Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xiaohua built a grass shelter, experimented with Qi cultivation, and discovered that his Big Dipper Divine Fist seemed to temper his bones. After Ma Jing mistook the shelter for a calculated attempt to curry favor with Ou Yan, Zhang Xiaohua continued to the forest to practice his lightness skills and Misty Steps.

• Old Yu warned Zhang Xiaohua about the dangers of internal cultivation, while Ou Yan approved his grass shelter and told him to practice carefully.
• Zhang Xiaohua finished the shelter, noticed his strength and right-hand dexterity had improved, and used visualization to circulate primordial Qi for thirty-six cycles.
• While practicing his fist and sword techniques, Zhang Xiaohua realized the Big Dipper Divine Fist guided a current through 108 bones rather than his meridians.
• Zhang Xiaohua continued his cultivation and reading, then discovered Ma Jing and Liu Er believed his shelter was a shrewd bid to curry favor with Ou Yan.
• Ma Jing said the servants were discussing Zhang Xiaohua and hurried toward the warehouse, while Zhang Xiaohua decided not to worry about their misunderstanding.
• Zhang Xiaohua entered the forest and practiced the lightness skills and Misty Steps He Tianshu had taught him.

Zhang Xiaohua studied the next levels of Misty Steps and discovered that their qinggong techniques required internal energy, though Floating Technique appeared clearly in his mind. He wondered whether he could practice the techniques through visualization, then learned that Miss had registered him for the Misty Sect's Martial Arts Tournament.

• Zhang Xiaohua practiced basic qinggong in the grove and accidentally evaded He Tianshu's punch with Misty Steps.
• He Tianshu gave Zhang Xiaohua pages describing the second- and third-level methods of Misty Steps to study.
• Zhang Xiaohua comprehended the third-level vertical ascent and Floating Technique methods, but realized both depended on internal energy.
• Zhang Xiaohua considered using visualization to practice qinggong while working and sleeping in the thatched shed.
• Qiutong visited Zhang Xiaohua and told him that Miss had registered him for the Misty Sect's Martial Arts Tournament.

Zhang Xiaohua discovered that two steps in the second level of the Misty Steps manual had been reversed, allowing him to understand the entire sequence. During a storm, he practiced Qi Introduction in his grass shack and drew in unusually lively Primordial Qi, but a thunderclap struck directly above him.

• Qiutong visited Zhang Xiaohua, advised him not to tear down his grass shack, and cautioned him against overtraining before the Martial Arts Tournament.
• He Tianshu returned the Misty Steps manual pages to Zhang Xiaohua, then took him to the woods to teach him more footwork, which Zhang Xiaohua struggled to perform.
• After He Tianshu left, Zhang Xiaohua realized two steps in the footwork were reversed and corrected them, then comprehended the rest of the second level.
• Rain drove Zhang Xiaohua into his grass shack, where he read before beginning his nightly Qi Introduction practice.
• Zhang Xiaohua drew in lively Primordial Qi and circulated it through his meridians until thunder struck directly above the shack.

Zhang Xiaohua survived a night of violent Qi and thunder, waking with Qi Sensation and enlarged, repaired meridians without understanding what had happened. He discovered that the surge of Primordial Qi was gone, then returned He Tianshu’s Misty Steps pages and asked him to arrange lessons in sword or saber techniques.

• Thunder struck while Zhang Xiaohua cultivated, disrupting his perception and sending violent Primordial Qi flooding into his meridians until he lost consciousness at midnight.
• As Zhang Xiaohua slept, starlight shielded him, repaired and expanded his damaged meridians, and helped him absorb the Qi and mysterious vitality until dawn.
• Zhang Xiaohua woke covered in black residue and blood, washed himself, and then discovered a fine thread of internal energy moving through his meridians.
• Zhang Xiaohua circulated the Carefree Heart Sutra for thirty-six cycles, but found that the Primordial Qi he had sensed the night before had disappeared.
• He Tianshu visited to retrieve the Misty Steps pages, warned Zhang Xiaohua about cultivating during thunderstorms, and offered to have the returning companions teach him martial arts.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked for sword or saber lessons instead of fist techniques, and He Tianshu agreed on the companions’ behalf.

Zhang Xiaohua reflected on trusting his own martial arts insights, then failed to master the Misty Steps’ lightness skill and sought He Tianshu’s guidance. He Tianshu discovered that the manual contained an exceptionally powerful lightness skill and thanked Zhang Xiaohua for sharing it.

• Zhang Xiaohua advanced the Big Dipper Divine Fist to its third level and later mastered the second-level footwork of the Misty Steps through his own practice.
• After realizing he had been waiting for He Tianshu’s approval unnecessarily, Zhang Xiaohua decided to follow his own understanding and began studying the Misty Steps’ third-level lightness skill.
• Zhang Xiaohua failed to make the lightness skill work and, unable to find He Tianshu, returned to his shed to cultivate.
• He Tianshu told Zhang Xiaohua that a portion of the Misty Steps had helped him defeat a previously superior opponent at the Medicine Hall.
• He Tianshu read the third-level method, recognized its lightness skill as the finest in the Misty Sect, and thanked Zhang Xiaohua for letting him learn it.

He Tianshu explained the two methods in Misty Steps and Zhang Xiaohua prepared for the Martial Arts Tournament. As the tournament began, a Misty Sect man sent Zhang Xiaohua galloping away on a horse he could not control, and the chapter ended with the horse charging past the Villa guard.

• He Tianshu said the first method in Misty Steps was a practical vertical-leaping technique, while the second required releasing true qi outside the body and was likely impossible to use for lightness skill.
• He Tianshu asked whether Zhang Xiaohua would enter the Martial Arts Tournament and advised him to practice Misty Steps; Zhang Xiaohua said Manor Lord Ou had registered him.
• Qiuju told Zhang Xiaohua the tournament was starting that day and escorted him to the Inner Courtyard, where a coldly dismissive Misty Sect man was waiting.
• The man mocked Zhang Xiaohua, then lifted him onto a horse and sent it galloping off, despite knowing Zhang Xiaohua could not ride.
• Zhang Xiaohua steadied himself on the horse but could not make it stop, so he shouted that he was a beginner as he charged through the Villa side gate.
• The guard dodged Zhang Xiaohua's horse, then threw himself aside again when the Misty Sect man galloped up behind him.

Zhang Xiaohua reached the Misty Sect for its Martial Arts Tournament after a chaotic ride and a humiliating fall. He discovered the tournament was for the young disciples of Fledgling Eagle Hall, reunited with Shangguan Yun and Yu Deyi, and listened as Ou Peng officially opened the event.

• A Misty Sect disciple chased Zhang Xiaohua from Huanxi Mountain Villa, and Zhang Xiaohua’s horse stopped abruptly at the Misty Sect gate, throwing him to the ground.
• Zhang Xiaohua argued with Jiang about being tricked, then followed him through Misty Mountain Villa, mistaking its many fighting rings for opera stages.
• Jiang delivered Zhang Xiaohua to Steward Xu at the Fledgling Eagle Hall compound, where Zhang Xiaohua saw a crowd of young disciples and a central ring.
• Zhang Xiaohua spotted Shangguan Yun and Yu Deyi among the spectators and hurried over to ask what was happening.
• Ou Peng announced the start of the Martial Arts Tournament and delivered a long speech to the Fledgling Eagle Hall disciples.

Zhang Xiaohua entered the Misty Sect’s Commoner First Rank tournament and discovered that the young disciples were far more skilled than he had expected. When it was his turn to fight, he revealed that he had never learned lightness skill and tried to climb onto the platform, leaving Captain Chang speechless.

• Ou Peng opened the Martial Arts Tournament, and Zhang Xiaohua realized the Commoner First Rank matches were meant for children under ten.
• Steward Xu gave Zhang Xiaohua plaque Number 250 and assigned him to a group of younger, shorter children, while Shangguan Yun and Yu Deyi joined other groups.
• Team Leader Ma and Team Leader Li explained the round-robin rules, and Zhang Xiaohua watched the children demonstrate impressive martial arts and lightness skill.
• A child surnamed Chang won his match and gave Zhang Xiaohua a provocative look, while Zhang Xiaohua assessed the other contestants.
• When his turn came, Zhang Xiaohua tried to climb onto the platform because he had never learned lightness skill, prompting Captain Chang to consider changing the tournament rules.

Zhang Xiaohua competed in the Martial Arts Tournament, drew all nine of his matches, and unexpectedly used the Misty Steps and Floating Technique. The chapter ended with the exhausted group collapsing after he asked Team Leader Ma where they would eat.

• Captain Chang tried to send Zhang Xiaohua onto the arena, accidentally throwing him over it, then helped him up more carefully.
• Zhang Xiaohua fought Mu Tangchun, used the Misty Steps to dodge his attacks, and drew the match when time ran out.
• Team Leader Ma recognized the Misty Steps and wondered why Zhang Xiaohua from Huanxi Mountain Villa knew the sect's secret movement art.
• Zhang Xiaohua reflected on his brief attempt at the Floating Technique, then fought the rest of his group to draws by combining his strength with the Misty Steps.
• After Zhang Xiaohua finished all nine matches, he asked Team Leader Ma where they would eat, and everyone collapsed in exasperation.

Shangguan Yun and Yu Deyi suffered humiliating results in the first day of the Martial Arts Tournament, while Zhang Xiaohua focused on finding food and then went looking for Zhang Xiaohu. With Changge's help, he reached Zhang Xiaohu's courtyard, where the brothers reunited and Zhang Xiaohu asked who had come with him.

• Shangguan Yun lost all three of his matches and wondered how Yu Deyi had fared.
• Yu Deyi drew two matches and lost one, then secretly hoped his rivals would get diarrhea before the next day’s bouts.
• Zhang Xiaohua asked Captain Chang whether he could move freely around the Misty Sect and learned he could visit Zhang Xiaohu’s residence.
• After getting lost, Zhang Xiaohua met Aunt Qin, who asked Changge to guide him to Zhang Xiaohu’s courtyard.
• Changge questioned Zhang Xiaohua about killing the old man in black, and he said the man had simply been careless.
• Zhang Xiaohua sang through the gate to summon Zhang Xiaohu, who came out delighted and asked whether Young Master Li Jinfeng had accompanied him.

Zhang Xiaohua visited Zhang Xiaohu, met Changge, and discussed the Martial Arts Tournament and their wish to return home together. After the brothers sparred and went to sleep, Zhang Xiaohua’s Carefree Heart Sutra drew in starlight and Primordial Qi, quietly strengthening his true qi.

• Changge greeted Zhang Xiaohu, recognized Zhang Xiaohua, and left to prepare for her competition while promising to cheer him on if she finished early.
• Zhang Xiaohu warned Zhang Xiaohua about the tournament’s skilled disciples, and Zhang Xiaohua urged him not to let fear of losing face prevent him from learning.
• The brothers agreed to wait until Zhang Xiaohu could get leave before returning home together, and Zhang Xiaohua stayed at his courtyard for the night.
• Zhang Xiaohua explained that repeating his fist routine brought a cool current through his bones, then sparred with Zhang Xiaohu without using Misty Steps.
• After the brothers went to sleep, Zhang Xiaohua’s Carefree Heart Sutra absorbed starlight and Primordial Qi, which merged into and slightly strengthened his true qi.

Zhang Xiaohu accompanied Zhang Xiaohua to Fledgling Eagle Hall for the second day of the tournament, where he watched the young disciples’ impressive matches and reflected on his place in Misty Sect. When Zhang Xiaohua’s turn came, he climbed onto the arena with his brother’s help and showed off his graceful movement, leaving Zhang Xiaohu embarrassed and Captain Chang intrigued.

• Zhang Xiaohu teased Zhang Xiaohua about calling out Junior Sister Changge in his sleep, then asked whether his younger brother knew her or Hall Master Qin of Mingcui Hall.
• Zhang Xiaohu accompanied Zhang Xiaohua to Fledgling Eagle Hall, where they met Shangguan Yun and Yu Deyi, who said they had lost all three of their matches the previous day.
• The guards admitted Zhang Xiaohua, Zhang Xiaohu, and the two guest competitors, and the captains explained that Zhang Xiaohua could stay elsewhere as long as he arrived for his matches on time.
• Zhang Xiaohu watched the children’s bouts and felt humbled by their skill, then found pride in his connection to Zhang Xiaohua and resolved to work toward Misty Sect’s future.
• When Captain Chang called Zhang Xiaohua’s number, Zhang Xiaohua asked Zhang Xiaohu to boost him onto the arena, then flipped gracefully onto the platform using movements he had learned from Misty Steps.
• Captain Chang became interested in Misty Steps and quietly sent a disciple to carry out his instructions, while Zhang Xiaohu walked away embarrassed and someone asked what he had been doing.

Zhang Xiaohu reunited with Changge and Chen Chen at the tournament and watched Zhang Xiaohua fight to a draw using his strength and Misty Steps. Zhang Xiaohu resolved to catch up with Changge, and Zhang Xiaohua prepared for his next match using a ladder instead of being thrown onto the platform.

• Zhang Xiaohu explained to Changge and Chen Chen that Zhang Xiaohua did not know lightness skill, and Changge stopped Chen Chen from embarrassing him with more questions.
• Zhang Xiaohu, Changge, and Chen Chen watched Zhang Xiaohua fight an opponent to a draw by meeting attacks with his strength and dodging techniques with Misty Steps.
• Zhang Xiaohua greeted Changge and Chen Chen, then told them that Great Gang Leader Ou had forbidden him from revealing the source of his footwork.
• Zhang Xiaohu admitted that he felt ashamed of his weak martial arts, and Changge encouraged him to focus on training; they agreed to address each other by name.
• Changge and Chen Chen watched and evaluated the tournament matches with Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua.
• Captain Chang brought a ladder for Zhang Xiaohua to use, and Zhang Xiaohua climbed onto the platform for his next match.

Zhang Xiaohua drew his matches through brute force and spent the day at Fledgling Eagle Hall with Zhang Xiaohu, Changge, and Chen Chen. He later went with Zhang Xiaohu to visit He Tianshu at Medicine Hall, but the guards refused him entry without special authorization.

• Zhang Xiaohua fought another draw while Changge and Chen Chen watched, and Yu Deyi and Shangguan Yun withdrew from the tournament after suffering defeats.
• Chen Chen questioned Zhang Xiaohua about his Big Dipper Divine Fist, while Changge explained the contestants’ moves to Zhang Xiaohu.
• Zhang Xiaohua drew his next match, and Changge and Chen Chen declined Zhang Xiaohu’s dinner invitation before parting from the brothers.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Zhang Xiaohu he had not lost his earlier matches and promised to win the following day, then asked to visit He Tianshu at Medicine Hall.
• Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Xiaohua reached Medicine Hall, but the guard allowed Zhang Xiaohua’s identity plaque only as proof of identity and barred him from entering without special authorization.

Zhang Xiaohua was barred from entering Medicine Hall and was humiliated by Steward Chang when he tried to greet him. Zhang Xiaohu and He Tianshu sought permission for him to visit, but Steward Chang accused him of suspicious intentions, and He Tianshu challenged the accusation before Hall Master Bai.

• Zhang Xiaohu entered Medicine Hall to find He Tianshu while Zhang Xiaohua waited outside its gate.
• Steward Chang berated Zhang Xiaohua and insulted him when he recognized him from Huanxi Mountain Villa.
• Zhang Xiaohu found He Tianshu sparring in the Training Room, where others praised He Tianshu's newly learned Misty Steps.
• He Tianshu decided to ask Hall Master Bai for a token so Zhang Xiaohua could enter Medicine Hall.
• Steward Chang accused Zhang Xiaohua of lurking and possibly stealing, and He Tianshu asked what evidence supported the accusation.

Chang Biao tried to keep Zhang Xiaohua out of the Medicine Hall, but Hall Master Bai granted him entry after Zhang Xiaohu vouched for his younger brother. He Tianshu showed the brothers around and revealed that a path led to a forbidden area in the sect’s back mountain, leaving Zhang Xiaohua eager to hear the rumors about it.

• Chang Biao objected to Hall Master Bai giving Zhang Xiaohua access to the Medicine Hall until Zhang Xiaohu identified himself as Zhang Xiaohua’s full-blooded older brother and offered to take responsibility for him.
• Hall Master Bai gave He Tianshu a token for Zhang Xiaohua, then told Elder He that Zhang Xiaohua had helped He Tianshu learn Misty Steps and had helped Zhang Xiaohu enter Wen Wenhai’s tutelage.
• He Tianshu and Zhang Xiaohu brought the impatient Zhang Xiaohua through the Medicine Hall gate, and the three agreed that he would stay there overnight and return to see the medicinal fields in daylight.
• He Tianshu stopped Zhang Xiaohua from following a path up the mountain and explained that it led to a restricted area where Misty Sect disciples were forbidden to go.
• Zhang Xiaohua quietly asked He Tianshu whether there were any rumors about what lay inside the restricted area.

Zhang Xiaohua discovered that Primordial Qi was especially abundant in the Medicine Hall guest rooms and decided He Tianshu’s token could help his cultivation. He then attended the final day of the Fledgling Eagle Hall tournament with He Tianshu and several others, while Zhang Xiaohu happily reunited with Changge and Aunt Qin at the arena.

• He Tianshu refused to tell Zhang Xiaohua about rumors surrounding a hidden path into the forbidden area, then took the brothers to stay in the Medicine Hall guest rooms.
• Zhang Xiaohua cultivated the Carefree Heart Sutra and found that the guest rooms held several times more Primordial Qi than the medicinal fields at Huanxi Mountain Villa.
• Zhang Xiaohua resolved to seek He Tianshu’s token after realizing that cultivation depended on the location’s supply of Primordial Qi.
• He Tianshu insisted on watching Zhang Xiaohua compete and brought Nie Xiao Er and three other disciples along to Fledgling Eagle Hall.
• Zhang Xiaohu waited anxiously for Changge until she arrived with Aunt Qin, then greeted them and eagerly agreed to tell Changge more stories.

Zhang Xiaohua drew another tournament match using Misty Steps, astonishing He Tianshu and earning praise from Aunt Qin. After the spectators left, he traded the name of the footwork to Nie Xiao Er and the others for eight sets of saber or sword techniques, while keeping its origin secret.

• Aunt Qin and several Mingcui Hall disciples arrived to cheer Zhang Xiaohua, and he soon took his turn on the platform.
• Zhang Xiaohua used advanced Misty Steps to draw his match, leaving Nie Xiao Er and the others amazed and inspiring He Tianshu to reconsider the footwork.
• He Tianshu questioned Zhang Xiaohua about how he learned the later movements, then left to study the inspiration he had gained.
• Aunt Qin, the Mingcui Hall disciples, and Zhang Xiaohu departed, while Nie Xiao Er and the others stayed to ask Zhang Xiaohua about his footwork.
• Zhang Xiaohua bargained with Nie Xiao Er for eight sets of saber or sword techniques in exchange for the name Misty Steps, then withheld the secret of how he had learned it.

Zhang Xiaohua finished the first stage of the Martial Arts Tournament with nine draws and learned that he could compete in the remaining stages, so he decided to return the next day. At Zhang Xiaohu’s residence, he found his second brother training himself into exhaustion and learned that Zhang Xiaohu felt inferior to him.

• Nie Xiao Er and the others left Fledgling Eagle Hall and decided to fulfill their promise to teach Zhang Xiaohua by demonstrating techniques or giving him manuals, without ensuring that he learned them.
• Zhang Xiaohua drew his remaining matches, ending the first stage with nine draws, and placed fifth; Captain Chang then explained that three disciples would be recommended to make up for the advancement spot Zhang Xiaohua occupied.
• Captain Chang explained the tournament’s second and third stages, and Zhang Xiaohua decided to return the next day after learning that he could compete without taking a Fledgling Eagle Hall disciple’s spot.
• Zhang Xiaohua returned to Zhang Xiaohu’s courtyard and interrupted his second brother’s relentless fist practice by challenging him to spar.
• Zhang Xiaohua pretended to be hurt so Zhang Xiaohu would stop fighting, then asked why he had been practicing so desperately.
• Zhang Xiaohu admitted that he felt useless because Zhang Xiaohua had become much stronger despite having no master and incomplete training.

Zhang Xiaohu recovered his confidence after reflecting on his priorities and learning that Zhang Xiaohua’s right hand had healed. Zhang Xiaohua advanced to the second round of the Martial Arts Tournament, where his first elimination match began with him still ranked last.

• Zhang Xiaohu brooded over his stagnant martial arts after seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s skill, then reconsidered his self-pity after Zhang Xiaohua reminded him of his former confidence.
• Zhang Xiaohua told Zhang Xiaohu that his right hand had healed, and Zhang Xiaohu rejoiced and stopped blaming himself for failing to notice.
• Zhang Xiaohua revealed that he had entered the tournament’s second round, and Zhang Xiaohu congratulated him before warning that the elimination matches would be harder.
• Zhang Xiaohua practiced Qi Introduction overnight at Zhang Xiaohu’s residence and found its Primordial Qi was denser than at Huanxi Mountain Villa, though less abundant than in the Medicine Hall.
• Captain Chang gave Zhang Xiaohua Number 250 and explained that the second round’s pairings were arranged by number rather than by arena.
• Zhang Xiaohua was called to his first elimination match, and when the captain told him to climb onto the stage, he asked the captain to throw him up.