Recaps

Fang Cheng searched the East Capital Library for clues to the strange writing on a postcard and met Lin Chuqiao, a lecturer who confirmed the symbols formed a writing system. She suggested folklore books and a New Year lecture by an expert in ancient human languages, leaving Fang Cheng with new leads to investigate.

• Fang Cheng spent the morning comparing academic books in hopes of deciphering the postcard's strange symbols but found no clues.
• Fang Cheng noticed Lin Chuqiao, a lecturer who had caught his attention on a previous library visit, and later spoke with her about the postcard.
• Lin Chuqiao examined the postcard and told Fang Cheng the symbols followed patterns characteristic of writing, possibly used by a particular community or profession.
• Lin Chuqiao recommended folklore books and a library lecture by a specialist in ancient human languages during the New Year's holiday.
• Fang Cheng thanked Lin Chuqiao and introduced himself as a sparring partner at the Boxing Gym.

Fang Cheng advanced his handstand push-ups and Eastern Ocean Language to Expert Level, allocated his attribute rewards, and continued training and studying. He headed to the Global Elite Fighting Club for sparring, where he learned he would receive a New Year’s red envelope and set his sights on his waiting Muay Thai partner.

• Fang Cheng reached Expert Level in handstand push-ups, raised his constitution to 30, and distributed his remaining attribute points among strength, agility, and spirit.
• Fang Cheng cooked a nourishing meal, worried about saving money for his grandfather’s treatment, and reached Expert Level in Eastern Ocean Language while studying.
• Fang Cheng passed Wen Xin’s Mother outside her home without speaking to her.
• Chen Xiaohai told Fang Cheng that the Club’s big boss would hand out New Year’s red envelopes to outstanding employees, and Fang Cheng had earned a place among them.
• Fang Cheng put on his protective gear and turned toward his waiting Muay Thai sparring partner, who felt uneasy under his gaze.

Fang Cheng practiced Tai Chi under Wu Datong’s guidance and explored its principles during a Push Hands match with Ma Donghe. After using his insight to unbalance Ma Donghe, Fang Cheng unlocked the Tai Chi skill.

• Wu Datong corrected Fang Cheng’s twenty-four-form Tai Chi and explained its principles and how to practice it with the Breathing Technique.
• Ma Donghe asked Fang Cheng to spar, and Wu Datong suggested they try one-handed Push Hands while Ma Donghe’s arm healed.
• Fang Cheng entered Focus and used Tai Chi’s principles to sense and neutralize Ma Donghe’s force.
• Fang Cheng found an opening and sent Ma Donghe stumbling, surprising him with an unorthodox move.
• The Panel announced that Fang Cheng had mastered a Combat Skill and unlocked Tai Chi lv0.

Fang Cheng prepared for his graduate entrance exams while arranging to learn live-fire shooting and protecting his mother from a possible threat. After Li Biyun came home, he hid his weapons and resolved to keep his family safe.

• Fang Cheng reflected on Tai Chi and Jiu-Jitsu, then told Wu Datong he would be busy with exams.
• Fang Cheng asked Ma Donghe about a place to practice shooting, and Ma Donghe offered to arrange one after the exams.
• Fang Cheng spotted Wen Xin admiring pink shoes and checked the date on his Lucky Card: January 1, Year 83.
• Li Biyun returned home with gifts and gave Fang Cheng a Golden List Inscription Talisman for his exams.
• Fang Cheng persuaded Li Biyun to return to the hospital, hid his handgun and Butterfly Knife, and resolved to protect his family from whoever sent the postcard.

After finishing his graduate exams, Fang Cheng went with Ma Donghe to an underground shooting range owned by the East City Association. He quickly mastered shooting and impressed Ma Donghe, then moved on to the difficult moving targets.

• Fang Cheng finished his graduate exams and met Ma Donghe and Chen Yingjun outside the university.
• Ma Donghe drove Fang Cheng to the East City Association's villa and warned him to keep quiet about the shooting range.
• Fang Cheng registered under a false name and began practicing with a training pistol under an instructor's guidance.
• Fang Cheng improved from a seven-ring hit to a bull's-eye at fifty meters and unlocked Gun Technique lv0.
• Fang Cheng told Ma Donghe he was only starting to get a feel for shooting, then moved on to practice with moving targets.

Fang Cheng improved his shooting enough to unlock the Ghost Shooting special effect, then bought ammunition at the Underground Shooting Range. An air-raid siren warned that monsters had emerged from the Western Mountains, and Fang Cheng left with Ma Donghe rather than investigate.

• Fang Cheng hit thirty moving targets in his first round and raised his Gun Technique to Level 0 with 52 experience.
• Fang Cheng improved his aim in a second round, reached Expert Level, and unlocked the Ghost Shooting special effect.
• Fang Cheng followed safety procedures, paid 3,900 yuan for the session, and declined a monthly membership.
• Fang Cheng bought three magazines of ammunition and a silencer from the Underground Shooting Range's hidden shop.
• Fang Cheng, Ma Donghe, and the shopkeeper heard an air-raid siren and learned that monsters had emerged from the Western Mountains.
• Fang Cheng watched distant gunfire in the mountains, then left with Ma Donghe and Huang Mao instead of investigating.

Fang Cheng invited Wen Xin to dinner with Ma Donghe and Huang Mao, then escorted her home and saw how dire her living conditions were. Before leaving, he asked Zhou Xiumei to help with something, setting up a plan for the following afternoon.

• Fang Cheng spotted Wen Xin at North Point Night Market and invited her to join them for barbecue.
• Ma Donghe drank heavily and mourned his dead brothers and his failures while Fang Cheng comforted him and sent away the remaining beer.
• Fang Cheng and Wen Xin returned to her basement room, where Fang Cheng found her mother drugged and lying on the floor.
• Wen Xin asked whether Fang Cheng would look down on her, and he reassured her before telling her to stay home the next afternoon.
• Fang Cheng asked Zhou Xiumei for help, and she agreed to carry out his request.

Fang Cheng attended Professor Hao’s lecture on primeval vowels and heard an audio recording deciphered from the Western Mountains Underground Palace. The recording triggered a powerful resonance in him, and his language skills on the Panel began gaining experience rapidly.

• Fang Cheng sat in on Professor Hao’s lecture at the East Capital Library, where Lin Chuqiao arrived and took a seat beside him.
• Professor Hao explained how primeval vowels formed the roots of human languages and connected them to ancient beliefs and the Xia language family.
• Professor Hao said discoveries from the Western Mountains ruins supported her theory and prepared an audio recording deciphered from primitive writing in the Underground Palace.
• Lin Chuqiao told Fang Cheng that the recording might contain the answer he was seeking.
• The recording began with a deep moo, stirring a strange resonance in Fang Cheng and making his language-skill experience values rise on the Panel.

Fang Cheng gained language skill experience from Professor Hao’s strange recording, and Lin Chuqiao secretly gave him a copy. After testing it at home and advancing Eastern Ocean Language to Level 2, he remembered a gift and hurried to Zhou Xiumei’s door.

• Fang Cheng learned that the recording was restricted, then left the lecture hall without borrowing Professor Hao’s tape.
• Lin Chuqiao gave Fang Cheng a voice recorder containing a copy of the recording, and asked whether the lecture had helped him understand his girlfriend’s postcard.
• Fang Cheng rested at home before playing the copied recording, which rapidly increased the experience of all four language skills.
• Fang Cheng stopped the recording when a sharp pain struck his head, but his Eastern Ocean Language had reached Level 2 and his Spirit Attribute had risen to 27.
• Fang Cheng took a packaged box from his wardrobe and went to Zhou Xiumei’s home to knock on her door.

Fang Cheng celebrated Wen Xin’s twelfth birthday with Zhou Xiumei, giving Wen Xin new shoes and sharing a cake with her. The three watched the New Year fireworks together, and Fang Cheng reflected on how his efforts could help him discover a brighter side of the world.

• Fang Cheng came home to find Zhou Xiumei and Wen Xin decorating for Wen Xin’s birthday.
• Fang Cheng gave Wen Xin pink leather shoes, and Zhou Xiumei lent her a childhood dress to wear.
• Wen Xin asked whether they could invite her mother, but Zhou Xiumei found no one at Wen Xin’s home.
• Fang Cheng, Zhou Xiumei, and Wen Xin sang for Wen Xin’s birthday and shared the cake while Grandma Zhou watched television.
• Fang Cheng took Zhou Xiumei and Wen Xin to the rooftop to watch the New Year fireworks, where he realized he pursued self-improvement to see more of the world.

Fang Cheng completed an intensive morning workout and practiced Horse Stance, which he believed had accelerated his attribute growth. He trained Muay Thai until it reached Expert Level and received a choice of skill enhancement rewards.

• Fang Cheng finished his rooftop conditioning routine and checked the experience gained in his physical training skills.
• Fang Cheng practiced Horse Stance for an hour and noted that his Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Spirit had all increased over the past eight days.
• Fang Cheng practiced Muay Thai through Shadow Boxing on the rooftop.
• Fang Cheng's Muay Thai reached Expert Level, and the Panel offered him a choice between attribute increases and the Steel Bone effect.

Fang Cheng tested his new Steel Bone effect, then helped Wen Xin reunite with her mother and comforted Wen Hui Yi. He arrived at the fighting club for the chairman’s inspection and passed the time training while his colleagues waited.

• Fang Cheng chose Steel Bone, then tested it by denting an iron pipe with a sweeping kick and chipping concrete with a Turning Elbow.
• Fang Cheng found Wen Xin waiting at home and escorted her to her mother, Wen Hui Yi, who had returned with a birthday cake.
• Wen Hui Yi thanked Fang Cheng for celebrating Wen Xin’s birthday and confessed her grief over her circumstances; Fang Cheng encouraged her to care for her daughter.
• Fang Cheng left the mother and daughter together and went to the Global Elite Fighting Club for the chairman’s inspection.
• Fang Cheng saw his colleagues dressed up for the chairman and practiced punches and kicks while they waited.

Fang Cheng received an award and a twenty-thousand-yuan bonus at the Club, where Chairman Shen showed unusual interest in him and trusted Mr. Majima's assessment. Later, Fang Cheng spotted Ma Donghe being followed in the Second-hand Market.

• Chairman Shen visited the Club, announced raises, and presented awards to employees, including Fang Cheng.
• A tense bodyguard sensed Fang Cheng's aura, while Chairman Shen said he trusted Mr. Majima's assessment of him.
• Chairman Shen learned that the Red Tiger Gang had swallowed another protected gang and decided it was time to respond.
• Fang Cheng bought the secondhand phone he had been renting and spotted Ma Donghe being followed in the Second-hand Market.

Ma Donghe followed A Xiang into a hidden drug factory, where the gang trapped him and attacked. Fang Cheng smashed through the iron door to rescue him and broke the leg of the first thug who charged.

• Ma Donghe entered a building under the pretense of visiting a brothel and followed A Xiang through a hidden door into a drug-manufacturing den.
• A Xiang accused Ma Donghe of being a cop or rival gang scout, and the workers surrounded him as he tried to escape.
• Ma Donghe fought off several attackers despite his injured right hand, but more gang members emerged with machetes and cornered him.
• Fang Cheng burst through the reinforced hidden door and told Ma Donghe to leave the fight to him.
• A machete-wielding thug charged Fang Cheng, who swept his leg and broke his shin.

Fang Cheng defeated dozens of armed gang members at the Flour Mill Workshop, then shot two gunmen who attacked him. He and Ma Donghe found trafficking victims, including Ma Donghe’s sister-in-law, and Fang Cheng called Zhou Yongnian to handle the aftermath.

• Fang Cheng rushed into the armed crowd and incapacitated more than forty gang members with kicks and strikes.
• Ma Donghe warned Fang Cheng that two men had guns, and Fang Cheng took cover from their pistol and shotgun fire.
• Fang Cheng shot both gunmen in the forehead and confiscated their weapons.
• Ma Donghe found a locked room containing women and children, including his sister-in-law, and helped her out.
• Fang Cheng told Ma Donghe to call for help and arrange custody for the gang leaders, then called Zhou Yongnian.

Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe left the police to handle the trafficking hideout, while Wu Shih Hao punished Sang Biao and tended to a monstrous captive at a secret facility. Later that night, Fang Cheng sat in Jiangbei with two voice recorders on his desk.

• Fang Cheng told Zhou Yongnian that the criminals had been subdued and the trafficked women and children found, then left with the injured Ma Donghe.
• Ma Donghe returned to the Secret Base to handle the aftermath while Fang Cheng took a cab back.
• Wu Shih Hao beat Sang Biao for neglecting the hideout and ordered him to investigate the two men who had exposed it.
• Wu Shih Hao had his bodyguards inject blue liquid into the restrained monster in a Glass Container, calming it.
• Fang Cheng sat at his desk in Jiangbei with two Voice Recorders, including one he had bought at the Second-hand Market.

Fang Cheng used the Voice Recorders to listen to the archaeological recording known as the Primeval Vowel, and the sound drew him into visions of the cosmos and changing human history. As he endured the experience, he gained language skills and unlocked Spell Resistance.

• Fang Cheng reviewed how he had helped Ma Donghe and wondered whether the drug gang would seek revenge after the police raid.
• After recovering for two days, Fang Cheng shut himself in his dark bedroom and played the archaeological recording while using his Focus Skill.
• The Primeval Vowel overwhelmed Fang Cheng with information and visions of primordial darkness, a bustling street, and civilizations rising and falling.
• Fang Cheng stayed a detached observer as he began to grasp the meaning within the Primeval Vowel.
• Fang Cheng’s exposure raised several language skills to Master Level and Eastern Ocean language to Grandmaster Level, granting him Spell Resistance.

Fang Cheng understood the ancestral memories behind the primeval vowel and continued training despite mental fatigue. After maxing out four language skills, he fused them and awakened an epic-grade talent.

• Fang Cheng realized the visions were humanity’s primal memories passed down through bloodlines, language, and writing.
• Fang Cheng checked his attributes and skill panel, then learned the Panel would preserve his language skills’ enhancement rewards and special effects after fusion.
• Fang Cheng decided to keep training and used two voice recorders at once to listen to the primeval vowel.
• Fang Cheng pushed through severe mental fatigue until his Eastern Ocean Language, Southeast Asian Language, Desert Language, and Latin skills all reached lv3.
• Fang Cheng awakened the purple, Epic Grade talent Omniscient Language.

After gaining Omniscient Language, Fang Cheng deciphered the postcard’s strange characters as an incantation that opened a mysterious space filled with points of light. He found a manor gate but hesitated to knock, while two strangers elsewhere wondered about his arrival and progress.

• Fang Cheng examined Omniscient Language and recognized its powerful translation and language-based resistance abilities.
• Fang Cheng read the postcard’s characters, understood they formed a password-like incantation, and recited it.
• Fang Cheng entered a dark, misty space and saw scattered lights that seemed to mark different destinations.
• Fang Cheng approached a faint light that became an ornate manor gate, then stopped before knocking.
• A young man in a candlelit villa sensed Fang Cheng and invited him to enter, while a woman elsewhere wondered why he had not contacted his girlfriend.

After recovering from mental exhaustion, Fang Cheng trained until his Pull-Ups skill reached master level and gained 10 strength points. He then encountered Wen Hui Yi looking for work and offered to take her to a trauma clinic to apply.

• Fang Cheng reviewed his skills and stats, noting that several abilities were close to leveling up.
• Fang Cheng completed an intense workout and advanced Pull-Ups to Lv2, gaining 10 strength points.
• Fang Cheng tested his increased strength by lifting a gas cylinder, then cooked and ate several bowls of fried rice.
• Fang Cheng went out for a meal and saw Wen Hui Yi being turned away while seeking work at a restaurant.
• Fang Cheng offered to take Wen Hui Yi to a nearby trauma clinic to try for a job, and she eagerly agreed.

Fang Cheng helped Wen Hui Yi get a job at Lin Fusheng’s clinic and learned Acupoint Striking and Tui Na while treating patients. After leaving the clinic, he agreed to interrogate two captives at the Secret Base, unaware that people in a nearby van were watching him and Ma Donghe.

• Fang Cheng introduced Wen Hui Yi to Lin Fusheng, who agreed to let her try working at the clinic.
• Fang Cheng studied Lin Fusheng’s Acupoint Therapy and practiced on an injured patient, unlocking Acupoint Striking and later Tui Na.
• Wen Hui Yi treated Ma Donghe, who felt energized afterward and volunteered to help at the clinic.
• Fang Cheng reviewed his new skill progress, said goodbye to Lin Fusheng, and left with Ma Donghe.
• Ma Donghe told Fang Cheng that two men were being held at the Secret Base, and Fang Cheng said he would interrogate them after stopping at the supermarket.
• Several people in a parked van watched Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe as they walked away.

Fang Cheng interrogated two captured gang members and learned about the drug ring and the Red Tiger Gang’s plans against the Three Wolves Gang. After returning to Old Factory Street, he saw Wen Hui Yi bring food to Wen Xin and felt reassured by their bond.

• Three gang members in a van recognized Fang Cheng as the fighter who had beaten their men and decided to report him to their boss instead of following him.
• Fang Cheng visited Ma Donghe’s abandoned-factory base, charmed its guard dog, and questioned two captives about their criminal organization.
• Fang Cheng learned that Sang Biao ran a drug and trafficking ring under Wu Shih Hao, who was part of the Red Tiger Gang.
• Wu Shih Hao and his gang leaders decided to ask the Red Tiger Gang for an assassin to eliminate the Three Wolves Gang.
• Fang Cheng returned to Old Factory Street, saw Wen Hui Yi bring boxed meals to Wen Xin, and listened to the two talk from the stairwell.

Fang Cheng practiced tactical reloads and knife fighting, then experienced an unusual dream of brainwaves, ancient civilization, and a mysterious dimension. The next day, he returned a voice recorder to Lin Chuqiao, whose charm art and guidance had failed to affect him, before heading to a Sauna Club near the Second-hand Market.

• Fang Cheng practiced reloading his pistol and gained gunmanship experience, then trained with his butterfly knife and completed his first simulated battle against multiple opponents.
• While asleep, Fang Cheng drifted through streams of brainwaves above the city, witnessed visions of ancient civilization, and entered a mysterious dimension before sinking into darkness.
• At East Capital University, Lin Chuqiao lectured about the subconscious mind and extraordinary abilities.
• Fang Cheng returned Lin Chuqiao's voice recorder and said he had gained insights from his studies; Lin Chuqiao urged him to meditate.
• Lin Chuqiao secretly tried charm art on Fang Cheng, but it had no effect, deepening her confusion about him.
• Fang Cheng arrived near the Sauna Club in Lingang District, where several suspicious-looking men gathered outside.

Fang Cheng tracked Sang Biao to the Jinsha Sauna Club and killed him, then framed Flower Arm Man by forcing him to stab the corpse and giving him a choice between surrendering or seeking protection from the Three Wolves Gang. Fang Cheng claimed to be a Three Wolves Gang assassin and fought Sang Biao’s men while Flower Arm Man fled.

• Fang Cheng waited near Sang Biao’s favored clubs, learned Sang Biao was expected to arrive, and saw him pull up with armed men.
• Sang Biao argued with Bao Long at the Jinsha Sauna Club and threatened the Three Wolves Gang before Bao Long left.
• Flower Arm Man encountered Fang Cheng in the corridor, and Fang Cheng subdued him and forced him to lead the way to Sang Biao.
• Fang Cheng slit Sang Biao’s throat while he was receiving a foot wash, then ordered Flower Arm Man to stab the corpse twice.
• When Sang Biao’s men rushed into the room, Fang Cheng claimed he was an assassin from the Three Wolves Gang and attacked them as Flower Arm Man escaped.

Fang Cheng returned home after killing Sang Biao and shared a warm moment with Wen Xin, whose chilblains had mysteriously healed. Meanwhile, detectives monitoring the gangs received a report of a lone attacker growing into a monster, and Zhou Yongnian ordered the teams to hold the perimeter until the Special Search Team arrived.

• Fang Cheng left the Three Wolves Gang thugs to take the blame for Sang Biao’s death and returned to his apartment.
• Wen Xin gave Fang Cheng a small cake she had made, and he praised it before escorting her home.
• Wen Xin told Fang Cheng that her chilblains had vanished after she wished they would heal.
• A Bang and Da Tou Cong saw someone at Wu’s Trading Company make a throat-slitting gesture and then heard Night Owl report a lone attacker at a villa development.
• Night Owl reported that the attacker was growing larger and bullets could not kill it before the radio went silent.
• Zhou Yongnian told the teams that he had requested the Special Search Team and ordered everyone else to hold the perimeter.