Dance of the Sky Empire Episode 1 Recap
> Dance of the Sky Empire Recap
In a land shrouded by yellow dust, Ziji, the human Nation-protecting Master, led his soldiers to invade the Kunwu clan's territory, intending to conquer them. The Kunwu clan leader, the Dragon Emperor, rallied his entire clan to resist. Though born with divine power, the Kunwu people had never bullied humans, but since humanity repeatedly attacked, they resolved to fight to the death. The Dragon Emperor unleashed his full power, hoping to confront Ziji.
However, Ziji stooped to a despicable act, holding a beautiful woman, Qingsheng, the Dragon Emperor's sister, hostage. Ziji slit Qingsheng's wrist, using her blood to seal and defeat the Dragon Emperor. Qingsheng broke free and rushed towards her brother, only to be struck by Ziji's fatal blow. As the human clan achieved a victory, the 19th Saintess of the Kunwu clan, Jiu Ling'er, appeared in the sky with white feathered wings.
She cast the Snow Illuminating Trick to repel the human forces but was swiftly bound by Ziji. In her final moments, she froze the Dragon Emperor, swearing an oath to the heavens with her life: in ten years, the Dragon Emperor would awaken, and the human clan would be completely wiped out. With her vow, Jiu Ling'er dissolved into ice and snow. A young boy in white, Li Xuan, cried out, vowing to kill Ziji.
Ziji was profoundly shaken by the raw power he saw in Li Xuan's eyes. After the great battle, Ziji bound Li Xuan with the Dragon Lock and brought him back to Qingtian City. This boy, Li Xuan, was Qingsheng's son and the son of the human Li Shude.
Li Shude desperately pleaded with Ziji to spare Li Xuan's life, even swearing on his father's name that if Li Xuan ever caused trouble or harmed the human clan in the future, Li Shude would offer his own life in compensation. Ziji agreed to let Li Xuan live, but on one condition: Li Xuan must become his apprentice. Li Xuan furiously protested, shouting that he would personally kill Ziji for taking his mother's life, but was restrained.
Time passed, and Li Xuan had grown into a handsome young man. Yet, in his dreams, he was still haunted by Qingsheng's death, seeing her covered in blood before she vanished. In Qingtian City, the First Prince was preparing for his crowning ceremony, but Li Xuan disrupted it. Even though the First Prince attempted to evade Li Xuan by disguising himself as a large-sized palace maid, Li Xuan countered his trick by also dressing as a maid.
He infiltrated the ceremony, knocked out the First Prince, and abducted him. News of the abduction reached the Emperor, who was enraged. Li Shude apologized, and Ziji took responsibility for safely bringing the First Prince back. Outside Qingtian City, Su Youlian and her master flew towards the city. Ten years had passed, and the Dragon Emperor had been trapped within Qingtian City's Moyun Ancient Academy for that long.
As the Kunwu clan's sole Saintess, the hope of rescuing the Dragon Emperor and revitalizing the Kunwu clan now rested solely on Su Youlian. Her master vowed to transform into a portable sword to protect her. To ensure Su Youlian's successful entry into the Moyun Ancient Academy, her master temporarily concealed her Kunwu clan features and Saintess mark, but warned her that the mark would reappear upon contact with water, urging her to be extremely cautious when interacting with humans.
Su Youlian, with her master in sword form, entered Qingtian City. At the He'an Gate, she saw a wanted poster for Li Xuan, known as the Nation-protecting Master of Tianqi State and Ziji's last apprentice, with rumors circulating that he could contend with the Kunwu Dragon Emperor. Su Youlian scoffed at the idea. With the ten-year period nearing its end, the city's defenses were heightened.
Su Youlian was stopped at the gate, where a Xuyu Mirror was set up, capable of revealing the true forms of Kunwu clan members. As she nervously pondered her next move, Li Xuan, disguised as a sick son with his accomplice Bian Lingcheng posing as his plague-ridden father, attempted to sneak out of the city.
To divert the guards' attention, Su Youlian stepped forward and exposed Li Xuan's deception, pointing out that his "dead" father's corpse didn't attract flies despite the heat, which wouldn't happen if he truly died from the plague. With his identity revealed, Li Xuan was forced to try and break out by force. As everyone at the gate focused on Li Xuan, Su Youlian used the distraction to slip into the city.
Moments after Li Xuan stepped out of the city gate, Ziji appeared, stopping him, casting a spell to restrain him, and ordering him to be taken back to his mansion. At the Li mansion, specifically in the Qingfeng Junjie residence, Li Shude disciplined Li Xuan with a stick. He was determined to leave the city to find Bai Xiaosheng and inquire about his mother's fate. When Li Xuan mentioned his deceased mother, Li Shude's eyes flickered with emotion.
Li Shude then ordered Li Xuan and Bian Lingcheng to be confined to the woodshed. Later, Li Shude met with Ziji, who revealed that he had erased Li Xuan's memories of the great battle years ago, surprised that fragments of the past still lingered in Li Xuan's mind. Acknowledging his debt to Li Xuan, Ziji admitted he had always tolerated Li Xuan's unruly behavior.
Ziji then brought up the upcoming annual Moyun Ancient Academy exam, emphasizing Li Xuan's significant responsibility as the Nation-protecting Master and instructing Li Shude to ensure Li Xuan was present to invigilate the exam the next day, even if Li Shude had to tie him up.
Ziji also stressed the importance of increasing surveillance at the city gate due to the impending ten-year deadline and the Saintess's curse, despite the Kunwu clan's inactivity, warning Li Shude not to be complacent as the curses of the Kunwu Saintess always came true. At the Yaju Chunhui restaurant, within the Yanlai Inn, Cui Pianran, an arrogant noble lady who was the eldest daughter of Minister Cui, bullied a gentle scholar, trying to force him from his seat.
Yun Shan, the princess of the State of Sha, heard the commotion and descended to admonish Cui Pianran, criticizing the Cui family's conduct. Yun Shan's appearance captivated all the scholars in the inn. Cui Pianran and Yun Shan engaged in a magical duel, which Yun Shan won. Su Youlian, who was passing by, witnessed the scene. She stepped forward, helped Cui Pianran up, and praised both their magical skills.
Cui Pianran, upset by her defeat, mistook Su Youlian's compliment as sarcasm and accused Su Youlian of stealing her spiritual instrument. Cui Pianran's sister, Cui Yanran, urged Cui Pianran to reconsider. However, Cui Pianran was set on getting her revenge. She handed Su Youlian over to Li Xuan, the Nation-protecting Master, whom she knew was known as the "No.1 young ruffian" in Qingtian City, intending for Su Youlian to suffer at his hands.
Li Xuan greeted Cui Pianran and readily agreed to "do her justice," proclaiming that stealing in broad daylight, especially in front of him, the Nation-protecting Master, was outrageous. When Su Youlian denied stealing, Li Xuan instructed Bian Lingcheng to "help her remember." Su Youlian, tied up, tried to call for help, even shouting Li Xuan's name, claiming he was abducting an innocent person.
Li Xuan joked that it was fortunate she wasn't a woman, implying he would have already tricked her otherwise. He told her not to take his joke seriously, stating that he was tying her up to search her.
