Recaps

Si Ming returned home for Yu Shuying’s welcome barbecue and watched Lu Mao prepare a roast pig, learning the first level of Butcher Ding’s Ox-Carving as he observed. The feast drew everyone’s attention, and after Lu Mao revealed his Cooking Power had surged through special training, he noticed Si Ming’s own Cooking Power had risen to twenty thousand.

• Si Ming hurried home after school, hoping to arrive before Yu Shuying, and found Lu Mao roasting a piglet for the welcome party.
• Lu Mao explained his roast-pig technique and Butcher Ding’s Ox-Carving, and Si Ming comprehended its first level while watching him cook.
• Yao Bilian kicked Si Ming aside to grab roast pork, and the group eagerly devoured the meal before Yu Shuying arrived.
• Yu Shuying claimed the last pork leg as part of her welcome feast, and Si Ming let her take it after she explained why she had attended.
• Lu Mao said his Cooking Power had risen from thirty thousand to a hundred and eighty thousand after special training, then observed Si Ming’s Cooking Power spike from five thousand to twenty thousand.

Si Ming woke to find Yu Shuying beside his bed and traded insults with her after she caught him staring at her legs. She ordered him to get dressed for a mission requested by an elder, leaving him irritated and eager to defend his dignity.

• Si Ming woke and stared at Yu Shuying's legs while his thoughts wandered into a joke about physics and the universe.
• Yu Shuying mocked Si Ming's train of thought and struck him with an elbow infused with Supreme Yin True Qi.
• Si Ming challenged Yu Shuying for attacking him and asked why she had come to his room.
• Yu Shuying told Si Ming to get up because they were going on a mission, explaining that an elder had asked her to bring him.
• Si Ming tried to make Yu Shuying leave while he got dressed, but she looked at his lower abdomen and sneered.

After trading barbs with Yu Shuying over breakfast, Si Ming accepted a difficult task involving a drug-addicted ex-husband who repeatedly escaped rehabilitation and terrorized his former wife. The task had resisted the Mohist Knight Guards because he could not be dealt with through violence without breaking the law.

• Yu Shuying and Si Ming argued over breakfast, while Yao Bilian told Murong Qing that their bickering showed they were communicating.
• Si Ming reviewed a long-standing task from a woman whose drug-addicted ex-husband beat her, stole from her, and returned whenever he escaped rehabilitation.
• Si Ming learned the man belonged to the Liu School and was skilled at stealth and lockpicking, making his repeated escapes difficult to prevent.
• Si Ming concluded that killing the man was not an option and that the law prevented the Mohist Knight Guards from taking justice into their own hands.
• Si Ming reflected that the people willing to risk prison for justice were already serving sentences, leaving the woman without their help.

Si Ming and Yu Shuying visited a woman who had commissioned the Mohist Knight Guard to stop her drug-addicted husband from harassing her and her child. Yu Shuying challenged the woman to divorce him and began asking about her son, leaving their plan unresolved.

• Si Ming considered how the government might control drug use, while Yu Shuying said she would handle the commission herself.
• Si Ming and Yu Shuying arrived at the woman’s impoverished home and saw a torn family photograph.
• The woman explained that her drug-addicted husband harassed her and her child, and that she feared divorce would not stop him.
• Yu Shuying urged the woman to divorce her husband and dismissed the police’s advice to preserve the marriage.
• The woman said her husband had threatened to keep pursuing them after a divorce and that his reputation made others unwilling to marry her.
• Yu Shuying asked whether the woman’s son attended school and how well he did.

Yu Shuying pressured an abused mother to kill the drug-addicted man who tormented her, arguing that prison and an orphanage would benefit her child. Si Ming objected to her attacks on the woman's love for her child, and the two clashed over Yu Shuying's methods.

• A man pounded on the woman's door and threatened her, so Si Ming opened it and grabbed him by the throat.
• Yu Shuying handed the woman scissors and urged her to kill the man, promising that her circumstances could lead to a reduced sentence.
• Yu Shuying argued that the woman's child would be better off in an orphanage, where he could have a stable home and escape his father's abuse.
• Yu Shuying accused the woman of selfishly keeping her child close for her own emotional support and challenged her to prove her love by killing the man.
• Si Ming stopped Yu Shuying and rebuked her for insulting the woman's love, but Yu Shuying defended her harsh words.

Si Ming and Yu Shuying helped a woman resolve to defend herself against the man tormenting her, then argued about Yu Shuying’s methods and suitability to become Grandmaster. Yu Shuying explained that success and the Grandmaster’s role as a guardian and judge mattered more to the public than personal virtue.

• After the woman failed to kill the man, Yu Shuying suggested crippling his legs, and the woman took a knife and chased him as he fled.
• Si Ming questioned whether Yu Shuying had used a mental martial art, and she said she had only pushed the woman toward making her own decision.
• On the walk home, Si Ming challenged Yu Shuying’s practice of manipulating people’s hearts, but she dismissed his criticism and anticipated his objections.
• Si Ming asked why the seniors thought Yu Shuying would make a good Grandmaster, and she argued that many people could admire her, the public valued repeated success, and the role required a forceful guardian and judge.

Si Ming lost a clash of words with Yu Shuying, who explained why mind reading gave her an advantage and revealed Mindless Shot as a counter. After recovering his confidence, he went to Murong Qing for advice and decided to challenge Yu Shuying’s claim to becoming Grandmaster.

• Yu Shuying dismissed Si Ming’s objections and explained how mind reading helped her prepare for fights, then told him Mindless Shot could counter her ability.
• Si Ming was left speechless as Yu Shuying left, but he rallied and planned to use his friends to overwhelm her.
• Si Ming returned to the orphanage and told Murong Qing what had happened; she criticized Yu Shuying’s willingness to prioritize results over principles.
• Si Ming decided to strike at Yu Shuying’s ambition to become Grandmaster by telling her she was not qualified, while resolving to show some restraint because he suspected her mind-reading had made her life difficult.
• Murong Qing laughed at Si Ming’s plan for revenge, and he insisted he would still retaliate, though less severely than he first intended.

Si Ming studied accounts of Mozi and concluded that Yu Shuying should not become Grandmaster while she relied on clever plans instead of practical action. He decided she needed to experience failure before taking on the role, and compared her shortcomings with the demanding qualities Mozi required of a leader.

• Murong Qing brought Si Ming books about Mozi, and he chose Anecdotes of Mozi to learn about the original Grandmaster.
• Si Ming read about Mozi’s hardship, determination, practical deeds, and willingness to risk everything to save the people.
• After reading, Si Ming told Murong Qing that Yu Shuying was too confident in her intelligence and needed to become more grounded before becoming Grandmaster.
• Si Ming reviewed Mozi’s logic and explained that Grandmasters needed eloquence, practical experience, moral character, endurance, and a willingness to share and serve others.
• Si Ming argued that Yu Shuying had to fail before becoming Grandmaster so that her mistakes would not endanger countless people, and he cited Xiao Xuan as someone willing to act and bear the consequences.

Si Ming accepted becoming Grandmaster as a dream and set thwarting Yu Shuying as his goal, then continued reading about Mozi's achievements in philosophy, logic, science, mathematics, mechanics, and craftsmanship. The chapter ended with Si Ming still studying the books Murong Qing had left him.

• Si Ming hesitated to pursue the Grandmaster position and spent the night considering Murong Qing's suggestion.
• Si Ming decided to treat becoming Grandmaster as a dream and defeating Yu Shuying as his goal.
• Si Ming wrote down ideas and countermeasures, then resumed reading about Mozi.
• Si Ming learned about Mozi's theories of knowledge, logic, space, time, mathematics, and motion.
• Si Ming read about Mozi's work on mechanics, optics, and defensive equipment.

After a dream about becoming Mozi and losing his republic to political rivals, Si Ming decided that strength would help him claim the Grandmaster title. At breakfast, Yao Bilian announced that an ambitious former lover was visiting that evening, prompting the household to prepare to receive her.

• Si Ming dreamed he became Mozi, unified the seven states, rejected the throne in favor of a republic, and was overthrown by his former allies.
• Si Ming woke up convinced that he could secure recognition as Grandmaster by becoming the strongest person in the world.
• Si Ming told Murong Qing that Mozi's achievements had inspired him, while Yu Shuying wondered at his sudden cheerfulness.
• Yao Bilian announced that an old classmate would visit that evening and told everyone to look presentable.
• Si Ming guessed that Yao Bilian wanted to show her successful former lover she was doing well, and Yao Bilian admitted she did not want the visitor to pity her.

Yao Bilian prepared an extravagant feast to impress her arriving classmate, but Lu Mao’s ordinary honey-braised pork outshone the premium dishes. When the guest arrived, Si Ming found her appearance familiar but could not remember who she resembled.

• Si Ming explained how people compared income, status, prospects, and lifestyles at class reunions, and Yao Bilian insisted he either dress properly or stay in his room.
• Yao Bilian bought premium ingredients and had Lu Mao prepare an expensive feast for her guest.
• Yao Bilian disliked the caviar and found the other costly dishes unimpressive, but she loved Lu Mao’s honey-braised pork.
• Lu Mao explained that his skill lay in making ordinary ingredients delicious, and Yao Bilian ordered the pork kept off the menu so the feast would seem classy.
• Murong Wu announced that the guest had arrived, and Yao Bilian went to greet her.
• Si Ming saw Yao Bilian’s muscular, greatsword-carrying classmate and thought her face looked familiar.

Yao Bilian reunited with her university friend Lin Qingtong, who described her years as a Russian gang fighter. After midnight, Lin told Si Ming that she would guide him and Yu Shuying at the first stop of their trial in Russia, revealing that she was Pig's disciple.

• Yao Bilian introduced Lin Qingtong to Si Ming and the others at the orphanage, and the two old friends caught up over dinner.
• Lin Qingtong recounted her violent years in Russia as a gang fighter, while Murong Qing sent the younger children away from her stories.
• Si Ming returned to his room and cultivated the Blazing Yang Battle Art, aiming to reach its sixth level.
• After midnight, Lin Qingtong visited Si Ming and told him that Russia had been chosen as his and Yu Shuying's first trial stop, with her serving as their guide.
• Si Ming recognized that Lin Qingtong was an insider, and she revealed that she was Pig's disciple.

Lin Qingtong revealed that Liu Qingqing was her half-sister and invited her to go to Russia, but Auntie Liu tried to stop them. The chapter ended with Auntie Liu attacking Lin Qingtong after she said Liu Qingqing had inherited their father's talent.

• Lin Qingtong told Si Ming that she had come to find her younger sister, Liu Qingqing, his childhood sweetheart.
• Lin Qingtong explained that Liu Qingqing was originally named Lin Qingluo and that they had kept in touch through letters for ten years.
• Lin Qingtong invited Liu Qingqing to join her in Russia, while Auntie Liu objected and insisted her daughter could not leave.
• Lin Qingtong revealed that Liu Qingqing had passed the Mohist Knight Guard assessment and was legally free to go wherever she wanted.
• Lin Qingtong claimed Liu Qingqing had inherited their father's talent, and Auntie Liu attacked her with a palm strike.

Si Ming, Liu Qingqing, Yu Shuying, and Lin Qingtong traveled together as Lin Qingtong explained Liu Qingqing’s family history and proposed that she learn her father’s martial art from her estranged older brother. The group then turned to the tasks awaiting them on the trip.

• Si Ming asked how Liu Qingqing had left home, and she said she had simply decided to go despite her mother’s refusal.
• Lin Qingtong described Auntie Liu’s former gentle, domestic nature and revealed that Liu Qingqing’s father was Lin Xiu, the Floating Life Sword and former leader of the Shadow Hero Guard.
• Lin Qingtong explained that Lin Xiu was stripped of his post for breaking Mohist discipline, later joined the Chivalry Alliance, and died on a mission in Russia.
• Lin Qingtong said Liu Qingqing had once been close to her older brother, but they seemed to have quarreled on the day their father died; she suggested Liu Qingqing learn their father’s Illusory Moth Killing Art from him.
• Yu Shuying closed her book and asked the others to explain the trip’s tasks so she could prepare.

Si Ming and his companions learned about the deadly Rust Disease and traveled to Russia to investigate it and help the Black Earth Gang defeat the Thousand Ren Society. In Lülan, they confronted the country’s pollution and learned that the Grandmaster Trial could take years to complete.

• Lin Qingtong explained that Rust Disease spread through skin contact, turned victims’ bodies to metal, and was spreading rapidly across Russia.
• Si Ming, Yu Shuying, and Lin Qingtong arrived in Lülan and saw the city’s heavy smog and polluted surroundings.
• Lin Qingtong gave the group Lung-Clearing Art manuals, and Si Ming mastered the breathing method after reading it once.
• Lin Qingtong warned that the Thousand Ren Society outranked the Black Earth Gang and that completing the trial could take years.
• Lin Qingtong said past Grandmasters had taken twelve to fifty-six years to pass the trial, and Si Ming reconsidered his ambition to become Grandmaster.

Lin Qingtong brought Si Ming and the others to the Black Earth Gang as its elders debated whether to risk their insider in the Thousand-Ren Society to uncover an enemy plan. Lin Qingtong disrupted their anonymous vote, insisting that she had not been the one to object.

• Lin Qingtong arrived at the Black Earth Gang with Si Ming and the others after a gang member told her an emergency meeting was underway.
• The elders argued over whether to send their insider to investigate the Thousand-Ren Society's plan, with Huang Wanlong urging action and Lian Jun warning that the insider would be exposed.
• The white-haired elder proposed an anonymous vote, and Lian Jun and Huang Wanlong reluctantly agreed.
• Lin Qingtong entered the meeting room and declared her opposition, then clarified that she had not been the one who objected.

Yu Shuying claimed she could use the Mind-Reading Technique to expose a traitor in the Black Earth Gang, and Lian Jun allowed her to prove her ability. She demonstrated it by revealing his secret mistress and illegitimate son, leaving the gathering increasingly convinced she could read minds.

• Yu Shuying warned the Black Earth Gang that public pressure could force a vote through and that the Thousand Ren Society might have an informant among them.
• Yu Shuying accused Huang Wanlong of being a traitor, but he challenged her credibility and tried to attack her before Lian Jun stopped him.
• Yu Shuying said she knew the Mind-Reading Technique, and Lian Jun proposed letting her prove it.
• Lin Qingtong presented a letter identifying Yu Shuying as a candidate for the Mohist School's next holy maiden, but Huang Wanlong continued questioning her character.
• Yu Shuying revealed that Lian Jun had a mistress and an illegitimate son, then explained that her technique could uncover stray thoughts he might not consciously notice.

Yu Shuying exposed Huang Wanlong as a spy and learned about the Thousand-Ren Society’s leadership and strength. She then decided to take command of the Black Earth Gang and strike the Thousand-Ren Society within five days, arriving with Lin Qingtong, Si Ming, and Liu Qingqing at the library where Master Zhu was staying.

• Yu Shuying challenged the Black Earth Gang members’ doubts about her mind-reading, and Uncle Li restrained Huang Wanlong so his room could be searched.
• The gang found Huang Wanlong’s codebook and confirmed he had colluded with the Thousand-Ren Society.
• Yu Shuying reviewed intelligence about Huyan Lie and his sons, then changed her goal from destroying the Thousand-Ren Society to dealing it a heavy blow within five days.
• Yu Shuying asked for command of the Black Earth Gang, and Lin Qingtong said Zhu Hao could authorize it.
• Lin Qingtong led Yu Shuying, Si Ming, and Liu Qingqing through the streets to the library, where the librarian recognized her and asked if she had come to see Master Zhu.

Lin Qingtong brought Liu Qingqing and her companions to meet her elder brother, Lin Qingxiang, and sought the original Illusory Moth Killing Art for Qingluo. After Zhu Hao agreed to let Qingluo try the art if Lin Qingxiang released it, Lin Qingtong introduced Yu Shuying and her companion as Grandmaster candidates who wanted command of the Black Earth Gang, and Zhu Hao prepared to test Yu Shuying.

• Lin Qingtong led Liu Qingqing and her companions to the martial arts hall, where Lin Qingxiang sparred with Zhu Hao.
• Lin Qingxiang rejected Liu Qingqing and refused Lin Qingtong’s request for the Illusory Moth Killing Art, leaving without looking at his sister.
• Lin Qingtong argued that Qingluo should inherit their father’s art, while Zhu Hao explained why Lin Qingxiang had modified it and why Qingluo’s unusual aptitude needed testing.
• Zhu Hao assessed Qingluo’s strange ability to escape people’s attention but said only practice could show whether she could learn the art.
• Lin Qingtong told Zhu Hao that Yu Shuying and her companion were Grandmaster candidates seeking command of the Black Earth Gang.
• Zhu Hao asked Yu Shuying to read his thoughts, and she guessed that he intended to attack her as a test.

Si Ming visited the Rust Disease ward with Zhu Hao and learned that his Jade-Clad Dharma Body could resist the germs. When Zhu Hao observed Si Ming touch a patient, he discovered that Si Ming’s cells were devouring the germs, and the patient’s rusty skin began to clear.

• Zhu Hao examined Si Ming’s Jade-Clad Dharma Body and offered him access to his library and a fragmentary Super Martial Dao technique in exchange for helping with research.
• Si Ming asked to see the Rust Disease patients, and Zhu Hao took him, Liu Qingqing, and Yu Shuying to their isolation ward, where he explained the disease’s risks and late-stage symptoms.
• Si Ming observed the patients’ rust-colored skin and sluggish movements while Lin Qingtong joked about their condition and Zhu Hao reprimanded her.
• Zhu Hao asked Si Ming to touch a patient so he could test whether the germs could invade Si Ming’s cells, and his observations showed that they could not harm them.
• Zhu Hao discovered that Si Ming’s cells were devouring the Rust Disease germs, and the patient’s rusty spots faded as Si Ming maintained contact.

Si Ming agreed to investigate Rust Disease after Zhu Hao theorized that the disease was deliberately created and collected Si Ming’s blood to help develop a treatment. Meanwhile, assassin Qingyan accepted an assignment to kill Huang Wanlong and began scouting the Black Earth Gang’s guarded hideout, where he sensed someone familiar approaching.

• Zhu Hao explained that Si Ming’s cells had metal-like properties and could consume Rust Disease pathogens, then took a blood sample to seek help developing a targeted drug.
• Si Ming offered to absorb patients’ rust spots, but Zhu Hao warned that the disease had already corroded their internal organs and could not be cured that way.
• Si Ming agreed to investigate Rust Disease while Yu Shuying took responsibility for defeating the Thousand Ren Society.
• Qingyan accepted an assignment to assassinate Huang Wanlong, a spy held under close guard by the Black Earth Gang, and received information about Lin Xiu at his request.
• Qingyan studied Huang Wanlong’s guarded location and decided to wait until night, but sensed a familiar presence approaching as he prepared to leave.

Si Ming entered the Physician Review Board to investigate Rust Disease, but an octopus-like attacker tore through its laboratory. He charged in and attacked the freak as it used a nurse as a weapon.

• Qingyan gave Si Ming a fabricated relative’s information and pointed him toward the Physician Review Board as a place to investigate human-body research.
• Si Ming used his Black Earth Gang Adjudication Hall credentials to seek the board’s cooperation, and its chairman hurried to meet him.
• An explosion shook the building, and a mechanical-tentacled attacker began wrecking the board’s laboratory.
• Si Ming rushed inside and saw the attacker overwhelm the martial artists trying to stop it.
• The octopus freak grabbed a nurse and swung her toward a wall, so Si Ming charged in, knocked aside a tentacle with Bullet Fist, and struck at the attacker.

Si Ming defeated the octopus monster after a destructive fight in the laboratory, then questioned the Review Committee president about the creature. The president agreed to tell him everything he knew.

• Si Ming rescued the nurse, fought the octopus monster, and used Kui Drum Thunder Sound to escape its hold.
• Si Ming burned the monster through a mechanical tentacle, knocked him down, and tore off five of his mechanical limbs until he passed out.
• Si Ming called the Black Earth Gang headquarters to send trucks and returned to find the Review Committee president lamenting the damage.
• Si Ming told the president he would not hold the Inspection Committee responsible if he answered his questions honestly.
• The president promised to reveal everything he knew.

Si Ming investigated the octopus monster’s connection to Doctor Ma Shijiu, then agreed to help Yu Shuying kidnap Huyan He. When he sought Liu Qingqing’s help, he found her fleeing with Lin Qingtong while Lin Qingxiang chased them for the Illusory Moth Killing Art.

• The Physician Review Board chairman identified the octopus monster as a former patient and said Doctor Ma Shijiu had used fabricated credentials.
• Si Ming handed the monster to Zhu Hao and Wei Chunxi, who planned to investigate how he had adapted to his mechanical limbs and question him about Ma Shijiu.
• Yu Shuying asked Si Ming to kidnap Huyan He, and Si Ming agreed to assemble a team without involving the Black Earth Gang.
• Si Ming decided to ask Liu Qingqing for help and found Lin Qingtong and Liu Qingqing fleeing from Lin Qingxiang, who demanded the return of the Illusory Moth Killing Art.

Lin Qingtong confronted Lin Qingxiang over the Illusory Moth Killing Art and the suspicious circumstances of their father's death, but Liu Qingqing returned the manual to prevent the siblings from fighting over it. Lin Qingxiang left without explaining further, while Lin Qingtong vowed to keep investigating; Si Ming stayed out of the family dispute and considered how they might uncover the truth.

• Lin Qingtong and Lin Qingxiang fought over the Illusory Moth Killing Art, with neither gaining a clear advantage.
• Lin Qingtong challenged Lin Qingxiang's account of their father's death after noticing wounds that matched the Xiaolian Sword.
• Lin Qingxiang claimed the enemy had taken his sword and used it against their father, but Lin Qingtong questioned his story and accused him of hiding the truth.
• Liu Qingqing returned the manual to Lin Qingxiang and said she did not want the siblings to fall out over it.
• Lin Qingtong vowed to investigate their father's death and threatened to put righteousness before family if Lin Qingxiang was involved.
• Si Ming refrained from intervening and considered asking Yu Shuying to use her mind-reading technique after they had a chance to guide Lin Qingxiang.