Chapter Summaries

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.

Si Ming assembled a team to kidnap Huyan He, recruiting Liu Qingqing, Wei Chunxi, and Qingyan while Lin Qingtong stayed behind. The group infiltrated Huyan He's residence, where Si Ming learned that three concealed experts guarded the courtyard ahead.

• Si Ming invited Liu Qingqing to join the kidnapping, but refused Lin Qingtong because her identity could compromise Yu Shuying's plans.
• Si Ming recruited Wei Chunxi to provide poison support and Qingyan to handle close combat.
• Wei Chunxi prepared Immortal's Inebriation pollen to hinder pursuers, while Si Ming assigned Liu Qingqing to use the psionic gun if necessary.
• Si Ming, Liu Qingqing, and Qingyan infiltrated Huyan He's residence despite limited preparation and encountered only minor trouble.
• Si Ming entered the residence using Dunjia Heavenly Movement and sensed three experts guarding the courtyard ahead.

Si Ming and Qingyan attacked Huyan He in the bamboo grove courtyard, where he had been preparing tea. Si Ming fought the Bian brothers while Qingyan tried to capture Huyan He, and Si Ming ended by drawing the brothers into striking him with all their strength.

• Si Ming, Qingyan, and their companions reached the bamboo grove courtyard and found Huyan He brewing tea with Bian Jiong and Bian Jiang guarding him.
• Si Ming attacked Bian Jiong and Bian Jiang with his external martial arts and drove them back, while Qingyan confronted Huyan He with his sword.
• Huyan He deflected Qingyan’s sword and a hidden arrow wounded his left arm, but he held off Qingyan while waiting for his subordinates to arrive.
• Bian Jiong and Bian Jiang resumed fighting Si Ming with their ice and flame palm arts, while Si Ming used his Jade-Clad Dharma Body to withstand their attacks.
• Si Ming feigned a howl, let the Bian brothers strike him with full force, and formed the Juntian Sword Art’s Cauldron Armor Seal.

Si Ming abducted Huyan He and fought his way out of the Thousand-Ren Society's base while Wei Chunxi's Immortal's Inebriation weakened the pursuers. The escape succeeded, and Wei Chunxi left after collecting data on the poison's effects.

• Si Ming defeated the Bian brothers while Qingyan poisoned and subdued Huyan He, then the three split up as planned.
• Si Ming used Huyan He as a hostage to break through the Thousand-Ren Society's defenses as Wei Chunxi spread Immortal's Inebriation through the compound.
• Wei Chunxi's poison incapacitated many pursuers, and a copper pellet injured Elder Yang's finger when he attacked Si Ming.
• Huyan He told Elder Yang not to pursue and calmly asked him to return and brew his tea.
• Si Ming escaped with Huyan He after stopping to send an earthen wall crashing toward Elder Yang.
• Wei Chunxi reviewed his experimental data and concluded that Immortal's Inebriation affected ordinary people but could be resisted or suppressed by those with strong internal cultivation.

Yu Shuying exposed the Black Earth Gang elders’ secrets and announced that Zhu Hao would protect the armory as the Thousand-Ren Society attacked. Huyan Lie struck the armory area with a devastating saber technique, while Yu Shuying prepared to show the elders a spectacle involving real and fake kidnappers.

• Yu Shuying mocked the Black Earth Gang elders for their false confidence and revealed that one elder’s son was not biologically his, with the child’s father among those present.
• A blast near the armory alerted the elders that Huyan Lie had launched the Thousand-Ren Society’s true attack from the west.
• Yu Shuying said Zhu Hao had been asked to defend the armory, then invited the elders outside to watch a display of real and fake kidnappers.
• Huyan Lie unleashed War Flames Burn the Heavens, gathering fiery clouds around his saber and striking the buildings below with a destructive wave of heat and force.

Zhu Hao and Huyan Lie fought until an explosion at the Charity House forced them to confront a massacre and a hostage standoff. Yu Shuying arrived with Huyan Lie’s sons as captives, but Huyan Lie struck at her before she could act, and a sudden flash of cold light appeared as she faced death.

• Zhu Hao and Huyan Lie exchanged powerful attacks but held back from a fight to the death.
• An explosion at the Charity House enraged Zhu Hao, who rushed there while Huyan Lie pursued him.
• Zhu Hao found the Charity House destroyed and attacked the Thousand Ren Society fighters, but Huyan Lie wounded him and stopped the melee.
• Huyan Lie’s men seized elderly people and children as hostages, and Zhu Hao invoked Qiao Xuan’s precedent against yielding to hostage-takers.
• Yu Shuying arrived with Huyan He and Huyan Lü bound by her whips, prompting Huyan Lie to attack her immediately.
• Zhu Hao could not save Yu Shuying because his saber wound flared, and a cold light appeared just before Huyan Lie’s blade reached her.