It is the dawn of the Qin dynasty in Western China.
A young slave, Xin, is transported by merchants along a dirt road when they stop to witness
the Qin Army led by General Wang Qi.
Awakening from slumber, Xin looks in awe, hoping to be a great warrior like him one
day.
Later, he is sold to a small village owned by a local farmer and befriends Piao, another
young slave.
To make the best out of their new life, the two boys practice sword-fighting with one
another since they both aspire to be in the military and become generals.
Their skills improve as they mature, and Xin becomes a more aggressive fighter.
One afternoon, an imperial emissary, Chang Wen Jun, witnesses their sparring session
and visits their village.
Searching for soldiers to enlist in King Ying Zheng's vast army, he asks the farmer for
Piao while refusing to take Xin.
Piao thinks it over that night though Xin encourages him to join the military.
At dawn, they spar for a final time, with the two best friends assuring they will reunite
one day.
Though Xin feels lonely, he spends most of his days at the farm training, lifting more
than he can carry and jumping high enough to perform a strike from the air.
One night, as he rests in the shed, Piao returns but falls in his arms due to injuries he sustained
in a battle.
As he lies dying, he warns Xin that King Ying Zheng's brother, Cheng Jiao, is trying to
usurp the throne and launches an attack on the kingdom.
Through a hand-drawn map, he asks him to go to the marked location, but he does not explain
why.
He dies telling Xin no matter what he accomplishes, his spirit will always be with him.
The hysterical young man hurriedly flees the hut with Piao's sword to follow his last bidding.
Shortly after, a group of soldiers loyal to Cheng Jiao discover Piao's corpse thinking
it belonged to Ying Zheng.
They murder the villagers and set the village on fire.
Elsewhere, Xin gets cornered by a group of bandits who take an interest in the weapon.
Fortunately, they are quickly defeated due to Xin's incredible fighting skills.
He leaves while a masked owl figure from the bandit camp follows closely behind.
Not long after, Xin reaches a small hut and enters to find King Ying Zheng, though he
pauses, thinking he is Piao.
Suddenly, the pair are ambushed by a Shukyou assassin.
Visibly enraged by the encounter, Xin attacks, deducing that Piao was hired to serve as a
body double and got killed to protect the King.
The assassin underestimates Xin's battle prowess and is defeated.
He begs for his life, but Ying Zheng kills him for his insolence.
Afterward, the pair see the village engulfed in flames from a distance.
Knowing Jiao will soon discover his whereabouts, he escapes with Xin through a cavern leading
to the mountains with the assistance of the masked owl figure, revealing herself as Heliao
Diao, a child from the Mountain Tribe.
As the group traverses the cave, the King explains the events that led to the mutiny.
Xin becomes upset, thinking he forced Piao to endanger himself to save him.
Still, Ying Zheng clarifies that his friend insisted on protecting him without hesitation,
risking his life for his childhood dream to become a reality.
This revelation inspires Xin to carry on and help the King with his plan to rendezvous
with his army, led by Chang Wen Jun.
Meanwhile, at the Qin Palace, Cheng Jiao convenes with his court about their next move to eliminate
Ying Zheng.
General Wang Qi, believed to have retired a while back, arrives and presents a decapitated
head supposed to belong to the King's emissary, Wen Jun.
He promises to hunt down Ying Zheng in exchange for a part of the Imperial Army's dominion.
Elsewhere, Xin and the group reach the bamboo forest but are attacked by another assassin,
Muta, equipped with poison darts.
The young fighter is seemingly outmatched, as Muta uses his swiftness to launch incredible
moves with his weapons.
Using the bamboo trees as defensive structures, he overpowers the assassin, striking a final
blow as he turns around.
Unfortunately, he gets poisoned, knocking himself unconscious.
A short while later, Xin awakens in an ancient summer resort built by the Qin and the Mountain
tribe 400 years ago.
While he recuperates, the King explains his family's lineage, being born into royalty
despite having a court dancer for a mother.
His father died after only 3 years, leaving him a young ruler at 13, much to the consternation
of Jiao, who despises commoner blood.
Along with his half-brother (backed by the Chancellor), the business-turned-politician,
Lü Buwei, is also seeking the throne.
Later in the afternoon, all is quiet until the group senses the presence of soldiers
outside the retreat house.
Fortunately, they are Ying Zheng's men, led by a still-living Chang Wen Jun.
He apologizes profusely for coming late, as their escape plan got botched along the way.
Meanwhile, Jiao is led atop the kingdom's walls to view the massive 80,000 soldiers
who have enlisted in his army.
He demonstrates his true power by showcasing a high-ranking peasant-born soldier and getting
him killed by the giant disfigured Executioner, Lang Kai, in front of everyone, believing
only in men raised in nobility.
At the resort, Heliao cooks delicious food for the hungry soldiers, delighting everyone
with a hearty meal.
The King then requests an explanation of how the soldiers were ambushed by Jiao's army.
Wen Jun reveals they left with Piao through a secret passageway on the night of the coup
attempt, not knowing they would be intercepted by General Qi's army along the way to the
meetup point.
All seemed hopelessly lost until Piao bravely sacrificed himself, drawing the attention
of the enemy forces to his direction to keep the men away from danger.
Wen Jun and the others looked in awe as he charged his horse like a general and boosted
the men's morale.
Hearing this story brings joy to Xin, who proudly acknowledges his friend's courageous
endeavor and inspires him to help the King retake his palace.
Later, the army presents a regional map to outline their upcoming palace siege.
With no more trusted allies to aid them, the King comes up with an idea to enlist the forgotten
Mountain Tribe's help, despite the feud that caused them to break apart from the Qin empire.
However, as they arrive at the mountainside, they become surrounded by the Mountain Tribe
warriors who capture and take them to their Chieftain, Yang Duan He.
Upon meeting the King, she was immediately concerned about his proposed alliance, believing
the Qin Empire must pay for their betrayal 400 years ago.
Before Xin gets beheaded by one of the guards, Ying Zheng reasons that he intends to stop
the fighting and dismantle the borders that prevent the 7 states in China from crossing
one another.
Xin frees himself and speaks arrogantly, pleading with the Mountain Tribe to honor their ancestors'
dream of a better world by uniting as one.
Impressed by the zeal of both men, Yang Duan He reveals her face, accepting the alliance
and agreeing to help retake the King's throne.
Shortly after, Ying Zheng lays out his devious plan to enter the kingdom without fighting
Jiao's army of 80,000 soldiers.
Blending disguised as part of the Mountain Tribe, the group travels to the borders of
the Qin Empire.
Upon arriving, Yang Duan He prepares her ruse, revealing her intention to unite with Jiao's
forces, an opportunity the Imperials cannot pass up since it will help increase their
influence in China.
They are welcomed inside, but the Chieftain is allowed only 50 people to accompany her,
leaving most of the Mountain tribe outside the gates.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor gleefully tells Jiao their possible alliance with the Mountain
tribe will help quell Lü Buwei's army.
He and the official step outside to welcome the Chieftain, who refuses to disarm their
group until a formal pact has been discussed.
As soon as they enter the Shuki gate, Ying Zheng begins the siege by attacking the guard,
signaling everyone to charge.
After closing the gate, he instructs Xin, He Liao, and a trusted soldier, Bi, to use
the underground passageway directly connecting to the throne room and assassinate Cheng Jiao
while himself, Wen Jun, and the Chieftain act as decoys causing chaos.
Shortly after, the King's group reaches the courtyard but is blocked by the palace soldiers.
The Chancellor orders them to cut off Ying Zheng's head.
The Mountain Tribesmen rush in first but are quickly eliminated by the archers.
Suddenly, as the soldiers carefully march forward, the tribesmen awaken, having built
a tolerance to pain.
They overpower the entire army ruthlessly, shocking Jiao's officials.
Meanwhile, Xin and the warriors are cornered by Ying Zheng's former General, Zuo Ci, but
he leaves to let his soldiers fight.
They are easily defeated due to the Mountain Tribe's ferocity and Xin's sword-fighting
skills.
Simultaneously, Ying Zheng and the group arrive below the steps to the palace and attack the
guards, much to Jiao's delight since he believes his brother is getting closer to his demise
by his hands.
In the passageway, Lang Kai, Jiao's executioner, appears and thrashes the warriors with his
mighty fists and brute strength.
An enraged Xin retaliates by jumping high and kicking the giant in the face to pin him
down.
Slicing his throat, he wins the fight, much to his brethren's amazement.
The group proceeds to the throne room as Xiao boldly declares Ying Zheng as the rightful
heir.
Zuo Ci enters the courtroom, as Bi reveals that he was ousted from being a general due
to his savage combat tactics, relegating himself to a mercenary-for-hire for the empire.
He demonstrates his skills by killing the tribesmen with his steel blade.
Outside the palace, Ying Zheng, Wen Jun, and Yang Duan He get outnumbered by Jiao's army
after many of their soldiers die.
The King boosts the men's morale to keep fighting and buy time for the assassination to be completed.
Meanwhile, Xin attacks Zuo Ci with all his might.
Still, the mercenary outplays his moves, even going so far as killing the court officials
to get closer to him.
Bi tries to save Xin but gets sliced in the shoulder.
The young fighter retaliates but gets knocked down and cut in the face, much to Jiao's amusement.
Before striking the final blow, Zuo Ci chastises him for chasing his dreams, which will only
lead him to failure.
Xin is reminded of Piao's encouragement to become general one day, giving him enough
strength to block Zuo Ci's sword and kick him away.
Holding Piao's blade in an attacking pose, he closes his eyes, waiting for the mercenary
to approach him.
As he closes in, Xin leaps incredibly high and strikes him on the chest, breaking his
blade, similar to how he broke the stone during his training sessions.
Zuo Ci dies, leaving Jiao defenseless while the rest of the council flees in horror.
He Liao kills the Chancellor by darting his left eye with poison but gets stabbed.
Luckily, Xin discovers that she has been wearing armor underneath her owl suit all along, which
saves her.
Meanwhile, Jiao tries to escape to the courtyard and confronts a weary Ying Zheng, ordering
the men to attack, but they hesitate.
He gets struck with his brother's blade and freaks out due to the blood gushing from his
wound.
His brother spares him but severely beats him to a pulp as punishment for his usurpation.
Amid this, General Qi and his army appear, asking Ying Zheng what he intends to do as
King, granted he will cut his head if he disapproves of his answer.
Ying Zheng solemnly vows to unite China under the Warring States period, even if more wars
will happen to secure a better future for the nation.
Satisfied, the General orders Jiao's men to stand down, whirling his blade to show his
authority.
As he leaves, he tells Xin to look forward to meeting him in battle someday.
Xin raises Piao's sword as everyone cheers for victory.
Later, Wen Jun confides with Bi about his suspicions that General Qi is orchestrating
events in his favor.
Meanwhile, Xin, He Liao, and the King prepare to rule the new empire.