Chapter Summaries

New Menial Disciple Duan Rong struggled to qualify as an apprentice while testing his Devour Artifact Spirit ability. After discovering that Zhao Mu’s saber could be devoured, he gained a chance to learn the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber and improve his prospects.

• Duan Rong arrived late for evening training and saw that most of the year's Menial Disciples had already left.
• Duan Rong tested a discarded Oxtail Saber and found its Rank Two Artifact Spirit required more mental strength than he had.
• Zhao Mu ordered Duan Rong to wipe his saber, and Duan Rong discovered that its Artifact Spirit was unranked and could be devoured.
• Duan Rong used Devour on Zhao Mu’s saber to obtain beginner mastery of the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber.

Zhao Mu taught the Menial Disciples Antelope Offering Food and the Perfectly Round Stance while Duan Rong struggled with a sluggish mind. That night, the thing in Duan Rong’s mind began merging into his soul, and Zhao Mu discovered that his Oxtail Saber no longer felt familiar.

• Zhao Mu demonstrated Antelope Offering Food, then asked the Menial Disciples to practice while Duan Rong returned a saber and stood dazed.
• Zhao Mu focused his instruction on Kong Bin, Li Chong, and Zhang Zheng, then taught the group the Perfectly Round Stance without addressing Duan Rong.
• Duan Rong sensed something weighing down his thoughts and followed the other Menial Disciples to dinner before falling asleep.
• As Duan Rong slept, the thing in his mind slowly melted and merged into his soul.
• Zhao Mu practiced with his Oxtail Saber at night and realized it no longer resonated with him or felt familiar in his hand.

Duan Rong awakened with beginner-level mastery of the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber and tried to discover how to cultivate its inner power. As dawn arrived, he continued practicing his stance while Li Chong mocked him and Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng focused on their own training.

• Duan Rong dreamed of a saber practitioner and absorbed the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber and its inner-breath circulation through Devour Artifact Spirit.
• Duan Rong practiced the saber in the courtyard, but stopped when his weak body could not withstand its force and broke his branch.
• Duan Rong attempted to cultivate inner breath through the Hun Yuan Stance, repeatedly testing ideas until dawn without finding a way to control his qi.
• Kong Bin, Li Chong, and Zhang Zheng emerged early to practice and noticed Duan Rong already holding his stance.
• Li Chong mocked Duan Rong for hoping to become an apprentice, but Kong Bin stopped him from starting a fight, and the three began their own stance practice.

Duan Rong realized that genuine martial training had sharply increased his appetite, so he took leave from the Horse Stable to retrieve the silver hidden in his dilapidated home and buy food. He left with plans to invest his remaining money in his body and to investigate his ability to Devour Artifact Spirits.

• After eating breakfast, Duan Rong understood that his intense hunger came from practicing the entry-level Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber properly.
• Duan Rong persuaded Old Sun to let him take half a day off, promising to return and shovel manure in the afternoon.
• Duan Rong visited his home and found a little more than one tael of silver hidden in a jar beneath his bed.
• Duan Rong decided to spend the money on better meals to prepare for the apprentice assessment, where apprentices earned more than menial disciples.
• Duan Rong bought two meat buns and considered how to master his ability to Devour Artifact Spirits.

Duan Rong considered how artifact spirits gained Devouring Effects and ranks, then caught up with his childhood friend Yang Zhen over a meal. Yang Zhen revealed that a dangerous Taiyi Sect fugitive had been captured and was being held at the county yamen until the sect came to collect him.

• Duan Rong theorized that an artifact spirit’s Devouring Effects reflected an artifact’s history and the time martial arts had seeped into it, but set aside the idea to focus on passing his assessment.
• Yang Zhen greeted Duan Rong, who thanked him for caring for him during his recent illness, and invited him to eat and drink at a tavern.
• Yang Zhen told Duan Rong that Xu Ruhu, a wanted Taiyi Sect traitor, had been captured by Constable Xie while hiding in a brothel.
• Yang Zhen explained that Xu Ruhu had injured Constable Xie despite being badly wounded and was now held in the underground dungeon under guard by Yang Zhen and Jie Lei.
• Yang Zhen said the county yamen had contacted the Taiyi Sect, which planned to send people to collect Xu Ruhu and execute him.

After drinking with Yang Zhen, Duan Rong returned to the Yuan Shun Escort Agency and discovered that work could double as martial training. He finished the stable chores, then learned that the escort run Old Sun had ordered him to prepare for was canceled.

• Duan Rong left the tavern after drinking with Yang Zhen and took over Old Sun's stable work when he saw that Old Sun had strained his waist.
• Old Sun reprimanded Duan Rong for returning late and ordered him to clean the manure and scrub six date-red horses for a supposed escort run the next day.
• While working, Duan Rong instinctively combined his chores with horse stance and saber training, realizing that every movement could become cultivation.
• Duan Rong developed a way to shift his weight between his legs to rest his muscles as he worked, then finished cleaning the stable by nightfall.
• Old Sun gave Duan Rong two Steamed Buns and told him the escort run had been canceled, leading Duan Rong to suspect Old Sun had made up the assignment to punish him.

Duan Rong’s training produced an immediate increase in strength, and he practiced the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber before working a full day at the Horse Stable. He joined the other menial disciples for evening practice, where Zhao Mu’s arrival interrupted Li Chong’s anger at Duan Rong.

• Duan Rong woke before dawn, snapped a branch with his opening stance, and went to a secluded courtyard to practice the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber with a discarded saber.
• After three rounds, Duan Rong’s arm and shoulder began to ache, so he rested and then practiced his stance until he produced the Containing Qi Without Revealing effect, though he still could not find the saber’s Inner Power Cultivation Method.
• Duan Rong ate mutton paomo, collected two Steamed Buns, and worked at the Horse Stable all day while Old Sun hoped he would remain there.
• Duan Rong arrived at the firewood courtyard for practice and stood beside Li Chong, who was angered by Duan Rong’s pungent smell.
• Zhao Mu entered the courtyard after spitting on the steps, interrupting Li Chong before he could fly into a rage.

Zhao Mu taught the eight Menial Disciples the killing move Leopard Drilling the Forest, and Duan Rong showed an unexpected grasp of its speed and form. After Zhao Mu praised him and noticed his already-correct stance, the disciples continued training in the courtyard.

• Zhao Mu demonstrated Leopard Drilling the Forest and explained how to execute its leap and thrust before the assessment.
• Duan Rong performed a thrust that launched before he landed, prompting Zhao Mu to scold him for deviating from the taught form.
• Duan Rong repeated the move in the basic form with exceptional speed, and Zhao Mu praised his killing intent before the other disciples.
• During stance practice, Zhao Mu noticed Duan Rong's Perfectly Round Stance was already correct and left it unadjusted.
• Zhao Mu corrected Li Chong, Kong Bin, and Zhang Zheng, then left the eight Menial Disciples to continue training.

Duan Rong trained through exhaustion to strengthen his stance while Kong Bin began to suspect that his skill was unusual. The next day, Zhao Mu singled out Li Chong to maintain his saber, making Li Chong fear that he would remain a menial for life.

• Kong Bin noticed Duan Rong's soaked shirt and suspected that his Perfectly Round Stance was better than Li Chong and Zhang Zheng believed.
• Duan Rong ate, then trained his stance until exhaustion and felt muscular power gather in his Dantian before falling asleep.
• The next day, Duan Rong returned to the training courtyard, where only Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Li Chong had joined him.
• Li Chong insulted Duan Rong for smelling of horse dung, but Kong Bin's cough stopped him from escalating the quarrel.
• Zhao Mu told Li Chong to maintain his saber, and Li Chong took the task as a sign that Zhao Mu considered him the weakest candidate.
• Li Chong became distraught at the prospect of remaining a menial and refused to accept that Duan Rong might have trained better than him.

Zhao Mu taught the six-form sequence and discovered that Duan Rong had already achieved Rhythmic Breathing, marking him as a martial arts prodigy. After Zhao Mu left, Li Chong challenged Duan Rong to a fight, and his opening strike set the confrontation in motion.

• Zhao Mu demonstrated the six forms and told Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Duan Rong to practice the sequence's overall unity on their own.
• Zhao Mu noticed Duan Rong practicing with Rhythmic Breathing and recognized his exceptional talent, then corrected Kong Bin's timing and pauses.
• Zhao Mu ordered the disciples to return for assessment on April 8th, checked the blade Li Chong had wiped, and left the courtyard.
• Duan Rong stopped practicing the sequence and assumed the Perfectly Round Stance, while Kong Bin continued pondering Zhao Mu's advice.
• Li Chong challenged Duan Rong, who taunted him and picked up a discarded blade as Li Chong attacked with Fierce Tiger Leaping Over Stream.

Duan Rong defeated Li Chong with precise technique, drawing Kong Bin’s attention and making him see Duan Rong as a threat to his chance of becoming an apprentice. Zhang Zheng approached Duan Rong over dinner to flatter him and ask for guidance, while Duan Rong remained wary.

• Duan Rong broke Li Chong’s balance with a precise saber tap, knocked him down, and warned him not to provoke him again.
• Kong Bin rebuked Li Chong, left with Zhang Zheng, and concluded that Duan Rong’s saber understanding surpassed his own.
• Kong Bin told Zhang Zheng to get close to Duan Rong because he saw him as a threat to being selected as an apprentice.
• Duan Rong trained until evening, then ate dinner on the Stone Steps.
• Zhang Zheng offered Duan Rong chili and asked how his forms had improved, but Duan Rong gave a vague answer.
• Zhang Zheng praised Duan Rong’s understanding and asked him to give guidance.

Duan Rong rebuffed Zhang Zheng’s efforts to learn his methods and kept training ahead of the April 8 assessment. When Zhang Zheng and Kong Bin invited him to dinner, he accepted, suspecting they had an ulterior motive, and joined them at a small restaurant.

• Duan Rong challenged Zhang Zheng to explain sentence parsing, then left him speechless and walked away.
• Kong Bin joined Zhang Zheng and agreed they would look for another chance to test Duan Rong, while Zhang Zheng continued failing to draw him out over the next few days.
• Duan Rong focused on training as the assessment approached, and on April 7 Zhang Zheng and Kong Bin invited him to dinner.
• Duan Rong pointed out that his pockets were empty, and Kong Bin insisted that he come anyway and named the restaurant and time.
• At 8:45 p.m., Duan Rong arrived at the restaurant, greeted Zhang Zheng and Kong Bin, and sat down as Zhang Zheng called for the dishes.

Duan Rong avoided Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng’s laxative-laced beef tripe and discovered their plan after a yellow dog ate it. On assessment morning, he arrived calm and ready, while Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng realized he had outsmarted them.

• Duan Rong pretended to eat the spiked beef tripe but secretly fed it to a yellow dog beneath the table.
• Duan Rong found the dog suffering from severe diarrhea in the alley and returned to the escort agency by another route.
• Duan Rong got up before dawn and saw Li Chong practicing standing meditation, then went to the firewood shed to prepare for the assessment.
• Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng arrived at the assessment courtyard and were astonished to find Duan Rong standing unharmed beside Li Chong.
• Kong Bin composed himself and stood beside Duan Rong, while Zhang Zheng moved to stand between Kong Bin and Li Chong.

Duan Rong and the other Menial Disciples underwent an assessment led by Chief Instructor Xiao Zongting, who judged their saber forms. After Duan Rong instinctively turned Xiao's test strike into a dangerous counterattack, Xiao praised his technique and told him to get up.

• Xiao Zongting arrived with Zhao Mu and ordered Duan Rong, Kong Bin, Zhang Zheng, and Li Chong to perform their saber forms.
• Xiao criticized Li Chong and Zhang Zheng's forms and knocked Kong Bin's saber away with his tobacco pipe before testing him.
• Duan Rong performed the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber with unusual focus, and Xiao tapped his blade with the pipe.
• Duan Rong redirected the force into a downward chop that nearly struck Xiao's forehead, then dropped to his knees and apologized.
• Xiao silenced Zhao Mu, praised Duan Rong's counterattack, and told him he had done well.

Xiao Zongting tested Duan Rong and Kong Bin’s physical ability by making them hold a stance under freezing conditions, and both passed. Duan Rong’s stronger performance impressed Xiao Zongting, while Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng considered whether to befriend him.

• Xiao Zongting dismissed Zhang Zheng and Li Chong, then ordered Duan Rong and Kong Bin to endure a cold-water stance assessment.
• Duan Rong realized the assessment tested whether their physique and stance practice could generate strength as well as their understanding of martial arts.
• After an hour, Xiao Zongting judged Kong Bin a bare pass and Duan Rong’s burlap sack completely dry, accepting them both as apprentices.
• Xiao Zongting told Zhao Mu to arrange lodgings and bring the two men to his courtyard, and Zhao Mu took his praise as a sign his own appointment would become permanent.
• Duan Rong sprinted off to pack and inform Old Sun, while Kong Bin told Zhang Zheng he had passed and agreed to consider making peace with Duan Rong.

Duan Rong and Kong Bin entered the Middle Courtyard after being promoted to apprentices, and Zhao Mu showed them their dormitories before taking them to Xiao Zongting. Xiao Zongting presented them with contracts to sign.

• Zhao Mu led Duan Rong and Kong Bin into the Middle Courtyard, where they received waist tags and keys to separate dormitory rooms.
• Zhao Mu showed them the Middle Courtyard dining hall and martial arts field, then brought them to Xiao Zongting’s residence.
• Zhu Xiaoqi greeted Zhao Mu and directed him to Xiao Zongting’s study, while Zhao Mu admired her and hurried back toward the Front Courtyard.
• Xiao Zongting sent Zhao Mu away and called for Xiao Baijiao to bring two contracts.
• Xiao Baijiao delivered the contracts, and Xiao Zongting told Duan Rong and Kong Bin to sign them and press their fingerprints.

Duan Rong and Kong Bin signed apprenticeship contracts and began studying the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber secret manual. After Xiao Zongting explained how inner breath formed, Duan Rong immediately entered the Perfectly Round Stance and began circulating it, astonishing his instructor.

• Duan Rong and Kong Bin signed contracts committing to years of training and service under Xiao Zongting.
• Xiao Zongting gave them copied manuals of the Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber and told them to study the Inner Power Cultivation Method.
• Duan Rong studied the manual but could not make inner breath circulate, while Kong Bin struggled to understand it.
• Xiao Zongting explained that inner breath arose where breathing and blood qi met and had to be sensed and guided with Mental Strength.
• Duan Rong assumed the Perfectly Round Stance and began circulating inner breath, leaving Xiao Zongting shocked by his rapid success.

Duan Rong concealed his sudden insight from Xiao Zongting, who explained the foundations of Martial Arts and gave him and Kong Bin three days to study inner breath circulation. After collecting their food, Duan Rong left Kong Bin and went to the Martial Arts Field to practice the circulation method on his own.

• Duan Rong snapped out of a brief state of insight, and Xiao Zongting mistook his confusion for a sign of exceptional comprehension.
• Xiao Zongting taught Duan Rong and Kong Bin that Martial Skills were methods of combat, Inner Power Cultivation Methods were the foundation, and Mental Strength was the core, then set them a three-day deadline to demonstrate their inner breath circulation.
• Xiao Zongting gave Duan Rong and Kong Bin slips to collect sabers, wages, and medicinal herbs, and resolved to train Duan Rong into a capable right-hand man for the Young Shopkeeper.
• Duan Rong and Kong Bin ate in the Middle Courtyard dining hall, where Zhao Mu greeted Duan Rong but ignored Kong Bin.
• Duan Rong declined Kong Bin's invitation to visit the Inner Treasury and went to the Martial Arts Field to practice circulating inner breath through his meridians.

After mastering the Inner Power Cultivation Method, Duan Rong investigated the Devour Artifact Spirit and learned that his Mental Strength was only Level 1. He discovered a 361-year-old ginkgo tree whose Rank 9 Artifact Spirit could increase his Mental Strength, but he could not yet devour it.

• Duan Rong finished cultivating the Inner Power Cultivation Method and felt drained from pushing his body too hard.
• Duan Rong examined weapons in the Martial Arts Field and learned that his Mental Strength Level 1 limited him to devouring Rank 1 and Not Ranked Artifact Spirits.
• Duan Rong refused to devour unfamiliar martial arts, since Xiao Zongting might discover he had learned them in secret.
• After hearing two servant boys mention the ancient ginkgo tree, Duan Rong read its data and found its Rank 9 Artifact Spirit could increase his Mental Strength.

Duan Rong discovered that artifact spirits could reside in all kinds of objects and that old artifacts could contain martial arts. In the Weaponry Depot, he found a Rank 1 saber spirit with the exact mastery he wanted and devoured it.

• Duan Rong tested an Old Locust Tree, a stone table, a broken tile, and a secret manual, finding that most had no ranked artifact spirit or devouring effect.
• Duan Rong concluded that all things had spirits that could grow over time, while secret manuals did not gain intelligence from their written contents.
• Duan Rong went to the Inner Treasury and entered the Weaponry Depot to choose a new sheathed Oxtail Saber.
• Duan Rong read the artifact spirit of a damaged Phoenix Wing Gilded Halberd and found it was Rank 13, with the incomplete Forty-Six Forms as its devouring effect.
• Duan Rong read an unsharpened greatsword and found its Rank 1 spirit granted Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber Mastery, then chose to devour it.