SoloHan

Warning, super spoiler about first FX rebellion. After the DongAn mountain battle where it was revealed in the book that the Emperor was the 4th grandmaster, he was in deed the most powerful being on Earth. In fact, even with the assistance of DuoDuo and 2 9th level aces from northern Qi, and 13th Wang and 4 9th level disciples of Si GuJian, and the Shadow, FX still could not beat the emperor and only survived when a shot from the Barrett gun made the Emperor leave the battlefield and hide to avoid being shot.

Thus, FX knew he had to go to the divine temple to bring back WuZhu to beat the emperor.

Revised.

By the time of FX’s 2d rebellion, Ku He and Si GuJian had already died from their wounds from the DongAn Mountain battle. Grandmaster Ye had beeen reduced to 9th level and was now roaming the Earth.

In this 2d rebellion, It was not easy to kill the Qing Emperor ( “QE”). Wu Zhu ( WZ) began the attack and the two engaged in a battle of great grandmasters. The QE crippled WZ with blows that broke his leg and caved in his stomach, while WZ’s spear left 5 finger-sized holes in QE’s body and was embedded in QE’s abdomen. And just then, the QE’s left arm was shot off by the Barrett gun because the sniper chose to not fire a fatal shot. Even with all that, QE was able to withstand and stalemate FX’s final grandmaster level attack, injuring FX’s meridians again. But by this point, he knew that his injuries inflicted by Ye Qingmei’s servant, her son and her gun were fatal, and knew that YQM had won at last. Still, in his last moments, with his last zhenqi, he made a quick move to unmask WZ, to see what was behind the black mask. The QE was greeted by a dazzle of rainbow lasers which blew Emperor Qing into atoms. He died satisfied, knowing his lineage will rule the world.

How in the world the drama writers are going to fit everything in the novel that’s yet to happen is beyond me. The 2 FX rebellions, the DongAn mountain battle and CPP arc, the journey to the Temple, let alone the grasslands and Dongyi arcs, will take some brilliant rewriting and editing to shoehorn into 40 episodes. However, if anyone can, they will….. somehow. Just hope the wait is not too long.

The emperor does not go the the Divine Temple.

If you want to know about the entire temple arc, read the huge spoiler above.

Total super spoiler to best of recall and quick scan of chapter 726 et.seq.:

First, an explanation of what the Divine Temple (“Temple”) is. It is a military/artifacts museum built by a past human civilization that wiped itself out by nuclear wars. The museum builders built it to protect/control future civilizations from wiping itself out as well, primarily by limiting technological growth by the new civilization. The builders embedded AI holograms/programs to fulfill that mission, and recruited people from the new civilization to act as emissaries for the Temple to interact with the new human race. The temple also had a few ”home-grown” humans (perhaps from from selected DNA from its civilization). FX’s mom was one of those humans. The builders also programmed the creation of enforcers, powerful androids like WuZhu with special abilities, to kill anyone who jeopardized the Temple’s mission. With the passing of 100,000 years and more, the Temple has run out of emissaries and Wu Zhu is the last enforcer who has returned to the temple to try to get his memory restored. It is in this setting that FX, DuoDuo and 13th Wang came to the temple.

Now, the story: Following the failed first rebellion against the Qing Emperor, in which FX is made all but a cripple, FX gathers Haitang Duoduo and 13th Wang ( a 9th level disciple given to him by Si GuJian of Dongyi) and begins a long trek of at least 6 months to find theTemple ( to find Wu Zhu), which is far to the north of northern Qi (think arctic zone and 24 hour nights). During the long journey, which is directed by FX because only he knows the way, Haitang Duoduo (using KuHe’s techniques) nurses a very badly injured FX backed to moderate health (semi-restored meridians), often having to huddle with FX under a shared blanket to give FX much needed body warmth to survive.

After an arduous trek that even compromises the health of DuoDuo and 13th Wang (“DuoDuo and 13th”) they eventually reach the temple. They must wait for the temple, high up the mountain, to appear after the long arctic winter night and then must climb hundreds of steps to reach its massive 67 feet high doors. FX deciphers the wording on the temple gate and finds that it is a military museum from a past civilization on Earth. Fx gains entry by talking at the silent door and asking “what does the temple want?

In response, the door opens slightly to allow FX and the others to enter. They walk onto a wide open indoor snowy empty plain and is greeted by a bird which morphs into an AI hologram/being left behind by the museum builders to interact with visitors. It turns out that the Temple needs more emissaries and is trying to recruit FX and the others. While FX negotiates/debates with the Temple hologram to stall and gain time, DD and 13th go look for Wu Zhu (“WZ”).

Negotiations are at an impasse (deliberately by FX) when DD and 13th return with a large black box which they believe contains WZ. Suddenly, the temple shouts a targeting order and Wu Zhu springs out of the box at lighting speed towards Fx and stabs him, but not fatally because at the last second FX shouted something that stopped WZ from delivering a fatal blow. Wu Zhu has not recovered his memory and has been instead re-programmed as an enforcer.

FX, DD and 13th quickly retreat, running down the mountain. The next day, a very weak FX goes up the mountain again, carried by 13th, because FX knows he needs Wu Zhu to beat the emperor. DD is ordered to stay behind because she cannot do anything against WZ, Upon reaching the temple, they smash open the door and WZ instantly zooms toward FX, his iron spear pointed at FX. FX does not move but instead repeatedly shouts his mom’s name. This stops WZ’s iron spear 1 inch short of piercing FX,’s adam’s apple. And there they stay, affixed for a nite and day, while FX tells WZ repeatedly about him and his mom, hoping to jar WZ’s memory. All this time the iron spear stays less than 1 inch from his throat. FX is so hoarse he is spitting blood.

DD comes up the mountain after a day and a half despite orders to stay away. DD tells 13th, “ If he is going to die here, I have to see him die.” (there is more love in that little statement than the rest of the book!)

So, as FX is stalling WZ’s killing thrust, DD and 13th go into the Temple and realize there is no one left. It is entirely vacant. Whereupon they proceed to smash up everything in the building. With that, there is nothing left to tie WZ to the temple and he decides to leave with FX.

On the way back, Wu Zhu slowly recovers bits of his memory but it is not even close to what it was in Danzhou with the young FX. They return to Northern Qi and Qing where they recover from their injuries before FX starts his 2d rebellion against the Qing emperor, this time with still memory-challenged Wu Zhu ( but who now nonetheless remembers his hate for the palace and the man inside) taking the lead and a female sniper lending a hand.

Bonus spoiler: I also somewhat recall that in the book, remnant radiation from the nuclear wars that wiped out the previous civilization have enabled/enhanced new human race’s ability to harness internal energy (“zhenqi “). Thus, The trip north is also important in the book because higher remnant radiation levels in the far north helps FX restore/recharge his depleted zhenqi at a faster rate. Not known if any of this part of the story will make it into season 3 as FX’s loss of his qi and its recovery has already occurred in season 2 of the drama which has rewritten or added many events in the tv series.

In the novel, it took FX well over 6 months to recover his qi with the assistance of DuoDuo using Ku He’s technique during their trek to the Devine temple. Also, the remnant radiation from the past nuclear wars which destroyed the previous civilization on earth was stronger in the north, thus giving FX a stronger power source from which to recover/recharge his depleted qi.

grandmaster Ye‘s slash in the drama was a much quicker way to restore FX’s qi. ( and clever too,)

As to Ye Ling Er, she and 2d prince do marry.. She does care for and is loyal to him, and mourns his death. 2d prince also has some affection for Ling Er, asking FX to look after her after his death.

In the tv drama,, they are friends and may become kindred souls, if not already. In the novel, in my opinion, there is unspoken love between the two (see chapter 402 for example and her actions in the grassland and divine temple arcs), but they have yet to join or marry in the book.

Someone posted that DuoDuo becomes FX’s second wife, but I do not think that is correct, unfortunately. In the eyes of his friends, they may be a couple, but DuoDuo is not FX’s wife or concubine. (For some reason, I could not directly reply to that post.)

Just my opinion, Lin Wan’er was made the female lead by the drama writers because the drama needed a romantic element/lead and Lin Wan’er was the only qualifier under the censorship rules. Ruo Ruo the half -sister, couldn’t qualify; nor could duo duo because of the harem aspect. People can recall that one of the earliest plot lines was that Fx is called to the Capitol to marry Lin Wan’er.

But if you look at the novel, DuoDuo has some huge scenes in it; she is in at least 4 storylines in the reminder of novel, much more than Wan’er. Arguably, it could have been the FX and DuoDuo show. But because the drama writers will likely remove the grassslands arc and modify the Dongyi arc in season 3, DuoDuo appearances will be less in the drama than the novel. And because the drama writers needed a romantic element to draw interest and audiences, Lin Wan’er the romantic interest was made the female lead and Lin Qi, hot off Princess Agents was selected to play her.

Or his mother. She and first prince know that as a son of a Dongyi commoner, first prince cannot succeed to the throne of Qing. So why bother? And for that reason, Emperor Qing did not brutally use him like he did second prince as a whetstone for crown prince.

Truly excellent perspective and analysis.

Not really. I think she comes across lost because of how the drama changed her character between season 1 and 2. In season 1, which follows the novel, she is ebullient, proud, a bit tom-boyish, and singularly focused on improving her martial arts skills. In season 2, which rewrites new scenes for Ling’er,, she has lost all that, and is instead a follower to do another’s bidding. Maybe the result is the difference in acting or the difference in scripts, or a combo of both.

Greet explanation! But will this plot rewrite and other rewrites create plot holes that could affect FX’s ultimate fate.? Without giving away the details of whole novel story, FX in the novel ending is so powerful that even the 3d prince/emperor reluctantly yields to him. But without his independent source of wealth provided by the shadow set of workshops, without his intimate /close northern Qi connections that the drama will likely delete, could FX live happily if he is not powerful enough so that he does not have to bend his will to any ruler.?

Still, the drama writer has been clever enough to mesh his rewrites into the main story line of the novel so far. Maybe 3d prince /emperor allows Fx to keep the palace treasury or some other deus ex machina is provided. I guess we have to wait and see.

I think the slash infused FX with instant energy/qi, just like the emperor’s fingertouch gave him a small dose of qi to jumpstart him. Using Ku He’s technique takes time to rebuild qi. In the novel, it took over 6 months with duoduo’s assistance, just to get to moderate health. Also, prior to slash, FX showed no signs of any qi rebuilding in his body. After, the slash, his qi is back.

Or it could be a combination of both. FX used Ku He’s book to repair his meridians. But he still needed a lot of time to fully restore his internal qi. . The grandmaster’s slash infused FX with lots of qi.

Yes, sort of, I counted 2 kisses in 82 episodes between Fx and Waner, and a couple of hugs. If you are looking for a passionate love- break your heart soap opera romance, this is not it. There is heartwarming love and attraction between the two shown in a few playful or endearing scenes, but the great majority of the series is spent on how FX grows and survives the many political intrigues and traps in the story. There is also the relationship between FX and DuoDuo, and their screen and book chemistry is fantastic, like soulmates, but no actual physical romance in the series - just some playful scenes. ( in the novel, like in chapter 402, Fx and DuoDuo actually discuss marriage. But this deeper relationship and others in the book are not likely to get by censorship rules.)

There are several other couples in the tv series, but no real romantic scenes except for maybe short glimpses of the budding attraction and love between 1st price and the princess of northern Qi .

Respectfully, I think you read too much into my words. . The question asked for a quantitative analysis of the changes which I guessed at around 50%. It was not a qualitative analysis, as in it was 50% worse. In fact, I have said in other posts that the writer has done a nice job in rewriting, adding, or deleting bits of the story without any ultimate effect on the end of the story. So I do not dismiss any intermediate impact of the changes on the immediate story at that point. That is a qualitative judgment I did not make. After all, I know that some rewriting is unavoidable when adapting a 746chapter book that is a tedious read at times. I know I still enjoyed season 2.

LOL! I never read cast credits at the end of the episodes.

Thanks for adding the many, many details. I was too lazy and only offered my subjective, short (and slightly incomplete) summary of them.

More cunning, strategic.

Hopefully, they will bring Han Jiu Nuo back. Gina Jin’s acting did not do justice to the story of her character Ye Ling Er - proud feisty talented granddaughter of a grandmaster who learned her best friend’s brother is a traitor and spy, gets left behind by best friend who marries, and then by her father, and then ordered by the emperor to marry the 2d prince. Maybe it was bad direction, or bad story telling, but it did not work.

Maybe they were in a scene ( maybe just a flashback) that got cut. If so, they would appear in the credits.

Nice context. Thanks for sharing.