Chapter Summaries

Lin Sheng worked as a skinner at Town Mountain Tower while waiting for the mysterious ring mark on his chest to turn completely red. After Wang Dehai hinted that the Slaughterhouse workers might have a chance to change their fate, Lin Sheng wondered what was about to happen.

• Lin Sheng finished skinning his second rock sheep of the day and reflected on how difficult life had been since he transmigrated.
• Lin Sheng noticed that his chest's ring-shaped mark had turned nearly all red after two months of handling rock sheep.
• Wang Dehai entered the Slaughterhouse, ate a roasted chicken, and inspected the skinners' daily work.
• Wang Dehai praised the older skinners for processing three rock sheep each and hinted that someone might get lucky.
• Lin Sheng wondered what opportunity Wang Dehai's hint referred to.

Lin Sheng heard that Beast Hunter Hall might recruit workers because of a beast tide at Yangping Mountain, giving him a chance to leave the slaughterhouse and learn martial arts. He returned to his poor family on Crock Street and went to bed after sharing a meal with them.

• Lin Sheng overheard older slaughterhouse workers say Beast Hunter Hall needed workers to respond to the unusual beast tide at Yangping Mountain.
• Lin Sheng recognized that joining Beast Hunter Hall could improve his prospects and let him come into contact with martial arts.
• Lin Sheng returned home with two jin of coarse rice and gave it to his mother, Xie Guilan, to prepare for dinner.
• Lin Sheng helped his injured father, Lin Hong, sit up and spoke with his parents before going to bed.

Lin Sheng learned that the Beast Hunter Hall was recruiting workers from the slaughterhouse and watched as Deputy Hall Master Tian Hu began training the candidates. He joined the group that would study the Raging Bull Fist for a month to prove they could enter it.

• Lin Hong gave Lin Sheng two steamed corn buns before he left for work.
• Wang Dehai brought Deputy Hall Master Tian Hu to the slaughterhouse and gathered the workers to hear him speak.
• Tian Hu explained the dangers and benefits of joining the Beast Hunter Hall, then invited interested workers to step forward.
• Nearly ninety percent of the skinners, including Lin Sheng, chose to try out for the Beast Hunter Hall.
• Tian Hu taught the candidates the first stance of the Raging Bull Fist and said he would return the next afternoon to teach its Qi Circulation Method.

Lin Sheng trained in the Raging Bull Fist while struggling to balance martial arts practice with his slaughterhouse work, and learned that his progress lagged behind Wu Gang’s. After the blood-red ring on his chest heated up, it transformed his surroundings into a crimson void, leaving Lin Sheng facing a cloud of blood-colored mist.

• Lin Sheng practiced the Raging Bull Fist after work and accepted a lotus-leaf chicken from Lin Hong to help replenish his strength.
• Tian Hu taught the skinners the Qi Circulation Method and told them he would return every three days to answer questions.
• Lin Sheng trained for several days, but his endurance improved only slightly while Wu Gang’s increased to eight minutes.
• Lin Sheng learned that reaching entry in the Raging Bull Fist required holding its first frame for more than the time it took a stick of incense to burn and successfully circulating qi and blood.
• While Lin Sheng slaughtered a rock goat, the ring mark on his chest burned and turned blood-red, spreading crimson lines across his body.
• The slaughterhouse filled with blood plasma, and when the crimson scene vanished, Lin Sheng found himself in a void before a cloud of blood-colored mist.

Lin Sheng discovered that the Mountain Sea Scroll could absorb beasts into his body, and he absorbed the blood of a rock goat to gain a stamina boost. After testing his improved strength and endurance, he practiced the Raging Bull Fist and tried unsuccessfully to stir his qi and blood.

• Lin Sheng received the Mountain Sea Scroll and learned that it could absorb the strength of beasts into his body.
• Lin Sheng absorbed rock goat blood from a bucket at the slaughterhouse, gaining Stamina Boost 1 and a modest increase in strength.
• Lin Sheng skinned two rock goats faster than usual and finished work early without drawing attention.
• Lin Sheng practiced the Raging Bull Fist at home and lasted fifteen minutes, far longer than he had before.
• Lin Sheng tried the Qi Circulation Method but failed to stir the power of qi and blood.

After training with the Raging Bull Fist, Lin Sheng spent his wages on meat to support his increased appetite and arranged to buy cow blood, hoping a bovine creature would better suit the martial art. He ate heavily and continued training, noticing his digestion and strength had improved since the rock sheep entered his body.

• Lin Sheng trained until dusk and judged that he might stir his blood and qi within three days, but stopped when hunger overcame him.
• Lin Sheng spent eighteen large coins on five jin of pork offal and ordered ten jin of cow blood from the butcher, planning to test whether a bovine creature would aid his Raging Bull Fist.
• Lin Sheng returned home with the offal, and Lin Hong defended his martial training when Xie Guilan scolded him for spending money.
• Lin Sheng ate four jin of offal, then resumed training and noticed his fullness faded quickly as he reflected on the Mountain Sea Scroll.

Lin Sheng integrated an Iron Yak after obtaining ten jin of its blood, gaining major boosts to his strength and stamina. He tested his new power by lifting a two-hundred-jin stone mill, leaving him convinced he had surpassed ordinary people.

• Lin Sheng kept up his martial arts training while most of the skinners struggled to balance practice with their slaughterhouse work.
• Lin Sheng bought ten jin of cow blood and five jin of pork offal from the butcher on Crock Street.
• Lin Sheng used the blood to reveal an Iron Yak in the Mountain Sea Scroll and chose to integrate it, replacing the Rock Sheep.
• Lin Sheng felt power surge through his body and shattered the empty earthen jar with a slight exertion.
• Lin Sheng lifted a two-hundred-jin stone mill repeatedly and realized his strength had likely surpassed that of ordinary people.

After absorbing the Iron Yak, Lin Sheng advanced the Raging Bull Fist to its beginner stage and realized beast absorption could accelerate martial arts suited to the beast. Three days later, Tian Hu inspected the remaining candidates at the Slaughterhouse and noticed Lin Sheng among them.

• Lin Sheng practiced the Raging Bull Fist with newfound ease, circulated his qi, and broke through to the beginner stage.
• Lin Sheng felt his strength increase and concluded that absorbing beasts corresponding to a martial art could boost his cultivation.
• Lin Sheng ate five pounds of pork offal, bought more food for the two elderly people at home, and considered how to obtain the Raging Bull Fist’s remaining methods.
• Lin Sheng reflected that the Beast Hunter Hall taught only the beginner stage and that joining it was necessary to learn what came next.
• Three days later, Tian Hu watched about thirty remaining skinners practice in the Slaughterhouse yard and fixed his attention on Lin Sheng.

Lin Sheng’s rapid progress in the Raging Bull Fist caught Tian Hu’s attention, and he was invited to join the Beast Hunter Hall. Wang Dehai hosted him a farewell feast and began explaining the Martial Way.

• Tian Hu discovered that Lin Sheng had entered the gate after only ten days and told him to report to the Beast Hunter Hall the next day.
• The skinners crowded around Lin Sheng, while Wu Gang grew jealous and resolved to train harder until he entered the gate.
• Lin Sheng informed Wang Dehai that he would be leaving the Slaughterhouse for the Beast Hunter Hall.
• Wang Dehai welcomed Lin Sheng with an expensive farewell feast and asked him to call him Brother Wang.
• Wang Dehai told Lin Sheng that the feast was not simply for his recruitment and began explaining the path of the Martial Way.

Wang Dehai explained the Martial Way realms to Lin Sheng, praised his progress, and gave him silver and the next Raging Bull Fist method. Lin Sheng prepared to tell his family that he would enter the Beast Hunter Hall the next day.

• Wang Dehai told Lin Sheng about the Body Tempering, Muscle Forging, and Blood Circulation realms and said Lin Sheng's quick progress showed good aptitude.
• Wang Dehai warned Lin Sheng that the Beast Hunter Hall was dangerous and urged him to be careful around the beasts on Yangping Mountain.
• Wang Dehai gave Lin Sheng five taels of silver and a booklet explaining how to cultivate Raging Bull Fist to minor accomplishment.
• Wang Dehai reflected that he had invested in four promising workers and hoped Lin Sheng would survive and reach Muscle Forging.
• Lin Sheng went to Crock Street with plans to bring his father, Lin Hong, home and share the news of his Beast Hunter Hall entry.

Lin Sheng arrived at Lin Hong’s stall and paid Dog Lord five copper coins to stop the gang from taking the old man’s goods. Dog Lord noticed the food and cloth Lin Sheng carried and sent a man to follow them home, leaving Lin Sheng and Lin Hong unaware of the trouble ahead.

• Lin Sheng bought meat, fine rice, and two bolts of cloth before heading to Lin Hong’s stall in a secluded alley.
• Dog Lord and his men demanded five copper coins in monthly stall fees from the elderly vendors and threatened to seize their goods.
• Lin Sheng paid Dog Lord five copper coins, then packed up Lin Hong’s stall and took his father home.
• Dog Lord noticed Lin Sheng’s purchases, grew greedy, and ordered Third Brother to follow them and find out where Lin Sheng lived.
• Dog Lord dismissed a lackey’s warning about Lin Sheng’s possible background and promised to spend the gang’s gains in Osmanthus Lane.

Lin Sheng learned that the Tooth Gang had taken over the Fist Gang’s territory and reassured Lin Hong that his new position at the Beast Hunter Hall would improve the family’s fortunes. After studying Wang Dehai’s Raging Bull Fist manual, Lin Sheng quickly mastered its movements, but Third Brother spotted the manual and left to tell Brother Dog, unaware that Lin Sheng had noticed him.

• Lin Hong told Lin Sheng that the Tooth Gang had driven the Fist Gang off Crock Street and raised the stall fees.
• Lin Sheng told Lin Hong he had joined the Beast Hunter Hall, lifting his father’s spirits as they headed home to celebrate.
• Lin Sheng studied Wang Dehai’s Raging Bull Fist manual and practiced its sequence with remarkable ease.
• Third Brother watched Lin Sheng train from outside the courtyard and decided to tell Brother Dog about the martial arts manual.
• Lin Sheng appeared above the wall and watched Third Brother leave.

Lin Sheng learned that Liu Ergou and his men belonged to the Tooth Gang, which had taken control of Crock Street, and gathered information about their leader. After celebrating with his family and practicing the Raging Bull Fist, he dressed in black and slipped out at night, apparently preparing to deal with the gang.

• Lin Sheng followed Third Brother and learned from Crock Street stall owners that Liu Ergou was a minor leader in the Tooth Gang, then found out where Liu Ergou lived and where he often went.
• Lin Sheng returned home, where Xie Guihua celebrated his joining the Beast Hunter Hall over a rare lavish dinner with Lin Hong.
• Lin Sheng practiced the Raging Bull Fist and reflected that breaking through his blood-and-qi apertures would bring him into the Body Tempering Realm.
• Lin Sheng fed the Black Cat leftover pork bones, changed into black clothes, and vaulted out of the courtyard late at night.
• Lin Sheng recalled that the Tooth Gang had swiftly defeated the Fist Gang and suspected the authorities' inaction meant the Tooth Gang had powerful backing.

Lin Sheng broke into Liu Ergou’s home to find out where the Tooth Gang member was, and learned that Liu Ergou was a Body Tempering martial artist and the younger brother of Muscle Forging martial artist Liu Yuanshan. After sparing the bald informant, Lin Sheng followed him when he ran to report the encounter to Liu Yuanshan.

• Lin Sheng entered Liu Ergou’s empty courtyard and hid when a bald Tooth Gang member arrived to collect medicinal wine.
• Lin Sheng attacked the bald man, interrogated him, and learned that Liu Ergou was at Flower Willow Alley and was Liu Yuanshan’s younger brother.
• Lin Sheng threatened the bald man into promising to quit the Tooth Gang, then left him alive.
• The bald man decided to report Lin Sheng to Liu Yuanshan and hurried out of the alley.
• Lin Sheng sighed behind the bald man, asking whether he valued his life.

After killing the bald man who had threatened him, Lin Sheng left the scene and resolved that anyone who threatened him must die. Meanwhile, two black-clad figures waited outside Flower Willow Alley to capture Liu Ergou, who eventually left with his drunken thugs.

• Lin Sheng killed the bald man, locked the courtyard gate, and slipped away after deciding that threats to him had to be eliminated.
• A woman and a taller man in black confirmed that Liu Ergou was inside Flower Willow Alley and planned to use him to control his brother Liu Yuanshan.
• Liu Ergou drank with his thugs, complained that Fifth Brother had not returned, and boasted that the Tooth Gang could make people disappear on Crock Street.
• After waiting more than an hour, Liu Ergou gave up on Fifth Brother and led his drunken companions out of Flower Willow Alley.

Lin Sheng ambushed Liu Ergou and beat him to death before fleeing the scene, while two black-clad figures arrived too late to save their plans. The killing drew Tooth Gang members, forcing the pair to escape, and Lin Sheng disposed of the bloodstained stone before returning home.

• Liu Ergou realized his companions were missing and found Third Brother lying in a pool of blood.
• Lin Sheng attacked Liu Ergou, shattered his arms, and beat him to death with a bloodstained stone before searching his body.
• A weasel alerted two black-clad figures, who found Liu Ergou dead and identified the gray-clad figure fleeing down the street as the likely killer.
• A passerby raised the alarm, and Tooth Gang members chased the black-clad pair; crossbow bolts struck the tall man as they escaped over a wall.
• Lin Sheng threw the bloodstained stone into a drainage ditch and hurried home.

After killing Liu Ergou and four others, Lin Sheng grappled with the fragility of life and trained through the night until his Raging Bull Fist reached minor mastery. He recognized his new strength as protection for his family but worried that the Tooth Gang would investigate Liu Ergou’s death, leaving him determined to advance further.

• Lin Sheng returned home, cleaned the blood from his body, and reflected on having killed five people and on the need for strength to protect himself and his family.
• Lin Sheng trained in the courtyard and, while circulating the Raging Bull Fist Qi Circulation Method, broke through to minor mastery.
• Lin Sheng tested his improved hand strength by punching a large stone, leaving a dent and cracks while only reddening his palm.
• Lin Sheng compared his strength with Liu Ergou’s and realized that his cultivation amplified his original physique rather than the strength gained from integrating the Iron Yak.
• Lin Sheng worried that the Tooth Gang would investigate the death of Liu Ergou, the younger brother of its Second Gang Leader, and resolved to seek a higher cultivation method and grow stronger.

Lin Sheng discovered a bloodstained martial arts manual among Liu Ergou’s belongings and identified it as the third-rate White Ape Leg Technique. He then entered Beast Hunter Hall, where Tian Hu welcomed him as an ordinary disciple and explained his pay and benefits.

• Lin Sheng counted more than seventeen taels of silver taken from the thugs and set it aside for his cultivation expenses.
• Lin Sheng carefully cleaned and separated Liu Ergou’s bloodstained booklet, identifying it as the White Ape Leg Technique, a third-rate manual comparable to Raging Bull Fist.
• Lin Sheng hid the manual and slept before dawn, then traveled to the inner city and entered Beast Hunter Hall.
• Tian Hu welcomed Lin Sheng as a new ordinary disciple and told him he would receive three taels of silver and twenty jin of rock sheep meat each month.

Lin Sheng joined Beast Hunter Hall and received the minor-achievement method for Raging Bull Fist. Meanwhile, Liu Yuanshan sought revenge for his brother’s murder, and Tooth Gang leader Meng Hongsheng identified a scent on the corpse that could lead them to the killer.

• Tian Hu explained Lin Sheng’s pay and martial arts training, then gave him the minor-achievement method for Raging Bull Fist.
• Lin Sheng accepted that the later methods would come only after he entered the Body Tempering realm, and a hall guard led him to collect his supplies.
• Liu Yuanshan identified his younger brother Liu Ergou’s corpse, killed a Tooth Gang member for failing to provide useful information, and ordered his men to search pharmacies and investigate Liu Ergou’s grudges.
• Meng Hongsheng examined the bodies and concluded that one strong attacker had killed them, then detected the scent of Fish Fat Grass on Liu Ergou’s corpse.

Liu Yuanshan and Meng Hongsheng concluded that Fist Gang remnants had targeted Ergou with Fish Fat Grass and planned to hunt them down. Lin Sheng arrived at Yangping Mountain as a new member of the Beast Hunter Hall’s Ninth Squad and agreed to spar with a squad member.

• Meng Hongsheng explained that Fish Fat Grass could let scent-sensitive exotic beasts track a person, and Liu Yuanshan suspected the Fist Gang remnants had targeted Ergou.
• Meng Hongsheng ordered Liu Yuanshan to mobilize the gang and capture the Fist Gang remnants, including the wounded Tian Song.
• Lin Sheng traveled to Yangping Mountain with Captain Wang Sanyang, who warned him to obey the Ninth Squad’s arrangements.
• Wang Sanyang showed Lin Sheng the squad’s courtyard, and Lin Sheng decided to rent a private courtyard to practice in secret.
• A tall squad member challenged Lin Sheng to spar, and Lin Sheng accepted to gain combat experience and establish himself.