The old man, Old Jiang, reveals himself as Liu Jianguo's former master, a legendary doctor and cultivator. He explains that Liu Jianguo crippled himself willingly, a shocking revelation that forces Liu Jin to question his father's past. Old Jiang, dying from a soul-rotting ailment, offers to take Liu Jin as his apprentice, a proposal Liu Jin initially hesitates to accept. Xiao Zheng, the Xiao Sect's Patriarch, arrives and learns of Old Jiang's presence, forming a secret alliance. Liu Jin, after a year of rigorous training under Old Jiang, is poisoned daily to build immunity, a brutal but effective teaching method. The climax arrives when Old Jiang takes Liu Jin to the heart of Poison Fang Canyon, where they face the Nine-Headed Snake God, a fallen deity whose shade guards a deadly inheritance. Liu Jin accepts the trial, receiving a brand that floods his body with lethal poison, forcing him to survive for three years to claim the god's power.

Liu Jin and Xiao Nan travel to New Moon Town, a small town under the Xiao Sect's influence. Liu Jin experiences a position of superiority for the first time, defeating bandits with ease and realizing how weak the outside world is. He heals Xiao Heng, the branch master's neglected son, curing a lifelong obstruction in his lungs with a simple pill. The political landscape of New Moon Town unravels: the Lun Clan, led by the desperate Lun Shu, has allied with the Black Bear Bandits to assassinate Xiao Dong, the branch master's heir, to prevent a wedding that would solidify the Xiao Sect's power. Xiao Dong is killed, and Liu Jin is captured by Lun Shu, who reveals the Tree of Deceitful Whispers, a cursed tree that grants power or death. Liu Jin is forced to test the fruit, surviving by luck, while Lun Shu and his son die from choosing the wrong fruit. Xiao Nan arrives, slaughtering the bandits, and the Xiao Sect crushes the Lun Clan. Liu Jin returns to Eastern Port City only to learn he is to be married to Xiao Zheng's secret daughter, Xiao Shuang.

Liu Jin meets his betrothed, Xiao Shuang, a girl with a Body of Extreme Yin who has been hidden her entire life. Their wedding is held, a grand ceremony attended by the Fairy Meng Yue of the Divine Frozen Palace, who has come to claim Xiao Shuang as her disciple. Liu Jin learns the marriage is a political formality to protect Xiao Shuang's status, and she will leave for the Palace in a month. During their brief time together, Liu Jin takes her outside the city for the first time, showing her the sea and the port. After she leaves, Liu Jin trains under Old Jiang, mastering the Art of the Roaming Thief and Ground Contraction. He challenges Xiao Fang to a duel, promising to last three moves. On the day of the fight, Liu Jin reveals he has broken through to the Seventh Level of the Inner Realm, having shed Nine-Headed Snake God's poison. He blocks Xiao Fang's first move, endures a Void Fist, and dodges the third with the Art of the Roaming Thief, winning the bet. He is promoted to Inner Disciple, but the joy is short-lived as he finds Old Jiang collapsed, his condition worsening.

The Eastern Port City Tournament arrives, and Liu Jin, now an Inner Disciple, is chosen to represent the Xiao Sect. His father, for the first time, reveals glimpses of his own past as a tournament champion, hinting at a history of power Liu Jin never knew. Doctor Wu's son, Wu Yan, is appointed as the tournament's medical official, a clear provocation. Xiao Nan leaves the city on a secret mission, warning Liu Jin to be wary of Elder Hui, who may have sinister motives. Liu Jin stands at the arena, his new robes and crimson scarf marking him as a contender. The crowd roars as the tournament begins, and Liu Jin's first match is against a burly Inner Disciple from the Yun Sect. With a single, fluid motion, he uses Ground Contraction to appear behind his opponent, striking a pressure point that sends the man crashing to the ground. The victory is swift and decisive, but Liu Jin's eyes are not on his fallen foe. They are on the stands, where his father watches with a knowing smile, and on the shadow of Elder Hui, who watches from a distance, a serpent coiled in the heart of the Xiao Sect.