Chapter Summaries

The Dragon-Seeking Envoy and Wu Yong learned that Huang Xiao, the Jade Thumb Ring’s owner, had been gravely injured by the Huaqing Sect, and they hurried to find him while sending protection to his sect. At a ruined temple, Xuanzhenzi treated Huang Xiao’s injuries, discovering that Huang Xiao was absorbing his internal power as he healed.

• The Dragon-Seeking Envoy told Wu Yong that he had come to investigate clues Bai Tianqi of the Huaqing Sect had obtained about the Scripture of Great Peace, but the search for the Jade Thumb Ring’s owner now took priority.
• Wu Yong showed the Dragon-Seeking Envoy a portrait of Huang Xiao, whom the envoy recognized as the gravely injured young Daoist he had seen with the Huaqing Sect.
• The Dragon-Seeking Envoy and Wu Yong rushed to find Huang Xiao, and the envoy ordered Wu Yong to guard the Green Ox Gate against the Huaqing Sect.
• Xuanzhenzi carried Huang Xiao to a dilapidated temple thirty li away, where he began treating Huang Xiao’s damaged meridians and chaotic true qi.
• Xuanzhenzi discovered that Huang Xiao was absorbing his internal power and incorporating it into his own, while Huang Xiao felt his injuries begin to heal.

Huang Xiao’s meridians nearly burst as he involuntarily absorbed Xuanzhenzi’s Internal Power, but he used the Golden-Winged Roc’s breathing and a vision of his dantian as an endless sea to contain it. Xuanzhenzi stopped resisting and deliberately fed him more power, while Huang Xiao continued absorbing it.

• Xuanzhenzi’s Internal Power surged uncontrollably into Huang Xiao, leaving them unable to separate and putting Huang Xiao’s meridians in danger of rupturing.
• Xuanzhenzi feared he had doomed his disciple, but Huang Xiao reassured him that he held no resentment.
• As Huang Xiao faced death, memories of the Golden-Winged Roc’s breathing led him to imagine his dantian as the vast Northern Darkness gathering countless rivers.
• Huang Xiao imitated the Roc’s breathing and drew Internal Power from his meridians into his dantian, where it seemed to vanish without filling it.
• Xuanzhenzi realized Huang Xiao could contain the power and actively increased its flow, while Huang Xiao continued absorbing it.

Xuanzhenzi passed the Green Ox Gate leadership, its Death Seal technique, and his remaining internal power to Huang Xiao before dying. Huang Xiao buried his master and left, vowing to seek revenge only after he became strong enough.

• Xuanzhenzi died after transferring much of his internal power to Huang Xiao and teaching him the Death Seal.
• Xuanzhenzi named Huang Xiao the new Green Ox Gate sect leader, gave him the Sect Leader Token, and warned him not to return to Green Ox Temple or seek revenge yet.
• Huang Xiao buried Xuanzhenzi and vowed to avenge him when he had enough strength.
• Huang Xiao prayed that his three senior brothers would escape Bai Tianqi's attack and decided to avoid Green Ox Temple and the Huaqing Sect.
• Huang Xiao kowtowed before Xuanzhenzi's grave and resolutely departed.

Huang Xiao hid from the Huaqing Sect and took shelter in a dilapidated Daoist temple, where a mysterious woman sealed his acupoints and meditated beside him. After three lecherous pursuers revealed that they had poisoned her, she covered his eyes with a handkerchief, leaving Huang Xiao unable to see what she would do next.

• Huang Xiao traveled through the mountains at night and settled down to sleep in an abandoned Daoist temple.
• A woman in white appeared, sealed Huang Xiao's acupoints, and sat meditating beside him.
• The Three Flower-Picking Heroes searched nearby for the woman and bragged that they had poisoned her with Instant Bewitchment.
• The woman, already suffering from another poison, cursed Du Tianchou and tossed a handkerchief over Huang Xiao's eyes.

Huang Xiao’s internal power merged and grew stronger after an encounter with the poisoned Zhao Xin'er, who then moved to kill him. Du Tianchou interrupted her, and Zhao Xin'er turned to face him as he revealed his plan to obtain her and the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion’s Bliss Canon.

• Huang Xiao’s internal power merged rapidly, then flowed into Zhao Xin'er’s meridians and returned to him purer and more powerful.
• Zhao Xin'er stood over Huang Xiao, drew her sword, and prepared to thrust it into his chest.
• Du Tianchou entered the temple and taunted Zhao Xin'er about fleeing after being poisoned with Spirit-Transforming Powder.
• Zhao Xin'er confronted Du Tianchou, who admitted poisoning her and offered her an antidote in exchange for marrying him.
• Du Tianchou said he wanted Zhao Xin'er’s cultivation technique, the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion’s Bliss Canon.

Zhao Xin'er confronted Du Tianchou after recovering from the Spirit-Transforming Powder, while he tried to exploit the aphrodisiac poison he believed was affecting her. Huang Xiao listened from the inner room, unable to help as Zhao Xin'er launched her attack.

• Du Tianchou reflected on his plan to use Zhao Xin'er and the Bliss Canon to gain power and standing in the Peaceful Heaven Sect.
• Du Tianchou doubted that Zhao Xin'er had resisted the Spirit-Transforming Powder, but she said she had recovered enough to fight him.
• Du Tianchou tried to use the aphrodisiac poison as leverage, claiming she would need him to relieve its effects.
• Zhao Xin'er dismissed his claim and prepared to kill him.
• Huang Xiao realized Zhao Xin'er had been poisoned and worried about her, but his sealed acupoints left him unable to intervene.
• Zhao Xin'er attacked Du Tianchou in the outer hall.

Zhao Xin'er overwhelmed Du Tianchou and revealed that she had mastered the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion's Profound Yin Palm. The fight ended with Du Tianchou discovering Huang Xiao and exposing Zhao Xin'er's connection to him.

• Zhao Xin'er wounded Du Tianchou repeatedly while he mistook her strength for a temporary boost.
• Du Tianchou forcibly raised his power and tried to escape, but Zhao Xin'er revealed her profound internal power and used the Profound Yin Palm to blast him away.
• Zhao Xin'er pursued Du Tianchou and kicked him through a wall, leaving him badly injured.
• Du Tianchou spotted Huang Xiao lying nearby and realized Zhao Xin'er had given herself to him, then mocked her over the scandal.

Zhao Xin'er drove Du Tianchou off after he mocked her and threatened to expose what had happened, but he escaped by provoking her into destroying the temple. She spared Huang Xiao and left beneath the moonlight, burdened by the events of her journey.

• Du Tianchou mocked Zhao Xin'er and Huang Xiao, then offered to keep their encounter secret if Zhao Xin'er became his concubine.
• Zhao Xin'er struck Du Tianchou with the Profound Yin Palm, and he used the force of the blow to collapse the temple and escape.
• Zhao Xin'er realized Du Tianchou had provoked her to create a chance to flee, while Huang Xiao failed to find his trail.
• Zhao Xin'er struck Huang Xiao and ordered him to leave, and he dragged himself away without finishing what he had tried to say.
• Zhao Xin'er vented her anger by smashing a tree, retrieved her sword from the ruins, and vanished beneath the moonlight.

Huang Xiao reached Jin City hungry and penniless, where a Beggar Gang disciple named Hong Yi took him to Prince Jin’s Manor for Princess Yunya’s alms. Hong Yi introduced himself as a powerful Six-Bag Disciple, while Huang Xiao kept Zhao Xin’er’s kerchief hidden beneath his robes.

• After leaving the collapsed Taoist temple, Huang Xiao spent half a month crossing the mountains and emerged outside the Huaqing Sect’s territory.
• Unable to find work or food in the city, Huang Xiao sat down hungry until a beggar pulled him toward a crowd gathering for free alms.
• At Prince Jin’s Manor, Huang Xiao learned that Princess Yunya gave alms regularly and carried Zhao Xin’er’s kerchief close to his chest.
• The beggar introduced himself as Hong Yi, a Six-Bag Disciple of the Beggar Gang, and Huang Xiao gave his own name.

Huang Xiao accompanied Hong Yi to Princess Yunya’s residence, where Hong Yi received a jar of imperial wine and Huang Xiao observed the princess’s dealings with Beggar Gang leaders. The visit ended with Princess Yunya explaining that Liu Xia and his disciples belonged to the Rich Beggar Faction, leaving Huang Xiao with a clearer view of the gang’s internal divide.

• Hong Yi sensed Huang Xiao’s internal power, and Huang Xiao said he had learned martial arts from a deceased, unaffiliated master.
• Huang Xiao and Hong Yi saw Princess Yunya emerge from her residence, and Hong Yi accepted a jar of imperial wine from her.
• Liu Xia arrived with his disciples, received a pouch of money from Princess Yunya, and exchanged greetings with Hong Yi.
• After Liu Xia and his disciples left, Princess Yunya explained that they belonged to the Rich Beggar Faction, unlike Hong Yi’s Poor Beggar Faction.

Hong Yi explained the Beggar Gang’s Rich and Poor factions before asking Princess Yunya for food for the starving Huang Xiao. Princess Yunya gave them Meat Buns and returned to her residence, while Huang Xiao’s deference to her revealed his unfamiliarity with the martial world.

• Hong Yi described how the Beggar Gang’s wealthy disciples formed the Rich Beggar Faction, while he and Liu Xia represented opposing factions in Jin City.
• Huang Xiao’s stomach growled, prompting Hong Yi to ask Princess Yunya for steamed buns and explain that Huang Xiao was a penniless newcomer from the mountains.
• Huang Xiao knelt to greet Princess Yunya, surprising Hong Yi and drawing a cool response from the princess.
• Princess Yunya ordered Xiao Xiang to bring Meat Buns for Hong Yi and Huang Xiao.
• Hong Yi accepted the buns and urged Huang Xiao to eat, then Princess Yunya returned to her residence.

Huang Xiao accepted Hong Yi’s offer of shelter and stayed at the Jin City Branch while grieving for Xuanzhenzi and examining the Small Iron Token. He resolved to increase his Internal Power through his unusual meridians so he could cultivate the Death Seal and seek revenge on Bai Tianqi and the Huaqing Sect.

• Huang Xiao accepted Hong Yi’s offer to stay with him and followed him to the Jin City Branch.
• Huang Xiao meditated in his shabby room and found that his Internal Power had improved to at least five years’ worth of cultivation.
• Huang Xiao examined Xuanzhenzi’s Small Iron Token, noticed its carvings of a snake and a scorpion, and put it away.
• Huang Xiao looked at Zhao Xin’er’s kerchief, mourned their uncertain future, and refocused on avenging his master.
• Huang Xiao decided to rely on his unusual meridians and expanded dantian to absorb Internal Power, reach the First-Class realm, and prepare to cultivate the Death Seal.

Huang Xiao survived an assassination attempt by Huaqing Sect disciples at the Beggar Gang’s Branch Altar, where Hong Yi intervened and drove them away. After Huang Xiao explained his enmity with the sect, Hong Yi promised to help investigate the Green Ox Gate and suggested Huang Xiao join the Six Gates for protection.

• Two Huaqing Sect disciples attacked Huang Xiao in his room, but he evaded them and escaped through a window.
• Hong Yi struck the assassins down before they could reach Huang Xiao and identified himself as the Beggar Gang’s altar master.
• Hong Yi let the Huaqing Sect disciples leave after they admitted who they were and apologized for trespassing.
• Huang Xiao explained his feud with the Huaqing Sect, and Hong Yi offered to have Beggar Gang disciples investigate the Green Ox Gate.
• Hong Yi warned that Huang Xiao would remain in danger outside the Branch Altar and suggested he join the Six Gates.

Huang Xiao learned about the Six Gates and its reserve constables, then decided to try for a place in the Yellow Gate’s upcoming recruitment in Jin City. Hong Yi offered him a place to stay and martial guidance, while withholding the identity of the Yellow Gate’s Arrest Sage.

• Huang Xiao asked whether his limited martial arts could qualify him for the Six Gates, and Hong Yi explained that it also trained reserve constables.
• Hong Yi told Huang Xiao that the Yellow Gate would recruit in Jin City in three days, and Huang Xiao decided to apply as a reserve constable.
• Huang Xiao asked who led the Yellow Gate, but Hong Yi smiled oddly and told him to wait until the time came.
• Hong Yi invited Huang Xiao to stay and offered to help with his martial arts, then left to get more sleep.
• Hong Yi felt closer to Huang Xiao because he readily accepted being called Brother Hong and believed his story could be verified.

Huang Xiao prepared to join the Six Gates, hoping its protection would help him survive and eventually take revenge on the Huaqing Sect. At the recruitment assessment outside Jin City, he learned that Hong Yi served the Six Gates as a retainer and helped judge recruits.

• Huang Xiao stayed in Jin City for three days, received martial guidance from Hong Yi, and learned that the Green Ox Gate and his three senior brothers were safe after experts intervened against the Huaqing Sect.
• Hong Yi left the city with Beggar Gang disciples and had Huang Xiao escorted to the Six Gates' recruitment assessment to protect him from the Huaqing Sect.
• Huang Xiao reached the fighting platform outside Jin City and saw martial artists compete while respected regional masters gathered to judge the selection.
• Hong Yi arrived and took a seat among the judges, and a Beggar Gang disciple told Huang Xiao that Hong Yi was a retainer of the Six Gates' Yellow Gate.
• Huang Xiao and the Beggar Gang disciple discussed Hong Yi's reputation and the other prodigies on the Young Eagle Ranking.

Huang Xiao learned that Princess Yunya was the Yellow Gate’s acting Arrest Sage and watched her open the Six Gates constable selection. She announced only three full constable positions and two reserve positions, and the crowd reacted to the unusually small number.

• Huang Xiao asked the Beggar Gang disciples when the Arrest Sage would arrive, and one hinted that Huang Xiao had already met her.
• Princess Yunya arrived, crossed to the platform with extraordinary lightness skill, and was greeted as the Arrest Sage.
• A Beggar Gang disciple explained to Huang Xiao that Princess Yunya served as the Yellow Gate’s acting Arrest Sage and was said to rival Hong Yi.
• Princess Yunya announced that the Yellow Gate would select three full constables and two reserve constables.
• The martial artists murmured about the limited positions, and an unknown person shouted that even three was too many.

Huang Xiao watched Mu Qiang clash verbally with an unknown young gentleman before joining the Six Gates reserve constable selection. The contestants gathered in the arena, where a powerful senior tested them with his aura.

• Mu Qiang warned the martial artists competing for Six Gates constable positions that he would show no mercy, driven by his resolve to surpass Dugu Sheng.
• An unknown young gentleman mocked Mu Qiang's standing and questioned whether he could match Dugu Sheng, and Mu Qiang vowed to remember him for their matches.
• Huang Xiao asked the Beggar Gang disciples about the young gentleman, but they could not identify him and guessed that he had a powerful background.
• An old man began the reserve constable selection, and Huang Xiao entered the arena with more than thirty other contestants.
• A senior expert released a powerful aura to test the contestants; Huang Xiao endured it while several others turned pale or stepped back.

Yun Feng tested the reserve constable candidates, and Huang Xiao passed by resisting and absorbing the pressure of Yun Feng’s gaze. Ten candidates remained for the final test, in which they had to touch Yun Feng’s robe within a quarter of an hour.

• Yun Feng eliminated five candidates whose composure faltered under his presence.
• Yun Feng tested the remaining candidates with pressure sent through his gaze, and Huang Xiao resisted it by circulating the Everlasting Spring Art and absorbing the invading power.
• Yun Feng kept the ten candidates who had not moved their feet and eliminated the rest.
• Yun Feng told the ten candidates to attack him together and touch his robe within a quarter of an hour, while he relied only on movement techniques to evade them.
• Yun Feng invited the ten candidates to begin the final test.

Huang Xiao used Snake-Traveling Tiny Steps to evade Yun Feng and seize the hem of his robe during the reserve constable trial. He succeeded just before time ran out, impressing the watching experts.

• Yun Feng evaded the ten candidates with Flowing Cloud Movement while testing whether they could touch his robe.
• Hong Yi told the observers that Huang Xiao had a distinctive movement technique and could reach Yun Feng.
• Yun Feng urged the candidates to use any remaining special moves as the quarter-hour trial neared its end.
• Huang Xiao unleashed Snake-Traveling Tiny Steps and followed Yun Feng's dodge with unexpectedly subtle footwork.
• Huang Xiao fell forward and grabbed the hem of Yun Feng's white robe.

Yun Feng selected Huang Xiao of the Green Ox Gate as a reserve constable, while rejecting the other candidates. As the selection for full constables was about to begin, Tuoba Xing of Wei Family Fort challenged Hong Yi to a contest.

• Yun Feng eliminated the remaining candidates and chose Huang Xiao as the sole reserve constable.
• Huang Xiao introduced himself to Princess Yunya, who told him to wait while the full constable selection took place.
• The Beggar Gang disciples congratulated Huang Xiao, who resolved to work toward becoming a full constable and taking revenge on the Huaqing Sect.
• A youth interrupted the announcement of the full constable selection and said he had come to challenge Hong Yi.
• Princess Yunya identified the youth's surname as Tuoba, and he introduced himself as Tuoba Xing of Wei Family Fort in Lin'an.