Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into the body of a poor wine-shop worker, Jiang Qinghe endured abuse from steward Qiu San while saving money to attend Wanping Martial Academy. He returned to his family home remembering how his sister Jiang Ziyue had sacrificed her own earnings to help him pursue martial arts.

• Jiang Qinghe recalled how he had transmigrated after seeing a flood dragon and learned the life story of the orphaned body he now inhabited.
• Jiang Qinghe resolved to save twenty taels for admission to Wanping Martial Academy despite his poverty and lack of martial training.
• Qiu San mocked Jiang Qinghe, ordered him to chop more firewood and clean the dishes, then struck him twice on the back of the head with his fan.
• Jiang Qinghe finished his work and returned to the dilapidated courtyard where he had lived with his grandfather and Jiang Ziyue.
• Jiang Qinghe remembered Jiang Ziyue saving her wages to help him afford martial academy fees.

Jiang Qinghe awakened a system that turned his daily training into Potential Points, which he used to improve his Wood Splitting Skill and greatly increase his strength. The next morning, he found signs of gang violence in Lin'an County before heading to the Red Leaf Wine Shop to begin another day of work.

• Jiang Qinghe discovered a system that awarded Potential Points for his daily cultivation and could trade Lifespan for more points.
• He spent a Potential Point to raise his Wood Splitting Skill to Minor Accomplishment and felt his strength increase roughly threefold.
• Jiang Qinghe considered the system's Lifespan cost and wondered whether he might one day uncover the origins of the Silver Shuttle Pendant he had found with his body.
• At dawn, Jiang Qinghe spotted three corpses bearing a Green Wolf Gang tattoo in an alley and quietly walked around them.
• He bought two flatbreads from Uncle Liu at the subdued West Street market and went to the Red Leaf Wine Shop to chop firewood.

Jiang Qinghe used his improved strength to chop wood with ease, then challenged Steward Qiu San for withholding his wages and threw him to the ground. He recovered his full pay, while Qiu San threatened revenge, and Jiang Qinghe ended the chapter closer to saving the twenty taels needed to enter Wanping Martial Academy.

• Jiang Qinghe chopped wood far more efficiently after his strength tripled and sensed that the Wood Splitting Skill was nearing its next level.
• Qiu San docked 200 copper coins from Jiang Qinghe's wages, but Jiang Qinghe demanded a reason and threw Qiu San over his shoulder when he grabbed him.
• Zhang Deqing ordered Qiu San to pay Jiang Qinghe his full 300 copper coins, and Qiu San threatened him before leaving.
• Li Mu warned Zhang Deqing to prepare excellent wine for Boss Tu, then the servants returned to their work.
• Jiang Qinghe counted his 300 copper coins and realized he was one final step from saving the twenty taels needed to enter Wanping Martial Academy.

Jiang Qinghe returned home to find Qiu San and two lackeys had ransacked his house and stolen his nineteen taels of silver. When they attacked him, Jiang Qinghe fought back and killed Qiu San, leaving the two lackeys unconscious.

• Jiang Qinghe found Qiu San and two lackeys waiting in his ransacked home with his saved silver.
• A lackey attacked Jiang Qinghe with an iron shovel, but Jiang Qinghe dodged and escaped into the courtyard.
• Jiang Qinghe hurled a stone at the short lackey, then struck the tall lackey with the shovel and knocked him unconscious.
• Qiu San attacked with a dagger, but Jiang Qinghe disarmed him, broke his arm, and stabbed him in the chest.
• Jiang Qinghe approached the unconscious lackeys with the dagger as the courtyard fell silent.

After burying Qiu San and his two men, Jiang Qinghe stayed at the tavern to avoid suspicion and continued training the Wood Splitting Skill. He reached Major Accomplishment and demonstrated immense strength, but his realm remained Not Initiated, leaving him to seek answers at Wanping Martial Academy.

• Jiang Qinghe buried Qiu San and the two men beneath the old tree, then hid the silver he had taken from them.
• Jiang Qinghe decided to remain at the tavern for several days, training the Wood Splitting Skill while waiting for news of the men's disappearance to spread.
• Jiang Qinghe overheard the tavern laborers speculate that Qiu San and his companions had gone drinking and visiting a brothel, and realized no one suspected him.
• Jiang Qinghe trained until the Wood Splitting Skill reached Major Accomplishment and his Potential Points rose to three.
• Jiang Qinghe lifted a two-hundred-jin wine vat with ease, estimated his strength exceeded six hundred jin, and concluded that he would need Wanping Martial Academy to learn about the orthodox martial path.

When Iron Saber Gang Hall Master Liao Hu questioned the tavern laborers about the missing Qiu San, Jiang Qinghe tried to conceal his role in Qiu San’s death. Qiu San’s wife accused Jiang Qinghe, and after he dodged her lunge, Liao Hu attacked him, leaving Jiang Qinghe on the verge of revealing his strength.

• Zhang Deqing gathered the laborers in the front hall to answer Liao Hu’s questions about Qiu San.
• Jiang Qinghe recalled the circumstances of killing Qiu San and tried to reassure himself that no witnesses had seen or heard the fight.
• A laborer told Liao Hu that Jiang Qinghe had argued and fought with Qiu San over the accounts.
• Jiang Qinghe said he had stayed at the tavern until late and had not seen Qiu San afterward.
• Qiu San’s wife lunged at Jiang Qinghe, but he dodged and she fell to the floor.
• Liao Hu blamed Jiang Qinghe for dodging and grabbed for his shoulder blade, prompting Jiang Qinghe to prepare to block.

Zhao Guangyi stopped Liao Hu from intimidating the Red Leaf Wine Shop’s servants, and a clue about Qiu San’s whereabouts sent Liao Hu and his cousin away. After West Street fell under the Iron Saber Gang’s control, Jiang Qinghe focused on the possibility of changing his life by entering Wanping Martial Academy.

• Zhao Guangyi arrived at the wine shop, refused Liao Hu’s offer of drinks, and ordered soy-braised pork elbows.
• A servant said he had seen Steward Qiu heading toward Yihong Courtyard, and Zhao Guangyi mocked Liao Hu until he left with his cousin.
• The Magistrate’s Manor sent a constable to ask routine questions, then dropped the inquiry into Qiu San’s disappearance.
• The Iron Saber Gang won control of West Street and began collecting protection money from its shops and street vendors.
• While chopping firewood, Jiang Qinghe considered the cost of martial training and saw Wanping Martial Academy as his hope of escaping poverty.

Jiang Qinghe perfected his Wood Splitting Skill and decided to leave his job to seek training at Wanping Martial Academy. Before he could collect his wages, the Iron Saber Gang arrived for a feast, and Tu Baichuan realized the wine had been drugged.

• Jiang Qinghe’s Wood Splitting Skill reached perfection, and he concluded that only a new technique could help him advance further.
• Jiang Qinghe told Zhang Deqing he planned to quit and attend Wanping Martial Academy, and Zhang agreed to settle his wages after closing.
• Li Mu and Liao Hu led more than twenty Iron Saber Gang members into the tavern and ordered the staff to serve them.
• Tu Baichuan arrived to celebrate his birthday and the gang’s takeover of West Street, then drank with his men.
• Tu Baichuan grew dizzy, smashed the table, drew his saber, and demanded to know who had drugged the wine.

Li Mu poisoned and ambushed Tu Baichuan, killing him and slaughtering the people in the wine shop. Jiang Qinghe escaped the massacre and hid in the alleys, while Li Mu ordered his men to hunt him down later.

• Li Mu stabbed Tu Baichuan with a poisoned shortsword and joined forces with a fellow Incense Master to attack him.
• As the poison weakened Tu Baichuan, Li Mu and the traitors overwhelmed him, and Li Mu stabbed him through the heart.
• Jiang Qinghe witnessed the attack, found the small gate guarded, and escaped over a wall into a narrow alley.
• Liao Hu cornered Zhang Deqing and the attendants, and Li Mu killed Zhang Deqing before ordering everyone else killed.
• After the gang searched the corpses and noticed Jiang Qinghe was missing, Li Mu ordered his men to deal with him later.
• Jiang Qinghe evaded pursuit through the alleys and hid beside a crumbling wall.

Jiang Qinghe arrived at Wanping Martial Academy and enrolled as a Martial Disciple, where Zhao Guangyi arranged his training clothes and introduced him to the academy’s rules and history. The chapter left Jiang Qinghe preparing to join the training ground and pursue the demanding goal of becoming Elder Ping’s disciple.

• Jiang Qinghe left home at dawn, bought provisions, and reached Wanping Martial Academy.
• Jiang Qinghe paid the entrance fee and entered the academy, where he recognized Martial Instructor Zhao as Zhao Guangyi.
• Zhao Guangyi welcomed Jiang Qinghe as a Martial Disciple and told Xiao Hei to provide him with training clothes and boots.
• Xiao Hei explained that Zhao Guangyi was Elder Ping’s fifth disciple and described the paths taken by Elder Ping’s other disciples, including Zhu Ning, who led the Iron Saber Gang.
• Xiao Hei told Jiang Qinghe that he had to perfect the first great realm within a year to qualify as Elder Ping’s disciple.
• Xiao Hei showed Jiang Qinghe his room and training clothes, then urged him to join Zhao Guangyi at the training ground.

Jiang Qinghe attended Zhao Guangyi’s lesson on Body Tempering, learning how the Iron Shirt Skill strengthened the body and how to perform the Rock Crushing Palm. The lesson ended with Zhao Guangyi distributing cultivation manuals and Blood Activating Powder and announcing an assessment in half a month.

• Zhao Guangyi explained the three stages of the Iron Shirt Skill and demonstrated how Gong Jie’s Copper Skin dispersed the force of a blow but could still be marked by sharp objects.
• Zhao Guangyi taught the three forms of the Rock Crushing Palm and split a Stone Lock with the Mountain Crushing form.
• Zhao Guangyi gave the apprentices the Iron Shirt Skill and Rock Crushing Palm booklets, warning them not to copy or leak the techniques outside the academy.
• Zhao Guangyi explained how to use Blood Activating Powder and ended the lesson, telling the apprentices to practice and announcing an assessment in half a month.

After a day of training at Wanping Martial Academy, Jiang Qinghe used his saved Potential Points to advance the Iron Shirt Skill to Minor Accomplishment and enter the Copper Skin realm. He tested his tougher skin and began considering the realm’s limited increase in strength.

• Jiang Qinghe studied the Iron Shirt Skill and Rock Crushing Palm, then spent the morning practicing until exhaustion forced him to rest.
• Jiang Qinghe watched other Martial Disciples leave to recover or find work, knowing that his dry flatbread was his only food for the next few days.
• After training until dusk, Jiang Qinghe gained one Potential Point and saw that his realm had reached Body Tempering (Beginner).
• Jiang Qinghe spent his saved Potential Points to advance the Iron Shirt Skill to Minor Accomplishment, enduring intense pain as his skin membranes strengthened.
• Jiang Qinghe scraped a sharp stone shard across his forearm and found that his new Copper Skin resisted it, though the increase in strength seemed modest.
• A deep, powerful voice suddenly sounded beside Jiang Qinghe.

Jiang Qinghe learned how expensive martial cultivation was and used his first dose of Blood Activating Powder in a medicinal bath. The bath advanced his Iron Shirt Skill by one point, and he began considering how to obtain more medicine from Anrenfang Pharmacy.

• Gong Jie warned Jiang Qinghe not to overtrain and explained that medicinal baths and pills could replenish qi and blood.
• Gong Jie described the costs of cultivation and offered to help Jiang Qinghe practice the Rock Crushing Palm the next day.
• Jiang Qinghe returned to the martial quarters and used his monthly dose of Blood Activating Powder in the public medicinal bathhouse.
• The medicinal bath eased Jiang Qinghe's exhaustion and raised his Iron Shirt Skill progress by one point.
• Jiang Qinghe wished he could bathe in the medicine daily and began forming a plan involving Anrenfang Pharmacy.

After surviving the massacre at the Red Leaf Wine Shop, Jiang Qinghe visited the Magistrate's Manor to reassure his younger sister, Jiang Ziyue. He left her comforted and promised to become strong enough to take her away from the manor.

• Jiang Qinghe heard townspeople whispering about the massacre and worried that Li Mu might realize he had escaped.
• Jiang Qinghe entered the Magistrate's Manor through its rear entrance after paying Granny He to arrange a meeting with Jiang Ziyue.
• Jiang Ziyue rushed to Jiang Qinghe in tears, relieved that he had survived the wine shop massacre.
• Jiang Qinghe told Jiang Ziyue that he had become a Martial Disciple and returned the money she had saved for his martial academy expenses.
• Jiang Qinghe promised Jiang Ziyue that he would become a Martial Practitioner and take her out of the manor, then left after telling her to take care of herself.

Jiang Qinghe bought four doses of Blood Activating Powder in Anren Ward, where he was insulted by Qin Wu and protected by Captain Zhao. On his way home, he passed the sealed Red Leaf Wine Shop and reflected on how its murdered workers would soon be forgotten.

• Jiang Qinghe visited a pharmacy hall in Anren Ward and spent eight taels of silver on four doses of Blood Activating Powder.
• Qin Wu mocked Jiang Qinghe for belonging to Wanping Martial Academy and blocked his way outside the pharmacy.
• Captain Zhao stopped the confrontation, warned Qin Wu, and told Jiang Qinghe he had once been a Martial Disciple at Elder Ping's academy.
• Jiang Qinghe left Anren Ward and passed the sealed Red Leaf Wine Shop, reflecting on the slaughter of its workers and the case likely going unresolved.

Jiang Qinghe advanced to Major Accomplishment in Body Tempering and improved his Rock Crushing Palm through sparring with Gong Jie. On his way back from the academy, Liao Hu and five Iron Saber Gang members cornered him and demanded to know whether he was involved in Qiu San’s disappearance.

• Jiang Qinghe used his recent training to reach Major Accomplishment in Body Tempering, raising his strength to sixteen hundred pounds.
• Jiang Qinghe sparred with Gong Jie, learning from his Mountain Shattering stance and advancing his Rock Crushing Palm to Beginner—3/4 despite losing after a hundred exchanges.
• Jiang Qinghe realized his growing appetite and dwindling copper coins meant he would soon need to find a way to earn money.
• Liao Hu and five other Iron Saber Gang members surrounded Jiang Qinghe in an alley and questioned him about Qiu San’s disappearance.

Jiang Qinghe killed Liao Hu and five other Iron Saber Gang members after Liao Hu ambushed him, then discovered money and a movement manual among their spoils. Knowing Li Mu might retaliate, Jiang Qinghe decided to stay and cultivate at the martial academy.

• Jiang Qinghe used a Potential Point to raise Rock Crushing Palm to Minor Accomplishment and killed the burly gang member who attacked him.
• Jiang Qinghe escaped the gang members’ encirclement and killed three of them with powerful palm strikes.
• Liao Hu threw poisoned darts at Jiang Qinghe and fled, but Jiang Qinghe caught up, killed another gang member, and forced Liao Hu to answer questions before killing him.
• Jiang Qinghe searched the six bodies and found five gold leaves, twenty taels of patterned silver, and a booklet labeled Levitation Technique.
• Jiang Qinghe realized Li Mu might seek revenge and resolved to cultivate safely within the martial academy.

Jiang Qinghe displayed his rapid progress at the martial academy’s strength assessment by lifting the thousand-jin Stone Lock. Zhao Guangyi was shocked by his achievement and led him to a pavilion deep within the academy.

• Jiang Qinghe reviewed his cultivation progress and resolved to keep training until he could better protect himself.
• Zhao Guangyi held a strength assessment, where Wang Er lifted a three-hundred-jin Stone Lock and Gong Jie lifted a seven-hundred-jin Stone Lock.
• When his turn came, Jiang Qinghe passed the lighter Stone Locks and challenged the thousand-jin Stone Lock.
• Jiang Qinghe lifted the thousand-jin Stone Lock, held it overhead, and turned around once before setting it down.
• Zhao Guangyi asked whether Jiang Qinghe had reached Perfection in Iron Shirt Skill, and Jiang Qinghe said he had reached Great Accomplishment.
• After the assessment, Zhao Guangyi took Jiang Qinghe to a pavilion deep within the martial academy.

Jiang Qinghe met Elder Ping, who tested his body and gave him two Bear Tendon Pills, then told him to return after reaching the perfected realm. Back at the training ground, Jiang Qinghe learned that Gong Jie would soon leave the martial academy and return to his family’s escort agency.

• Zhao Guangyi brought Jiang Qinghe to meet Elder Ping, who swiftly examined Jiang Qinghe’s acupoints and praised his solid foundation.
• Elder Ping gave Jiang Qinghe two Bear Tendon Pills, instructed him to take each in five doses with at least three days between doses, and told him to return upon reaching the perfected realm.
• Elder Ping privately wondered whether Jiang Qinghe had a special physique or had eaten a spiritual fruit, and decided to observe him longer.
• Zhao Guangyi explained the pills’ value and encouraged Jiang Qinghe to cultivate diligently, then showed him where he lived.
• The Martial Disciples gathered around Jiang Qinghe after he returned, while he kept his meeting with Elder Ping brief and later sparred with Gong Jie.
• Gong Jie told Jiang Qinghe that his time at the academy was ending and that he would return to his father’s escort agency, lamenting that he would rarely practice there again.

Jiang Qinghe perfected his Iron Shirt Skill, greatly increasing his strength and defense, before learning that Golden Thunder Martial Academy had challenged Wanping Martial Academy over the Blood Activating Powder supply. He and Gong Jie were chosen to compete the next day, leaving Jiang Qinghe to prepare for a difficult contest against Golden Thunder’s stronger disciples.

• Jiang Qinghe used Potential Points to perfect his Iron Shirt Skill, merging skin and flesh and raising his strength to nineteen hundred jin.
• Jiang Qinghe went to the training grounds and found Golden Thunder Martial Academy confronting Wanping Martial Academy over the reduced Blood Activating Powder supply.
• He Chong challenged Wanping to a best-of-three contest, with the winners receiving seventy percent of the powder and the losers thirty percent.
• Gong Jie explained that Golden Thunder had a perfected-realm prodigy named Qin Wu and two other experienced fighters at Great Accomplishment.
• Zhao Guangyi selected Jiang Qinghe, Gong Jie, and Wang Er to represent Wanping in the contest the following day.
• Jiang Qinghe recognized Qin Wu as the arrogant youth he had encountered at the pharmacy hall and resolved to train for the match.