Chapter Summaries

Ten-year-old Han Li learned that his Third Uncle could take him to the Seven Mysteries Sect to test for the inner disciples, and he left home hoping to earn money and return to his family. His journey began a path of immortal cultivation beyond anything he expected.

• Han Li, a clever but poor village boy, dreamed of leaving his home and gathering berries for his little sister.
• Han Li returned from gathering firewood and met his Third Uncle, who offered to take him to the Seven Mysteries Sect's inner disciple test.
• Father Han agreed to let Han Li go after Third Uncle described the sect's benefits and left the family several taels of silver.
• A little over a month later, Third Uncle took Han Li away, and Han Li held back tears as his parents watched him leave.

Han Li arrived in Green Ox Town with his third uncle, Fatty Han, and waited to be taken to the Seven Mysteries Sect. Protector Wang arrived to escort the recruits and prepared to leave with Han Li that night.

• Fatty Han brought Han Li to the Spring Fragrance Restaurant and told him to wait in a courtyard for the inner sect steward.
• Han Li rested, ate, and grew more comfortable with Fatty Han during their two days in town.
• A carriage marked with the Seven Mysteries Sect’s flag arrived at the restaurant, carrying Protector Wang.
• Fatty Han introduced Han Li to Protector Wang and discreetly gave him a heavy pouch.
• Protector Wang accepted the pouch and said he would look after Han Li on the road before setting out.

Han Li traveled with the other children to the Seven Mysteries Sect’s headquarters on Rosy Cloud Mountain, where they were to take the entrance examination. The chapter left him and the other candidates gathered at a bamboo-covered slope, ready for selection to begin.

• Han Li observed the different groups of children in the crowded carriage, including the influential Wu Yan and several poor children like himself.
• Protector Wang’s carriage picked up more children along the way and reached Rosy Cloud Mountain on the evening of the fifth day.
• Hall Master Yue met Protector Wang and ordered the candidates taken to the Guest House to rest before the examination.
• Han Li spent the night dreaming of becoming a powerful martial artist and defeating the blacksmith’s son from his village.
• Protector Wang led the children to a bamboo-covered slope, where Hall Master Yue and several young men were waiting.

Han Li struggled through the Seven Mysteries Sect entrance test, climbing the bamboo slope and dangerous rock face despite exhaustion and injuries. He reached a hemp rope below the cliff top but could not climb higher before noon, leaving his admission uncertain.

• Hall Master Yue explained that only those who reached the top of Bone Refining Cliff before noon could become formal disciples, while others might be accepted as Registered Disciples.
• Han Li followed the other children through the bamboo grove, repeatedly stopping to rest as the slope grew steeper.
• Han Li climbed the crumbling rock face, hurting his hands and knees as he tried to keep up with Wu Yan and the other children.
• Han Li nearly lost his footing, but the senior brother following him stood ready to catch him.
• Han Li reached an unoccupied hemp rope after Wu Yan climbed to the top and left, but exhaustion kept Han Li from climbing beyond the lowest knot.

Han Li failed to reach the cliff top in time, but Hall Master Yue gave him and Zhang Tie a chance to become inner disciples after another test. Doctor Mo selected the two registered disciples to live and work in Divine Hand Valley, where Han Li fell asleep exhausted.

• Hall Master Yue announced that Wu Yan would enter the Seven Ultimates Hall, while six children became inner disciples and Han Li and Zhang Tie would be tested again in half a year.
• Protector Wang escorted the children who failed down the mountain, and Zhang Jun and Wu Mingrui led the successful children away.
• Zhang Jun and Wu Mingrui revealed that Wu Yan had a powerful relative backing his placement in the Seven Ultimates Hall.
• Doctor Mo appeared in the forest and chose Han Li and Zhang Tie to help him in Divine Hand Valley.
• Doctor Mo showed Han Li and Zhang Tie their new home and told them to meet him in the main hall that night, and Han Li fell asleep.

Han Li and Zhang Tie became Doctor Mo’s Registered Disciples and began learning medicine, literacy, and basic martial arts at the Seven Mysteries Sect. A month later, Doctor Mo started teaching them a secret, nameless Mnemonic, while Han Li learned more about the sect and Doctor Mo’s past.

• Zhang Tie brought Han Li two buns, and the boys went to see Doctor Mo after supper.
• Doctor Mo accepted Han Li and Zhang Tie as Registered Disciples, promised to teach them medicine and a body-nurturing Mnemonic, and said he would test their progress in six months.
• Han Li and Zhang Tie studied medicine with Doctor Mo and learned reading, writing, and basic martial arts with the other boys.
• A month later, Doctor Mo began teaching Han Li and Zhang Tie a nameless Mnemonic and forbade them from sharing it.
• Han Li learned that Doctor Mo had saved Sect Master Wang Lu’s life and had later joined the Seven Mysteries Sect as an Attendant.

Han Li recounted how he and Zhang Tie had avoided the Registered Disciple examination and were instead given six months to advance in Doctor Mo’s mysterious Mnemonic. After months of hard cultivation, Han Li had developed a faint cool energy and pushed himself through seven circuits, while Doctor Mo remained absorbed in the Longevity Scripture.

• Han Li stopped after completing his seventh Greater Celestial Circuit, fearing another round would rupture his meridians.
• Han Li recalled that most Registered Disciples who failed the entrance examination had to leave the mountain and become outer disciples.
• Doctor Mo had told Han Li and Zhang Tie to cultivate the Mnemonic’s first level for six months to earn places as his formal disciples.
• Han Li devoted himself to the Mnemonic but produced only a faint, cool stream of energy that seemed far weaker than the Righteous Yang Art’s True Qi.
• Han Li regained confidence after Zhang Tie told him the Mnemonic had produced no change in his body at all.
• Han Li realized that Doctor Mo spent his days studying the Longevity Scripture, apparently seeking a way to prolong his life.

After testing Han Li and Zhang Tie’s cultivation, Doctor Mo made Han Li his personal disciple and offered Zhang Tie a different method suited to his Root Bone. Both passed the assessment and were told to return the next day to learn new cultivation methods.

• Doctor Mo examined Zhang Tie and found that he had made no progress with the Mnemonic.
• When Doctor Mo examined Han Li, the energy in Han Li’s body circulated on its own, and Doctor Mo recognized the result he had been seeking.
• Doctor Mo praised Han Li’s cultivation and named him his personal disciple.
• Doctor Mo said Zhang Tie lacked the aptitude for the Mnemonic but offered to teach him another method suited to his Root Bone.
• Han Li and Zhang Tie accepted their new paths, and Doctor Mo told them to return the next day.

Han Li reflected on his recent breakthrough in the nameless Mnemonic and Doctor Mo’s unusual care for him. He found Zhang Tie still training to advance in the Elephant Armor Technique.

• Han Li left his secluded stone chamber after recovering from the internal injuries he had suffered while breaking through the first layer of the nameless Mnemonic.
• Han Li recalled that Doctor Mo had treated his injuries with great concern and had provided him with valuable medicines and medicinal broths.
• Han Li passed Zhang Tie’s cottage and guessed that Zhang Tie had gone to practice beneath the waterfall at Red Water Peak.
• Han Li recalled that Doctor Mo had taught Zhang Tie the painful but powerful Elephant Armor Technique, and that Zhang Tie had nearly reached its second layer after two months of training.

Han Li complained that Doctor Mo kept him from learning martial arts while he cultivated the Mnemonic, then discovered a strange, heavy green bottle after injuring his toe on it. He hid the bottle in his robes and limped back to his quarters to treat his injury and inspect it.

• Han Li left Divine Hand Valley after visiting Zhang Tie and thought about helping him escape the painful Elephant Armor Technique.
• Han Li watched the other disciples train with weapons and resented that Doctor Mo forbade him from learning other martial arts.
• Han Li kicked a hard object hidden beneath the fallen leaves and injured his right big toe.
• Han Li uncovered a heavy bottle with a green surface and leaf-shaped patterns, but could not open it or detect anything inside.
• Han Li tucked the bottle into his robes and limped back to his quarters to treat his foot.

Han Li treated his swollen toe and tried unsuccessfully to open the mysterious bottle that had caused his injury. After Zhang Tie also failed to open it, Han Li returned to his room to ponder what to do next.

• Han Li applied Doctor Mo’s medicine to his swollen toe and wrapped it in cloth.
• Han Li examined the pale-green bottle and repeatedly tried to twist off its tightly sealed cap, but could not open it.
• Han Li went to Zhang Tie and asked him to open the bottle, but Zhang Tie failed as well.
• Han Li concealed how he had injured his foot, asked Zhang Tie about his cultivation, and left.
• Han Li set the bottle on his table and stared at it while trying to think of a solution.

Han Li tried to smash open the mysterious bottle but discovered that it could withstand heavy blows without a mark. Convinced it was valuable, he hid it in the pouch around his neck and returned to his room after nightfall.

• Han Li decided to use a hammer to open the bottle rather than ask anyone else for help.
• Han Li struck the bottle repeatedly with increasing force, but it remained unmarked and intact.
• Han Li concluded the bottle was extraordinary and resolved to hide it from its likely owner.
• Han Li put the bottle in his leather pouch beside his protective amulet and hung it around his neck.
• Han Li returned the hammer, wandered around Divine Hand Valley, and went back to his room after dark.

Han Li examined the mysterious bottle after Zhang Tie brought him dinner, then fell asleep holding it. He awoke to find it gathering white light and carried it to a secluded clearing, where the light collected in far greater numbers.

• Zhang Tie brought dinner to Han Li's room, and they talked about sect gossip and their cultivation.
• Zhang Tie described the painful training Doctor Mo put him through for the Elephant Armor Technique, while Han Li kept his own practice secret.
• After Zhang Tie left, Han Li examined the bottle, grew tired, and fell asleep with it in his hand.
• Han Li awoke to see white specks of light gathering around the bottle and watched them squeeze into it.
• Han Li carried the bottle to a deserted clearing, where far more white lights gathered around it in a washbasin-sized mass.

Han Li discovered that the bottle absorbed motes of light and eventually opened to reveal a drop of green liquid, but he put it aside to focus on cultivation. Doctor Mo's promise of doubled silver drove Han Li to cultivate until, four years later, he reached the third level of the Mnemonic.

• Han Li watched the bottle absorb strands of light each night, and on the eighth day it revealed golden characters and allowed him to remove its stopper.
• Han Li found a drop of emerald-green liquid inside the bottle, sealed it, and returned to his quarters without investigating further.
• Doctor Mo promised to double Han Li's monthly silver for every level he advanced, and Han Li began cultivating with renewed determination.
• Doctor Mo closed Divine Hand Valley to outsiders and took care of Han Li's needs so he could focus on cultivation.
• Four years passed, and Han Li reached the third level of the Mnemonic while living almost entirely within the valley.

Han Li struggled with a cultivation bottleneck after Doctor Mo’s medicines ran out, while Doctor Mo left the mountain to search for herbs. Wandering beyond Divine Hand Valley for the first time in years, Han Li discovered a gathering of sect teenagers and recognized several old acquaintances.

• Han Li noticed Doctor Mo’s worsening illness and growing urgency, while his own cultivation remained stalled without medicine.
• Han Li told Doctor Mo that he had made no progress for a year, and Doctor Mo left the Seven Mysteries Sect to gather herbs two days later.
• Han Li recalled that Zhang Tie had vanished two years earlier after mastering the third layer of the Elephant Armor Technique.
• After several fruitless days of cultivation, Han Li left Divine Hand Valley and wandered around Rosy Cloud Mountain.
• Han Li followed the sounds of fighting to a secluded cliff, where over a hundred teenagers had gathered around two hostile groups.
• Han Li climbed a tree and recognized familiar faces among the crowd, including Wan Jinbao, Zhang Dalu, and Wang Dapang.

Han Li watched Wang Dapang fight at a contest between rival groups of Seven Mysteries Sect disciples and learned how a dispute over a woman had led to the feud. Wang Dapang won the first bout, and a saber fighter and a swordsman began the next.

• Han Li climbed down from a tree and asked Little Abacus why Wang Dapang was fighting.
• Little Abacus explained that Wang Yang had died after his betrothed left him for Zhang Changgui, prompting Wang Dapang to challenge Zhang Changgui on his cousin’s behalf.
• Zhang Changgui recruited wealthy disciples to fight for him, while Wang Dapang gathered friends from the middle and lower ranks, drawing a hostile crowd.
• Wang Dapang knocked his opponent unconscious with a punch and returned to his side as the crowd reacted.
• A fighter with a saber and a fighter with a sword stepped forward and began the next bout.

Han Li watched a martial arts match while Little Abacus mistook him for a powerful disciple and tried to curry favor with him. After a saber fighter lost, the final match began as Senior Brother Li entered the ring to roaring cheers.

• Little Abacus asked Han Li which martial uncle he studied under, and Han Li falsely implied that an honored Attendant had taken him as a disciple.
• Little Abacus flattered Han Li as Senior Brother Han, then privately wondered why he showed no signs of martial skill.
• Han Li noticed the saber fighter's defeat before Little Abacus, who explained that the loss left the contest to its final match.
• Little Abacus confidently praised Senior Brother Li's Rushing Thunder Saber Technique and predicted his side would win.
• Senior Brother Li stepped into the ring, and the spectators united in loud cheers for him.

Little Abacus told Han Li about Senior Brother Li’s remarkable rise from Registered Disciple to renowned martial artist Li Hu. Han Li watched Senior Brother Li fight Zhao Ziling and questioned why no older disciples were watching, leaving Little Abacus visibly unsettled.

• Little Abacus explained that Senior Brother Li had excelled in tests and competitions despite having only average Root Bone and ordinary training.
• Little Abacus said Senior Brother Li had earned the name Li Hu through his work for the Seven Mysteries Sect and might soon enter the Seven Ultimates Hall.
• After Zhang Changgui’s side hesitated, Zhao Ziling stepped forward to fight Senior Brother Li with his soft sword.
• Senior Brother Li used a thunderous shout and a flurry of saber attacks to suppress Zhao Ziling.
• Han Li asked why no older senior brothers were present, and Little Abacus reacted with a strange look.

Han Li learned from Jin Dongbao that the Seven Mysteries Sect had sent most of its senior disciples down the mountain to gain experience and fight the Wild Wolf Gang. After watching Senior Brother Li defeat Zhao Ziling and leave the training ground, Han Li walked into the pine forest.

• Han Li showed Jin Dongbao his waist token, and Jin Dongbao explained the sect's growing conflict with the Wild Wolf Gang and its new training policy.
• Han Li realized the policy explained why so few senior disciples remained on the mountain.
• Senior Brother Li disarmed Zhao Ziling in a sparring match and received cheers from the gathered disciples.
• Senior Brother Li announced he had urgent business and left the training ground through the pine forest.
• Han Li learned Jin Dongbao's name, offered to treat his future injuries for free, and walked into the nearby pine forest.

Han Li found Senior Brother Li suffering a sudden attack and used silver needles to revive him. He recognized the Marrow Extraction Pill Senior Brother Li depended on and explained the consequences of taking it, leaving him to choose whether to continue.

• Han Li followed groans upstream and found Senior Brother Li convulsing beside a stream.
• Han Li treated Senior Brother Li with silver needles and learned that he needed medicine he carried.
• Han Li identified the medicine as a Marrow Extraction Pill and revealed that he had once used one himself in a different way.
• Han Li explained that Senior Brother Li could stop taking the pills and seek another medicine from Doctor Mo, or continue taking them at the cost of his life, then left the choice to him.