Chapter Summaries

After learning more about Sun Chuanxing’s possible ties to one of the Thirteen Families, Meng Zhao considered the dangers posed by the mysterious force controlling him and resolved to secure the Meng Family’s support. He prepared gifts for Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao to win the elders’ favor.

• Lü Yue interrogated the captured Sun Family martial artists and learned that Sun Chuanxing was a favored heir who might be connected to one of the Thirteen Families.
• Meng Zhao adapted to life in the Meng Family and identified conflicts with his cousins and the mysterious person as the problems he needed to address.
• Meng Zhao suspected that other children who had lived at Great Compassion Temple might also have been replaced by impostors, but he could not confirm the possibility.
• Meng Zhao decided to build his standing in the Meng Family by earning the approval of Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao.
• Meng Zhao chose a jade plaque for Meng Jizu and a painting from his Imperial Court gifts for Meng Hongdao.

Meng Zhao dressed formally and met the Meng Mansion’s elders and cousins while waiting for Meng Jizu’s arrival. The gathering grew awkward when Meng Rong complained that he had not greeted her, and the chapter left the family members facing her breach of etiquette.

• Meng Zhao dressed in elaborate clothes and went with Lü Yue to wait at the eastern gate row houses.
• Meng Zhao greeted Kong Yun and An Hui, then greeted Meng Xi and Meng Wen.
• Meng Rong watched Meng Zhao with curiosity and grew eager to speak with him.
• After Meng Zhao sat down without greeting her, Meng Rong asked why he had ignored her, leaving the room awkward.

Meng Zhao won over Meng Rong with praise and a precious White Jade Lotus Bracelet, then captivated the family with stories of Jade Capital. The chapter left him comfortably bonding with the women of the household while Meng Xi and Meng Wen watched with jealousy.

• Meng Rong complained that Meng Zhao had neglected her, and he soothed her by calling her beautiful and promising her a White Jade Lotus Bracelet.
• Meng Rong eagerly accepted Meng Zhao’s apology, while Meng Xi and Meng Wen felt jealous of her reaction.
• An Hui asked Meng Zhao about his life in Jade Capital and his needs after returning home.
• Meng Zhao described Jade Capital’s sights and shared beauty and fashion tips, captivating Meng Rong, Kong Yun, and An Hui.

Kong Yun and the Meng Mansion gathered at the gates to welcome Meng Jizu and his party home. Meng Jizu returned from a smooth journey and, after greeting his family, spotted Meng Zhao and headed toward him.

• Kong Yun led the family and servants to the main gate after learning Meng Jizu and his party were near.
• Meng Zhao watched the riders arrive and recognized Meng Jizu, Meng Hongdao, and the towering Meng Chuan among them.
• The Meng Mansion servants welcomed the returning party and took care of their horses and baggage.
• Meng Rong happily greeted Meng Jizu and asked whether he had brought her a gift.
• Kong Yun formally asked Meng Jizu about his journey, and he replied that everything had gone smoothly.
• Meng Jizu looked over the gathering, spotted Meng Zhao beside Meng Xi and Meng Wen, and strode toward him.

Meng Zhao reunited with Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao, who were overwhelmed by how much he resembled their deceased brother and welcomed him home. The family went inside, while Meng Rong struggled with feeling overlooked and Meng Chuan urged her to accept Meng Zhao.

• Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao ignored Meng Xi and Meng Wen to greet Meng Zhao, praising his resemblance to Meng Zhengan.
• Meng Zhao tearfully kowtowed to his uncles and said he had returned, moving them to help him up and apologize for their failure to protect him.
• Meng Jizu took Meng Zhao toward the manor gates, leaving his wife and children behind as Meng Xi and Meng Wen accepted the attention as temporary.
• Meng Rong complained that her father had forgotten her, and Meng Chuan reminded her that Meng Zhao had suffered and deserved their care.
• Meng Rong denied being jealous, then took Meng Chuan by the hand and hurried inside as the servants discussed the reunion.

Meng Zhao reunited with the Meng Family, then honored the family ancestors and affirmed his commitment to his new identity. Meng Jizu apologized for failing to protect him during his ten years away, and Meng Zhao comforted him.

• Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao welcomed Meng Zhao and asked about his life in Jade Capital.
• The family shared a peaceful meal before Meng Jizu took Meng Zhao to the ancestral hall.
• Meng Zhao paid respects to the Meng ancestors and privately vowed to live as a true son of the Meng Family.
• Meng Jizu apologized for his helplessness when Meng Zhao was sent away, and Meng Zhao reassured him that the hardship had helped him grow.

Meng Zhao told Meng Jizu that he wanted to inherit Meng Zhengan’s martial legacy and defeat the opponent who had defeated his father. Meng Jizu cautioned him against rushing into danger, then asked about his current martial arts so he could assess his foundation.

• Meng Zhao told Meng Jizu that he wished to carry forward the family’s second branch and inherit his father’s legacy.
• Meng Jizu recalled Meng Zhengan’s talent, his defeat by a formidable opponent, and his death after suffering Qi Deviation.
• Meng Zhao declared that he would defeat the opponent who had defeated his father, even if he could not reach the Grandmaster realm.
• Meng Jizu urged Meng Zhao to let matters take their natural course and avoid repeating his father’s pursuit of quick success.
• Meng Zhao respectfully thanked Meng Jizu, who asked about his martial arts and planned to assess his foundation before teaching him the family’s divine art.

Meng Jizu praised Meng Zhao’s martial arts foundation and taught him the Meng Family’s Red Flag Order Divine Art, warning him about its dangerous backlash. He also began teaching Meng Zhao the Sun Wheel Seal, leaving Meng Zhao ready to use his energy points to master the family art.

• Meng Zhao described his three martial arts to Meng Jizu, who praised their value as a foundation for cultivation.
• Meng Jizu explained the origins, power, and risks of the Red Flag Order Divine Art, including how its scorching qi could cause Qi Deviation.
• Meng Jizu taught Meng Zhao the art’s five sections and warned him to cultivate cautiously, while Meng Zhao considered using his 9,700 energy points to overcome its challenges.
• Meng Jizu chose the Sun Wheel Seal as a self-defense martial art for Meng Zhao and advised him to focus on hand-to-hand techniques rather than weapons.

After returning to his residence, Meng Zhao examined the Sky-Illuminating Mirror and discovered that it could fuse compatible martial arts into stronger forms. He planned to prioritize the Red Flag Order and build his future improvements around it, while hoping to find another method that could eventually make it compatible with the Arhat Young Monk Skill.

• Meng Zhao had Lü Yue guard the Western Residence, then checked the Sky-Illuminating Mirror and saw that the Red Flag Order, Sun Wheel Seal, and Flying Cloud Steps had been added to his martial arts.
• Meng Zhao discovered that the Mirror could fuse Thirteen Arhat Hand Forms with the Sun Wheel Seal and Plum Blossom Stance Steps with Flying Cloud Steps, with compatibility scores of 89 and 76.
• Meng Zhao learned that fusion required sufficient compatibility and considered whether a third martial art might eventually make the Red Flag Order and Arhat Young Monk Skill compatible.
• Meng Zhao concluded that the Red Flag Order would be his foremost cultivation priority and planned to focus his fusion efforts around it, the Sun Wheel Seal, and Flying Cloud Steps.

Meng Zhao used energy points to master the Red Flag Order’s fundamentals, then converted his Arhat Young Monk Skill inner force into Red Flag Order inner force. He resolved to pursue the dangerous nine-flag foundation and establish a perfect dantian.

• Meng Zhao spent 4,000 energy points to gain entry-level understanding of the Red Flag Order, enduring severe pain as the knowledge flooded his mind.
• Meng Zhao used the Red Flag Visualization Method to transform his inner force, condensing five red flags in his dantian.
• Meng Zhao discovered his inner force had become scorching and destructive, while the Arhat Young Monk Skill’s other methods remained available to him.
• Meng Zhao determined that seven red flags would bring his dantian closer to Dantian Like a River, while nine could establish Dantian Like a Sea but risked devastating backlash.
• Meng Zhao considered Meng Zhengan’s history of condensing nine red flags and wondered whether it contributed to his later Qi Deviation.
• Meng Zhao decided to pursue nine red flags, trusting his Special Physique and Exotic Treasure to help him withstand the danger.

Meng Zhao discovered that his Pure Yang Child Qi and Special Physique protected him from the Red Flag Order’s harmful effects. He fused Luohan Fist and Sun Wheel Seal into Iron Refining Hand, then planned to master it before spending energy points on other martial arts.

• Meng Zhao examined his body and found that his Pure Yang Child Qi and Special Physique resisted the Red Flag Order’s strain and corrosion.
• Meng Zhao spent 5,700 energy points to fuse Thirteen Arhat Hand Forms and Sun Wheel Seal through the Sky-Illuminating Mirror.
• Meng Zhao studied Iron Refining Hand’s versatile techniques and three powerful ultimate moves, noting their demands on his inner force and body.
• Meng Zhao saw Iron Refining Hand replace the two original arts on the Sky-Illuminating Mirror’s interface and recognized that Luohan Fist’s foundation would help him learn it.
• Meng Zhao decided to save his remaining 2,700 energy points and raise Iron Refining Hand to minor accomplishment before pursuing other martial arts.

Meng Zhao strengthened his ties with the Meng Family and grew close to Meng Chuan through repeated martial arts sparring. After Meng Zhao gained a deeper grasp of the Iron Refining Hand, a young woman arrived to remind them of their promise to go out with her.

• Meng Zhao attended a lavish family banquet, presented gifts to Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao, and met influential members of the Meng Family.
• Over several days, Meng Zhao settled into family life, while Meng Xi and Meng Wen stopped causing him trouble after Meng Jizu returned.
• Meng Zhao sparred with Meng Chuan and lost to his stronger inner cultivation, but used the fights to learn the Iron Refining Hand.
• Meng Zhao used the Sky-Illuminating Mirror to raise his Iron Refining Hand to minor mastery, impressing Meng Chuan and strengthening their friendship.
• A coquettish young woman arrived at the training ground and reminded Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan that they had promised to go out with her.

Meng Zhao, Meng Chuan, and Meng Rong’s outing was interrupted by two Innate Masters fighting in the city. Aunt Hong rushed Meng Rong and Meng Chuan away, while the battle shifted toward Meng Zhao and caused deadly destruction among the fleeing crowd.

• Meng Rong scolded Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan during their outing, then happily explored the city with them and their attendants.
• The group heard a fierce battle nearby, and Aunt Hong warned that two Innate Masters were fighting and urged everyone to leave.
• Meng Zhao agreed to retreat and told Meng Chuan to watch Meng Rong as the panicked crowd scattered them.
• Aunt Hong used a red silk ribbon to pull Meng Chuan and seize Meng Rong before fleeing with them.
• The two fighters moved their battle into Meng Zhao’s vicinity, and blasts of Innate force killed numerous bystanders, leaving Meng Zhao shaken.

Meng Zhao and Lü Yue witnessed an Innate battle between Shen Tianci of the Jinling Shen Family and a man in dark green, learning that the youthful-looking Shen Tianci was a legendary prodigy. They fled before the fight could end, while the clash promised to shake Nan'an and Ji Prefecture.

• The man in dark green hurled a stone lion at his opponent, who cut it in half with a golden crescent of qi and sent the halves back at him.
• Meng Zhao recognized that the golden-robed opponent looked like a child, and Lü Yue identified him as Shen Tianci, a renowned Innate genius of the Jinling Shen Family.
• Lü Yue recalled Shen Tianci's extraordinary talent, the rumors surrounding his Spiritual Jade Body, and his mastery of the Shen Family's Taiyi Golden Book.
• Meng Zhao wondered why Shen Tianci had come to Nan'an and who he was pursuing, but realized he and Lü Yue could not safely approach the Innate battle.
• Meng Zhao and Lü Yue used their movement techniques to flee as Shen Tianci resumed attacking the man in dark green.

Meng Zhao and Lü Yue watched the authorities respond to the battle between Shen Tianci and another Innate Master, learning that Shen Tianci had enlisted the commandery soldiers to hunt his escaped opponent. Meng Zhao considered Shen Tianci’s growing power and the danger it posed amid rival great families.

• Meng Zhao took Lü Yue to a teahouse, where they watched government soldiers and physicians hurry toward the battle site.
• After six waves of soldiers passed, Lü Yue guessed that Shen Tianci had failed to capture his opponent and was using the commandery government to pursue him.
• Soldiers searched the teahouse, and Meng Zhao questioned their captain, who confirmed that Shen Tianci had requisitioned troops after his opponent escaped.
• Meng Zhao reflected that the Great Yong Dynasty’s founding bargain with powerful clans left the commandery government unable to hold the Jinling Shen Family accountable.
• Meng Zhao worried that Shen Tianci’s rapid rise would draw hostility from rival great powers, especially now that Shen Tianci had left his family and come to Ji Prefecture.

On the way back to the Meng Family, Meng Zhao discovered the badly injured Innate Master hiding among a group of beggars and decided to save him for his own purposes. He and Lü Yue arranged to move the unconscious man somewhere safe from the authorities, leaving his fate—and whether he would serve Meng Zhao—unresolved.

• Meng Zhao gave the beggars copper coins after their desperate appearance stirred memories of his own past.
• Meng Zhao noticed fresh blood scenting the air and recognized the man lying in the beggars’ den as someone familiar.
• A beggar explained that the bloodied stranger had recently seized their shelter, and Lü Yue suspected he was the Innate Master injured by Shen Tianci.
• Meng Zhao tested the stranger and found him unconscious, severely injured, and unable to defend himself.
• Meng Zhao rejected Lü Yue’s suggestion to alert the authorities and instead planned to bribe the beggars to hide the man before moving him that night.
• Lü Yue agreed to carry out Meng Zhao’s risky plan to save the Innate Master and make him serve Meng Zhao.

Meng Zhao placed the wounded, unnamed Innate Master in Sun Chuanshan’s residence and revealed the man’s identity, then persuaded the frightened Sun to keep him hidden and cooperate. Sun accepted the arrangement and the silver Meng Zhao offered, though he hoped to avoid further scares.

• Sun Chuanshan complained that Meng Zhao had brought a filthy, wounded beggar to his private residence.
• Meng Zhao revealed that the man was an Innate Master who had fought Shen Tianci on West Market Street.
• Sun Chuanshan panicked and urged Meng Zhao to hand the man over to Shen Tianci, but Meng Zhao said he wanted the expert’s fighting strength.
• Meng Zhao reassured Sun that the secret would stay safe and proposed that they cooperate for mutual benefit.
• Sun Chuanshan agreed to help, and Lü Yue gave him a stack of banknotes at Meng Zhao’s signal.

Meng Zhao explained to Lü Yue why hiding the wounded Innate Master at Sun Chuanshan’s residence protected them, then confronted the man about joining him. The Innate Master rejected the offer and threatened them, but Meng Zhao laid out his predicament and demanded an answer, leaving him conflicted.

• Meng Zhao told Lü Yue that Sun Chuanshan was unlikely to betray them and that his residence offered the wounded Innate Master a safe hiding place.
• Lü Yue questioned whether the Innate Master might turn against them after being healed, and Meng Zhao asked the man to answer for himself.
• The Innate Master woke, rebuked Meng Zhao for trying to recruit him, and unleashed his pressure against Meng Zhao and Lü Yue.
• Meng Zhao used the Sky-Illuminating Mirror to withstand the pressure and warned the man that Shen Tianci and the authorities were searching for him while he was badly injured.
• Meng Zhao offered the Innate Master a deal and warned that the Meng Family could find someone to defeat him; the man grew silent and conflicted.

Meng Zhao negotiated with the injured Innate Master, Shi Jie, who agreed to a time-limited partnership in exchange for cultivation resources. Shi Jie remained under Meng Zhao’s hidden restraints as they prepared to cooperate.

• Shi Jie challenged Meng Zhao’s offer and warned that Shen Tianci could endanger the Southern An Meng Family if their connection became known.
• Meng Zhao offered Shi Jie a one-to-two-year employment arrangement, promising to restore his freedom afterward.
• Shi Jie accepted the deal, agreeing to help Meng Zhao once he recovered and asking for cultivation resources instead of silver.
• Shi Jie asked Meng Zhao to remove the hidden measures in his body, but Meng Zhao refused and said he would do so when the time was right.

Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao discussed Shen Tianci’s unexpected involvement in the Sun-Meng Martial Arts Arena and considered whether the Jinling Shen Family might be backing the Sun Family. They decided to watch for political changes and leave Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan to focus on martial arts for now.

• Meng Jizu told Meng Hongdao that the Sun Family had added Shen Tianci as a witness to the Martial Arts Arena and asked what the Sun patriarch was plotting.
• Meng Hongdao warned that Shen Tianci’s arrival might signal the Jinling Shen Family’s involvement and urged his brother to alert the Kong Family and White Head Mountain.
• Meng Jizu reasoned that Shen Tianci had probably acted alone on a whim, and the brothers agreed the Sun Family was likely concealing its weakness.
• Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao reaffirmed their confidence in the Meng family’s fighters, then discussed finding Meng Zhao a suitable position.
• Meng Jizu said Meng Zhao wanted to pursue martial arts and that both Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan should wait for the political climate to become clearer before taking on other responsibilities.