Chapter Summaries

Lin Sheng sparred with Ma Qiang after joining Beast Hunter Hall and revealed enough strength to defeat him when Ma Qiang launched a dangerous attack. Zhang Ding then began showing Lin Sheng around and hinted at the limits his late start might place on his martial progress.

• Ma Qiang challenged Lin Sheng to spar while Wang Sanyang warned him not to injure the newcomer.
• Lin Sheng caught Ma Qiang's punch, then concealed his advantage and defeated him with a kick to the shin.
• Ma Qiang attacked Lin Sheng's chest after the spar, and Lin Sheng dodged and knocked him unconscious with an elbow to the jaw.
• Wang Sanyang said Ma Qiang was at fault and asked Zhang Ding to show Lin Sheng around the compound.
• Zhang Ding praised Lin Sheng's talent but suggested his age and late start could limit his chances of reaching the Blood Circulation realm, prompting Lin Sheng to ask about it.

Zhang Ding explained the Muscle Forging and Blood Circulation realms to Lin Sheng, including the limits of the Raging Bull Fist and the importance of cultivating before age thirty-five. He then showed Lin Sheng a vacant courtyard, which Lin Sheng rented for a month.

• Zhang Ding described how Body Tempering and Muscle Forging differed and explained the strength and limitations of the Raging Bull Fist.
• Zhang Ding told Lin Sheng that higher-grade martial arts offered greater potential and that declining blood and qi made breakthroughs after thirty-five increasingly difficult.
• Zhang Ding discussed his own struggles to advance beyond Body Tempering and told Lin Sheng about the Beast Hunter Hall and its daily work.
• Zhang Ding brought Lin Sheng to a vacant courtyard, and Lin Sheng rented it for a month.

Lin Sheng joined Beast Hunter Hall’s Ninth Squad for a mission to hunt honey badgers in Yangping Mountain, while learning that Ma Qiang might hold a grudge against him. As the hunters traveled into the mountains, Zhang Ding explained the value of honey badger hides and Yangping Mountain’s importance to Town Mountain Tower.

• Zhang Ding warned Lin Sheng that Ma Qiang might retaliate and that his elder brother, a Muscle Forging realm squad captain, could pose a threat.
• Lin Sheng learned about Beast Hunter Hall’s squads and leadership before gathering with the Ninth Squad for its mission.
• Wang Sanyang announced that the squad would hunt a group of around twenty honey badgers.
• On the way through Yangping Mountain, Zhang Ding told Lin Sheng that honey badgers were relatively timid beasts whose hides sold for about fifteen taels of silver.
• Zhang Ding explained that Town Mountain Tower had secured the operating rights to Yangping Mountain, where Beast Hunter Hall had also captured a Red-bellied Spirit Snake.

Lin Sheng joined Beast Hunter Hall on a dangerous mission into Yangping Mountain, where a Crested Snake bit a hunter. Wang Sanyang amputated the hunter’s arm to stop the venom, and Lin Sheng grew more cautious as the group pressed onward.

• Zhang Ding and an old hunter discussed the danger and rewards of hunting spirit beasts, while Lin Sheng considered how absorbing powerful beasts could strengthen him.
• A Crested Snake bit a young hunter after he failed to use insect-repelling powder.
• Wang Sanyang cut off the hunter’s poisoned arm and ordered Liu Le and Wang Er to take him to Physician Qian.
• Wang Sanyang warned the hunters against carelessness and then led the group onward to complete their mission.
• Lin Sheng recognized that Yangping Mountain grew more dangerous farther in and put aside his confidence in his strength.

Lin Sheng and the Beast Hunter Hall hunters waited by a spring for Horned Badgers, then sprang a rope-net trap when the beasts arrived. The trap caught most of a much larger-than-expected pack, and the hunters struggled to secure it.

• Zhang Ding identified Horned Badger dung and led the group to lie in wait near a spring.
• As the hunters waited, Lin Sheng read the Hundred Beasts Scroll and learned about powerful spirit beasts in Yangping Mountain.
• The hunters heard the Beast Hunter Hall’s signal and watched more than thirty Horned Badgers approach the spring.
• Wang Sanyang ordered the hunters to spring their trap, and they pulled a buried rope net around most of the Horned Badgers.
• The trapped Horned Badgers began ramming the net as the hunters worked to secure it to nearby trees.

Lin Sheng helped the hunters capture thirty-two horned badgers despite a sudden attack, then discovered he could switch between previously assimilated beasts through the Mountain Sea Scroll. Meanwhile, Chun Niang and the wounded Zhou Tong hid in the outer city as the Tooth Gang watched the gates and searched for them.

• Horned badgers attacked the hunters from behind, and Lin Sheng killed two that threatened him and Xiao Shi before the hunters subdued the herd; three hunters were injured and two died.
• Zhang Ding credited Lin Sheng for saving Xiao Shi, while Lin Sheng learned that horned badgers granted Stamina Boost 1 and Agility Boost 1 and assimilated one through the Mountain Sea Scroll.
• Lin Sheng discovered he could switch among previously assimilated beasts in the scroll, though changing to the Iron Yak took about two hours to restore its Strength Boost.
• The hunters returned to camp with thirty-two horned badgers, and Lin Sheng practiced the Raging Bull Fist before going to bed.
• Chun Niang entered a hiding place in the eastern outer city and told Zhou Tong that Tooth Gang members were watching the city gates and apothecaries.
• Wounded Zhou Tong complained that he and Chun Niang were being blamed for Liu Ergou's death and vowed to punish whoever had framed them.

Chun Niang and Zhou Tong planned to track down the person who attacked them, while Lin Sheng collected his mission reward and went to Small Market Street seeking White Ape Blood for his cultivation. The white ape at the stall suddenly smashed its head against its cage, leaving Lin Sheng and the stallholder stunned.

• Chun Niang told Zhou Tong that Fish Fat Grass residue could help them track whoever had taken something from Liu Ergou, and Zhou Tong ordered her to dispose of the family they had tied up.
• Chun Niang killed the three residents of the house, and her weasel fed on their corpses.
• Liu Yuanshan sent Tooth Gang members to watch the apothecaries and city gates, then ordered them to deliver a letter to the Axe Gang.
• Lin Sheng learned he had earned two taels of silver and an extra day off for exceeding the mission requirements, then asked Zhang Ding where he could find white apes.
• Lin Sheng found a white ape for sale on Small Market Street, learned its asking price was one hundred taels, and asked whether the stallholder sold White Ape Blood instead.
• The white ape suddenly struck its head against the cage bars until its head split open, astonishing Lin Sheng and the stallholder.

Lin Sheng integrated White Ape Blood and gained Agility Boost 2, then used his improved agility to rapidly cultivate the White Ape Leg Technique. By noon, he had reached the beginner level and continued training after eating.

• Lin Sheng bought White Ape Blood from a stall owner and returned home with it.
• Lin Sheng integrated the White Ape Blood, gaining Agility Boost 2, and found the integration used less than half the blood he had bought.
• Lin Sheng tested his increased agility in the courtyard and considered switching between the White Ape and Iron Yak to suit different needs.
• Lin Sheng practiced the White Ape Leg Technique and reached the beginner level in just over one shichen.
• Lin Sheng ate three pounds of dried meat to recover from his hunger, then resumed training toward minor accomplishment.

Lin Sheng advanced the White Ape Leg Technique to Minor Mastery, gaining greater speed and a powerful killing move. Meanwhile, Ma Qiang entered the Body Tempering realm and vowed to get revenge on Lin Sheng, but hesitated when Ma Long offered to transfer him to his side.

• Lin Sheng spent two days practicing the White Ape Leg Technique and completed an easy hunting mission with only minor injuries among the hunters.
• Lin Sheng broke a wooden stake with White Ape Snatching the Moon and reached Minor Mastery in the White Ape Leg Technique.
• Ma Qiang used a Blood Cultivating Pill to enter the Body Tempering realm and swore to repay Lin Sheng for his humiliation.
• Ma Long praised Ma Qiang, gave him a second Blood Cultivating Pill, and offered to bring him under his command.
• Ma Qiang asked to wait until next month before leaving Wang Sanyang's squad, and Ma Long guessed the delay involved Lin Sheng.

Ma Long encouraged Ma Qiang to eliminate Lin Sheng before he could grow stronger, while revealing he might soon reach late Muscle Forging. In Lin'an County City, Xie Chunniang and Zhou Tong were ambushed, and Liu Yuanshan captured them after Sun Ping betrayed them for Snake Orchid Fruits.

• Ma Long rebuked Ma Qiang for his behavior in Ninth Squad, then told him to deal with Lin Sheng thoroughly and said Liu Jie would help.
• Ma Long told Ma Qiang that he might reach late Muscle Forging before the beast tide arrived.
• Axe Gang members stormed the courtyard where Xie Chunniang and Zhou Tong were hiding, netted Zhou Tong, and forced Xie Chunniang to flee alone.
• Sun Ping ambushed Xie Chunniang and knocked her down, while Liu Yuanshan arrived and revealed that Sun Ping had helped the Tooth Gang in exchange for three Snake Orchid Fruits.
• Liu Yuanshan dismissed Xie Chunniang's explanation about his younger brother, knocked Zhou Tong unconscious, and ordered Tooth Gang members to take them away.

Lin Sheng joined Zhang Ding and the Ninth Squad in Yangping Mountain to hunt a powerful Tusk Mountain Boar, learning about the rewards and medicinal pills made from Spirit Beast Blood. The squad continued deeper into the mountain, while Zhang Ding revealed his hope that a Blood Cultivating Pill might help him reach the Muscle Forging realm.

• Lin Sheng and Zhang Ding encountered outsiders hunting in Yangping Mountain, and Zhang Ding explained that Town Mountain Tower allowed hunters to enter in exchange for a share of their harvest.
• Zhang Ding and an old hunter warned Lin Sheng that the Tusk Mountain Boar was extremely strong and tough, though traps and caution could help the squad deal with it.
• Zhang Ding told the Ninth Squad that completing the hunt would earn each member a Blood Nourishing Pill and two taels of silver.
• Zhang Ding explained to Lin Sheng that Blood Nourishing Pills were made from diluted Spirit Beast Blood and could aid cultivation, especially for martial artists who had not entered Body Tempering.
• Zhang Ding told Lin Sheng that Blood Cultivating Pills were more powerful and said he hoped one might help him break through to the Muscle Forging realm.

Lin Sheng and the Ninth Squad tracked the Tusk Mountain Boar deep into Yangping Mountain and prepared an ambush in its territory. As the beast approached, Ma Qiang and Liu Jie planned to use the hunt to kill Lin Sheng and disguise it as an accident.

• Zhang Ding said he hoped the beast tide would give him a chance to obtain a Blood Cultivating Pill, and the hunters continued deeper into Yangping Mountain.
• The Ninth Squad reached the Tusk Mountain Boar's territory, found signs of its recent activity, and set traps under Wang Sanyang's direction.
• Ma Qiang agreed to Liu Jie's plan to cripple Lin Sheng during the hunt and let the Tusk Mountain Boar kill him.
• Lin Sheng checked their weapons and supplies, then hid in a tree and waited for the beast to arrive.
• A deep roar sounded, and the colossal Tusk Mountain Boar began approaching the hunters' ambush.

Lin Sheng watched the Hunters' Hall lure the Tusk Mountain Boar into eating a sedated rock sheep, then saw Wang Sanyang and Ninth Squad ambush it. The wounded beast remained terrifyingly resilient and was still rampaging after the hunters threw iron rods at it.

• The Tusk Mountain Boar ate the sedated rock sheep and fell into a deep sleep.
• Wang Sanyang and several Body Tempering martial artists from Ninth Squad attacked the sleeping boar, wounding its eye and several other vital areas before retreating.
• The Tusk Mountain Boar woke and rampaged through the forest despite its severe injuries.
• Wang Sanyang ordered the hunters to throw their iron spears at the boar.
• Five of the seven iron rods struck the Tusk Mountain Boar, slowing it but failing to bring it down.

Lin Sheng narrowly escaped Liu Jie’s attempted ambush while avoiding the rampaging Tusk Mountain Boar. Ma Qiang and Liu Jie planned to transfer him to the Third Squad so they could deal with him more easily.

• As Lin Sheng prepared to throw an iron rod at the Tusk Mountain Boar, Liu Jie hurled a pebble at him from behind.
• Lin Sheng dodged the pebble, caught a rope while falling, and climbed to safety as the boar rampaged below.
• Lin Sheng recognized Ma Qiang and Liu Jie as his attackers and returned his attention to the hunt.
• Liu Jie admitted to Ma Qiang that Lin Sheng had noticed the attack, but argued they could deny it without evidence.
• Ma Qiang decided to ask his brother to transfer Lin Sheng to the Third Squad after the mission.

After the Beast Hunter Hall killed a powerful Tusk Mountain Boar, Lin Sheng secretly integrated it and gained major boosts to his strength and constitution. He left with strength rivaling Wang Sanyang’s and skin tough enough to resist a blade wielded with several hundred pounds of force.

• Wang Sanyang finished off the wounded Tusk Mountain Boar, and the Beast Hunter Hall hunters gathered to harvest its tusks and meat.
• Lin Sheng secretly cut into the boar’s hind leg and confirmed that integrating it would grant Strength Boost 2 and Constitution Boost 2.
• Lin Sheng integrated the boar by drawing its blood into his hand, and the process caused a powerful physical transformation.
• Lin Sheng felt that Strength Boost 2 raised his strength by over a thousand pounds, bringing his raw power close to Wang Sanyang’s.
• Lin Sheng tested his tougher skin with a dagger and found that it took roughly three to four hundred pounds of force to break the skin on his arm.

After the hunters killed a Tusk Mountain Boar and began preparing to leave, two more appeared and attacked them. Lin Sheng escaped into the brush and searched the fleeing hunters, but could not find the person he was looking for.

• Lin Sheng assessed his strength and considered how to deal with Ma Qiang and Liu Jie after they had tried to kill him.
• Wang Sanyang and the others removed the boar’s tusks, gathered meat, and prepared to leave the area.
• Two Tusk Mountain Boars suddenly charged the hunters, killing several newcomers who tried to climb trees.
• Lin Sheng fled faster than the other hunters and hid in the brush while the boars chased the scattered group.
• Lin Sheng searched the fleeing hunters for his target but failed to find them.

Lin Sheng escaped the Tusk Mountain Boar and pursued Ma Qiang and Liu Jie, while Wang Sanyang turned back to protect the hunters from another boar. Lin Sheng caught up with the two men in the forest and prepared to confront them.

• Lin Sheng avoided the Tusk Mountain Boar’s attention and raced away as it killed hunters.
• Wang Sanyang rallied Zhang Ding and other hunters to fight a Tusk Mountain Boar while some fled into the bushes.
• Ma Qiang and Liu Jie rested after escaping, then discussed Lin Sheng’s death and plotted to visit his family for compensation money.
• Lin Sheng caught up with Ma Qiang and Liu Jie, declaring that it would have been too easy for them if they had died to the Tusk Mountain Boar.

Lin Sheng ambushed Ma Qiang and Liu Jie, revealing strength far beyond an ordinary man and defeating both of them. After killing Liu Jie, Lin Sheng found a thin booklet among his belongings and wondered if it was another martial arts manual.

• Ma Qiang approached Lin Sheng, but Lin Sheng hurled an iron spear through his abdomen and pinned him to a tree.
• Liu Jie attacked Lin Sheng with a pebble and steel saber, but Lin Sheng caught the saber barehanded and crushed it.
• Liu Jie threw lime powder and poisoned darts at Lin Sheng, but the poison did not stop him.
• Lin Sheng caught up with Liu Jie and kicked him into the weeds, where Liu Jie died from his injuries.
• Lin Sheng searched Liu Jie's body and found a thin booklet that might have been a martial arts manual.

Lin Sheng killed Ma Qiang after killing Liu Jie, then cleaned himself up and left Yangping Mountain with the surviving hunters. Back at his residence, he examined the items he had taken and found Liu Jie's hidden weapon manual and poisoned darts.

• Lin Sheng pulled the spear from Ma Qiang and killed him, then searched both corpses and fled into the forest.
• Lin Sheng left the bodies for mountain wolves, washed off the blood and lime powder, and checked his shoulder where Liu Jie's poisoned dart had struck.
• Lin Sheng reached a ruined temple supply point and joined injured hunters from the Ninth Squad as more survivors arrived.
• The hunters agreed to descend the mountain, and the group reached the foot of Yangping Mountain by the following evening.
• Lin Sheng returned to his residence and discovered that Liu Jie's booklet contained hidden weapon techniques, not a cultivation manual.
• Lin Sheng examined Liu Jie's poisoned darts and the remaining belongings, then wondered what Ma Qiang's possessions might be worth.

Lin Sheng hid the pills and money he had taken from Ma Qiang, then learned that Wang Sanyang’s squad had returned badly injured after encountering three Tusk Mountain Boars. Ma Long arrived searching for his missing brother Ma Qiang and then asked to see Lin Sheng.

• Lin Sheng found a potent aphrodisiac and a crimson pill that seemed to stir blood and qi among Ma Qiang’s belongings, then concealed the items.
• After resting until noon, Lin Sheng hurried to the Ninth Squad’s station when he heard that Wang Sanyang and the others had returned.
• Lin Sheng saw Wang Sanyang injured and carrying four white tusks, while Zhang Ding and other squad members received treatment for severe wounds.
• Ma Long confronted Wang Sanyang about Ma Qiang’s whereabouts and heard that the squad had faced three Tusk Mountain Boars and suffered heavy casualties.
• Ma Long searched the crowd and asked where the promising newcomer Lin Sheng was.