost.
• Ding Ling spotted a white-haired expert gathering herbs on a cliff and called out to him.
• Ding Ling introduced himself and Zhao Yun, then directly asked the expert to take him as a disciple.
• The expert said Ding Ling had already reached the Ultra-First-Rate level, but Ding Ling insisted he wanted to break through the world's limits and reach the void.

Ding Ling persuaded the expert to teach him the Five Animal Frolics, and learned the technique instantly. He discovered the expert was the physician Hua Tuo, who was left astonished by Ding Ling’s mastery.

• Ding Ling told the expert that learning more martial arts, not finding time to practice, was what he needed, and Zhao Yun vouched for his talent.
• The expert agreed to teach Ding Ling and Zhao Yun his Five Animal Frolics, a technique he had developed by studying five animals.
• Ding Ling recognized the expert as Hua Tuo and was glad he had insisted on becoming his disciple.
• Ding Ling learned the Five Animal Frolics at once, gaining attributes and making the technique instinctive.
• Hua Tuo stared in disbelief as Ding Ling performed the technique flawlessly, while Zhao Yun proudly confirmed his claim.

Hua Tuo taught Ding Ling the Tizong Technique, which Ding Ling mastered instantly and used to scale cliffs with ease. Hua Tuo was further astonished when Zhao Yun revealed that Ding Ling could cultivate two Outer Refining Breathing Methods at once.

• Hua Tuo examined Ding Ling's bones but could not explain his extraordinary ability to learn martial arts quickly.
• Ding Ling asked Hua Tuo to teach him the Tizong Technique, and Hua Tuo agreed after Ding Ling promised to carry on his martial arts.
• Ding Ling mastered the Tizong Technique immediately, gained greater Agility, and climbed steep cliffs as effortlessly as Hua Tuo.
• Hua Tuo admitted the Tizong Technique had taken him five or six years to make instinctive and marveled at Ding Ling's talent.
• Hua Tuo warned Ding Ling against learning another Outer Refining Breathing Method, but Zhao Yun revealed that Ding Ling already knew two.
• Ding Ling demonstrated the Sword God and Spirit Phoenix Breathing Methods working together, leaving Hua Tuo stunned.

Hua Tuo taught Ding Ling the Medicine King Breathing Method and agreed to test his medical talent before passing on his family’s secret teachings. Ding Ling mastered Bian Que’s Inner Canon instantly, leaving Hua Tuo’s test unresolved.

• Hua Tuo praised Ding Ling for mastering two Outer Refining Breathing Methods and taught him the Medicine King Breathing Method, which Ding Ling memorized but could not yet cultivate.
• Hua Tuo explained that he had inherited Bian Que’s Medicine King Breathing Method and medical texts, while gaining much of his medical knowledge through family teachings and study.
• Ding Ling asked to learn medicine and declared that he could become a Medical God, prompting Hua Tuo to offer him Bian Que’s pulse-taking method and Inner Canon as a test.
• Hua Tuo explained the Inner Canon to Ding Ling, who mastered it instantly and absorbed its knowledge as instinct.

Ding Ling mastered Huatuo’s Inner Canon after reading it once and proved his medical knowledge during Huatuo’s tests. Huatuo agreed to pass on the Qing Nang Jing if Ding Ling helped him treat the plague in Runan, and the three set out together.

• Ding Ling demonstrated his mastery of the Inner Canon, astonishing Huatuo.
• Huatuo tested Ding Ling by having him diagnose injured animals, then confirmed that he had learned the medical text.
• Huatuo explained that he had gathered medicinal herbs and needed help treating the Runan Plague.
• Ding Ling agreed to accompany Huatuo to Runan in exchange for learning the Qing Nang Jing.
• Huatuo promised to pass on everything he had learned, and Ding Ling, Zhao Yun, and Huatuo left the mountains by shorter paths.

Ding Ling, Zhao Yun, and Hua Tuo discussed the scarcity of Great Medicine before reaching a farmhouse after a storm. The next morning, an armored group accused them of stealing horses, and Ding Ling shot the leader as he attacked Hua Tuo.

• Hua Tuo explained that years of war and powerful families’ hoarding had made Great Medicine nearly impossible to find or afford.
• Ding Ling, Zhao Yun, and Hua Tuo took shelter overnight at a farmhouse after a heavy downpour.
• As they prepared to leave the next morning, an armored group arrived and accused them of stealing horses.
• Hua Tuo denied the accusation and explained that the horses had been brought from the Si Li region.
• The leader charged at Hua Tuo with his hammer, and Ding Ling shot an arrow into the leader’s forehead.

Ding Ling killed Lei Bo and his elite cavalry after they attacked him, Hua Tuo, and Zhao Yun. He questioned a surviving scholar, who explained Lei Bo’s connection to Yuan Shu and the abuses he committed in northern Nanyang.

• Ding Ling cut through Lei Bo’s cavalry with his halberd and shot down the fleeing soldiers with his Six Stone Bow.
• Ding Ling received an achievement for annihilating Lei Bo’s elite Lei Cavalry and learned that Lei Bo was a general serving Yuan Shu.
• Ding Ling noticed his growing killing intent and used his breathing techniques, the Inner Canon, and the Five Animal Frolics to steady himself.
• Ding Ling questioned a surviving scholar, who identified the dead leader as Lei Bo and described how Yuan Shu had assigned him to guard northern Nanyang.
• The scholar told Ding Ling that Lei Bo had used his authority to extort taxes, oppress civilians, and seize respectable women by force.

Ding Ling learned that the farm household had reported his horses to Lei Bo under pressure, and Hua Tuo persuaded him to spare them. After Yan Xiang warned him that Yuan Yao and over a thousand Lei Cavalry soldiers waited ahead, Ding Ling and Hua Tuo took a smaller path to avoid them.

• A seven-foot scholar told Ding Ling that a local thug had reported his horses to Lei Bo, and the farmer's family admitted they had done so hoping to protect their abducted daughters.
• Hua Tuo urged Ding Ling to forgive the farmers because they had acted out of fear, and Ding Ling left without harming them.
• The seven-foot scholar warned Ding Ling that Yuan Yao and more than a thousand Lei Cavalry soldiers were waiting five or six li ahead, then identified himself as Yan Xiang.
• Ding Ling received an achievement notification for subduing Yan Xiang and learned that Yan Xiang would watch him to judge whether wisdom or strength was superior.
• Hua Tuo led Ding Ling and their horses onto a small path to avoid Yuan Yao's main force.

Ding Ling, Zhao Yun, and Hua Tuo encountered Yuan Yao and his cavalry despite trying to avoid them. After Yuan Yao ordered Chen Lan to kill him, Ding Ling slew Chen Lan in a single exchange, leaving Yuan Yao and his troops shocked.

• Yuan Yao's cavalry stopped Ding Ling, Zhao Yun, and Hua Tuo on the road after Yuan Yao shot a rabbit.
• Ding Ling identified himself as a Tiger Brave General of Ji Province, but Yuan Yao demanded that he dismount and bow.
• Yuan Yao inferred that the group had encountered Yan Xiang and Lei Bo, and Ding Ling revealed that he had killed Lei Bo.
• Yuan Yao ordered Chen Lan to cut off Ding Ling's head, and Chen Lan charged at him.
• Ding Ling disarmed Chen Lan with one blow and killed him with a strike to the head, shocking Yuan Yao and his cavalry.

Ding Ling slaughtered Yuan Yao’s cavalry unit after killing its officers and routing the soldiers with his halberd and bow. He rode over to the wounded Yuan Yao and asked whether he had called Ding Ling interesting, while Hua Tuo watched in astonishment and Zhao Yun remained calm.

• Ding Ling killed Chen Lan and struck Yuan Yao from his saddle, leaving him badly wounded.
• Ding Ling charged the cavalrymen who attacked him, using his Fangtian Halberd to break through their formation and kill many of them.
• Several players fled the battle, but Ding Ling shot them down with his bow as he pursued the retreating cavalry.
• Ding Ling killed more than a thousand Wolf Cavalrymen, leaving only distant players beyond the range of his Six Stone Bow.
• Ding Ling rode up to Yuan Yao and asked whether he had called him interesting, as Hua Tuo watched in disbelief and Zhao Yun stayed composed.

Ding Ling intimidated Yuan Yao and decided to take him to the Yuan Clan’s home to obtain its medicines, manuals, and weapons. On the way to Wancheng, Hua Tuo began passing the Qing Nang Jing to Ding Ling, including its methods for resisting Baleful Qi.

• Ding Ling forced Yuan Yao to promise compensation and spared him, planning to exploit the Yuan Clan’s treasury instead of killing him.
• Ding Ling treated Yuan Yao’s shoulder wound, then continued south toward Wancheng with Zhao Yun and Hua Tuo.
• Ding Ling paid a village chief to bury the dead cavalrymen and let the villagers keep their equipment and other possessions.
• Hua Tuo told Ding Ling he would teach him the Qing Nang Jing because Ding Ling had saved his life and showed exceptional medical talent.
• Hua Tuo warned that the Qing Nang Jing could calm Ding Ling’s mind and protect him from Baleful Qi, then began teaching him its methods.

Ding Ling mastered Hua Tuo’s Qing Nang Jing after hearing it once, convincing Hua Tuo of his extraordinary medical talent and earning his recognition. By the time they reached Wancheng, Ding Ling had nearly healed Yuan Yao, though Yuan Yao still resented and feared him.

• Ding Ling mastered the Qing Nang Jing after Hua Tuo explained it and gained a boost to his Charm.
• Ding Ling answered Hua Tuo’s difficult questions and demonstrated the Qing Nang Jing’s mental cultivation method, leaving Hua Tuo astonished and earning his high recognition.
• Ding Ling considered Hua Tuo’s physical abilities and concluded that Hua Tuo was likely Ultra-First-Rate in physique.
• Ding Ling used Yuan Yao to practice his newly acquired medical skills and nearly healed his wounds during the journey to Wancheng.
• Zhao Yun saw through Yuan Yao’s false gratitude as Ding Ling said that he and Zhao Yun could enter Wancheng.

Ding Ling and Zhao Yun brought Yuan Yao to Wancheng, where Ji Ling and three thousand cavalry waited to march. After Yuan Yao ordered Ji Ling to clear the road, the group entered the city as Ji Ling heard reports of Ding Ling’s exploits and struggled to believe them.

• Ding Ling left Hua Tuo with horses and supplies outside Wancheng, then rode toward the city with Zhao Yun and Yuan Yao.
• Ji Ling recognized Yuan Yao at Wancheng’s gates and offered to let Ding Ling and Zhao Yun leave if they released his young master.
• Ding Ling ordered Yuan Yao to make Ji Ling move his troops, and Yuan Yao reluctantly compelled Ji Ling to clear the way.
• Ding Ling and Zhao Yun forced Yuan Yao into Wancheng while onlookers watched and players debated Ding Ling’s reputation.
• Ji Ling questioned a player about Ding Ling’s reported victories, read a letter from the Yellow Gate Attendant, and remained skeptical about the claims.

Ding Ling and Zhao Yun entered the Yuan Clan residence with Yuan Yao, where the young Sun Ce challenged Ding Ling. Zhao Yun fought Sun Ce instead and wounded him, but Sun Ce stubbornly refused to yield without facing Ding Ling.

• Ji Ling vowed to avenge Yuan Yao against Ding Ling and Zhao Yun, while a player gave up trying to earn Ji Ling's martial arts and looked for another general to train under.
• Ding Ling, Zhao Yun, and Yuan Yao reached the Yuan Clan residence, where Ding Ling knocked aside soldiers who tried to stop them and Yuan Yao ordered the guards to let them pass.
• Sun Ce confronted the group in a practice yard and demanded to test Ding Ling's strength.
• After Zhao Yun mocked Sun Ce to discourage him, Sun Ce attacked Ding Ling, and Zhao Yun intercepted him with the Dragon Gall Bright Silver spear.
• Zhao Yun wounded Sun Ce and identified himself as Zhao Zilong of Changshan; Yuan Yao ordered Sun Ce to move aside, but Sun Ce insisted he would not leave until he fought Ding Ling.

Sun Ce challenged Ding Ling and was decisively defeated, then resolved to make him his target and someday surpass him. Ding Ling accompanied Yuan Yao to the Yuan Clan’s Armory, where they entered and closed the doors behind them.

• Yuan Yao struck Sun Ce with his whip, but Sun Ce challenged Ding Ling to a fight instead.
• Ding Ling dismounted and fought Sun Ce with his left hand, shattering Sun Ce’s spear technique and knocking him down with one blow.
• Sun Ce admitted Ding Ling was powerful but vowed to grow stronger and defeat him one day.
• Ding Ling received recognition for making Sun Ce his rival and noted that Sun Ce brought his count of powerful figures defeated to eight.
• Yuan Yao brought Ding Ling to the Armory and ordered the gatekeepers to open it; Ding Ling entered and asked whether it held any divine weapons.

Ding Ling discovered the Ju Que Sword in the Yuan Clan’s weapons vault, then browsed its library and rapidly learned from more than a thousand books. He asked Yuan Yao about the family’s martial arts manuals, and Yuan Yao offered to recite the ones he had memorized.

• Yuan Yao revealed a hidden iron box in the weapons vault, and Ding Ling opened it to find the Ju Que Sword.
• Ding Ling equipped himself with the Ju Que Sword, gave Zhao Yun the Shuo Yue Sword, and selected a Six Stone Bow while Zhao Yun chose a sleeve arrow.
• Ding Ling read more than a thousand books in the library, maxing out several skills and gaining small increases to wisdom and charisma.
• Ding Ling asked Yuan Yao about the Yuan Clan’s martial arts manuals and threatened to kill him if he refused to answer.
• Yuan Yao said he had memorized the manuals and offered to recite them.

Ding Ling forced Yuan Yao to reveal the Yuan Clan’s Human Emperor Breathing Method and Human Emperor Swordplay, mastering the swordplay instantly. As he reached the third floor of the attic, an unseen attacker suddenly slashed at him.

• Ding Ling beat Yuan Yao after detecting that he had deliberately recited the ancestral breathing method incorrectly, then made him recite it accurately.
• Ding Ling learned that the Yuan Clan had secretly obtained the Human Emperor Breathing Method after an ancestor replaced the royal technique with the Howling Moon Breathing Method.
• Yuan Yao recited and demonstrated the Human Emperor Swordplay, which Ding Ling mastered immediately and combined naturally with the Ju Que Sword.
• Yuan Yao suspected Ding Ling was a hidden descendant of the imperial family, while Ding Ling learned that Yuan Yao had no other martial arts memorized.
• Ding Ling climbed to the third floor, where a short blade suddenly thrust out and slashed toward his arm.

Ding Ling fought off a masked woman who attacked him and discovered she carried the Yu Chang Sword. After returning the sword, he learned she was Ren Hongchang, also known as Diao Chan, who had come to Yuan Yao’s residence to rescue her sisters.

• A masked woman ambushed Ding Ling, but he dodged her strikes and knocked her through shelves with the Ju Que Sword.
• Ding Ling recognized the woman’s weapon as the Yu Chang Sword, and Yuan Yao arrived but said he did not know her.
• The woman introduced herself as Ren Hongchang and explained that she had come to save her sisters.
• Ren Hongchang said people had called her Diao Chan because she once oversaw the officials’ Diao Chan Crowns in the Imperial Palace.
• Ding Ling returned the Yu Chang Sword, earning Ren Hongchang’s recognition, and realized she was the famed Diao Chan.

Ding Ling learned that Ren Hongchang was Diao Chan, whose extraordinary charm had earned her an E-grade Rank E Badge. Diao Chan asked him to save her sworn sister Du Qingcheng from the Yuan Clan estate and offered to follow him, insisting she would be an asset rather than a burden.

• Ding Ling recognized Ren Hongchang as Diao Chan after hearing the prompt about her charm.
• Diao Chan explained that Du Qingcheng had been imprisoned and repeatedly poisoned after Yuan Shu tried to make her submit.
• Yuan Yao revealed that Qin Yilu had brought Du Qingcheng to the Yuan estate and was beaten to death after trying to take her away.
• Ding Ling realized Du Qingcheng was Lady Du, the renowned beauty whose story involved Guan Yu and Cao Mengde.
• Diao Chan told Ding Ling that she and Du Qingcheng were sworn sisters from the same sect, then asked him to rescue her.
• Ding Ling offered to use his medical knowledge to save Du Qingcheng, and Diao Chan vowed to follow him while asserting her combat skill.

Ding Ling agreed to help Diao Chan rescue Du Qingcheng, then consumed the Yuan Clan's Great Medicine to strengthen himself. After exhausting the Hundred-Year and Two-Hundred-Year medicines, he advanced further and moved on to the Three-Hundred-Year Great Medicine.

• Diao Chan explained that she and Du Qingcheng were Senior Sisters and each other's only family, and Ding Ling agreed to take her along to rescue Du Qingcheng.
• Ding Ling found two boxes of Thousand-Year Great Medicine, one empty and the other containing a purple ginseng, which Yuan Yao said his father had obtained at great cost.
• Ding Ling ate more than a hundred portions of Hundred-Year Great Medicine, raising his Strength to 26.6 and Defense to 20.1 before the medicine stopped working.
• Ding Ling told Zhao Yun to collect the remaining Hundred-Year Great Medicine, then consumed all fifty portions of Two-Hundred-Year Great Medicine.
• Ding Ling's Strength rose to 27.6 and his Defense to 21.1, and he proceeded to the Three-Hundred-Year Great Medicine section.