Chapter Summaries

Lin Sheng bought a savage Three-eyed Spirit Monkey from Myriad Beasts Hall after failing to find a suitable avian Spirit Beast. He left Wanhua City with the monkey and asked Yang Niu to notify him if any avian Spirit Beasts became available.

• Lin Sheng reviewed Myriad Beasts Hall’s available Spirit Beasts and chose the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey for his Ape Fetus Technique.
• Yang Niu bargained with Lin Sheng and agreed to sell the monkey for twenty-one thousand taels of silver.
• Yang Niu led Lin Sheng to a stone chamber, where they found the chained Three-eyed Spirit Monkey subdued by Bone-Softening Powder.
• Lin Sheng paid for the monkey, received its chains and a horse carriage, and asked Yang Niu to watch for avian Spirit Beasts.
• Yang Niu revealed that the monkey had killed villagers, attendants, and a disciple named Tian Xie, and hoped Lin Sheng would handle it carefully.

Lin Sheng fought and subdued the unusually resilient Three-eyed Spirit Monkey by crushing its bones and poisoning it with his blood and qi. After inspecting the creature, he discovered information that made his pupils contract, leaving its secret unrevealed.

• Lin Sheng attacked the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey, but its body endured dozens of blows without serious injury.
• Lin Sheng transformed with the Blood Demon Centipede, his Earth Affinity talent, and the Ape Demon Transformation, then pinned the monkey and poisoned it when it drank his blood.
• Da Huang returned with a pack of dogs, and the monkey burst out of Lin Sheng’s room before Lin Sheng stomped it down and carried it back inside.
• Lin Sheng found the monkey poisoned and badly injured but still alive, and wondered whether something unusual explained its strength.
• Lin Sheng touched the monkey’s wound to read information about it, and his pupils contracted at what he learned.

Lin Sheng studied the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey and learned that its Blood Dragon Fruit transformation gave it two Talents, but he postponed assimilation until he could meet its Perception requirement and prepare the beast as a test subject. Later, after discussing ancient beasts with Zhao Kongfang in Wanhua City, he watched Liu Tianci accept Ouyang Lengshui’s challenge and head for the city outskirts.

• Lin Sheng discovered that the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey provided eighteen assimilation attributes, including Spirit, and possessed the Iron Bone and mutated Heart Ape Talents.
• Lin Sheng decided to research the Blood Dragon Fruit, but he locked the weakened monkey away because he could not yet meet its assimilation requirement and wanted to test the Blood Beast Spirit Nurturing Method on it.
• Lin Sheng spent several days with Zhao Kongfang, who praised his Qingniao Chasing Star Finger and told him that the Green Winged Bird might share bloodline with the Azure Thunder Town Wind Sparrow.
• Zhao Kongfang told Lin Sheng where to find the ancient book about the Green Winged Bird, at a sundries shop on Magnolia Street.
• Ouyang Lengshui challenged Liu Tianci to settle their previous contest, and Liu Tianci accepted before the two left for the city outskirts.

Lin Sheng learned about the formidable Liu Tianci and Ouyang Lengshui before returning home to experiment with body entry on Black Tiger Bees and the Jade Moth. The Jade Moth survived the process, and Lin Sheng left it resting in its jade stone.

• Zhao Kongfang told Lin Sheng that Liu Tianci and Ouyang Lengshui were exceptional fighters, and warned him to keep his distance from them.
• Lin Sheng decided not to follow the two men and returned to his residence, where Old Zhou and Xiao Shi presented him with five Black Tiger Bees.
• Lin Sheng entered three Black Tiger Bees into his body and observed that the process consumed roughly two-thirds of each insect's bodily fluid.
• Lin Sheng fed the Jade Moth powder from a Blood Cultivating Pill before entering it into his body.
• The Jade Moth shriveled and its glow dimmed, but it soon began recovering, so Lin Sheng returned it to its jade stone.

Lin Sheng strengthened his Perception by absorbing the Horned Eagle and Da Huang, then arranged for Spirit Beast meat to be processed and fed to Da Huang. With his Perception now sufficient, he entered the rear courtyard to absorb the confined Three-eyed Spirit Monkey.

• Lin Sheng absorbed the Horned Eagle, then went outside and caught Da Huang after the dog tried to ignore him and lead his pack away.
• Lin Sheng warned Da Huang about the beast meat he had been giving away, offered Blood Cultivating Pills, and absorbed him, gaining additional Perception and Constitution.
• Lin Sheng sensed Xiao Shi and Old Zhou approaching with a crate of one hundred pounds of Spirit Beast meat and had them prepare it as jerky, giving each man two pounds to take home.
• Lin Sheng fed Da Huang a strip of Spirit Beast meat and carried another strip into the rear courtyard to confront the confined Three-eyed Spirit Monkey.

Lin Sheng integrated the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey, endured the painful transformation, and tested his enhanced strength and Iron Bone talent. He discovered that Iron Bone formed tough bony armor beneath his skin, then turned to investigate the mutated Heart Ape talent.

• Lin Sheng replenished the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey’s poison, fed it Spirit Beast meat, beat it into submission, and absorbed its blood to integrate it.
• The integration transformed Lin Sheng, giving him the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey’s power and a crimson vertical-eye marking while he stacked the Blood Demon Centipede integration to withstand the change.
• Lin Sheng tested his new speed and strength in the western forest, shattering a boulder and driving his hand into a mountain wall.
• Lin Sheng examined Iron Bone and discovered that it formed dense, durable bone spurs beneath his skin, especially around vital organs.
• Lin Sheng studied the mutated Heart Ape talent and wondered what its mutation meant.

Lin Sheng activated the Heart Ape talent and endured severe mental pain as it transformed him, then found that it greatly increased his destructive power and nearly doubled his Ape Fetus Technique cultivation speed. Five days later, he heard Zhao Kongfang mention a newly discovered beast mine in Yunshui Mountain, where the city’s factions would negotiate over its benefits.

• Lin Sheng activated the Heart Ape talent, suffered unbearable pain, and transformed as bone spikes emerged and a vertical eye opened on his forehead.
• Lin Sheng’s rampage shattered the mountaintop and punched a deep hole through a stone wall before the talent’s effects faded.
• Lin Sheng examined the new vertical eye, withdrew the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey, returned to Wanhua City, and slept until his consciousness recovered.
• Lin Sheng tested the Three-eyed Spirit Monkey’s effect on the Ape Fetus Technique and found that his cultivation efficiency had nearly doubled, estimating he could reach Blood Circulation in two months.
• Five days later, Zhao Kongfang told Lin Sheng that a beast mine had been discovered in Yunshui Mountain and that Wanhua City’s forces would negotiate over its benefits.

Lin Sheng learned that a fifty-thousand-year beast mine had been discovered in Yunshui Mountain and agreed to spar with Bai Qing. At the Seven Forms Sect meeting, Ouyang Bing chose to focus on Great Cui Peak for now rather than risk claiming another peak.

• Zhao Kongfang explained that Yunshui Mountain’s newly discovered beast mine was likely over fifty thousand years old and that Great Cui Peak might contain a medium-sized vein.
• Bai Qing arrived at the Qingniao Institute and invited Lin Sheng to spar; Zhao Kongfang declined her offer to spar later and left.
• Ouyang Bing told the institute heads that Great Cui Peak held a medium-sized fifty-thousand-year beast mine and that the other peaks remained unclaimed.
• Yuan Rong and Yu Zhao urged the Seven Forms Sect to seize another peak, while Xie Qingyun warned that doing so could provoke stronger factions in Wanhua City.
• Ouyang Bing weighed the mine’s value against the risks and ordered the sect to focus on Great Cui Peak for now, postponing decisions about the other peaks.

Lin Sheng sparred with Bai Qing and learned that her mastery of Samadhi let her dismantle his attacks and redirect his force. After she explained Samadhi’s three realms, Zhao Kongfang warned Lin Sheng not to let its study distract him from Martial Way cultivation.

• Lin Sheng used his Ape Fetus Technique and Ape Demon Ghost Release against Bai Qing, but her skill realm repeatedly disrupted his attacks and she defeated him.
• Bai Qing explained Samadhi’s skill, body, and heart realms, then demonstrated how the body realm could absorb and redirect Lin Sheng’s punch.
• Bai Qing offered to guide Lin Sheng in Samadhi, and he thanked her before they parted.
• Lin Sheng met Zhao Kongfang outside Qingniao Institute, who admitted Bai Qing was a formidable sparring partner and cautioned Lin Sheng to prioritize Martial Way cultivation.

Lin Sheng discovered that Star Worms eased the mental exhaustion caused by his Heart Ape talent and planned to obtain more, while continuing his cultivation amid growing tensions over the beast mine. After half a month, the major forces in Wanhua City were clashing over the mine, but the Seven Forms Sect remained cautious and focused on preserving its gains.

• Lin Sheng ate many Star Worms at Tianxiang Tower with Zhao Kongfang and found that they restored his mental energy without harming him.
• Zhao Kongfang explained that Star Worms came from Star Dew Grass and could cause cold poison if eaten in excess; Lin Sheng's Three Corpses Soul Severing Palm neutralized the poison.
• Lin Sheng asked Zhao Kongfang about Ouyang Lengshui and Liu Tianci, learning that their battle had ended without a victor and that Ouyang Lengshui had killed a Blood Circulation expert with one strike.
• Lin Sheng bought several old books at a sundries shop, then returned home to review his exchange with Bai Qing and practice Samadhi and the Ape Fetus Technique.
• Over the next half month, Lin Sheng learned that the White Dragon Gang and Fang Family were fighting most fiercely over the beast mine, while the Seven Forms Sect avoided major conflict and held its position.

Lin Sheng tested the Heart Ape talent with Star Worms and discovered that its vertical eye could see a Phantom Demon Beast approaching from far away. The creature turned back after sensing him, leaving Lin Sheng wondering why it had appeared when the Prefecture City was supposed to have destroyed its demon seed.

• Lin Sheng left venomous snakes to compete in a pit as he prepared to use one as the foundation for the Blood Beast Spirit Nurturing Method.
• Lin Sheng collected Star Worms and a Star Dew Grass from Tianxiang Tower, then went to the low mountain to study the Heart Ape talent.
• Lin Sheng activated the Heart Ape talent and ate Star Worms, which eased the pain and let him keep the vertical eye open for ten breaths.
• Lin Sheng's vertical eye spotted a Phantom Demon Beast moving through the forest more than ten miles away.
• The Phantom Demon Beast sensed Lin Sheng, watched him with greed, then retreated, and Lin Sheng deactivated the talent and questioned its presence.

Lin Sheng continued cultivating in Wanhua City, growing stronger while worrying about the Phantom Demon Beast and his dwindling funds. Cao Ying sent him most of her shop’s first-month profits, betting that his future achievements would justify her investment.

• Lin Sheng concluded that the Phantom Demon Beast’s injured demonic seed had fled because it could not defeat him, and he resolved to grow stronger while spreading word of its survival.
• Over the next half month, Lin Sheng advanced the Qingniao Chasing Star Finger to its second level, neared a breakthrough into Blood Circulation, and extended his Heart Ape talent to thirteen breaths with Star Worms.
• After spending heavily on cultivation supplies, Lin Sheng considered earning money through Dark Star or Seven Forms Sect missions, or by hunting government-list fugitives.
• Wang Dehai delivered 2,100 taels from Cao Ying’s shop, explaining that it had earned roughly 3,000 taels in its first month and that Cao Ying had given Lin Sheng seventy percent of the profits.
• Lin Sheng accepted the money, told Wang Dehai to inform Cao Ying to seek his help if problems arose, and gave Wang Dehai a hundred-tael banknote.
• Cao Luan questioned why Cao Ying had sent Lin Sheng so much, but Cao Ying said she believed his achievements would surpass what his low bloodline evaluation suggested.

Cao Ying insisted on paying Lin Sheng generously as the Cao family’s Attendant, while Cao Luan questioned whether he was worth the expense. Elsewhere, White Dragon Gang leaders Fat Dragon and A'gou learned that the Cao family had reopened Tingyue Pavilion and decided to target its Daiyu Powder formula, dismissing Lin Sheng as no threat.

• Cao Luan argued that Lin Sheng’s Muscle Forging realm limited his potential, but Cao Ying told him to follow her orders and continue cultivating.
• Fat Dragon and A'gou discussed how the White Dragon Gang had stolen Crimson Whale Hall goods and planted clues to implicate the Seven Forms Sect.
• A bearded White Dragon Gang member reported that the Cao family’s Tingyue Pavilion was earning thousands of taels from its shipments.
• A'gou suggested seizing the Cao family’s Daiyu Powder formula, and the bearded man added that Cao Ying was a beauty.
• The bearded man revealed that the Cao siblings relied on Lin Sheng, a newly arrived Seven Forms Sect direct disciple at great completion of Muscle Forging, and Fat Dragon and A'gou laughed before Fat Dragon showed interest in Lin Sheng.

A'gou and his accomplice ambushed a Black Tiger Escort Agency convoy carrying goods for Tingyue Pavilion, prompting Cao Ying and Cao Luan to seek Lin Sheng's help after three shipments were lost. Lin Sheng continued testing the Mind Ape talent and returned home to find Wang Dehai waiting anxiously.

• A'gou and his accomplice killed Yan Kuan, Xiao Tong, and the other escorts, then took the convoy's goods.
• Cao Luan told Cao Ying that three Tingyue Pavilion convoys had been robbed in ten days, and Cao Ying agreed they needed Lin Sheng's help.
• Lin Sheng tested his Mind Ape talent, enduring it for twenty-five breaths with Star Worms and discovering that his vertical eye could overwhelm a beast's consciousness.
• Lin Sheng returned to his residence and found Wang Dehai waiting anxiously in the courtyard.

Lin Sheng delayed investigating the attacks on Tingyue Pavilion while he focused on cultivation, and Cao Ying halted its caravans as Cao Luan objected. Lin Sheng finally broke through to the Blood Circulation realm and began assessing his newfound strength, wondering whether the breakthrough had brought another surprise.

• Wang Dehai told Lin Sheng that Tingyue Pavilion's caravans had been attacked and their crews killed, so Lin Sheng told him to suspend deliveries until he emerged from seclusion.
• Cao Luan angrily protested Lin Sheng's delay, but Cao Ying agreed to notify their clients and urged her brother to cultivate while they waited.
• Tingyue Pavilion stopped sending out caravans for ten days, while Lin Sheng continued training and struggled to cross the Blood Circulation bottleneck.
• Lin Sheng activated the Heart Ape talent and cultivated the Ape Fetus Technique, letting his frenzied qi and blood smash through the bottleneck and carry him into the Blood Circulation realm.
• After resting, Lin Sheng tested his improved strength, speed, endurance, and physique, then looked at his chest to see whether the breakthrough had brought another surprise.

After reaching the Blood Circulation realm, Lin Sheng discovered that activating his Third Imprint required far more beast blood than expected and tested the recovering Three-eyed Spirit Monkey for more. He then traveled with a Cao family caravan under the Broken Blade Escort Agency's protection, unaware that Fat Dragon and A'gou were preparing an ambush, while he experimented with Star Dew Grass poison in his palm technique.

• Lin Sheng saw a Third Imprint appear after his breakthrough, but spending his remaining silver on high-grade Mortal Beast blood raised its activation progress to only 1.7%.
• Lin Sheng drained a small amount of blood from the still-recovering Three-eyed Spirit Monkey, increasing the Third Imprint's progress to 3.2%, and concluded that he needed more money and Spirit Beast Blood.
• Fat Dragon and A'gou learned that the Cao family was preparing a caravan and that Lin Sheng had taken leave from the Seven Forms Sect, then decided to ambush the convoy together and killed the women in the room to prevent leaks.
• A Cao family caravan carrying the Broken Blade Escort Agency and Qingniao Institute flags traveled toward the Prefecture City with Lin Sheng inside one of its carriages.
• Lin Sheng practiced incorporating Star Dew Grass's cold poison into the Three Corpses Soul Severing Palm and wondered whether refining it could let the technique affect a person's mind.

Cao Ying and Cao Luan traveled with a guarded convoy toward the Prefecture City, hoping to draw out the people targeting the Cao family. After A'gou and his fighters attacked, Wu Hai confronted him, but A'gou wounded Wu Hai and the battle was still underway.

• Cao Ying explained that she had joined the convoy to meet business contacts and draw out the people targeting the Cao family, while Cao Luan insisted on accompanying her.
• Wu Hai, a deputy chief escort of the Broken Blade Escort Agency, joined the convoy and promised to protect the siblings.
• Three Great Strength Savage Bears attacked the convoy, and Wu Hai killed the strongest bear with a single blow from his heavy hammer.
• After the convoy passed the halfway point without being attacked, Cao Luan's Jade Moth glowed red, warning of danger ahead.
• A'gou appeared with armed followers, and Wu Hai attacked him with his heavy hammer before the two clashed.
• A'gou dodged Wu Hai's attacks and cut his shoulder with his iron claws, then lunged at him again as Wu Hai prepared his Meteoric Hammer.

Lin Sheng revealed his overwhelming strength when the White Dragon Gang ambushed the convoy, killing A'gou in a single blow. Fat Dragon fled after realizing Lin Sheng was far more powerful than the intelligence reports suggested.

• Cao Ying pulled Cao Luan into the carriage as the black-clad attackers struck, and Cao Luan killed one assailant with poisonous black mist before Lin Sheng rescued them from another.
• Lin Sheng crushed the attackers surrounding him while Fat Dragon watched from a distant carriage and identified him as the convoy's true target.
• A'gou poisoned and wounded Wu Hai, but Fat Dragon intercepted Wu Hai's hammer, broke his arms, and struck him down.
• Cao Ying recognized Fat Dragon as a member of the White Dragon Gang, and Fat Dragon confirmed that his group had targeted Lin Sheng and the Cao siblings.
• Lin Sheng asked whether the attackers had a Bone Alteration expert, then instantly killed A'gou when they mocked him.
• Fat Dragon activated Taotie Devours Yin but fled instead of fighting Lin Sheng, who pursued him.

Lin Sheng killed Fat Dragon and the other White Dragon Gang attackers, then returned to the Seven Forms Sect with evidence that they carried Crimson Flame Stones. Xie Qingyun presented the evidence to Ouyang Bing and urged the sect to confront the White Dragon Gang, while Yuan Zhongfei questioned whether the matter warranted sect action.

• Lin Sheng crushed Fat Dragon’s fist, killed him, and searched the bodies of the White Dragon Gang members, recovering about thirteen thousand taels and a bundle of Crimson Flame Stones.
• Lin Sheng canceled the caravan operation and ordered Cao Ying and Cao Luan to return with him, while Wu Hai and the surviving Broken Blade Escort Agency escorts left for Linjiang Prefecture City.
• After two days, Lin Sheng reached the Seven Forms Sect and brought Fat Dragon’s head and the red bundle to Xie Qingyun.
• Xie Qingyun presented the head to Ouyang Bing and said Fat Dragon had attacked Lin Sheng, prompting her to demand an explanation from the White Dragon Gang.
• Yuan Zhongfei warned that Fat Dragon had been valued by Shi Gu and suggested the death might stem from a private conflict, but Xie Qingyun revealed the Crimson Flame Stones and accused the White Dragon Gang of trying to provoke conflict among the major forces.

After the Seven Forms Sect decided to respond only with a warning to the White Dragon Gang, Lin Sheng rushed to Wanhua City to bring his family to safety. On the journey back, his Danger Sense repeatedly warned him, and he stopped the carriage when a mysterious figure appeared ahead.

• Xie Qingyun told Lin Sheng that the Seven Forms Sect would negotiate with the White Dragon Gang and warned him that Shi Gu might seek revenge for Fat Dragon.
• Lin Sheng persuaded Xie Qingyun to let him retrieve his family, and he and Wei Yun hurried to Wanhua City.
• Lin Sheng found Lin Hong and Xie Guilan safe, gathered Xiao Shi, Wang Dehai, and Old Zhou, and set off for the Seven Forms Sect with Wei Yun.
• Lin Sheng's speed surprised Wei Yun as they traveled, and he explained that his martial art specialized in speed and agility.
• After leaving Wanhua City, Lin Sheng felt Jade Moth's Danger Sense activate repeatedly and changed the carriage's route.
• Lin Sheng abruptly stopped the carriage when a mysterious figure appeared on the road ahead.