Chapter Summaries

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.

Ning Chen attempted to assassinate Fan Lingyue but was stopped by a powerful young general, then returned to camp exhausted and fell gravely ill. Before losing consciousness, he gave Changsun ruthless instructions for resisting Northern Mongol, while Changsun described his cold nature to Qing Ling.

• Ning Chen left camp with Qing Ling and shot at Fan Lingyue, but a young general caught the arrow and protected her.
• Fan Lingyue recognized Ning Chen and concluded that his camp raid had defeated the three thousand Northern Mongol light cavalry.
• Ning Chen returned to Great Xia’s camp, where Changsun accepted the soldiers’ praise for anticipating the raid, and he collapsed from exhaustion.
• The next day, Qing Ling found Ning Chen burning with fever, and Changsun learned that he had gone to attack Fan Lingyue.
• After briefly waking, Ning Chen urged Changsun to hold the camp, cut off Northern Mongol’s supplies, and accept heavy losses rather than retreat.
• Changsun told Qing Ling that Ning Chen was deeply ruthless but would not betray Great Xia while she and Qing Ling remained alive.

Ning Chen recovered enough to advise Changsun on Great Xia’s military crisis, while learning more about the threats posed by the Eternal Night Divine Cult. Fan Lingyue sent him a letter through an envoy, leaving Changsun alarmed when she heard whom it was for.

• Ning Chen emerged from his tent and told Changsun that Great Xia should destroy a bridge if forced to retreat, then asked about the Divine Cult’s advance in the east.
• Changsun explained that two cities had fallen to the Eternal Night Divine Cult and that Marquis Kaixuan and the Blackwater Army could counter its heavy cavalry, but the Xia Emperor had forbidden them to act.
• Fan Lingyue arranged for Qing Wuyou to arrive within three days and sent a guard to deliver a letter to Ning Chen.
• The Northern Mongol envoy reached Changsun’s camp and said Fan Lingyue had sent a letter for Ning Chen, prompting a flash of coldness in Changsun’s eyes.

Ning Chen accepted Fan Lingyue’s invitation to meet, hoping the encounter could help Changsun win the war, and traveled north despite Changsun’s objections. He and Fan Lingyue met beneath the moon and debated her vision of peace, leaving their conflict unresolved.

• Ning Chen accepted Fan Lingyue’s invitation, and Changsun angrily tried to stop him from attending the dangerous meeting.
• Ning Chen sent Qing Ling out with a list of names, then prepared alone while Qing Ling kept Changsun from entering his tent.
• Ning Chen used Changsun’s jade pendant and her promise of two requests to persuade her to let him go north with Qing Ling.
• Ning Chen and Fan Lingyue met before sunset, and both sent Qing Ling and the young general away.
• Ning Chen challenged Fan Lingyue’s motives and the slaughter at Yan Returning City, while she defended her pursuit of peace under heaven and refused to regret her methods.

Fan Lingyue and Ning Chen gravely wounded each other in a gunpowder explosion, leaving both armies in turmoil. The Xia Emperor crushed the Seven Cities rebellion, while Prince Yan took Ning Chen away and both Ning Chen and Fan Lingyue remained unconscious.

• Fan Lingyue struck Ning Chen with hidden true qi, and the gunpowder on his body exploded under the force of her attack.
• Qing Ling and the young general reached the devastated site and carried Ning Chen and Fan Lingyue away; both later remained unconscious from their severe injuries.
• After news spread that Fan Lingyue had fallen, Prince Yue raised the banner of rebellion, but the Xia Emperor returned and ordered Marquis Kaixuan and the Blackwater Army to crush the Seven Cities.
• Prince Yan slaughtered Prince Yue's defenders, and the Xia Emperor executed Prince Yue and purged the rebels.
• Changsun read Ning Chen's final instructions, and Prince Yan arrived a day later and took Ning Chen away.
• A'man sensed that Ning Chen was in grave danger, while the Northern Mongol army waited for Fan Lingyue to awaken.

The Northern Mongol army destroyed Zuoqiu Sheng’s forces and crossed into the Central Plains, leaving Great Xia scrambling to respond while Fan Lingyue remained unconscious. Prince Yan brought an injured youth to the Northern Mongol Heavenly Pool and faced its furious guardian, identifying himself as Great Xia’s Prince Yan.

• The Martial Lord and Marquis Kaixuan fought to a standstill in the west, temporarily halting the battle between the Divine Cult and Great Xia.
• Changsun left Zuoqiu Sheng in command and warned him to defend until the Northern Mongol army revealed Fan Lingyue’s hidden trump card, but Zuoqiu Sheng launched an attack anyway.
• The Northern Mongol heavy cavalry routed and slaughtered Zuoqiu Sheng’s 350,000 troops, then crossed Luyue Bridge into the Central Plains.
• Changsun returned to the capital as the Xia Emperor executed Zuoqiu Sheng and recalled Marquis Buyi, Marquis Ziyang, and Marquis Jiyu to support Great Xia.
• The Martial Lord sent a Divine Heaven Pill to the Northern Mongol camp to help Fan Lingyue awaken.
• Prince Yan threw an injured youth into the Northern Mongol Heavenly Pool, then told its threatening guardian that he was Great Xia’s Prince Yan.