The early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, 1150 AD. The Southern Han have established the Song in the south; the Jurchen have built the Jin Dynasty in the north. The border between them is a constant source of conflict. Surrounding powers — the Western Liao, Western Xia, Tubo, and Dali kingdoms — press in from all sides. It is one of the most turbulent periods in Chinese history and one of the richest eras for martial arts stories, with Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism all shaping the culture simultaneously. Players enter as a novice in the martial arts world and, through the course of the story, become caught up in events significant enough to change the direction of the entire martial arts order.