Recaps

Chu Qing perfected the Secret Transmission Toad Skill, gaining seventy-two Iron Sinews and bringing his total to 262 as he learned to control his greatly increased strength. He arranged for Pharmacist Li and the pharmacists from Worry-Free Temple to produce medicine, then gave Madam Jin a Stone Bamboo Pearl and explained how to refine another.

• Chu Qing swallowed toad poison and secret medicine, completed the Toad Skill’s conditions, and trained through the night until he reached Perfection.
• Chu Qing discovered that the Toad Skill added seventy-two Iron Sinews without overlapping his other skills and could trigger two limit-breaking skills at once.
• Chu Qing practiced until he could control his new strength, then gave Pharmacist Li ten thousand taels to set up secret production of marching pills and Hemostatic Powder with the Worry-Free Temple pharmacists.
• Chu Qing visited Madam Jin, gave her one Stone Bamboo Pearl to eat, and explained how to refine the other.

Chu Qing received Universal Secret Medicine from Madam Shi and perfected Dragonfly Touching Water while preparing for the Martial Academy Preliminary Exam. On the eve of the exam, he answered Tang Wuming’s challenge and learned that a newly made Bright Pearl could temper as many as three Gold Sinews.

• Madam Shi fought Chu Qing onstage, then left him Universal Secret Medicine, which Madam Jin identified for him.
• Chu Qing swallowed the medicine and advanced Dragonfly Touching Water to Perfection, then resolved to rely on the Martial Academy to gain more cultivation resources.
• Madam Jin helped Chu Qing prepare for the Preliminary Exam, and Tang Wuming sent a letter boasting of his imperial examination prospects and inviting Chu Qing to seek refuge if he failed.
• Chu Qing replied, “I'll enter the Martial Academy; you'll make the list!” and learned that Tang Wuming’s messenger had tempered over two hundred Iron Sinews and thirty Iron Bones.
• Madam Jin brought Chu Qing a newly made Bright Pearl; he discovered that one was a High-grade Secretly Made Bright Pearl capable of tempering three Gold Sinews.

Chu Qing paid four thousand taels to register for the Martial Academy Preliminary Exam, surprising Shi Tiezhu, Zhao Hongxiu, and the examiners. As candidates began the dangerous exam, Chu Qing waited for his number to be called.

• Chu Qing arrived at the Martial Academy without using Madam Shi’s recommendation and paid four thousand taels to register.
• Song Da asked the registration clerk to assign Chu Qing to him, and she agreed after warning that Chu Qing might have a background.
• Chu Qing reunited with Shi Tiezhu and Zhao Hongxiu, who explained that paying the fee did not guarantee admission and that he would still need to perform well.
• Shi Tiezhu and Zhao Hongxiu entered the Martial Academy and did not return, while other candidates began emerging as failures.
• Candidates were carried out badly injured, and two died, causing many people to abandon the exam.
• Chu Qing told the frightened candidates that fairness had to be won with their fists as he continued waiting for his number to be called.

Chu Qing entered the Martial Academy assessment room and defeated Song Da, the violent examiner who had killed several examinees. He fulfilled the academy’s death quota, passed the assessment, and left Inspector Li furious.

• Chu Qing entered the assessment room and found Song Da, who had shown hostility toward him at registration, waiting as the examiner.
• Inspector Li approved a death quota and Song Da attacked Chu Qing with his full-strength Iron Sand Palm.
• Chu Qing endured Song Da’s blow, then used Eagle Claw Technique, Red Snake Leg, and Iron Palm to cripple and beat him.
• Chu Qing hurled Song Da through the ceiling and destroyed his body with a kick, fulfilling the death quota as the other Martial Masters watched.
• Chu Qing asked whether he had passed, then mocked Inspector Li’s claim that young people should be arrogant; Inspector Li crushed his teacup in anger.

Chu Qing passed the Martial Academy’s preliminary exam after killing his examiner, Song Da, and forced Inspector Li to approve his results. The Vice Principal then took him through the deteriorating academy and revealed that Chu Qing had gained Inner Court qualifications, where only ten places were available this year.

• Chu Qing asked whether he had passed, and the Vice Principal made Inspector Li sign and stamp his approval despite Inspector Li’s reluctance.
• News of Song Da’s death spread through the academy, and the other examiners became afraid to injure candidates.
• Madam Jin celebrated Chu Qing’s success after hearing he had defeated Song Da without using the contract, while Madam Shi speculated about Chu Qing’s martial skills and mysterious connections.
• The Vice Principal showed Chu Qing the neglected academy grounds and warned him that killing was forbidden except in the stone tower or outside the academy.
• The Vice Principal told Chu Qing that Inspector Li’s approval gave him Inner Court qualifications, though this year the academy had only ten Inner Court slots.

Chu Qing entered the Martial Academy’s Inner Court, where he learned about its scarce slots, generous privileges, and Academic Credit system. After the academy staff left, he met the other new students and wondered if they had also come to cultivate romantic feelings.

• The Martial Masters told the Fortified Village Disciples, including Sister Lan, that only ten students entered the Inner Court and most came from Prefecture Noble Families, with Chu Qing as the Linen-Clad Barefoot Youth among them.
• The Vice Principal led Chu Qing up the stone tower and into the Inner Court meeting room, where he joined the other new students and academy staff.
• A female Martial Master explained the Inner Court’s enhanced resources, Weapon Skill and secret-transmission access, and Academic Credit rules.
• The Vice Principal admitted that Martial Masters would envy the Inner Court students’ benefits and warned that the academy could not guarantee their safety outside its grounds.
• Chu Qing asked about the missing tenth student and the day’s resources, then joked to the eight students who remained that they seemed to be cultivating feelings for one another.

Chu Qing urged the other new students to study the Martial Academy’s rules and unite against older students and potentially greedy Martial Masters. After the students compared their abilities, Chu Qing revealed that he had seven Gold Sinews, leaving them stunned.

• Chu Qing stopped the other new students from leaving and warned them that ignorance of the Academy’s rules could cost them resources and put them at risk.
• He persuaded the group to read the rules, explained how students could protect themselves by cooperating, and proposed choosing a leader based on strength.
• Qing Feng, Ming Yue, Nangong Xue, Ximen Feng, Wang Yinyang, and Cui Moyang described their martial achievements, with Cui Moyang claiming fifty Silver Sinews.
• Chu Qing recounted killing several notorious enemies and destroying Worry-Free Temple, prompting the others to regard him with wariness.
• When Nangong Xue asked about his sinews, Chu Qing revealed that he had seven Gold Sinews.

Chu Qing settled into his new Inner Court room, wrote to Tang Wuming about his success, and posted a task to find a Red Snake. After an indulgent evening with his maidservants, he slipped out in the night to tell Madam Jin the news and retrieve his weapons.

• Chu Qing entered his Martial Academy room with the other eight students and told them to avoid leaving the academy for a few days.
• Chu Qing wrote a letter boasting to Tang Wuming about earning one of the ten Inner Court places, then had a maidservant seal it for delivery.
• Chu Qing used his contract seal to post a task seeking a Red Snake to help him break the limit of Red Snake Leg.
• Chu Qing bathed, changed into brocade clothes, and ate an eighteen-dish meal while his maidservants waited on him.
• Chu Qing quietly left the stone building in the latter half of the night to tell Madam Jin his news and retrieve his Two-handed Greatsword and specially made Bright Pearl.

Chu Qing visited Madam Jin's Residence, where he reunited with Madam Jin and advanced his Dual Mantis Sword after accompanying Madam Shi's opera singing. Warned that resentful noble and fortified village disciples might kill him outside the Martial Academy, he strengthened himself, said goodbye to Madam Jin, and set out into the night.

• Chu Qing left the Martial Academy for Madam Jin's Residence as enemies in Stone Rock County learned he had become an Inner Court student and began plotting to kill him.
• Madam Jin was overcome with joy at Chu Qing's return, and Madam Shi sang for him while he accompanied her on his Greatsword.
• Chu Qing completed the conditions for Mantis Sword and advanced Dual Mantis Sword to Proficient.
• Madam Shi warned Chu Qing that resentful disciples might attack him outside the Martial Academy, and he chose to leave immediately rather than return under her escort.
• Madam Jin gave Chu Qing two top-grade Bright Pearls, which he used to develop six Golden Sinews through the Secret Transmission Toad Skill.
• Chu Qing gave Madam Jin two more Bright Pearls, asked her for small items, and departed into the night with his bundle and Greatsword.

Chu Qing slaughtered the ambushers sent to kill him and defeated He Qi Dog’s force on the way to the Martial Academy. He left He Qi Dog dead and continued toward the Academy, where Inner Court students and Martial Masters watched his approach.

• Chu Qing killed the blade-wielders, rooftop spear throwers, and their handlers throughout the streets and alleys.
• He Qi Dog accused Chu Qing of murdering Young Master He Qi and ordered twenty cavalrymen to charge him.
• Chu Qing used Dragonfly Touching Water to cut down the cavalry and then killed the surrounding soldiers while He Qi Dog attacked.
• Chu Qing revealed that he had killed Young Master He Qi and everyone in the He Family compound because the steward insulted him.
• Chu Qing overpowered He Qi Dog and cleaved him in two before heading to the Martial Academy, where Inner Court students and Martial Masters watched him arrive.

After surviving an attack, Chu Qing entered the Martial Academy and challenged anyone who still wanted to kill him, leaving the students and officials shaken. The He Family Head summoned swordsmen from the Rebel Army and other fortified villages to kill him.

• Chu Qing entered the Martial Academy gates and dared the gathered students to come after him, but none stepped forward.
• Chu Qing ordered the Fortified Village Disciples to return his cleaned longsword and scabbard, while the twins threatened anyone who challenged him.
• Inspector Li left for the main academy, and the Martial Masters decided to continue their plan despite Chu Qing's strength.
• The Fortified Village Disciples discussed Chu Qing's arrogance, while their servants cleared the bodies and searched for his sword's scabbard.
• The He Family Head said he had retrieved the greatsword and called for expert swordsmen from the Rebel Army and other fortified villages to kill Chu Qing.

Shi Tiezhu reconsidered his place in the Outer Court after hearing about Chu Qing, while Chu Qing tested the fortified village’s response and confronted a Martial Master over reduced resources. The Martial Master insisted Chu Qing could not kill anyone inside the academy, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Shi Tiezhu heard students praise the killer who had slaughtered enemies at dawn and wondered when he could become powerful enough to speak that way.
• Zhao Hongxiu invited Shi Tiezhu to catch red snakes for credits, but he remembered Chu Qing’s warning about being a dog and refused to accept having a master.
• Chu Qing bathed, dressed in black-and-red brocade, and found that the fortified village had not returned his greatsword, which strengthened his resolve to establish his authority.
• The Martial Master distributed fewer cultivation resources than expected, explaining that supplies had been skimmed along the way, while Wang Yinyang and the other students mostly accepted the shortage.
• Chu Qing arrived carrying a bloodstained bundle, saw his reduced share, and reminded the Martial Master that he had killed at least a hundred enemies before threatening to keep killing; the Martial Master replied that no one could kill inside the academy.

Chu Qing and the other new students confronted Martial Master over withheld resources, restrained him, and dragged him outside the Martial Academy. With no one willing to intervene, Chu Qing beheaded him at the gates.

• Martial Master refused to return the students' resources and insisted that the academy rules protected him from threats inside the grounds.
• Wang Yinyang and Cui Moyang immobilized Martial Master while Nangong, Ximen, Qing Feng, and Ming Yue helped bind and lead him outside.
• Chu Qing and the group drew a crowd of Inner Court students and Martial Masters, but the Vice Principal said they had not broken any rules.
• At the academy gates, Chu Qing demanded to know who would save Martial Master, and the gathered students and Martial Masters stayed silent.
• Chu Qing declared that Martial Master deserved death for withholding their resources, then tore off his head in front of the crowd.

After Chu Qing killed a tutor and asserted control over the Inner Court, the academy’s tutors and students struggled to respond to his growing influence. He left the class after declaring that he could make the rules, while his allies stood with him.

• The Vice Principal and A Xin discussed how Chu Qing’s actions showed the strength of the great-clan students in the Inner Court.
• Shi Tiezhu and Zhao Hongxiu returned with two red snakes and heard that Chu Qing had killed several hundred people and beheaded a Martial Master.
• Several tutors debated whether to keep stealing resources or interfere with Chu Qing’s class, but they feared the great-clan prodigies.
• Qing Feng, Ming Yue, Nangong Xiao, Ximen, Wang Yinyang, and Cui Moyang affirmed their support for Chu Qing and agreed they had to fight for resources.
• Chu Qing found the resources still on the classroom table and warned that he could behead anyone he chose to establish his authority.
• When the Martial Master began a history lesson, Chu Qing and the students demanded martial knowledge, and Chu Qing declared, “I can be the rule!” before the Martial Master left and assigned self-study.

Chu Qing used his remaining resources to cultivate Copper Sinew and revealed that pearls had helped him rapidly develop Golden Sinews. He proposed that the group gather pearls and trade them for his specially prepared pearls, leaving them to consider how they could repay his enormous favor.

• Chu Qing swallowed a Limit-Breaking Secret Medicine, then lit Golden Incense and used the Secret Transmission Toad Skill while cultivating Limit-Breaking Mantis Fist.
• The Golden Incense helped Chu Qing cultivate one Copper Sinew, and he lamented that the Martial Master had embezzled two sticks that could have refined two more.
• When Cui Moyang and the others demanded to know how Chu Qing had cultivated twelve Golden Sinews, he revealed the secret of the pearls.
• Chu Qing proposed wiping out the county's fortresses and wealthy households, forming a quarrying team to find pearls, and trading two ordinary pearls for one specially prepared pearl.
• Chu Qing promised to stop taking pearls once he had cultivated all his Golden Sinews, then asked the others how they would repay his favor.

Chu Qing went to the Library Pavilion seeking weapon arts and learned that mastering one could lead to a rare Heaven-Connecting Path. He decided to pursue the secret transmission Overlord Spear by first learning the Double-headed Chain Spear, despite the danger.

• Chu Qing gave Cui Moyang and the others Iron Whistles and went to the Library Pavilion while they discussed how to repay him.
• Chu Qing passed through the lower floors of the Library Pavilion and reached the fourth floor after the legless Martial Master let him proceed.
• The armless Martial Master explained weapon-art categories, Heaven-Connecting Paths, and the risks of pursuing secret transmission arts.
• Chu Qing said he wanted the finest secret transmission weapon art and learned that the Overlord Spear was best approached through the Double-headed Chain Spear.
• The armless Martial Master revealed that the Double-headed Chain Spear had cost him both arms, and Chu Qing said he could take its manual for free.

Chu Qing obtained and began training with the Dragon Snake Twin-Headed Chain Spear while arranging to develop Bright Pearl mining with Cui Moyang and the others. He set them a demanding target to recruit miners, leaving them to decide whether they could meet it through negotiation or force.

• Chu Qing inspected and claimed the one-armed Martial Master's Dragon Snake Twin-Headed Chain Spear, then wrapped it around his body to begin training.
• Chu Qing wrote to Madam Jin and received two red snakes, which he tied around his legs to train Red Snake Leg.
• Chu Qing spent the afternoon striking spearheads and planned to break Iron Fist's limit within three days.
• Cui Moyang and the others told Chu Qing they planned to hire workers to quarry stone but did not know where to begin.
• Chu Qing told the group to mine wherever crowds gathered and challenged them to recruit thousands of Bright Pearl miners within ten days.

Chu Qing pressured Ximen and the others to begin a project within nine days while rapidly advancing his Silver Sinew with scarce resources. Cui Moyang and the others negotiated for Bright Pearls and discovered Stone Rock County produced far more than they had expected, leaving them set to bargain with the fortified village Heads of the House.

• Chu Qing collected the resources, told Ximen and the others they had nine days to deliver results, and left them to organize their work.
• Ximen and Cui Moyang threatened their Martial Master and rallied their companions to act quickly, prompting the Martial Masters to report Chu Qing to the fortified villages.
• The He Family Head ordered the Rebel Army to send experts and told the Blood River Gang to bring Fatty Jin and his wife to the fortified village.
• Chu Qing used Nourishing Paste, Golden Incense, and the Secret Transmission Toad Skill to raise his Silver Sinew progress, then concluded that further advancement required more resources.
• Cui Moyang and the others demanded Bright Pearls from former Inner Court students, rejected their limited offer, and agreed to negotiate with the fortified village Heads of the House the day after tomorrow.

Chu Qing completed Red Snake Leg's limit break, advanced his training, and responded to threats against Madam Jin while encouraging Tang Wuming after his examination failure. At a banquet, Cui Moyang and the others refused to betray Chu Qing, and Cui Moyang drew her Hairpin Swords as the fortified village nobles' guards surrounded them.

• Chu Qing completed Red Snake Leg's limit break, forged thirty-two new Iron Sinews, and intensified his Iron Fist and Chain Spear training until the Chain Spear's first condition was complete.
• After reading Madam Jin's letter about the He Family's pressure, Chu Qing told her messenger he would return that night, then wrote Tang Wuming an encouraging reply with fifty taels of silver.
• Tang Wuming read Chu Qing's letter, regained his resolve, and decided to leave with Xu Qing'er and join his friends in the Rebel Army.
• At Immortal Fate Tower, He Family Head demanded that Cui Moyang and the others remove Chu Qing from the Inner Court in exchange for bright pearls, then threatened them when they refused.
• As the fortified village nobles' guards surrounded the group, Cui Moyang drew two Hairpin Swords and declared that her swords could kill too.

Chu Qing arrived at Madam Jin’s Residence after fortress servants and gang members threatened her, then promised to deal with those who had harassed her. After comforting Madam Jin and accepting two Bright Pearls, he headed to Immortal Fate Tower, where the Blood River Gang’s leader and hall masters waited to pay their respects.

• Chu Qing found fortress servants and gang members surrounding Madam Jin’s Residence and stabbed an iced tea vendor before the crowd fled.
• Chu Qing reunited with Madam Jin, reassured her that he would handle the threats, and ordered Fatty Jin to summon the Blood River Gang leader to Immortal Fate Tower.
• Madam Jin gave Chu Qing two Bright Pearls, but he could not persuade her to keep one for herself.
• The Blood River Gang leader and hall masters waited at Immortal Fate Tower, where they greeted Chu Qing as Master Qing when he arrived.

Chu Qing asserted his authority by punishing those who threatened Madam Jin and humiliating the fortified-village families, while the He Family Head secretly sought help from the Rebel Army. Zheng Tie set out for Stone Rock County to kill Chu Qing, confident in his strength despite his commander’s warnings.

• Chu Qing went to the top floor, where he found Cui Moyang, the twins, Wang Yinyang, and others facing the fortified-village families, and he threw one of their men out a window to demonstrate a threat.
• Chu Qing ordered the Blood River Gang Leader to behead those who had cursed Madam Jin and send their heads, along with their families’ heads, to the Martial Academy; the gang leader agreed after Chu Qing warned him not to question future orders.
• The He Family Head threatened to turn Madam Jin into human stew, but Chu Qing told him to save him a bowl; afterward, the Blood River Gang Leader hunted down the offenders, and the He Family Head wrote to the Rebel Army for help.
• Zheng Tie practiced beneath a waterfall, then told Zheng Zhisheng he was ready to go to Stone Rock County and kill Chu Qing.
• Zheng Zhisheng warned Zheng Tie about his limited endurance and told him to return if he could not win quickly; Zheng Tie rode toward the He Family’s fortified village, expecting to reach it that night.

After ten days of failed pearl negotiations, Chu Qing decided to attack the He Family fortress to seize pearls and speed up his golden-sinew cultivation. He gathered Cui Moyang, Wang Yinyang, Nangong Xiao, Ximen, and the others for the assault as the He Family head prepared to receive Rebel Army experts and plot Chu Qing’s death.

• Chu Qing advanced his martial arts, learned that his arms’ iron sinews were already fully developed, and continued training Dragon Subduing Stake while planning to cultivate the Toad Skill.
• Chu Qing wrote to Pharmacist Li for more medicine, invited his cohort to dinner, and summoned them after learning Cui Moyang and the others had secured no pearls.
• Chu Qing told the group they would destroy the He Family fortress, and they agreed to go with him.
• Chu Qing swallowed one hundred portions of Limit-Breaking Secret Medicine before setting out, while Nangong Xiao and the others took several portions each.
• The He Family head sent thirty-six letters to other families, ordered a plan to lure and kill Chu Qing, and prepared a banquet for the Rebel Army experts.

Chu Qing led Cui Moyang and the others in a raid on Hejiwu to seize the pearl, slaughtering the He Family and using their Iron Sinews to strengthen his Chain Spear. After the group was ambushed by a powerful expert, they regrouped at Chu Qing’s side as the enemy closed in.

• Chu Qing led the group to Hejiwu on foot, explained that the pearl could help them forge Golden Sinews, and killed two watchmen to begin the raid.
• Cui Moyang, Wang Yinyang, Nangong, Ximen, Qing Feng, and Mingyue split up to attack the fort while Chu Qing watched over the fighting.
• Chu Qing killed a burly attacker and discovered that wrapping a martial artist’s Iron Sinews around his Chain Spear advanced its third condition.
• The group killed the He Family Head and the remaining He Family members, but an Iron Whistle from the Outer Court signaled that the twins were in trouble.
• A fully armed expert broke through the wall, wounded Qing Feng and Mingyue, and forced Cui Moyang and the others to retreat to Chu Qing as the enemy threatened them.

Chu Qing defeated Zheng Tie by binding him with the Dragon Snake Twin-Headed Chain Spear, then using a flame-oil greatsword to expose his back and tear out his spinal sinew. He completed the chain spear’s third condition and left Zheng Tie dead.

• Chu Qing sent Cui Moyang, Ximen, and Nangong to retrieve his greatsword while he attacked Zheng Tie, but his fists could not break through the heavy armor.
• Chu Qing tripped Zheng Tie with the Dragon Snake Twin-Headed Chain Spear and bound him, while Cui Moyang’s strike with the greatsword failed to pierce his armor.
• Zheng Tie escaped the armor and charged Chu Qing with his greatsword, but Chu Qing avoided direct clashes and outlasted him.
• Chu Qing activated the flame-oil mechanism in his greatsword, setting Zheng Tie ablaze when their blades collided.
• Chu Qing tore Zheng Tie’s spinal sinew from his back, completed the chain spear’s third condition, and watched Zheng Tie die.

Chu Qing and his companions raided Hejiwu, collected its luminous pearls, and celebrated at Madam Jin's Residence while he searched for dragon sinew to improve his Chain Spear. Madam Shi revealed that a single strand of dragon sinew was worth more than a thousand luminous pearls, leaving Chu Qing stunned.

• Chu Qing and his companions looted Hejiwu, divided its pearls, and set the fort ablaze before returning to Madam Jin's Residence with two carts of spoils.
• A Rebel Army force arrived at the burning fort, found Zheng Tie dead, and sent a carrier pigeon to request reinforcements before looting the ruins.
• During the feast, Cui Moyang proposed wiping out Stone Rock County's thirty-six forts to collect hundreds of pearls, while Chu Qing asked the group about dragon tendons.
• Madam Shi tested Chu Qing's courage with her killing intent, then sharply questioned who had told him about dragon sinew.
• Madam Shi told Chu Qing that one strand of dragon sinew was worth more than a thousand luminous pearls, and he was dumbfounded.