Chapter Summaries

Zhou Changqing spent the day forging weapons before sharing Green Plum Wine with his friend Xiao Yan, who lamented his fall from the clan’s favor. As Xiao Yan confided in him, Zhou Changqing recalled how they had met and why they had become close friends, while keeping his knowledge of Xiao Yan’s future to himself.

• Zhou Changqing finished forging his daily quota of weapon blanks, bathed, and relaxed with Green Plum Wine in his courtyard.
• Xiao Yan arrived, teased Zhou Changqing, and tried unsuccessfully to get his family’s wine recipe while helping himself to drinks.
• As evening fell, Xiao Yan told Zhou Changqing that his clan now ridiculed him after once flattering him.
• Zhou Changqing listened without revealing that he knew Xiao Yan would soon regain his strength and rise to prominence.
• Zhou Changqing recalled how Xiao Yan had caught a pickpocket who stole his purse, returned it, and later became his friend over a thank-you feast.

Xiao Yan thanked Zhou Changqing for years of friendship and resolved to help him with the money he had saved, while Zhou continued his work as a blacksmith in Wutan City. After selling a cartload of weapon blanks for ten gold coins, Zhou reflected on the workshop owner's monopoly and how far he still was from affording a cultivation technique.

• Xiao Yan asked how much Zhou Changqing had saved, then left while privately deciding to give his friend a hand.
• Zhou Changqing rose early and pushed a cart of iron weapon blanks to a workshop in Wutan City.
• Leli tried to provoke Zhou, but the manager ordered him and another worker to inspect Zhou's goods.
• The workers confirmed the cart held 120 nondefective blanks, and Zhou received ten gold coins for them.
• Zhou left the workshop and lamented that Che'erluo's monopoly kept blacksmiths' earnings low and a cultivation technique out of reach.

Zhou Changqing struggled to afford a cultivation method while Xiao Yan was absent after Nalan Yanran broke off her engagement to the Xiao Clan. Xiao Yan later brought Zhou Changqing two yellow tier high grade cultivation methods, and the friends celebrated together.

• Zhou Changqing added ten gold coins to his savings and returned to smithing, knowing he remained far short of affording a cultivation method.
• After news spread that Nalan Yanran had broken off her engagement to Xiao Yan, Zhou Changqing inferred that Xiao Yan was cultivating under Yao Lao's guidance and decided not to ask him for help.
• Xiao Yan visited Zhou Changqing and brought out two yellow tier high grade cultivation methods, stopping Zhou Changqing from punching him.
• Xiao Yan offered the methods to Zhou Changqing, who accepted them and promised to help Xiao Yan whenever he was needed.
• The friends shared green plum wine and food, an occasion later remembered as the Friendship of Two Emperors.

Zhou Changqing received two rare cultivation methods from Xiao Yan and used them to convert his Dou Qi into gold and lightning attributes, breaking a six-year bottleneck. With his new cultivation methods working, he planned to test ideas for a different path.

• Zhou Changqing remembered how his adoptive parents, Zhou Cai and Yu Li, died hunting magical beasts while trying to earn money for a suitable cultivation method for him.
• Zhou Changqing memorized the Dormant Thunder Method and Steel-Condensing Force, which Xiao Yan had given him.
• Zhou Changqing cultivated the two methods and transformed his Dou Qi vortex into a divided gold-and-silver form.
• Zhou Changqing celebrated breaking through the bottleneck that had held him back for six years.
• Zhou Changqing decided to test his old ideas and explore a different path.

After transforming his Dou Qi, Zhou Changqing revisited his long-standing theories about weapon refining and tested them on a blade blank. His lightning attribute Dou Qi gave the metal a silver glow and tiny electrical arcs, but after half an hour it developed a hairline crack.

• Zhou Changqing woke refreshed after cultivating through the night and assessed the strength he had gained from his cultivation method.
• He took out his book, "Conjectures on the Feasibility of Weapon Refining," and recalled how years of smithing lessons from Zhou Cai and his own research had led him to pursue weapon refining.
• Zhou Changqing forged a Ghost-Head Saber blade blank and carried it to the stone table in the courtyard.
• He channeled lightning attribute Dou Qi into the blade blank, making it glow silver as tiny arcs of electricity flickered across it.
• After half an hour, Zhou Changqing noticed a hairline crack in the blade blank and stopped infusing it with Dou Qi.

Zhou Changqing experimented with using metal and lightning attribute dou qi to refine weapons, recording his failures and discoveries. After two months, he had identified output limits that produced a blade tougher and sharper than before.

• Zhou Changqing examined a cracked blade blank and considered why his attempt to refine it with lightning attribute dou qi had failed.
• He lowered his dou qi output and continued experimenting with the damaged blade blank.
• Over two months, Zhou Changqing repeatedly tested weapon-refining methods, recorded each attempt, and tried combining metal and lightning attribute dou qi.
• Half a month before finishing his notes, Zhou Changqing found suitable output limits for both attributes and noticed the weapon had become tougher and sharper.
• Zhou Changqing completed his written records beside the newly finished blade.

Zhou Changqing used his metal and lightning dou qi to refine a Ghost-Head Saber, which cut through a sturdy iron block with ease. He recognized that producing such weapons was slow because his cultivation methods were incompatible and he could not project dou qi beyond his body, leaving him to make do until he found a better solution.

• Zhou Changqing infused a blade with metal dou qi and then lightning dou qi, refining it until it glowed red-hot and scalded his hands.
• Zhou Changqing quenched the blade, assembled a new Ghost-Head Saber, and tested it by cleaving an iron block in two.
• Zhou Changqing admired the saber's sharpness and judged that it could likely pierce a Dou Shi's Dou Qi Veil.
• Zhou Changqing regretted that refining the weapons took too long to make mass production practical.
• Zhou Changqing considered how his incompatible cultivation methods and inability to project dou qi restricted his weapon refining, and resolved to continue without a special furnace.

Zhou Changqing decided to sell the Ghost-Head Great Saber and entered the Xiao Family Market to test the market for his Iron-Cleaving Mortal Weapon. He set up a stall and waited for buyers, leaving Wang Zhi intrigued by the saber wrapped in cloth.

• Zhou Changqing decided to sell the Ghost-Head Great Saber rather than keep it, despite knowing he would risk provoking Che'erluo by entering the weapons market.
• Zhou Changqing reflected on his recent cultivation progress and concluded that his Five-Star Dou Zhe strength and dual attributes gave him confidence to face Che'erluo's subordinates.
• Zhou Changqing wrapped the saber, carried it to the Xiao Family Market, paid ten gold coins for a stall, and prepared a display.
• Wang Zhi approached Zhou Changqing's stall and read the sign advertising an Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon for its fated owner.

Wang Zhi challenged Zhou Changqing over the four-thousand-gold price of a weapon, drawing a crowd to the stall. After Wang Zhi paid with a Gold Card and unwrapped the bundle, he drew the Ghost-Head Saber and revealed its gleaming blade.

• Wang Zhi mocked Zhou Changqing's claim that his weapon was exceptional and demanded to know its price.
• Zhou Changqing asked four thousand gold coins, and Wang Zhi's angry shout drew a crowd to the stall.
• Zhou Changqing refused to lower the price, while onlookers taunted Wang Zhi and encouraged him to buy the weapon.
• Wang Zhi decided to buy it and tossed Zhou Changqing a Gold Card holding five thousand gold coins.
• Wang Zhi lifted the heavy bundle, unwrapped the Ghost-Head Saber, and drew its shining blade from the sheath.

Wang Zhi tested Zhou Changqing's Ghost-Head Saber against his own weapon and discovered that it could cut through hundred-forged fine steel with ease. He pretended the test was an act, then hurried away with Zhou Changqing and the saber while the crowd realized he had been trying to keep the weapon for himself.

• The crowd admired the Ghost-Head Saber, and Wang Zhi decided to buy it and let go of his anger over its price.
• Zhou Changqing offered Wang Zhi an iron block to test the saber, but Wang Zhi chose to use his own Tier 2 magic-core saber instead.
• Wang Zhi's Ghost-Head Saber cleanly cut his weapon in two, leaving him and the crowd stunned.
• Wang Zhi claimed the test had been staged, grabbed Zhou Changqing and the saber, and used a Dou Qi Veil to push through the crowd.
• The crowd realized Wang Zhi had lied to conceal the saber's true power and cursed him for fooling them.

Zhou Changqing sold his Ghost-Head Saber to Wang Zhi for four thousand gold coins and considered how to invest the money in techniques, books, and materials. When he reached home, he sensed an intruder inside his courtyard and suspected someone had come for his new wealth.

• A scar-faced young man grew jealous and hateful after Zhou Changqing left with Wang Zhi.
• Wang Zhi transferred four thousand gold coins to Zhou Changqing for the Ghost-Head Saber, then hurried away with his purchase.
• Zhou Changqing decided the sale was worthwhile and planned to buy intermediate Yellow Tier Dou Techniques, formation-crafting books, and special metals.
• Zhou Changqing sensed someone inside his locked courtyard and suspected the intruder meant trouble, possibly because of the day's events and his money.

Zhou Changqing discovered Leli waiting in his courtyard to rob him of his four thousand gold coins and kill him. He ambushed and killed Leli, then headed back toward the bedroom, displeased that he had to deal with the corpse.

• Zhou Changqing used metal attribute Dou Qi to leave the courtyard quietly and watched Leli from the bedroom roof.
• Recognizing Leli as a weak enemy, Zhou Changqing climbed over the eastern wall to confront him.
• Leli revealed he had come for Zhou Changqing’s four thousand gold coins and threatened to torture and kill him.
• Before Leli could attack, Zhou Changqing surprised him and broke his neck.
• Zhou Changqing tossed Leli’s body aside and turned toward the bedroom, pleased to have eliminated him but irritated by the corpse.

After disposing of Leli, Zhou Changqing continued cultivating and refining weapons while news spread of Wang Zhi’s bloody victory with an Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon. A month later, Zhou Changqing arrived at the Mittel Auction House with a large bundle, hoping to sell his wares.

• Zhou Changqing dumped Leli’s body over a cliff and returned to his routine without attracting attention.
• Zhou Changqing heard that Wang Zhi, a three-star Dou Shi, had killed four Dou Shi and over twenty Dou Zhe using an Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon.
• The weapon’s power became a sensation in Wutan City, but most people abandoned plans to seize it after Wang Zhi defeated several stronger opponents.
• A month later, Zhou Changqing walked through the city carrying a person-sized bundle and lamented that he needed a Storage Ring.
• Zhou Changqing arrived at the Mittel Auction House.

Zhou Changqing brought three weapons to the Mittel Auction House to have them appraised as rumored iron-cleaving treasure weapons. Ya Fei arrived to handle the appraisal, and Zhou Changqing maintained his composure despite her allure.

• Zhou Changqing entered the Mittel Auction House openly and went to the Appraisal Room.
• Zhou Changqing showed the appraiser three weapons and asked whether they were iron-cleaving treasure weapons.
• The appraiser recognized the weapons’ potential value and went to fetch the manager.
• Ya Fei entered the room with the appraiser, and Zhou Changqing recognized her while keeping his composure.

Zhou Changqing sold three appraised Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapons directly to Mittel Auction House rather than waiting for an auction. He used the proceeds to order better iron and books to advance his Weapon Refining Technique, then left Ya Fei to gather the items.

• Ya Fei had an Appraiser examine Zhou Changqing's three weapons, and the Appraiser confirmed their quality.
• Ya Fei offered Zhou Changqing a direct sale at nine thousand gold coins per weapon or an auction that could bring in more, but Zhou Changqing chose the direct sale to save time.
• Ya Fei wondered whether Zhou Changqing possessed something more valuable than the Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapons after he dismissed the higher potential auction price.
• Zhou Changqing asked Ya Fei to deduct the cost of his purchases from the sale proceeds and wrote a list of better iron and books on Formation Crafting and refining Medicine Cauldrons.
• Ya Fei agreed to gather the listed items, and Zhou Changqing took his leave.

Ya Fei arranged for Zhou Changqing’s Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapons to be auctioned, and their success fueled growing interest across Wutan City. As major powers searched for their source, Che'erluo vowed to seize the weapons and punish anyone interfering with his trade.

• Ya Fei declined to investigate Zhou Changqing, arranged to auction his three weapons, and hoped he would bring her further opportunities.
• Over the next month, Zhou Changqing refined four Iron-Cleaving Mortal Weapons, improving their quality by nearly twenty percent.
• Wang Zhi used an Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon to help his mercenary company defeat two peak Tier 2 tiger-type magical beasts, stirring renewed excitement in Wutan City.
• The Mittel Auction House sold three Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapons for around fourteen thousand each, prompting mercenaries to seek more and major powers to investigate their source.
• Che'erluo angrily ordered his men to find where the weapons came from, then declared that the weapons should belong to him alone.

Zhou Changqing practiced two new Dou Techniques while studying formation crafting and Medicine Cauldron fire inlets to develop true Magic Core Weapons. As he made progress, three men continued watching his courtyard, with Shopkeeper Liu warning that the lord considered Zhou Changqing a dangerous target.

• Zhou Changqing broke a brick with Gold-Crushing Elbow and reflected on mastering it after more than a month of practice.
• He recalled auctioning four Iron-Cleaving Mortal Weapons for a higher price and used the proceeds to buy books, materials, and two Yellow Tier Mid-Grade Dou Techniques.
• Zhou Changqing studied formation patterns and Medicine Cauldron fire inlets, aiming to create the Dou Qi Continent's first true Magic Core Weapon.
• In a deserted alley, a young man urged his companions to attack Zhou Changqing after they had watched his courtyard for nearly a month.
• Shopkeeper Liu reprimanded him, warning that Zhou Changqing's Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapons proved he was no ordinary orphan.

Steward Liu ordered his men to capture Zhou Changqing and force him to reveal how he forged Treasure Weapons. When Zhou Changqing left his courtyard, three attackers ambushed him, and he killed two before retreating toward the main street as Steward Liu pursued.

• Steward Liu told his two young subordinates to seize Zhou Changqing alive as soon as he left his courtyard.
• Zhou Changqing left with five Mortal Weapons to deliver for auction and planned to collect his money and make purchases.
• Zhou Changqing sensed the watchers who had been following him and stayed alert as he walked toward the street.
• Three figures rushed Zhou Changqing from an alley, and he drew his Horizontal Saber and cut the throats of two attackers.
• Steward Liu cried out over the fallen men, then chased Zhou Changqing as he retreated toward the main street.

Zhou Changqing used an Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon to hold off Steward Liu while fleeing toward the crowded main street. The pursuit remained deadlocked as onlookers recognized the weapon and began coveting it.

• Steward Liu caught up with Zhou Changqing and attacked, but Zhou Changqing cut through his saber and forced him to retreat from the Horizontal Saber.
• Zhou Changqing judged that Steward Liu was a Dou Shi and continued toward the Mittel Auction House, hoping to escape the other pursuers hidden nearby.
• Steward Liu pursued Zhou Changqing onto the main street, where pedestrians scattered and martial artists stopped to watch.
• Steward Liu attacked with Stone-Splitting Palm, but Zhou Changqing's saber made him back off, and repeated attacks and slashes kept the two at a standstill.
• Onlookers identified Zhou Changqing's weapon as an Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon, and their attention turned to its power and value.

Zhou Changqing lured Steward Liu into a false opening, revealed his High-Rank Dou Zhe strength, and killed the Middle-Tier Dou Shi with a counterattack. He escaped into the distance while the stunned crowd and hidden watchers debated who he was and whether to pursue him.

• Hidden groups watched Zhou Changqing and Steward Liu fight, each waiting for someone else to reveal their hand.
• Zhou Changqing deliberately misaligned his Horizontal Saber to make Steward Liu think he had found an opening.
• Steward Liu knocked the saber aside and attacked Zhou Changqing with Stone-Splitting Palm, but Zhou Changqing countered with Gold-Crushing Elbow.
• Zhou Changqing swept his Horizontal Saber across Steward Liu's neck, killing him after the man realized Zhou was a High-Rank Dou Zhe.
• Zhou Changqing fled with Thunderclap Flash as the crowd erupted in shock and the hidden watchers hesitated to pursue him.