Recaps

Fan Dazhi and He An finished a brush for Teacher Ding, and Fan demonstrated his control over fire- and water-attribute primordial energy. They refused Jiang Boya’s offer of three thousand taels and brought the brush to the Chancellor’s Residence, where Ding Feiyong asked them to comment on Ding Wenruo’s zither performance.

• Fan Dazhi dried the finished brush with fire-attribute primordial energy and demonstrated how he could create water and ice by isolating elemental attributes.
• Jiang Boya offered Fan Dazhi and He An three thousand taels for the brush, but He An refused because it was intended as a gift for Teacher Ding.
• Jiang Boya gave He An a presentation box for the brush and rebuked his nephew for suggesting they steal it.
• He An explained to Fan Dazhi that sudden wealth could unsettle them and that they could not sell a gift they had made for Teacher Ding; Fan Dazhi promised to support him.
• He An and Fan Dazhi arrived at the Chancellor’s Residence and heard Ding Wenruo play “Breaking the Battle Formation: Music of Battle on the Frontier.”
• Ding Feiyong welcomed the boys and asked them to share their thoughts on Ding Wenruo’s performance.

He An and Fan Dazhi visited Ding Feiyong, where He An praised Ding Wenruo’s zither playing while identifying a subtle flaw. They presented Ding Feiyong with a handmade brush, then stayed to discuss music and care for Fan Dazhi’s kitten, Little Black Cat; Ding Feiyong named it Treading Snow to Seek Plum Blossoms and praised He An’s conduct after his arena victory.

• He An pointed out a slight flaw in Ding Wenruo’s zither playing, and Ding Feiyong encouraged her to refine the details.
• He An and Fan Dazhi presented Ding Feiyong with a handmade brush, explaining that they had made it themselves after he reproached them for extravagant gift-giving.
• Fan Dazhi revealed Little Black Cat, and Ding Wenruo bathed the kitten while He An and Ding Feiyong discussed music.
• Ding Feiyong identified the kitten as the rare variety Treading Snow to Seek Plum Blossoms and lent Fan Dazhi the Cat-Physiognomy Classic.
• Ding Feiyong praised He An for winning his arena match and told him that standing up to unforgivable people had been the right thing to do.

He An and Fan Dazhi dined at the Ding residence, where Ding Feiyong grew fond of He An and hinted at presiding over the young men’s coming-of-age ceremonies. After the guests left, Ding Feiyong discovered that He An had brought a Purple Thunder Bamboo brush, a treasured object that might lift his ailing father’s spirits.

• Fan Dazhi offered Little Black Cat to Ding Wenruo, and the guests joined the Ding family for an elaborate dinner.
• Ding Feiyong learned that He An and Fan Dazhi were seventeen and offered to preside over their capping ceremonies when they turned twenty.
• Little Black Cat burrowed into He An’s sleeve and pulled out a banknote and a paper bearing Lu Zhengqing’s calligraphy, which Ding Feiyong recognized.
• He An and Fan Dazhi thanked Ding Feiyong and left, and Ding Feiyong visited his sleeping, ill father, Ding Fengyuan.
• Ding Feiyong found a Purple Thunder Bamboo brush in his study and realized He An had restored the treasured gift his father had lost.

Wei Zhilin met Emperor Chen to discuss Western Liang and the emperor’s plan to build a vast canal, then encountered Xin Wuming of the Dragon Gate Academy, who challenged him and was defeated. Back at the Knowledge and Practice Institute, Wei discovered someone had stolen a stalk of his purple thunder bamboo and ordered an investigation.

• Wei Zhilin met Emperor Chen in the Hall of Worthies, where they discussed Western Liang, drought relief, a proposed canal, and other matters of governance.
• Wei Zhilin encountered Xin Wuming of the Dragon Gate Academy, who attacked him and was forced to retreat after their clash.
• Xin Wuming admitted to himself that Wei Zhilin’s skills were formidable and spat blood inside his departing sedan.
• Wei Zhilin returned to the Knowledge and Practice Institute and discovered that someone had broken off a stalk of purple thunder bamboo.
• Wei Zhilin ordered a middle-aged man to find out who had entered his courtyard and stolen the bamboo.

Wei Zhilin confronted Lu Zhengqing about sending He An to steal his ink bamboo, while Lin Qiu Chi demonstrated her formation arts to Fan Dazhi and summoned him to the Sky-Observing Terrace. Left alone with Jin Caiyun, He An grew flustered as she flirted with him and pressed his hand to her bosom.

• Wei Zhilin learned that He An had stolen ink bamboo after speaking with Lu Zhengqing, then confronted Lu Zhengqing over porridge; Lu Zhengqing admitted encouraging He An and asked Wei Zhilin not to punish him.
• Lin Qiu Chi offered to take Fan Dazhi as her final disciple, then trapped Fan Dazhi and He An inside her courtyard with a formation to demonstrate her skill.
• Lin Qiu Chi painted the iron dragon's eyes, and He An and Fan Dazhi glimpsed a dragon moving among the clouds.
• Feng Qiwu told Lin Qiu Chi that the Sky-Observing Terrace was ready, and she ordered Fan Dazhi to carry the dragon's head there with her.
• Jin Caiyun stayed behind with He An, flirted with him, and pressed his hand to her bosom; He An pulled away but reacted to her fragrance.

Jin Caiyun framed He An for molesting her, and Lin Qiu Chi and Jia Huaigang believed her account despite He An’s protests. Jia Huaigang ordered He An detained pending judgment and went to the Knowledge and Practice Tower.

• Jin Caiyun seduced He An, smeared ink on her face, tore open her robe, then accused him of molesting her when Lin Qiu Chi returned.
• Lin Qiu Chi restrained He An with a Formation Flag and brought him and Jin Caiyun to the Discipline Hall.
• Jin Caiyun told Jia Huaigang that He An had attacked her, while He An insisted she had staged the encounter and that a fragrance had clouded his senses.
• Jia Huaigang doubted He An’s explanation, ordered him detained pending judgment, and sent Lin Qiu Chi and Jin Caiyun away.
• Jia Huaigang left the Discipline Hall and headed for the Knowledge and Practice Tower.

Wei Zhilin reduced He An’s punishment but suspected he had been framed, while He An’s friends remained in the dark. He An endured thirty strokes in the Discipline Hall, leaving Jia Huaigang wondering whether the accusation was false.

• Jia Huaigang reported He An’s alleged misconduct, and Wei Zhilin ordered a major demerit, thirty strokes, and three months of confinement instead of the harsher punishment Jia proposed.
• Wei Zhilin told Cheng Zi Ya that He An’s character made the accusation seem suspicious and that the punishment would serve as a trial for him.
• Fan Dazhi returned to find He An missing, worried through the night, and could not get an explanation from Lin Qiu Chi or the institute teachers.
• Students gathered around the disciplinary notice accusing He An of harassing a fellow student, and rumors spread through the Knowledge and Practice Institute.
• Jia Huaigang ordered the punishment carried out, and He An endured the thirty strokes without making a sound while vowing to find who had framed him.
• Jia Huaigang watched He An’s defiant endurance and began to suspect that He An had been wrongfully accused.

After He An was accused of molesting a fellow student and punished in the Discipline Hall, his friends visited him in the confinement cells and found him badly wounded. They tended his injuries, heard his account of the incident, and left with Gu Qingzhou promising to investigate Jin Caiyun.

• Fan Dazhi, Han Chanjuan, Ding Wenruo, and their classmates expressed disbelief that He An had molested anyone and followed Gu Qingzhou to the Discipline Hall to see him.
• Gu Qingzhou asked the black-clad guard to let them see He An, and Han Chanjuan persuaded the man to take them to the confinement cells.
• Fan Dazhi and the others found He An lying injured while an elderly physician removed his bloodied clothes and treated his wounds.
• Fan Dazhi tried to apply medicine before Han Chanjuan took over and used a precious wound remedy, moved by her concern for He An.
• He An recounted what had happened, and his friends believed he had been falsely accused; Gu Qingzhou promised to investigate Jin Caiyun.

He An endured the cold and pain of the confinement chamber, discovering that its dense primordial energy strengthened his cultivation. Ding Wenruo and Cheng Zi Ya visited him, and Cheng Zi Ya explained how the chamber worked and urged him to use it as an opportunity to advance.

• He An absorbed the chamber’s concentrated heaven and earth primordial energy, enduring painful strain as his cultivation grew stronger.
• Ding Wenruo visited He An with food, worried over his injuries, and agreed to ask Fan Dazhi to bring him books.
• Ding Wenruo left in tears, while Jia Huaigang was surprised to learn that Cheng Zi Ya had come to see He An.
• Cheng Zi Ya praised He An’s composure, explained that the dark-ice chamber gathered primordial energy and intensified the cold backlash, and eased He An’s wounds with his true qi.
• Cheng Zi Ya told He An to keep cultivating and make the most of the chamber’s benefits.

He An trained in confinement while Fan Dazhi secretly surveilled Jin Caiyun, hoping to uncover evidence that she had framed his friend. After following her to a City God temple, Fan Dazhi found that she had vanished behind an isolation formation, just as she emerged from inside.

• He An reflected on his growing strength and resolved to clear his name when he got out of confinement.
• Fan Dazhi searched for evidence against Jin Caiyun, then began tracking her with his Divine Sense around the Knowledge and Practice Institute.
• Fan Dazhi watched Jin Caiyun for weeks but found nothing suspicious until he saw her meet a man in a secluded spot.
• Jin Caiyun left the institute alone at night and headed down Vermilion Bird Avenue, so Fan Dazhi rushed after her.
• Jin Caiyun entered a City God temple after placing two Formation Flags, which blocked Fan Dazhi's Divine Sense.
• Fan Dazhi reached the temple and found Jin Caiyun emerging from inside.

Fan Dazhi uncovered a suspicious connection between Jin Caiyun and Li Bie, then learned that Little Black Cat could bypass the Women's Dormitory's formation and teach him a Primordial Spirit cultivation method. As Li Bie challenged the confined He An, the chapter ended with Jia Huaigang learning that He An was practicing the legendary Spirit-Shocking Finger.

• Jin Caiyun met a masked figure at night, who knocked Fan Dazhi unconscious before she stopped them from killing him and said she had found several leads.
• Fan Dazhi recovered and realized Jin Caiyun was hiding something, then learned that Li Bie had issued He An a bloody challenge letter and recognized Li Bie as the man Jin Caiyun had secretly met.
• Little Black Cat carried Fan Dazhi's Divine Sense through the Women's Dormitory's isolation formation, then left a complex Primordial Spirit cultivation diagram in his Sea of Consciousness.
• Fan Dazhi practiced the method and secretly observed Jin Caiyun, whose daily behavior appeared normal despite his suspicions.
• Jia Huaigang learned from the person in the shadows that He An was practicing the long-lost Spirit-Shocking Finger, a technique said to be capable of destroying heaven and earth at its peak.

He An continued strengthening his true qi in confinement while Fan Dazhi and Han Chanjuan joined him for a New Year's Eve hot pot. As the new year began, Emperor Chen addressed the people of Luoyang, while a mysterious swordsman appeared across the sea.

• He An reflected on his training, his expanded meridians, and his chance to test his strength against Li Bie's challenge after leaving confinement.
• During the institute's New Year holiday, Fan Dazhi felt lonely as he remained in Luoyang and visited He An in confinement.
• Han Chanjuan arrived on New Year's Eve with supplies, and she and Fan Dazhi shared a hot pot meal with He An in the Confinement Room.
• Emperor Chen appeared above the crowds at Jingyang Palace as the New Year bells rang, and he vowed not to betray the people's trust.
• After a storm passed over the sea, fishermen saw a blue-robed swordsman riding the waves and knelt in awe.

Li Xingzhi rescued a youth and a white whale from Taomulang and the Japanese Cedar Island fishermen, then followed them to their village. He accepted Taomulang’s invitation and waited as the villagers prepared a meal.

• Taomulang’s crew killed a white whale and tried to hunt its calf, but an adult whale attacked their boats and swallowed several fishermen.
• The youth stabbed the whale, but it knocked him into the sea and prepared to swallow him.
• Li Xingzhi rescued the youth, subdued the whale, and stopped Taomulang and the others from harpooning it.
• Li Xingzhi released the whale and its calf, then used gestures to learn that Taomulang’s people wanted to take him to their village.
• Taomulang brought Li Xingzhi to his home, where his wife served tea, and later promised to prepare a lavish meal.

Li Xingzhi discovered villagers boiling the Little White Whale and pursued a mysterious figure across the sea to an island. There he confronted the old man behind Great Liang’s past chaos, defeated his hidden assassins, and left the old man wounded as strange energy stirred near the mountain peak.

• Li Xingzhi found the Little White Whale being boiled by villagers and sensed a familiar presence nearby.
• Li Xingzhi pursued the fleeing dark figure across the sea for three days and nights until they reached an island.
• The dark, wiry old man revealed his role in deceiving Emperor Liang Rui and destabilizing Great Liang, then refused Li Xingzhi’s offer to exchange information for his junior martial brother’s release and a map fragment.
• Three concealed assassins attacked Li Xingzhi together, but he killed two and struck down the third with his sword.
• Li Xingzhi clashed with the old man and left him bloodied and leaning on a broken saber, then noticed strange energy near the distant peak and swayed.

Li Xingzhi fought through the Poison and faced the bow-wielding figure atop Sky-Piercing Peak, while the dark, scrawny old man sought an Immortal Map fragment. After Li Xingzhi blocked a second arrow and struck toward the mountain, the chapter ended at dawn with his blue robe hanging from a sword planted in the earth.

• The dark, scrawny old man revealed that Poison had entered Li Xingzhi through three catalysts and attacked him with his black saber.
• Li Xingzhi repelled the saber strike, forced black blood from his body, and faced the dark, scrawny old man's surge of power as a bow-wielding figure fired the Mindlink Bow from Sky-Piercing Peak.
• The golden arrow pierced Li Xingzhi, but his body dissolved into starlight and he struck the dark, scrawny old man with his black-sheathed sword; the old man fled with an Immortal Map fragment.
• The bow-wielding figure called for the Heavenly Net as the Mindlink Bow's arrow returned, and Li Xingzhi climbed into the sky despite the Poison and the threat of another shot.
• Li Xingzhi blocked the second arrow with his sword and slashed toward Sky-Piercing Peak as a storm engulfed the valley.
• At dawn, a sword stood embedded in the earth beneath Sky-Piercing Peak with Li Xingzhi's blue robe hanging from it.

Emperor Chen celebrated an auspicious celestial report with Empress Cui and told her family to prepare for an undertaking, while He An returned from confinement and learned more about Jin Caiyun’s suspicious actions. Li Bie prepared to challenge He An, troubled by the powerful teacher and the secrets he had uncovered about Jin Caiyun.

• Empress Cui welcomed Emperor Chen to Fu Ning Palace, where he discussed the spring thunder, an auspicious omen, and plans for the Lantern Festival.
• Emperor Chen told Empress Cui to remind her family to prepare for an undertaking, then declared that his word would rule when spring arrived.
• He An left the Confinement Room and told Fan Dazhi not to act rashly after hearing about Jin Caiyun and the mysterious attacker at the City God’s temple.
• He An returned to class to make up missed lessons while curious students watched him and Fan Dazhi drove them away.
• Li Bie considered challenging He An and reflected on the secrets he knew about Jin Caiyun and the Knowledge and Practice Institute’s teacher.

After leaving confinement, He An prepared to fight Li Bie, while Li Bie secretly met with Wei Zhilin before the duel. Their match began in the Martial Restraint Hall, where Li Bie pressed He An with relentless saber strikes as He An fought back with Graceful Swan Swordsmanship.

• Gu Qingzhou and Bi Yunfei welcomed He An after his release and hosted him and Fan Dazhi at the Grand View Tower before his duel with Li Bie.
• Jin Caiyun urged Li Bie to punish Fan Dazhi, and Li Bie vowed to make He An pay during their match.
• Li Bie gave two meat-filled steamed buns to an old beggar, then feigned drunkenness and secretly traveled to the Upper Clarity Palace to meet Wei Zhilin.
• Li Bie told Wei Zhilin he would accept the consequences of his decision but asked that his master be spared if he committed no grave wrongdoing.
• He An and Li Bie entered the Martial Restraint Hall for their agreed contest, and Li Bie said he would suppress his cultivation to the spirit refinement realm.
• Li Bie attacked with a rapid saber technique, forcing He An to retreat until He An countered with Graceful Swan Swordsmanship.

He An fought Li Bie in a platform match, surprising the spectators with elemental techniques, extraordinary control, and powerful true qi despite his lower cultivation realm. After neither fighter could gain a decisive advantage, Li Bie released the cultivation realm he had been suppressing, leaving the match poised to intensify.

• Li Bie sent He An flying with a powerful saber strike, breaking He An's sword, then called for a replacement and challenged him to continue.
• He An used fire and ice techniques against Li Bie, prompting Xu Kangnian to recognize that He An had demonstrated abilities associated with the Dao Integration Realm.
• Li Bie overwhelmed He An with swordsmanship from multiple schools, but He An's physical control, keen danger sense, and dense true qi helped him evade deadly blows.
• The two fighters exchanged close-quarters attacks, breaking both of their swords and leaving He An with only superficial wounds.
• Li Bie asked what cultivation method He An practiced, and He An answered that it was the Nameless Heart Method his uncle had taught him.
• Unable to accept that He An had held his own, Li Bie released his suppressed cultivation realm and let his aura surge.

He An defeated Li Bie after revealing that he had mastered the Spirit-Shocking Finger, and Cheng Zi Ya stopped Li Bie’s attempt to kill him. That night, Li Bie left to carry out his plan and set fire to the Library Tower.

• Li Bie used the Five Elements Separation Technique and sword fragments to attack He An, but He An countered with the Spirit-Shocking Finger and broke Li Bie’s hand.
• Li Bie combined the Self-Sacrifice Art and Sword-Riding Art to strike at He An, but Cheng Zi Ya caught the flying sword and kicked Li Bie away.
• Cheng Zi Ya condemned Li Bie for using killing moves, and Xu Kangnian declared He An the winner after checking his injuries.
• Students celebrated He An’s victory while Cheng Zi Ya praised both fighters and warned that Li Bie’s savagery needed a lesson.
• That night, Li Bie left the Institute, blamed Cheng Zi Ya for his humiliation, and set fire to the Library Tower.

Li Bie escaped Luoyang after the Knowledge and Practice Institute's Library Tower burned and sought refuge with Han Zhan in Qin Prefecture. Han Zhan welcomed him, while Qin Kelan advised investigating whether Li Bie's flight was genuine, and Han ordered his spies to look into He An.

• Li Bie used forged papers to leave Luoyang as the Knowledge and Practice Institute's Library Tower burned behind him.
• The institute named Li Bie its prime arson suspect, expelled him, and offered a reward for his capture.
• Emperor Chen heard that the Library Tower had burned and said its destruction might be for the best.
• Li Bie reached Qin Prefecture, where Han Zhan welcomed him and promised him protection despite repeatedly calling him Donkey Turtle.
• Qin Kelan judged that Li Bie was probably not an infiltrator, but Han Zhan ordered spies to investigate He An because Xue Ning had mentioned him.
• At Li Bie's welcoming banquet, Nariha asked him to demonstrate his skills, and Han Zhan rebuked Nariha for challenging him while his hand was injured.

Li Bie impressed Han Zhan and the officers by defeating Samu'er with a single move, earning an appointment as commander of the Vanguard Scout Battalion. The banquet continued with Han Zhan's drinking games and dancing, and he ordered the lead dancer sent to Li Bie's quarters afterward.

• Nariha summoned Samu'er to test Li Bie's skill, and Li Bie swiftly turned Samu'er's punch against him and injured him.
• Han Zhan praised Li Bie and appointed him commander of the Vanguard Scout Battalion after Tie Muzhan recommended the post, mentioning Fang Yizhi as an enemy scout Li Bie had defeated before.
• Han Zhan repeatedly ordered Nariha and Tie Muzhan to drink, and Tie Muzhan vomited after being told to drink three more cups.
• Songstresses entered to perform, and Li Bie stared at the lead dancer, saying she reminded him of people from Great Chen and made him homesick.
• Han Zhan told a guard to send the lead dancer to Li Bie's quarters after the banquet.

After Li Bie defected to Western Liang, the Knowledge and Practice Institute prepared for an imperial tournament against Dragon Gate Academy. On Lantern Festival, Ding Wenruo’s hopes of spending the evening with He An faltered when Han Chanjuan appeared, and she ended up walking with the delighted Gu Qingzhou instead.

• Wei Zhilin told Cheng Zi Ya that the emperor had ordered an investigation into the Library Tower fire and a Qingming tournament against Dragon Gate Academy.
• The Institute learned that Li Bie had defected to Western Liang and become a Scout Commander, prompting outrage and renewed suspicion toward Jin Caiyun.
• Ding Wenruo invited He An to see the Lantern Festival lights, but Fan Dazhi and Han Chanjuan joined them, so she left in disappointment.
• Gu Qingzhou found Ding Wenruo alone in the crowd and invited her to watch the palace fireworks with him.
• Ding Wenruo agreed to go with Gu Qingzhou, who dismissed his companions and followed her in elation.

During the Lantern Festival, Ding Wenruo struggled with her feelings for He An while Emperor Chen publicly reassured Wei Zhilin and announced an academic contest between the Dragon Gate Academy and the Knowledge and Practice Institute. He An and Han Chanjuan watched fireworks together, and Han asked him to swear that he would never harm her or her family.

• Han Chanjuan gave Fan Dazhi a golden bean to spend during the festival, then privately felt glad to be rid of him.
• Ding Wenruo left Gu Qingzhou and returned home, where she saw Imperial Physician Hua Zhong hide a small packet before she went to prepare medicine.
• Emperor Chen told Wei Zhilin he had rejected calls to cut funding to the Knowledge and Practice Institute and approved a year-end contest with the Dragon Gate Academy.
• He An told Han Chanjuan that he saw Ding Wenruo as a younger sister and did not share her feelings for him.
• At the moat, Han Chanjuan asked He An whether he would hurt her or her family if their countries went to war, and demanded that he swear he would not.

After sharing a romantic Lantern Festival night, He An and Han Chanjuan were ambushed by six Cui Family men, whom He An and Han Chanjuan fought off. As they hurried toward Han Chanjuan’s home, an unseen speaker confronted He An and criticized his ruthlessness.

• Han Chanjuan asked He An to swear he would never harm her or her family, then kissed him and rested against his shoulder beneath the stars.
• He An and Han Chanjuan set off for home through the falling snow, but six Cui Family men surrounded them in the street.
• He An quickly injured three attackers while Han Chanjuan fought another, and He An defeated the leader’s flexible sword with his fingers.
• When a dagger wielder threatened Han Chanjuan, He An used his Spirit-Shocking Finger to blast through the man’s shoulder, then left with her.
• He An told Han Chanjuan that he and the Cui Family were destined to fight until one side was dead, but an unseen voice confronted them before they reached Yongning Ward.

He An and Han Chanjuan faced Xin Wuming, the head of the Dragon Gate Academy's Martial Arts Hall, after he demanded three palm strikes as punishment. Just as Xin Wuming prepared to kill He An with the third strike, the carriage driver arrived and forced him back.

• Xin Wuming confronted He An and Han Chanjuan over their fight with his disciples and struck Han Chanjuan with a divine sense attack.
• He An blocked Xin Wuming's first two palm strikes, but each one injured him and left him struggling to stand.
• Xin Wuming decided to kill He An, and Han Chanjuan tried to stop him with her Flower Hairpin before Xin Wuming blasted her aside.
• He An caught Han Chanjuan and reached for He Kui's jade pendant as Xin Wuming launched his third palm strike.
• The carriage driver attacked Xin Wuming with his whip, then caught his palm strike and punched him back two steps.