Recaps

Duan Rong recovered the Garbha Sutra, used hidden paintings and tree spirits to advance his cultivation, and sought Dragon Flame Grease while Fan Yuanhai investigated the same clue. The arc ended with Duan Rong joining Xiao Yu’s convoy on his first escort assignment and recognizing Liu Ao from a vision tied to a damaged saber.

• Jie Daohan challenged Xiao Yu’s funeral procession, but Duan Rong and the escorts stood with her until Ruan Fengshan let the coffin leave the city.
• Duan Rong traced Xu Ruhu’s movements to a brothel, found a hidden Garbha Sutra scroll, and discovered that Xu Ruhu had used a dangerous fake to deceive Jie Lei.
• Duan Rong used Xi Men Kan Kan’s concealed-ink potion to make a hidden mandala and entered the Luminous Consciousness Sea, where the Infant Light Shadow absorbed tree spirits.
• Duan Rong completed the first layer of the Garbha Sutra, raised his Mental Strength to Level 2, and continued training in saber arts, inner breath, and the Bone Shrinking Skill.
• Duan Rong asked Xi Men Kan Kan to obtain Dragon Flame Grease in secret after painting Xia Shuangshuang, while Fan Yuanhai received a Taiyi Sect order and began investigating the ingredient and the Four Great Wisdom Kings portraits.
• Duan Rong mastered the Bone Shrinking Skill and joined Xiao Yu’s convoy for his first escort assignment, then recognized a mole on Liu Ao’s neck from a vision he had seen while digesting a damaged Oxtail Saber Artifact Spirit.

Duan Rong survived Liu Ao’s betrayal and helped recover Ruan Jing from the Suffering Fate Gang, exposing the conspiracy behind the kidnapping. With Ruan Jing returned and the traitors punished, Duan Rong received a path toward becoming a full escort and continued refining his saber skills.

• Sun Huang’s escort party protected Li Yuliang from an assassin and Hong Yan’s men, while Duan Rong saved Xiao Yu from a venomous snake bite and gained Cloud Serpent Step Mastery.
• Duan Rong recognized that Liu Ao had been sent to kill him, defeated him in the wilderness, and secretly completed Liu Ao’s Letter Escort before returning to the party.
• At Ruyang Prefecture, an assassin from the Dilapidated Temple cut Li Yuliang’s throat, and the escort party later returned to find Ruan Jing had been kidnapped.
• Ruan Fengshan assigned Duan Rong and Lu Feng to carry ransom gold, and Xiao Zongting taught Duan Rong the Three Unnamed Forms before he departed.
• Duan Rong exposed the Suffering Fate Gang’s ambush at Disordered Graves, survived Yu Wenlong’s attack, rescued Ruan Jing, and recovered the gold.
• Ruan Jing returned to Ruan Fengshan and Ma Chunying, while Ruan Fengshan dealt with Zhou An and Shen Yanliu exposed He Guizhou’s role in the plot.
• Ruan Fengshan offered Duan Rong a chance to take the full-escort assessment and gave him Willow Lodge, where Duan Rong resumed cultivating and studying his saber forms.
• Duan Rong sparred with Xi Men Kan Kan, lost twice to the stronger fighter, and used the exchanges to refine his saber techniques.

Duan Rong advanced his cultivation and saber skills, passed the escort assessment, and built closer ties with Xi Men Kan Kan and Jiang Qingyu while navigating gambling and learning medicine. He continued training for the Taiyi Sect selection as Xi Men Yong began watching his influence on Xi Men Kan Kan.

• Duan Rong cultivated the Garbha Sutra with Dragon Flame Grease, reached its second layer, and developed Divine Sense Projection before passing the written and martial parts of the escort assessment.
• Duan Rong gained the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber manual and an official Waist Tag, then grew closer to Xi Men Kan Kan while improving his saber skills through their sparring.
• Duan Rong accompanied Xi Men Kan Kan to Weiyang Gambling House, absorbed Fang Jingbao’s Jade Thumb Ring artifact spirit, and used his new gambling skills to help Jiang Qingyu win against Luo Zhoucheng.
• Duan Rong visited Xiao Zongting, learned from Zhu Xiaoqi why the instructor opposed a relationship between him and Xiao Yu, and continued training while worrying about reaching the fourth Inner Breath level in time for the Taiyi Sect selection.
• Duan Rong visited Gu Suxiu’s clinic, absorbed medical knowledge from artifact spirits, and concluded that the county had no practitioner who could explain how herbs affected inner breath.
• Xi Men Yong learned that Xi Men Kan Kan often sparred with Duan Rong and called him Brother Duan, then ordered Shi Kang to keep watching his son.

Duan Rong saved Xi Men Yong from an ambush, then helped Shen Ping recover after the authorities released him. Shen Ping shared his knowledge and belongings before leaving Xiangu County, entrusting Duan Rong with a final request.

• Duan Rong intervened when Black Tiger Stronghold attacked Xi Men Yong’s party, killing Li Yiying and helping Yuan Shouzhi defeat Huang Gaozu.
• Xi Men Yong recognized Duan Rong as the masked warrior and welcomed him into the family, while privately suspecting he might be descended from the Li Family.
• Duan Rong learned that the Xu Ruhu and Jie Lei case had been closed, then took in Shen Ping after Xiao Zongting brought him to Willow Lodge.
• Duan Rong treated Shen Ping’s wounds and fever, and Shen Ping recovered enough to critique Duan Rong’s prescriptions and teach him about medicine.
• Shen Ping took Duan Rong to Wild Boar Mountain, where he explained that even his strongest poison could be suppressed by abundant true qi.
• Shen Ping gave Duan Rong his notes, books, and three bottles of medicine, then left to travel and practice medicine after asking Duan Rong to kill Jie Daohan and Fan Yuanhai if he could do so safely.