Recaps

Jiang Ping secretly mastered Flying Snow Saber Qi after less than a month of practice, gaining a new measure of protection in Yang City. He remained cautious and planned to become an escort so he could earn silver for further cultivation.

• Luo Tiegen reassured Fang Yong that Jiang Ping and Liu Wensheng could not catch up, and Fang Yong revealed that his Blade Art was nearing Entry Level.
• Jiang Ping impressed the Training Ground with his Flying Snow Saber Technique, drawing more admiration than Fang Yong because others could learn from his movements.
• After returning to the dormitory alone, Jiang Ping sensed Saber Qi forming and circulated it through his body for Thirty-Six Cycles.
• Jiang Ping released Flying Snow Saber Qi with a swing of his wooden blade and shattered a small table.
• Jiang Ping acknowledged that powerful figures such as the master of Jidao Martial Academy could still defeat him, and he looked forward to becoming an escort to earn silver for cultivation.

Jiang Ping continued deepening his Flying Snow Saber Technique while Fang Yong drew attention by breaking through to Entry Level and demonstrating Blade Light. As Liu Wensheng, Sun Qi, and Qian Dele recognized the unusual insight in Jiang Ping’s blade practice, Jiang Ping revealed that he expected to reach Entry Level within two days.

• Over three days in the Blade Qi Domain, Jiang Ping mastered two more streams of Saber Qi and advanced toward Blood Qi Great Accomplishment.
• Fang Yong broke through to Entry Level with the Flying Snow Saber and demonstrated Blade Light, attracting the Training Ground’s spectators while others compared him favorably to Jiang Ping.
• Jiang Ping decided to reveal his own Entry Level Flying Snow Saber in a few days and become an escort so he could earn silver and improve his strength.
• Luo Tiegen mocked Jiang Ping, while Liu Wensheng, Sun Qi, and Qian Dele defended him and said his blade practice offered them greater insight than Fang Yong’s.
• Jiang Ping stopped practicing and told them that he felt his blade art would reach Entry Level within two days.

Jiang Ping reached Entry Level in the Flying Snow Saber, drew attention with a public discussion of his saber insights, and then stopped practicing in front of the others. He waited for Head Escort Liang to return so he could register as an escort.

• Jiang Ping told Liu Wensheng, Sun Qi, and Qian Dele that he would keep practicing publicly until Head Escort Liang returned.
• Jiang Ping broke through to Entry Level in the Flying Snow Saber, and the people at the Training Ground gathered to congratulate him.
• Jiang Ping agreed to discuss his saber insights and answered questions, giving detailed guidance to Qian Dele and Sun Qi but perfunctory replies to Luo Tiegen and Sun Zheng.
• Jiang Ping stopped practicing his saber the next day and focused on the Nourishing Life Technique, saying he needed a break after reaching Entry Level.
• Jiang Ping waited for Head Escort Liang to return from an Escort Mission so he could officially register as an escort.

Jiang Ping officially registered as an escort and learned that he had been assigned to Escort Huang, while Head Escort Liang and Escort Huang recovered from injuries. After settling into his own house, Jiang Ping planned to visit Escort Huang with wine to express his gratitude and ask about escort missions.

• Jiang Ping learned that the Head Escorts had returned, but Head Escort Liang had been injured and taken leave before registering him.
• Jiang Ping registered at the Accounting Room, received an escort’s waist token, azure robe, and black saber, and was assigned to Escort Huang.
• Jiang Ping moved into a Single House and practiced the Nourishing Life Technique, expecting to master it the next day.
• Liu Wensheng, Sun Qi, and Qian Dele offered to celebrate Jiang Ping and lent him silver to buy wine and visit Escort Huang.

Jiang Ping visited Escort Huang, who gave him a Stance Technique and ten liang of silver, then shared Lingxi Meat and wine with him. Jiang Ping learned that escort assignments were ranked by difficulty into four categories.

• Jiang Ping borrowed one liang of silver from each of his three companions, then heard that Fang Yong had advanced to the Sixth Layer of the Nourishing Life Technique.
• Jiang Ping visited the injured Escort Huang with a jug of wine and learned that Head Escort Liang had given Fang Yong a Stance Technique.
• Escort Huang gave Jiang Ping a Stance Technique and ten liang of silver, encouraging him to cultivate during his Golden Age.
• Jiang Ping ate Lingxi Meat with Escort Huang and felt its nourishing effect on his qi and blood.
• Jiang Ping asked Escort Huang about escort missions and learned that they were ranked as copper, iron, silver, or gold assignments.

Jiang Ping learned about the dangers and rewards of escort missions from Escort Huang, including the likely corruption behind a Silver Escort disaster. He then discovered that Head Escort Wang's son may have embezzled the two jin of Lingxi Meat awarded to him, leaving Jiang Ping angry.

• Escort Huang explained the pay and risks of Copper and Iron Escort missions, and Jiang Ping agreed to accompany him on future missions.
• Escort Huang described the dangers of Silver Escorts and suspected that the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency had arranged the attack on the Four Seas Escort Agency.
• Escort Huang recounted how a Gold Drafter nearly destroyed both Yang City escort agencies, and said only Martial Artists who had entered the Fifth Rank should take one.
• As Jiang Ping prepared to leave, Escort Huang told him how to cook his Lingxi Meat and learned that Jiang Ping had not received his two-jin reward from Head Escort Wang.
• Jiang Ping realized that Head Escort Wang's son may have taken the meat, and Saber Qi stirred inside his sleeve.

Jiang Ping refused to let Wang Shengzhu’s failure to pay for the Lingxi meat go unanswered, though Escort Huang advised him to wait three days before escalating the matter. After breaking through to Blood Qi Great Accomplishment, Jiang Ping tested his blood armor and began practicing a stance technique, finding that it accelerated his cultivation.

• Jiang Ping rejected Escort Huang’s offer to cover the ten liang and agreed to wait three days for payment before seeking his help.
• At the accounting room, Wang Shengzhu promised to pay Jiang Ping, then pointedly gave him his name.
• Jiang Ping returned home and broke through to Blood Qi Great Accomplishment while practicing the Nourishing Life Technique.
• Jiang Ping tested his blood armor against his black saber and blade light, confirming its strength and limits.
• Jiang Ping practiced the stance technique and discovered it circulated his blood qi more than twice as fast as the Nourishing Life Technique.

Jiang Ping learned that Sun Zheng was bullying their former companions, then reported Wang Shengzhu’s theft of his Lingxi Meat to Escort Huang and revealed his breakthrough to the Fifth Layer. After another Head Escort secured his silver and compensation, Jiang Ping decided to obtain an Eighth Rank cultivation technique.

• Qian Dele told Jiang Ping that Sun Zheng and Luo Tiegen were using Fang Yong’s influence to trouble Luo Da Niu and others.
• Jiang Ping saw his friends off, sobered up, and continued practicing his stance technique.
• Jiang Ping told Escort Huang that Wang Shengzhu had withheld two jin of Lingxi Meat, then revealed that he had reached the Fifth Layer.
• Escort Huang praised Jiang Ping’s progress and promised to report the theft to Head Escort Liang.
• Escort Huang returned Jiang Ping’s silver and explained that another Head Escort, surnamed Zhu, had secured the resolution and imposed a twenty-tael punishment on Wang Shengzhu.
• Jiang Ping accepted the silver and decided it was time to obtain an Eighth Rank cultivation technique.

After quickly reaching Ninth-Rank Perfection, Jiang Ping visited Yang City's Black Market to find an Eighth Grade technique. He found sellers offering Martial Academy techniques and was left considering a cheaper option after questioning their claims.

• Jiang Ping reached Ninth-Rank Perfection in his Stance Technique and decided to seek an Eighth Grade technique at the Black Market.
• Jiang Ping paid the entrance fee and entered the market in disguise, finding ordinary village goods near its entrance.
• Jiang Ping heard vendors advertise martial goods, including techniques supposedly stolen from Jidao Martial Academy, and saw one seller exposed for peddling fake swordplay.
• Jiang Ping found vendors selling the Still Autumn Technique for twenty taels and Chaoyang Martial Academy's Eighth Grade technique for thirteen taels.
• Jiang Ping questioned why the vendors openly sold Martial Academy techniques, and a stall owner explained that food for training brought in more money than techniques.

Jiang Ping bought the Still Autumn Technique at the Black Market, then discovered that the sellers and the Blood Gang's second-in-command were pursuing him to rob him. He fought off the two stall owners, and the second-in-command joined the battle as Jiang Ping recognized his Eighth-Rank strength.

• Jiang Ping bought the Still Autumn Technique, confirmed it was genuine, and used it to begin cultivating his skin.
• Jiang Ping noticed a masked follower and left the Black Market, unaware that the Blood Gang's second-in-command and two stall owners were following him.
• The second-in-command sent the stall owners to attack Jiang Ping, who blocked their hidden weapons and fought their coordinated sword techniques with his saber.
• The stall owners mistook Jiang Ping's youthful voice for a deliberate trick and resumed attacking him.
• The second-in-command charged into the fight, and Jiang Ping recognized that he was an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist.

Jiang Ping killed the Blood Gang’s second in command and two accomplices with Saber Qi, then returned to the Escort Agency with a fortune and several stolen martial arts manuals. The authorities mistakenly attributed the signature wounds to Zhu Yue, while Jiang Ping planned to use the Riding the Wind Sword to conceal his identity in future fights.

• Jiang Ping used Saber Qi to kill the Blood Gang’s second in command after the man tried to flee and plead for his life.
• Jiang Ping killed the two Stall Owners, searched the three bodies, and escaped before the constables arrived.
• Zhao the Registrar identified the second in command and concluded that Zhu Yue’s Flying Snow Saber had killed him.
• Jiang Ping returned to his Single House with more than fifty taels in broken silver, eight hundred taels in Silver Notes, and several martial arts manuals.
• Jiang Ping decided to focus on the Still Autumn Technique and use the Riding the Wind Sword to avoid drawing attention to the Four Seas Escort Agency.

Jiang Ping studied his new martial arts manuals while Yang City mistakenly credited Zhu Yue with killing the Blood Gang’s Second in Command. As an Iron Escort mission approached, Jiang Ping resolved to use Lingxi Meat to break through to Eighth Rank before setting out.

• Jiang Ping memorized the Seventh-Rank Muscle and Bone Tempering Technique and began studying the Eighth Grade Still Autumn Technique.
• News spread that the Blood Gang’s Second in Command had been slain, and Yang City residents attributed the icy wounds and the kill to Zhu Yue’s Flying Snow Saber Qi.
• Zhu Yue denied killing the Blood Gang members, but the Chief Escort and other Head Escorts credited him with the deed and agreed to let the mistaken reputation stand.
• The Chief Escort revealed that the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency had started a Silver Escort mission and said the Four Seas Escort Agency would prepare to retaliate against its rival.
• Three days later, Huang Youren told Jiang Ping he would join an Iron Escort mission departing in five days, and Jiang Ping decided to eat two pounds of Lingxi Meat per meal to try to reach Eighth Rank before then.

Jiang Ping’s family learned he had joined the Four Seas Escort Agency, while Jiang Ping traveled on an escort mission outside Yang City. The chapter left him heading toward a post station with Escort Huang, Liu Wensheng, Fang Yong, and their client, Lady Chen.

• Zhang Yun told Jiang Fu and Jiang Xiaoxi that Jiang Ping had been seen leaving Yang City with the Four Seas Escort Agency.
• Jiang An warned that escort work was dangerous, upsetting Zhang Yun and Jiang Xiaoxi, then promised to ask his Martial Arts Hall contacts about bringing Jiang Ping home.
• On the road, Liu Wensheng teased Jiang Ping about his refined appearance and suggested he suited Lady Chen, but Jiang Ping told him to treat her properly as their client.
• Liu Wensheng asked why Fang Yong was on the mission, and Jiang Ping kept secret that Fang Yong had become a Ninth Grade Martial Artist.
• Jiang Ping revealed the fist force of the sixth level of the Nourishing Life Technique to Escort Huang, and Escort Huang told the group to reach the post station before dark.

Jiang Ping traveled with the escort group to a post station, learned the rules behind escort flags, and advanced his Riding the Wind Sword cultivation. The chapter ended with Fang Yong ordering him to stay away from Lady Chen and leave leading her horse to him.

• Jiang Ping's group reached the post station, where Escort Huang explained that their half-mast Benevolence Escort flag signaled for traveling heroes to spare them, usually in exchange for toll money.
• Jiang Ping learned that escorts could accept private work along the same route, and Escort Huang revealed that one of the three carts carried his private cargo.
• Escort Huang described the Mighty Drafter flag, which challenged anyone who wanted to attack, and said powerful head escorts used it for Iron Escorts.
• That night, Jiang Ping practiced Riding the Wind Sword and cultivated a fourth stream of Sword Qi.
• After meeting Lady Chen on his way to bathe, Jiang Ping encountered Fang Yong, who ordered him to stay away from her and said he would lead her horse the next day.

Jiang Ping’s escort group traveled through Yun County and boarded a merchant ship, where Escort Huang warned him about the Water Monkeys and the dangers of their river route. When the Black Water Gang blocked the ship and demanded that the Four Seas Escort Agency come out, Fang Yong moved to confront them.

• Jiang Ping let Fang Yong lead Lady Chen’s horse, but Lady Chen later returned the reins to Jiang Ping because Fang Yong talked too much.
• The group reached Yun County and prepared to continue by boat, while Jiang Ping and Liu Wensheng explored the city.
• Escort Huang privately warned Jiang Ping that water bandits might attack and told him to prioritize saving his life.
• Fang Yong declared that he feared no bandits, while Jiang Ping felt relieved to learn their leader was an Eighth Rank expert.
• The group’s merchant ship was stopped by Black Water Gang vessels, and Fang Yong rushed to confront the bandits after they called out the Four Seas Escort Agency.

Jiang Ping secretly killed the water bandit leader with a powerful attack, saving Escort Huang’s party, and they later encountered another group of villains on the road. As dozens of Sword Qi appeared above the villains, a white-clad young man called Qing Yan and swung his sword.

• Fang Yong boasted of his Blade Art before water bandits forced Escort Huang’s group onto the deck and ordered them killed.
• Jiang Ping unleashed a deadly attack that killed the Eighth-Rank water bandit leader, causing the surviving bandits to flee.
• Escort Huang and the others thanked the travelers, while Fang Yong and Jiang Ping’s martial abilities came to light.
• Several days later, Escort Huang’s party was blocked by villains on the road, and dozens of Sword Qi appeared above them.
• A white-clad young man rode forward, called Qing Yan, and swung his sword.

Song Yuanshan arrived as Lady Chen’s escort was threatened by bandits, effortlessly killing them with his Sword Qi and revealing himself as a Seventh Rank expert. As he accompanied the group onward, Fang Yong and the escorts reckoned with the gulf between their abilities and those of Yang City’s prodigies.

• Song Yuanshan rode up and used Sword Qi to drag a hidden Eighth Grade bandit into view before killing him and the other bandits.
• Song Yuanshan greeted Chen Qingyan warmly, while her maid rebuked his familiar manner and pointed out Fang Yong.
• Song Yuanshan praised Fang Yong’s potential and agreed to travel with the escort party rather than take over the escort duty.
• That evening, Escort Huang told Fang Yong that Chen Qingyan’s uncle was a Martial Graduate and asked what he thought of Song Yuanshan.
• Escort Huang revealed that Song Yuanshan was Seventh Rank and could enter Sixth Grade at any moment.

Escort Huang explained to Fang Yong and the others how Golden Skin and Golden Bone formed the foundation needed to reach Fifth Grade, and why age and resources made that breakthrough difficult. Fang Yong was left facing the limits imposed by his late start, while Jiang Ping asked how Song Yuanshan could unleash so much Sword Qi.

• Escort Huang told Fang Yong that Golden Skin or Golden Bone provided the foundation for reaching Fifth Grade, and that Golden Skin was harder to cultivate than Golden Bone.
• Escort Huang explained that martial artists needed to reach Fifth Grade before age thirty because their vital energy and blood declined afterward, leaving Fang Yong worried that he had started too late.
• Escort Huang said Song Yuanshan had pursued Chen Qingyan partly to gain her uncle's resources and improve his chances of reaching Fifth Grade before thirty.
• After the escorts fell silent over the difficulty of Martial Dao, Jiang Ping asked Escort Huang how Song Yuanshan could unleash so much Sword Qi.

Escort Huang explained the levels and difficulty of Sword Qi and Saber Qi, prompting Jiang Ping to seek stronger Sword Arts while Fang Yong reconsidered his prospects. The chapter ended with Fang Yong learning that the Escort Agency had already invested its resources in Ji Baichuan.

• Escort Huang explained that Sword Qi and Saber Qi could be cultivated strand by strand through ten levels, and that Song Yuanshan had surpassed Thirty Percent Sword Qi after years of training.
• Escort Huang advised Fang Yong to prioritize Martial Dao cultivation, while Jiang Ping asked about Sword Arts and learned that Jidao Martial Academy sold the Scorching Sun Swordplay for three hundred liang of silver.
• Escort Huang warned Jiang Ping that buying precious Sword Arts through the Black Market could attract dangerous attention, but Jiang Ping secretly resolved to buy the Scorching Sun Swordplay and asked where he could find Grandmaster Swordplay.
• Escort Huang described Changping Prefecture's Martial Examination Ranking and said Song Yuanshan had a chance to earn Martial Examination Merit at the next examination in three years.
• Fang Yong asked why the Chief had never considered him as a disciple, and Escort Huang explained that the Escort Agency had already committed its resources to Ji Baichuan, a twenty-five-year-old who had appeared on the Martial Examination Ranking twice.

After delivering Lady Chen, Jiang Ping learned that the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency had put him and the other new escorts on its Kill list, then bought and studied the Scorching Sun Swordplay on the journey home. Back in Yang City, he reunited with his neglected little sister Jiang Xiaoxi and took her to get a chicken leg.

• Song Yuanshan followed Lady Chen into her uncle's home, while Escort Huang said she had been summoned to meet a formidable hero on the Martial Examination Ranking.
• Escort Huang told Jiang Ping, Liu Wensheng, and Fang Yong that the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency had targeted their escort teams after a deadly dispute between the agencies, and warned them to stay inside once they returned to Yang City.
• During an overnight stop in Yun County, Jiang Ping bought an authentic copy of the Scorching Sun Swordplay for fifty taels and studied it through the night.
• The escorts returned safely to Yang City, where Jiang Xiaoxi ran to Jiang Ping and told him she had been waiting for him and was hungry and neglected at home.
• Jiang Ping picked up Jiang Xiaoxi and promised her a chicken leg as he carried her toward the escort agency.

A month after returning from an escort mission, Jiang Ping trained his Scorching Sun Swordplay and postponed traveling to Changping Prefecture City because of the dangers there and the threat posed by Chen An. Meanwhile, his family struggled with resentment over his success, and Zhang Yun revealed she had been unable to see him.

• Jiang Xiaoxi refused dinner at home, and Jiang An deduced that Jiang Ping had been feeding her rich meals since returning from his escort mission.
• Jiang Ping advanced the Scorching Sun Swordplay to the Sword Qi Domain and considered traveling to Changping Prefecture City to seek Grandmaster Swordplay.
• Jiang Ping decided to strengthen himself before traveling, citing the dangers in Changping City, the feud between the escort agencies, and Chen An's connection to the fraud case.
• Jiang Ping continued training for a month, while Jiang An complained that the family needed silver to buy him beef.
• Jiang Fu accused Zhang Yun of withholding money from Jiang Ping, but Zhang Yun said Jiang Ping had refused to see her at the escort agency.

Jiang Ping perfected the Scorching Sun Swordplay and reached Thirty Percent Sword Qi, then decided to seek Grandmaster Swordplay in Changping Prefecture City and compete in the next Martial Examination. When his family made a scene at the Escort Agency to force a meeting, he refused to see them and had Sun Qi punish Jiang An.

• Jiang An urged Jiang Fu to visit Jiang Ping for money and help, but Jiang Fu hesitated to confront his estranged son.
• Jiang Ping demonstrated Thirty Percent Sword Qi, judged himself capable of surviving encounters with Seventh Rank Martial Artists, and resolved to pursue Grandmaster Swordplay and the Martial Examination.
• Escort Huang warned Jiang Ping that negotiations between the two Escort Agencies had stalled and told him his entire family had arrived.
• Jiang Fu made a public scene outside the Escort Agency, claiming his right to see the son he had raised, while Jiang Ping went to the Training Ground instead of meeting him.
• Sun Qi punched Jiang An, broke one of his fingers, and warned Jiang Fu and Zhang Yun that another visit would cost Jiang An a hand.

After cutting ties with Jiang Ping’s family, Jiang Ping traveled to Changping Prefecture City in search of Grandmaster Swordplay. He arrived in time for an auction and waited to enter, hoping to find a Grandmaster-level technique.

• Sun Qi told Jiang Fu and Zhang Yun that Jiang Ping was bound by a ten-year contract and could not leave the Escort Agency; Zhang Yun asked him to tell Jiang Ping they would stop bothering him.
• Jiang Ping packed his weapons and supplies, disguised himself with a Human-Skin Mask, and left Yang City that night.
• Jiang Ping reached Changping Prefecture City two mornings later and learned that an auction would be held that afternoon.
• While exploring the city, Jiang Ping accidentally entered a brothel, retrieved the wine he had paid for, and left to eat at a quiet restaurant.
• Jiang Ping waited outside the auction house as people discussed its treasures, including a jar of Blood of the Mysterious Tiger, and then entered with the crowd.

Jiang Ping attended the Merchant Guild Auction hoping to buy a Grandmaster-level Technique, but none appeared and he left empty-handed. After departing the Prefecture City, he passed a robbery and escaped because the attackers mistook his Thirty Percent Sword Qi for the strength of a Sixth Grade Martial Artist.

• Jiang Ping entered the Merchant Guild Auction by displaying Thirty Percent Sword Qi, while a young man with Golden Bone arrived seeking Profound Tiger Blood.
• Jiang Ping watched the auction, but no Grandmaster-level Technique appeared, and he could not afford the expensive items.
• The young man with Golden Bone won the Blood of the Mysterious Tiger by bidding a precious True Skill.
• Jiang Ping left the Prefecture City at dusk, where he saw the big man who had been barred from the auction being robbed and killed.
• A Seventh Rank old man considered attacking Jiang Ping, but his companion warned him that Jiang Ping had displayed Thirty Percent Sword Qi, and they let him go.

Jiang Ping planned to reveal his talent for the Martial Examination only after mastering Grandmaster-level Technique, while continuing to improve his cultivation. He learned that the escort agencies had settled their conflict by making Fang Yong the terms of their agreement.

• Jiang Ping decided he needed Grandmaster-level Technique to protect himself before attracting Chen An's attention by displaying First-rate or Super First-rate talent.
• More than half a month later, Jiang Ping had advanced to Eighth Grade Golden Skin and visited Qian Dele with Liu Wensheng and Sun Qi.
• Qian Dele told them that Luo Da Niu had strangled Sun Zheng after Sun Zheng continued bullying the dormitory residents.
• The group celebrated Qian Dele becoming an escort, sharing Lingxi Meat and drinks.
• Escort Huang told Jiang Ping that the two Escort Agencies had agreed to resume escort missions, then revealed that Fang Yong was the agreement's terms.