Chapter Summaries

Ye Xingge ambushed Qin Laosan, escaped into the river, and killed Zhou Lie underwater while the others searched for him. At the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, Zhang Zhiqing watched the Crown Prince Star brighten and asked where Ye Xingge had gone.

• Ye Xingge used a smoke bomb to conceal his attack, stabbed Qin Laosan with the Ravine-Leaping Tiger, cut off his head, and searched his body before fleeing.
• Zheng Laoda and Zheng Lao'er found Qin Laosan dead and recognized the Ravine-Leaping Tiger wound, while Lu Zheng suspected Ye Xingge had escaped underwater with the Water-Repelling Pearl.
• Ye Xingge blinded Lu Zheng with another smoke bomb, rose from the river, and struck Zhou Lie into the water with his crescent blade.
• Underwater, Ye Xingge disarmed Zhou Lie, pursued him with the crescent blade, and stabbed him through the waist and belly.
• At the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, Zhang Zhiqing saw the Crown Prince Star brighten and the Azure Dragon Star dim, then asked Wu Yi where Ye Xingge had gone.

Ye Xingge ambushed Hundred-Pace Feather Lu Zheng on the riverbank and killed him before Ye Jianxing and the Black Stone Twin Fiends could reach shore. He fled as the others emerged from the river, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Ye Xingge hid near the riverbank while Hongyu reported the enemies’ positions and Lu Zheng’s bow-drawing speed.
• Ye Xingge baited Lu Zheng into firing at his robe, then charged through the opening and struck him with the Ravine-Leaping Tiger.
• Ye Xingge injured Lu Zheng with a flying spike, severed his legs, and killed him with an arrow from the Green-Dark Bow.
• Ye Jianxing and the Black Stone Twin Fiends rushed out of the river as Ye Xingge retreated and deflected Zheng Lao'er's grappling claw with an arrow.
• Ye Xingge threw out a Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers and ran, picking up the Runnel-Leaping Tiger as he escaped.

Ye Xingge used a Wind-Traveling Talisman and a series of feints to kill Ye Jianxing while the Black Stone Twin Fiends escaped with Zhou Lie’s Azure Dragon Spear. He pursued the Zheng brothers underwater and boarded their cargo boat, where he set off smoke bombs to prepare his next attack.

• Ye Xingge threw Zhou Lie’s Azure Dragon Spear onto a tower ship, drawing the Black Stone Twin Fiends away from Ye Jianxing.
• Ye Xingge caught Ye Jianxing and killed him with the Fate-Robbing Saber and Ravine-Leaping Tiger, then chased the Zheng brothers downstream.
• The Zheng brothers, carrying the spear, boarded a cargo boat and waited for Ye Xingge after he disappeared underwater.
• Ye Xingge swam to the cargo boat, boarded it unseen with the Filth-Severing Whip, and threw a bomb that the Zheng brothers avoided by hiding beneath the cargo hold.
• Ye Xingge changed the Fate-Robbing Saber into a crescent blade and threw his last two smoke bombs into a corner of the boat.

Ye Xingge killed Zheng Lao'er and Zheng Laoda aboard the cargo boat, then gathered the weapons and gear left behind. After searching the river for Zheng Lao'er's body, he left as the onlookers realized the fight was over.

• Ye Xingge used his dark-gold whip to yank Zheng Lao'er off the deck and cut him in half with his crescent blade.
• Zheng Laoda attacked with the Azure Dragon Spear, but Ye Xingge evaded his devastating strike and countered with Cloud Dragon Covers the Crown.
• Ye Xingge broke through Zheng Laoda's defense, cut into his shoulder, and kicked his blade along the spear shaft to behead him.
• Ye Xingge praised Hongyu for revealing the enemies' positions, collected the weapons and equipment, and jumped into the Cang River to search for Zheng Lao'er's corpse.
• The jianghu crowd realized both Zheng brothers were dead and saw that Ye Xingge had already left.

At Heaven-Observing Pavilion, Old Master Yan and Zhang Zhiqing agreed to conceal how quickly Ye Xingge was rising through the Gold List to keep Later Zhou and its experts from targeting him. After Ye Xingge returned from killing five Third Rankers and examined his spoils with Hongyu, she discovered a strange dragon-shaped mark connected to his Qi channels on his back and hurried out to investigate.

• Old Master Yan learned that Ye Xingge had killed five Third Rankers and reached rank three hundred and twenty-eighth, then argued that the Gold List should hide some of his progress.
• Zhang Zhiqing agreed to list Ye Xingge at rank three hundred and fifty-eighth to keep Wu Chenglie and Later Zhou from recognizing the threat he posed.
• Ye Xingge returned to the inn with weapons and other spoils, and Hongyu helped him clean up while checking his wound.
• Ye Xingge and Hongyu examined his valuable loot, including the Azure Dragon Spear, Dark Green Bow, Immortal Rope, and Qin Laosan's Essence-Nourishing Pendant.
• Ye Xingge noticed an unusual itch on his back, and Hongyu found a blurry dragon-shaped pattern connected to his Qi channels.
• Hongyu told Ye Xingge to stay still and avoid looking in a mirror, then hurried out to investigate.

Hongyu summoned Cloud and Rain Tower and explained how Ye Xingge had survived the recent battles while she had lost her cultivation. Cloud and Rain Tower agreed to let Hongyu remain with him for now, but warned that her junior sister would replace her if anything went wrong, then borrowed Hongyu’s body to seal Ye Xingge’s meridians.

• Hongyu used the Flower and Moon Pendant to summon Cloud and Rain Tower and reported the events of the past few days.
• Cloud and Rain Tower explained that Ye Xingge’s Fate-Robbing Saber had caused Divine Dragon Covering the Back to appear and said his meridians needed sealing.
• Cloud and Rain Tower discovered that Hongyu had truly lost her cultivation and rebuked her for taking Ye Xingge into danger without protection.
• Hongyu argued that hardship would test whether she could reach the First Rank and declared her commitment to Ye Xingge and their arranged match.
• Cloud and Rain Tower allowed Hongyu to continue accompanying Ye Xingge but warned that her junior sister would take over if anything went wrong.
• Cloud and Rain Tower borrowed Hongyu’s body to seal Ye Xingge’s meridians with silver needles, and Hongyu’s bearing transformed as the ancestor took control.

Cloud and Rain Tower possessed Yu'er's body and tried to treat Ye Xingge's excessive Qi and blood with blindfolded acupuncture, but he doubted her identity and stopped her. After revealing who she was, Cloud and Rain Tower left, and Hongyu went back to persuade Ye Xingge to accept treatment without telling him the truth.

• Cloud and Rain Tower entered Ye Xingge's room in Yu'er's body and said his abundant Qi and blood required acupuncture.
• Ye Xingge objected to her blindfolded needling and resisted when she tried to knock him unconscious.
• Cloud and Rain Tower revealed her identity after Ye Xingge caught her wrist, but he remained unconvinced and kissed her to test her reactions.
• Cloud and Rain Tower left after Ye Xingge challenged her claim that the blindfold did not affect her.
• Hongyu spoke with Cloud and Rain Tower, then returned to the inn to persuade Ye Xingge to accept treatment without revealing that her master had been there.

Hongyu tried to persuade Ye Xingge to let her needle him blindfolded, and the two kissed after she assured him she trusted her skill. Before fetching her master, Hongyu arranged a test to prepare Ye Xingge to make a good impression on her, with a reward if he passed.

• Hongyu pressed Ye Xingge to trust her blindfolded needling, but he argued that doing it without sight was unnecessarily risky.
• Hongyu kissed Ye Xingge to reassure him, and they embraced until he began to go further and she pulled away.
• Hongyu told Ye Xingge to act like an upright gentleman, praise her, and demonstrate his abilities when her master needled him.
• Ye Xingge asked for a reward, and Hongyu agreed to let him touch her for half an hour if he passed the test.
• Hongyu went outside to get into character while Ye Xingge prepared for the test.

Ye Xingge tried to impress Cloud and Rain Tower during her assessment by flattering her and showing off his literary knowledge, then attempted to identify where she should place the next needle. His guess led Cloud and Rain Tower to prepare to needle him at the Jingmen acupoint, leaving him shocked that she had taken his answer literally.

• Cloud and Rain Tower blindfolded herself and began assessing Ye Xingge while he lay in bed.
• Ye Xingge praised Cloud and Rain Tower and falsely claimed a lyric had been written by her master, persuading her that it reflected her regard for Yu'er.
• Cloud and Rain Tower questioned Ye Xingge about his knowledge of medicine and acupoints as she inserted needles into him.
• Ye Xingge sensed changes in his Qi channels and pointed to the Jingmen acupoint as the likely location for the next needle.
• Cloud and Rain Tower picked up a needle and said she would insert it there, surprising Ye Xingge, who had thought she was testing him.

Cloud and Rain Tower treated Ye Xingge’s condition with silver needles and praised his ability to reason through the method, then Hongyu learned that he had recovered and passed his assessment. As Ye Xingge teased Hongyu over his promised reward, he suddenly noticed a possible threat outside and asked about the remaining assassins.

• Cloud and Rain Tower guided Ye Xingge through figuring out where to place needles to seal his meridians, then treated him and warned him to report future abnormalities.
• Cloud and Rain Tower told Hongyu that Ye Xingge was fine, praised his performance, and instructed Hongyu to teach him inner sect cultivation techniques.
• Hongyu told Ye Xingge he had passed the assessment and earned promotion to a gold-medal lackey, then tried to reward him by touching his chest.
• Ye Xingge guided Hongyu’s hand over his body and promised to make her favorite dishes, while Hongyu reluctantly continued touching him.
• Ye Xingge noticed something outside the window and asked about the remaining assassins; Hongyu said they were unlikely to appear after the day’s commotion.

After Ye Xingge’s feats at Shangjin Ferry, the Emperor of Yan and his advisers considered how to support his rapid rise through the martial rankings. Ye Xingge returned to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion with his spoils and was summoned to report to its central building.

• Cao Xiong and Murong Xie told the Emperor of Yan that Ye Xingge’s background had checked out and discussed his limited progress despite his victory over five Third Rank fighters.
• Cao Xiong proposed rewarding Ye Xingge as he climbed the rankings, while the Emperor approved giving him the Great Nine Yang body-refining method first.
• Eunuch Fan suggested using the Emperor’s birthday as a target, and Cao Xiong offered Ye Xingge a Martial Emperor Pill and fifty pieces of sword-nourishing material if he managed it; the Emperor cautioned against ordering him to succeed.
• Ye Xingge rode past his family’s newly opened inn with his horse loaded with weapons, but after seeing his second uncle’s reaction, he continued to Yingtian Ward.
• He arrived at the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, where officers praised his victory and told him to report to the central building as the Heaven-Observing Decree had instructed.

Ye Xingge visited the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, where Zhang Zhiqing showed off his treasures and explained the Great Nine Yang technique bestowed on Ye by the emperor. The chapter ended with Zhang describing how the technique’s later stages could preserve youth and extend a cultivator’s lifespan.

• Zhang Zhiqing recalled how he had won the No-Strategy Bow and defeated the Southern Frontier Demon Sect, while Shen Yueyao complained that she was not allowed to take his weapons out into the martial world.
• Ye Xingge arrived with spoils from his recent mission, and Shen Yueyao helped carry them into the Pavilion’s treasure hall.
• Ye Xingge saw Zhang Zhiqing’s extensive collection of renowned weapons and armor, including the No-Strategy Bow and A Thread of Pink.
• Zhang Zhiqing gave Ye Xingge a jade tablet containing the first part of Great Nine Yang, a technique bestowed by the emperor after Ye’s accomplishments.
• Ye Xingge used the tablet and recognized that Great Nine Yang began with a body-refining method; Zhang Zhiqing explained that its later stages could preserve youth and extend life.

Zhang Zhiqing taught Ye Xingge about cultivation and urged him to develop the Great Nine Yang on his own while secretly pressuring him to reach the top three hundred before the sovereign’s birthday. He lent Ye Xingge a Mountains and Rivers Pouch for half a year, and Ye Xingge left for Great Beauty Luo’s home considering its uses and steep cost to expand.

• Zhang Zhiqing explained why Divine Weapons chose new masters and told Ye Xingge that he had to work out the rest of the Great Nine Yang himself.
• Zhang Zhiqing told Ye Xingge that reaching the top three hundred before the birthday banquet could earn him a Martial Emperor Pill and fifty pieces of sword-nurturing material, while implying the goal was far off.
• Ye Xingge learned he was ranked 358th after killing six people and resolved to keep working toward the target.
• Zhang Zhiqing lent Ye Xingge a Mountains and Rivers Pouch for half a year and warned him he would want a second pouch by then.
• Ye Xingge discovered that the pouch held only one cubic foot and would require a great deal of sword-nurturing material to expand, then went to Great Beauty Luo’s courtyard.

Luo Xuanqing waited anxiously for Ye Xingge to return after his victory, then discussed his rewards and tested his skill at developing techniques. Their contest ended in a draw, with Luo Xuanqing agreeing to remove half a piece of clothing.

• Luo Xuanqing waited at home for Ye Xingge, worried after hearing he had gone to confront the killers, and welcomed him back unharmed.
• Luo Xuanqing told Ye Xingge that the court would reward his rise in the rankings and that he could collect materials from Yueyao at the Armaments Bureau.
• Luo Xuanqing offered to find Ye Xingge the Twelve Stances Art and proposed a contest in tracing meridians and choosing Qi pathways.
• Hongyu secretly suggested a Qi route to Ye Xingge while he worked out his own solution during the two-quarter-hour contest.
• Ye Xingge proposed a route that Luo Xuanqing judged better than hers, and they declared a draw with Luo agreeing to remove half a piece of clothing.

Luo Xuanqing lost a wager to Ye Xingge and had to remove a piece of clothing, but their struggle over the lights and her gown was interrupted by An Yurou’s visit. After An Yurou left, Ye Xingge departed with Luo Xuanqing’s sleeping gown, while Luo ordered him to master Great Nine Yang in three days.

• Luo Xuanqing accepted her wager loss and removed her sleeping gown in the dark, but Ye Xingge lit a fire starter to see her.
• Luo Xuanqing pinned Ye Xingge down and tried to snatch the fire starter as they scuffled.
• An Yurou arrived with a late-night meal and called to Luo Xuanqing, prompting Luo to claim she was changing clothes and that Ye Xingge was out on patrol.
• Luo Xuanqing searched for her gown while Ye Xingge relit the fire starter, but she put out the flame and eventually found the bedroom door.
• Luo Xuanqing conceded that she had honored the wager, then ordered Ye Xingge to master Great Nine Yang in three days or have his legs broken.
• Ye Xingge found Luo Xuanqing’s gown, left with it, and went out into the rain while Luo hid under her quilt and regretted her overconfidence.

Ye Xingge adapted Wu Chenglie’s technique into Lesser Pure Yang and began cultivating it, while Hongyu returned with intelligence about He Lin and Qian Zhong. After eating the meal Ye Xingge had left for her, she discussed the leads with him, and they considered how he could investigate the Myriad Phenomena Tower.

• Ye Xingge studied the technique’s three vessels and devised a Lesser Pure Yang circulation suited to his Blissful Illusory Body.
• Hongyu received intelligence that He Lin had returned to the Mysterious Armament Pavilion and Qian Zhong had reached the Myriad Phenomena Tower.
• Hongyu slipped into Ye Xingge’s courtyard and found him cultivating, then went to the kitchen to eat the meal he had left warming for her.
• Ye Xingge stopped cultivating and found Hongyu eating; she gave him the intelligence she had gathered.
• Ye Xingge and Hongyu discussed killing He Lin and investigating Qian Zhong, while Ye Xingge wondered how to visit the Myriad Phenomena Tower without arousing suspicion.

Ye Xingge used an inquiry into Five Blessings Powder to get Chen Xiaobao to lead him to the Myriad Phenomena Tower, where he hoped to encounter Qian Zhong. He left the pleasure quarter with Chen Xiaobao after warning him that he intended to inspect the establishment.

• Ye Xingge kissed Hongyu, then went to Laurel-Plucking Ward to find Chen Xiaobao and arrange a pretext for visiting the Myriad Phenomena Tower.
• Ye Xingge entered Chen Xiaobao’s private room at Tinglan House and startled him and his companions.
• Ye Xingge identified Miss Yu'er and asked Chen Xiaobao about Five Blessings Powder, which was being used in the capital’s pleasure houses.
• Chen Xiaobao named several establishments and eventually told Ye Xingge that the Myriad Phenomena Tower belonged to the Imperial Estate Bureau.
• Ye Xingge ordered Chen Xiaobao to guide him to the Myriad Phenomena Tower, and Chen Xiaobao left with him and Xiao Si.

At Myriad Phenomena Tower, Huang Guan sent Zhang Jin to approach Cao Xiong’s grandson as part of a plan to implicate the Cao Clan and crown prince in a possible assassination plot. Meanwhile, Ye Xingge entered the tower with Chen Xiaobao to locate Qian Zhong, unaware that Zhang Jin was also inside.

• Huang Guan told Zhang Jin that he would arrange for him to enter the palace and instructed him to befriend Fan Zhe, Cao Xiong’s grandson.
• Zhang Jin accepted the mission and left to meet Fan Zhe, while Huang Guan explained to Qian Zhong that the plan aimed to implicate the Cao Clan and crown prince.
• Ye Xingge arrived at Myriad Phenomena Tower with Chen Xiaobao and prepared his weapons before entering.
• A steward welcomed Chen Xiaobao and offered him entertainers, but Ye Xingge clarified that they had come to find friends.
• Chen Xiaobao led Ye Xingge to the third floor, where Ye Xingge began listening to conversations to assess who was inside.

Hongyu located Qian Zhong in the Myriad Phenomena Tower, and Ye Xingge confronted him with Chen Xiaobao and Xiao Si. Qian Zhong fled and Ye Xingge killed him with one slash, then questioned whether Chen Xiaobao had identified the right man.

• Hongyu spotted Qian Zhong in a private room in the south building and directed Ye Xingge to him.
• Chen Xiaobao identified Qian Zhong as a Black Dragon Island hall master, and Ye Xingge went to question him.
• When authorities announced a routine inspection, Qian Zhong recognized Ye Xingge and escaped through the window.
• Ye Xingge pursued Qian Zhong across the rooftops and struck him down on the suspended walkway with his crescent blade.
• After realizing his blow had killed Qian Zhong outright, Ye Xingge asked Chen Xiaobao to confirm the man's identity.

Ye Xingge killed Qian Zhong at the Myriad Phenomena Tower, then realized the man’s cultivation had been lower than his ranking suggested and suspected his true strength was being concealed. As he searched for Qian Zhong’s accomplice, An Yurou’s group watched from the central building and tried to alert him to a separate plot in the north building.

• Ye Xingge cut down Qian Zhong, and Chen Xiaobao challenged him for killing a commoner without first gathering evidence.
• Ye Xingge found Qian Zhong’s Black Dragon Island token and a fresh chest wound, then suspected his ranking or the No-Strategy Bow’s assessment was misleading him.
• Hongyu estimated that Ye Xingge had at least three hundred and thirty years of cultivation, while his strength had been hidden to deceive Later Zhou.
• Ye Xingge ordered bystanders back and searched the Myriad Phenomena Tower for Qian Zhong’s accomplice as Chen Xiaobao sent Xiao Si to question the manager.
• Hongyu spotted someone watching from a dark room on the fourth floor of the central building, and Ye Xingge approached the building while pretending to investigate.
• An Yurou recognized that the north building’s gambling guests and a stranger connected to Cao Xiong’s grandson might be involved in a larger plot, so she sent Hou Chou’er to alert Ye Xingge through A Fei.