Chapter Summaries

Old Doctor Chen explained the qualities needed to be a good medical practitioner and introduced Lu Qing to the realms of Martial Dao cultivation. He prepared to teach Lu Qing a boxing method to strengthen his body, leaving Lu Qing eager to begin training.

• Old Doctor Chen told Lu Qing that a medical practitioner needed calm judgment and a robust physique to treat patients and protect himself.
• Old Doctor Chen said he had learned a set of boxing techniques in his youth and would teach them to Lu Qing.
• Old Doctor Chen explained that the Postnatal Realm consisted of the Qi Blood, Tendons and Bones, and Inner Organs realms, with Inner Organs Great Accomplishment earning the title of Grandmaster.
• Lu Qing asked about the Innate Realm and Old Doctor Chen's own cultivation, but Chen said he did not know the Innate Realm's power and declined to reveal his own level.
• Old Doctor Chen told Lu Qing to study the boxing techniques he was about to teach him.

Lu Qing learned the first nine stances of the Old Doctor’s Body Nourishing Fist and discovered that his ability could simulate the cultivation method. After returning home, he repaid the villagers’ contributions for his Apprentice Ceremony and prepared to use his ability to practice.

• The Old Doctor demonstrated his Body Nourishing Fist, and Lu Qing’s simulation ability successfully identified and analyzed the method.
• The Old Doctor taught Lu Qing the breathing, qi-and-blood circulation, and body-tempering principles behind the first nine stances, explaining that mastering them would let him enter the Qi Blood Realm.
• The Old Doctor cautioned Lu Qing to practice in moderation and eat enough meat, and said he would look for herbs to make Qi Blood Nourishing Soup.
• The Old Doctor sent Lu Qing home with a Treatise on Acupuncture Points to memorize, and Lu Qing carried the sleeping Xiao Yan down the mountain.
• Lu Qing repaid Grandpa Zhang the villagers’ contributions for his Apprentice Ceremony, then returned home to practice the fist art using his ability.

Lu Qing used his Supernatural Ability to gain insights into the Body Nourishing Fist and practiced its first nine forms until he began to grasp them. After eating with Xiao Yan, he planned to focus on martial cultivation, earn money by fishing, and leave the mystery of his parents’ deaths alone for now.

• Lu Qing chose to cultivate and received insights into the Body Nourishing Fist, but stopped before the tenth form when his body became sore.
• Lu Qing practiced the first nine forms repeatedly, making rapid progress and realizing that the Supernatural Ability offered guidance but still required hard cultivation to master a technique.
• Lu Qing prepared rice, cured meat, wild vegetables, and fish, then ate with Xiao Yan after she woke up hungry.
• Lu Qing reflected on becoming the Old Doctor’s disciple and decided to prioritize martial cultivation while studying medicine as a secondary pursuit.
• Lu Qing considered returning to the Strange Fish Fishing Spot for rare fish and postponed investigating his parents’ deaths until he was stronger.
• Lu Qing finished digesting his meal and took out the book his master had given him before he descended the mountain.

Lu Qing learned the theoretical knowledge in the Treatise on Acupuncture Points, then received an unexpected gift from the Black Little Beast. His Supernatural Ability identified it as a Ginseng over a hundred years old.

• Lu Qing downloaded and learned the Treatise on Acupuncture Points, gaining its knowledge but no practical acupuncture experience.
• After reading until evening, Lu Qing put the book away and tucked Xiao Yan into bed.
• The Black Little Beast came to Lu Qing's courtyard for its usual fish, eating from the basin while he watched.
• After finishing the fish, the Black Little Beast returned and placed a plant rootstock at Lu Qing's feet as a gift.
• Lu Qing examined the plant, and his Supernatural Ability identified it as a Ginseng that seemed to be over a hundred years old.

Lu Qing received a rare Centennial Wild Ginseng from the Black Night Spirit Fox and brought it to the Old Doctor for examination. The Old Doctor confirmed its age and quality, and Lu Qing explained how the creature had given it to him after he fed it fish.

• Lu Qing recognized the root the Black Little Beast had brought him as ginseng more than a hundred years old and carefully cleaned and stored it.
• The Black Night Spirit Fox ignored Lu Qing’s offer to trade fish for more treasures and leapt over the fence into the night.
• The next morning, Lu Qing brought the ginseng to the Half-Mountain Courtyard and asked the Old Doctor how to handle it.
• The Old Doctor identified the plant as exceptionally fine, fresh Old Mountain Ginseng over a hundred years old and asked where Lu Qing had found it.
• Lu Qing told the Old Doctor and Xiao Yan that the Black Little Beast had brought him the ginseng after he fed it fish, and the Old Doctor praised the fortunate bond.
• Lu Qing asked the Old Doctor how valuable the ginseng was.

Lu Qing learned that his hundred-year-old Ginseng could help him enter the Qi Blood Realm, so he asked the Old Doctor to refine it into pills. When Lu Qing demonstrated the Body Nourishing Fist and revealed he had reached Entry Level after one night, the Old Doctor suspected he had experienced Sudden Enlightenment and might be a martial prodigy.

• The Old Doctor valued Lu Qing's Ginseng at over a thousand taels of silver and explained that it could be used to make powerful pills for martial training.
• Lu Qing chose to keep the Ginseng, and the Old Doctor agreed to refine it into pills but warned him not to take them until he reached Entry Level in the Body Nourishing Fist.
• Lu Qing performed all nine forms of the Body Nourishing Fist repeatedly while the Old Doctor watched in growing astonishment.
• After seeing Lu Qing complete the forms, the Old Doctor recognized that the fist art had reached Entry Level.
• Lu Qing described the insights he experienced while practicing the previous day, and the Old Doctor concluded that he had entered Sudden Enlightenment and might be a martial prodigy.

Lu Qing impressed the Old Doctor with his apparent Sudden Enlightenment and the speed with which he mastered the Body Nourishing Fist, prompting the Old Doctor to begin refining pills from the Centennial Wild Ginseng. While his master worked, Lu Qing went fishing with Xiao Yan and caught a strange golden loach.

• The Old Doctor recognized Lu Qing’s rapid mastery of the Body Nourishing Fist as Sudden Enlightenment and praised him as an exceptional martial arts talent.
• The Old Doctor hurried into seclusion to refine the Blood Replenishing Qi Boosting Pill from the Centennial Wild Ginseng, leaving Lu Qing without a chance to ask about the Treatise on Acupuncture Points.
• Lu Qing took Xiao Yan to the Strange Fish Fishing Spot and baited his line with a fruit from the Blood Apricot Tree.
• Lu Qing hooked and wore down a powerful fish that fought by drilling toward the riverbed.
• Lu Qing netted the catch and saw that it was a golden, loach-shaped fish about two feet long.

Lu Qing caught a pair of nourishing Golden Loaches and decided to save them to share with his master. That night, the Black Little Beast ignored its fish and seemed to notice the loaches inside the house.

• Lu Qing used Blood Apricot Fruit to catch two Golden Loaches, then caught dozens of White Fish with earthworms for the Black Little Beast.
• Lu Qing returned home with Xiao Yan and decided to keep the Golden Loaches to eat with his master the next day.
• After Xiao Yan fell asleep, the Black Little Beast came to Lu Qing's door but ignored the fish he set out.
• The Black Little Beast sniffed Lu Qing, cried out, and stared toward the kitchen, making Lu Qing suspect it had detected the Golden Loaches.

Lu Qing negotiated with the Black Little Beast, trading one Golden Loach for its promise to bring him more special plant roots. The next morning, he practiced the Body Nourishing Fist and headed to Half-Mountain Courtyard with Xiao Yan and the remaining Golden Loach, anticipating that his master would finish the Qi and Blood Replenishing Pill.

• Lu Qing realized the Black Little Beast wanted a Golden Loach and agreed to give it one while keeping the other.
• The Black Little Beast ate the Golden Loach and then finished the fish in Lu Qing's basin.
• Lu Qing proposed trading future rare fish for special plant roots, and the Black Little Beast reluctantly agreed.
• The Black Little Beast left with a full belly, and Lu Qing returned to his room for the night.
• The next morning, Lu Qing practiced the Body Nourishing Fist, ate breakfast, and set out for Half-Mountain Courtyard with Xiao Yan and the remaining Golden Loach.

Lu Qing received twenty Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills from the Old Doctor and showed him a Golden Loach, which the Old Doctor identified as one of the Ten Supreme Delicacies. The Old Doctor warned Lu Qing to keep the village river’s rare fish secret, then suggested the Golden Loach might help Lu Qing enter the Qi Blood Realm that day.

• The Old Doctor finished refining twenty Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pills and gave them to Lu Qing.
• Lu Qing showed the Old Doctor a Golden Loach, and the Old Doctor identified it as one of the Ten Supreme Delicacies with powerful nourishing effects.
• Lu Qing told the Old Doctor that he caught the Golden Loaches in the same river where he had caught the Red Moon Carp.
• The Old Doctor warned Lu Qing not to reveal that the village river held rare fish, and Lu Qing resolved not to sell any he caught.
• Lu Qing explained that the Black Little Beast had eaten the other Golden Loach, and the Old Doctor accepted this as fair repayment for the Centennial Wild Ginseng.
• The Old Doctor invited Lu Qing to share the remaining Golden Loach and said he might enter the Qi Blood Realm that day.

The Old Doctor prepared a medicinal tonic soup from the Golden Loach to strengthen Lu Qing’s weak constitution. Lu Qing absorbed its medicinal power through the Body Nourishing Fist and entered the Qi Blood Realm, after which the Old Doctor began explaining martial arts methods.

• The Old Doctor used the Golden Loach to brew tonic soup, giving Lu Qing most of it and smaller portions to Xiao Yan and himself.
• Lu Qing drank the soup, felt its medicinal power surge through him, and went outside to practice the Body Nourishing Fist.
• Lu Qing guided the tonic’s medicinal power into his qi and blood as he repeatedly practiced the fist’s first nine forms.
• Lu Qing broke through into the Qi Blood Realm, and the Old Doctor explained how the realm strengthened a Martial Artist’s power and defenses.
• The Old Doctor told Lu Qing that martial arts methods were generally divided into cultivation methods and combat methods.

Old Doctor explained the difference between cultivation methods and combat methods, then offered Lu Qing three advanced combat arts to choose from. Lu Qing chose the Four Directions Saber and began learning a technique Old Doctor had found in a mountain cave.

• Old Doctor explained that cultivation methods nourished and strengthened the body, while combat methods focused on killing, and admitted their lineage had no outstanding combat art.
• Old Doctor told Lu Qing about the combat-method manuals he had collected during his travels and urged him to learn one for self-defense.
• After Lu Qing entered the Qi Blood Realm, Old Doctor presented him with three Tendons and Bones Realm manuals: a staff technique, a saber technique, and a sword technique.
• Lu Qing chose the saber technique, and Old Doctor gave him the Four Directions Saber manual, which he had found beside a skeleton in a mountain cave.
• Old Doctor warned that he had never practiced the Four Directions Saber and could only offer limited guidance, while expressing confidence that Lu Qing could master it.

Lu Qing studied the Four Directions Saber manual, used his ability to absorb its insights, and practiced until he mastered the technique’s entry-level Qi Blood Eruption. He ended the night realizing the force of his training had cracked his wooden saber and that he needed a real one.

• The Black Little Beast left Lu Qing another Old Mountain Ginseng, and he promised to catch it a rare fish in return.
• Lu Qing used his ability to download and simulate the Four Directions Saber, gaining a thorough understanding of its nine moves.
• Lu Qing practiced the saber forms in the courtyard until he coordinated his qi and blood with a strike and entered the technique.
• Lu Qing’s final strike cracked his Wooden Saber, so he decided he needed to obtain a real saber.

Lu Qing visited Da Ji to buy supplies and pursue a more important errand, but spotted Master Ma with an arrogant young noble and decided to listen before approaching. The young man, Young Master Wei, complained about the market and said he had come to find a better Longevity Gift for his father before entering the mountains.

• Lu Qing regretted that his wooden saber broke before he could continue practicing the Four Directions Saber.
• Lu Qing took a Blood Replenishing and Qi Boosting Pill and practiced the Body Nourishing Fist, then discovered that Xiao Yan had grown taller and healthier.
• Lu Qing studied medicine with the Old Doctor and kept his progress in the Four Directions Saber secret.
• Lu Qing went to Da Ji on market day to restock supplies and pursue an important purpose.
• Lu Qing saw Master Ma defer to Young Master Wei, hid nearby, and overheard Wei insulting Da Ji while explaining that he sought a better Longevity Gift for his father.

A city noble called Young Master Wei arrived in Da Ji, and Ma Gu hurried to accommodate his demands. When Ma Gu later encountered Lu Qing at the pork stall, he was shocked to sense that Lu Qing had become a Qi Blood Realm martial artist.

• Young Master Wei recoiled from the butcher’s stall, and Ma Gu placated him before escorting him to a prepared residence.
• Lu Qing watched the noble’s guards depart, then shopped for supplies around Da Ji.
• Ma Gu left Young Master Wei’s residence and returned to Da Ji, intending to keep meat sellers away to avoid offending him.
• Lu Qing chose a large piece of pork belly, and Ma Gu recognized him as Old Doctor Chen’s disciple.
• Ma Gu noticed Lu Qing’s changed appearance and sensed the surging qi and blood in his body, realizing Lu Qing was a Qi Blood Realm martial artist.

Lu Qing revealed that he had reached the Qi Blood Realm and asked Ma Gu where he could buy a War Blade. Ma Gu offered to purchase one for him in the city, and Lu Qing accepted, leaving Ma Gu to ask what kind of blade he wanted.

• Ma Gu was shocked that Lu Qing had reached the Qi Blood Realm in less than a month and suspected Old Doctor Chen had helped him.
• Lu Qing asked Ma Gu where he could buy a War Blade because Da Ji had none.
• Ma Gu explained that skilled weapon smiths and reputable War Blade shops were in the city, which Lu Qing had never visited.
• Lu Qing said his master had forbidden him from going to the city alone before completing his apprenticeship.
• Ma Gu offered to buy a War Blade for Lu Qing, and Lu Qing accepted.
• Ma Gu asked Lu Qing what kind of War Blade he wanted.

Lu Qing bought a Hundred Refinements Battle Blade through Ma Gu and finished shopping at Da Ji, but he was targeted by thugs who mistook his purchases for proof that Nine Li Village had hidden money. After leaving the market, Lu Qing was confronted by another group of people who said they wanted to rob him.

• Lu Qing paid Ma Gu ten taels in advance to buy him a plain, sharp Hundred Refinements Battle Blade costing no more than fifty taels.
• Ma Gu invited Lu Qing to his residence but hurried back after remembering the distinguished young man staying there.
• Lu Qing finished shopping and saw Ma Gu's subordinates ordering villagers to pack up their goods for the noble young man's sake.
• Fifth Brother and Black Mole Thug recognized Lu Qing as Lu Ming's son and decided that Nine Li Village had hidden money from them.
• Two men blocked Lu Qing after he left Da Ji, and he asked if they had just said they wanted to rob him.

Lu Qing was ambushed by Chen San and his thugs on the road, but he quickly defeated them and punished them for robbing travelers. He continued toward the village, leaving Chen San and his men injured and afraid to cross him again.

• Chen San and his five lackeys tried to rob Lu Qing of his food, goods, and money.
• Lu Qing recognized them as petty thieves and warned them that their actions could bring worse consequences.
• When Chen San threatened to kill him, Lu Qing set down his belongings and attacked the group.
• Lu Qing broke one hand or foot for each thug and warned them to stop stealing from nearby villages.
• Lu Qing picked up his things and continued toward the village while Chen San and the others limped away.

After crippling several Thugs, Lu Qing reflected on his reluctance to kill and returned home, pleased that Ma Gu would help him obtain a War Blade. Meanwhile, Ma Gu learned that Young Master Wei had been gravely wounded in the mountains and, with the young man near death, thought of someone who might save him.

• Lu Qing decided that sparing the Thugs was right for him, then returned home anticipating his War Blade.
• Ma Gu waited anxiously for Young Master Wei and the Wei Clan guards to return from the mountains.
• A subordinate reported that Young Master Wei had come back bloodied and might be dead, frightening Ma Gu.
• Bodyguard Li told Ma Gu that Young Master Wei had fallen into a ravine and suffered a severe abdominal wound, and that their Trauma Medicine had run out.
• Ma Gu gave Bodyguard Li his Trauma Medicine, but the guards planned to return to the city despite the danger of the journey.
• Fearing the consequences if Young Master Wei died, Ma Gu thought of a possible way to save him.

Ma Gu brought the badly injured Young Master Wei to Old Doctor Chen in Nine Li Village, where Lu Qing helped prepare medicine that temporarily stabilized him. Young Master Wei remained in critical condition, and Bodyguard Li sent guards to fetch rare medicines while Ma Gu quietly ordered Xiao Tian to retrieve his War Blade.

• Ma Gu told Bodyguard Li that Old Doctor Chen lived nearby, and Xiao Tian led the group to Nine Li Village with Young Master Wei on a stretcher.
• Lu Qing welcomed the group at the Half-Mountain Courtyard, and Old Doctor Chen examined Young Master Wei and began treating him.
• Lu Qing brewed blood-replenishing soup, which Old Doctor Chen helped Young Master Wei swallow before continuing acupuncture.
• Old Doctor Chen said Young Master Wei had temporarily survived but needed rare blood-replenishing medicines, so Bodyguard Li sent Lao Zhao and Xiao Gu to fetch them.
• Ma Gu quietly told Xiao Tian to retrieve the War Blade hanging in his study.