Chapter Summaries

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.

Wei He was delayed by a confrontation with an Incense Gathering Cult expert who demonstrated a strange Fragrance Force and invited him to join the cult. At Huishan Fist’s gathering, Zhang Lu and Jiang Su both lost to Chen Jian, while Wei He hurried back toward the academy.

• At Huishan Fist, guests questioned Wei He’s absence, so Zhang Lu began an exchange of skills with Cheng Xi to occupy them.
• By the Feiye River, a masked Incense Gathering Cult man urged Wei He to join the cult and struck him with an eerie palm technique; Wei He concealed his full strength and let the man escape.
• Wei He realized the Huishan Fist ceremony was about to begin and hurried toward the academy.
• Chen Jian of Iron Fiend Fist defeated Zhang Lu and demanded a stronger opponent from Huishan Fist.
• Jiang Su stepped forward to fight Chen Jian, but he knocked her down and insulted Huishan Fist for failing to provide a worthy challenger.

Chen Jian defeated Huishan Fist’s disciples and provoked the academy until Wei He arrived to face him. Wei He stopped Chen Jian’s breakthrough with a single finger strike, leaving Chen Jian sprawled against the courtyard wall and Zheng Fugui suddenly unsteady.

• Jiang Su and Zhao Hong fought Chen Jian in succession, but both were defeated despite Zhao Hong’s stronger showing.
• Chen Jian taunted Huishan Fist’s disciples and demanded that they admit they had been wrong to challenge him without being able to defeat him.
• Zheng Fugui prepared to step in, but an elderly Iron Fiend Fist master and Wei He arrived and insisted the juniors settle the dispute themselves.
• Wei He’s Qi and Blood pressure silenced the courtyard, while Chen Jian erupted with excitement and launched his Yin Fiend Dragon punch.
• Wei He touched Chen Jian’s chest with one finger and blasted him into the courtyard wall, scattering his Qi and Blood just as he neared a breakthrough.
• Zhao Hong supported Zheng Fugui when the elder nearly collapsed, while Chen Jian lay unable to speak after losing his breakthrough opportunity.

Wei He defended Huishan Fist Academy by defeating several visiting martial artists, including Zhou Jihan, with overwhelming Third Stage Qi and Blood strength. After the gathering resumed, he left with Wei Ying, who realized how far her younger brother had advanced.

• Iron Fiend Fist's master carried Chen Jian away after Wei He interrupted Chen Jian's chance to break through.
• Wei He invited challengers, and Hu Zhengan and He Hong stepped forward with Zhou Jihan before being defeated in turn.
• Wei He broke Zhou Jihan's saber with a punch and warned him against fighting Third Stage experts without a better weapon.
• Jiang Su ended the challenges, and the gathering returned to sparring among the academies.
• Wei He left the arena with Wei Ying, who told him that he had grown stronger and imagined how proud their parents and eldest sister would be.

Wei He joined the Martial Artist Alliance’s caravan as it evacuated Feiye City, wary that the Seven Families Alliance would attack. The Alliance’s hidden informants were already tracking the caravan, while Chen Jian caught up with Wei He to ask about the technique that had beaten him.

• Wei He refused Wei Ying’s suggestion that he marry several women and have many children, saying the family should wait until they found a stable place to live.
• The thirteen Martial Arts Academies began evacuating the Outer City for Wushi Fort, and Wei He rode on the caravan’s flank with Yang Qingye and Zhou Shun.
• Zhou Shun secretly planted a tracking insect, which a black-veiled woman named Miss Zhen retrieved as she followed the caravan with a blue-robed scholar.
• The scholar revealed that the Seven Families Alliance had informants throughout the Martial Artist Alliance, including two hidden Entering Force experts, and that four family heads were approaching.
• Chen Jian rode up to Wei He, praised the move that had defeated him, and asked Wei He to explain it; Wei He refused.

Zhou Shun’s attempt to send the Seven Families Alliance information about the convoy was exposed by Wei He just as the Alliance ambushed them outside Feiye City. Wei He led the Huishan Fist group through the fighting, but they escaped with heavy losses, and Zhang Lu died from his wounds.

• Zhou Shun tried to release a Stone Bug to report the convoy’s Third Stage Qi and Blood experts, but Wei He caught him and seized it.
• Zhang Lu warned Wei He that Master Zheng had ordered the group to flee if trouble arose, but the Seven Families Alliance attacked before they could act.
• Wei He gathered the Huishan Fist disciples, wrapped Second Sister in canvas, and led them toward the forest as the convoy descended into chaos.
• Wei He fought through the attackers, killing a Giant Tooth Army soldier with a poisoned dart and his fist while protecting the group.
• The Huishan Fist group escaped with only about fifty people; Zhao Hong went missing, Jiang Su was wounded, and Zhang Lu died from deep saber wounds.