Chapter Summaries

Tuoba Xing, a young expert from Lin'an Wei Family Fort, challenged Hong Yi to prove he was the foremost fighter on the Young Eagle Ranking. Princess Yunya allowed them to use the arena, and the duel was about to begin with both men wary despite their confident words.

• A Beggar Gang disciple told Huang Xiao that Tuoba Xing was also on the Young Eagle Ranking and explained that he sought to establish himself above the other nine.
• Tuoba Xing insisted on fighting Hong Yi at the constable selection, and Hong Yi agreed after Princess Yunya offered them the arena.
• Tuoba Xing called for Hong Yi to use the Dragon-Capturing Divine Palm, while Hong Yi chose to fight without his Demon-Slaying Staff.
• Tuoba Xing discarded his fan and exchanged courteous, confident words with Hong Yi before they prepared to fight.

Hong Yi and Tuoba Xing fought evenly, projecting internal power as they traded blows. Tuoba Xing insisted that Hong Yi use the Beggar Gang’s Dragon-Capturing Divine Palm, and Hong Yi began gathering qi to unleash it.

• Hong Yi and Tuoba Xing exchanged rapid attacks, and their projected internal power clashed as they fought across the arena.
• Huang Xiao watched their skill with awe and reflected on his weak martial arts and his vow to kill Bai Tianqi.
• Tuoba Xing said their fight would not be settled without their true skills and challenged Hong Yi to use the Dragon-Capturing Divine Palm.
• Hong Yi warned Tuoba Xing that the technique was difficult to control, then gathered qi and opened his palms as a terrifying aura spread from him.

Hong Yi and Tuoba Xing faced off as Hong Yi tested the Tuoba family's Force-Shifting Position Exchange against his Dragon-Capturing Divine Palm. Tuoba Xing redirected Hong Yi's palm force and sent it back at him, and their fight continued with neither gaining the upper hand.

• Hong Yi and Tuoba Xing released their auras and clashed before Hong Yi attacked with a dragon-shaped Dragon-Capturing Divine Palm.
• Tuoba Xing used Force-Shifting Position Exchange to disperse Hong Yi's palm force with his bare hands.
• Tuoba Xing sent the Dragon-Capturing Divine Palm's force back at Hong Yi, who countered with another palm strike and canceled it out.
• Hong Yi charged Tuoba Xing without pausing, and the two resumed close combat.
• Tuoba Xing repeatedly redirected Hong Yi's Dragon-Capturing Divine Palm back at him, forcing Hong Yi to dodge or counter each strike.

Hong Yi and Tuoba Xing fought to a draw after their exchanged attacks injured them both, and Princess Yunya stopped the duel. Dugu Sheng arrived at the gathering, where Tuoba Xing met another Young Eagle Ranking prodigy he hoped to challenge.

• Hong Yi and Tuoba Xing exhausted their internal power and injured each other, then agreed to end their duel in a draw at Princess Yunya's urging.
• Princess Yunya praised the fighters and invited Tuoba Xing to become a Six Gates retainer, which he eagerly accepted.
• Dugu Sheng arrived late, and Huang Xiao recognized him as the expert he had met in Huaqing City.
• Hong Yi greeted Dugu Sheng warmly and introduced him to Tuoba Xing, who expressed interest in testing Dugu Sheng's swordsmanship.

Mu Qiang challenged Dugu Sheng, who dismissed him, while Tuoba Xing mocked him. Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng left Princess Yunya’s constable selection to drink, and Huang Xiao’s unexpected presence surprised Dugu Sheng as they prepared to leave together.

• Mu Qiang challenged Dugu Sheng, but Dugu Sheng refused and said Mu Qiang was not worthy of being his opponent.
• Tuoba Xing joined Dugu Sheng in belittling Mu Qiang, who restrained himself despite his anger.
• Hong Yi announced he was leaving with Dugu Sheng for wine and invited Tuoba Xing, who declined and challenged them both to future matches.
• Princess Yunya offered Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng fine wine, and they said farewell before leaping from the platform.
• Hong Yi asked Huang Xiao to return with them, and Dugu Sheng recognized him as Daoist Qingxiao and asked whether he had returned to secular life.

Huang Xiao left the constable selection trials with Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng, who welcomed him as a friend and elder brother. He learned that the Huaqing Sect had been destroyed and vowed to find Bai Tianqi and avenge his master if Bai was still alive.

• Hong Yi arranged for Huang Xiao to go to the manor the next day so the Arrest Sage could make arrangements for him.
• Hong Yi, Dugu Sheng, and Huang Xiao returned to the Beggar Gang's Branch Altar and shared wine and food sent from Prince Jin's Manor.
• Huang Xiao told Dugu Sheng about his master's death, and Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng reassured him that they valued him as a friend.
• Dugu Sheng told Huang Xiao that the Huaqing Sect had been wiped out three days earlier and that Bai Tianqi's fate was unknown.
• Huang Xiao rejoiced at the sect's destruction and vowed to kill Bai Tianqi himself if he was still alive.

Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng discussed the Huaqing Sect’s destruction and the rumors about the Scripture of Great Peace. Dugu Sheng revealed that the sect’s killers left no survivors or clues, and the two considered how many martial factions might pursue the legendary martial art.

• Huang Xiao, Hong Yi, and Dugu Sheng drank heavily, and Huang Xiao passed out and was carried back to his room by Beggar Gang disciples.
• Dugu Sheng told Hong Yi that he had visited Huaqing City to investigate the Huaqing Sect and denied having any part in its destruction.
• Dugu Sheng explained that Bai Tianqi had uncovered clues about the Scripture of Great Peace, and that rumors about it had drawn forces that wiped out the Huaqing Sect.
• Dugu Sheng said he had investigated on his father’s orders and revealed that he had mastered the forty-five moves of the fifth form of the Nine Heavenly Sword Forms.
• Dugu Sheng told Hong Yi that the Huaqing Sect’s attackers left no survivors or clues, despite dozens of sects arriving at the scene that night.
• Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng agreed that the Scripture of Great Peace could tempt even powerful sects and hidden factions, and Hong Yi admitted the Beggar Gang might also be drawn in.

Dugu Sheng and Hong Yi discussed the growing unrest in the martial world, the dangers of the Scripture of Great Peace, and the demonic and evil sects they hoped to encounter. Dugu Sheng invited Hong Yi to investigate the affair together, and they planned to seek information from the commandery princess the next day before settling in to drink.

• Dugu Sheng said he felt uneasy about the martial world’s rising unrest, and Hong Yi agreed that the evil and demonic factions might soon make their move.
• Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng recalled the catastrophic Profound Ice Sect incident and discussed how Ling Tianya’s Ten Thousand Demons Canon had devastated the righteous path.
• Hong Yi told Dugu Sheng about the Heavenly Demon Canon, while both men expressed interest in testing the arts of the Soul-Devouring Demon Sect and the Remnant Demon Sect.
• Dugu Sheng asked Hong Yi to help investigate who was behind the current affair, and Hong Yi agreed to join him.
• Dugu Sheng said they would ask the commandery princess for leads the next day, then challenged Hong Yi to drink with him.

Huang Xiao went to Prince Jin's Manor with Beggar Gang disciples escorting him and learned how life in the Six Gates would differ for reserve and full constables. Princess Yunya explained their privileges and martial arts benefits, and said the new constables would register at headquarters and receive a technique.

• Huang Xiao learned that Mu Qiang and Du Ge had been selected as full constables, then greeted them outside the Prince's Mansion.
• A steward led Huang Xiao, Mu Qiang, and Du Ge into the manor to wait for Princess Yunya.
• Princess Yunya told Mu Qiang and Du Ge that full constables had greater freedom, while Huang Xiao would spend most of his time at the Six Gates.
• Princess Yunya explained that constables could study Six Gates martial arts manuals, with access to better techniques tied to their contributions.
• Princess Yunya said an assignment would come in a few days and ordered the three new constables to register at Six Gates headquarters, where each could choose one technique as a reward.

Huang Xiao and the others stayed at the Prince's Mansion while they waited to leave for Kaifeng and learned more about their new positions in the Six Gates. Princess Yunya then announced their first mission, prompting Mu Qiang to question whether Huang Xiao could safely join them.

• Princess Yunya gave Huang Xiao, Du Ge, and Mu Qiang books explaining the Six Gates' rules and powers, then arranged rooms for them at the Prince's Mansion.
• Huang Xiao received fine clothes, learned that Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng had left on business, and found that his master's internal power was merging with his own more quickly than expected.
• Huang Xiao vowed to seek the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion after avenging his master's great wrong.
• After three days, Princess Yunya announced that the three men would leave for Kaifeng and assigned them a mission.
• Mu Qiang questioned whether Huang Xiao should join the mission because his weak cultivation could make him a burden, while Six Gates rules required partners to protect one another.

Princess Yunya assigned Huang Xiao, Mu Qiang, and Du Ge a third-class escort mission, promising first-class rewards for Mu Qiang and Du Ge if they pleased the employer. As the three waited to depart for the Capital City, Huang Xiao learned more about the Six Gates’ constable rankings and special-class constables.

• Princess Yunya assigned the three an escort mission to the Capital City and offered Mu Qiang and Du Ge first-class techniques as rewards if they satisfied the employer.
• Huang Xiao, Mu Qiang, and Du Ge waited outside the Prince's Mansion the next morning before setting out.
• Du Ge discussed the upcoming assessment at Six Gates headquarters and said he hoped to become a second-class constable, while Mu Qiang was likely to earn first class.
• Huang Xiao asked about special-class constables, and Du Ge explained that they surpassed first-class constables by an uncertain margin and served as the Six Gates’ retainers.

Huang Xiao and Du Ge discussed the ranks and prospects of Six Gates constables while waiting for their departure from the Prince's Mansion. Princess Yunya entrusted the journey to Zhang Jin and Chen Ao, and the party set off with an unknown passenger still inside the carriage.

• Du Ge explained the strength and status of retainers and said he hoped to become a First-Class Constable, while Huang Xiao aimed to become an Official Constable.
• A carriage emerged from the Prince's Mansion with twenty-two guards led by Zhang Jin, who introduced himself as a First-Class Constable of the Yellow Division.
• Zhang Jin and the others greeted Chen Ao, whose ties to the Prince's Mansion were unclear to Huang Xiao.
• Princess Yunya stepped down from the carriage without revealing who was inside and ordered Zhang Jin and Chen Ao to escort the journey to the Capital City.
• Princess Yunya wished the group well, and the driver urged the carriage forward.

While traveling toward Kaifeng, Zhang Jin’s party encountered the gravely wounded Six Gates member Hu Yang, who died after entrusting Zhang Jin with four words. Zhang Jin ordered the witnesses to keep the message secret, leaving the purpose of Hu Yang’s mission unknown.

• Huang Xiao asked Du Ge about the woman traveling in the carriage, but Du Ge could only guess she was a court official’s daughter and close to the Commandery Princess.
• Mu Qiang and Du Ge spotted a badly wounded man approaching and stopped him as Zhang Jin and Chen Ao prepared the party for danger.
• The man recognized Zhang Jin as Hu Yang, and Zhang Jin rushed to help his old friend.
• Hu Yang told Zhang Jin to remember the words “heaven,” “earth,” “fortune,” and “way,” then died from his injuries.
• Zhang Jin warned Huang Xiao, Mu Qiang, and Du Ge that they would be killed if they revealed what they had heard.

After Hu Yang of the Six Gates died, Zhang Jin confronted Zhu He and the Demonic Path group that had killed him. With the young lady’s safety entrusted to Chen Ao and the others, Zhang Jin prepared to fight Zhu He while Huang Xiao was ordered to guard the carriage.

• Zhang Jin carried Hu Yang’s body back to the group, and Chen Ao offered condolences before Zhang Jin warned him to stay alert.
• More than thirty Demonic Path members arrived, and their leader Zhu He asked Zhang Jin to hand over the man Hu Yang had pursued.
• Zhang Jin identified himself as a First-Class Constable and vowed that none of the Demonic Path members would leave after they killed a Six Gates brother.
• Zhang Jin asked Chen Ao to protect the young lady while he fought Zhu He, and the young lady agreed to let him avenge Hu Yang.
• Zhang Jin told Mu Qiang, Du Ge, and Huang Xiao to stand their ground, then ordered Huang Xiao to guard the carriage; Huang Xiao accepted the order and resolved to become stronger.

Huang Xiao rode with the old man and watched Zhang Jin and the Six Gates guards clash with the Demonic Path. Zhang Jin and Zhu He fought to the death while Chen Ao’s men held off a larger force, leaving the battle unresolved.

• The old man encouraged Huang Xiao to work hard and suggested that he might one day surpass Hong Yi and Dugu Sheng.
• Zhang Jin engaged Zhu He, the Demonic Fist, while Chen Ao led fifteen guards against the Demonic Path fighters and five guards protected the carriage.
• Zhang Jin and Zhu He traded powerful blows, and Chen Ao realized Zhang Jin had concealed how much stronger he was.
• Zhang Jin refused to retreat and vowed that either he or Zhu He would die, forcing Zhu He to keep fighting.
• Chen Ao struggled against a similarly skilled opponent while his fifteen men held more than thirty Demonic Path fighters at bay.

Zhang Jin gained the upper hand against Zhu He, but an old man from the Remnant Demon Sect interrupted the fight and revealed that the guards belonged to the Imperial Guards' personal guard. The old man's arrival left both sides uncertain of his intentions, while Huang Xiao realized the young woman in the carriage was likely a princess or commandery princess.

• Zhang Jin wounded Zhu He, who used a forbidden art too late to stop his retreat as the Demonic Path fighters began to lose ground.
• A guard nearly revealed his group's identity before another guard stopped him, and Huang Xiao realized the carriage's occupant had a concealed status.
• An old man's laughter hurt Huang Xiao and unsettled the guards, then the old man appeared above the battlefield.
• The old man sent Zhang Jin flying and prevented him from finishing Zhu He, who recognized the stranger as a senior of the Remnant Demon Sect.
• The old man criticized the Demonic Path fighters and identified the opposing force as one man from the Six Gates and a squad of the Imperial Guards' personal guards.
• Huang Xiao connected the guards' identity to the Imperial Family and suspected the young woman in the carriage was a princess or commandery princess.

Gu Yi of the Remnant Demon Sect killed Zhu He after learning that the Six Gates had obtained a lead on the Scripture of Great Peace, then demanded it from Zhang Jin and announced his intention to take the Third Princess. As Gu Yi threatened the group, an unexpected voice challenged him.

• Huang Xiao learned that the armed stranger was Gu Yi, a feared expert from the Remnant Demon Sect.
• Zhu He told Gu Yi that Hu Yang had obtained a lead on the Scripture of Great Peace, and Gu Yi killed Zhu He after questioning him.
• Gu Yi demanded the lead from Zhang Jin, who denied knowing anything about it.
• Gu Yi announced that he had come on the sect master's orders to invite the Third Princess to the Remnant Demon Sect, and dismissed the guards' threats and loyalty.
• Gu Yi ordered Zhang Jin and the others to kill themselves, but an unexpected voice called out to challenge him.

Uncle Yan revealed his formidable presence after the princess asked him to deal with Gu Yi, while Chen Ao and Zhang Jin recognized him as a Dragon Guard lord. Before Uncle Yan confronted Gu Yi, Fu Yan arrived seeking clues to the Scripture of Great Peace.

• Gu Yi failed to identify who had challenged him until the princess called the old coachman Uncle Yan and asked him to handle the disturbance.
• Uncle Yan stepped down from the carriage and released a fierce aura, startling Zhang Jin, Chen Ao, and the others.
• Chen Ao inferred that Uncle Yan was a lord of the Dragon Guard, and Zhang Jin took comfort in his presence.
• Uncle Yan told Gu Yi to wait for more arrivals, and Fu Yan soon appeared with a dozen figures.
• Fu Yan demanded that Gu Yi reveal the clues to the Scripture of Great Peace, and Gu Yi offered to share them.

Fu Yan gathered the Demonic Path members and demanded the clue to the Scripture of Great Peace from the imperial guards and Six Gates. After Uncle Yan revealed that he could see through Fu Yan’s identity, Fu Yan mistook him for a commander of the Imperial Guard and prepared to fight alongside Gu Yi.

• Fu Yan rallied the Demonic Path members and pressured Gu Yi to reveal the clue to the Scripture of Great Peace.
• Several Demonic Path members confirmed that Gu Yi had arrived after Hu Yang died and knew nothing about the clue.
• Fu Yan demanded that Huang Xiao’s group and the others disclose what Hu Yang had passed on, threatening to kill them regardless.
• Gu Yi welcomed Fu Yan’s arrival, believing they could join forces against Uncle Yan.
• Uncle Yan identified Fu Yan as Pan Lang, the Soul-Chasing Kick of the Soul-Devouring Demon Sect.
• Pan Lang mistook Uncle Yan for a commander of the Imperial Guard and boasted that he and Gu Yi could defeat him together.

Fu Yan and Gu Yi challenged Uncle Yan after deciding he was probably not a Dragon Guard, while the Demonic Path overwhelmed the imperial guards. The carriage remained safe for the moment, but only three guards were left defending it.

• Gu Yi suggested the emperor might have sent a Dragon Guard to protect the third princess, and Fu Yan resolved to fight Uncle Yan regardless of his identity.
• Gu Yi and Fu Yan attacked Uncle Yan as the Demonic Path members charged the imperial guards.
• After exchanging blows, Fu Yan and Gu Yi judged that Uncle Yan was powerful but likely not a Dragon Guard.
• A Demonic Path master killed an imperial guard with a sneak attack, leaving only three guards near the carriage.
• Huang Xiao considered joining the fight but stayed back because he would be no match for the Demonic Path masters.