Chapter Summaries

Shi Siming challenged Meng Zhao to a rematch, but Meng Zhao defended his previous victory and demanded stakes before accepting. He left Shi Siming to decide what wager might persuade him, while privately assuring Meng Wen that he was certain to win.

• Shi Siming challenged Meng Zhao, and Fire Dragon Cave disciples urged him on while Tang Ling'er and others watched with concern.
• Meng Zhao argued that his previous victory had been fair and pointed out that Shi Siming had raised no objection at the time.
• Shi Siming accused Meng Zhao of avoiding the fight because he feared defeat.
• Meng Zhao said he would accept only if Shi Siming offered stakes worth his while, prompting anger and admiration among those present.
• Meng Wen worried that Meng Zhao's defeat would damage the Meng Family's reputation, and Meng Zhao assured him he was certain to win.

Meng Zhao proposed wagering on Shi Siming’s future, demanding three favors if Shi lost and revealing that he hoped to tame the skilled disciple into a future ally. Shi Siming weighed the offer while Meng Zhao’s companions considered whether his plan could work.

• Shi Siming asked Meng Zhao what wager would satisfy him, and Meng Zhao proposed that Shi perform three tasks if he lost and later attained Innate Martial Dao.
• Shi Siming considered the offer, while the Fire Dragon Cave disciples gathered around him to discuss it.
• Zhao Wujiu and Zhao Wuxin questioned why Meng Zhao had chosen an uncertain future favor instead of a tangible wager.
• Meng Zhao explained that the wager would keep Shi Siming mindful of his humiliation and might let him recruit Shi after further defeats.
• Meng Wen objected that Shi Siming belonged to Fire Dragon Cave, but Meng Zhao said Shi could be used if his pride and temper were broken.

Meng Zhao and Shi Siming agreed to settle their dispute through a witnessed martial challenge, with Shi Siming accepting Meng Zhao’s condition. They entered the main hall, where Meng Zhao explained the arrangement to the elders and guests and asked for their approval.

• Zhao Wuxin praised Meng Zhao’s plan to take Shi Siming into his service, and Meng Zhao judged the Zhao brothers worth befriending.
• Shi Siming accepted Meng Zhao’s condition but demanded that elders from both sides witness it.
• A servant summoned Meng Zhao and Shi Siming to the main hall, where the elders and Fire Dragon Cave experts were gathered.
• Meng Zhao remained composed under the experts’ pressure, while Shi Siming sweated and reconsidered the risks of taking the lead.
• Meng Zhao greeted the elders and guests, recounted the side-hall agreement, and asked them to approve it; Shi Siming nodded, hoping to regain his honor by defeating him.

Meng Zhao’s challenge to Shi Siming provoked Daoist Mingxia, who accused him of using tricks and demanded an explanation from Meng Jizu. Meng Hongdao then tried to turn the duel into a wager, but Mingxia held back, and Meng Jizu quietly approved of his nephew’s strength.

• Daoist Mingxia angrily accused Meng Zhao of trickery and demanded that Meng Jizu answer for the challenge.
• Meng Jizu defended Meng Zhao and reminded Mingxia that Shen Tianci had judged their previous fight.
• Meng Hongdao proposed wagering the lead in their earlier matter on the outcome, but Mingxia refused to connect it to the juniors’ contest.
• Mingxia’s fellow disciples warned him through a voice transmission not to take Meng Hongdao’s bait, while Shi Siming’s spirits sank at his master’s apparent lack of confidence.
• Meng Hongdao told Meng Jizu that Meng Zhao’s unusual appearance suggested a recent opportunity and that he could likely defeat Shi Siming.
• Meng Jizu considered his nephew’s strength and felt comforted and pleased by it.

Ming Yin turned the dispute between Meng Zhao and Shi Siming into a public sparring match, and the two young men prepared to fight first. Shi Siming entered the arena with a sword, determined to avenge his previous defeat.

• Ming Xia hesitated to witness the duel after Meng Hongdao pressured him, while Ming Yin proposed a broader contest for the younger generation.
• Zhao Kang supported Ming Yin's proposal, and Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao led everyone to the training ground.
• Meng Hongdao arranged for Meng Zhao and Shi Siming to open the matches, and Meng Zhao stepped onto the arena.
• Ming Xia encouraged Shi Siming and asked whether he could use a weapon, and Meng Zhao agreed.
• Shi Siming selected a long sword, climbed into the arena, and focused on defeating Meng Zhao.

Meng Zhao faced Shi Siming on the arena stage while their sects debated the Profound Fire True Scripture and the Red Flag Order. When Shi Siming finally struck with the Winding Stitch Sword Technique, Meng Zhao defeated him with a single punch.

• Ming Xia and Meng Hongdao argued over whether the Profound Fire True Scripture or the Red Flag Order was superior, while the Meng Family cited its connection to the Five Ancient Emperors.
• Meng Zhao waited for Shi Siming to attack, while Shi Siming struggled to find a flaw in Meng Zhao's stance with the Winding Stitch Sword Technique.
• Meng Zhao briefly lost focus, allowing Shi Siming to launch a swift, twisting sword strike.
• Meng Zhao punched through Shi Siming's sword force, shattered his sword, and blasted him into the air in defeat.

Meng Zhao defeated Shi Siming with a single punch, revealing a level of strength that astonished the crowd and the Meng Family elders. His display left Meng Jizu wary of his extraordinary rise, though Meng Hongdao urged him to trust that Meng Zhao meant no challenge to the family.

• Meng Zhao struck Shi Siming down with a transformed Thousand Needle Rain, while the crowd and martial artists marveled at the gap between them.
• Tang Ling'er admired Meng Zhao, and Zheng Xie realized Meng Zhao could defeat him just as easily.
• Daoist Mingxia praised Meng Zhao to Meng Jizu while suggesting that such overwhelming talent could provoke resentment.
• Meng Jizu privately wondered how Meng Zhao had grown so powerful in only a few days and worried about what his strength might mean for the family.
• Meng Hongdao told Meng Jizu that Meng Zhao might possess a peerless martial art or Special Physique and had revealed his power to show sincerity.
• Meng Jizu assured Meng Hongdao that he would not harm Zheng'an's only descendant for being extraordinarily gifted.

After Meng Zhao decisively defeated Shi Siming, he explained his sudden strength to the Meng Family and revealed a cultivation method that only he could practice. The family agreed to protect his secret and keep the method from spreading.

• Meng Zhao warned Shi Siming to honor his promise after reaching the Innate realm and urged him not to let the defeat hinder his progress.
• Ming Yin and the other Fire Dragon Cave masters abandoned their plans to spar and left, followed by Zhao Kang and the Zhao Family brothers.
• In the main hall, Meng Zhao told Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao that an ultimate art had transformed him and recited its Postnatal qi-cultivation method.
• Meng Jizu explained that the method required a special physique or bloodline, and Meng Chuan injured himself slightly after attempting to cultivate it.
• Meng Zhao helped Meng Chuan recover, while Meng Hongdao scolded him for forcing the attempt.
• Meng Jizu told Meng Zhao to keep training, forbade him from passing on the method, and ordered the family to conceal the possibility that he had a Special Physique.

Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao explained that the Meng Family would ally with Fire Dragon Cave to search Cloud Mist Mountain for the flood dragon, while keeping Meng Zhao’s possible Special Physique secret. The family settled the alliance’s terms and reassured the youths that White Head Mountain had been informed.

• Meng Jizu told Meng Zhao that he had secretly rescued a surviving Sun Family man who could guide the Meng Family to the flood dragon, and Meng Zhao questioned how the man would be kept loyal.
• Meng Hongdao explained that the Meng Family had leaked the guide’s survival to Fire Dragon Cave, which had then shared the news with the Zhao Family.
• Meng Jizu said the Meng Family would join forces with Fire Dragon Cave because rival factions had crowded into Nan'an and searches of Cloud Mist Mountain had failed.
• Meng Zhao asked how the alliance would divide any Flood Dragon Eggs, and Meng Jizu said Fire Dragon Cave would receive one while multiple eggs would be split evenly.
• Meng Chuan raised concerns that the alliance might anger White Head Mountain, and Meng Hongdao said the sect had already been notified.
• Meng Jizu reminded Meng Wen, Meng Zhao, and Meng Chuan that the Meng Family should pursue its own interests rather than defer to White Head Mountain.

Meng Zhao discussed the Cloud Mist Mountain mission with Lü Yue and Han Pu, weighing ways to weaken the martial forces gathered there. He decided to bring both men along and assured them an Innate Master would accompany them, but did not reveal who.

• Meng Zhao told Lü Yue and Han Pu that he and Fifth Young Master would head to Cloud Mist Mountain ahead of Meng Jizu, while Meng Hongdao would later lead Sun Di into the mountain.
• Lü Yue advised Meng Zhao to scout the gathered forces and seek a hidden route, while Han Pu proposed weakening them before the family arrived.
• Meng Zhao rejected a reckless assassination plan and considered finding a more indirect way to reduce the martial forces.
• Meng Zhao announced that Lü Yue and Han Pu would accompany him to Cloud Mist Mountain, leaving Lü Zhong at home.
• Meng Zhao assured Lü Yue and Han Pu that an Innate Master would accompany them, without saying who it was.

Meng Zhao visited Zhu Guangxi, Shopkeeper Qian, and Shopkeeper Chai in their hiding place and told them the city had grown somewhat less dangerous, though leaving remained risky. When they pressed to depart, Meng Zhao challenged Shopkeeper Qian over his veiled warning, leaving their plans unresolved.

• Meng Zhao checked on Liang Muqiu and left the Western Residence alone that night.
• Meng Zhao used the secret signal to meet Zhu Guangxi, Shopkeeper Qian, and Shopkeeper Chai at their residence.
• Zhu Guangxi and the two shopkeepers urged Meng Zhao to help them leave Nan'an so they could report to their superiors.
• Meng Zhao warned that the city had changed but escaping was still extremely dangerous, then asked whether they truly wanted to leave.
• Shopkeeper Qian described the risks of remaining hidden and hinted that Meng Zhao could be implicated if they were caught.
• Meng Zhao asked Shopkeeper Qian if he was threatening him.

Meng Zhao used Dragon Might to frighten Shopkeeper Qian and then turn his fear into a willingness to help. He persuaded Shopkeeper Qian, Shopkeeper Chai, and Zhu Guangxi to support his trip to Cloud Mist Mountain, though the two shopkeepers resisted his proposal to leave them behind.

• Meng Zhao intimidated Shopkeeper Qian with Dragon Might, causing Qian to apologize and offer his help.
• Meng Zhao reflected on Dragon Might’s ability to inspire respect and fear, and considered how it could help him gather followers.
• Meng Zhao told Zhu Guangxi and the two shopkeepers that he and his fifth brother would travel to Cloud Mist Mountain and asked them to support him.
• Meng Zhao proposed that Zhu Guangxi accompany him while Shopkeeper Qian and Shopkeeper Chai stayed behind because they might be recognized.
• Shopkeeper Qian and Shopkeeper Chai objected to being separated from Zhu Guangxi and argued that the three of them should stay or leave together.

Meng Zhao arranged for Han Pu to take Shopkeeper Qian, Shopkeeper Chai, and Zhu Guangxi ahead to Cloud Mist Mountain. Meanwhile, the mountain’s market town descended into violence as rival local powers withdrew before the influx of martial artists and major factions seeking the rumored Flood Dragon Eggs.

• Meng Zhao arranged for Han Pu to take Shopkeeper Qian, Shopkeeper Chai, and Zhu Guangxi to Cloud Mist Mountain ahead of the main group, and Zhu Guangxi agreed after hearing about the possible Flood Dragon Eggs.
• Meng Zhao quietly departed under the night sky after the three men reached an agreement.
• News that a flood dragon was laying eggs drew martial artists to the market town at the foot of Cloud Mist Mountain, prompting local residents to launch four expeditions into the mountain.
• Hundred Herbs Hall and the Cao Family, the town’s two leading powers, withdrew their forces after their expeditions suffered losses and powerful outsiders arrived.
• With the local powers no longer maintaining order, violence spread through the market town as more martial artists arrived.

Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan stopped their riders to deal with a skilled bandit group on the road to Cloud Mist Mountain, hoping to question survivors about the mountain. Lü Yue led the charge, and the Black Scale Horses swept through the ambush, leaving most of the bandits dead or wounded.

• Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan encountered a band of bandits who tried to rob them of their Black Scale Horses.
• Meng Zhao recognized the bandits as likely having come from Cloud Mist Mountain and ordered Lü Yue to capture some for questioning.
• The bandits sent boulders and rolling logs down the slope at Lü Yue and the Meng Mansion warriors.
• The Black Scale Horses agilely evaded the obstacles while the riders smashed aside anything in their path.
• Lü Yue and the warriors routed the bandits in one charge, killing or wounding most of them and terrifying the survivors.

Meng Zhao’s group reached the market town beneath Cloud Mist Mountain after defeating and questioning a band of roadside plunderers. They found the town’s entrance in the grip of a deadly battle and realized their mission would require caution amid the lawless chaos.

• Meng Zhao questioned the defeated bandit leader and learned his group had been robbing travelers drawn to Cloud Mist Mountain.
• Meng Zhao had his warriors retrieve the bandits’ hidden plunder, share it among themselves, and kill the remaining bandits.
• Meng Zhao’s group arrived at the market town at dusk and stopped outside its gate while two factions fought a bloody battle.
• Meng Zhao warned his companions not to provoke anyone and noticed several Innate realm martial artists watching from inside the gate.
• Disciples in blue robes and white gloves collected the dead, recorded their identities, and treated the wounded.

Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan arrived at the market town beneath Cloud Mist Mountain, where Steward Mao welcomed them and briefed them on the factions and experts gathered there. Meng Zhao tasked Mao with compiling intelligence and set out to seek a hidden mountain route through the Cao Family.

• Steward Mao greeted Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan at the town gates and led them to a prepared residence.
• At a welcoming feast, Meng Zhao explained that Elder Uncle had sent him to find a little-known safe route up Cloud Mist Mountain so the Meng Family could retrieve the Flood Dragon Egg discreetly.
• Steward Mao said the three known routes were too heavily watched and that finding a new route would require extensive preparation.
• Steward Mao suggested approaching the Cao Family, whose members had spent years exploring deeper into the mountain, while warning that they were fierce and unwilling to suffer losses.
• Meng Zhao assigned Steward Mao and Lü Yue to gather detailed information about the factions and experts at the mountain’s foot, with additional personnel under their command.
• Meng Chuan began to speak but fell silent after Meng Zhao gave him a stern look.

Meng Zhao warned Meng Chuan not to act rashly against the martial artists beneath Cloud Mist Mountain, explaining that the market town was too dangerous and their plans had to remain secret. He sent Meng Chuan away to rest and said they would discuss his ideas the next day, while he stayed behind, grave and thoughtful.

• Meng Chuan questioned Meng Zhao about why he had not told Steward Mao of their task to weaken the martial artists beneath Cloud Mist Mountain.
• Meng Zhao explained that Meng Chuan wanted to test himself against the powerful experts, but warned that neither he nor Mr. Shi could safely take on all the gathered forces.
• Meng Zhao argued that Steward Mao could not be trusted with their life-and-death plans, since he might be colluding with the Cao Family or other outsiders.
• Meng Zhao ordered Meng Chuan not to act without his approval and said they would discuss his ideas the next day.
• Meng Chuan left reluctantly, and Meng Zhao remained behind to ponder with a grave expression.

Meng Zhao learned that powerful factions had formed an alliance to pressure the Meng Family over the Pure-blooded Flood Dragon and its egg. He proposed dividing the alliance with benefits, leaving Han Pu to consider how they could offer a tempting reward.

• Meng Zhao cultivated the Crimson Dragon Heavenly Capital Secret Canon and expected to open his ninth primary meridian within days.
• Han Pu reported that he, Shopkeeper Qian, and Shopkeeper Chai had reached the market town safely after killing several groups of bandits.
• Han Pu told Meng Zhao that rumors blamed the Meng Family for the Sun Family’s destruction and that powerful factions planned to pressure them for access to the mountain.
• Han Pu warned that the alliance included many strong martial artists and that provoking them before the Meng family head arrived would be dangerous.
• Meng Zhao argued that the alliance was divided by rivalries and proposed using benefits to split its members apart.

Meng Zhao had a craftsman forge a convincing counterfeit Flood Dragon Scale to use against the alliance, then infused it with his blood to give it the aura of a genuine scale. He left the gathered men with a fake that might now deceive even experienced martial artists.

• Meng Zhao told Han Pu to find a master craftsman, and the craftsman finished a counterfeit Flood Dragon Scale after three days.
• Meng Zhao showed the scale to Han Pu, Shopkeeper Qian, and Shopkeeper Chai, who recognized it as an imitation modeled after a Pure-blooded Flood Dragon Scale.
• Han Pu and Shopkeeper Chai warned that knowledgeable members of the alliance might detect the counterfeit because it lacked the spirit and aura of the real thing.
• Meng Zhao explained that genuine Flood Dragon Scales carried a fierce aura, then infused the counterfeit with a drop of his violet-tinged blood.
• The counterfeit gained a hidden, suffocating majesty that keen spiritual senses and accomplished martial artists could detect.

Meng Zhao transformed counterfeit Flood Dragon Scales with his blood, revealing to Han Pu and two shopkeepers that he possessed a Dragon Body. He warned the shopkeepers that the secret put him at risk and left them realizing he intended to recruit and control them.

• Meng Zhao used a drop of his blood to turn counterfeit Flood Dragon Scales into convincing, powerful scales.
• Han Pu recognized that Meng Zhao's bloodline had awakened, and Shopkeeper Qian and Shopkeeper Chai realized he possessed a rare Special Physique.
• Meng Zhao asked whether the scales could serve as bait to provoke conflict among his enemies, and Shopkeeper Qian endorsed the plan.
• Shopkeeper Chai guessed that Meng Zhao had an unrecorded Dragon Body, and Meng Zhao confirmed it was a dangerous secret.
• Meng Zhao asked what the shopkeepers intended to do with their knowledge, and they suspected he meant to recruit and control them.