Recaps

Han Li confirmed that the little bottle could repeatedly produce green liquid and experimented with using it to accelerate medicinal herbs. After creating a thousand-year-old Three Black Grass, he decided to keep the bottle's secret while seeking a safe way to obtain the herbs he needed for cultivation.

• Han Li saw points of light gather around the bottle and, seven days later, found another drop of green liquid inside.
• Han Li discovered that undiluted green liquid could turn ginseng into a hundred-year-old plant, but the liquid disappeared if it was kept outside the bottle for too long.
• Han Li repeatedly applied drops of green liquid to Three Black Grass until it became a thousand-year-old herb.
• Han Li considered the danger of others learning about the bottle and resolved to conceal it and use it carefully on the mountain.
• Han Li reflected that he urgently needed medicinal herbs for cultivation and that his progress with the nameless mnemonic could not be delayed.

Han Li used the green liquid in the small bottle to grow rare medicinal ingredients and prepare several medicines before Doctor Mo returned. He stored the finished pills and powders, confident they would help him advance his cultivation and survive injuries or poison.

• Han Li estimated Doctor Mo would return in six or seven months and resolved to prepare medicines before then, keeping the bottle’s secret from him.
• Han Li reflected on his uneasy relationship with Doctor Mo and remained wary of the possibility that his master had hidden designs on him.
• Over the following months, Han Li used the green liquid to grow rare herbs and prepared several formulas, suffering multiple costly failures.
• Han Li finished more than a dozen bottles of Yellow Dragon Pill, Clear Spirit Powder, Golden Marrow Pill, and Essence Nourishing Pill, and judged they could help him reach the fourth through sixth layers of the Mnemonic.

Han Li prepared medicines for emergencies and used two spirit pills to break through to the fourth layer of the Mnemonic, gaining dramatically enhanced senses. Doctor Mo returned to Divine Hand Valley with a mysterious, towering companion, and Han Li concealed his progress when Doctor Mo asked about his cultivation.

• Han Li prepared small quantities of the final two medicines to carry as antidotes and healing supplies.
• Han Li took a Yellow Dragon Pill and a Golden Marrow Pill and broke through to the fourth layer of the Mnemonic.
• Han Li discovered that his senses, agility, and stamina had greatly improved.
• Doctor Mo returned to Divine Hand Valley with a mysterious figure hidden beneath a hood and green robe.
• Han Li told Doctor Mo that his cultivation had barely changed, then prepared to let Doctor Mo examine his pulse while suppressing his True Qi.

Doctor Mo revealed his hostility toward Han Li, immobilized him, and confiscated the iron tube hidden in his sleeve. He praised Han Li’s composure and began explaining that neither of them had ever truly considered the other master or disciple, while leaving his full plan unclear.

• Doctor Mo examined Han Li’s True Qi, then led him into a room with a mysterious person following behind.
• Han Li noticed black Qi moving across Doctor Mo’s face and sensed danger, so he reached for the iron tube concealed in his sleeve.
• The mysterious person struck Han Li’s chest acupoint, leaving him unable to move, and Doctor Mo took the iron tube from his sleeve.
• Han Li’s attempts to placate Doctor Mo failed, and he fell silent as Doctor Mo watched him mockingly.
• Doctor Mo praised Han Li’s calmness and said Han Li’s behavior would determine what he did with him.
• Doctor Mo told Han Li that he had never truly regarded him as a disciple, just as Han Li had never truly regarded him as a master.

Doctor Mo explained his past as the martial-world figure Mo Juren and revealed that he needed Han Li's Eternal Spring Qi to cure the rapid aging caused by a secret method. He said he had only one year left after a fight with an old enemy, leaving Han Li outwardly calm but inwardly shaken.

• Han Li asked Doctor Mo his age, and Doctor Mo said he was thirty-seven despite looking much older.
• Doctor Mo recounted his rise as the Ghost Hand in Lan Province, his betrayal, and the strange book that restored his power while making him age rapidly.
• Doctor Mo explained that Evil Qi drained his vitality and that the fourth layer of Han Li's Eternal Spring Art could help him recover.
• Doctor Mo revealed that he had searched for hundreds of children before finding Han Li, whose Spirit Root constitution allowed him to practice the art.
• Doctor Mo said he had restrained Han Li because Han Li had not reached the fourth layer, and that an old enemy's attack left him with only a year to live.
• Han Li kept his expression composed while privately reeling from Doctor Mo's revelations.

Doctor Mo forced Han Li to swallow a Corpse Worm Pill and threatened his family to ensure Han Li would cultivate the Eternal Spring Art to the fourth layer within a year. Han Li submitted, leaving their first confrontation a defeat for him.

• Doctor Mo accused Han Li of deliberately delaying his cultivation and demanded to know whether he could reach the fourth layer within a year.
• Doctor Mo released Han Li's acupoints and made him swallow a pill as a safeguard.
• Doctor Mo explained that the Corpse Worm Pill would hatch and kill Han Li unless he took an antidote after a year.
• Doctor Mo threatened Han Li's parents and relatives, forcing Han Li to promise he would reach the fourth layer within a year.
• Doctor Mo privately acknowledged Han Li's unusual intelligence and felt relieved that Han Li had submitted.

After Doctor Mo seized Han Li’s Five Poisons Water, Han Li considered how to protect himself from the threat Doctor Mo posed after a year. He resolved to strengthen himself and build leverage, ending with a vow to control his own fate.

• Han Li questioned Doctor Mo about the silent brother beside him, then left and recognized that he had been powerless against Doctor Mo.
• Doctor Mo tested the Five Poisons Water and was shocked to see it corrode through the floor.
• After sleeping, Han Li examined his plans and confirmed that Clear Spirit Powder could not counter the Corpse Worm Pill.
• Han Li weighed Doctor Mo’s threats against his family and doubted that Doctor Mo would keep his promise after a year.
• Han Li decided to strengthen himself and seek leverage against Doctor Mo, then vowed that his fate would belong to him alone.

Han Li and Li Feiyu continued their secret exchange of medicine for martial arts, and Han Li asked for a gentler technique. Li Feiyu introduced him to the Seven Ultimates Hall’s supposedly unmasterable Blinking Swordsmanship.

• Han Li and Li Feiyu cooled off in a hidden pool after meeting to exchange medicine and martial arts.
• Han Li asked Li Feiyu for a subtler cultivation method because the Mad Python Force was too fierce for him.
• Li Feiyu praised Han Li’s martial talent and urged him to abandon his old cultivation mnemonic and learn real skills.
• Han Li declined and asked whether the Seven Ultimates Hall had a martial art that worked without True Qi.
• Li Feiyu told Han Li about Blinking Swordsmanship, a strange sword art that no one, including its creator, had ever mastered.

Han Li learned that Blinking Swordsmanship had been neglected in the Seven Ultimates Hall and arranged for Li Feiyu to steal its manual for him. With Doctor Mo’s deadline less than half a year away, Han Li hoped the technique would help him overcome the limits of his Eternal Spring Art.

• Li Feiyu told Han Li the history of Blinking Swordsmanship and offered to sneak out its original manual.
• Han Li agreed to Li Feiyu’s plan and warned him not to get caught.
• Han Li returned to Divine Hand Valley and watched Doctor Mo’s silent, tireless attendant standing outside the house.
• Han Li reviewed Li Feiyu’s sword moves from memory, using the ability he gained upon reaching the fifth layer of the Eternal Spring Art.
• Han Li worried that his moves lacked the True Qi needed to fight Doctor Mo and placed his hopes on Blinking Swordsmanship.

Han Li met Li Feiyu at the pool to receive the Blinking Swordsmanship manual, but discovered that Li Feiyu had brought him a large portion of the Seven Ultimates Hall's secret manuals. Han Li angrily declared that he was cutting ties with Li Feiyu, leaving them facing the danger of being caught with the stolen books.

• Han Li left Divine Hand Valley and used the Eternal Spring Art to heighten his senses while avoiding patrolling disciples.
• Han Li reached the pool and found Li Feiyu waiting barefoot in the water.
• Li Feiyu tossed Han Li a huge, heavy bundle and said it contained the manual for Blinking Swordsmanship.
• Han Li opened the bundle and found a large collection of secret manuals marked as belonging to the Seven Ultimates Hall.
• Han Li shouted that he was cutting ties with Li Feiyu and warned that discovery by a hall patrol protector could get them killed.

Li Feiyu revealed that the library contained an unexpected trove of Blinking Sword Manuals, leaving Han Li astonished. Han Li began examining one of the seventy-four copies to understand what they contained.

• Han Li demanded that Li Feiyu explain why he had acted so recklessly, and Li Feiyu pretended to be aggrieved before showing him a manual.
• Li Feiyu handed Han Li several books, and Han Li discovered that each was labeled "Blinking Sword Manual."
• Li Feiyu explained that he had found the manuals together in a corner of the library and counted seventy-four copies.
• Han Li carefully turned through one of the manuals and began reading it.

Han Li read the Blinking Sword Manual volumes and discovered that the swordsmanship used light and flaws in human vision to kill swiftly, but required perseverance, talent, and no prior progress in True Qi. Li Feiyu lost interest and left Han Li to copy the manuals, while Han Li later hurried through the dark mountain path toward Divine Hand Valley.

• Han Li browsed through the Blinking Sword Manual volumes, then used the Eternal Spring Art to recall and consider what he had read.
• Li Feiyu interrupted Han Li at dusk and asked what he had learned from the manuals.
• Han Li explained that the books were incomplete collections and that Blinking Swordsmanship exploited light and flaws in human vision to defeat enemies.
• Han Li told Li Feiyu that the technique could not be practiced by someone with True Qi progress, insufficient perseverance, or insufficient talent, so Li Feiyu abandoned his interest.
• Li Feiyu told Han Li to copy the manuals before their next meeting, then left; Han Li later set out for Divine Hand Valley along the dark mountain path.

Han Li hid from two approaching men in the forest and overheard fragments of a plot against the Seven Mysteries Sect involving a list. He recognized one speaker as a steward from the mountain's main kitchen and was left considering what he had discovered.

• Han Li heard two people approaching on the dark mountain path and concealed himself behind a tree.
• He overheard the men mention the Wild Wolf Gang's leader, Jia Tianlong, and a plan involving a list.
• Han Li stayed hidden until the men had passed, then used the Eternal Spring Art to make sure no one else was nearby.
• He concluded that the Wild Wolf Gang spies were preparing to act against the Seven Mysteries Sect soon.
• Han Li recognized one of the speakers as a steward in the mountain's main kitchen who had previously sold him rabbits.

Han Li returned to his lodgings and planned to have Li Feiyu deal with the Wild Wolf Gang spies he had encountered. He reflected on the Blinking Sword Manual’s extraordinary demands and the reasons it had been abandoned by the Seven Mysteries Sect.

• Han Li returned to his lodgings, where Doctor Mo ignored him and continued sending him medicines made from precious herbs.
• Han Li decided to tell Senior Brother Li Feiyu about the Wild Wolf Gang spies so Li Feiyu could earn merit by handling them.
• Han Li recalled that the Blinking Sword Manual was an assassination technique requiring exceptional senses and an absence of refined internal force.
• Han Li considered the manuals’ vast, intricate forms and how their impossible-seeming demands had caused the Seven Mysteries Sect to lose interest in the swordsmanship.

The chapter recounted how a crippled Seven Mysteries Sect elder created the Blinking Sword Manual and used it to save the sect before his death. Unaware of its history, Han Li spent the night memorizing martial arts manuals and realized mastering the techniques would take years he might not have.

• A powerful elder secretly concealed that he had lost his cultivation and plundered hidden sects for martial arts that could be used without True Qi.
• After decades of work, the elder created the Blinking Sword Manual and used it to help the besieged Seven Mysteries Sect escape.
• The dying elder left instructions for the manual to be placed in the Seven Ultimates Hall, where it remained neglected until Han Li.
• Han Li memorized manuals by candlelight, wary that Doctor Mo might discover copies in his room.
• Han Li read through the night, refreshed himself in the morning, and judged that mastering the techniques would take years.

Han Li prepared several secret techniques and weapons before leaving his residence to cultivate in seclusion elsewhere on the mountain. Doctor Mo read Han Li’s note, sent a Cloud-Winged Bird to watch him, and vowed to see his plan through.

• Han Li memorized the Blinking Sword Manual and devised a training method for secret techniques he could learn quickly.
• Han Li returned the manual to Li Feiyu and told him how he had exposed a Wild Wolf Gang spy.
• Han Li commissioned short swords, iron bells, and other items from skilled blacksmiths.
• Han Li left his residence at night, leaving Doctor Mo a note saying he would return in four months.
• Doctor Mo sent a Cloud-Winged Bird to monitor Han Li and threatened to kill anyone who obstructed his plan.

Han Li secretly cultivated in a hidden ravine while a yellow bird watched him for Doctor Mo. After half of the four-month period passed, Han Li demonstrated his progress in concealment and prepared to practice another skill, while Doctor Mo continued working on a strange formation.

• Doctor Mo argued with Yu Zitong about the cultivation method and insisted his plan was still on track.
• Han Li hid in a ravine and began practicing the Bone-Softening Art.
• A yellow bird watched Han Li day and night without reporting his lack of escape attempts.
• After half of the four months passed, Han Li revealed himself by catching a gray bird and letting it go.
• Han Li judged that he had mastered the Breath-Concealing Art and the Disguise and Concealment Technique, then headed to his hut to practice the Secret Room Assassination Skill.
• Doctor Mo drew a strange formation with powdered beast bones, unaware that Han Li had recognized the yellow bird as his spy.

Han Li finished his dangerous training just in time to master the Gossamer Smoke Steps and reached the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Art. He headed back to his cabin to prepare for his meeting with Doctor Mo the next day.

• Li Feiyu exposed two Wild Wolf Gang spies and was appointed a protector by Sect Leader Wang.
• Han Li mastered the Gossamer Smoke Steps after months of practice in the thorn forest.
• Han Li reached the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Art with the help of spirit medicine and reflected on the art’s dependence on aptitude and medicinal power.
• Han Li returned to his cabin to plan how he would handle the dangers of his meeting with Doctor Mo.

Han Li met Doctor Mo, who gave him a pill he claimed was the Corpse Worm Pill antidote. After Han Li swallowed it and confirmed the pill had dissolved, Doctor Mo again asked to examine his cultivation, leaving Han Li unsure whether to let him take his pulse.

• Doctor Mo welcomed Han Li into his room, but left the door open after Han Li warned him not to trap him.
• Han Li noticed Doctor Mo's aged appearance and the mysterious tall man standing silently in the corner.
• Doctor Mo tried to take Han Li's pulse, but Han Li first demanded the antidote and said he had mastered the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Art.
• Doctor Mo gave Han Li a black pill, which Han Li swallowed and found had dissolved in his body.
• Doctor Mo said the Corpse Worm Pill had pushed Han Li to master the fourth layer, then asked to take his pulse again.

Han Li let Doctor Mo test his cultivation, but Doctor Mo attacked him as soon as he confirmed Han Li had reached the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Art. Han Li resisted the attack, escaped Doctor Mo’s grasp, and drew his sword, leaving them poised for a fight to the death.

• Han Li agreed to let Doctor Mo test his cultivation while keeping his guard up and moving his hand toward his short sword.
• Doctor Mo confirmed Han Li had reached the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Art and laughed while continuing to grip his wrist.
• Doctor Mo shouted and knocked Han Li down, then tried to strike a numbing acupoint on his chest.
• Han Li’s body resisted Doctor Mo’s attack, and he recovered quickly as Doctor Mo’s grip slipped away.
• Han Li rolled to a corner, drew his short sword, and told Doctor Mo that only one of them would leave alive.

Han Li used smoke and concealment to ambush Doctor Mo, nearly cutting open his abdomen with a sword thrust. Doctor Mo survived and began preparing to take Han Li seriously as Han Li approached him.

• Han Li threw a packet of white powder that filled the room with smoke, then concealed himself while Doctor Mo drove the haze away with Air-Splitting Palms.
• Doctor Mo searched the room and mistook the sound of a swinging iron bell for Han Li hiding above him.
• Han Li attacked from beneath the floor, but Doctor Mo bent backward and narrowly evaded the short sword, which slit his clothes.
• Han Li emerged using the Bone-Softening Art, the Breath-Concealing Art, and the Disguise and Concealment Technique, while Doctor Mo admitted he had underestimated him.
• Doctor Mo stared intently at his hands as Han Li approached with his short sword.

Doctor Mo used his Demonic Silver Hand to overpower Han Li and knock away his sword, but Han Li escaped his grasp with an uncanny movement technique. The confrontation continued with Han Li safe in a corner of the room.

• Doctor Mo transformed his arms into enormous silver hands and attacked Han Li with the Demonic Silver Hand.
• Han Li thrust his short sword at Doctor Mo, who caught the blade with his silver palm and sent it flying into the wall.
• Doctor Mo changed his other hand into a claw and reached for Han Li’s shoulder to capture him.
• Han Li blurred into a wisp of smoke, slipped beneath Doctor Mo’s silver curtain, and reappeared in a corner of the room.

Han Li prepared a hidden sword technique while recovering from the strain of fighting Doctor Mo, then baited Doctor Mo into attacking. The chapter ended as Doctor Mo tried to intercept Han Li’s charge, confident he had identified the real blade among its illusions.

• Han Li assessed his exhaustion and numb left hand, then drew a short, broad dagger as his remaining weapon.
• Doctor Mo urged Han Li to surrender, but Han Li saw through the deception and challenged him silently.
• Doctor Mo used So Close Yet Worlds Apart to close the distance and attacked Han Li with both palms.
• Han Li feigned retreat, then shifted into a bow-like stance and charged Doctor Mo with his short sword.
• Han Li’s sword appeared to split into more than a dozen blades, and Doctor Mo sped up his attack after deciding he had spotted the real one.

Han Li used a flash of light and a concealed awl to attack Doctor Mo, who survived the nearly fatal strike and discovered the trick behind Han Li’s weapon. The two remained locked in their deadly struggle, with Doctor Mo’s rage cooling as he understood the hidden blade.

• Han Li dazzled Doctor Mo with reflected white light, temporarily blinding him.
• Doctor Mo defended himself by listening for Han Li and seized the short sword when it thrust toward his throat.
• Doctor Mo pulled the sword toward himself, only to discover it felt strangely light as a concealed awl stabbed at his neck.
• Doctor Mo dodged the awl by instinct, rolled away, and stopped the bleeding from his neck.
• Doctor Mo’s vision returned, and he saw Han Li holding the bloodied awl while he himself held the hollow sword sheath.

Han Li and Doctor Mo paused their fight and tried to force each other into surrender. Han Li claimed he had poisoned Doctor Mo with Entwining Fragrant Silk, leaving Doctor Mo to recall the poison’s preparation and effects.

• Doctor Mo realized Han Li had used the open door and reflected sunlight to set a trap, and became more cautious of him.
• Han Li offered to surrender and tossed his weapon aside, but Doctor Mo distrusted the offer.
• Doctor Mo laughed at having fought Han Li openly, and both men agreed it was time to end their standoff.
• Han Li told Doctor Mo that his life was in Han Li’s hands because the concealed spike had wounded him.
• Han Li revealed that his weapon carried Entwining Fragrant Silk, whose formula he had found in one of Doctor Mo’s medical books.
• Doctor Mo recalled hiding the poison’s formula in a book and tried to remember how the poison worked.