Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao defied Yang Quan after defeating Tuoba Shun, while Yang Quan and Tuoba Shun plotted to use the next day’s First-Class Constable Examination to kill him. Unconcerned by the threat, Huang Xiao left Kaifeng in the night and began practicing the Heavenly Demon Dragon Roar with his transverse flute.

• Yang Quan left the inn after Huang Xiao answered him defiantly, and Tuoba Shun followed to demand revenge.
• Yang Quan rebuked Tuoba Shun, then agreed that the First-Class Constable Examination could provide an opportunity to arrange Huang Xiao’s death.
• Iron Crutch warned Huang Xiao that Yang Quan could retaliate through dangerous assignments, but Huang Xiao dismissed the danger because he believed he could defeat him.
• Huang Xiao wondered whether improving martial arts had made him more impulsive, then left the inn during curfew.
• Huang Xiao slipped over Kaifeng’s city wall and reached a wooded hill, where he practiced the Heavenly Demon Dragon Roar on his transverse flute.

Huang Xiao struggled to perform the Heavenly Demon Dragon Roar on different flutes before an intoxicated young man challenged him to a fight. After an hour of trading blows, both fighters were driven back five steps, leaving their contest unresolved.

• Huang Xiao managed only the second roar with a transverse flute, then injured himself when the xiao's first roar rebounded and left him puzzled about which instrument was better suited.
• A drunken, slightly plump young man carrying a huge wine gourd arrived and accused Huang Xiao of waking him with demonic music.
• The young man attacked Huang Xiao, and they exchanged a probing punch and palm strike.
• Huang Xiao used the Air-Piercing Finger after the young man mocked his Blazing Yang Palm, and the young man dodged it before eagerly continuing the fight.
• Huang Xiao and the young man fought across the mountaintop for an hour, damaging rocks and trees, until a clash sent them both back five steps.

After sparring, Huang Xiao and Meng Jiu became friends and discussed the formidable Taixuan Sect disciples Xu Wuyu and Cao Wuxin. Meng Jiu resolved to grow strong enough to defeat the Taixuan Sect’s foremost disciple, while Huang Xiao reflected on how difficult it would be to catch up with them.

• Huang Xiao and Meng Jiu ended their spar and shared Meng Jiu’s powerful wine.
• Meng Jiu introduced himself as the Little Drunkard of Recluse Lake and befriended Huang Xiao, learning that he had defeated Fang Family experts in Xiazhou.
• Meng Jiu praised Huang Xiao’s strength and said he could challenge Low Peak experts, while Huang Xiao acknowledged that both men had held back.
• Huang Xiao confirmed that Xu Wuyu had defeated Reverend Demu and Master Kongming and had reached Mid Peerless.
• Huang Xiao thought about Cao Wuxin’s exceptional strength and doubted whether he could catch up with the Taixuan Sect disciples.
• Meng Jiu revealed that his master had lost to a Taixuan Sect disciple and vowed to overcome the sect’s foremost disciple himself.

Huang Xiao discussed the risks of his uncontrollable Heavenly Demon Skill with Meng Jiu, then practiced his sound art and received a harsh critique. Hong Yi arrived at the mountaintop, apparently anxious about someone pursuing him, and Meng Jiu agreed to confront the pursuer in exchange for a jar of Imperial Wine, Thousand-Year Drunk.

• Huang Xiao told Meng Jiu that Xu Wuyu was his target, and Meng Jiu accepted his demonic cultivation without condemning him.
• Huang Xiao reflected that the Heavenly Demon True Qi in his dantian kept growing on its own and could not be stopped.
• Meng Jiu criticized Huang Xiao's flute playing as ghostly wails and wolfish howls before they both noticed someone approaching.
• Hong Yi arrived, and Meng Jiu recognized that he was nervous about a pursuer.
• Meng Jiu agreed to deal with Hong Yi's pursuer after Hong Yi promised him a jar of Imperial Wine, Thousand-Year Drunk.

Hong Yi wagered his treasured Immortal’s Brew against Meng Jiu holding off his pursuer, then fled before Meng Jiu could object. Meng Jiu let Yan Xi pass, and after learning she had chased Hong Yi, he hurried after them to watch the trouble unfold.

• Hong Yi wagered his Thousand-Year Drunk against Meng Jiu’s Immortal’s Brew, with Huang Xiao as witness, and set a fifteen-minute challenge.
• Hong Yi fled down the mountain, leaving Meng Jiu to stop whoever was pursuing him.
• Yan Xi arrived and demanded to know where Hong Yi had gone; Meng Jiu pointed her after him rather than trying to stop her.
• Meng Jiu told Huang Xiao that Yan Xi was the eldest young lady of the Shuchuan Tang Sect and was dangerous because of her hidden weapons.
• Meng Jiu decided to follow Yan Xi and Hong Yi, hoping to enjoy the spectacle, while Huang Xiao chose to stay behind.

Huang Xiao practiced the second roar of the Heavenly Demon Dragon Roar with a flute, then went to Six Gates headquarters for his First-Class Constable Examination. Du Ge warned that Yang Quan would examine him and urged him to withdraw, but Huang Xiao resolved to face him and suspected Du Ge had developed peerless strength under Retainer Xie's guidance.

• Meng Jiu noticed Huang Xiao's Reserve Constable token and offered to recommend him for a Retainer position, but Huang Xiao said he would take the First-Class Constable Examination.
• Huang Xiao concluded that a flute suited the second roar of the Heavenly Demon Dragon Roar and left for Six Gates headquarters after dawn.
• Du Ge warned Huang Xiao that Yang Quan had come to the headquarters after Huang Xiao defeated Tuoba Shun and three First-Class Constables.
• Du Ge urged Huang Xiao to withdraw because Yang Quan would likely be his examiner, but Huang Xiao said he intended to set a precedent by defeating a Retainer.
• Huang Xiao sensed that Du Ge's powerful cultivation method came from Retainer Xie and suggested Du Ge might be close to Yang Quan's strength.

Huang Xiao learned that Du Ge practiced the legendary Supreme Yang Skill, then went to the Six Gates headquarters for his first-class constable examination. Just as Huang Xiao faced an antagonistic examiner, Yang Quan arrived and questioned whether a reserve constable should be allowed to take the examination.

• Huang Xiao told Du Ge that the Supreme Yang Skill had been created by Tong Jiuyang, the Supreme Yang Divine Lord, and Du Ge was surprised by his cultivation method’s reputation.
• Huang Xiao claimed he had defeated a low-peak expert and encouraged Du Ge to judge his strength by watching the examination against Yang Quan.
• Steward Wu gave Huang Xiao the number-three token and cautioned him to be careful as Du Ge led him to the examination grounds.
• Huang Xiao entered the arena after the second candidate failed, and the examiner treated him coldly because he had defeated several first-class constables.
• Yang Quan arrived with Tuoba Shun and asked the examiner whether a reserve constable had been allowed to take the first-class constable examination.

Yang Quan took over as referee for Huang Xiao’s First-Class Constable Examination, intending to use the match to punish him. Huang Xiao challenged Yang Quan with taunts and held his own in their opening exchanges, leaving the examination still underway.

• Yang Quan dismissed the Referee and took charge of Huang Xiao’s examination, while nearby constables learned that Huang Xiao was a Reserve Constable attempting the First-Class test.
• Huang Xiao provoked Yang Quan by pretending he had secretly transmitted his voice, then asked what would happen if Yang Quan surrendered or was knocked out of the arena.
• After the Recording Official began the examination, Huang Xiao rushed Yang Quan and met his palm strike, forcing him back.
• Huang Xiao appeared behind Yang Quan and kicked at him; their shins collided, and Yang Quan retreated with his leg numb.

Huang Xiao fought Yang Quan in the assessment and proved his palm technique and internal power were formidable, but Yang Quan rejected his concession and kept attacking. The chapter ended with Yang Quan blocking Huang Xiao from leaving the arena while Du Ge challenged his abuse of authority.

• Huang Xiao exchanged palm strikes with Yang Quan and forced him to retreat, revealing that his Palm Force surpassed Yang Quan's Mountain-Shaking Palm.
• Yang Quan unleashed Power Shakes Mountains and Rivers, and its clash sent Huang Xiao flying, though Huang Xiao landed safely.
• Huang Xiao called out that he conceded, but Yang Quan refused to end the assessment and chased him around the arena.
• The recording officer and Du Ge objected, but Yang Quan insisted that the assessment continued and the constables stayed silent.
• Huang Xiao ran toward the edge of the arena, but Yang Quan blocked him and Huang Xiao asked whether he meant to leave him no way to live.

Huang Xiao turned the assessment into a fight with Yang Quan and revealed that he was far stronger than the retainer expected. After defeating Yang Quan’s Soul-Severing Three Palms, Huang Xiao refused to accept his concession and left the crowd too frightened to respond.

• Yang Quan challenged Huang Xiao to a fight, and Huang Xiao mocked him and Tuoba Shun before Yang Quan charged.
• Huang Xiao struck Yang Quan and sent him flying, then pursued him as Yang Quan retreated in fear.
• Yang Quan unleashed the Soul-Severing Three Palms, but Huang Xiao met it with the third-layer force of the Heavenly Demon Subduing Tiger Fist and knocked him down again.
• Yang Quan conceded the assessment, but Huang Xiao pretended not to hear him and asked the constables below whether they had heard anything.

Huang Xiao defeated Yang Quan in the examination arena and refused to let him escape punishment, even after Tuoba Xing arrived to intervene. The chapter ended with Huang Xiao crippling Yang Quan’s dantian as Tuoba Xing rushed toward them.

• Huang Xiao kicked Yang Quan back into the arena when he tried to flee, then the Recording Official declared that Huang Xiao had passed the examination.
• Huang Xiao continued beating Yang Quan and rejected the Recording Official’s warning that killing a Retainer could bring trouble.
• Tuoba Xing arrived and ordered Huang Xiao to release Yang Quan, revealing that Yang Quan belonged to the Tuoba Family.
• Huang Xiao told Tuoba Xing that Yang Quan would pay for trying to kill him, then struck Yang Quan’s dantian before Tuoba Xing could stop him.

Huang Xiao crippled Yang Quan’s cultivation during the assessment, prompting Tuoba Xing to challenge him. They fought with palm techniques, footwork, and fists, ending in a contest of internal power as Huang Xiao held back his strongest techniques.

• Huang Xiao kicked Yang Quan away and crippled his cultivation, which Tuoba Shun discovered when he tried to help him.
• Tuoba Xing confronted Huang Xiao for defying his order, and Huang Xiao insisted that Tuoba Xing had no right to interfere in the assessment.
• Tuoba Xing and Huang Xiao agreed to fight, while Du Ge left to seek Senior Xie’s help.
• Huang Xiao struck with the Blazing Yang Palm, and Tuoba Xing recognized it as a technique from Poison God Valley.
• Tuoba Xing mistook Huang Xiao’s Snake-Traveling Tiny Steps for Poison God Valley’s Eight Trigrams Footwork, then increased his speed and forced Huang Xiao to fight directly.
• Their fists collided, and the two began contesting internal power as Huang Xiao chose not to use the third layer of his fist force or the Heavenly Demon Skill.

Huang Xiao and Tuoba Xing fought to a standstill, and Huang Xiao survived Tuoba Xing’s Force-Shifting Position Exchange without injury. As the duel intensified, Du Ge returned with Arrest Sages Princess Yunya and You, who hurried to the assessment grounds to prevent further casualties.

• Tuoba Xing used Force-Shifting Position Exchange to turn Huang Xiao’s fist force against him and followed with his own attack, but Huang Xiao absorbed and neutralized both forces.
• Huang Xiao mocked Tuoba Xing’s technique, and the two exchanged rapid blows as the watching constables struggled to follow their evenly matched fight.
• Huang Xiao and Tuoba Xing each raised their strength and charged at one another again after briefly retreating.
• Du Ge searched for Xie Qing, then returned to the Six Gates headquarters and asked Princess Yunya and You to save Huang Xiao.
• Princess Yunya urged You to go to the assessment grounds before more people were hurt, and the two Arrest Sages hurried there.

Huang Xiao and Tuoba Xing fought to a standstill until Arrest Sage You intervened and sent them flying apart. After Tuoba Shun accused Huang Xiao of crippling Yang Quan, Arrest Sage You demanded that Huang Xiao answer for his crime.

• Huang Xiao and Tuoba Xing exchanged several hundred moves, then prepared to unleash their stronger attacks against each other.
• Arrest Sage You rushed between them and struck them both with his palms, stopping the fight and injuring them.
• Tuoba Xing respectfully addressed the newcomer as Arrest Sage, and Huang Xiao bowed and paid his respects.
• Tuoba Shun accused Huang Xiao of crippling Retainer Yang's cultivation and asked Arrest Sage You to uphold justice.
• Arrest Sage You rebuked Tuoba Shun, then asked Huang Xiao whether he acknowledged crippling a Retainer in public as a crime.

Huang Xiao avoided immediate punishment after Princess Yunya took charge of the case over his crippling Yang Quan’s cultivation. In private, she questioned him about the events in Xiazhou, and he began recounting what he knew while withholding certain details.

• Huang Xiao defended himself by explaining that Yang Quan had attacked him first, and Princess Yunya persuaded Arrest Sage You to let her handle the matter.
• The recording official and nearby constables confirmed the events, and Princess Yunya took Huang Xiao with her while Arrest Sage You stayed behind.
• Huang Xiao saw Du Ge arrive and exchange a relieved nod with him before following Princess Yunya to the Yellow Gate courtyard.
• Princess Yunya praised Huang Xiao’s strength, warned that another Arrest Sage could have killed him for defying a retainer, and noted that his Poison God Valley ties offered protection.
• Princess Yunya asked Huang Xiao about the events in Xiazhou, and he agreed to recount what he knew while omitting certain details.

Huang Xiao learned how the Six Gates handled his defiance and how its power was divided among the six gates and their Retainers. Zhao Yunya left him with a warning to follow the rules, while explaining that the Arrest God position had been vacant for ten years and that she and her father only served in acting roles.

• Princess Yunya and Huang Xiao discussed Xu Wuyu's strength, the Taixuan Sect, and the Seven Spirit Atlas, which the Six Gates was monitoring.
• Princess Yunya ended Huang Xiao's punishment because Zhao Yunhui had asked her to look after him, then warned him to obey the Six Gates' rules and beware of the Tuoba Family.
• Huang Xiao asked about the other Arrest Sages, and Zhao Yunya explained that Huang Qitao of the Heaven Gate was far stronger than the others.
• Zhao Yunya explained that the gates' Retainers were independent masters whose support depended on strength and relationships, leaving the Yellow Gate at a disadvantage.
• Zhao Yunya told Huang Xiao that Prince Jin only oversaw the Six Gates as acting Arrest God, while she served as acting Arrest Sage because her strength was insufficient for the true title.

Huang Xiao learned why the Six Gates’ Arrest God position had remained vacant and that the previous Arrest God, Mu Jingfei, had rebelled and escaped ten years earlier. Zhao Yunya arranged for Huang Xiao to stay in Kaifeng while she prepared to recommend him as a retainer, and he left to celebrate with Du Ge.

• Zhao Yunya explained that the Six Gates’ retainers would not accept Prince Jin as Arrest God and that the emperor was still considering a candidate, likely Huang Qitao.
• Zhao Yunya revealed that the former Arrest God, Mu Jingfei, had rebelled ten years earlier, escaped the forces sent after him, and remained missing.
• Zhao Yunya told Huang Xiao to stay in Kaifeng while she arranged his appointment as a retainer, and warned him to be cautious of Tuoba Xing.
• Huang Xiao left the courtyard confident he could face Tuoba Xing again, and Du Ge greeted him outside and invited him to celebrate his assessment success.
• Huang Xiao agreed to pay for a meal, showed Du Ge a five-hundred-tael banknote, and heard that Tuoba Xing had left with Yang Quan.
• Du Ge praised Huang Xiao’s strength and compared him with young experts such as Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng, while Huang Xiao declared that he intended to surpass them.

Huang Xiao and Du Ge visited the Top Scholar Pavilion, where they discussed the restaurant’s prices and Du Ge’s prospects in the Six Gates. The chapter left them interrupted by someone who recognized Huang Xiao as the newcomer reached their table.

• Huang Xiao told Du Ge that surpassing Tuoba Xing would be no problem, and the two headed for the Top Scholar Pavilion.
• Du Ge explained the restaurant’s reputation and prices before he and Huang Xiao took a table in the crowded second-floor dining hall.
• Du Ge ordered fifteen dishes and a jar of hundred-year-old Daughter Red, and the two began eating and drinking.
• Huang Xiao asked about Du Ge’s strength, and Du Ge said he planned to apply for the Special-Class Constable examination rather than risk the more difficult Retainer examination.
• An approaching man recognized Huang Xiao when he reached the top of the stairs.

Huang Xiao celebrated with Hong Yi, Meng Jiu, and Du Ge, who praised his fight with Tuoba Xing and discussed his likely appointment as a retainer. Hong Yi asked Huang Xiao and Du Ge to support Zhao Yunya, and the gathering ended with Hong Yi embarrassed when Huang Xiao asked why a Tang Sect woman had chased him.

• Hong Yi and Meng Jiu joined Huang Xiao and Du Ge for wine, teasing each other and debating who owed whom Immortal’s Brew.
• Hong Yi and Meng Jiu praised Huang Xiao for standing up to Tuoba Xing and learned that Zhao Yunya had told him to wait for a possible retainer appointment.
• Hong Yi asked Huang Xiao to help Zhao Yunya, and Huang Xiao agreed to support her as a Yellow Gate constable.
• Du Ge offered to join them, and Hong Yi recognized his Supreme Yang Skill and proposed a sparring match.
• Huang Xiao asked why a Tang Sect woman had chased Hong Yi, who choked and stopped him from continuing while Meng Jiu laughed at him.

Hong Yi and Meng Jiu were caught mocking Yan Xi when she arrived and demanded to know where Dugu Sheng had gone. Hong Yi revealed that Dugu Sheng was at Ghost Wave Bay in the East Sea, while the conversation turned to the formidable You Lian'er and Xu Wuyu.

• Hong Yi and Meng Jiu joked about teaching Yan Xi a lesson, and Yan Xi confronted them at their table.
• Yan Xi demanded Dugu Sheng's whereabouts, and Hong Yi told her he had gone into seclusion at Ghost Wave Bay in the East Sea.
• Hong Yi explained that You Lian'er had shocked Dugu Sheng and himself with her cultivation, warning Yan Xi that she was no match for her.
• Meng Jiu told Hong Yi that Xu Wuyu had Mid Peerless strength, astonishing Hong Yi.