Recaps

Changsun helped Ning Chen escape the Imperial City after he delivered a grave letter from the northern border, and he headed east toward Sword City to seek Mu Chengxue. As the Xia Emperor collapsed after reading the letter and hearing that the Eighth Prince had been critically wounded, Yue Ling learned Ning Chen’s identity and sent pursuers after him; his journey was interrupted when his horses suddenly reared.

• Changsun escorted Ning Chen through the eastern gate, and he set out for Sword City to find Mu Chengxue.
• Changsun delivered the northern-border letter to the Xia Emperor, who collapsed after reading it and learning that the Eighth Prince had been critically wounded in an assassination.
• Yue Ling learned Ning Chen’s identity and ordered the old woman to pursue him and bring back his body, alive or dead.
• Ning Chen tried and failed to break through to the Fifth-Rank postnatal realm as he traveled east, while snow concealed his tracks.
• Ning Chen’s horses suddenly neighed and reared, nearly overturning the carriage.

Ning Chen reached Peerless City after witnessing the terrifying sword scar near Sword City, while news of the Eighth Prince’s death destabilized Great Xia and the Eternal Night Divine Cult prepared for a clash with Sword City. At a husband-selection arena, Ning Chen tried to leave after realizing his mistake, but the young woman struck at him with a whip.

• Ning Chen felt the sword intent left by Sword City's supreme sword and commanded the Ink Sword not to bow to anyone.
• News spread that the Eighth Prince had died, disrupting the balance among the princes competing for the throne.
• The Divine Son told Martial Lord that he had sensed the Scroll of Life in Great Xia and that the Underworld Son had awakened.
• Martial Lord sent the Divine Son to Sword City to exchange blows with its newly ascended Innate expert before a sword-verification battle.
• Ning Chen arrived in Peerless City and went to an arena to earn money, only to discover it was a contest to choose a husband.
• Ning Chen tried to leave the arena, but the young woman ordered him to stop and lashed at him with her whip.

Ning Chen clashed with Xia Nianyi after she repeatedly attacked him at an arena, then fought off her guards until Prince Yan stopped the fight. Prince Yan recognized Ning Chen as Wuyou’s companion and ordered Xia Nianyi to apologize before taking Ning Chen with him.

• Xia Nianyi repeatedly whipped at Ning Chen, who finally struck her and seized her whip.
• Xia Nianyi offered ten taels of silver to anyone who attacked Ning Chen, but he released his aura and sent the crowd flying.
• Xia Nianyi summoned Ah Da, Ah Er, and Ah San, and Ning Chen fought them, wounding Ah Er with the Ink Sword.
• Prince Yan stopped the fight, learned Ning Chen’s name, and identified him as the little eunuch beside Wuyou.
• Prince Yan ordered Xia Nianyi to apologize, citing Ning Chen’s service to Great Xia and his sacrifice escorting Miaoyu.
• Prince Yan told Ning Chen to come with him, and Ning Chen followed him away from the arena.

Prince Yan chose Ning Chen as his Sword Attendant, and Prince Tai tested Ning Chen with a sudden sword strike. Ning Chen rejected the position and prepared to leave, leaving his next move unresolved.

• Prince Yan told Xia Nianyi to push Ning Chen’s wheelchair, and Ning Chen asked what her arena had been for.
• Xia Nianyi explained that Prince Yan had been seeking a Sword Attendant, and Prince Yan revealed that Ning Chen had mistaken the arena for a contest to choose a husband.
• Xia Nianyi grabbed Ning Chen by the neck in anger, then let go after he insisted he had not thought she was choosing a husband.
• The three returned to Prince Tai’s Estate, where Prince Yan introduced Ning Chen as one of Wuyou’s people and named him as his choice for Sword Attendant.
• Prince Tai tested Ning Chen with a sword strike, and Ning Chen countered with a move that risked mutual destruction.
• Ning Chen thanked Prince Yan and Prince Tai for their regard, refused to become a Sword Attendant, and turned his wheelchair to leave.

Ning Chen agreed to serve as Prince Yan’s Sword Attendant for one year in exchange for Prince Yan accompanying him to Sword City. At Peerless City, Prince Yan confronted the City Lord over the hidden War-Stopping Sword and defeated the Wind and Rain Envoys, leaving the conflict unresolved.

• Prince Yan apologized to Ning Chen for Prince Tai’s test, and Ning Chen apologized for his own recklessness.
• Ning Chen agreed to become Prince Yan’s Sword Attendant for one year, and Prince Yan promised to accompany him to Sword City.
• Prince Yan and Ning Chen went to Silver Garden Heavenly Snow, where Prince Yan demanded the War-Stopping Sword from the City Lord of Peerless City.
• The City Lord denied having the sword and ordered twelve iron-armored guards to seize Prince Yan and Ning Chen, but Prince Yan sent them flying with his aura.
• The City Lord summoned the Wind and Rain Envoys, and Prince Yan defeated them, severing Rain Envoy’s arm and destroying much of Wind Envoy’s cultivation.

Prince Yan defeated the Wind and Rain Envoys, seized the War-Stopping Sword, and helped Ning Chen break through to Sixth-Rank while discovering that Ning Chen possessed two volumes of the Heavenly Book. They reached Sword City at dawn, where Ning Chen prepared to seek Mu Chengxue and face the answer he feared.

• Prince Yan defeated the Wind and Rain Envoys, shattered the aura guarding the War-Stopping Sword, and took the sword from beneath Silver Garden Heavenly Snow.
• Prince Yan revealed that he had deduced Ning Chen was not castrated because the Azure Sword had sensed his sword breath, then taught Ning Chen how he had countered the Envoys' swords.
• Ning Chen broke through to peak Fifth-Rank while traveling, and Prince Yan infused him with Thick Earth Qi, helping him reach Sixth-Rank and revealing two volumes of the Heavenly Book within him.
• Prince Yan and Ning Chen continued toward Sword City and arrived beneath its gates at dawn.
• Ning Chen admitted he wanted an answer about Mu Chengxue, and Prince Yan asked what he would do if the answer disappointed him.

Ning Chen searched Arid City for Mu Chengxue as his unstable state of mind threatened his cultivation. When the Dark Shadow Guards tried to take him back to the palace, he fought them, while Prince Yan blocked the Dark Dragon Guard from intervening.

• Ning Chen searched Arid City with Prince Yan, asking a swordsman whether he had seen Mu Chengxue as his cultivation began to waver.
• The Dark Dragon Guard arrived with ten Dark Shadow Guards and ordered Ning Chen taken back to the palace; Prince Yan allowed the guards to act but stopped the Ninth-Rank Dark Dragon Guard from joining them.
• Ning Chen resisted the Dark Shadow Guards, then used Thick Earth Qi and his Ink Sword to kill several of them.
• Ning Chen used his bow and dark arrows to injure more guards, while Prince Yan stood between him and the Dark Dragon Guard.
• Ning Chen tricked the last three Dark Shadow Guards into charging, then killed them with a sword strike.

Ning Chen found Mu Chengxue, but she had forgotten him and attacked him, causing his cultivation to collapse. Prince Yan protected Ning Chen from Mu Chengxue and the Divine Son, escaped with him after Ning Chen fired three arrows, and brought him to Prince Tai’s Estate for treatment.

• Ning Chen and Prince Yan continued searching the desolate city while the Dark Dragon Guard left to report Ning Chen’s strength to the Xia Emperor.
• Ning Chen found Mu Chengxue after sensing her battle, but she did not recognize him and told him he deserved to die.
• Ning Chen’s cultivation fell from the Sixth-Rank, and Prince Yan blocked Mu Chengxue’s fatal attack while guarding him from her and the arriving Divine Son.
• Ning Chen fired three arrows at the Divine Son, giving Prince Yan time to carry him away from the city, but the effort left Ning Chen unconscious and gravely injured.
• Prince Yan brought Ning Chen to Prince Tai’s Estate, where Prince Tai agreed to save him and sent Xia Nianyi to fetch the Heaven-Revolving Pill.

Prince Yan took the badly injured Ning Chen south after saving him with a Heaven-Revolving Pill, then brought him to the Barbarian Dynasty to settle an old rivalry with the Barbarian King. Their long-awaited duel began with the Barbarian King wounding Prince Yan, while A'man surprised Ning Chen by offering to marry him if he took her to the Central Plains.

• Xia Nianyi brought the Heaven-Revolving Pill, and Prince Yan guided its power through Ning Chen's damaged meridians to stabilize his injuries.
• Ten days later, Prince Yan left Prince Tai's Estate with Ning Chen and traveled south, encouraging him to lift his gaze and look at the world around him.
• Prince Yan reached the southern frontier, then took Ning Chen to the Barbarian King's palace to resolve their old rivalry.
• Prince Yan and the Barbarian King exchanged powerful attacks, and the Barbarian King drew first blood while Ning Chen watched in shock.
• A'man pushed Ning Chen away from the duel and asked him to take her to the Central Plains, offering to marry him if he agreed.

Ning Chen rejected A'man’s proposal, while Prince Yan battled the Barbarian King in the royal hall. The Barbarian King broke through to the Xiantian Realm and gained the advantage, but Prince Yan drew the ancient sword hidden deepest in his sword rack as the fight continued.

• Ning Chen explained that he and A'man did not like each other, but A'man said she would work to like him so he would take her to the Central Plains.
• Prince Yan fought the Barbarian King with his swords until the Azure Ancient Sword cracked and shattered.
• Prince Yan switched to the Azure and Crimson Swords, using their speed to force the Barbarian King onto the defensive.
• The Barbarian King broke through to the seventh Xiantian Realm while Prince Yan watched without interrupting.
• The newly strengthened Barbarian King attacked Prince Yan, and the battle began to favor him.
• Prince Yan returned the Azure-Crimson Twin Swords to the rack and began drawing the ancient sword hidden deepest within.

Prince Yan revealed that he had reached the innate realm and defeated the newly advanced Barbarian King with Condensing Abyss. After Changsun accepted A'man's marriage proposal for Ning Chen, Ning Chen struggled with the decision and learned that A'man had been confined to her residence as an unmarried girl awaiting marriage.

• Prince Yan drew Condensing Abyss, revealed his innate cultivation, and defeated the Barbarian King with a single strike.
• Ning Chen and Prince Yan stayed in the Barbarian Dynasty, where A'man visited Ning Chen and later asked the Barbarian King to let her marry him.
• The Barbarian King consulted Prince Yan, who sent a letter to Changsun in Great Xia; she accepted the marriage on Ning Chen's behalf and sent him a stern letter ordering him not to resist.
• Ning Chen accused Prince Yan of telling Changsun about the proposal, challenged him, and lost badly before Prince Yan urged him to consider accepting A'man.
• Ning Chen went to A'man's residence and learned from a palace maid that unmarried women awaiting marriage could not leave home or meet people freely.

Ning Chen told A'man that they were not suited to marry, and she accepted his decision while confessing that she liked him. As Ning Chen and Prince Yan prepared to leave the Barbarian Palace, A'man asked to travel to the Central Plains as his friend; meanwhile, Fan Lingyue plotted to provoke conflict among Great Xia's princes and considered how to separate Ning Chen from Prince Yan.

• Ning Chen told A'man that he did not wish to marry her, and A'man offered to ask the Barbarian King to cancel their engagement.
• A'man asked the Barbarian King to cancel the engagement, but he refused and agreed only to postpone the wedding indefinitely.
• Before Ning Chen and Prince Yan departed, A'man asked to accompany Ning Chen to the Central Plains as a friend and wore her finished wedding dress for him.
• Fan Lingyue ordered an attempt on Great Xia's Third Prince, intending to make the Tenth Prince appear responsible and intensify conflict among the princes.
• Fan Lingyue's illness worsened, and she resolved to find a way to separate Ning Chen from Prince Yan so she could eliminate him.

Mu Bai battled the Martial Lord to prove his sword, broke his blade, and shattered the heavenly sign of his entry into the Innate realm before returning to Sword City to await a worthy sword. In Great Xia's southern borderlands, Prince Yan and Ning Chen visited Prince Yue, and Ning Chen stopped two guards from taking A'man away.

• Mu Bai and the Martial Lord fought through the night until Mu Bai's sword pierced the Martial Lord, but Mu Bai's blade broke in their final clash and he declared defeat.
• A heavenly phenomenon signaled Mu Bai's entry into the Innate realm, but he cut it apart; the Martial Lord accepted the result as a draw, while Sword City tacitly accepted the news of Mu Bai's defeat.
• Mu Bai returned to Sword City and disappeared, waiting for a sword that could let him prove his sword.
• Prince Yan brought Ning Chen and A'man to Prince Yue's Estate, where Prince Yue urged Prince Yan to reconsider declining the Crown Prince position and criticized the Xia Emperor; Prince Yan refused to discuss it.
• Ning Chen took A'man out to explore the streets, where two guards tried to force her to meet their young master.
• Ning Chen told the guards that A'man would not go with them, and A'man smiled at his protection.

Ning Chen defended A'man from Ji Yuntang and crippled the guards and Ji Yuntang after they tried to take her by force. Back at Prince Yue's Estate, Prince Yan warned Ning Chen not to fight again until his injuries healed, while A'man asked about the strength of Great Xia's powerful martial artists.

• A'man refused to go with the Martial Marquis Estate guards, and Ning Chen cut off one guard's arm and crippled the other when they attacked.
• Ji Yuntang arrived, learned Ning Chen's identity, and demanded A'man; Ning Chen declared she was his and fought him.
• Ning Chen broke Ji Yuntang's bones and sealed his mute acupoint after Ji Yuntang attacked him.
• Ning Chen and A'man returned to Prince Yue's Estate and told Prince Yan that Ji Yuntang had started the fight; Prince Yan said he would send medicine and forbade Ning Chen from fighting until he recovered.
• A'man asked Ning Chen how Marquis Jiyu and Prince Yan compared with him, and Ning Chen described them as far stronger.

A'man visited Ning Chen at night, then Prince Yan announced he would leave for seven days, warning Ning Chen not to act rashly. Prince Yue later tried to recruit Ning Chen, but Ning Chen rejected him and remained wary of the prince's ambitions.

• A'man told Ning Chen she had followed them without informing the Barbarian King, then left to write her father a letter.
• Prince Yan told Ning Chen he was leaving that night for about seven days and warned him to wait for his return if trouble arose.
• Prince Yue visited Ning Chen and questioned him about the Xia Emperor, while Ning Chen answered with exaggerated praise.
• Prince Yue openly offered Ning Chen wealth and high office in exchange for his support, but Ning Chen refused, citing his loyalty to Empress Dowager.
• After Prince Yue left, Ning Chen decided that joining the prince's side could put his life and Changsun's protection at risk.

After Marquis Jiyu’s guards surrounded Prince Yue’s Estate, Ning Chen fought them off but aggravated his injuries. Meanwhile, Fan Lingyue arranged to have Prince Yan summoned away and sent the Four Noted Swords toward Tianfu City to seize the chance to kill Ning Chen.

• A'man returned to Prince Yue’s Estate and found Ji Yuntang and Marquis Jiyu’s guards surrounding it, demanding Ning Chen be seized.
• Prince Yue tried to protect Ning Chen, but Ji Yuntang’s guards pulled him aside and attacked Ning Chen and A'man.
• Ning Chen defeated the guards, killing them when three threatened A'man, then warned Ji Yuntang about the consequences of surrounding a prince’s estate.
• Ning Chen’s injuries worsened after the fight, and he hid how badly he was coughing up blood from A'man.
• Fan Lingyue learned Prince Yan had left Tianfu City and that the Four Noted Swords would arrive in three days, then resolved to use Ning Chen’s isolation to have him killed.

Ning Chen met Marquis Jiyu, who offered to cure his legs in exchange for the item connected to Zhengqi Palace, and Ning Chen used the negotiations to deepen suspicion between Marquis Jiyu and Prince Yue. After returning to Prince Yue's Estate, Ning Chen took A'man shopping and reluctantly paid a fortune for silk she wanted.

• Ning Chen went alone to Marquis Jiyu's Estate, where Marquis Jiyu revealed he wanted the item connected to Zhengqi Palace and offered an Innate expert's help to cure Ning Chen's legs in exchange.
• Ning Chen asked for five days to decide and reminded Marquis Jiyu that Prince Yue had also approached him, prompting Marquis Jiyu to suspect Prince Yue's intentions.
• After Ning Chen left, Ji Yuntang asked why Marquis Jiyu had not taken revenge, and Marquis Jiyu warned him not to harm Ning Chen without ensuring he could kill him in one strike.
• Prince Yue visited Ning Chen and interpreted his concealed frustration as evidence that Marquis Jiyu had mistreated him, leaving satisfied that Ning Chen might join his side.
• Ning Chen invited A'man on an outing and took her to a cloth shop, where she chose expensive silk and he paid one hundred and thirty taels for it.

Ning Chen made gunpowder and blew up the Martial Marquis Estate’s gate, then returned to Prince Yue’s Estate. Prince Yue used the threat from Marquis Jiyu to persuade Ning Chen to work for him.

• Ning Chen bought medicinal minerals and mixed saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur into gunpowder while A'man helped him.
• Ning Chen and A'man carried the bomb to the Martial Marquis Estate, where A'man lit the fuse and destroyed the gate and nearby walls.
• Marquis Jiyu stopped his guards from pursuing Ning Chen and A'man, while A'man asked whether they had another bomb.
• Prince Yue confronted Ning Chen about provoking Marquis Jiyu, then offered to protect him if he agreed to work for Prince Yue.

Ning Chen fought off a deadly attack by Four Noted Swords, but A'man was struck while shielding him. Prince Yan drove the assassin away, yet he could not save A'man as Ning Chen pleaded for help.

• Ning Chen suspected Marquis Jiyu was gathering leverage for an Imperial Prince while he waited for Prince Yan to return.
• Four Noted Swords of Northern Meng ambushed Ning Chen and battled him with twin swords and then a third sword, pushing Ning Chen to unleash three arrows from the Po Shang Bow.
• Four Noted Swords revealed that the Northern Meng Military Advisor had ordered Ning Chen's death and prepared to finish him off.
• A'man stepped in front of Ning Chen and took Four Noted Swords' fatal sword strike, then told Ning Chen that he must live.
• Prince Yan arrived and gravely wounded Four Noted Swords, who fled, but he could not save A'man because her heart meridians had been destroyed.
• Ning Chen kowtowed to Prince Yan and begged him to save A'man as his own injuries worsened.

After A'man's heart meridians were destroyed, Prince Yan told Ning Chen that the Rhombus Crystal Flower in Azure Frost Valley was her only chance. Ning Chen fought his way to Thousand Snow Lake and spent days planting his blood in the snow, but no flower had appeared when the chapter ended.

• Prince Yan sealed A'man's acupoints and told Ning Chen that a Rhombus Crystal Flower from Azure Frost Valley might save her.
• Prince Yan released the Heaven-Revolving Pill's seal, and Ning Chen forced his cultivation from the acquired Fifth-Rank to the Seventh-Rank despite worsening his injuries.
• Ning Chen reached Azure Frost Valley and fought Mu Qianshang, who stopped the duel and allowed him to enter after Ning Chen insisted he would pay any price.
• Mu Qianshang showed Ning Chen Thousand Snow Lake and explained that the Rhombus Crystal Flower could grow from his blood, though only three people had succeeded in a thousand years.
• Ning Chen repeatedly cut his fingers and planted his blood over several days, taking Heart-Severing Grass to endure his injuries, but the lake showed no change.
• Ning Chen asked Mu Qianshang to deliver the flower to Prince Yue's Estate in the Southern Frontier if it bloomed.

Ning Chen exhausted his life trying to grow the Rhombus Crystal Flower for A'man, then was taken home by Changsun and Qing Ling after the flower finally bloomed. The flower reached A'man too late to wake her, while Great Xia faced attacks on multiple fronts and the two unconscious figures remained far apart.

• Ning Chen used his heart's essence blood to plant the Rhombus Crystal Flower, collapsed, and fell back to the Fifth-Rank realm.
• Changsun and Qing Ling arrived at Azure Frost Valley and took the unconscious Ning Chen to Qinghe City, while Mu Qianshang set out to deliver the flower to the southern frontier.
• The Northern Mongol Royal Court and the Eternal Night Divine Cult attacked Great Xia, inflicting heavy losses and leaving the dynasty on the brink of collapse.
• Mu Qianshang delivered the Rhombus Crystal Flower to Prince Yan, who placed it in A'man's heart meridians, but she remained unconscious.
• The Barbarian King arrived at Prince Yue's Estate and took A'man away, while Ning Chen lay unconscious in Marquis Qinghe's Estate with Changsun and Qing Ling beside him.

As Great Xia was devastated by Northern Mongol and Divine Church advances, rebellions, and the Xia Emperor’s apparent assassination, Changsun and Qing Ling struggled to keep Ning Chen alive. Ning Chen finally awoke in Qinghe City, while A'man stirred far away through their shared heart connection.

• Fan Lingyue’s forces captured Yan Returning City and massacred its soldiers and civilians, while the Divine Church’s cavalry took Xiling City and unrest spread across Great Xia.
• Changsun stayed in Qinghe City and used the remaining Heaven-Revolving Pills to sustain Ning Chen as Qing Ling transfused her blood into him.
• The Xia Emperor left the palace to pray at Qihua Mountain, where assassins attacked him and he was reported to have fallen from a cliff.
• Rebellions spread to seven cities as Great Xia’s internal crisis worsened under pressure from invading armies.
• Ning Chen awoke with gray hair, and A'man’s fingers moved in response to their connection through the Rhombus Crystal Flower.

Ning Chen recovered enough to warn Changsun that Prince Yue might be behind the Seven Cities Rebellion and that Great Xia needed a stable succession. Changsun destroyed her letter to Prince Yan, while Ning Chen refused to reveal how he made gunpowder.

• Ning Chen woke briefly, then recovered enough to learn that A'man had awakened and wanted to visit him, but the Barbarian King persuaded her to wait until Ning Chen reached the peak of the Ninth Rank.
• Qing Ling told Ning Chen about Great Xia's worsening crisis, and he asked her to take him to Changsun.
• Ning Chen warned Changsun that Prince Yue was suspicious because he had tried to recruit him, so Changsun had Qing Ling destroy the letter summoning Prince Yan.
• Ning Chen suggested that the First Prince should ascend the throne to stabilize Great Xia, and Changsun angrily warned him never to say such treasonous words again.
• Changsun asked Ning Chen about the gunpowder that destroyed Zhengqi Palace, and he refused to reveal how to make it.

Ning Chen advised Changsun on how to suppress the seven rebellious cities, but an urgent report revealed that assassins had killed two generals and gravely wounded Marquis Taiping. At the military camp, Ning Chen and Changsun suspected Sword City was behind the attack, and Changsun ordered Marquis Ziyang to watch its movements.

• Ning Chen urged Changsun to prioritize the seven cities, recommending that Great Xia divide them and turn them against one another while controlling the princes involved.
• A messenger reported that three assassins had killed two generals and severely wounded Marquis Taiping, causing Changsun to collapse before she ordered a journey to the camp.
• Three days later, Changsun visited the unconscious Marquis Taiping and learned that his deep sword wound had not improved.
• Ning Chen suspected Sword City because the assassins used swords, and Qing Ling relayed his suspicion to Changsun.
• Changsun judged Sword City was likely responsible and ordered Marquis Ziyang to monitor it closely.

After Ning Chen warned Changsun that a small force could raid the camp under cover of the Northern Mongol army, she asked him to help win the coming battle. That night, he watched the distance from a rise, knowing his injured body could muster only one arrow.

• Changsun met Old General Ling, and Ning Chen greeted the veteran after being reminded of his connection to General Ling.
• Ning Chen realized that a small Mongol force could evade the scouts and raid the camp, prompting Old General Ling to prepare a defense without alarming the troops.
• Ning Chen told Changsun that Old General Ling was too old to command and asked about replacing him, but Changsun said there was no time before the battle.
• Changsun asked Ning Chen to give his full help, and he promised Qing Ling he would do everything within his power to help her win.
• Ning Chen considered the danger posed by Fan Lingyue and watched the darkness from a rise, aware that he had strength for only one arrow.