Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao stayed at Xi Xiangping’s banquet despite the hostility of Shi Siming, while Shen Tianci demonstrated his martial insight by identifying flaws in a young man’s saber technique. The gathering was left eager to seek Shen Tianci’s guidance.

• Shen Tianci arrived with Sun Chuanxing, Shi Siming, Hu Yingming, and other young heirs, drawing everyone’s attention.
• Lü Yue warned Meng Zhao that Shi Siming had defeated Meng Wen and might target him, but Meng Zhao chose to stay after seeing Meng Chuan and Meng Rong’s anger.
• Xi Xiangping introduced Shen Tianci as a twelve-year-old Innate Realm prodigy who had agreed to advise the guests on martial arts.
• A dark-skinned young man demonstrated his saber technique for Shen Tianci.
• Shen Tianci identified three flaws in the young man’s saber technique and praised his potential, convincing him of Shen Tianci’s superiority.

Meng Zhao faced Hu Yingming’s attempt to disparage the Meng Family’s Red Flag Order by comparing it with Fire Dragon Cave’s Profound Fire True Scripture. He defended his family’s martial art and ended the exchange by claiming Meng Wen had lost while injured, leaving the crowd to question Hu Yingming’s version of events.

• Hu Yingming asked Shen Tianci which was more profound, the Red Flag Order or the Profound Fire True Scripture, and Shen said each had strengths and weaknesses.
• Hu Yingming cited Shi Siming’s victory over Meng Wen to argue that the Profound Fire True Scripture was superior, provoking the Meng Family.
• Meng Chuan angrily confronted Hu Yingming, but Meng Zhao stopped him and argued that victory depended on the practitioner rather than the martial art alone.
• Hu Yingming used Meng Zhao’s reasoning to call Meng Wen mediocre, putting Meng Zhao in a difficult position.
• Meng Zhao claimed Meng Wen had been weakened by an unusual art and lost after recklessly fighting Shi Siming, leaving the crowd uncertain whether to believe him.

Shi Siming challenged Meng Zhao to fight, while Meng Chuan offered to take his place. After Meng Zhao accepted the challenge on the condition that their strength be balanced, Shen Tianci proposed sealing part of Shi Siming’s power.

• Meng Zhao claimed Meng Wen had been in poor condition, and Shi Siming challenged him to test the Red Flag Order against the Profound Fire True Scripture.
• Meng Chuan stepped forward to fight Shi Siming instead, and Meng Rong urged Meng Zhao to let him take the challenge.
• Hu Yingming argued that Meng Chuan was too young to fight Shi Siming and pressed Meng Zhao to accept the challenge.
• Meng Zhao warned Hu Yingming against dismissing young martial artists, then said Shi Siming’s greater cultivation would make an unrestricted contest unfair.
• Shen Tianci offered to seal thirty percent of Shi Siming’s power and opened meridians so the two could compete more evenly.

Meng Zhao agreed to a life-and-death spar with Shi Siming after Shen Tianci sealed much of Shi Siming’s strength. Both men publicly waived responsibility for any injuries or deaths, then launched their attacks at the same time.

• Shen Tianci used the Taiyi Golden Book to seal much of Shi Siming’s strength, and Meng Chuan urged Meng Zhao to reconsider the fight.
• Meng Rong trusted Meng Zhao’s confidence, and Meng Zhao reassured his siblings that he had investigated Shi Siming before preparing for the match.
• Meng Zhao put on his Jade Prayer Beads, received an item from Lü Yue, and stepped into the square as Shen Tianci sensed his vigorous vitality.
• Shi Siming asked how serious injuries would be handled, and Hu Yingming proposed that neither fighter pursue the matter if anyone was hurt or killed.
• Meng Zhao and Shi Siming each declared that the fight was only a spar and that they would hold no one responsible for its outcome.
• Meng Zhao and Shi Siming attacked each other without warning.

Meng Zhao and Shi Siming fought fiercely, using the Red Flag Order and Profound Fire True Scripture in a battle that appeared even but revealed Meng Zhao’s advantage in strength. As they continued exchanging blows, Shen Tianci studied their techniques and gained insights into the two divine arts.

• Meng Zhao’s Iron Refining Hand and Shi Siming’s Wandering Snake Palm Technique clashed, and both fighters stepped back after their first direct exchange.
• Meng Zhao and Shi Siming resumed fighting, with Meng Zhao pressing the attack while Shi Siming diverted his force and waited for an opening.
• The spectators felt the intense heat from the fighters’ internal arts, and Hu Yingming realized why Meng Zhao had subdued him before.
• Shen Tianci examined the Red Flag Order and Profound Fire True Scripture, reflecting on their different approaches to fire and drawing lessons from their battle.

Meng Zhao battled Shi Siming to a standstill, prompting Shen Tianci to predict that Meng Zhao had concealed his true strength. After feigning exhaustion to lure Shi Siming into an attack, Meng Zhao unleashed the Iron Refining Hand’s Mountain Crushing Strike, leaving the fight’s outcome unresolved.

• Meng Zhao and Shi Siming exchanged dozens of fierce moves, while Hu Yingming and the spectators watched in surprise at how well Meng Zhao held his own.
• Shen Tianci explained to Xi Xiangping that Shi Siming had the stronger martial foundation, but favored Meng Zhao because he suspected the fight was not as it seemed.
• After roughly fifty moves, Meng Zhao appeared to tire, and Shi Siming spotted an opening as he circled and probed with the Wandering Snake Palm Technique.
• Shi Siming leaped toward Meng Zhao’s exposed centerline, but Meng Zhao revealed that his exhaustion had been feigned to lure Shi Siming in.
• Meng Zhao unleashed the Iron Refining Hand’s Mountain Crushing Strike, enduring severe pain as he drove his palms upward against Shi Siming.

Meng Zhao defeated Shi Siming with Mountain Crushing Strike after using the Earth Spirit Pearl and a carefully laid trap to overcome his opponent. As Shi Siming recovered, Shen Tianci explained to Xi Xiangping how Meng Zhao’s preparation and strategy had secured the victory.

• Meng Zhao and Shi Siming clashed palm to palm, and Mountain Crushing Strike sent Shi Siming flying and left him vomiting blood before he fainted.
• Sun Chuanxing treated Shi Siming but was briefly harmed when Meng Zhao’s fiery internal energy invaded his meridians.
• The Earth Spirit Pearl rapidly repaired Meng Zhao’s injuries, allowing him to recover enough to stand as Shi Siming regained consciousness.
• Meng Zhao declared the Meng Family’s Red Flag Order superior, while onlookers struggled to understand how he had endured the fight.
• Shen Tianci told Xi Xiangping that Meng Zhao had disguised his weakening attacks and relied on the Earth Spirit Pearl and Mountain Crushing Strike to complete his plan.

Meng Zhao defeated Shi Siming, earning renown and shifting the arena’s wavering alliances back toward the Meng Family. As the gathering dispersed, Shen Tianci praised Meng Zhao’s martial arts and looked forward to fighting him after he reached great mastery of the Innate Realm.

• Shi Siming admitted defeat to Meng Zhao and left to treat his severe injuries, while Hu Yingming departed in anger.
• Guests congratulated Meng Zhao, and several who had favored the Sun Family reconsidered their allegiance after his victory.
• Meng Zhao graciously welcomed the guests’ goodwill, while Meng Chuan reflected on how much stronger Meng Zhao had become.
• Lü Yue returned the Earth Spirit Pearl and praised Meng Zhao, prompting Meng Zhao to worry that the attention might bring trouble.
• Shen Tianci praised the Red Flag Order and invited Meng Zhao to fight him once Meng Zhao reached great mastery of the Innate Realm.

After defeating Shi Siming, Meng Zhao received public praise from Shen Tianci, who named him a potential future rival and brought him considerable fame. Meng Zhao anticipated the challenges and trouble that fame would attract, but believed his hidden potential would let him endure the pressure.

• Shen Tianci praised Meng Zhao before the gathering and urged him to enter the Innate Realm so they could meet again on a broader martial path.
• Meng Rong congratulated Meng Zhao for defeating Shi Siming and earning Shen Tianci's notice.
• Meng Zhao considered how Shen Tianci's public recognition might draw challengers seeking to prove themselves against someone he valued.
• Meng Zhao resolved to use his hidden plans to awaken his dragon body and grow strong enough to withstand the attention.
• The banquet ended with the guests remembering Shi Siming's defeat and Meng Zhao's rise in reputation.

After Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan returned from Miss Xi’s gathering, Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao praised their defense of the Meng Family’s honor but warned them against acting impulsively. The chapter left Meng Jizu privately questioning whether Meng Zhao’s ambition and shrewdness would make him a poor supporter of another family head.

• Meng Jizu reprimanded Meng Rong for leaving home without her mother’s guards, and Meng Hongdao explained the danger to the Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao accepted responsibility for the trouble at Miss Xi’s gathering and asked Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao not to blame Meng Chuan.
• Meng Jizu praised Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan for restoring the Meng Family’s reputation through Meng Zhao’s victory over Shi Siming.
• Meng Jizu urged the brothers to think carefully and avoid risking defeat, while Meng Chuan visibly disagreed with his cautious advice.
• Meng Jizu considered the brothers’ different temperaments and worried that Meng Zhao’s talent for leadership might make him unable to serve as an assistant to another family head.

After Meng Zhao defeated Shi Siming, Meng Jizu warned that the Sun Family would retaliate against the Meng Family’s rising influence. He revealed a plan to ambush the Sun Family over a shipment of military weapons, leaving Meng Zhao alarmed by the danger of the family’s secret dealings.

• Meng Jizu explained that Shi Siming’s defeat had shifted support toward the Meng Family and that the Sun Family would certainly make a move to counter it.
• Meng Zhao asked how the Meng Family would respond, and Meng Hongdao told him to join an ambush that night and follow orders.
• Meng Jizu revealed that the Sun Family planned to intercept a shipment of crossbows, armor, and sabers acquired by the Meng Family from the prefectural armory.
• Meng Zhao realized that secretly stockpiling military equipment could bring the Meng Family’s destruction and worried he might be caught up in a grave conspiracy.
• Meng Chuan challenged Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao, asking why they needed the weapons and calling the matter one of losing heads.

Meng Hongdao and Meng Jizu explained the Meng Family’s secret weapons stockpile and agreed to take Meng Chuan along on an upcoming confidential mission. Meng Chuan and Meng Zhao were told to prepare and keep the matter secret.

• Meng Chuan anxiously questioned Meng Jizu and Meng Hongdao about the weapons, fearing the consequences for his family.
• Meng Jizu defended the stockpile as a precaution shared by powerful noble families, and Meng Zhao considered the wider political implications.
• Meng Chuan apologized after accepting that his elders had their reasons, then asked Meng Hongdao to let him join him on a mission.
• Meng Hongdao initially refused, but agreed after Meng Jizu urged him to let Meng Chuan gain experience.
• Meng Hongdao ordered Meng Chuan and Meng Zhao to obey him and keep the mission secret, warning Meng Zhao not to tell Lü Yue.

After Meng Zhao defeated Shi Siming, Meng Xi decided to send him gifts and withdraw his people from the Second Branch, believing the victory would drive Meng Zhao away from Meng Wen and toward him. Meng Xi expected Meng Zhao to have no path but to ally with him, unaware of how ambitious Meng Zhao was.

• Lu Shun told Meng Xi that Meng Zhao had defeated Shi Siming and caught Shen Tianci's eye, and that the Family Head and Third Master were meeting with Meng Zhao and Meng Wen.
• Meng Xi ordered Lu Shun to choose treasures from his private treasury for Meng Zhao and withdraw the people planted in the Second Branch.
• Meng Xi explained that Meng Wen would resent Meng Zhao because defeating Shi Siming worsened the humiliation of Meng Wen's own defeat.
• Lu Shun realized Meng Xi expected the rift between Meng Wen and Meng Zhao to leave Meng Zhao dependent on Meng Xi.
• Meng Xi concluded that Meng Zhao had no other choice but to move closer to him, underestimating Meng Zhao's ambition.

Meng Wen learned that Meng Zhao had defeated Shi Siming and resisted Meng Qinghuai’s attempts to turn him against his younger brother. He ultimately agreed to support Meng Qinghuai’s bid to inherit the Second Branch, leaving Meng Qinghuai to act against Meng Zhao.

• Meng Qinghuai told Meng Wen that Meng Zhao had defeated Shi Siming and tried to convince him that Meng Zhao was exploiting the victory to gain fame.
• Meng Wen admitted he resented Meng Zhao but warned that opposing him would be dangerous because of his allies and possible protection from the family elders.
• Meng Qinghuai offered to deal with Meng Zhao in exchange for Meng Wen helping him become the adopted heir of the Second Branch.
• Meng Wen agreed to lend Meng Qinghuai a hand, leaving the outcome to their father’s wishes.
• Meng Qinghuai kowtowed and vowed loyalty to Meng Wen if he inherited the Second Branch.

After recovering from battle, Meng Zhao followed Meng Hongdao with Meng Chuan through a hidden passage beneath the city and learned how the Meng Family had protected its secret for generations. Meng Hongdao warned them that family survival came first, leaving Meng Zhao to reckon with the ruthless choices demanded by their clan.

• Meng Zhao recovered from his injuries and reviewed his recent battle before secretly leaving the estate with Meng Chuan and Meng Hongdao.
• Meng Hongdao led them through a concealed tunnel beneath a general store, explaining that the Meng Family had built it as an escape route if the clan faced destruction.
• Meng Hongdao revealed that only a few trusted family members knew about the passage and warned Meng Chuan and Meng Zhao to guard the secret.
• When Meng Zhao asked how the tunnel's builders had kept quiet, Meng Hongdao disclosed that the craftsmen and their Mohist engineer had been poisoned after construction was complete.
• Meng Chuan condemned the ancestor's actions, but Meng Hongdao struck him and insisted that protecting the Meng Family justified the killings and must come first.

Meng Hongdao took Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan through a secret passage to meet a disciplined Meng Family force preparing to attack the Sun Family. After assessing the force as the embryonic form of a strong army, Meng Zhao grew more uneasy about the Meng Family’s hidden power.

• Meng Hongdao led Meng Zhao and Meng Chuan from the secret passage to a farmhouse near the Dabie Mountains.
• Wang Tianlei and dozens of masked Meng Family fighters gathered and prepared to confront people sent by the Sun Family.
• Meng Hongdao asked Meng Chuan and Meng Zhao for their impressions of the force, and Meng Chuan identified its coordination and likely battle formation.
• Meng Hongdao explained that the fighters were part of the Meng Family’s foundation and warned that collective strength could surpass individual martial power.
• Meng Zhao outwardly accepted Meng Hongdao’s lesson but privately worried about the Meng Family’s hidden weapons, passages, and elite forces.

The Meng Family convoy carrying hundred-forged Steel Sabers was ambushed by Sun Chuanxing and two Innate Masters, but Meng Hongdao and Wang Tianlei revealed that the Meng Family had anticipated the raid and surrounded them. Sun Chuanxing conceded defeat and offered compensation, while the confrontation with the Sun Family’s masters remained unresolved.

• Wang Zimo led the Meng Family convoy toward the commandery city before black-clad attackers surrounded it.
• Sun Chuanxing ordered his men to attack, and Ou Lin inspected the Steel Sabers in the carts.
• Meng Family reinforcements surrounded the attackers, revealing Meng Hongdao and Wang Tianlei among the leaders.
• Meng Hongdao identified Ou Lin and Ran Hui as two of the Sun Family’s Innate Masters and prepared to confront them.
• Sun Chuanxing admitted the Sun Family had acted wrongly and offered to pay whatever price Meng Hongdao demanded.

The Meng Family launched its full assault on the Sun Family, overwhelming its fighters with a disciplined force while its Innate Masters gained the upper hand. As Sun Chuanxing accepted that his family was doomed, Meng Chuan charged at him, beginning their fight.

• Meng Zhao rejected Sun Chuanxing's attempt to negotiate, and Wang Tianlei challenged Ran Hui as the Innate Masters began fighting.
• Ou Lin tried to flee, but Meng Hongdao struck him with the Red Flag Order and forced him into a losing battle.
• Wang Tianlei's fifty elite army seeds turned the fight below in the Meng Family's favor, killing Sun Family fighters with coordinated saber formations.
• Sun Chuanxing realized the Meng Family had concealed its true strength and decided to target Meng Chuan and Meng Zhao before he died.
• Meng Chuan warned Meng Zhao he would fight Sun Chuanxing, then leapt at him with his claws raised.

Meng Chuan fought Sun Chuanxing in a deadly duel of fists and soft-sword techniques while Meng Zhao watched the surrounding battles. As the Meng Family gained the upper hand, Meng Zhao noticed a masked Sun Family warrior whose precise, economical saber work stood out.

• Sun Chuanxing drew a concealed soft sword and exchanged dangerous attacks with Meng Chuan, who countered its twisting strikes with precise finger techniques.
• Meng Zhao judged that Sun Chuanxing relied on his unusual swordsmanship to offset Meng Chuan’s greater Internal Energy and stronger foundation.
• Meng Hongdao and Wang Tianlei suppressed their opponents while displaying Dharma Forms shaped from vital energy.
• The Meng Family’s warriors overwhelmed the opposing forces, but seven of them struggled to contain a masked Sun Family saber wielder.
• Meng Zhao admired the masked warrior’s keen instincts and efficient technique, seeing potential for him to reach the Innate Realm.

Meng Zhao ordered the capture of a promising young Sun Family warrior and watched Meng Chuan defeat Sun Chuanxing as the battle against the Sun Family neared its end. The young prisoner remained in Meng Zhao’s custody, while an explosion marked the apparent conclusion of the fight between the Innate Masters.

• Meng Zhao decided to recruit the young Sun Family warrior and ordered his men to capture him alive.
• Meng Family Warriors overwhelmed the young warrior, bound him, and brought him before Meng Zhao, who chose to spare him despite Third Master’s order to leave no survivors.
• Meng Chuan gained the upper hand against Sun Chuanxing, who lost his chance to escape when Meng Zhao’s men sealed off the battlefield.
• Meng Chuan broke Sun Chuanxing’s wrists and beat him to death, then complained that the encirclement had made his victory seem unfair.
• Meng Zhao reassured Meng Chuan that he had already been close to winning, as an explosion sounded from the distant battle between the Innate Masters.