Chapter Summaries

Li Xiao advanced his Severing Gate Saber and continued stabilizing Willow City after the encounter with Daoist Nun Jingyun. That night, the recurring dream of his death returned, and he suspected it was connected to the mysterious Token and the word “abyss.”

• Li Xiao told Liu Qingyue and Li Yu to keep the encounter with Daoist Nun Jingyun secret, and Liu Qingyue chose to stay with the Spirit-Guiding Talisman.
• Over the following days, the Inner City wall demolition and refugee resettlement progressed while Willow City grew more stable.
• Li Xiao practiced the Severing Gate Saber before Hu Feng and Liu Qingyue, reaching 1800/2000 Perfection.
• Li Xiao returned to his bedroom after handling official work and guiding Hu Feng and Liu Qingyue in their martial arts.
• Li Xiao woke from his fourth consecutive dream of collapsing into darkness, felt the Token beneath his pillow, and wondered what the word “abyss” meant.

Wang Hai invited Li Xiao to dinner and asked for his approval to pursue Li Yu, while Li Xiao weighed Wang Hai’s sincerity and the potential alliance between their families. Li Xiao allowed Wang Hai to continue courting her, provided he treated her sincerely, respected her choice, and stood by the Li Family and Willow City.

• Wang Hai hosted Li Xiao at the Drunken Immortal Restaurant and told him that Qian Li’s health was failing.
• Wang Hai praised Li Yu and asked Li Xiao’s consent to continue seeing her with the hope of marrying her.
• Li Xiao said he did not oppose the courtship but warned Wang Hai not to deceive or pressure Li Yu.
• Li Xiao told Wang Hai that he must share weal and woe with the Li Family and Willow City and never harm them.
• Wang Hai promised to honor Li Xiao’s conditions, and the two resumed their meal on warmer terms.

At dinner, Li Xiao told his family that Wang Hai had sincerely asked to marry Li Yu, and Li Yu agreed to spend time with him and see if they were suited. Li Xiao then announced that he might leave Willow City to seek greater strength, leaving his family worried and the question of his marriage to Liu Qingyue unresolved.

• Li Xiao recounted Wang Hai's marriage request and his father's approval to the family.
• Li Yu said Wang Hai treated her well and agreed to spend time with him before deciding about marriage.
• Li Xiao announced that he might leave Willow City because the city's peace was fragile and he had reached a bottleneck in his martial path.
• Li Youde and Li Yu protested over the danger of Li Xiao leaving, but he explained that he needed to grow stronger to protect the family and Willow City.
• Li Youde asked Li Xiao to settle his marriage with Liu Qingyue before leaving, and Li Xiao began to answer.

Li Xiao and Liu Qingyue admitted that their relationship had begun as an arrangement of mutual need, but acknowledged their growing regard for each other. Li Xiao promised to marry her after he had advanced in martial arts, and Liu Qingyue agreed to wait; days later, Willow City completed the demolition of its Inner City wall and began building a new order.

• Li Xiao told Li Youde and Liu Qingyue's parents that he and Liu Qingyue had initially come together because circumstances suited them, upsetting his father.
• Li Youde told Liu Qingyue that he regarded her as his daughter-in-law and asked how she truly felt about Li Xiao.
• Liu Qingyue said she was grateful to Li Xiao and considered him a very good person.
• Li Xiao said he would not bind either of them with marriage before pursuing his martial path, but promised to take Liu Qingyue as his wife once he could protect those around him.
• Liu Qingyue agreed to wait for Li Xiao, and the family dinner ended with their understanding in place.
• Several days later, Willow City finished demolishing the Inner City wall, and a new order began to take shape.

Li Xiao oversaw Li Yu and Wang Hai’s betrothal and arranged for the Wang Family to take control of Willow City after he departed. He promised to eliminate Tu Gang and gave Wang Jinshan and Wang Hai Zhu He’s saber technique and a copy of its Divine Intent Diagram.

• Wang Jinshan formally proposed to Li Yu on Wang Hai’s behalf, and Li Youde agreed to the marriage, setting an initial wedding date for the coming spring.
• Li Xiao told Wang Jinshan he would leave Willow City and arranged for him to take over as County Lieutenant while Wang Hai became Golden Sand Gang Leader.
• Wang Jinshan warned that Tu Gang was too powerful to leave alive, and Li Xiao agreed to deal with him before departing.
• Li Xiao invited Wang Jinshan and Wang Hai to the study and presented them with Zhu He’s Severing Gate Saber Technique and a simplified Divine Intent Diagram.

Li Xiao strengthened his alliance with the Wang Family by giving Wang Jinshan and Wang Hai a saber technique and Divine Intent Diagram, then went to the dying Qian Li, who warned him about the dangers beyond Willow City. Qian Li confirmed Li Xiao was leaving and urged him to trust no one easily.

• Li Xiao gave Wang Jinshan and Wang Hai the Severing Gate Saber Technique and a copy of its Divine Intent Diagram, and advised them on cultivation.
• News of the Li and Wang Families' marriage alliance spread, while the Lin Family's remnants were wiped out and the Yellow Robe Cult's forces were absorbed by other groups.
• Hu Feng told Li Xiao that Qian Li was near death and wanted to see him, so Li Xiao went to the Iron Wire Fist Martial Arts School.
• Qian Li asked Li Xiao whether he was leaving Willow City, and Li Xiao confirmed that he was.
• Qian Li warned Li Xiao that the outside world was chaotic and dangerous, naming Sects, noble families, Qi Cultivators, and demons, and told him not to trust anyone easily.

After Qian Li died, Li Xiao arranged the funeral and the Iron Wire Fist Martial Arts School's succession before summoning Willow City's leading forces to announce a change in government appointments. The meeting ended with Wang Jinshan accepting the County Lieutenant post and handing leadership of the Golden Sand Gang to Wang Hai.

• Qian Li shared his final fragments of information about the Three Origins Sect with Li Xiao, then died as Wu Tieshan and Zhao Hu mourned him.
• Li Xiao presided over Qian Li's funeral, and Wu Tieshan and Zhao Hu took charge of the Iron Wire Fist Martial Arts School.
• Three days later, Li Xiao summoned Willow City's Great Martial Masters and faction leaders to the County Office for a meeting.
• Li Xiao appointed Wang Jinshan to temporarily act as County Lieutenant, prompting Tu Gang to object that Wang was disabled and controlled a gang.
• Li Xiao ordered Wang Jinshan to resign as Golden Sand Gang Leader, and Wang handed the gang token to Wang Hai.

Li Xiao accused Tu Gang of colluding with Zhu He and ordered him to surrender, but Tu Gang incited Willow City's leaders to resist. After Li Xiao overwhelmed the hall with his Martial Will, Tu Gang decided to fight and unleashed the power of his Exotic Insect.

• Wang Hai accepted his appointment after Wang Jinshan stepped down.
• Li Xiao accused Tu Gang of aiding Zhu He and conspiring against Willow City's order, while Tu Gang denied the charges and urged the hall to unite against Li Xiao.
• Li Xiao released his Swift Wind Thunderclap Arrow Intent, silencing the hall and pressuring Tu Gang and the others.
• Tu Gang believed Li Xiao's missing bow and arrows gave him a chance to resist and rally the hesitant leaders.
• Tu Gang refused to surrender and activated his Exotic Insect's power, boosting his strength and defense at the cost of his vitality.

Li Xiao revealed his Iron Wire Fist Intent and defeated Tu Gang in close combat, proving he possessed two powerful Martial Way True Intents. When Tu Gang tried to flee, Li Xiao intercepted him and shattered his defenses with a final punch.

• Tu Gang charged Li Xiao with a powerful punch, trying to force him into close combat.
• Li Xiao revealed his Iron Wire Fist Intent, and the hall's onlookers were stunned to learn he wielded two Martial Way True Intents.
• Li Xiao met Tu Gang's attack head-on, then overwhelmed him with a relentless Iron Wire Fist assault.
• Tu Gang realized Li Xiao was using him for practice and tried to escape through a window.
• Li Xiao used Dragon-Snake Illusory Body to catch Tu Gang and punched through his protective qi, breaking bones.

Li Xiao killed Tu Gang in the County Office and forced Willow City’s factions to accept Wang Jinshan as County Lieutenant. News of Li Xiao’s dual Martial Way True Intents spread across Tianyang Commandery, securing his rule as he prepared to leave.

• Li Xiao punched through Tu Gang’s defenses and killed him after he resisted arrest.
• Li Xiao ordered the gathered factions to obey Wang Jinshan and warned that crimes and disorder would be punished.
• Wang Jinshan promised to absorb the Wild Dog Gang’s forces into the Golden Sand Gang.
• Li Xiao told Hu Feng to clean up the hall and left for the back hall.
• News of Li Xiao’s dual Martial Way True Intents spread through Willow City and beyond, strengthening his authority and Wang Jinshan’s position.

Li Xiao perfected Dragon-Snake Illusory Body, gained its Divine Intent Diagram, and spent all eighteen Limit-Breaking Points to strengthen Listening Wind. The upgraded insect became Listening Wind (Qi Gazing), granting him powerful but painful perception across five hundred zhang.

• Li Xiao practiced Dragon-Snake Illusory Body until it reached Perfection and earned ten Limit-Breaking Points, bringing his reserve to eighteen.
• Li Xiao received the Divine Intent Diagram of Dragon-Snake Illusory Body and recognized that the perfected movement technique gave him Fourth Turn-level attainment.
• Li Xiao noticed the upgrade option beside Listening Wind and spent all eighteen Limit-Breaking Points to strengthen the exotic insect.
• Li Xiao heard every sound within five hundred zhang, then cut off the perception when it caused severe pain in his mind.
• Li Xiao checked the Panel and saw that Listening Wind had become Listening Wind (Qi Gazing).

Li Xiao tested his new Wind Listening and Qi Observing ability and began interpreting the different colors of qi he saw above people. After Steward Gao’s nephew died, Li Xiao suspected the gray-black strands in Gao’s yellow qi might have foretold the death, but he remained unsure and went to the County Office to learn more.

• Li Xiao used Wind Listening and Qi Observing on the servants and saw faint white qi above them.
• Li Xiao saw rich yellow qi with gray-black strands above Steward Gao and wondered what the colors meant.
• Steward Gao asked for leave after his nephew died, and Li Xiao gave him permission and access to silver for funeral arrangements.
• Li Xiao connected the gray-black strands in Steward Gao’s qi to the death but could not determine whether they foretold wider disaster.
• Li Xiao went to the County Office, where Wang Jinshan was reviewing public security documents.

Li Xiao discovered that Liu Qingyue’s fortune contained a striking amount of purple as he prepared to leave Willow City. He entrusted the city and his family’s safety to Wang Jinshan and Hu Feng, then ended the chapter quietly dining with his family.

• Li Xiao observed Wang Jinshan’s green aura and Hu Feng’s green aura threaded with more active azure, then learned Hu Feng had reached Minor Accomplishment in the Severing Gate Saber Technique.
• Li Xiao announced that he would leave Willow City in three days, and Wang Jinshan and Hu Feng promised to protect the Li Family and keep the city safe.
• At dinner, Li Xiao saw that Li Youde’s aura contained growing cyan, while Li Yu’s was mostly cyan with some green.
• Li Xiao saw that Liu Qingyue’s aura was blue with half of it purple, then asked about her training and told her not to rush.

Li Xiao told his family he would leave Willow City in three days, then resolved to seek guidance about fortune and fate at Qingxu Temple before departing. He left for Green Ape Mountain with Hu Feng, giving him advice on his saber technique along the way.

• Li Xiao announced his departure, and Li Yu tearfully asked him to stay until after her wedding, but he refused.
• Li Youde told Li Xiao he would look after the family and their affairs while Li Xiao was away.
• Li Xiao considered the limits of his martial progress in Willow City and advanced his Divine Intent Diagram during the night.
• The next morning, Li Xiao decided to visit Qingxu Temple to learn more about fortune and fate before his journey north.
• Li Xiao traveled toward Green Ape Mountain with Hu Feng and advised him to sink his qi, store his momentum, and strike with unbroken intent.

Li Xiao visited Qingxu Temple to study ancient writings on Fortune and Destiny and learn what the different colors of qi meant, but found no definitive answer. He left the temple still pondering Liu Qingyue’s unusual qi and his coming journey to the Northern Border.

• Li Xiao and Hu Feng reached Qingxu Temple, where the temple master Qingyang welcomed them.
• Li Xiao sensed that Qingyang was a Second Turn Martial Master whose cultivation had reached a bottleneck.
• Qingyang let Li Xiao read the temple’s Daoist texts and miscellaneous works on fate, qi, and divination.
• Li Xiao found that different traditions interpreted Fortune and Destiny in conflicting ways and that no one could truly understand the elusive qi.
• Li Xiao left Qingxu Temple with Hu Feng, still thinking about Liu Qingyue and his approaching journey to the Northern Border.

Li Xiao pieced together the meanings of the qi colors he had observed and realized why Daoist Nun Jingyun had been drawn to Liu Qingyue’s blue and purple qi. After returning home, he set out the next morning for Hundred Weapons Pavilion to find a bow he would need for his journey to the Northern Border.

• Li Xiao concluded that white, yellow, green, and cyan qi reflected ordinary fate, blessings, authority, and martial or family potential.
• Li Xiao recognized Liu Qingyue’s blue qi as a Dao seed and her purple qi as a sign of Heaven’s mandate, explaining Daoist Nun Jingyun’s interest in her.
• Li Xiao entered Willow City and chose to spend the evening with his family before his planned departure for the Northern Border in three days.
• Li Xiao went to Hundred Weapons Pavilion the next morning to seek a bow, and the guards recognized and respectfully greeted him.

Li Xiao visited Hundred Weapons Pavilion and fully drew the legendary bow Snow Dragon Ridge, then secured the right to buy it for thirty thousand taels. He left with the contract, still needing to pay, after Miss Shen offered the low price as a way to build a connection with him.

• Shopkeeper Qin led Li Xiao to Snow Dragon Ridge and explained its history and value.
• Li Xiao lifted the bow and drew it fully, then declared that he wanted it.
• Shopkeeper Qin said he lacked the authority to sell the main pavilion's bow.
• Miss Shen arrived and offered to sell Snow Dragon Ridge to Li Xiao for thirty thousand taels.
• Li Xiao accepted the price and said he owed Miss Shen a favor, but left before paying.

Li Xiao demanded thirty thousand taels from three prominent merchants to fund refugee relief, then used the money to buy Snow Dragon Ridge. He tested the bow outside Willow City and demonstrated the tremendous power of his Swift Wind Thunderclap Arrow.

• Li Xiao ordered Hu Feng to summon Owner Zhang, Shopkeeper Liu, and Fatty Chen, then demanded thirty thousand taels within three days.
• The three merchants each agreed to provide ten thousand taels, which was delivered to Hundred Weapons Pavilion.
• Li Xiao left Willow City alone at dawn to test Snow Dragon Ridge with an ordinary iron arrow and his Swift Wind Thunderclap Arrow intent.
• Li Xiao shot an ancient tree two hundred and fifty zhang away, piercing its trunk and embedding the arrow in the mountain rock behind it.

Li Xiao prepared to leave Willow City, teaching Liu Qingyue and spending his final days with his family before setting out for the Northern Border. He departed at dawn, leaving his loved ones behind as he rode east without looking back.

• Li Xiao tested Snow Dragon Ridge and decided to carry the powerful bow on his travels.
• Li Xiao coached Liu Qingyue in the Severing Gate Saber Technique and left copies of Dragon-Snake Illusory Body and the Divine Intent Diagram outside her room.
• News of Li Xiao’s departure spread through Willow City, and its families stayed quiet after seeing his strength.
• Li Xiao packed his gear, leaving the strange Zhi in the Iron Wire Fist Martial Arts School basement, and met his father, sister, and Liu Qingyue before leaving.
• Li Xiao said goodbye to Li Youde, Li Yu, and Liu Qingyue, then rode east out of Willow City toward the Northern Border.

Li Xiao reached Tianyang Prefecture City and sought Commandery Commandant Wang Chongshan’s help before departing for the Northern Border. Wang agreed to appoint Wang Jinshan as Willow City’s County Lieutenant and offered Li Xiao a Wolf Rider mount if he demonstrated his archery; the chapter left them gathered at the garrison drill ground, ready for the display.

• Li Xiao entered Tianyang Prefecture City and went to the Wang Family mansion to request an audience with Wang Chongshan.
• Wang Shichong welcomed Li Xiao and brought him before his father, Wang Chongshan.
• Li Xiao asked Wang Chongshan to formally appoint Wang Jinshan as Willow City’s County Lieutenant, and Wang agreed to submit the appointment for approval.
• Li Xiao asked to buy an army Wolf Rider for his journey north, and Wang Chongshan offered him one if he demonstrated his archery.
• Word spread through the mansion, drawing the Wang Family’s younger generation, guards, and local magnates to the garrison camp to watch Li Xiao and Wang Chongshan.