Chapter Summaries

Shi Tiexin overwhelmed Yan Xu with a nonstop barrage of kicks, then finished him with an aerial Divine Dragon Tail Sweep. Yan Xu was carried from the arena as the crowd erupted, and Shi Tiexin’s string of victories continued.

• Shi Tiexin pressed Yan Xu with rapid kicks, forcing him to defend with his iron arms.
• Yan Xu tried to endure the barrage, believing Shi Tiexin would tire first, but his arms weakened and he ran short of breath.
• Shi Tiexin broke Yan Xu’s guard with a jumping kick and struck his forehead, leaving him dazed and nearly blind.
• Shi Tiexin launched an aerial Divine Dragon Tail Sweep that sent Yan Xu spinning through the air and crashing to the ground.
• The spectators erupted as they realized Yan Xu had lost without landing a move, and they discussed how he had misjudged Shi Tiexin’s stamina and strategy.

Shi Tiexin recovered after defeating twelve opponents and warned the students against targeting him, then accepted Gu Shaoqiu’s offer to spar. Both agreed to stop at the right point while privately planning to test their strength.

• Shi Tiexin recovered from the strain of his Imitation Pupil Technique and considered improving his Bone Structure attributes to better withstand thought energy.
• Shi Tiexin told the gathered students he would handle anyone who targeted him, and invited them to challenge him openly.
• Gao Chongxiao postponed a match, Sima Liang pointed to the Annual Trial, and Shu Wangzhou promised to compete with Shi Tiexin later.
• Shi Tiexin recognized Gu Shaoqiu as possibly connected to a student named Gu Shaohuai and decided he still wanted to beat him.
• Gu Shaoqiu accepted Shi Tiexin’s offer to spar, and both agreed to stop at the right point while planning to test their strength.

Gu Shaoqiu tried to hide his humiliating defeat from his subordinate, who had witnessed it and praised his supposed insight. Meanwhile, Shi Tiexin planned to keep using fights to relieve stress and reconsidered his secrecy plan after testing Chu Feiyan’s abilities.

• Gu Shaoqiu learned that his subordinate had arrived in time to witness Shi Tiexin defeat Tang Tianao, Yan Xu, and Gu Shaoqiu himself.
• Gu Shaoqiu’s subordinate praised his decision to recognize Shi Tiexin’s abilities, then called Gu Shaoqiu’s own match profound without explaining why.
• Gu Shaoqiu wondered why Shi Tiexin had singled him out for a spar despite their having no grievance.
• Shi Tiexin savored his victory over Gu Shaoqiu and decided that fighting could become a regular way to relieve stress.
• Shi Tiexin concluded that his questions had helped him determine the limits of Chu Feiyan’s abilities, even though she had seen through his Fourth Level Secrecy.

After realizing his recent victories had made him overconfident, Shi Tiexin sought perspective and resolved to strengthen his First Level Secrecy by buying Overlord Eastern Extreme Force. He concluded that his earnings and Shi Yuhui’s loans could not fund it safely, so he had to find another way to raise the money.

• Shi Tiexin dreamed of an indistinct figure teaching him the Divine Dragon Tail Sweep, but remembered none of it after waking.
• Shi Tiexin visited Old Tang Stinky Tofu Shop and watched its owner handle boiling oil unharmed, which helped him regain perspective.
• Shi Tiexin reflected on his recent successes and decided he remained too weak to instantly defeat opponents such as Yan Xu.
• Shi Tiexin calculated that his current income would take more than four years to save the 1.8 million points needed for Overlord Eastern Extreme Force.
• Shi Tiexin considered borrowing from Shi Yuhui, but the loan’s repayment terms frightened him into seeking another way to raise the money.

Shi Tiexin visited Tumubao’s upscale inner-district Martial Arts dealership to buy a body-tempering cultivation method. After exchanging sales pitches with a consultant, he learned that the same cultivation method came in many modified editions, each tailored to different needs.

• Shi Tiexin went to the inner district of Tumubao Martial Arts Trading Center, where lavish dealerships sold Martial Arts at higher prices than the outer district.
• The dealership’s imposing staff and skilled salespeople made Shi Tiexin feel out of place, though he held his own in a verbal exchange with a young consultant.
• The consultant learned that Shi Tiexin wanted a body-tempering cultivation method and guided him to options priced around three hundred thousand.
• The consultant introduced Haoqi Pavilion’s Mountain Pulling Three Energies and explained that its several editions offered different modifications and configurations.
• The consultant handed Shi Tiexin a price list for the cultivation method’s editions.

Shi Tiexin searched the Tumubao market for a body-tempering cultivation art that could develop All-Extreme Strength, but found that even Haoqi Pavilion’s Mountain Pulling Nine Energies was rarely available and cost at least three million. He left the stores with no purchase, having learned that top-tier Martial Arts were difficult to obtain even for those with money.

• Shi Tiexin examined the Progressive, Executive, and Platinum Editions of Mountain Pulling Three Energies before asking about stronger techniques.
• A salesgirl showed Shi Tiexin Mountain Pulling Five Energies and Mountain Pulling Seven Energies, but neither met his needs.
• Shi Tiexin asked sales director Wu Xinyu whether Mountain Pulling Seven Energies could cultivate All-Extreme Strength, and Wu Xinyu said Mountain Pulling Nine Energies could do so but was not sold at the store.
• Wu Xinyu told Shi Tiexin that Mountain Pulling Nine Energies cost at least three million and was rarely offered on the open market.
• Shi Tiexin visited several Four Losses Stores and learned that top-tier cultivation arts were scarce, expensive, and usually claimed by the super-rich before they reached the market.

Shi Tiexin went to Zhonghua Bank hoping to borrow 1.8 million to buy Overlord Eastern Extreme Force, and Big-eyed Sister Mengmeng began processing his loan. He was thrilled by the low interest and simple process until she asked for collateral, a guarantor, stable income, and bank statements.

• Shi Tiexin decided to buy the 1.8-million cultivation manual and went to a bank to seek a loan instead of borrowing from Shi Yuhui.
• Big-eyed Sister Mengmeng ushered him through opening accounts and handling various banking services before he remembered why he had come.
• Shi Tiexin asked Zhonghua Bank for a personal Martial Arts transaction loan of 1.8 million.
• Mengmeng quoted annual interest rates of 4.8% for repayment within five years and 5.7% for longer repayment, making Shi Tiexin hopeful.
• Mengmeng asked whether Shi Tiexin had a car or house, collateral, a guarantor, stable income, and six months of bank statements, and his smile froze.

After failing to secure a loan, Shi Tiexin tried to use his misery as an excuse to draw Old Tang out, but found him missing all evening. When Old Tang finally returned, Shi Tiexin’s ghostly entrance knocked him unconscious, and he learned that Old Tang had spent the night at a deluxe massage parlor.

• Shi Tiexin left Zhonghua Bank dejected after Big-eyed Sister rejected his loan request and intimidated him away from the cash transport truck.
• Shi Tiexin decided to visit Old Tang while acting dispirited, but found his dormitory empty at six, eight, and ten o’clock.
• Shi Tiexin waited outside Old Tang’s dormitory, played cards with the Little Bees, and left when he heard the door open after two in the morning.
• Shi Tiexin exaggerated his gloomy appearance and startled Old Tang so badly that he collapsed unconscious.
• Shi Tiexin questioned Old Tang after he recovered, and Old Tang admitted that he had spent the evening at a deluxe massage parlor and could barely remember returning.

After Shi Tiexin confided in Old Tang about his lack of money, a hidden young master’s aide mistook it for proof that Shi Tiexin had taken the bait and urged the young master to support him. The young master tried to object but was repeatedly outpaced by his aide, who left to arrange the money before he could stop him.

• Shi Tiexin explained Old Tang’s fainting as exhaustion, then lamented that he was too poor to advance in martial arts and silently demanded that his enemies think of a solution.
• The next day, Old Tang told the young master that Shi Tiexin had complained about his expenses and sought Old Tang’s guidance.
• The young master’s aide concluded that Shi Tiexin had begun cultivating the Freedom Minor Method and was growing dependent on them.
• The young master hesitated to fund Shi Tiexin, but his aide praised the idea as a way to ease the young master’s frustration and promised to make the money transfer seem natural.
• The young master finally called for the aide to wait, only to discover that the room was empty.

Shi Tiexin searched for a way to borrow 1.8 million, but banks, online lenders, and his Little Bees could not offer suitable terms. He turned to Angel Finance, where the general manager called the big Boss for approval, and the ringtone made Shi Tiexin spit out his tea.

• Shi Tiexin dismissed Old Tang and searched online for loans, but found only useless advertisements.
• Shi Tiexin asked his Little Bees for lender recommendations and discovered that online lenders either offered too little or charged unbearable interest.
• A Little Bee directed Shi Tiexin to Angel Finance, a new subprime lender with abundant funds and a bold approach.
• Shi Tiexin visited Angel Finance and requested a 1.8-million loan from its general manager.
• The general manager called the big Boss for instructions, and Shi Tiexin sprayed out his tea when the ringtone played.

Shi Tiexin tried to borrow 1.8 million from Angel Finance and discovered that the company’s boss was Shi Yuhui. After she summoned him home, she caught him tutoring Little Calf and confronted him about dealing with online lenders.

• Shi Tiexin’s loan inquiry reached Shi Yuhui, who recognized his name and told him to meet her at home that evening.
• Shi Yulei welcomed Shi Tiexin, and he waited for Shi Yuhui while growing nervous.
• Little Calf asked Shi Tiexin for help with her homework, but she struggled with geometry and soon became hungry.
• Shi Yuhui arrived with a giant monster fish, killed and cut it into pieces, and told Shi Yulei to stew it.
• Shi Yuhui scolded Shi Tiexin for getting involved with online loans and warned him that lenders were dangerous.

Shi Tiexin asked Shi Yuhui for a 1.8 million loan to buy a cultivation technique, but she challenged his worth and revealed her wealth and breakthrough to Heavenly Qi Manifestation. She offered him a chance to earn the loan by fighting Shi Yuwei, and Shi Tiexin accepted.

• Shi Tiexin explained that he wanted to borrow money to buy a cultivation technique, but Shi Yuhui mocked his prospects and asked what made him worthy of someone else's support.
• Shi Yuwei tried to stand by Shi Tiexin, but he gently sent her back to the sofa and insisted he would keep trying as long as any hope remained.
• Shi Yuhui told Shi Tiexin that Angel Finance had secured 580 million in funding and that she had reached Heavenly Qi Manifestation.
• Shi Yuhui offered to lend Shi Tiexin 1.8 million if he fought Shi Yuwei, and Shi Tiexin agreed.

Shi Tiexin faced Shi Yuwei in the family’s private training ground, only to discover that her defense and strength exceeded his expectations. After she disrupted his stance with a metal-hard block, Shi Yuwei closed in and struck toward his abdomen.

• Shi Yuhui led Shi Tiexin and Shi Yuwei to a hidden training ground in another apartment owned by their family.
• Shi Tiexin and Shi Yuwei formally began their duel as Shi Yuhui watched from outside the sealed secret realm.
• Shi Tiexin opened with powerful kicks, but Shi Yuwei blocked them, seized his leg, and forced him to use Drunken Wind to escape.
• Shi Tiexin activated his Basic Pupil Technique and Perfection Level Legwork, exchanging a rapid series of attacks with Shi Yuwei without gaining an advantage.
• Shi Yuwei blocked one of Shi Tiexin’s kicks with a metal-like impact that scattered his stance, then stepped in and struck toward his abdomen.

Shi Tiexin fought Shi Yuwei, whose Wing Chun overwhelmed his techniques despite his breakthrough in Hard Qi Technique. After losing to Little Calf, he walked alone through Upper City and realized why he had never wanted to borrow money from Shi Yuhui.

• Shi Tiexin endured Shi Yuwei's attacks, but his Hard Qi Technique and legwork could not keep up with her offense.
• He broke through to the perfect third level of Hard Qi Technique and used its Defense Counter to create an opening.
• Shi Tiexin launched a decisive kick, but Shi Yuwei countered with Outer Rib Inch Force Burst and knocked him unconscious.
• The secret realm shattered, and Shi Tiexin accepted that he had lost to Shi Yuwei.
• Fifteen minutes later, Shi Tiexin walked injured through Upper City and understood why he had never wanted to ask Shi Yuhui for a loan.

After Shi Yuwei defeated him, Shi Tiexin confronted his buried inferiority and wondered whether he could truly be friends with someone so far beyond him. Shi Yuhui offered him a loan and urged him to keep improving, leaving him determined to challenge Shi Yuwei again and eventually defeat her fairly.

• Shi Tiexin realized that his apparent confidence had concealed loneliness and inferiority, and that taking help from Shi Yuwei’s family made him feel unequal to her.
• Shi Yuhui offered Shi Tiexin a loan of one million eight hundred thousand and told him he had earned it by igniting Shi Yuwei’s battle intent.
• Shi Yuhui explained that Shi Yuwei’s exceptional talent was hampered by her kindness: she suppressed her fighting spirit until it erupted uncontrollably.
• Shi Yuhui advised Shi Tiexin to improve his fragmented Kung Fu and spar with Shi Yuwei, saying the practice would benefit them both.
• Shi Tiexin vowed to grow stronger and defeat Shi Yuwei fairly one day, while Shi Yuhui left without revealing what she would do if he succeeded.

Shi Tiexin negotiated with Chu Feiyan to reserve the Overlord Eastern Extreme Force for a 300,000 deposit, then worried about his debt and sought ways to increase his income. At the Pretty Group base, Old Tang brought him news of an upcoming shrimp-catching race.

• Shi Tiexin called Chu Feiyan and agreed to pay a 300,000 deposit for the Overlord Eastern Extreme Force, which she promised to deliver in three months.
• Shi Tiexin calculated that his income could not cover his loan repayments and resolved to expand his delivery business and recruit more Little Bees.
• Old Tang rushed in and urged Shi Tiexin to come with him.
• The HR Manager announced the Pretty Group Outer Sect “Take Your Mom Flying” Catch Shrimp racing competition and opened registration for 100 Gang Contribution.

Shi Tiexin learned that the Catch Shrimp Racing Competition offered an uncommon inner sect martial arts set as its prize and registered to compete. Despite Old Tang warning that powerful factions would turn the event into a war, Shi Tiexin exchanged for Star Springing Legs and resolved to train with only ten days remaining.

• Old Tang persuaded Shi Tiexin to investigate the Catch Shrimp Racing Competition by telling him its prize was a valuable finger technique manual.
• The HR Manager confirmed that the prize was a set of Flying Electric Finger, Swift Electric Claw, and Startling Electric Palm, and Shi Tiexin registered.
• Shi Tiexin suspected Old Tang's backers had influenced the prize and worried that their growing investment in him meant they had far-reaching plans.
• Old Tang warned Shi Tiexin that Yin Xiaofei and other vested interests would fight to protect their position, making the competition more like a war than a fair contest.
• Shi Tiexin exchanged for Star Springing Legs and decided to practice as much as possible before the competition, despite having only ten days.

Shi Tiexin learned to consciously cross into another Worldline and returned to his Elite Class dormitory during summer vacation. With just over two months to train, he set his priorities and began cultivating for the upcoming competition.

• Shi Tiexin spent three nights reaching across Worldlines and successfully crossed over with his own consciousness.
• He woke in his Elite Class dormitory and confirmed that only a few days had passed in this Worldline while he was away.
• Shi Tiexin ran a ten-thousand-meter warm-up, ate breakfast, and went to his private training room.
• He planned to master Star Springing Leg, practice bicycle racing, and strengthen his foundational mind arts during the summer vacation.
• Shi Tiexin decided to seek out martial arts masters or secret manuals if he had time, hoping to challenge Little Calf again.

Shi Tiexin perfected the third layer of all Six Fundamental Heart Arts, strengthening his attributes and pupil technique. With only 34 points of Golden Light left, he searched for a competition and learned he could enter Xiamen’s upcoming “Window of Donghua Cup” World Marathon Invitational.

• Shi Tiexin trained intensely while attending summer tutoring classes, and Basic Mathematics reached third-layer perfection first.
• Shi Tiexin perfected Basic Biology, improving his Bone Structure and extending how long he could use the Basic Pupil Technique.
• Shi Tiexin perfected Basic Physics and Chemistry, gaining Force and Energy Channels and further enhancing his pupil technique and recovery.
• Shi Tiexin completed the third layer of all Six Fundamental Heart Arts and sensed the Cranial Boundary, then discovered he had only 34 points of Golden Light remaining.
• Shi Tiexin asked his teacher and Director Xin about upcoming competitions, and Director Xin said he could likely arrange an entry to Xiamen’s “Window of Donghua Cup” World Marathon Invitational.

Shi Tiexin won the Xiamen marathon after breaking away from the world-class runners and setting a world record, earning a huge Heavenly Gifted Golden Light reward. Principal Liu then introduced him to his wife, Shen Yunmeng, whom Shi Tiexin recognized as familiar.

• Principal Liu brought Shi Tiexin, Peipei, and Rourou to inspect the summer marathon route in Xiamen.
• Shi Tiexin entered the race as an invited athlete and took the lead within three minutes of the start.
• Shi Tiexin steadily pulled away from the professional runners while using the marathon to cultivate Star Snap Leg, which reached Excellent.
• Shi Tiexin sprinted to the finish in 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 12 seconds, breaking the two-hour barrier and winning 560 points of Heavenly Gifted Golden Light.
• Three days later, Principal Liu introduced his wife, Shen Yunmeng, to Shi Tiexin, who thought she looked familiar.