In the thirteenth year of the Zhenguan era, a celestial anomaly tears open the fabric of time and space. Modern cuju champion Xu Mu and his sworn rival Chen Zhanyi are plunged together into Chang'an at the height of the Tang dynasty.
One is a gifted athlete with an earnest heart; the other, a remnant of the previous dynasty who secretly dreams of restoring it. Using cuju as their chessboard, the two unleash a storm that sweeps across the Tang, shaking the realm and its people.
Barefoot, Xu Mu breaks the deadlock on Vermilion Bird Street; a deadly wager unfolds at a midnight banquet in the Eastern Palace; blindfolded rivals face off in a sandstorm in Hexi... From the streets to the forbidden grounds of the imperial palace, the cuju pitch becomes a battlefield of blades and shadows. The Dragon's Step, Meteor Strike, and Iron Bridge: traditional martial arts collide with cuju to create astonishing techniques. Poisoned balls, hidden weapons, Five-Stone mazes, and human sacrifices: the villains known as the Five Poisons shatter the boundaries of fair play with their sinister tactics. Meanwhile, Xu Mu's Five-Pointed Star team establishes its rules through the Ten Commandments, defending its faith in fair competition with passion and cunning.
