Recaps

Aaron obtained Xue Qingshan’s martial arts manual during the fall of Great Marsh Prefecture City, then returned to shelter with Fourth Madam and Nannan. Yellow Ant soldiers began patrolling the streets and announcing orders to restore peace.

• Li Qinglan fought a former apprentice at Green Mountain Martial Hall until Aaron killed him and went to find Xue Qingshan.
• Xue Qingshan killed three of the four martial artists besieging him with concealed iron pellets and hidden force, then died as Zhang Yong seized his manual.
• Aaron tricked the injured Zhang Yong into handing over the manual and escaped with it while the martial hall burned.
• Aaron returned to his residence, brought Fourth Madam and Nannan out of the cellar, and decided to wait until the roads were safe.
• Yellow Ant soldiers patrolled the streets, executed looters, and announced rules against killing and theft while Aaron and Fourth Madam stayed inside.

Aaron settled into Fourth Lady's cousin's household in the war-torn city and sorted through the wealth and martial manuals he had acquired. He began training Black Sand Palm's hidden force and left to arrange a burial, while Fourth Lady worried about how she and Nannan could live safely on their own.

• Fourth Lady bluffed the Yellow Ant Rebels during their inspection, and Aaron bought coffins for her deceased cousin and cousin-in-law.
• Aaron counted his gold and valuables, considered buying land, and chose a violet jade lotus pendant for Nannan.
• Aaron studied Jin Rusong's tracking notes, Old Ge's medical supplement, and the Black Sand Palm manual, learning that hidden force came from tempering the bones.
• Aaron practiced Listening Force with a water vat and trained Black Sand Palm before giving Nannan the jade pendant.
• Aaron promised to find Fourth Lady and Nannan a safer courtyard, then left to arrange the burial as Fourth Lady worried about living without a man to protect the household.

Aaron continued cultivating Black Sand Palm while the Southern Heavenly King’s forces tightened their grip on the prefectural city. After buying herbs and witnessing the city’s hardship, he encountered his injured former senior brother Song Sanjin, who had lost his martial arts, family home, and companions.

• Aaron checked his status and resolved to complete the fourth layer of Black Sand Palm before pursuing a breakthrough to Hidden Force.
• Aaron heard that Song Shentong had declared himself the Southern Heavenly King and that the Liu Family and Goldfish Gang were gaining power in the city.
• Aaron bought ingredients for Azure Dragon Life-Seizing Soup and the Seed-Removing Formula from an apothecary.
• Aaron saw refugees gathering after a recruitment proclamation promised food and rewards to those who enlisted.
• Aaron recognized the injured Song Sanjin, who told him that his companions were likely dead, his martial arts had been ruined, and his family and home were gone.
• Aaron gave Song Sanjin five copper coins and left.

Aaron left Great Marsh Prefecture and returned to the Fish Market, where he found Chu Tianhe and the Twelve Linked Forts controlling the docks. He reconnected with the fishermen, learned that Old Song and Old Xu had died, and settled back into life on Great Marsh Lake.

• Aaron practiced Black Sand Palm with Azure Dragon Life-Seizing Soup and saw his proficiency reach 64/300 as he neared cultivating hidden force.
• Aaron assured Fourth Madam that he would return to visit her and Nannan, then left the city after warning local hooligans and buying medicinal ingredients.
• Aaron met Chu Tianhe, who had become a minor chief of the Twelve Linked Forts, and declined his offer to join the stronghold.
• Aaron learned that Old Song and Old Xu had been forced into attacking the city and died, while Old Xu's children remained alive.
• Aaron told the fishermen that they could not influence the struggle between the Goldfish Gang and the Twelve Linked Forts, then contemplated the persistence of life on Great Marsh Lake.

Aaron broke through to dark force after tempering his marrow with Black Sand Palm and drinking Azure Dragon Life-Seizing Soup. After returning to Three Waters Wharf, he heard fishermen celebrating another Crimson Blood Carp catch.

• Aaron completed the fourth level of Black Sand Palm, tempered his marrow, and entered the dark-force realm.
• Aaron tested his new strength by striking a boulder from three inches away and noted that he could rival Duan Lang, though he still needed a force-transformation manual.
• Aaron considered targeting the Liu and Cao families for their martial arts manuals and continued to plan to settle scores with them.
• Aaron returned to Three Waters Wharf, then went to Three Waters Tavern and ordered wine and food.
• Fishermen entered the tavern praising Old Yan for catching a Crimson Blood Carp, prompting Aaron to wonder why such catches had become so frequent.

Aaron recognized that the sudden abundance of Crimson Blood Carp meant a Carp King had emerged and tried to avoid the coming struggle by leaving Great Marsh Lake. The Twelve Linked Forts detained the fishermen and their families, while Duan Lang arrived with the Goldfish Gang to seize control of them.

• After Old Yan caught a Crimson Blood Carp, Aaron caught three more while fishing outside his usual grounds and suspected that a Carp King had appeared.
• Aaron ate his Crimson Blood Carp, practiced martial arts, and watched more fishermen catch them over the following days.
• When Old Black caught two Crimson Blood Carp in one cast, Aaron headed for Great Marsh Prefecture City to wait out the danger.
• At the dock exit, Chu Tianhe blocked the fishermen from leaving and ordered their boats and families seized.
• Duan Lang arrived with Goldfish Gang members and ordered them to attack the Twelve Linked Forts and retake the territory.

Aaron escaped the battle at Great Marsh Lake after killing Duan Lang, then hid in the prefectural city before reuniting with Fourth Madam and Nannan. Months later, he learned that the search for the Crimson Blood Carp King had dwindled and that the Goldfish Gang still fought Old Lame Leg, while Duan Datong blamed his son’s death on the water bandits.

• Chu Tianhe fought Duan Lang and the Goldfish Gang, but Duan Lang disarmed him and struck him down with a lethal palm.
• Aaron ambushed Duan Lang while he was resting, killed him, and carefully erased the traces before leaving for Great Marsh Prefecture City.
• Aaron hid out for half a month, then heard that Duan Lang’s death had driven Duan Datong into a rage and prolonged the conflict between the Goldfish Gang and the Twelve Linked Forts.
• Aaron visited Fourth Madam and Nannan, then spent the following months practicing martial arts and learning disguise techniques.
• Aaron visited Cloud Celebration Pavilion to ask about the Crimson Blood Carp King and learned that the Liu and Cao families had withdrawn while the Goldfish Gang continued fighting Old Lame Leg.

After six quiet years on Great Marsh Lake, Aaron learned that Huang Wenlong had launched a new campaign and prepared to settle old accounts before leaving on a long journey. He warned Fourth Lady and Nannan to flee the coming turmoil, then found the Liu Family in mourning and suspected the deaths were not what they seemed.

• Huang Wenlong pacified the north, installed King Gui as emperor, and marched south to suppress the Southern Heavenly King's rebellion.
• Aaron reached the pinnacle of Black Sand Palm after six years of secluded cultivation and heard that war was again approaching.
• At Three Waters Tavern, Aaron learned that Huang Wenlong was leading a huge army south against the Southern Heavenly King.
• Aaron warned Nannan to take Fourth Lady out of the city and said he would leave on a long journey.
• Aaron found the Liu Family mourning the deaths of its head and old master, but sensed that something was wrong.

After learning that Ma Zhu had killed the Liu Family head and old master in revenge for White Peony, Aaron avoided the weakened family and attacked the Goldfish Gang instead. He killed Gang Leader Duan Datong, took the gang’s valuables and Fish Scale Force manual, and left its headquarters burning before disguising himself near the Liu residence.

• Aaron paid the Cloud Celebration Pavilion for news that Ma Zhu had attacked the Liu residence over White Peony and died alongside the Liu Family’s old master.
• Aaron decided to leave the Liu Family alone for now and went to settle his old accounts with the Goldfish Gang.
• Aaron killed the gang’s adviser with iron pellets and fought Gang Leader Duan Datong, who mistook him for a Green Mountain Martial Hall expert.
• Aaron killed Duan Datong, took the Goldfish Gang’s valuables and Fish Scale Force manual, and left the headquarters as it caught fire.
• Aaron disguised himself as a white-haired chestnut seller near the Liu residence and sold snacks to people gathered for the funeral.

Aaron waited for the Liu Family to weaken, then killed Liu Zaiming and Liu Qinghe to obtain the Iron Garment Fist manual. After Song Shentong’s defeat and the Liu Family’s collapse, Aaron decided to leave the area and cultivate in seclusion before returning to confront the Cao Family.

• Blood Scar Bandit led an attack on the Liu Residence, but the Liu Family’s old patriarch emerged from hiding, defeated the attackers, and died after ordering the family branches to disperse.
• Aaron watched the Liu Family relocate its branches, abducted Liu Zaiming, killed him, and disguised himself to approach Liu Qinghe.
• Aaron struck down Liu Qinghe with Black Sand Palm and took the Iron Garment Fist manual, but Liu Qinghe died without revealing its secret medicine formula.
• Aaron learned that the Liu Family’s main branch had been wiped out and found a letter saying Nannan had taken Fourth Lady to safety in the countryside.
• News arrived that Cao Hongyan had killed Song Shentong and reached Transformation Force, while the imperial army advanced into Great Marsh Prefecture.
• Aaron chose not to challenge the Cao Family and left to cultivate in seclusion in the depths of Great Marsh Lake.

Aaron secluded himself on Hidden Dragon Island and spent fifteen years slowly dispersing his Black Sand Palm cultivation to avoid damaging his martial foundation. After returning to an ordinary person, he began studying Iron Garment Fist and considered its need for medicinal baths.

• Aaron reached Hidden Dragon Island with supplies and settled into its cave.
• Aaron decided to use a gradual cultivation-dispersing method rather than risk the injuries of abruptly releasing his force.
• Aaron stopped practicing martial arts and slowly dissipated his power while studying medicine and improving other skills.
• Fifteen years later, Aaron dispersed the last of his Black Sand Palm force and returned to being an ordinary person.
• Aaron began studying Iron Garment Fist and chose to burn lifespan rather than experiment with a medicinal bath formula.

Thirty years after leaving the world, Aaron returned to Great Marsh Prefecture as a Transformation Force master and learned that Cao Hongyan and her family still lived there. He began planning his revenge as he watched young prodigies arrive for Cao Hongyan’s sixty-fifth birthday.

• Aaron reached Three Waters Wharf and learned it was Year 30 of Xiangwu and that Huang Wenlong had died a revered Grand Preceptor.
• Aaron recalled spending thirty years cultivating the Iron Garment Fist, reaching Transformation Force after leaving Hidden Dragon Island.
• Aaron disguised himself as a bearded wanderer and learned that Cao Hongyan was now the Cao Family’s old madam.
• Aaron searched for Fourth Lady and her daughter but could not discover where they had gone, then resolved to plan his revenge against the Cao Family.
• Aaron watched Cao Baojin, Cao Shao, and the prodigy Nie Renlong arrive at the Cao residence ahead of Cao Hongyan’s sixty-fifth birthday.

Aaron used poison and a surprise attack to exterminate the Cao Family, then defeated Cao Tianshang’s protective spirit talisman and learned that immortal cultivators existed. After setting the estate ablaze and disguising himself, Aaron rode toward another prefectural city to lie low.

• Aaron poisoned the Cao Family gathering, killed Cao Hongyan, and began slaughtering the family’s members.
• Aaron killed Nie Renlong and Cao Baojin, then fought Cao Tianshang, whose spirit talisman shielded him with a golden barrier.
• Aaron wore down the talisman’s barrier, killed Cao Tianshang, and learned from Cao Shao that immortal cultivators existed and that the clan genealogy held further information.
• Aaron took the Cao clan genealogy and Red Thread Sword Technique, killed Cao Shao, and left as the family estate burned.
• News of the Cao Family’s destruction spread through Great Marsh Prefecture City, while Aaron shaved his beard, changed clothes, and rode away under another appearance.

Aaron learned from the Cao Clan genealogy that cultivators existed and began planning how to find an immortal opportunity. After settling in Longqing Prefecture, he decided to build an information network through a chamber of commerce and headed toward the pleasure boats to enjoy the upcoming Flower Queen festivities.

• Aaron read that the Cao Clan had once obtained the Crimson Blood Carp King for Azure Elixir True Person of the Azure Cauldron Sect, and he memorized the cultivator's name for later reckoning.
• Aaron realized that cultivators could extend their lifespans and resolved to turn his attention toward cultivation despite his age.
• Aaron entered Longqing Prefecture, heard people blame him for the Cao Clan massacre, and rented a spacious courtyard.
• Aaron planned to establish the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce as a cautious way to gather information about cultivation and immortal opportunities.
• Aaron followed the sound of music to Longqing Prefecture's red-light district, intending to enjoy the coming Flower Queen festivities.

Aaron recognized Yu Xuanwei as a descendant of his old acquaintance Nannan and rescued her from Crown Fragrance Pavilion. He recruited her as the White Dragon Envoy and gave her a token, leaving her future training in the Red Thread Sword Art to come.

• Aaron visited Crown Fragrance Pavilion during the courtesan queen contest and chose Yu Xuanwei, whose face seemed familiar to him.
• Aaron recognized the purple jade lotus pendant Yu Xuanwei wore as a family heirloom and realized her grandmother was Nannan.
• After the contest, Aaron returned to Yu Xuanwei's room disguised as the Azure Dragon Boss and offered to teach her martial arts as the White Dragon Envoy.
• Yu Xuanwei accepted Aaron's offer, and he took her away from Crown Fragrance Pavilion.
• Aaron promised to arrange Yu Xuanwei's training in the Red Thread Sword Art and gave her half of a split coin as proof of her connection to the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce.

Ten years after establishing Spring Return Hall near the Lin family, Aaron had built a respectable medical practice while quietly waiting for a chance to enter the cultivation world. When Lin Jing finally came to him for treatment, Aaron diagnosed damage from his past indulgences and said it could be cured.

• The Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce spread across the Forest Kingdom, and Aaron learned from Yu Xuanwei that Lin Tuizhi might be a cultivator before ordering the organization to withdraw from Mu'en City.
• Aaron opened Spring Return Hall near the Lin family's breakfast stall and introduced himself to the neighbors as Fang Shiyu.
• Aaron spent the next ten years building the clinic's reputation, training apprentices named Notoginseng and Chenxiang, and maintaining his cover in the neighborhood.
• Lin Jing's parents brought him to Aaron because he could not father a son, and Aaron diagnosed damage to his kidney essence from his past visits to brothels.
• Aaron told Lin Jing that his condition could still be cured.

Aaron left Mu'en City to address trouble within the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce, while rumors of a succession struggle spread through the Forest Kingdom. The Black Dragon Envoy confronted Yu Xuanwei at a ruined temple and revealed that he had attacked her establishments and hideouts to find her.

• Aaron treated the Lin family, later saved Lin Jing's wife from postpartum hemorrhage, and declined their invitation to the baby's hundred-day banquet so he could leave Mu'en City.
• Aaron recognized that the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce had developed internal trouble during his years away from it.
• At a ruined temple, travelers discussed the death of Lan Yongba and the power of the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce and its Dragon Envoys.
• Yu Xuanwei arrived at the temple with her daughter and asked to shelter there for the night.
• The Black Dragon Crew surrounded the temple, and the Black Dragon Envoy confronted Yu Xuanwei, boasting that he had destroyed her establishments and exposed her hideouts to track her down.

Aaron, revealed as Boss Azure Dragon, confronted the Black Dragon Envoy and uncovered a conspiracy involving the Yellow and Red Dragon Envoys and two other Force Transformation grandmasters. As the four prepared to wear him down, Aaron remained confident and faced them down.

• The Black Dragon Envoy tried to force Yu Xuanwei to submit, but his own followers turned on him under Aaron’s orders.
• Aaron emerged as Boss Azure Dragon, defeated the Black Dragon Envoy, and heard Yu Xuanwei ask whether he had been involved in her husband’s death.
• Aaron exposed the Yellow and Red Dragon Envoys as traitors and identified their allies as Nie Fengxiang and Yu Linglong, the Demon Empress.
• The Yellow and Red Dragon Envoys revealed they had recruited the four grandmasters to exhaust Aaron, while the Black Dragon Envoy realized he had been used.
• Aaron mocked the envoys’ claim that they were his fingers and faced the four grandmasters without showing fear.

Aaron revealed that he had touched the Spirit Refinement realm and fought the martial grandmasters who had come against him. He used a lifespan-consuming pill to break Nie Fengxiang’s talismanic defense and kill him.

• Aaron unleashed his spiritual aura, momentarily stunning the others, and killed the Yellow Dragon Envoy and Red Dragon Envoy.
• Aaron explained that he had touched the realm of Spirit Refinement, but Nie Fengxiang protected himself with a spirit talisman.
• Aaron struck Yu Linglong and injured her, then exchanged blows with Nie Fengxiang, whose talisman shield kept him safe from Aaron’s aura.
• Nie Fengxiang offered to let bygones be bygones if Aaron joined the Nie Family, but Aaron refused and swallowed a Life-Burning Burst Qi Pill.
• Aaron’s enhanced punches shattered Nie Fengxiang’s Golden Bell Shield, and Aaron caught and killed him with a final punch.

Aaron withdrew from the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce and spent nearly twenty years pursuing the immortal path while living as a physician in Mu'en City. When Lin Tuizhi neared death, Aaron helped him briefly regain consciousness, leaving Lin Jing with his grandfather’s cultivation manual and the promise of hidden possessions.

• After the battle, Aaron ordered Yu Xuanwei to dissolve most of the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce and devoted himself to pursuing immortality.
• Nearly twenty years later, Aaron celebrated his hundredth birthday and continued practicing medicine at Spring Return Hall.
• Lin Jing asked Aaron to visit a gravely ill elder, and Aaron recognized the patient as Lin Tuizhi, an immortal cultivator nearing the end of his lifespan.
• Aaron used acupuncture to let Lin Tuizhi regain consciousness briefly, then told Lin Jing his ancestor’s lifespan had run its course.
• Lin Tuizhi told Lin Jing about his failed pursuit of immortality, gave him a handwritten cultivation manual, and revealed that he had hidden belongings in the family’s ancestral home before dying.

Aaron secretly entered the Lin Family home and read Lin Tuizhi’s hidden Primal Unity Art, learning about cultivators and their cultivation realms. He left the book and silver untouched, killed Ma San to conceal his involvement, and prepared to leave Spring Return Hall for his supposed hometown.

• Aaron drugged Ma San with a Five Insect Heart-Eating Pill and forced him to help enter the Lin Family home.
• Aaron directed Ma San to uncover a hidden packet containing silver and Lin Tuizhi’s Primal Unity Art.
• Aaron read and memorized the cultivation method and learned about spiritual roots, cultivators, and their realms.
• Aaron ordered Ma San to restore the book and silver, then killed him to prevent him from revealing what happened.
• Aaron returned to Spring Return Hall and wrote farewell letters claiming Fang Shiyu was going home before his death and leaving the hall to Chenxiang and the others.

Aaron began cultivating the Primal Unity Art in a remote mountain cave and eventually reached the first level of Qi Refinement. After learning his spiritual roots were ordinary and the mountain was poor in spiritual qi, he resolved to keep cultivating away from other immortals.

• Aaron sensed spiritual qi while cultivating and confirmed that his body possessed spiritual roots.
• After two years, Aaron drew qi into his body, opened his dantian, and became a first-level Qi Refinement cultivator.
• Aaron judged that the Primal Unity Art was incomplete and decided to avoid other cultivators until he had mastered it.
• Aaron learned the Spirit Eye Technique, Wind-Riding Art, Golden Light Shield, and Fireball Art, then discovered he had water, wood, and earth spiritual roots.
• Aaron found almost no spiritual energy or spiritual items nearby and recognized that the Golden Light Shield resembled the talisman Nie Fengxiang and Cao Tianshang had used.

Aaron visited the White Snake Gang, revealed the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce’s old command token, and inspected the treasures it had collected. He identified two unusual objects among the junk, while Old Madam Bai recognized him and asked whether he was truly there in person.

• Old Madam Bai recalled her years serving the Azure Dragon Boss and worried that he might have died.
• Aaron appeared before Old Madam Bai in a dragon-headed mask and used half of a matching coin to prove his authority over the Azure Cloud Chamber of Commerce.
• Old Madam Bai led Aaron to the secret vault holding the Chamber’s collected artifacts.
• Aaron used the Spirit Eye Technique and found that nearly all the stored objects were worthless.
• Aaron selected a jade stone and a black iron leaf, prompting Old Madam Bai to kneel and ask if he was truly there in person.

Aaron left the Bai Family after discovering that Bai Dingtian’s daughter Nishang had no spirit roots, then returned to Great Marsh Lake to cultivate in seclusion. He found that a spiritual-energy-rich jade stone dramatically accelerated his cultivation and suspected it was a spirit stone.

• Bai Dingtian barged into the storehouse, and Old Madam Bai slapped him and apologized to Aaron for his disrespect.
• Aaron examined Nishang with the Spirit Eye Technique, found that she had no spirit roots, and parted from the Bai Family.
• Aaron returned to Great Marsh Prefecture and sailed from Three Waters Wharf into Great Marsh Lake, where the Crab Gang had replaced the Goldfish Gang.
• Aaron checked his old supply islands, found that most supplies had rotted or the caves had been damaged, and settled on another deserted island to cultivate.
• Aaron discovered that meditating with the spiritual-energy-rich jade stone rapidly advanced his cultivation and turned his attention to the black iron leaf.

Aaron refined the black iron leaf into the Iron Leaf Boat and began using it while steadily cultivating and enjoying life on Great Marsh Lake. Over the following years, he advanced through the early levels of the Primal Unity Art but remained stuck on the fourth level.

• Aaron fed mana into the black iron leaf until it revealed itself as the low-grade Dharma artifact Iron Leaf Boat, then tested its flight and found it drained his mana quickly.
• Aaron decided to cultivate and practice spells on a daily schedule, and planned to use the boat to gather supplies around Great Marsh Lake.
• Aaron grew more skilled at refining and controlling the Iron Leaf Boat, while cautiously hiding its glow when he traveled.
• Aaron maintained his cultivation routine, fished with the Incomplete Sea-Gathering Art, and waited for the Crimson Blood Carp King to appear.
• Aaron spent a year reaching the second level of the Primal Unity Art, then took four more years to reach the third and another year to enter the fourth level of Qi Refinement.
• Aaron spent eight years cultivating the fourth level but still had not completed it.