Chapter Summaries

Wei Zhilin settled the dispute between He An and Cui Mengshu, punished He An, and warned Huang Daogong against seizing students from the Knowledge and Practice Institute. After seeing Fang Yizhi off and registering at the institute, He An began his three-day confinement in a freezing underground chamber.

• Wei Zhilin ruled that Cui Mengshu’s injuries were sufficient punishment, ordered He An to apologize and serve three days in the Discipline Hall, then struck Huang Daogong unconscious for threatening the institute’s students.
• Cui Lishen explained that the Cui Family was backing Dragon Gate Academy to counter the Knowledge and Practice Institute and told Cui Mengshu to recruit or isolate promising students such as He An.
• He An and Fan Dazhi saw Fang Yizhi off, then returned to the Knowledge and Practice Institute and chose a shared room for registration.
• He An reported to Jia Huaigang, who led him into an underground chamber and ordered him to endure the cold there for three days by circulating his energy.

Fan Dazhi deliberately broke institute rules so he could share He An’s confinement, but his kitchen raid earned him seven days instead of three. The notices drew attention from students and instructors, and Lu Zhengqing realized the two notorious new students were the ones Fang Yizhi had brought back.

• Jia Huaigang posted a notice sentencing He An to three days of confinement for fighting, making him the first new student confined on enrollment day.
• Fan Dazhi befriended his roommates Gu Qingzhou and Bi Feiyun, then snuck into the kitchen at night and ate food prepared for the institute.
• Old Zhang dragged Fan Dazhi before Jia Huaigang, who sentenced him to seven days of confinement for stealing food.
• The second disciplinary notice spread through the institute, and Ding Wenruo recognized He An and Fan Dazhi as the students her father had asked her to spend time with.
• Yan Zhongjie complained to Lu Zhengqing about the two unruly new students, and Lu Zhengqing realized they were He An and Fan Dazhi.

He An and Fan Dazhi endured the freezing confinement beneath the Knowledge and Practice Institute, while Ding Wenruo returned home and learned about their punishment. After she told Ding Feiyong what happened, he decided to meet the two men when their confinement ended.

• Jia Huaigang sent Fan Dazhi into the underground confinement, where he called for He An in the darkness.
• He An found Fan Dazhi, shared his food, and taught him to circulate his energy against the intense cold.
• Ding Wenruo returned home and watched Cheng Zi Ya treat her grandfather, Ding Fengyuan, with silver needles and primal energy.
• Cheng Zi Ya discussed Ding Fengyuan's medicine with Hua Zhong, then spoke warmly with Ding Wenruo and asked about her first day of lessons.
• Ding Wenruo told Ding Feiyong about He An and Fan Dazhi's confinement, and he asked her to invite them to meet him afterward.

Wei Zhilin and Cheng Zi Ya drank together, worried over Chancellor Ding’s illness and their missing senior brother Xiang Shou, while secretly discussing the institute’s prisoners and two students in confinement. At the institute, Gu Qingzhou’s pursuit of Ding Wenruo was rejected, and he later fell asleep during class.

• Cheng Zi Ya visited Wei Zhilin, drank Apricot Blossom Village Aged Wine, and described his unsuccessful efforts to treat Chancellor Ding.
• Wei Zhilin and Cheng Zi Ya grieved over their missing senior brother Xiang Shou and reaffirmed their belief that he was still alive.
• Wei Zhilin explained that he had deliberately arranged for two talented students to cultivate in confinement and said a prisoner had remained silent after more than twenty years.
• Gu Qingzhou waited outside the Knowledge and Practice Institute with hot-water dough dumplings for Ding Wenruo, but she rejected his attention and told him not to pester her.
• Gu Qingzhou watched Ding Wenruo during Yan Zhongjie’s lesson, then fell asleep at his desk.

Gu Qingzhou took Bi Yunfei to Grand View Tower after Ding Wenruo rejected his advances, where he clashed with Cui Zhixia over a reserved pavilion. The confrontation ended with both sides tense and Bi Yunfei caught between them.

• Ding Wenruo warned Gu Qingzhou to stop pursuing her and left the Knowledge and Practice Institute in her family's carriage.
• Gu Qingzhou recalled how his pursuit of Ding Wenruo had led to a street fight, a slap from Ding Feiyong, and a promise from Emperor Chen to arrange their marriage only if she consented.
• Gu Qingzhou invited Bi Yunfei to Grand View Tower, demanded the Cloud-Viewing Pavilion, and ignored the manager's warning that another party had reserved it.
• Cui Mengshu arrived at Grand View Tower with his clan brothers to meet Cui Zhixia, who led them upstairs after learning Gu Qingzhou had taken their pavilion.
• Cui Zhixia asked Gu Qingzhou to vacate the reserved room, but Gu Qingzhou kept drinking with Bi Yunfei and refused, leaving the Cui family furious and Bi Yunfei frightened.

Gu Qingzhou humiliated the Cui Family men at the Grand View Tower, then heard Bi Yunfei’s advice on how to improve Ding Wenruo’s opinion of him. After returning to the Knowledge and Practice Institute, Bi Yunfei wrote to his mother and vowed to rise to success.

• Gu Qingzhou drove Cui Zhixia and the Cui Family men from the Grand View Tower after demanding they pay the bill.
• Cui Zhixia told his followers to infiltrate the Knowledge and Practice Institute, recruit talented students, and help the Dragon Gate Academy defeat it the following year.
• Gu Qingzhou boasted of his deeds to Bi Yunfei, then confided that Ding Wenruo troubled him.
• Bi Yunfei advised Gu Qingzhou to become cultured and avoid disreputable companions so Ding Wenruo might change her opinion of him.
• Gu Qingzhou took Bi Yunfei back to the Knowledge and Practice Institute in his imperial carriage.
• Bi Yunfei wrote to his mother, returned the ten-tael banknote she had hidden in his bundle, and promised to bring her to the capital after he succeeded.

After breaking into the True Martial Sect’s mountain formation, He Kui—whose original name was Bai Xiang Shou—confronted Huang Zonghai at Little Mirror Lake. Bai Xiang Shou called in an old life-debt and asked to borrow the True Martial Scripture, leaving Huang Zonghai alarmed.

• Huang Zonghai sensed a powerful intruder breach the Crane-Wing Winnowing-Basket Formation and approach Little Mirror Lake.
• He Kui studied the formation, concealed his aura, and slipped through its gates without disturbing its core.
• He Kui crossed Little Mirror Lake on foot and revealed himself to Huang Zonghai as Bai Xiang Shou, missing for more than ten years.
• Huang Zonghai recalled Bai Xiang Shou’s disappearance and offered to repay the debt he owed him, even at the cost of his life.
• Bai Xiang Shou asked to borrow the True Martial Scripture, and Huang Zonghai stared at him in alarm.

Bai Xiang Shou studied the True Martial Scripture in a hidden cavern for seven days and left Taihe Mountain after gaining a new insight. Sect Master Meng Xinghe watched his departure and resolved to give him a chance to soar.

• Huang Zonghai received Meng Xinghe’s instruction and brought Bai Xiang Shou to the cavern where the True Martial Scripture was kept.
• Meng Xinghe and Lao Tingxuan discussed Bai Xiang Shou’s return, his potential, and the True Martial Sect’s lack of young successors.
• Bai Xiang Shou studied the scripture for seven days while Huang Zonghai’s people brought him food and wine.
• Bai Xiang Shou emerged laughing, returned the scripture to Huang Zonghai, and left Taihe Mountain after sensing someone watching him.
• Meng Xinghe told Lao Tingxuan that Bai Xiang Shou had gained insight and compared him to a hidden dragon, saying he would lend him a wisp of wind.

Bai Xiang Shou returned to Drepung Monastery seeking Buddhist teachings to complete his martial arts and settle an old blood debt, where Monk Tingchan confronted him. Meanwhile, Fang Yizhi fought in his first battle with the Western Army Scout Corps, Li Xingzhi set out to sea, and Cui Mengshu arrived at the Knowledge and Practice Institute as He An and Fan Dazhi returned from confinement.

• Bai Xiang Shou recalled his past visit to Drepung Monastery and resolved to obtain the Buddhist Sect's true scriptures before pursuing his blood debt.
• Monk Tingchan emerged through the snow and exchanged a punch with Bai Xiang Shou, while two senior monks judged Bai Xiang Shou close to the grandmaster threshold.
• Fang Yizhi fought in his first Western Army Scout Corps battle, helped his fellow soldiers defeat their enemies, and faced a fresh attack from the woods.
• Li Xingzhi examined a strip of dark yellow cloth, left Green Donkey on the shore, and walked out across the sea.
• Cui Mengshu arrived at the Knowledge and Practice Institute, while He An and Fan Dazhi returned from confinement and rejoined Yan Zhongjie's class.

He An and Fan Dazhi met Ding Feiyong, who tested their calligraphy and scholarship before inviting them to dinner. He An then joined Han Chanjuan and Xue Ning at the Drunken Immortal Tower, where he accepted Chanjuan’s apology and learned more about one another.

• Ding Wenruo invited He An and Fan Dazhi to meet her father, and Han Chanjuan invited He An to dinner at the Drunken Immortal Tower.
• Bi Yunfei greeted He An and Fan Dazhi, but a steward escorted them to Ding Feiyong’s residence.
• He An impressed Ding Feiyong with his calligraphy and learning, while Fan Dazhi amused him by writing rows of numbers.
• He An and Fan Dazhi arrived late at the Drunken Immortal Tower, where Han Chanjuan and Xue Ning were waiting.
• Han Chanjuan apologized, returned He An’s hairpin, and accepted it as a gift when he offered it back.
• He An described his difficult childhood over dinner, and Han Chanjuan felt moved by his calm account.

Emperor Chen learned that the Imperial Preceptor had appeared in Dengzhou and ordered him watched, while voicing his distrust of martial practitioners and scholars. At the Dingding Chancellor's Residence, Ding Feiyong praised He An and Fan Dazhi to Ding Wenruo, then heard his dying father warn him to trust Li Xingzhi and the Knowledge and Practice Institute.

• Ma Zude reported that the Imperial Preceptor had been seen in Dengzhou, and Emperor Chen ordered scouts to track his movements and protect him.
• Emperor Chen told Zhao Delu that martial practitioners and scholars were difficult to control, lamented the loneliness of ruling, and fell asleep while Zhao Delu pounded his leg.
• Ding Feiyong praised He An's character and calligraphy and Fan Dazhi's exceptional learning, prompting Ding Wenruo to recall the two young men with warmth.
• Ding Feiyong found Ding Fengyuan coughing blood and learned that his illness had become incurable.
• Ding Fengyuan told Ding Feiyong that Li Xingzhi, his disciples, and the Knowledge and Practice Institute were the only people he could trust.

Chen Sangyu introduced the principles and history of cultivation to the Knowledge and Practice Institute’s students, demonstrating how cultivators controlled primordial energy. He An realized that his long-practiced method might already make him a cultivator, as Chen announced an aptitude test for the following day.

• Chen Sangyu demonstrated his control over Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy by gathering falling snow into a vast spinning snowball and dispersing it around himself.
• Chen Sangyu explained divine sense, recounted Lü Tuan’s discovery of cultivation and Kong Daoling’s search for the source of primordial energy, and described how cultivators formed and circulated true qi.
• Chen Sangyu outlined the six cultivation realms and the strengths of several sects’ cultivation methods, including the Knowledge and Practice Institute’s Record of Knowledge and Practice.
• He An quietly circulated his cultivation method and sensed wisps of Pure Void Energy entering his Dantian, wondering if he was already a cultivator.
• Chen Sangyu announced that the institute would test students’ cultivation aptitude the next day and explained that the top literary and martial examination scorers could earn a Spirit-Returning Pill.

He An and Fan Dazhi studied with Lu Zhengqing before heading to the institute for a cultivation aptitude test, where Cui Mengshu confronted them. Gu Qingzhou drove Cui and his followers away, then left the testing hall delighted after taking his test.

• Lu Zhengqing tutored He An and Fan Dazhi on the Treatise on Strategy and praised He An’s diligence while chiding Fan Dazhi’s laziness.
• Bi Yunfei praised He An for fighting Cui Mengshu’s men and promised to stand with He An and Fan Dazhi, though He An remained wary of him.
• He An practiced his uncle’s cultivation technique overnight, then went with Fan Dazhi to the institute’s aptitude test the next morning.
• Cui Mengshu and several fighters confronted He An and Fan Dazhi in line, but Bi Yunfei stepped between them.
• Gu Qingzhou hit Cui Mengshu with a pork bun, dismissed him and his followers, and then took his test before leaving in high spirits.

He An and Fan Dazhi displayed exceptional cultivation talent and received special training at the Knowledge and Practice Institute, while Bi Yunfei despaired over his lack of talent. After the pair entered the Library Tower and chose combat manuals, a tall stranger confronted He An with a challenge letter.

• Fan Dazhi's test produced a brilliant white glow, and He An's test produced an even more dazzling yellow light, prompting Feng Shaotang to report their results to Cheng Zi Ya and Wei Zhilin.
• He An and Fan Dazhi received instruction from the Institute's teachers, made rapid progress, and were approved to enter the Library Tower's inner repository.
• Bi Yunfei learned that he alone among his four roommates lacked cultivation talent and vented his frustration in a bamboo grove.
• He An chose the Startling Swan Sword Art, while Fan Dazhi selected Primordial Energy Manifestation and the incomplete Black Tortoise Scripture; He An also took the incomplete Spirit-Shocking Finger.
• A tall stranger approached He An outside the Library Tower and presented him with a challenge letter.

Sun Biao repeatedly challenged He An, hoping to carry out Cui Mengshu’s revenge, but He An refused until he had prepared. After He An revealed he expected the fight and had chosen a technique from the Library Tower’s inner collection, his classmates dispersed, while Ding Wenruo watched him with growing admiration.

• Sun Biao publicly challenged He An, mocked him for refusing, and revealed to the gathered students that He An had entered the Library Tower’s inner collection.
• He An and Fan Dazhi returned to their lodgings to study their cultivation manuals, and Academy Head Cheng Zi Ya visited them and offered his support.
• The next day, Sun Biao challenged He An again after class, but He An refused and dismissed the contest as immature.
• Ding Wenruo offered to ask the Academy Head to intervene, while Gu Qingzhou urged He An to accept the challenge.
• He An told Gu Qingzhou that Cui Mengshu had likely sent Sun Biao and said he would practice the technique he had selected before facing him.
• Gu Qingzhou dispersed the curious students, and Ding Wenruo watched He An with new admiration as the bell rang.

He An endured Sun Biao’s repeated Challenge Letters and rumors while training, as Fan Dazhi discovered how to use divine sense to control objects and observe distant places. The chapter ended with Fan Dazhi asking whether He An could defeat Sun Biao, and He An resolving to keep improving despite his uncertainty.

• He An promised Han Chanjuan that he would eventually accept Sun Biao’s Challenge Letter and defeat him, then moved into spacious new lodgings with Fan Dazhi.
• He An practiced the “Startled Swan Sword Art” and cultivated through the night, while Fan Dazhi noticed a leaf floating in the moonlight and began pondering what he had seen.
• He An repeatedly refused Sun Biao’s Challenge Letter, prompting rumors that he was a coward, even as he trained for over ten days and improved his swordsmanship.
• Fan Dazhi demonstrated that he could levitate a teacup and use his divine sense to observe places nearly a hundred zhang away, then admitted he had considered probing the Female Dormitory.
• Fan Dazhi asked whether He An could beat Sun Biao, and He An said he was unsure but would do his best and keep working to surpass his opponent.

He An and Han Chanjuan shared a winter hot-pot dinner before masked attackers ambushed them with crossbows and sabers. Trapped in a dead-end alley, they faced a brown-clad figure whom He An recognized as he turned deathly pale.

• He An met Han Chanjuan after lessons, and they went to the Imperial Fragrance House for hot pot while she arranged to send most of their meal to Fan Dazhi.
• After dinner, Han Chanjuan thanked He An and promised to support him against the person challenging him.
• He An sensed the street was unnaturally silent and knocked Han Chanjuan aside as two crossbow bolts flew past them.
• He An pulled Han Chanjuan through the streets while four masked attackers pursued and attempted to surround them.
• He An and Han Chanjuan ran into a dead-end alley, where he urged her to flee but she refused to leave him.
• A brown-clad figure descended from the wall and declared that He An would die; He An recognized the newcomer and turned pale.

He An and Han Chanjuan were ambushed by Huang Daogong, who sought to kill He An and assault Han Chanjuan. Cheng Zi Ya arrived in time to defeat Huang, cripple him, and lead the injured pair out of the alley.

• Huang Daogong confronted He An and Han Chanjuan in an alley, and Han Chanjuan attacked him with a dagger.
• He An and Han Chanjuan fought Huang Daogong but were overpowered, while Huang ordered his men to guard the alley with Powerful Crossbows.
• Huang Daogong prepared to kill He An, who secretly gripped the life-saving jade pendant left by He Kui.
• Cheng Zi Ya seized Huang Daogong from behind, then struck him and drove off the crossbowmen with the bolts they fired.
• Cheng Zi Ya shattered Huang Daogong's dan foundation and meridians, and He An and Han Chanjuan followed him out of the alley.

After Cheng Zi Ya rescued He An and Han Chanjuan from Huang Daogong, Han Chanjuan sent He An home with a potent healing pill. The pill nearly overwhelmed He An’s body, but it unexpectedly enabled him to unleash the first form of the Spirit-Shocking Finger, drawing the attention of a mysterious figure on a distant mountain.

• Cheng Zi Ya told He An not to lose heart, and He An and Han Chanjuan rode together to her home in a carriage.
• Han Chanjuan gave He An a scarlet healing pill, and he returned to his lodgings to find Fan Dazhi waiting with food and Wound-Healing Powder.
• As He An cultivated, the pill’s power sent his true qi into chaos and drew a dense vortex of heaven and earth primordial energy into the room.
• He An channeled the turbulent true qi into the Pool at the Bend Acupoint and accidentally unleashed the first form of the Spirit-Shocking Finger, piercing the window.
• Fan Dazhi marveled at He An’s achievement, while a mysterious figure on a mountain noticed the technique and called it interesting.

After his wounds healed and his cultivation improved, He An accepted Sun Biao’s challenge and added a hundred-tael wager. As the school expected him to lose, He An waited for Han Chanjuan, while Ding Wenruo quietly encouraged him before his fight.

• He An woke refreshed after his wounds healed overnight and told Fan Dazhi that strength was needed to protect the people one cared about.
• He An accepted Sun Biao’s challenge to fight at noon the next day and proposed that the loser pay the winner a hundred taels of silver.
• News of the challenge spread, and the students expected Sun Biao to crush He An, though several classmates gathered to support He An and Gu Qingzhou promised a celebratory feast if he won.
• He An spent the school day hoping Han Chanjuan would appear, but she did not come to class.
• Ding Wenruo called to He An as they left school and told him she believed he would win.