Zhao Min was initially Zhang Wuji's rival as they were on opposing sides.

Zhou Zhiruo also turns vicious after Zhang Wuji reneges his promise to marry her and swears vengeance on him. Miejue devises a vicious scheme for Zhou Zhiruo to seize the two weapons by exploiting Zhang Wuji's love for Zhou. Zhou Zhiruo soon falls in love with Zhang Wuji, but has to turn against him as she is bound by an oath she made in front of her teacher Miejue, who hates and distrusts Zhang Wuji and anyone related to the Ming Cult. Yin Li is apparently killed in the middle of the novel while Xiaozhao returns to Persia after it is revealed that she is destined to lead the Persian Ming Cult. The fourth, Zhao Min, is a Mongol princess and his former arch-rival. The third, Zhou Zhiruo, is a childhood friend whom he develops a strong bond with.

The second, Xiaozhao, is a Chinese-Persian servant girl who understands him very well. The first, Yin Li, is a horribly disfigured girl who is actually his maternal cousin. Throughout his adventures, Zhang Wuji finds himself entangled in a complex web of love relationships with four maidens. He becomes a key figure in leading the rebel forces to overthrow the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. He reforms the cult and helps to improve its relations with other sects. He earns the respect of the cult's members and becomes its leader after mastering the skill 'Heaven and Earth Great Shift'. Later on, he helps to resolve the conflict between the Ming Cult and the six major orthodox sects, which are bent on destroying the cult. At the same time, Zhang Wuji is wounded by the Xuanming Elders, but he survives after seeking medical treatment from Hu Qingniu, an eccentric physician.Īfter ending up in an isolated valley by chance, Zhang Wuji discovers the long-lost Nine Yang Manual, masters the inner energy skills described in the book, and becomes a formidable martial artist. They soon find themselves the target of several martial artists, who try to force them to reveal the whereabouts of Xie Xun and the Dragon Slaying Saber. When he is about 10 years old, he returns to the Chinese mainland with his parents. He spent his childhood on a reclusive northern island, where he was born, with only his parents and his godfather, Xie Xun, to keep him company. His father, Zhang Cuishan, is an apprentice of Zhang Sanfeng, the highly revered leader of the Wudang Sect his mother, Yin Susu, is the daughter of Yin Tianzheng, the chief of the 'unorthodox' Heavenly Eagle Cult. The protagonist, Zhang Wuji, is of mixed heritage.

Who dares to disobey? If the Heaven Reliant does not appear, who can challenge it?' (武林至尊，寶刀屠龍，號令天下，莫敢不從！倚天不出，誰與爭鋒？) The origins of this mantra are not known at the beginning of the novel. Either or both of them are thought to allow their wielder to rule the wulin (martial artists' community), according to a widely circulated mantra which goes, 'Honoured by the wulin, the precious Saber slays the Dragon. Set in the late Yuan dynasty, the story revolves around a pair of priceless and extremely powerful weapons, the Heavenly Reliant Sword (倚天劍) and Dragon Slaying Saber (屠龍刀), which are coveted by many martial artists in the jianghu. The political clash between the Han Chinese rebels and the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty is also a prominent theme in the novel. As is typical of some of his other novels, Jin Yong included elements of Chinese history in the story, such as featuring historical figures like Zhu Yuanzhang, Chen Youliang, Chang Yuchun and Zhang Sanfeng. It also introduced many changes to the plot and cleared up some ambiguities in the second edition, such as the origin of the Nine Yang Manual. A second revision was published in early 2005, incorporating later thoughts and a lengthier conclusion. Jin Yong revised the novel in 1979 with a number of amendments andĪdditions. It was first serialised from 6 July 1961 to 2 September 1963 in the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao. It is the third instalment in the Condor Trilogy and is preceded by The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes. The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber, also translated as The Sword and the Knife, is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha).

Heavenly sword dragon saber 2009