Chapter 37: The Storm Subsides

After dealing with Nie Feng, Qin Shuang returned to a state of calm. With the Emperor dead and the world leaderless, Qin Shuang was universally acclaimed as the Regent, awaiting the maturation of the next sovereign.

Following Qin Shuang’s ascension to power, the eight major martial arts sects dutifully surrendered their secret manuals. Qin Shuang guaranteed that he would not disseminate their arts recklessly. Later, news arrived in the pugilistic world that Nameless was hunting Xiong Ba. Xiong Ba, recalling that the Dog King and his two companions had once been sent to deal with Qin Shuang, became convinced that Qin Shuang had framed him. However, when Xiong Ba presented these claims to Nameless, Nameless dismissed them, believing Xiong Ba was merely attempting to eliminate Qin Shuang to seize control of the World Association. Ultimately, Xiong Ba was forced to have his martial arts completely crippled.

The remaining members of the Tianchi Twelve, led by the puppet-master, vanished from the martial arts world. Rumors suggested they had formed a theatrical troupe in the south, known for their impressive performances. When Qin Shuang heard that Xiong Ba’s martial arts had been destroyed, he smiled; this was exactly what he needed. Xiong Ba’s original "Three Parts Returning to One" had been based primarily on the Cloud-Palm; but after his cultivation was destroyed and then rebuilt, the three elements achieved a perfect, mutually restraining, and balanced state.

Once in power, Qin Shuang organized all the martial arts of the world, calling for universal martial cultivation. He invited Nameless, the First Blade Emperor, and joined forces with Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun to compile a comprehensive martial arts compendium. Basing the work on the philosophy of "The One gives birth to the Two, the Two to the Three, and the Three to all things," they used the "Three Parts Returning to One" as the core, with the world's martial arts as the branches. This included the Ten Great Martial Paths, the Xuanwu True Arts, the Return-to-Heaven Ice Technique, and even the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin. Some were used for offensive strikes, others—like the Return-to-Heaven Ice Technique and the Heart of the Saint—for healing, while the principles of the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to Origin were utilized for the concept of "breaking in order to build."

In the fifth year of his regency, Qin Shuang led the world’s elite to raid and dismantle the Heavenly Gate. The Heart of the Saint and various ancient martial arts from centuries past provided him with a bountiful harvest. Furthermore, the death of Xu Fu allowed Qin Shuang to collect another causal artifact. He discovered that he could manifest in any world where Xu Fu existed. Before even leaving the Wind and Cloud world, he had already secured two such artifacts: one linked to Guan Yu and the other to Xu Fu. With the Heavenly Gate gone, nothing could stop him. He took full control of the preparations Xu Fu had made for slaying the dragon.

Years later, Xiong Ba’s "Three Parts Returning to One" finally reached perfection, achieving a state of eternal, cyclical unity. By then, Qin Shuang had mastered the spells taught by Shen Gongbao and made significant progress in the ninth stage of the Ice Jade Nine Heavens. When he confronted Xiong Ba, the latter had no choice but to surrender the perfected version of his technique.

Eventually, even Xiong Ba was invited to participate in the compilation of the Martial Compendium. By this point, Qin Shuang feared almost no one in the Wind and Cloud world. The caveat remained due to the mysterious and powerful Xiao Sanxiao. Because this was the television adaptation rather than the manga, Qin Shuang deliberately avoided the latter’s more extreme elements—such as Lian Cheng-zhi or the Half-God—which involved space-time manipulation and reached immortal-level power.

As for Duan Lang, after revitalizing the Duan family, he settled in the south. Although he wished to participate in the compilation of the compendium, Qin Shuang refused him, citing his low martial cultivation—a choice based on his personality in the original story, as Qin Shuang wished to avoid trouble. This rejection drove Duan Lang to pursue martial perfection, though he remained perpetually in the shadow of Feng and Yun due to the vast disparity in resources.

The God of Catch, after the battle with Jue Wushen, left the World Association to return to his duties. Under Qin Shuang, he was granted even greater authority, overseeing all constables and criminal cases across the realm. Jue Xin, meanwhile, failed to escape to the East; the ever-reliable Po Jun, incentivized by a deal and supported by the World Association’s intelligence, brought Jue Xin’s head back within a month.

Regarding governance, beyond the promotion of martial arts, tax reduction, and commercial development, little changed. All policies were vetted by the court. Qin Shuang had no interest in wealth or power, nor did he engage in grand construction projects. He never interfered with the young Emperor, often keeping him nearby; what the boy learned was left to his own initiative. Since Qin Shuang intended to leave once the boy came of age, he remained indifferent to the child’s actions. Eventually, he handed all administrative duties over to the young Emperor, choosing to reside in the Martial Hall to debate and compile the compendium.

Time reached the sixty-year cycle of the Awakening of Insects. For the slaying of the dragon, the Seven Weapons were gathered: Bu Jingyun’s Peerless Sword, Nie Feng’s Snow Drinker, Duan Lang’s Fire Scale Sword, Nameless’s Hero Sword, and Po Jun’s Seven Kills and Greedy Wolf. To these, Qin Shuang added a spear he had forged using the collective strength of the world—the Ice Spear. He did not use his two ice hammers; for one who practiced the path of the martial artist, weapons were merely a matter of sentiment. He preferred his own hands.

Before the dragon-slaying, Qin Shuang returned all political authority to the new Emperor. This act earned him the respect of Nameless, Bu Jingyun, and Nie Feng, who had secretly worried that the corrupting nature of power might prevent him from stepping down. The battle against the dragon was uneventful; under the subtle orchestration of Qin Shuang, the divine creature was surrounded and slain. With the dragon’s death, the beast vanished into light, and Qin Shuang claimed the Dragon Pearl.

He knew that the Phoenix, Dragon, Turtle, and Qilin were the four fundamental pillars of this world. Having killed the dragon, Qin Shuang retired from the pugilistic world, never to be seen again. As he departed, Feng and Yun followed into seclusion. Xiong Ba, now aged, lost all interest in power. Duan Lang attempted to take over the World Association, but the organization collapsed overnight as no one would submit to him.

Qin Shuang took only a sliver of the Dragon Pearl’s essence—a small exchange for the energy he had contributed to the world—and cast the remainder into the deep ocean, leaving it to fate.