Recaps

Wei He drove away two Incense Gathering Cult recruiters who targeted his sister Wei Ying, then secretly beat and robbed Xu Chun and her companion to make them leave. As food and water grew scarce and the academy lost students, Wei He remained focused on training, unaware of the departures until Ouyang Zhuang pointed them out.

• Wei He interrupted Xu Chun and the Mengjin Female Cultivator as they tried to recruit Wei Ying, warned his sister to avoid them, and returned to watch over her.
• Wei He ambushed Xu Chun and the Mengjin Female Cultivator in Xu Chun's courtyard, beat them, stole dried meat, and slipped back home unseen.
• Wei He intimidated the neighbors who came to investigate the disturbance, and Xu Chun did not appear again for more than ten days.
• As winter passed amid worsening shortages, Wei Ying rationed her baked goods and eventually stopped opening her shop, while Wei He continued training and building his qi and blood.
• Wei He prepared medicinal water for Skin Grinding at Huishan Fist Academy, where Ouyang Zhuang told him that many students had recently left.

Wei He accompanied Cheng Shaojiu to the Inner City, where they waited at Hundred Flowers Tower to see Hong Daoyuan arrive amid rising tensions between Hong Family Fort and the Seven Families Alliance. The chapter ended as weapons clashed and warhorses approached below the restaurant.

• Wei He learned that many older students had left to join Hong Family Fort, which was recruiting soldiers with promises of benefits and advancement.
• Cheng Shaojiu took Wei He to Hundred Flowers Tower in the Inner City and explained that Hong Daoyuan was due to meet the city governor after Hong Family Fort soldiers killed members of the Seven Families Alliance’s tax inspection team.
• Cheng Shaojiu pointed out Shanchuan Gang members and other groups gathered at the restaurant to witness Hong Daoyuan’s arrival.
• Wei He noticed a young man and woman in green robes with swords at their waists, while a clash of weapons and the pounding of warhorses sounded below.

Wei He saw Hong Daoyuan and his Black Cavalry, then trained relentlessly to perfect his qi and blood and attempt the Stone Hide breakthrough. He had not overcome the barrier through his own efforts and worried that time was running out.

• Wei He watched Hong Daoyuan lead the Black Cavalry through the Inner City and learned from Cheng Shaojiu about the general’s strength and his elite troops.
• Inspired by what he had seen, Wei He trained for more than two months until his qi and blood reached perfection.
• Old Zheng took Zhao Hong, Xiao Ran, and Cheng Shaojiu to the Inner City sparring event, while Wei He stayed behind to work on breaking through.
• Wei He tried to overcome the barrier without using the Boundary-Breaking Pearl but made no progress, even after several days of intense training.
• Ouyang Zhuang told Wei He that the barrier could take half a year or longer to overcome, and Wei He said he had little time before his qi and blood began to decline.

Wei He struggled to make progress without using the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, then learned that Li Huanhuan had improper relationships with several men. When Xu Wei confronted him over his injured sister, Wei He denied involvement, but he grew suspicious and tried to leave as Incense Gathering Cult members approached.

• Wei He decided to keep training for two more days before relying on the Boundary-Breaking Pearl.
• Wei Ying warned Wei He to avoid Li Huanhuan because she had been seen leaving several disciples' residences.
• Xu Wei questioned Wei He about the attack that had blinded his sister, noticed Wei He's pouch of quicklime, and accused him of being the culprit.
• Wei He and Xu Wei exchanged blows, then Wei He denied hearing anything during the attack and Xu Wei left to summon other Incense Masters.
• Xu Wei told two cult members to bring Incense Master Shangguan and Incense Master Hu to help him confront Wei He.
• Wei He climbed over the wall to escape and encountered two Incense Gathering Cult members in straw hats.

Wei He broke through to Stone Hide while pursuing Xu Wei, then killed Xu Wei and another Incense Gathering Cult member and concealed the bodies. The next morning he went to Huishan Fist Academy to report his progress, while Cheng Shaojiu argued with his uncle over keeping his friends on the Yonghe Escort Agency’s payroll.

• Wei He killed two Incense Gathering Cult members near his home, then broke through to Stone Hide as he chased Xu Wei.
• Wei He blinded Xu Wei with quicklime, pierced his palms, and killed him before killing a second man who tried to deceive him.
• Wei He dumped all four bodies into the Feiye River, returned home, and concealed the fight from Wei Ying by claiming he had a nosebleed.
• Wei He went to Huishan Fist Academy the next morning, intending to tell Old Zheng about his breakthrough and learn the next training methods.
• Cheng Zhengxing confronted Cheng Shaojiu about supporting his friends with the struggling Yonghe Escort Agency’s money, but Cheng Shaojiu refused to dismiss the remaining friends he considered loyal brothers.

After learning that Xiao Ran was severely injured in an ambush following his recruitment by the Zhao Family, Wei He decided to keep his own breakthrough secret for now. A month later, Xiao Ran had only partly recovered, Old Zheng had failed to find the attacker, and Wei He still needed the complete Stone Hide training method.

• Cheng Shaojiu left the escort agency and went to Huishan Fist Academy, where a junior disciple announced that Xiao Ran had been severely injured.
• Wei He learned from Ouyang Zhuang that Xiao Ran had chosen the Zhao Family over the Tian Family before being ambushed, and decided to conceal his own breakthrough from everyone except possibly Old Zheng.
• Zhao Hong, Cheng Shaojiu, Old Zheng, and other disciples returned with the unconscious Xiao Ran, while Wei He left the courtyard with Ouyang Zhuang without telling Old Zheng about his progress.
• Old Zheng searched for the attacker for more than half a month without success, while Xiao Ran recovered enough to walk but remained unable to train.
• Wei He continued saving Boundary-Breaking Pearls and practicing early Stone Hide methods, but still needed to ask Old Zheng for the complete training method.

Wei He secretly told Zheng Fugui that he had reached the Stone Hide level, and Zheng Fugui realized the cautious disciple had progressed quickly enough to have a chance at Iron Hide. Zheng Fugui agreed to give Wei He the next training method privately and announce his breakthrough two months later.

• Wei He slipped Zheng Fugui a letter asking for the training method after reaching Stone Hide.
• Zheng Fugui reflected on Xiao Ran's injury and worried that none of his other disciples could inherit Huishan Fist Academy.
• Zheng Fugui found Wei He's letter after returning to his room and learned that Wei He had reached Stone Hide in less than a year.
• Zheng Fugui summoned Wei He the next morning and praised his talent, caution, and temperament.
• Zheng Fugui agreed to teach Wei He the next method privately and make his breakthrough public two months later.

Zheng Fugui taught Wei He the Green Peak Tri-Color Diagram as he began training toward Iron Hide, while Wei He attended Cheng Shaojiu’s daughter’s birth and became her godfather. On the ride home, Wei He spotted thirteen blood-scented Seven Families Alliance riders returning toward the Inner City, their weakened qi and blood hinting that something was wrong.

• Zheng Fugui explained that Wei He needed to study the Huishan Fist Fundamental Diagram and use its artistic conception while training to reach Iron Hide.
• Cheng Shaojiu waited anxiously as his concubine gave birth safely to a daughter, whom he named Cheng He and asked Wei He to take as his goddaughter.
• Wei He reflected that he had spent a year and a half in this world and found that the Boundary-Breaking Pearl was accumulating qi and blood slowly as he trained toward Iron Hide.
• On the ride home, Wei He saw thirteen riders bearing the Seven Families Alliance mark and noticed their weakened qi and blood and the smell of blood.
• Wei He heard Old Huang remark that the Inner City masters had gone out in black cloaks and had now returned.

Wei He learned that Hong Family Fort and the Seven Families Alliance were maneuvering around the Incense Gathering Cult, and Zheng Fugui told him he would soon have to choose a side. Zheng then revealed Wei He had reached Stone Hide, startling the core disciples, before unexpectedly proposing that Wei He marry Jiang Su; both refused.

• Wei He spotted a blue-clad person carrying a plum-embroidered umbrella and worried the sight signaled trouble involving the Hong Family.
• Zheng Fugui told Wei He that Hong Daoyuan had visited Mingde Temple, an Incense Gathering Cult branch altar, and explained that Hong Family Fort and the Seven Families Alliance were competing for martial masters' support.
• Zheng Fugui said Wei He would soon be able to choose which faction to join and noted that his current supply of snake meat could no longer support his cultivation.
• Zheng Fugui summoned the core disciples and proposed that Jiang Su and Wei He marry, but both rejected the match.
• Zheng Fugui revealed that Wei He had reached Stone Hide, shocking Jiang Su, Jiang Yan, Cheng Shaojiu, and Zhao Hong.

After Wei He revealed his breakthrough to the Second Stage Qi and Blood, Zheng Fugui urged his seniors to look after him, and Cheng Shaojiu took him to celebrate at Zuihua Tower. There, Wei He saw the Inner City's wealth and strict security firsthand, and the chapter ended as he began eating a lavish meal of rare game.

• Jiang Yan and Cheng Shaojiu both offered to ensure Wei He received good treatment, while Zheng Fugui told them to look after their new junior brother.
• Jiang Su left the courtyard angrily, and Cheng Shaojiu congratulated Wei He before inviting him to Zuihua Tower.
• Cheng Shaojiu explained how the Seven Families Alliance controlled access to the Inner City and how nearby clan forts contributed to its prosperous trade.
• Wei He noticed the Inner City's vigilant patrols and crowded shops before returning to Zuihua Tower with Cheng Shaojiu.
• Cheng Shaojiu ordered a lavish meal and September Ninth Vintage, then told Wei He that the twice-cooked meat was Branch-Antlered Deer, a rare beast said to boost qi and blood.

Wei He ate costly Flower Branch Deer Meat and agreed to affiliate with the Yonghe Escort Agency, then faced Jiang Yan’s lucrative offer to join the Jiang Family and move into the Inner City. He chose to remain in the Outer City, though he admitted he had eaten Cheng Shaojiu’s entire monthly quota of deer meat while Cheng was away.

• Wei He learned that the rare meat cost four taels of gold per pound and shared a meal of it with Cheng Shaojiu.
• Cheng Shaojiu offered Wei He a flexible affiliation with the Yonghe Escort Agency, and Wei He accepted.
• Jiang Yan offered Wei He generous supplies, gold, and a safe home for him and his sister in the Inner City if he joined the Jiang Family.
• Wei He declined Jiang Yan’s offer and told Cheng Shaojiu he planned to stay in the Outer City.
• Wei He revealed that he had ordered and eaten four more plates of Flower Branch Deer Meat while Cheng Shaojiu was away.

Wei He rejected Jiang Yan’s offer because he did not want to bind himself to a faction, and asked Cheng Shaojiu about conditions beyond Feiye City. After learning that safer places were difficult to reach, Wei He joined Cheng Shaojiu for sparring, where their practice began with Huishan Fist.

• Wei He explained to Cheng Shaojiu that joining the Jiang Family would bind him for five years, while remaining at Huishan Fist Academy would let him train without pledging to either faction.
• Cheng Shaojiu paid for their meal, then left the restaurant with Wei He as Jiang Yan watched and accepted the rejection.
• In the carriage, Cheng Shaojiu told Wei He that Feiye City was relatively peaceful, Yun Province Prefecture was safer but hard to reach, and nearby Sucheng was controlled by gangs.
• Cheng Shaojiu invited Wei He to the training ground and offered to share his experience after Wei He’s breakthrough.
• Cheng Shaojiu and Wei He took Huishan Fist stances, and Cheng attacked with the Twin Flying Swallows move.

Wei He defeated Cheng Shaojiu in a spar, then fought Cheng Jing after she attacked him at the training ground. Cheng Jing revealed that pressure from her family and work had overwhelmed her, while Wei He left her with a blunt challenge to accept reality.

• Wei He and Cheng Shaojiu fought at full strength, and Cheng Shaojiu won with a decisive chain of attacks after Wei He’s strength began to fade.
• Cheng Shaojiu privately admitted that he might have lost without his uncle’s devised killing move and resolved to devote himself to training.
• Wei He stayed behind to study Cheng Shaojiu’s technique, and Cheng Jing arrived from an escort run and launched a series of attacks against him.
• Wei He blocked Cheng Jing’s attacks, defeated her, and asked whether something had happened during her escort run.
• Cheng Jing broke down and said she feared being forced to marry if she failed to break through; Wei He struck her once and told her to accept reality.
• Cheng Jing recalled her dangerous escort run, her mother’s grave illness, and the pressure on the escort agency, then vowed to change her fate and cure her smelly feet.

Wei He’s Stone Hide breakthrough changed how people treated him, and his presence drove off Thief Gang members threatening Yang Zhou’s family. Old Zheng then urged Wei He to build connections and learn his standing in Feiye City.

• Wei He noticed the Outer City growing desolate and felt his fellow disciples regard him with new respect after his breakthrough.
• Yang Zhou learned that the Thief Gang had attacked her younger brother and rushed to fight them with another youth.
• Wei He came out of Huishan Fist Academy, and the Thief Gang men fled after recognizing him as a newly revealed Second Stage Qi and Blood disciple.
• Yang Zhou thanked Wei He, who told her to practice so she would not be bullied again.
• Wei He sparred with Zheng Fugui, who advised him to meet more people and learn his position in Feiye City.

Wei He learned more about Feiye City’s martial hierarchy and continued training after reaching Stone Hide. Cheng Shaojiu offered to arrange a marriage with the Guan Family’s daughter and revealed that the Guan Family held the poisonous powder Wei He wanted, leaving Wei He to consider buying it himself.

• Zheng Fugui explained that Ou Chen’s Money Force made him Feiye City’s strongest martial artist and described how Wei He could eventually cultivate force.
• Zheng Fugui drilled Wei He in the Inner Court, while Cheng Shaojiu appeared exhausted and explained away his lack of training with a string of excuses and social obligations.
• Cheng Shaojiu offered to arrange a match between Wei He and the Guan Family’s daughter, but Wei He declined because he did not want the added ties amid growing tensions.
• Wei He asked how many Nine-Cloud Flowers Cheng Shaojiu had cultivated, and Cheng Shaojiu admitted he had reached only five.
• Cheng Shaojiu told Wei He that the Guan Family had the poisonous powder he was seeking and that Wei He would have to buy it from them.

Wei He refused recruitment from the major powers, focused on training, and sought better blood supplements by preparing to hunt outside Feiye City. While exploring Shaoyang Mountain with hunter Ding Hai, he learned that Shaoyang Gate might have been involved in the disappearance of a group of stone sculptors.

• Wei He refused offers from Hong Family Fort and other powers, attached himself to several small gangs, and became a guest retainer of Qingdu Sect.
• Wei He continued training under Master Zheng, but his blood and vitality grew slowly, so he decided to hunt for stronger supplements.
• Wei He hired Ding Hai to guide him through Shaoyang Mountain and teach him about its hunting grounds and dangers.
• Ding Hai explained the local rules and warned Wei He that Shaoyang Gate hunted people around dusk.
• Wei He asked about the missing stone sculptors, and Ding Hai said he had seen Shaoyang Gate members nearby on the evening they disappeared.

Wei He investigated Shaoyang Gate after learning it might be connected to his parents’ disappearance, then prepared to venture into the wilderness near Shaoyang Mountain. He left Feiye City intending to hunt, learn the terrain, and pursue his deeper investigation.

• Ding Hai guided Wei He around the mountains for five days, showing him faction territories, dangerous areas, and a small emergency cave, but they caught only one rabbit.
• Wei He asked Cheng Shaojiu about Shaoyang Gate, and Cheng advised him to seek information from Qingdu Sect because it had dealings with the sect.
• Wei He visited Qingdu Sect’s outpost and learned from Bai Honghou that Shaoyang Gate members hunted people, used drug-controlled slave-men, and were powerful, conspicuously fat men dressed in white.
• Wei He returned to obtain poison powder and prepared lime, poisoned spikes, and rusty awls, then mapped the surrounding factions and packed supplies.
• After asking Master Zheng for leave, Wei He headed toward Shaoyang Mountain to hunt, familiarize himself with the wilderness, and continue his deeper plans.

Wei He hunted a giant python in the forest, then encountered mountain bandits who tried to rob him. When a bandit slashed his clothes, he exposed Wei He's hidden poisoned weapons, leaving a confrontation imminent.

• Wei He killed a giant python with his machete, stomped its head, and packed the snake away as prey.
• Wei He started back toward home, but a group of mountain bandits stopped him and demanded his game.
• Wei He surrendered the python and tried to leave, but the bald bandit suspected he was hiding more valuables beneath his bulky clothes.
• The bandits surrounded Wei He and demanded that he hand over everything under his clothes.
• A bandit slashed Wei He's waist, exposing poisoned spikes and a poisoned push dagger, and both men stared at each other.

Wei He killed the bandits on Shaoyang Mountain and took their supplies and a disguised martial arts manual. On his way down, he fought a powerful man from Shaoyang Gate, and the battle remained unresolved as the man dodged Wei He's final poisoned spike and counterattacked with a shower of darts.

• Wei He ambushed and killed the bald bandit and his men with lime powder and Huishan Fist.
• Wei He searched the bodies, took their supplies and a martial arts manual disguised as a pharmacy ledger, and concealed evidence of how he had killed them.
• A muscular man in white recognized signs that Wei He had fought the bandits and confronted him on the road down Shaoyang Mountain.
• Wei He and the man exchanged powders, darts, and poisoned weapons before trading heavy blows at close range.
• The poison weakened the man in white, but he suddenly rose, dodged Wei He's final spike, and threw a handful of darts at him.

Wei He killed a Shaoyang Gate disciple, returned to Feiye City with valuable spoils, and spent the next month hunting and practicing martial arts. Just as Old Zheng grew disappointed with Wei He's slow progress, Xiao Ran recovered his Stone Hide blood and vitality.

• Wei He confirmed the fat Shaoyang Gate disciple was dead, took his weapons, poison, supplies, and a thousand taels in gold notes, then returned home.
• Wei He cooked and preserved the python meat, considered whether his Boundary-Breaking Pearl could help him master Five Ridges Palm, and inspected his spoils.
• For over a month, Wei He hunted in new areas, practiced martial arts and Skin Grinding, and grew his Boundary-Breaking Pearl to three-tenths full, while Old Zheng became disappointed with his slow blood-and-vitality growth.
• Jiang Su told Old Zheng that Xiao Ran had regained Stone Hide blood and vitality, and she led him to the Outer Court to confirm it.
• Old Zheng examined Xiao Ran and confirmed that he had fully recovered, praising him as Wei He and Zhao Hong watched.

Xiao Ran recovered and resumed his pursuit of the Third Stage, while Wei He developed a plan to use Five Ridges Palm to reach that threshold before returning to Huishan Fist. The chapter ended with Wei He bringing Five Ridges Palm to its Qi and Blood limit and a badly wounded Yonghe Escort Agency convoy arriving in Feiye City without its valuable shipment.

• Xiao Ran returned to Huishan Fist Academy, reassured Master Zheng that he would not lose again, and drew Master Zheng's attention back from Wei He.
• Wei He hunted around Feiye City, dealt with mountain bandits, and made an abandoned bear cave into a hidden base he named Natural Dwelling.
• Over the next two months, Wei He's Huishan Fist progress remained slow, but he advanced to the third realm of Five Ridges Palm and devised a way to use it to reach Third Stage Qi and Blood first.
• Wei He trained against a massive bluestone until Five Ridges Palm reached its Qi and Blood limit, then waited for the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to be ready.
• A bloodied Yonghe Escort Agency convoy entered Feiye City without its valuable shipment, and Chief Escort Wang collapsed before Cheng Zhengxing took the wounded away.
• People in the Outer City noticed the convoy's return and considered selling news of the incident to Yonghe Escort Agency's rivals for reward grain.

After Wei He heard about Xu Ran lifting an ironstone for meat in Hongshi Town, he went to explore the Outer City market and investigate the bustle there. He traded dried meat for books about the Martial Champion Martial Examination and left with a better look at how people survived in Shiqiao Town.

• Wei Ying told Wei He that Xu Ran had easily lifted an ironstone to win meat in Hongshi Town, and Wei He suspected someone was building a reputation to attract attention.
• Wei He asked Wei Ying about her usual routes and went to inspect the Outer City market instead of heading to Huishan Fist Academy.
• At the vegetable market, Wei He learned that the Tongcheng Gang charged sellers one-tenth of their goods when they left.
• Wei He explored the oil shops and the crowded stalls selling household goods taken from local homes.
• Wei He traded four strips of dried meat for a stall owner's collection of books about the rules and examinations for the Martial Champion Martial Examination.

Wei He listened for news in a Stone Hide teahouse while Yonghe Escort Agency collapsed after its final shipment was robbed. Cheng Shaojiu faced a seven-hundred-tael gold shortfall but concealed the crisis from Wei He, who had enough savings to help.

• Wei He entered a teahouse that accepted Tongcheng Gang relief tokens and listened for news about Stone Hide.
• Cheng Zhengxing collapsed while addressing the gathered escorts, and word spread that the agency's shipment had been robbed and he was bedridden.
• Most of Yonghe Escort Agency's younger escorts left, and Cheng Shaojiu's household discovered it was still short seven hundred taels of gold for compensation.
• Madam Cheng warned Cheng Shaojiu that the creditors would take the Silver-Kissed Black Snake rearing method if they did not pay within two days.
• Wei He offered to help Cheng Shaojiu, but Cheng Shaojiu hid the crisis and said he could handle it alone.

Wei He learned that Yonghe Escort Agency was short of money and rushed to help, while Cheng Shaojiu faced the Zhao Family’s demand that Yonghe disband. The chapter left the agency on the verge of collapse, with Wei He hurrying to raise the funds.

• Wei He visited the bedridden Cheng Zhengxing, then continued hunting while the Boundary-Breaking Pearl accumulated Qi and blood faster.
• At Guest Seat Workshop, Wei He heard that Shangguan Lin had been forced to sell herself after her family was destroyed by a Blood Robe Gang steward, but he chose not to buy her.
• Ouyang Zhuang told Wei He that Yonghe Escort Agency still owed the Zhao Family seven hundred taels of gold, so Wei He rushed home to get money for Cheng Shaojiu.
• Cheng Shaojiu struggled to meet the Zhao Family’s demand and considered trading away the Cheng Family’s Silver-Kissed Black Snake raising method to cover the shortfall.
• A representative of the Zhao Family announced that Yonghe must disband and could not reopen in the Outer City, leaving Cheng Shaojiu and his escorts furious and helpless.

Wei He arrived just in time to stop Cheng Shaojiu from signing away Yonghe Escort Agency, giving him enough gold to repay the Zhao Family and save the agency. Short on money after his gift, Wei He returned to Shaoyang Mountain, robbed two Shaoyang Gate bandits, and found Black Caltrops among their possessions.

• Cheng Shaojiu hesitated over the Zhao Family's contract, but Wei He burst into the reception hall and dumped more than a thousand taels of gold at his feet.
• Cheng Shaojiu tore up the contract, and the Zhao Family's Steward Zhao collected enough gold to cover the shortfall before leaving with his men.
• Cheng Shaojiu watched the Zhao Family depart and quietly wept while his wife and the others left him alone.
• Wei He went to Shaoyang Mountain because he had spent nearly all his money helping Cheng Shaojiu and wanted to hunt for more.
• Wei He struck down two white-headscarf bandits with flying stones, took their money and gear, and escaped without being seen.
• Wei He found a bag of Black Caltrops among the stolen gear and became more wary of Shaoyang Gate.