Recaps

Lin Xiaotian learned why the Ouyang Household wanted to take him and why Master Huang had negotiated a test and training opportunity for him. He postponed deciding whether to enter the Ouyang Household’s mineral vein until his injuries healed.

• Master Huang told Lin Xiaotian that the Ouyang Household had secretly sent medicine after his injury and had asked to take him directly to their Household.
• Master Huang explained that the Ouyang Household suspected Lin Xiaotian knew where their missing martial uncle was, partly because the Qin Household’s eldest young lady had left traces in his courtyard.
• Master Huang revealed that he had proposed testing Lin Xiaotian, with the Ouyang Household offering a fortune if he performed well and threatening to take him if he did not.
• Master Huang said the Ouyang Household had given Lin Xiaotian a training slot in its mineral vein as apology and compensation, where he could keep anything he found.
• Lin Xiaotian asked whether Master Huang could guarantee the Ouyang Household would not threaten him again, then chose to wait until his injuries healed before deciding.

Lin Xiaotian raised his strength while preparing for the Ouyang Household’s mine trial, then told Master Huang a fabricated account of his abduction to explain why the Ouyang Household wanted him. Master Huang agreed that Lin Xiaotian had to attend the trial and gave him more pills to strengthen himself before it began.

• Lin Xiaotian returned home, learned he had about a month before the Ouyang Household might use force, and used his Blood Qi to strengthen pills and other items.
• After ten days, Lin Xiaotian reached Bone Tempering and judged his combat strength close to Blood Tempering.
• Lin Xiaotian injured himself again to maintain the appearance of poor recovery, visited Master Huang, and claimed the Ouyang Household Head’s martial uncle had abducted him for an experiment.
• Lin Xiaotian said the old ancestor had died after being corroded and had left the Ouyang Household a clue, prompting Master Huang to ask where the experiment took place.
• Master Huang told Lin Xiaotian he had to attend the mine trial and promised to accompany him, then gave him three Dragon-Tiger Pills and five Blood Essence Pills.

Lin Xiaotian hid the injured Qin Yueyao from Ouyang Nianci and her search party after she struck him while unconscious. Once the Ouyang Household left, Qin Yueyao woke and told him to get into bed and humiliate her.

• Lin Xiaotian practiced his martial art, restored his blood qi with pills, and concluded that he should wait before taking the remaining Dragon-Tiger Pills.
• Qin Yueyao fell into Lin Xiaotian’s courtyard and struck him when he approached, leaving his palm injured.
• Lin Xiaotian carried the unconscious Qin Yueyao inside, hid her in his bed, and gave her a healing pill when the Ouyang Household knocked.
• Ouyang Nianci and her companions searched the courtyard for Qin Yueyao, but Lin Xiaotian misled them and stopped one man from entering his room.
• After Ouyang Nianci led the search party away, Qin Yueyao spoke from the bed and told Lin Xiaotian to get in and humiliate her.

Lin Xiaotian and Qin Yueyao pretended to be intimate to keep the Ouyang Household from discovering her hiding place. When someone climbed onto the roof, they resumed the act, leaving Lin Xiaotian trying to keep Qin Yueyao safe while resisting his attraction to her.

• Qin Yueyao pulled Lin Xiaotian onto the bed and quietly told him to make their performance sound convincing because the Ouyang Household was nearby.
• Ouyang Nianci and her companions discussed Qin Yueyao’s likely presence and decided to avoid confronting Lin Xiaotian directly, while Ouyang Nianci’s uncle arrived to check the courtyard.
• Lin Xiaotian and Qin Yueyao acted intimate until the sounds outside quieted, then stopped when Qin Yueyao signaled that the danger seemed to have passed.
• A roof tile clicked, and Qin Yueyao urgently pulled Lin Xiaotian close beneath the quilt to fool whoever was watching.
• Lin Xiaotian warned Qin Yueyao that he had saved her with his medicine and could trade her for benefits, and her anger began to fade.

Lin Xiaotian and Qin Yueyao waited out a search above the roof while arguing over her attempt to kill him and the danger facing the Qin Household. He gave her a supreme-grade healing pill and slapped her in repayment, declaring them even.

• Lin Xiaotian stopped pressing Qin Yueyao after she went still, and they waited until the searchers above had left.
• Qin Yueyao explained that the Ouyang Household was targeting her and the Qin Household because they feared her sister, whose past power people had begun to remember.
• Qin Yueyao admitted she had fled to Lin Xiaotian for help and offered to repay him, but he refused her proposal.
• Lin Xiaotian gave Qin Yueyao a supreme-grade healing pill and told her to leave before the Ouyang Household became suspicious.
• Lin Xiaotian slapped Qin Yueyao for trying to kill him and said they were even.

Qin Yueyao recovered and left Lin Xiaotian’s courtyard, prompting the Ouyang Household to fear she had reached Internal Force. Meanwhile, a pursuer drove Master Qin and Young Master Qin into a desperate flight before Qin Yueyao appeared and killed him.

• A watcher saw Qin Yueyao leave Lin Xiaotian’s courtyard without any sign of injury and warned Ouyang Zhentian that she might be an Internal Force expert.
• Ouyang Zhentian ordered word sent to his second brother to return before Qin Yueyao could ambush him, while Ouyang Nianci speculated that Qin Yueyao cared for Lin Xiaotian.
• A pursuer caught up to Master Qin and Young Master Qin outside Long River Town and threatened to torture them unless they kept running.
• The pursuer wounded Young Master Qin and continued driving the exhausted father and son onward by threatening to cut off their ears.
• As the pursuer swung his blade, Qin Yueyao killed him and revealed herself to the relieved Qin father and son.

Lin Xiaotian prepared for the mine expedition while the Ouyang Household plotted to extract Ancestor Dongli’s secret and considered killing him if he refused to cooperate. When Master Huang insisted on accompanying Lin into the mine, Ouyang Zhentian barred him, and Master Huang struck first.

• Qin Yueyao remembered that Lin Xiaotian’s supreme-grade healing medicine had saved her, while Lin Xiaotian replenished his supplies and continued building up medicinal power without breaking through.
• Ouyang Zhentian ordered his household to watch Lin Xiaotian and learn what he knew about Ancestor Dongli, while Ouyang Nianci and the younger generation agreed to avenge her second uncle and kill Lin if he resisted.
• Lin Xiaotian’s agreed month ended, and Master Huang brought him to the Ouyang Household before the mine expedition.
• Master Huang announced he would accompany Lin into the mine, but Ouyang Zhentian refused to let him enter.
• Master Huang said he would remain inside the mine to protect Lin and challenged Ouyang Zhentian to spar, then suddenly struck him with a palm.

Ouyang Zhentian challenged Master Huang and was defeated by his superior force, then welcomed him to inspect the Ouyang Household's mine. On the journey, Ouyang Nianci invited Lin Xiaotian to marry into the household, and he was stunned when she agreed to marry him once he reached External Force.

• Ouyang Zhentian and Master Huang fought outside, where Master Huang wounded Ouyang Zhentian with the Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force.
• Ouyang Zhentian praised Master Huang's skill and invited him to inspect the Ouyang Household's mine.
• Ouyang Nianci sat beside Lin Xiaotian and hinted that his older sister had helped someone become stronger.
• Ouyang Nianci offered Lin Xiaotian a chance to marry into the Ouyang Household, and Lin Xiaotian teased her by saying he wanted to marry her.
• Ouyang Nianci agreed to marry Lin Xiaotian once he reached External Force, leaving him shocked by the household's determination to recruit him.

Lin Xiaotian entered the Ouyang Household’s mine with Ouyang Nianci and her group for medicinal-herb training, while Master Huang revealed how Lin’s Blood Qi had helped him grasp Blood-Qi Resonance. After Lin fought the cave’s wild beasts, he realized the Ouyang Household members planned to test his strength and wear him down.

• Master Huang warned Lin Xiaotian to prioritize survival and explained that observing Lin’s unusual Blood Qi had inspired him to develop Blood-Qi Resonance.
• Master Huang said the Ouyang Household sought information about Dongli and that uncovering the truth could give him a chance to advance his strength.
• Ouyang Nianci led Lin Xiaotian and four Ouyang Household members into the mine’s dark passages, where a wild beast ambushed them.
• Lin Xiaotian dodged the first attack, struggled to hit the beast, then used what Master Huang had taught him to help kill it as the group slew several more beasts.
• Ouyang Nianci gave Lin a short blade and told him to handle the wild beasts from then on, while Lin suspected the group meant to assess his ability and exhaust him.

Lin Xiaotian practiced channeling Blood-Qi Resonance through a blade while the Ouyang Household let him fight beasts, then faced their demand to reveal where Ouyang Dongli had taken him. Ouyang Nianci began explaining the Lineages’ growing awareness of the Path of Hidden Force, leaving Lin Xiaotian waiting to hear why it mattered.

• Lin Xiaotian used the beasts the Ouyang Household allowed through to practice Blood-Qi Resonance until he could unleash it through his blade.
• The Ouyang Household surrounded Lin Xiaotian deep in the cave, and Ouyang Nianci again offered him a place in the family if he reached External Force.
• Ouyang Nianci demanded to know where Ouyang Dongli had taken Lin Xiaotian and threatened to torture him, citing the death of her second uncle and the Ouyang Household’s dire concerns.
• Ouyang Nianci said other Lineages and even Lin Xiaotian’s master might act against him, and explained that the Lineages had begun emerging from an unseen haze after his sister left town.
• Lin Xiaotian asked Ouyang Nianci to explain the matter before he revealed anything, and she said it concerned the Path of Hidden Force.

Ouyang Zhentian told Master Huang that the Ouyang Household believed Lin Xiaotian was connected to a place that could lead to Hidden Force, then Ouyang Nianci pressed Lin for its location. Lin agreed to reveal it but warned that the place might bring the household disaster, and the chapter ended with the Ouyang siblings demanding a clear answer under threat.

• Ouyang Zhentian explained to Master Huang that the Ouyang Household had traced Lin Xiaotian’s return to the Path of Hidden Force and revealed that Ouyang Dongli had left clues about a place that could break Internal Force barriers.
• Ouyang Nianci told Lin Xiaotian that Ouyang Dongli had described corroding the body to open bloodlines and reshape the sinews and bones, and that he had identified the place’s direction.
• Lin Xiaotian questioned why Ouyang Dongli had left no map, then teased the four Ouyang siblings by calling them A, B, C, and D, provoking them to draw their blades.
• Ouyang Nianci asked Lin Xiaotian to reveal the location, and he agreed, delighting her and the four siblings.
• Lin Xiaotian warned that learning the location might lead the Ouyang Household into eternal damnation, but Ouyang Nianci insisted they needed it and the siblings surrounded him with killing intent.

Lin Xiaotian negotiated with Ouyang Nianci for his safety and the cave’s herbs, while Nianci chose to win him over despite her household’s secret orders to kill him. The chapter ended with Ouyang Zhentian revealing to Master Huang that his Martial Dao cultivation was declining.

• Lin Xiaotian told Ouyang Nianci’s group that Senior Dongli had likely abducted him, described the route and his experiments, and admitted he could not draw an accurate map.
• Ouyang Nianci promised Lin Xiaotian safety and a place in the Ouyang Household, and he demanded the herbs in the medicinal field as well.
• Nianci accepted his condition, ordered the disciples to move aside, and led the group deeper into the cave.
• An Ouyang disciple reminded Nianci that the Household Master had ordered them to torture and kill Lin Xiaotian, but she said she wanted to win him over and hinted that her father’s condition threatened the Lineage.
• Ouyang Zhentian told Master Huang that his Martial Dao cultivation was declining.

Ouyang Zhentian offered Master Huang information about a hidden location and Uncle Dongli’s research notes in exchange for his noninterference, while Lin Xiaotian trained with Ouyang Nianci’s group in the cave. At the medicinal field, Lin Xiaotian sensed concealed beasts and discovered that the herbs’ mist was being absorbed by his Blood Qi as the group approached.

• Ouyang Zhentian told Master Huang about the hidden location and Uncle Dongli’s research notes, and Master Huang agreed not to interfere as they discussed pursuing Hidden Force.
• Lin Xiaotian trained against cave beasts, refined his Blood-Qi Resonance, and improved Eightfold Mountain-Shattering Force to intermediate accomplishment.
• Ouyang Nianci warned Lin Xiaotian that the medicinal field was guarded by dangerous beasts and allowed him to take at most two herbs.
• Lin Xiaotian sensed beasts beneath the herbs and realized their medicinal mist was rushing toward him and being absorbed by his Blood Qi.

Lin Xiaotian absorbed the medicinal aura in the herb field while fighting the fast, heavily defended beasts, then broke through to Blood Tempering and discovered that Blood-Qi Resonance could kill them. Ouyang Nianci and her disciples waited at the outskirts, mistaking the bloody radiance for a desperate attempt to survive and preparing to restrain him when he returned.

• Lin Xiaotian rushed into the herb field, where weasel-like beasts swarmed him and the Ouyang disciples.
• Lin Xiaotian pushed deeper into the field to absorb more medicinal aura, enduring the beasts’ attacks while concealing his unusual recovery.
• Ouyang Nianci ordered her disciples to wait at the outskirts and planned to interrogate Lin Xiaotian and leave him for the beasts afterward.
• Lin Xiaotian unleashed his Blood Qi, realized his absorption capacity had increased, and used Blood-Qi Resonance to kill a beast.
• The Ouyang disciples saw the bloody radiance and, believing Lin Xiaotian was overexerting himself, prepared to restrain him when he fled back.

Lin Xiaotian escaped the medicine fields with Ouyang Nianci and her four companions, who believed he was too exhausted to resist and planned to force him to reveal the map. As Lin Xiaotian prepared to turn on them, a nearby stone wall collapsed.

• Ouyang Nianci and the four Ouyang disciples took enhancement pills and fought through the beasts to reach Lin Xiaotian.
• Lin Xiaotian ran into their cleared safe area, and Ouyang Nianci grabbed him as the group charged out of the medicine fields.
• After escaping, Lin Xiaotian pretended to be injured, and the Ouyang group gave him a Life-Sustaining Pill.
• Ouyang Nianci ordered the others to prepare the map so they could make Lin Xiaotian point it out, while he secretly prepared to attack them.
• A tremendous boom sounded, and a stone wall near the medicine fields collapsed.

Lin Xiaotian escaped Ouyang Nianci’s attempt to kill him by using the beast tide, while Xiao Jingli fought off and killed the other Ouyang Household members. Xiao Jingli then rushed to attack Lin Xiaotian, who was carrying the gravely injured Ouyang Nianci, and the chapter ended as Xiao Jingli’s palm neared him.

• Xiao Jingli emerged from the underground opening and tried to seize Lin Xiaotian, but Lin evaded him as the Ouyang Household attacked.
• Lin Xiaotian reached the opening and saw an underground river where beasts were surging from the riverbank.
• Ouyang Nianci ordered the others to hold Xiao Jingli back while she pursued Lin Xiaotian, who sent beasts toward her and escaped behind the tide.
• Ouyang Nianci was badly injured by the beasts, while Xiao Jingli killed the four Ouyang Household members who had fought him.
• Xiao Jingli turned on Ouyang Nianci, but Lin Xiaotian appeared holding her; Xiao then charged Lin, raising his palm to strike.

Lin Xiaotian escaped the beasts with Ouyang Nianci and Xiao Jingli, then negotiated a temporary truce while they recovered in a boat underground. Ouyang Nianci considered killing Lin Xiaotian, but he stopped her with an accidental pat that Xiao Jingli mistook for flirtation.

• Lin Xiaotian used a threat to make Xiao Jingli hesitate, then leaped with Ouyang Nianci into the shaft and landed in a boat below.
• Xiao Jingli dropped into the boat, and Lin Xiaotian demanded a healing pill for Ouyang Nianci while warning that Xiao Jingli's Blood Qi overdraw would soon weaken him.
• Xiao Jingli gave Lin Xiaotian a pill, which Lin Xiaotian forced Ouyang Nianci to swallow before the two men sat down to recover.
• Ouyang Nianci regained strength and prepared to kill Lin Xiaotian to protect her Lineage's secrets, but he noticed her move and tried to warn her.
• Lin Xiaotian accidentally patted Ouyang Nianci's bottom, and Xiao Jingli laughed that Lin Xiaotian must have saved her because he desired her.

Lin Xiaotian rejected Xiao Jingli’s offer to join the Xiao Household and insisted that Ouyang Nianci be released while both Households learned Senior Dongli’s location. He demonstrated his recovered speed to Xiao Jingli, leaving the outcome of their confrontation unresolved.

• Lin Xiaotian and Xiao Jingli escaped through the underground river with Ouyang Nianci, and Lin Xiaotian explained that the Ouyang Household would soon notice the disturbance.
• After traveling through the branching waterways, Lin Xiaotian told Xiao Jingli to release Ouyang Nianci, but Xiao Jingli refused because she knew the Xiao Household’s secrets.
• Xiao Jingli offered Lin Xiaotian a place in the Xiao Household, the chance to do as he wished with Ouyang Nianci, and a marriage to one of the Household’s young ladies.
• Lin Xiaotian agreed to reveal Senior Dongli’s location but insisted that Ouyang Nianci be allowed to leave and that both Households learn the secret.
• When Xiao Jingli threatened to kill Ouyang Nianci and force Lin Xiaotian to submit, Lin Xiaotian moved faster than Xiao Jingli could react and declared that Ouyang Nianci would live.

Lin Xiaotian agreed to Xiao Jingli's demand that he make Ouyang Nianci his woman in exchange for her release, then showed them the map marking where Senior Dongli might be. The group left the cabin with the Ouyang Household still a potential threat.

• Xiao Jingli demanded that Lin Xiaotian make Ouyang Nianci his woman, hoping to shame the Ouyang Household and draw Lin Xiaotian toward the Xiao Household.
• Ouyang Nianci agreed to Lin Xiaotian's terms after he threatened to withhold help finding Senior Dongli.
• Lin Xiaotian carried Ouyang Nianci into the cabin while Xiao Jingli continued healing and later interrupted them, worried that the Ouyang Household might catch up.
• Lin Xiaotian emerged refreshed and said Ouyang Nianci needed more time to rest before they continued.
• Lin Xiaotian showed Xiao Jingli and Ouyang Nianci a map marked with the route where Senior Dongli might have gone.

Lin Xiaotian helped Ouyang Nianci escape Xiao Jingli and continued with him toward the Xiao Household, learning more about the rival Lineages’ schemes. At the Ouyang mine, Ouyang Zhentian discovered four young Household members dead and realized Nianci was missing.

• Xiao Jingli tried to seize Ouyang Nianci, but Lin Xiaotian blocked him and let her escape.
• Lin Xiaotian told Xiao Jingli that he would go with him to the Xiao Household, and the two took a hidden waterway toward its mine.
• Xiao Jingli explained that the Ouyang Household’s interest in Lin Xiaotian stemmed from its martial arts secrets and Senior Dongli’s pursuit of Hidden Force.
• Lin Xiaotian said he feared the Ouyang Household would kill him after the deaths of its four young members, and joked that the Xiao Household might find him more women.
• Ouyang Zhentian and Master Huang arrived at the Ouyang mine, found four young Household members dead, and discovered that Ouyang Nianci was missing.

Ouyang Zhentian rescued Ouyang Nianci from beasts in the mine tunnel and learned that Lin Xiaotian had been with her. Meanwhile, Xiao Jingli brought Lin Xiaotian to the Xiao Household and warned that he would face tests that could decide his future there.

• Ouyang Zhentian found Ouyang Nianci fighting beasts in the tunnel, killed them, and brought her back to Master Huang.
• Ouyang Nianci recounted what had happened but left out her relationship with Lin Xiaotian, while Ouyang Zhentian suspected the Xiao Household had entered the mine.
• Ouyang Zhentian discovered the mark left by Lin Xiaotian and heard Ouyang Nianci defend him, saying he had been forced into it too.
• Xiao Jingli explained to Lin Xiaotian how the Xiao Household's mine and resources differed from the Ouyang Household's, then revealed that his family suspected Ouyang Zhentian was ill.
• Xiao Jingli warned Lin Xiaotian that influential Xiao Household members would test him and that failure could cost him his life.

While staying at the Xiao Household, Lin Xiaotian tried to cultivate his unusual Blood Qi and spent three days recovering after its heat badly injured his consciousness. Xiao Jingli warned him that he would soon face scrutiny from the lineage’s elders and potentially fight talented young women, so Lin Xiaotian asked the Xiao Household for body-tempering and speed techniques.

• Lin Xiaotian secluded himself in his courtyard and cultivated Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force, sensing that his Blood Qi had grown stronger and its yin-yang balance had changed.
• Lin Xiaotian probed the place where his Blood Qi had taken root, was overwhelmed by scorching heat, and took healing medicine to recover.
• Xiao Jingli found Lin Xiaotian after three days of meditation and told him the lineage’s young women were returning for his evaluation.
• Xiao Jingli explained that talented practitioners could choose to temper their Root Bone before entering External Force, though the approach cost more money.
• Lin Xiaotian asked Xiao Jingli whether the Xiao Household had body-tempering or speed techniques he could study before facing the lineage’s talented young women.

Lin Xiaotian practiced the Xiao Household’s Gale Step and Bison Force, with his blood qi rapidly overcoming their hurdles and enhancing their effects. After the young misses secretly watched him for days, he began to suspect the Xiao Household’s unusual delay in questioning him about Dongli.

• Xiao Jingli gave Lin Xiaotian copies of Gale Step and Bison Force, explaining that the manuals strengthened the younger generation during training in the cave.
• Lin Xiaotian discovered that his blood qi drew in a special substance that let him master techniques quickly, though it could not upgrade a manual directly.
• Lin Xiaotian overheard Xiao Household young misses secretly discussing his training and estimating that he would need months or years to master the techniques.
• Lin Xiaotian openly entered the courtyard after realizing the women were watching him, and they continued observing him over the following days.
• After more than a dozen days, Lin Xiaotian fully mastered Gale Step and found that the substance absorbed by his blood qi had strengthened his techniques and bones.
• Lin Xiaotian overheard the young misses react to his progress, then wondered why no one besides Xiao Jingli had questioned him about Dongli.

Lin Xiaotian met the Xiao Household elders and four daughters, who offered him a chance to marry into their family despite his ties to Ouyang Nianci. Xiao Jingxin revealed that the Xiao and Ouyang Households were enemies, then challenged Lin Xiaotian to defeat her; he felt confident about his improved strength.

• Xiao Jingli brought Lin Xiaotian to the main hall, where he met three elders and four Xiao Household women.
• Uncle Ming said Lin Xiaotian could marry one of the four daughters if he impressed them, but Lin Xiaotian refused because he had already been husband and wife with Ouyang Nianci.
• Xiao Jingxin warned Lin Xiaotian that the Xiao and Ouyang Households were enemies, then revealed that her father was recovering from injuries sustained in a duel with the Ouyang Household head.
• Lin Xiaotian reaffirmed that he would not take another wife, while Xiao Jingxin said he could make Ouyang Nianci a concubine if he proved exceptional.
• Xiao Jingxin challenged Lin Xiaotian to defeat her, and Lin Xiaotian believed his recent training had made him strong enough to win.

Lin Xiaotian negotiated a test to prove his potential to the Xiao Household, proposing to fight all four young women. The household arranged a cramped training-ground match, and Lin Xiaotian prepared to surprise them with his techniques and Blood Qi.

• Xiao Jingxin accused Lin Xiaotian of killing the Ouyang Household members and said the Xiao Household might hand him over if he proved weak.
• Xiao Wanyin explained that Lin Xiaotian could choose a Xiao woman to marry if he showed potential, while the household would test him in a real fight.
• Lin Xiaotian argued that defeating the Xiao women, who were geniuses themselves, set an unfair standard, and Xiao Jingxin agreed he only needed to last half an incense stick without losing.
• Lin Xiaotian proposed fighting all four women for the chance to court them, and Uncle Ming accepted the challenge.
• The elders brought Lin Xiaotian and the four women to a deliberately cramped fighting platform, where Lin Xiaotian pretended to be frightened.