Chapter Summaries

Qin Tiexin saw through Yelü Hongshan’s disguise, captured the Northern Di king, and refused his offers of wealth and power. Li Xun took Yelü Hongshan into custody, while Qin Tiexin rode back north to bring his fallen comrades home.

• Qin Tiexin recognized that the supposed army physician was Yelü Hongshan wearing Heavenly Silkworm Golden Silk Soft Armor and bound him instead of pursuing the decoy.
• Yelü Hongshan tried to tempt and threaten Qin Tiexin, but Qin Tiexin said he sought peace of mind and wanted to avenge his fallen brothers.
• Qin Tiexin met Li Xun and three thousand cavalry, and Yelü Hongshan’s eyes revealed his identity before Li Xun transferred him to a prison cart.
• Li Xun ordered Qin Tiexin to return to the pass for treatment, but Qin Tiexin asked to bring his fallen comrades home and rode north with twenty cavalrymen.

Qin Tiexin and the surviving members of Team A brought their fallen comrades back to Xinyang Pass, where they cremated them and vowed to take their remains home. Lin Feng remained missing, represented only by his sword, as Qin Tiexin looked north toward Black Wind Valley.

• Qin Tiexin loaded Li Zhenwei, the unconscious Tu Dazhu, and other fallen comrades onto a cart, but found only Lin Feng’s sword and no sign of Lin Feng.
• Tu Dazhu woke, and Zhao Ziliang joined Qin Tiexin in pulling the cart; they later met Zhao Ling, who grieved and blamed himself before helping them.
• Qin Tiexin and the others refused the cavalry’s offer to pull the cart and escorted their dead comrades into Xinyang Pass themselves.
• Qin Tiexin prepared the bodies at Team A’s mourning hall, then led the cremation and gathered six comrades’ ashes into jars, placing Lin Feng’s sword separately.
• Qin Tiexin, Tu Dazhu, Zhao Ziliang, Zhao Ling, and Li Shun knelt before the jars and promised to care for the fallen’s loved ones before vowing to take the remains home.

After the war, Qin Tiexin rejected a promotion and wealth so he could take his fallen brothers’ ashes home. He left Xinyang Pass with Tu Dazhu, Zhou Cang, and Zhou Nan, heading first to Chen San’s hometown in Longxi.

• At the commendation ceremony, Qin Tiexin declined his promotion and rewards, asking to resign so he could take his dead comrades’ ashes home.
• Li Xun granted Qin Tiexin’s resignation and gave him Black Cloud and a travel pass.
• Qin Tiexin collected his reward, said farewell to Zhao Ling, Zhao Ziliang, and Li Shun, and left the camp with the ashes and Lin Feng’s sword.
• Tu Dazhu joined Qin Tiexin, and Zhou Cang followed with Zhou Nan, hoping to help at the Qin Household Blacksmith Shop.
• The group set out toward Longxi, Chen San’s hometown.

Qin Tiexin and his companions brought the urns of Chen San, Shi Meng, and Li Zhenwei home, honoring the dead and helping their families. After leaving Wuyang Town, Qin Tiexin set out for Ink City and the Qin Household Blacksmith Shop.

• Qin Tiexin returned Chen San's urn to his grieving family in Stone Gully Village, delivered the death gratuity and the soldiers' pooled money, and helped repair the family's home.
• Qin Tiexin brought Shi Meng's urn and money to his brother, then gave a neighbor ten taels to help care for him.
• Qin Tiexin returned Li Zhenwei's urn, broken saber, and reward money to Li Kuo in Wuyang Town, where they honored Li Zhenwei in the ancestral hall.
• After leaving Wuyang Town, Qin Tiexin decided to return to Ink City and the Qin Household Blacksmith Shop.

Qin Tiexin returned to Ink City, reopened the Qin Household Blacksmith Shop, honored his fallen comrades, and began designing prosthetic limbs for Tu Dazhu and Zhou Cang. His return caught the attention of Zhao Xuan, who planned to deal with him after securing a Spirit Awakening Pill for his infant son.

• Qin Tiexin reached Ink City, cleaned and repaired the abandoned shop with Tu Dazhu, Zhou Cang, and Zhou Nan, and made memorial tablets for six fallen soldiers.
• Qin Tiexin assigned the rooms, bought supplies, resumed his martial practice, and reopened the forge, where his hand-forged knives impressed the neighbors and sold out.
• Qin Tiexin divided the day's earnings among the four shop members, then examined Tu Dazhu's and Zhou Cang's injuries and used the Illusory Realm Hall to develop prosthetic designs.
• Qin Tiexin studied Lin Feng's sword with [Appraisal] but could not unlock its faint inner circuit or discover the meaning of its hidden bump.
• Zhao Xuan demoted his eldest son, Zhao Ming, to an assistant position; Zhao Ming blamed Qin Tiexin and left in resentment.
• Lady Xue told Zhao Xuan that Qin Tiexin had reopened his shop, and Zhao Xuan decided to wait until he obtained a Spirit Awakening Pill before dealing with him.

Qin Tiexin reopened the Qin Household Blacksmith Shop, began teaching Tu Dazhu and Zhou Nan, and designed prosthetics for Tu Dazhu and Zhou Cang. After sensing a mysterious intent in Lin Feng's sword, he settled into his new life, while Zhao Ming grew resentful and decided to steal the Spirit Awakening Pill.

• Qin Tiexin practiced his saber forms, and Zhou Cang advised him to adapt his techniques to his opponents.
• Qin Tiexin forged and sold kitchen knives, then accepted a custom sword order from a steward.
• Qin Tiexin taught Tu Dazhu and Zhou Nan smithing and sketched prosthetics for Tu Dazhu and Zhou Cang.
• Qin Tiexin sensed sharpness, protection, and expectation in Lin Feng's sword, but could not understand the intent behind it.
• Zhao Ming was demoted to work as a shop assistant and grew bitter after overhearing his father enjoying family life with Lady Xue and Lang'er.
• Zhao Ming decided to steal the Spirit Awakening Pill from his father's secret chamber so he could prove he had a Spirit Root and reclaim his former position.

Tu Dazhu began courting Liu Wan'er, and after two months of proving himself to Scholar Liu, won permission to marry her. Meanwhile, Zhao Ming blamed Qin Tiexin for his lost inheritance and began watching for a chance to take revenge.

• Tu Dazhu rescued Scholar Liu and Liu Wan'er from Scarface and his thugs, then kept visiting their stall and grew fond of Liu Wan'er.
• Qin Tiexin completed Zhou Cang's prosthetic leg and clarified that the shop would specialize in high-quality custom work, building its reputation and steadying its income.
• Qin Tiexin accompanied Tu Dazhu to propose to Liu Wan'er; Scholar Liu initially refused but agreed to reconsider after three months of visits.
• Tu Dazhu helped around the Liu home and learned chess with Scholar Liu, who consented to the marriage after two months.
• Zhao Ming learned that his father planned to give a Spirit Awakening Pill to Zhao Lang, blamed Qin Tiexin for his misfortune, and began tracking Qin's visits to a grave on Emerald Cloud Mountain.

Qin Tiexin survived Zhao Ming’s attempt to kill him on Emerald Cloud Mountain, killed Zhao Ming, and concealed the evidence. As suspicion gathered around him, he resolved to prepare for future trouble and investigate the Spirit Awakening Pill and the Law Artifact task.

• While visiting his master's grave, Qin Tiexin dodged Zhao Ming's arrow, tracked him through the woods, and learned Zhao Ming wanted revenge over the shop and the Spirit Awakening Pill.
• Qin Tiexin took the pill, killed Zhao Ming, and disposed of his body, bow, and arrows in a ravine before returning to the shop.
• After Zhao Ming was reported missing, Qin Tiexin answered the bailiffs' questions calmly and denied having any dealings with him.
• Zhao Ming's body was found on Emerald Cloud Mountain, and Zhao Xuan suspected Qin Tiexin, ordering men to watch the Qin family shop.
• Qin Tiexin continued working and helping prepare for Tu Dazhu's wedding, while deciding to strengthen himself and learn more about the Spirit Awakening Pill and the Law Artifact task.

Qin Tiexin survived Zhao Xuan’s night attack and Zhao Xuan was arrested by the Great Xuan Law Enforcement Squad. After the others left, a hidden compartment in Lin Feng’s sword opened, revealing a letter addressed to Qin Tiexin.

• Qin Tiexin studied Lin Feng’s damaged sword and the Spirit Awakening Pill while Zhao Xuan grew convinced that Qin Tiexin had taken the pill and killed Zhao Ming.
• Zhao Xuan attacked Qin Tiexin with cultivation techniques, but Qin Tiexin resisted the Mind-Confounding Incantation and fought off a fireball and binding vines.
• As Zhao Xuan prepared an Ice Cone Technique, two Great Xuan Law Enforcement Squad cultivators intervened and arrested him for attacking a mortal without evidence.
• Qin Tiexin told Tu Dazhu and Zhou Cang to keep the attack secret, then treated his injuries with their help.
• A hidden compartment opened in Lin Feng’s sword, and Qin Tiexin found a silk scroll bearing a letter from Lin Feng addressed to him.

After reading Lin Feng’s final letter, Qin Tiexin learned about the cultivation world and began sensing a faint warmth within himself that might be Spiritual Qi. He decided to honor his promise to return Lin Feng’s sword to the Lin Household, but planned to wait until Tu Dazhu’s wedding and the shop’s affairs were settled.

• Qin Tiexin read Lin Feng’s letter, which described the cultivation world, suggested Qin might have an unusual constitution, and asked him to return a damaged sword to the Lin Household.
• Qin Tiexin showed the letter to Zhou Cang, who believed it and warned him to stay alert about Zhao Xuan and to consider the shop and Tu Dazhu’s upcoming marriage before leaving.
• Qin Tiexin tried to sense Spiritual Qi while forging and felt a faint warm current; when it reached his hands as he quenched a blade, a silver gleam flashed and the blade came out unusually fine.
• Qin Tiexin studied Lin Feng’s map, which traced a dangerous route from Ink City to the Heavenly South Domain, and resolved to fulfill his promise to return the sword.
• Qin Tiexin helped prepare for Tu Dazhu’s wedding and told Zhou Cang he would leave after Dazhu was settled and the shop was arranged.

Qin Tiexin prepared to leave Ink City for the Spirit-Severing Mountain Range after settling the shop and entrusting it to Zhou Cang and Zhou Nan. He departed northwest with Lin Feng’s sword, leaving his friends behind as he set out toward an uncertain future.

• Tu Dazhu married Liu Wan'er, received smithing tools from Zhou Cang, and later became chief constable of the Ink City county office.
• Two men informed Qin Tiexin that Zhao Xuan had been stripped of his cultivation and sent to labor in the mines for ten years, while Lady Xue offered ten thousand taels for a pill Qin Tiexin denied seeing.
• Qin Tiexin trained Zhou Nan, helped Zhou Cang adapt to his prosthetic leg, and studied Lin Feng’s map as he planned his journey northwest.
• Zhou Cang encouraged Qin Tiexin to leave once the shop was secure, and Qin Tiexin promised to return every five years.
• Qin Tiexin packed his supplies and weapons, said farewell to Zhou Cang, Zhou Nan, and Tu Dazhu, and left Ink City through the city gate.

Qin Tiexin traveled northwest, survived bandits and hardship, and crossed the Spirit-Severing Mountain Range into the cultivation lands. He began descending into the unfamiliar forest, carrying Lin Feng’s sword and saying he had come.

• Qin Tiexin rode northwest from the relay station and rescued a woman from three attackers in the woods.
• Qin Tiexin defeated a one-eyed man and his companions when they tried to take his horse, then continued toward the border.
• After three months of travel, Qin Tiexin reached the Spirit-Severing Mountain Range and entered the hidden valley marked on Lin Feng’s map.
• Qin Tiexin endured the mountain’s crushing burden, scarce food and water, and a wolf attack as he crossed the range on foot.
• Qin Tiexin crossed the final ridge into the cultivation lands, held Lin Feng’s sword, and began descending into the forest.

After crossing Spirit Severing Mountain, Qin Tiexin discovered that the forest beyond it was rich in Spiritual Qi, which eased his injuries as he practiced the Old Qin Household Body Tempering Method. He learned from two herb gatherers that he was in the Azure Xuan Region and set out for Green Cliff Town to seek information about the Heavenly South Domain, while Edgeless grew increasingly hungry.

• Qin Tiexin crossed the ridge and found that the warm Spiritual Qi in the forest soothed his wounds and strengthened the effects of his body-tempering practice.
• Qin Tiexin felt the black ring warm against his chest and sensed that Edgeless had awakened and wanted to eat.
• Qin Tiexin found a stream, drank and ate berries, then met an old herb gatherer and his young companion.
• Qin Tiexin learned that he was in the Azure Xuan Region and that Green Cliff Town was about fifty li away, where he could seek information about the Heavenly South Domain.
• Qin Tiexin secured his supplies and headed northwest toward Green Cliff Town as Edgeless's hunger became clearer.

Qin Tiexin reached Green Cliff Town, learned how Spirit Crystals shaped trade, and witnessed cultivators fighting with Law Techniques and Law Artifacts. After Edgeless reacted hungrily to the Metal and Stone Pavilion, Qin Tiexin considered seeking work there and fell asleep dreaming of his saber amid flames.

• Qin Tiexin arrived in Green Cliff Town and paid for a night on the Joyful Arrival inn's shared sleeping platform, learning that Spirit Crystals were needed for trade with cultivators.
• Qin Tiexin ate flatbreads at a street stall and watched two cultivators battle over a Fire Pattern Stone with Law Techniques and a bronze Law Artifact.
• Qin Tiexin noticed Edgeless trembling with hunger as he passed the Metal and Stone Pavilion, while several swords inside hummed faintly.
• Qin Tiexin heard his roommates discuss the Pavilion's scarce casual work and decided to look for work there the next day.
• Qin Tiexin replayed the cultivators' techniques and movements in his mind before falling asleep and dreaming of Edgeless trembling amid flames.

Qin Tiexin repaired Cultivator Wang’s damaged Breezy Wind Sword using ordinary blacksmithing techniques, earning spirit crystals and a referral arrangement with the Metal and Stone Pavilion. The Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts then unlocked a quest focused on spiritual runes and materials, and Qin Tiexin set off to find something for Edgeless to consume.

• Qin Tiexin sought work at the Metal and Stone Pavilion but was initially turned away because he lacked spiritual power.
• Cultivator Wang brought in a cracked Breezy Wind Sword, and Qin Tiexin offered to repair it for five spirit crystals after identifying its damaged Azure-Veined Iron lattice.
• Qin Tiexin used the Void Realm to devise a repair method, then mended the sword with precise hammer vibrations and spot quenching.
• Cultivator Wang tested the restored Breezy Wind Sword, paid Qin Tiexin six spirit crystals and silver, and promised to bring him more repair work.
• The shopkeeper registered Qin Tiexin for future referrals and escorted him out of the Metal and Stone Pavilion.
• The Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts unlocked the All Laws Return to Artifacts quest, and Qin Tiexin decided to find something for Edgeless to eat.

Qin Tiexin settled into work and a room at the Metal and Stone Pavilion, where Master Liu taught him about artifact materials and grades. The Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts revealed new quests and a spirit-rune structure, giving Qin a plan to earn Spirit Crystals, find materials for Edgeless, and develop his craft.

• Qin Tiexin returned to the Metal and Stone Pavilion, accepted a job reforging Master Liu’s broken saber for one hundred copper coins, and agreed to live in the shop’s east room.
• Qin Tiexin reforged the saber, and Master Liu approved its craftsmanship before explaining the cultivation world’s artifact grades, spiritual materials, and spirit runes.
• Qin Tiexin examined the shop’s law artifacts and spiritual materials with [Appraisal] and learned that rare materials could be found through the Myriad Treasures Pavilion or returning mining teams.
• Qin Tiexin recognized that Edgeless needed spiritual materials but that he lacked enough Spirit Crystals to buy them, so he resolved to earn more through repair work.
• Qin Tiexin opened the Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts, learned the basic sharpness spirit rune’s structure, and discovered that he could memorize it but could not practice engraving without spiritual power.
• Qin Tiexin reviewed the catalog’s quests and planned to repair weapons, record more spirit runes and materials, and eventually make a law artifact with help from a cultivator.

After Qin Tiexin’s repair work brought him growing recognition, Liu Hong and Zhou Xian challenged his skill and forced him into a wager over the Zhou Household’s flawed Fire Cloud Saber. Qin shattered it with Edgeless, won thirty spirit crystals, and returned to the Metal and Stone Pavilion knowing he had made an enemy of the Zhou Household.

• Qin Tiexin earned a reputation in Green Cliff Town for repairing semi-Law Artifacts at fair prices, which angered the returning Liu Hong.
• Zhou Xian arrived with Liu Hong and accused Qin of falsely claiming that the Zhou Household’s Fire Cloud Saber had flawed spirit patterns.
• Qin identified the saber’s broken spirit patterns and agreed to wager that he could damage it with one strike from Edgeless.
• Qin struck the Fire Cloud Saber at its weakest point, shattering it and winning thirty spirit crystals from Zhou Xian.
• Zhou Xian threatened Qin before leaving, while the shopkeeper warned Qin that the Zhou Household would likely seek trouble.
• Qin counted his forty-six spirit crystals and studied spiritual inscriptions and his earlier strike before going to sleep.

Qin Tiexin bought Crimson Heart Copper for Edgeless, learned about the Flowing Cloud Sect and the immense distance to the Heavenly South Domain, then chose to leave Green Cliff Town for the sect. After Zhou Xian’s men ambushed him on the road, Qin Tiexin defeated them and rode off toward the mountains.

• Qin Tiexin bought a piece of Crimson Heart Copper and learned that the Flowing Cloud Sect would recruit disciples the following month.
• Qin Tiexin learned that reaching the Heavenly South Domain required an expensive flying boat or teleportation array, and he tried to make Edgeless absorb the copper without success.
• Qin Tiexin declined Master Chen’s offer to become his disciple and accepted Master Chen’s token and supplies from the shopkeeper before leaving for the Flowing Cloud Sect.
• Qin Tiexin entered the woods and incapacitated four men sent by Zhou Xian, then took their Spirit Crystals and warned them to leave him alone.
• Qin Tiexin mounted one of the men’s horses and rode away from Green Cliff Town toward the mountains.

Qin Tiexin traveled toward the Flowing Cloud Sect and fought several Demon Beasts, suffering injuries while collecting their valuable parts. After surviving the battles, he reflected on how to improve his saber skills and sensed a faint pulse from Edgeless as he rested in a cave.

• Qin Tiexin learned from a tea stallkeeper that the Flowing Cloud Sect strictly punished cultivators who harmed travelers.
• Qin Tiexin killed an Iron-Clawed Lynx in a birch forest and collected its claws and hide.
• Qin Tiexin killed a Thick-Skinned Arrow Boar in a mountain pass, gathering its bone spikes after one wounded his arm.
• Qin Tiexin defeated three coordinated Azure Wind Wolves but suffered a deep, possibly poisoned bite to his shoulder.
• Qin Tiexin treated his wounds in a cave, reviewed the battles, and practiced the Sharpness Spiritual Rune in his sea of consciousness.
• Qin Tiexin sensed a faint heartbeat-like pulse from Edgeless before falling asleep.

Qin Tiexin reached the Flowing Cloud Sect and took a temporary labor job while waiting for its recruitment assessment. After learning the limits of the sect’s body-refining path, he resolved to find a way to advance further and continued studying the sharpness spiritual rune in his Illusory Realm Hall.

• Qin Tiexin arrived at the Immortal-Welcoming Flat and learned that the Flowing Cloud Sect was hiring temporary workers.
• Qin Tiexin proved his strength by carrying a hundred-jin crate and Steward Hu hired him to move supplies.
• Steward Hu warned Qin Tiexin that the sect’s body-refining method had limited prospects for those without a good Spirit Root.
• Qin Tiexin met Lu Ming while helping him carry a crate, and the two worked and ate together.
• Elder Li announced that the recruitment ceremony would begin in ten days and would include trials of Spirit Root, heart or physique, and character.
• Qin Tiexin resolved to pursue a path beyond the middle stage of the Qi and Blood Realm and practiced memorizing the sharpness spiritual rune before sleeping.