Recaps

In the eternal darkness of Double Tree Village, Qin Ming’s Strange Illness began to lift after a month of grave sickness, and he ventured out as Shallow Night arrived. He saw how hunger weighed on his neighbors and reached the village entrance, where Fire Spring still burned.

• Qin Ming realized his mind had cleared and hoped he was recovering from the Strange Illness.
• Lu Ze brought Qin Ming Sun Stones and black-flour buns despite his own household’s food shortage.
• Qin Ming ate, felt his condition improve, and told Grandma Zhou and the neighbors he was nearly recovered.
• Grandma Zhou offered Qin Ming dried Earth Sweet Potato, but he refused to take her food.
• Qin Ming passed Yang Yongqing’s household, where a Black Mountain Goat ground Silver Wheat, then reached Fire Spring and saw its two enduring trees.

Qin Ming recovered in Double Tree Village, learned that danger had grown in the forest, and discovered that his long-practiced training had begun producing faint Silver Light. He decided to leave the next morning to find food for himself and the village.

• Qin Ming examined the Fire Spring and returned home to continue exercising while he recovered.
• Lu Ze and Lu Wenrui visited Qin Ming with food, and Lu Ze warned him that a great danger had appeared in the dense forest.
• Qin Ming recalled how he and three companions fell into an Earth Fissure, where Silver Light and strange forces affected them; he later found the Mineral Essence bottle among nearby corpses.
• Qin Ming's training produced faint Silver Light and left him feeling healthier, so he decided to set out the next morning.
• Qin Ming went to bed hungry, thinking of food and of fulfilling Lu Wenrui's wish for meat.

Qin Ming ventured into the wilderness to find a mutated animal and discovered a Mutant Red Squirrel with several stores of food. He returned with over thirty jin of dried fruit and the squirrel, while Lu Ze learned he had gone out alone and worried he was hunting a bear.

• Qin Ming left Double Tree Village armed and traveled through the snow to the edge of the mountain forest.
• A Human-faced Vulture attacked him from above, but he drove it away with his hunting fork.
• After spotting frost around a tree hollow, Qin Ming caught a Mutant Red Squirrel and found its store of dried fruit inside.
• Qin Ming discovered and emptied four of the squirrel's food stores, collecting over thirty jin of dried goods and tying up the squirrel.
• Villagers told Lu Ze that Qin Ming had gone into the wilderness fully armed, and Lu Ze worried he was hunting a bear.
• Qin Ming searched the nearby mountaintop, saw the distant dangerous mountains, and found no more squirrel hollows.

Qin Ming returned from a dangerous hunt with a Red Squirrel and a large store of food, then caught three villagers trying to rob him and later exposed them to the village. After sharing his haul and helping Grandma Zhou, he heard Lu Ze urge him to consider “New Life.”

• Qin Ming drove off a mysterious upright mutated creature in the forest and discovered Hu Yong, Ma Yang, and Wang Youping waiting to ambush him; he beat them and warned them to stop.
• A snow-white Weasel riding a donkey appeared near the forest, causing the mutated creature to flee beneath the snow.
• Qin Ming returned to Double Tree Village with a Red Squirrel and food, then told the villagers about the dangers outside and the attempted robbery.
• Lu Ze led villagers in beating Hu Yong, Ma Yang, and Wang Youping, while Qin Ming gave children nuts and left dried food for Grandma Zhou.
• At home, Qin Ming’s family praised his gathered food, and Lu Ze told him it was time to consider “New Life.”

Qin Empire Ming reconsidered his training after Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing warned that his Wild Style might be delaying his New Life. After sparing a clever Red Squirrel for Wen Rui and Wen Hui, he practiced in the yard and felt his body begin transforming, drawing the attention of a mysterious woman and her crow.

• Lu Ze told Qin Empire Ming that Er Bingzi achieved New Life with help from an Advanced Willpower Skill, and urged Qin Empire Ming to switch from Wild Style to Black Night Meditation Art.
• Qin Empire Ming agreed to take their advice but remained confident that his improved health and years of training would let him achieve New Life.
• Qin Empire Ming prepared to cook the Red Squirrel, but Wen Rui pleaded to keep it, so Qin Empire Ming gave it nuts and placed it in an iron cage for the children to raise.
• After Lu Ze left with the caged squirrel, Qin Empire Ming practiced Wild Style and felt silver ripples and flowing light spread across his skin as his strength and vitality surged.
• Qin Empire Ming raced toward the forest, where a crow told a mysterious woman that he was beginning New Life and might suit her teacher's search for a final disciple; she said there were better candidates and continued investigating the mountains.

Qin Ming’s New Life continued to strengthen him during the Golden Age, while hunger drove him to prepare for another trip into the wilderness. After Grandma Zhou died from secretly giving up her food for her family and a terrifying Higher Lifeform passed over Double Tree Village, Qin Ming renewed his resolve to gain strength and set out for the mountains.

• Qin Ming trained through the night and discovered that his New Life was still progressing, greatly increasing his strength and appetite.
• Lu Ze, Liang Wanqing, and Wen Rui witnessed Qin Ming lift both millstones and celebrated his New Life during the Golden Age.
• Qin Ming learned that Grandma Zhou had died after giving up her food to save rations for her injured son and grandchildren, then gave Zhou Changyu five pounds of nuts.
• A huge Higher Lifeform with golden eyes flew over Double Tree Village, stirring up a storm before disappearing into the night.
• Qin Ming’s New Life intensified after he practiced Dragon Spine Opening, and his growing hunger prompted him to leave for the wilderness in search of meat.

Qin Ming hunted in the dangerous mountain wilderness, killing a Saberhorn Deer and the mutated Donkey-Headed Wolf that had attacked him before. As a wounded, enormous Boar King hid in terror, Qin Ming saw a giant glowing insect rise into the night sky.

• Qin Ming met Yang Yongqing and Mountain Patrol Shao Chengfeng outside the village, where they discussed the dangerous mountains and the prospects of New Life Evolvers.
• Qin Ming ventured into the forest, found that carnivorous night birds had already eaten their prey, and followed hoofprints to a herd of Saberhorn Deer.
• Qin Ming shot a stag and killed it after it charged him, then was ambushed by a mutated Donkey-Headed Wolf and beat it to death.
• Qin Ming discovered an arrowhead in the wolf and realized it was the beast he had wounded during his earlier raid on a Red Squirrel nest.
• Qin Ming butchered the deer and wolf, but a wounded Boar King weighing at least fifteen hundred jin charged up the hill toward him.
• Qin Ming climbed a tree as the forest fell silent, then watched the Boar King hide beneath the snow when a brilliant insect rose into the sky.

Qin Ming escaped the mountains after witnessing the Moon Insect illuminate the night, then returned to Double Tree Village with a Saberhorn Deer and a Mutated Donkey-Headed Wolf. As he shared the meat with the villagers, his New Life accelerated into a profound transformation, and he fell into a deep sleep while Yang Yongqing wondered how far his potential might reach.

• Qin Ming watched the Moon Insect light the mountain forest, then used the moment when the beasts stayed dormant to carry his prey back to Double Tree Village.
• Qin Ming invited Lu Ze, Liang Wanqing, Wen Rui, Wen Hui, and the village children to eat the meat, and gave each household five pounds to take home.
• Qin Ming's body underwent an intense New Life transformation as he ate, while Lu Ze and Yang Yongqing observed his growing vitality.
• Qin Ming asked Lu Ze to distribute the remaining meat and to bring some to the Zhou Family for Grandma Zhou's burial, then washed and lay down to sleep.
• Yang Yongqing sensed Qin Ming's extraordinary transformation and considered whether he might someday approach the renowned youths of Bright City.

Qin Ming completed his New Life transformation, gaining exceptional strength and a strange golden-threaded cocoon that resembled a Jade Suit Sewn with Gold Threads. After the Mountain Patrol Group warned the village about upheaval in the mountains, Qin Ming and the other New Life Evolvers learned they might have to defend the settlements, while Feng Yi'an described a mysterious golden field deep in the mountains.

• Qin Ming expelled impurities through golden bristles during his New Life transformation, then fell into a deep hibernation as silver light and golden threads formed a cocoon around him.
• Qin Ming woke refreshed, tested his strength, and found he could support more than five hundred jin with one hand before bringing meat to Lu Ze's family.
• Xu Yueping tested Qin Ming's reflexes and strength, estimating that Qin Ming approached six hundred jin and surpassed local New Life Evolvers.
• Feng Yi'an told the village's seven New Life Evolvers that magnetic disturbances and strange events had unsettled the mountains, so they should prepare in case creatures escaped.
• Feng Yi'an reassured the villagers that powerful figures would enter the mountains and revealed that the city lord and an expert were expected to address threats such as Moon Insects and an unpredictable mountain lord.
• Feng Yi'an described a dazzling golden field deep in the mountains and wondered whose provisions it might be.

Qin Ming heard more about the Mountain Patrol’s dangerous work and saw Feng Yi'an entrust Xu Yueping with four Black Moon seeds, then villagers were attacked by a Blood Bear while hunting. Qin Ming and Xu Yueping suspected Mountain Patrol members had staged the attacks to punish Xu Yueping for refusing to plant the seeds, and Feng Yi'an arrived to apologize and promise to hunt the beast.

• Feng Yi'an described a White-Haired Old Beast’s grave ritual and the Mountain Patrol’s deadly battles, then asked Xu Yueping to grow four Black Moon seeds in the Fire Spring.
• Villagers began hunting in the mountains for food, but several groups returned injured after encounters with mutated beasts.
• Qin Ming found Lu Ze badly wounded after a Blood Bear attack, and Xu Yueping ordered the villagers to stop entering the mountains.
• Qin Ming noticed Lu Ze’s injuries seemed to include blows from a person, and Xu Yueping suspected the Mountain Patrol had retaliated because he refused to plant the seeds.
• Old Man Liu and Yang Yongqing suggested someone from the Mountain Patrol was using a Blood Bear hide to attack the villagers.
• Feng Yi'an arrived with four Mountain Patrol members, apologized for failing to protect the villagers, and said they would pursue the Blood Bear.

Qin Ming and Xu Yueping agreed to appease the corrupt Mountain Patrol Group temporarily while seeking a way to protect Double Tree Village. As they headed toward Silver Vine Town to explore a marriage alliance that might counter the threat, a huge swarm of Red Butterflies lit up the night.

• Feng Yi'an apologized for the Mountain Patrol Group’s attack and pressed Xu Yueping to plant the valuable Black Moon seeds, while Qin Ming restrained his anger to avoid endangering the village.
• Xu Yueping and Old Man Liu explained that the Mountain Patrol Group had cultivated mutated Black Moon and wanted it for the chance to achieve a Second New Life.
• Qin Ming learned about the patrol group’s strength, assessed his own abilities, and practiced close-quarters killing techniques.
• Qin Ming persuaded Xu Yueping to agree to plant the seeds temporarily and delay any confrontation until circumstances changed.
• Xu Yueping decided to take Qin Ming to Silver Vine Town to approach a secluded Old Noble about a marriage match that could help resolve the threat.
• On their way to Silver Vine Town, Qin Ming and Xu Yueping stopped as a vast swarm of Red Butterflies burst from the forest and filled the night sky.

Qin Ming and Xu Yueping traveled to Silver Vine Town, where Qin Ming saw the town’s Fire Spring and learned that distant nobles would not easily grant him an audience. After Xu Yueping met Feng Yi'an, Feng threatened him into agreeing to plant Black Moon, and Qin Ming left furious at the Mountain Patrol Group.

• Qin Ming and Xu Yueping watched a Mutated Plant bloom in the mountains, then continued toward Silver Vine Town with a musk deer they had hunted.
• Xu Yueping told Qin Ming to consider traveling to Red Haze City for academy examinations, then took him through Silver Vine Town and showed him its Fire Spring and Fire Clams.
• Xu Yueping visited the Old Noble’s home while Qin Ming waited at a bar, but Qin Ming recognized that the steward’s promise to arrange a meeting was only a polite dismissal.
• Feng Yi'an arrived at the bar and privately threatened Xu Yueping, slapped him, and pressured him to plant Black Moon.
• Qin Ming noticed the handprint on Xu Yueping’s face and left town with him, condemning Feng Yi'an and the Mountain Patrol Group for their repeated wrongdoing.

Qin Ming learned that the Mountain Patrol Group planned to pour Catalytic Liquid into Double Tree Village’s Fire Spring, then scouted their mountain stronghold and discovered their captive Snow Ape. After the group lied about the deaths it caused and tried to recruit him, Qin Ming learned they intended to use him as bait during the coming mountain sweep.

• Xu Yueping told Qin Ming that the Mountain Patrol Group would deliver Catalytic Liquid to Double Tree Village in three days, despite its harm to the Fire Field.
• Qin Ming and Xu Yueping encountered a giant rider, then Qin Ming saved Xu Yueping from a mutated Spiked Leopard and brought its meat back to the village.
• Qin Ming scouted the Mountain Patrol Group’s stronghold and saw a captive Snow Ape soaking in its Fire Spring.
• Uncle Qian died from injuries caused by the Snow Ape, and Feng Yi'an offered the grieving family a muntjac while Shao Chengfeng falsely claimed the dangerous beasts had been killed.
• Shao Chengfeng invited Qin Ming to join the Mountain Patrol Group, but Qin Ming refused.
• The Mountain Patrol Group members said they would eliminate Qin Ming or use him to scout the way to the dying Fire Spring in Blood Bamboo Forest.

Qin Empire Ming prepared to confront the Mountain Patrol Group over its abuses and set out for its stronghold in a snowstorm. He ambushed and killed four members on the way, then advanced toward the stronghold where Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and Shao Chengfeng were waiting.

• Qin Empire Ming heard Old Man Liu and Xu Yueping describe the Mountain Patrol Group’s violence and resolved to investigate and stop it.
• Qin Empire Ming prepared his bow, arrows, and supplies, then traveled through the mountains toward the group’s stronghold.
• Qin Empire Ming reached a ridge overlooking the stronghold and recognized Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and Shao Chengfeng among those already there.
• Qin Empire Ming ambushed and killed the first arriving Mountain Patrol member, overcoming his unease at his first human kill.
• Qin Empire Ming killed three more Mountain Patrol members as they approached, then continued alone toward the stronghold.

Qin Ming attacked the Mountain Patrol Group’s camp and fought Fu Entao, revealing strength that shocked the patrols who recognized him as a youth from Double Tree Village. The battle moved into the forest, where Qin Ming killed the Mountain Patrol Group’s Snow Ape, while his fight with Fu Entao remained unresolved.

• Qin Ming hid his bow and supplies, approached the Mountain Patrol Group’s camp, and attacked Fu Entao with arrows before killing the charging Golden Mastiff with an Iron Spear.
• Qin Ming threw another Iron Spear at Feng Yi'an, then deliberately sent one past Fu Entao to pierce and pin a pursuing Mountain Patrol to a tree.
• Fu Entao charged Qin Ming with his saber, but Qin Ming deflected the blade with an Iron Spear and struck Fu Entao’s Blackgold Bracer with his Firewood Chopping Knife, forcing him to retreat.
• Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng recognized Qin Ming, and Fu Entao ordered them to surround him as Qin Ming and Fu Entao continued fighting into the forest.
• The Mountain Patrol Group’s Snow Ape ambushed Qin Ming from a tree, but Qin Ming evaded its pounce and cut it in two with his Firewood Chopping Knife.

Qin Ming fought Fu Entao and the remaining Mountain Patrol members near the Fire Spring, using his strength and layered armor to defeat them. He left Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng pinned to the ground and revealed that he had only recently undergone New Life, while Fu Entao was still wounded and standing.

• Qin Ming killed the Mountain Patrol member who attacked him, then confronted Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and Shao Chengfeng.
• Qin Ming provoked Fu Entao and the two others into fighting rather than fleeing, and battled Fu Entao amid the forest and Fire Spring.
• Fu Entao and the others seized on Qin Ming's apparent disadvantage and attacked together, but Qin Ming's layered armor blocked Fu Entao's downward strike.
• Feng Yi'an fled, but Qin Ming hurled an Iron Spear into his back and pinned him to the ground.
• Qin Ming caught Shao Chengfeng, cut off his right arm, and pinned him down with an Iron Spear.
• Qin Ming told Fu Entao he had only recently undergone New Life, shocking Fu Entao and confirming Feng Yi'an's realization that Qin Ming had not undergone Second New Life.

Qin Ming killed the Mountain Patrol Group, searched their camp for valuables, and erased the evidence before returning to town. After sharing a meal with Lu Ze and Wen Rui, he considered how to ask Old Man Liu about the Blood Bamboo Forest and pursue his Second New Life.

• Qin Ming executed Shao Chengfeng, Fu Entao, and Feng Yi'an after they refused to reveal the Blood Bamboo Forest's location.
• Qin Ming looted the Mountain Patrol Group's Night Silver, Day Gold, weapons, and Sword Manual, then destroyed the cabins and disposed of the bodies.
• Qin Ming returned home, cleaned up, and visited Lu Ze with wild donkey meat for a meal with Lu Ze and Wen Rui.
• Lu Ze advised Qin Ming to carefully consider his Second New Life, and Qin Ming later planned how to question Old Man Liu about the Blood Bamboo Forest.

Qin Ming joined Xu Yueping and other New Life Evolvers from nearby villages to meet three teams from Red Haze City, who recruited local guides for a mountain sweep and offered rewards for clues about dangerous mountain phenomena. Wei Zhirou noticed Qin Ming and Zhou Wubing, but after learning more about Zhou Wubing, she chose him, leaving Qin Ming's place in the expedition undecided.

• Xu Yueping gathered Qin Ming and other villagers to travel to a crossroads and meet the Red Haze City visitors.
• Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing explained the mountain sweep, offered rewards for useful discoveries, and warned the villagers about dangerous Nodes and new high-level beings in the mountains.
• Mu Qing revealed a fluffy golden tail beneath his cloak, surprising Qin Ming and the village New Life Evolvers.
• Cao Long invited the villagers to join the sweep as guides, and Wei Zhirou began choosing companions for her team.
• Wei Zhirou called for Zhou Wubing and Qin Ming, then chose Zhou Wubing after a young man told her about his past and training from Xu Kong.

Qin Ming was chosen by Mu Qing for the mountain sweep and learned from Old Man Liu about the deadly Blood Snakes in the Blood Bamboo Forest. After realizing the Mountain Patrol Group might find the snakes frozen by the extinguished Fire Spring, Qin Ming went to the mountains the next morning.

• Mu Qing chose Qin Ming, gave him a black-gold hammer and a short sword, and selected a team that included Old Man Liu.
• Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing returned to Silver Vine Town with their chosen New Life Evolvers and seasoned fighters as they awaited negotiations with the mountain creatures.
• Qin Ming visited Old Man Liu with donkey meat, learned about the Blood Bamboo Forest's deadly Blood Snakes, and heard that the extinguished Fire Spring might leave them frozen.
• Old Man Liu realized Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng might already have seized the opportunity to collect the Blood Snakes, and Qin Ming returned home to sleep.
• Qin Ming woke early the next day, finished breakfast, and headed into the mountains.

Qin Empire Ming studied the Sword Manual, improving his combat skills and learning the secret method Harmonizing with Light and Dust to conceal his life force. After burying the book again, he headed toward the Blood Bamboo Forest.

• Qin Empire Ming calmed himself, retrieved the Sword Manual, and studied it while practicing its saber forms with the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer.
• Qin Empire Ming used the Throwing Blade Stance to kill a mutated Human-faced Vulture, driving other nearby creatures away.
• Qin Empire Ming learned from the Sword Manual about Heavenly Light Force and the danger higher lifeforms posed to those with visible life force.
• Qin Empire Ming studied Harmonizing with Light and Dust and began learning to conceal his life force.
• Qin Empire Ming buried the Sword Manual again and set off toward the Blood Bamboo Forest.

Qin Empire Ming investigated the Blood Bamboo Forest’s Blood Snakes and prepared to attack their nest as the Fire Spring weakened. After killing a group of outsiders who tried to silence him, he returned to the mountains and spotted another group approaching the glowing valley.

• Qin Empire Ming drew Blood Snakes out with a snow rabbit, observed their behavior, and hid weapons and armor near the Blood Bamboo Forest.
• Qin Empire Ming saw riders from Golden Chicken Ridge and later met two Black Robed Figures and two guides from the Three-Eyed Sect, who ordered the guides to kill him.
• Qin Empire Ming killed the two Three-Eyed Sect guides, then defeated the Black Robed Figures with his Black Gold Hammer and short sword.
• Qin Empire Ming returned to the Blood Bamboo Forest and watched the Fire Spring’s red glow fade as he waited for a chance to act.
• Qin Empire Ming saw Earth Light illuminate the mountains and noticed a group approaching the Blood Bamboo Forest, so he hid to see whether they would test the Blood Snakes.

Qin Empire Ming watched Liu Huaishan’s Mountain Patrol group attack the Blood Snake nest, then ambushed an injured Blood Snake and killed it with his Long-handled Black Gold Hammer and blade. As he gathered the snakes he had killed, people in the distance shot arrows at him, revealing a new threat.

• Qin Empire Ming saw Liu Huaishan lead ten Mountain Patrol members into the valley to smoke out the Blood Snakes.
• Two great Blood Snakes attacked the fleeing Mountain Patrol group, killing and wounding several members despite Liu Huaishan’s attempt to slash one.
• Qin Empire Ming hurled iron spears at the injured Blood Snake returning to the valley, then smashed its head with his Long-handled Black Gold Hammer and cut it off with his blade.
• Qin Empire Ming killed six smaller Blood Snakes that approached him and began collecting the corpses.
• Several people fired iron arrows at Qin Empire Ming, who dodged and accused them of trying to ambush him.

Qin Ming fought off a group from Red Haze City and Golden Chicken Ridge who tried to take his Blood Snake, using traps and his weapons to kill their pursuers. After Wang Nianzhu killed another Blood Snake and chased after him, Qin Ming defeated him too, leaving with a second Blood Snake.

• A young man from Red Haze City tried to recruit Qin Ming and take his Blood Snake, but Qin Ming refused and used the returning Blood Snake to create a chance to escape.
• Qin Ming fled through the forest, where one pursuer stepped on a hidden iron spear, then turned and killed the Second New Life Evolver who had caught up to him.
• Wang Nianzhu killed the Blood Snake and drove Liu Huaishan and the Mountain Patrols away, then followed Qin Ming's tracks.
• Qin Ming killed the two pursuers from Golden Chicken Ridge and the weakest member from Red Haze City, then used hidden weapons to wound Wang Nianzhu and his injured companion.
• Qin Ming killed Wang Nianzhu with the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer and collected the second Blood Snake.

Qin Ming returned from the mountains with spoils after killing the Mountain Patrols who had pursued the Blood Snake, then waited as their disappearance sparked a major investigation. As portraits of the blue-black-faced swordsman spread through the region, Qin Ming prepared to undergo his Second New Life.

• Qin Ming stripped the dead swordsman of his armor and valuables, buried the bodies, and brought a Blood Snake home inside a wild bull.
• Qin Ming practiced his hammer-saber forms and Light Harmony and Dust while the Mountain Patrols began investigating Fu Entao and the others' disappearance.
• Xu Yueping told the villagers that Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and their group were presumed dead, while Mountain Patrols questioned Xu Kong and Liu Huaishan.
• Liu Huaishan blamed a blue-black-faced swordsman, and his men drew portraits of Wang Nianzhu that were distributed to nearby towns.
• Qin Ming drank with Xu Yueping and Old Man Liu, then took out the Blood Snakes and decided he was ready for his Second New Life.

Qin Ming ate the Blood Snake’s meat and bitter gallbladder, triggering his Second New Life and strengthening his body and spiritual consciousness. As he slept, recovered childhood memories began to surface, and he glimpsed someone showing his younger self an ancient booklet.

• Qin Ming peeled the Blood Snake, cooked its meat, and ate the meat and its intensely bitter blue gallbladder.
• The Blood Snake’s spiritual essence heated Qin Ming’s body, so he practiced with the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer as his Second New Life began.
• Qin Ming sensed his strength, senses, and spiritual vitality increasing while he considered how his chosen New Life Method might change his body.
• After replenishing himself with snake soup and sleeping, Qin Ming experienced his consciousness lifting a veil over blurred childhood memories.
• Qin Ming saw a rough, large hand open a thin ancient booklet before his childhood self, while a voice said the path could no longer be practiced to completion.