A past unearthed

1237 A.D. Genghis Khan is dead. The Mongolians, led by the conqueror's third son, Ogedai, have vanquished the Jurchen Jin Empire, and now turn their armies on their ally the Great Song Empire. A dozen years have passed since the second Contest of Mount Hua. A new generation of martial artists are vying for recognition in the jianghu, but as the fall of their country looms closer, the making of a hero depends on more than mere kung fu skills. A chance meeting with his father's sworn brother Guo Jing lifts Penance Yang from a life of vagrancy and initiates him into the martial world to which his parents Yang Kang and Mercy Mu once belonged. Placed under the care of the Quanzhen Sect, Penance stumbles across the history behind the founding of this most respected martial school and embarks on a journey that forces him to come to terms with his family's past, as well as secrets of his own heart.