Recaps

After finding no exotic beasts on Shaoyang Mountain, Wei He returned to Feiye City and learned that Cheng Shaojiu had left with the Cheng Family. Cheng Shaojiu’s letter and gifts gave Wei He a detailed map, a jade pendant, and the Flying Dragon Technique, and Wei He set out for Guanji Pharmacy to buy Exotic Beast Bait.

• Wei He searched Shaoyang Mountain but found only Shaoyang Gate disciples and their scent-trained wolfhounds, then returned to Feiye City.
• Wei Ying told Wei He that Cheng Shaojiu had left him a letter and a stone box; the letter said the Cheng Family had fled to the provincial capital as the city’s factions forced smaller groups to choose sides or leave.
• Wei He opened the box and found a fish-shaped jade pendant, a detailed map showing dangerous locations and exotic beasts, and the Flying Dragon Technique manual.
• Wei He read the manual’s warnings and learned that four Cheng Family members had disappeared while attempting breakthroughs, then carefully stored the gifts against his body.
• Wei He went to Guanji Pharmacy to seek Exotic Beast Bait, which Cheng Shaojiu had arranged for him to buy.

Wei He gained Guan Die’s support because of his reputation for helping the Cheng Family, then witnessed the Giant Tooth Army and learned about the growing conflict. He kept preparing for danger as he waited for the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to complete, while Jiang Su and Xiao Ran both failed to reach Third Stage Qi and Blood.

• Wei He met Guan Die at Guanji Pharmacy, where she offered him Exotic Beast Bait, Green Capital Water, and financial support because she admired his loyalty to Cheng Shaojiu.
• On his way home, Wei He saw the Ou Family’s Giant Tooth Army march through Hongshi Town and later learned from Zheng Fugui about their strength and weaknesses.
• Wei He returned to his quiet routine, prepared for a worsening situation, and waited for his Boundary-Breaking Pearl to complete while holding off on hunting exotic beasts.
• Jiang Su reached Qi and Blood Perfection but failed to advance to Third Stage, damaging her foundation.
• Xiao Ran also tried to reach Third Stage Qi and Blood and failed.

Xiao Ran drugged Jiang Su after they drank together and tried to take advantage of her while she was barely conscious. Wei He intercepted them beside the river, right outside his home, leaving Xiao Ran to face his scrutiny.

• Xiao Ran and Jiang Su lamented their failed breakthroughs and drank together at Hundred Flowers Tower.
• Xiao Ran secretly put Pleasure Seeking Powder in Jiang Su's wine, and she began to feel dangerously hot after drinking it.
• Jiang Su fled toward Huishan Fist Academy, but Xiao Ran caught up and pretended to help her while she grew increasingly incapacitated.
• Xiao Ran led the unconscious Jiang Su toward the riverside and began pushing aside the grass, intending to take advantage of her.
• Wei He confronted Xiao Ran outside his home and asked what he planned to do in the grass by the river.

Wei He intervened after discovering Xiao Ran had drugged Jiang Su, then secretly guarded her through the night while Xiao Ran fled and made an alibi. The next morning, Jiang Su learned Xiao Ran had not protected her, confronted him, and finally realized Wei He had been the one watching over her.

• Wei He recognized that Jiang Su had taken Pleasure Seeking Powder and tried to stop Xiao Ran from taking her away, but Xiao Ran escaped when Wei He went to fetch Master Zheng.
• Wei He drove away hooligans who approached Jiang Su, while she remained conscious enough to overhear Xiao Ran and Wei He and realize Xiao Ran had drugged her.
• Jiang Su returned home at dawn, and Wei He went back inside to alter the Flying Dragon Technique manual so only he could understand it.
• At Huishan Fist Academy, Xiao Ran claimed he had spent the night at Drunken Immortal Residence, causing Jiang Su to realize he could not have guarded her.
• Xiao Ran accused Wei He of taking advantage of Jiang Su, struck her when she swung at him, and left; Jiang Su then understood that Wei He had protected her and ran away in tears.

Wei He sought Red Earth Fish and bought Flower Branch Deer Meat to complete his Boundary-Breaking Pearl and prepare for a breakthrough. On his way home, Xiao Ran ambushed him and destroyed the meat he had bought, leaving Wei He facing the loss of his hard-earned provisions.

• Wei He saw two Third Stage Qi and Blood Zhao Family experts leave after Zheng Fugui refused to join their plans.
• Zheng Fugui sent Wei He to collect Red Earth Fish, while worrying that Huishan Fist needed Xiao Ran to break through and inherit its legacy.
• Wei He bought a month's share of Flower Branch Deer Meat, hoping it would help complete his Boundary-Breaking Pearl within half a month.
• Xiao Ran blocked Wei He on the road and attacked him, gaining the advantage in their exchange of Huishan Fist.
• Xiao Ran kicked Wei He's meat bag into the air and punched it apart, scattering the meat across nearby streets.

Wei He was interrupted by Jiang Su before he could kill Xiao Ran, but she compensated him with deer meat and promised to repay his help. Back home, Wei He prepared the meat with Wei Ying and learned that the teacher Yuan Zhouchi was struggling after a theft and that a gang he once belonged to had disbanded.

• Xiao Ran attacked Wei He and taunted him, but Jiang Su stepped between them and reminded him that Master Zheng forbade fellow disciples from harming one another.
• Xiao Ran left after warning Wei He, who decided to deal with him after breaking through another level.
• Jiang Su returned with two bags of Flower Branch Deer Meat to compensate Wei He and thanked him for saving her.
• Wei He went home, told Wei Ying he would stay inside for several days, and learned that Yuan Zhouchi was writing couplets for food after thieves stole his savings.
• Wei Ying told Wei He that a gang he had once been affiliated with had disbanded and that floating corpses had appeared in the Feiye River.
• Wei He and Wei Ying steamed the meat together, sharing a quiet moment at home.

Jiang Yan learned from Jiang Donggui how difficult the Third Stage Qi and Blood was, while Zheng Fugui brought Zhao Hong, Jiang Su, and Wei He to Qingdu Sect as a possible refuge. Wei He continued copying and hiding his Flying Dragon Technique manual, and the chapter ended with another delivery of meat from Senior Sister Jiang.

• Jiang Donggui demonstrated his strength by carving finger marks into an iron pillar and cutting it in half as he explained the Third Stage Qi and Blood to Jiang Yan.
• Zheng Fugui visited Qingdu Sect's Ink Fort to find future positions for Zhao Hong, Jiang Su, and Wei He, and Zhou Yan welcomed him.
• Thirteen martial masters of Feiye City secretly discussed withdrawing, while Hong Family Fort defeated reinforcements sent to aid the Seven Families Alliance.
• Wei He copied and encrypted key portions of the Flying Dragon Technique while continuing to eat Flower Branch Deer Meat to fill his Boundary-Breaking Pearl.
• A sturdy junior sister delivered more meat on Senior Sister Jiang's behalf, and Wei Ying prepared it while Wei He remained in seclusion.

Wei He discovered that a gang of children had targeted his household, but his allies drove them off. After the Boundary-Breaking Pearl completed its final preparation, he broke through the Five Ridges Palm and immediately killed Xiao Ran, leaving his next move unclear.

• Wei He found blood on his poisoned courtyard wall after an injured child fled, and Wei Ying told him the intruder had been very young.
• Wang Ziyang and his gang planned to abduct Wei Ying, but Wei He's allies from the One Heart Gang ambushed them and took the children away.
• Wei He returned home and discovered that the Boundary-Breaking Pearl had turned completely black.
• Wei He used the Boundary-Breaking Pearl to break through the Five Ridges Palm, then rushed from the courtyard.
• Wei He attacked Xiao Ran outside Hundred Flowers Tower, shattered his arm, crushed his chest with a second palm, and left him dead.

After reaching the third stage of Qi and Blood, Wei He discovered that his strength had increased dramatically and that he could kill Xiao Ran with a single palm. He went to Huishan Fist Academy after hearing the news of Xiao Ran’s death, where the disciples and Zheng Fugui stood around the corpse without knowing that Wei He had killed him.

• Wei He tested his newly hardened palms and found that his strike had cracked a resilient black stone.
• Wei He learned that Ouyang Zhuang had brought food to his family, then Li Jue urgently told him that Xiao Ran had been beaten to death.
• Wei He followed Li Jue to Huishan Fist Academy, where the disciples had gathered around Xiao Ran’s body.
• Xiao Ran’s parents grieved beside the corpse while Zheng Fugui and the academy’s disciples looked on.

After Xiao Ran was killed by a powerful Third Stage Qi and Blood expert, Zheng Fugui vowed to find the culprit while Wei He continued strengthening himself. Wei He completed Huishan Fist and advanced in the Flying Dragon Technique, then decided to return to Shaoyang Mountain to investigate his family’s disappearance.

• Xiao Zhongcheng took Xiao Ran’s body from the academy, and Zheng Fugui swore to avenge his disciple.
• Jiang Su mourned Xiao Ran and resumed training, while Wei He began condensing Nine-Cloud Flowers with his powerful Qi and Blood.
• Zheng Fugui warned the Inner Court disciples to stay together and avoid going out alone or at night.
• Wei He condensed his second Nine-Cloud Flower in four days and advanced the Flying Dragon Technique to its second layer in about ten days.
• A little over a month later, Wei He completed all nine Nine-Cloud Flowers and reached Iron Hide, while keeping his progress from Zheng Fugui.
• Wei He decided to investigate his parents and elder sister by returning to Shaoyang Mountain.

Wei He infiltrated a Shaoyang Gate outpost in Shaoyang Mountain, killed its guards, and discovered a prisoner and a hidden passage. When a powerful Patrol Envoy arrived with reinforcements, Wei He had vanished, leaving the mystery of the fortress unresolved.

• Wei He used rats to test the defenses of the earthen fortress, then killed the guards at its entrance and inside.
• Wei He cleared the traps and found a filthy prisoner whose heartbeat suggested powerful Qi and Blood, then uncovered a hidden passage beneath the cage.
• Shaoyang Gate’s Patrol Envoy learned that the outpost had gone silent and led his men toward it, expecting to trap Wei He.
• Wei He inspected the fortress and detected blood and a fishy odor near the passage entrance.
• The Patrol Envoy and his men found the fortress empty except for corpses, while their wolfhounds failed to pick up Wei He’s scent.

Wei He escaped Shaoyang Gate’s ambush, reflected on the limits of his Huishan Fist foundation, and returned to Feiye City with stolen valuables. He accepted Guan Die’s invitation to a banquet and found her preparing an expensive family treasure to share with him.

• Wei He disguised himself as a Shaoyang Gate disciple and slipped past two Third Stage Qi and Blood experts after realizing the mountain fort was a trap.
• Wei He concluded that his Third Stage foundation remained Five Ridges Palm and questioned whether his Huishan Fist Nine-Cloud Flower had fully transformed his body.
• Wei He returned to Feiye City, sorted the poison, money, gold, and damaged Duxin Gong manual he had taken, then resumed training at Huishan Fist Academy.
• Wei He reasoned that the Boundary-Breaking Pearl let him overcome the limitations of an incomplete martial foundation by breaking through directly.
• A Guan Family servant invited Wei He to Guan Die’s residence, and Wei He agreed and followed him to Hongshi Town.
• Guan Die welcomed Wei He and prepared to share a rare family treasure in a porcelain jar worth one thousand gold.

Wei He accepted Guan Die’s exotic-beast tonic, learned that the Guan family was preparing to withdraw within a month, and discovered the tonic greatly advanced his Boundary-Breaking Pearl. He then returned to Shaoyang Mountain to investigate, reaching farther into the area than before.

• Guan Die urged Wei He to abandon martial arts for business and gave him a pot of potent wild exotic-beast meat, while introducing him to her new acquaintances.
• After the banquet, Guan Die’s elder brother arrived and warned that the family expected her to prepare for withdrawal within a month, with a Poison Net Team sent to support her Poison Water Team.
• Wei He felt the tonic’s effects through the night, practiced throwing stones at a rat, and found that the meal had advanced his Boundary-Breaking Pearl by at least one-tenth.
• Wei He left for Shaoyang Mountain after seeing the hungry crowds at the Outer City square, then infiltrated the mountain by a different route in disguise.
• Wei He avoided patrolling Shaoyang Gate disciples and crouched in dry grass on a slope, looking downhill from a point farther into the mountain than he had reached before.

Wei He negotiated with Shaoyang Gate to help stop the Seven Families Alliance’s Wind Chasing Leg Chen Zhao, then questioned a captured disciple about the craftsmen who had disappeared two years earlier. The disciple denied Shaoyang Gate had taken them and pointed Wei He toward the Incense Gathering Cult, leaving him with a new lead.

• Wei He overheard Shaoyang Gate discussing its losses to the Seven Families Alliance, and Zheng Yue hired him to intercept Chen Zhao in exchange for gold and Savage Bear Jerky.
• Wei Chun worked in Shaoyang Gate’s mine alongside her parents and wondered how her younger siblings were doing.
• Wei He captured a fat Shaoyang Gate disciple and took the man’s concealed weapons and poisons.
• Wei He questioned the disciple about the craftsmen bound for Mingde Temple, and the man said Shaoyang Gate had been hunting a Demon Woman called Black-character Bug at the time.
• The disciple blamed the Incense Gathering Cult for seizing people, giving Wei He a new lead to investigate.

Wei He joined Shaoyang Gate’s convoy ambush to test his strength against Chen Zhao, then used the fight to rob the guards’ supplies. He returned to Feiye City with stolen food and money, planning to have the Savage Bear Meat examined for poison.

• Wei He followed Shaoyang Gate’s convoy, collected his deposit, and waited near a narrow mountain road for Chen Zhao.
• Chen Zhao attacked the convoy, killing more than ten people before Shaoyang Gate’s Patrol Envoys pursued him.
• Wei He intercepted Chen Zhao’s burning charcoal, struck him, and helped the Patrol Envoys cut off his escape before stealing their bundles.
• Wei He fled with three bundles and assessed Chen Zhao as far stronger than himself, deciding to prioritize a martial arts breakthrough based on the Boundary-Breaking Pearl’s progress.
• Wei He returned to Feiye City, sorted the stolen goods, and set aside the Savage Bear Meat to have Guan Die check it for poison.

Wei He investigated the Incense Gathering Cult and learned that its followers were struggling to survive, then raided the Shiqiao Town branch altar. He defeated two Second Stage practitioners and left them facing questions about why he had attacked.

• Wei He learned that the Guan family planned to leave town in three days and decided to investigate the Incense Gathering Cult after running out of exotic beast meat.
• Wei He ambushed a young cult member during the nightly procession and learned that the town branch altar was in the Scripture Hall and that its members gathered food by force.
• Wei He entered the Scripture Hall and broke the arms of the first man who confronted him.
• Wei He exchanged palm strikes with a young man in black, recognized him as a strong Second Stage practitioner, and said he had come to ask one thing.

Wei He interrogated members of the Incense Gathering Cult, learned about One-Ear and the threat facing the Guan family, and took gold notes and Savage Bear Meat before leaving to investigate. Three days later, Guan Die’s convoy departed Feiye City, while Chen Jun prepared to attack and Guan Die saw that none of her supposed friends had come to see her off.

• Wei He questioned two Incense Gathering Cult members about the craftsmen taken by One-Ear and learned that One-Ear had seized them two years earlier.
• Wei He struck down two attackers, killed the injured young man to prevent future revenge, and seized gold notes and Savage Bear Meat.
• Wei He learned that Chen Jun planned to settle old scores with the Guan family and that the family was preparing to withdraw from Feiye City.
• Guan Die, Dong Danian, and Yang Jie discussed how the Poison Water Formation and Heavy Shield Formation would protect the convoy from Chen Jun and One-Ear.
• Chen Jun enlisted two powerful allies to help him attack the Guan family convoy after it left the city.
• Three days later, Guan Die’s armored convoy departed Feiye City, and Guan Die found that none of her friends had come to see her off.

The Guan family convoy was ambushed by Chen Jun and two other Third Stage Qi and Blood experts, forcing Guan Die and her companions to flee into the mountains. Wei He intervened, helped them escape, and killed Chen Jun with poison and a throwing dart.

• Chen Jun and two experts attacked the Guan family convoy, overwhelming its formations and scattering its guards.
• Guan Qing led Guan Die, Yang Jie, and Dong Danian into the forest after their horses fell, while Chen Jun pursued them.
• Dong Danian admitted that he had betrayed the Guan family, but a black-clad stranger killed him before he could reveal the hidden assets’ location.
• Wei He confronted Chen Jun, allowing Guan Qing, Guan Die, and Yang Jie to escape while he fought the poisoned pursuer.
• Wei He used poison to weaken Chen Jun, then killed him with a throwing dart to the forehead.

Wei He rescued Guan Die, Guan Qing, and Yang Jie after they fled into the mountains, then joined them in a Taoist temple as they took shelter from the rain. The chapter ended with Wei He killing a group of travelers who asked to shelter with them and returning with their rain capes and pouches.

• Guan Die, Guan Qing, and Yang Jie sheltered in a ruined Taoist temple after escaping their pursuers in the rain.
• Guan Die recognized a fragment of Green Capital Water and suspected Wei He had helped them defeat Chen Jun.
• Wei He arrived at the temple, and Guan Die, Guan Qing, and Yang Jie thanked him for rescuing them.
• Guan Die asked Wei He to escort her to Qingfeng Mountain, and he shared pastries made by Wei Ying.
• Wei He went outside to deal with travelers asking to enter the temple, then returned with their rain capes and pouches after killing them.

Wei He escorted Guan Die and her relatives to safety, gaining her expertise in identifying poison in exotic beast meat. Back in Feiye City, he improved his fighting technique as the city’s food supplies dwindled and a rumored plague purge approached, while his plans to leave and investigate his missing family remained unresolved.

• Wei He revealed that the men at the Daoist temple had planned to ambush the group, then sheltered with Guan Die and learned how to identify poison in exotic beast meat.
• Wei He saw Guan Die and her relatives off, returned safely to Feiye City, and resumed his life while considering where to go as people began leaving town.
• After two months of eating exotic beast meat, Wei He filled the remaining progress of his Boundary-Breaking Pearl and shattered a boulder by combining the Flying Dragon Technique with Five Ridges Palm.
• Wei Ying told Wei He that fewer people and goods were appearing in the markets and that the Inner City planned to clear the city because plague had spread there.
• Wei He considered the rumored purge a likely move against the Incense Gathering Cult, but still lacked a destination and had not resumed investigating his missing family.

Wei He examined the poisoned spoils he had taken from Broken Mountain Spear Chen Jun, finding little of value beyond an unfamiliar pink stone. By studying the Huishan Fist’s Fundamental Diagram, he broke through to its Third Stage Qi and Blood without using the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, then spent three days recovering before heading to the martial arts school.

• Wei He compared the Incense Gathering Cult’s Savage Bear Meat with other meat, tested it for poison, and ate his allotted portion.
• Wei He used Iron Ash Tree powder to detoxify Chen Jun’s belongings, then found damaged masks, mostly empty poison bottles, a ruined ledger, a jade pendant, banknotes, gold leaves, and a pink stone.
• Wei He contemplated the Huishan Fist’s Fundamental Diagram and used his understanding of Third Stage Qi and Blood to guide his practice.
• Wei He broke through the Huishan Fist’s Third Stage Qi and Blood, causing its force to blend with the Five Ridges Palm’s force and increase his total qi and blood.
• Wei He decided to focus on the Flying Dragon Technique while his body recovered, then practiced at home for three days before going to the martial arts school.

Wei He visited Huishan Fist Academy as Zheng Fugui announced that it would relocate outside Feiye City in a few days. When Zheng tested Wei He’s strength and discovered he had reached Entering Force, the two fought, leaving Zheng overjoyed.

• Wei He arrived at the academy and waited with Jiang Su, Zhao Hong, and the others for Zheng Fugui.
• Zheng Fugui announced that Huishan Fist Academy would relocate outside the city and asked the disciples to prepare or notify him if they would not go.
• Jiang Yan, Zhao Hong, and Wei He objected to the planned martial-skills competition, prompting Zheng Fugui to examine Wei He closely.
• Zheng Fugui struck at Wei He, who caught his punch with a blackened hand and revealed his Entering Force strength.
• Zheng Fugui and Wei He exchanged dozens of powerful blows, then stopped as Zheng laughed with excitement.

Wei He confirmed his breakthrough to Third Stage Qi and Blood, earning Zheng Fugui’s praise and rewards and raising Huishan Fist Academy’s standing. He walked by the Feiye River with Jiang Su, who began to explain why she had pursued martial arts so fiercely.

• Zheng Fugui tested Wei He’s strength, confirmed his Third Stage Qi and Blood breakthrough, and gave him rewards while advising him to rest and adjust to his transformed qi and blood.
• Jiang Yan regretted failing to recruit Wei He, while Zhao Hong left in silence and Zhang Lu congratulated his senior brother.
• Wei He stayed to practice Huishan Fist, then accepted Jiang Su’s invitation to walk by the Feiye River.
• Jiang Su reflected on how three years had changed them and told Wei He that Third Stage experts stood apart from ordinary martial artists.
• Jiang Su asked Wei He whether he knew why she had chosen martial arts and endured Huishan Fist’s harm to her body.

Jiang Su told Wei He why she had pursued strength, while Zhang Wanruo learned of Wei He’s rise and reaffirmed that she would face her troubles without relying on him. Jiang Su decided to leave Feiye City with Master Zheng and some relatives, as Wei He prepared for his celebration ceremony.

• Jiang Su explained that she wanted to become powerful so she could protect her eldest sister from being bullied, and Wei He made her laugh by teasing her about her short legs.
• Zhang Songhao told Zhang Wanruo that Wei He had reached the Iron Hide level and urged her to renew their marriage proposal, but she resolved to overcome her difficulties independently.
• At Zuihua Tower, Jiang Su recalled how she and her friends had once mistaken Wei He’s loyalty to Cheng Shaojiu for devotion to a small favor, and she acknowledged that they had misjudged him.
• Jiang Su told Wei He she would leave with Master Zheng and some Jiang Family relatives, while her father and the rest of the family stayed behind after attaching themselves to the Wang Family.
• Wei He said he was ready for the martial artists expected at his celebration ceremony and would decide how to handle their sparring challenges as they came.

Wei He discovered a masked intruder in his home and chased them to Feiye River, where the stranger praised his rapid breakthrough and hinted at their identity. Meanwhile, Huishan Fist Academy hosted martial arts representatives for Wei He's celebration, but Wei He failed to arrive, leaving Zheng Fugui anxious.

• Wei He saw his former teacher Yuan Zhouchi sorting aquatic weeds but chose not to disturb him or offer help.
• Wei He found a broken strand of hair beneath his bedroom door, opened it, and discovered a white-robed intruder who escaped through the window.
• Wei He pursued the masked stranger to Feiye River and realized they had been deliberately matching his pace while moving faster than him.
• The stranger said they had come to see the newly acclaimed Third Stage Qi and Blood talent and began to reveal their background.
• Zheng Fugui welcomed representatives from seven martial arts academies, including Zhou Jihan of Flying Bear Saber, to Huishan Fist Academy for Wei He's celebration.
• When Wei He did not arrive by the scheduled time, Zheng Fugui sent someone to his home and learned that Wei He had left earlier.