Chapter Summaries

Fang Cheng spent the day at the East Capital Library studying exercise rehabilitation and health cultivation to safely improve his strength. After rapidly reading more than a dozen books and straining his spirit, he rested briefly before returning to the three language textbooks tied to his first new talent.

• Fang Cheng gathered books on anatomy, rehabilitation, exercise, and traditional health cultivation to study ways to strengthen and care for his body.
• Fang Cheng read and compared the books throughout the day, building a theoretical understanding of exercise, rest, diet, and bodily recovery.
• Fang Cheng activated Speed Reading and Focus to race through Introduction to Rehabilitation Medicine, triggering a warning that he had overdrawn his spirit.
• A woman nearby looked at Fang Cheng in surprise after witnessing his extraordinary reading speed.
• Fang Cheng rested, refilled his water, and resumed studying the Desert Language Textbook, Southeast Asian Language Textbook, and Latin Textbook.

Fang Cheng trained as a sparring partner at the Global Elite Fighting Club and advanced his Boxing skill to Master Level, putting all eight reward attributes into Constitution. During afternoon Muay Thai impact-resistance training, he accidentally kicked his partner hard enough to stagger him, then prepared to continue.

• Fang Cheng sparred with Brother Jie, gained the final experience point needed to advance Boxing to Master Level, and received eight free attributes.
• Fang Cheng allocated all eight attributes to Constitution, raising it to 28, and reflected on his more flexible work as a sparring partner.
• Coach Hu noticed Fang Cheng's goji-berry thermos and chatted with him about health and nourishment.
• Fang Cheng trained a Muay Thai fighter's impact resistance by repeatedly kicking his abdomen, then accidentally hit him hard enough to make him stagger.
• The Muay Thai fighter insisted he was fine and told Fang Cheng to continue, though he rubbed his abdomen with a worried expression.

Fang Cheng practiced Muay Thai techniques to improve his combat skills, then agreed to meet Wu Datong’s boxing friends at an event the following Thursday. Wu Datong lent him language-learning discs, including pin-up-covered films that he claimed would help temper Fang Cheng’s willpower.

• Fang Cheng practiced Muay Thai sweeping kicks, elbows, and knees, refining his techniques and building his fighting momentum.
• Fang Cheng left the training hall and went to Wu You Audio-Visual Store to return two overdue discs.
• Wu Datong waived the late fee and invited Fang Cheng to meet his boxing friends at an event the following Thursday, and Fang Cheng agreed.
• Fang Cheng asked to borrow Muay Thai documentaries and foreign-language learning discs, so Wu Datong brought out materials from his private collection.
• Fang Cheng took the pin-up-covered language discs and asked Wu Datong for some more proper materials.

Fang Cheng unlocked the Iron Plate Bridge special effect after reaching Expert Level in Back Bridge, then practiced Handstand Push-Ups. The chapter ended with her unlocking the final skill in the Prisoner's Six Arts.

• Fang Cheng reached Expert Level in Back Bridge and chose the Iron Plate Bridge special effect over six free attributes.
• Fang Cheng reviewed her training gains and noted that attribute and experience growth had slowed as her Physical Quality improved.
• Fang Cheng practiced Handstand Push-Ups while avoiding Potential Activation because she suspected it could consume her cells’ Life Energy and cause lasting harm.
• Fang Cheng unlocked Handstand Push-Ups, completing all Six Skills of the Prisoner's Six Arts.

Fang Cheng unlocked Latin after studying late and considered how to manage the Skill Bar’s limit. After waking to eerie cries in the rain, he heard hurried footsteps approaching his building.

• Fang Cheng unlocked Latin Lv0 and saw that the Skill Bar could hold only 25 skills.
• Fang Cheng decided to keep leveling his language skills before combining them into a talent.
• Fang Cheng went to sleep after closing the window against the heavy rain.
• Fang Cheng woke at 3:45 to hear mournful screams coming from several hundred meters away.
• Fang Cheng opened the window to investigate, but the screams stopped; as he turned to close it, hurried footsteps approached through the rain.

After spotting a hooded, fanged figure sprinting through the rain, Fang Cheng discovered his own eyes glowed in the dark and wondered if the creature had mistaken him for one of its kind. He trained until he unlocked Muay Thai, then saw Uncle Zhou’s police car head toward the hotel where a gruesome mutilation case had drawn a crowd.

• Fang Cheng saw a black-raincoated figure with glowing green eyes and blood at its mouth run past the Sleeve Building.
• Fang Cheng noticed his own eyes shone in the dark and considered that the figure might have thought he was one of its kind.
• Fang Cheng practiced his martial arts before dawn and unlocked Muay Thai Lv0.
• Fang Cheng spotted a police car carrying a familiar face and guessed it was responding to the strange event.
• Uniformed Patrol Officers secured the Ikea Hotel as onlookers gathered and discussed a murder and mutilation case.
• Three plainclothes police officers arrived at the hotel, and one dark-faced Strong Man pushed through the crowd with his subordinates.

Zhou Yongnian investigated a brutal massacre at a small hotel and took the surviving witnesses and the inn owner's wife in for questioning. Fang Cheng told him he might have seen the killer, while a little girl among the witnesses seemed familiar to Fang Cheng.

• Zhou Yongnian arrived at the hotel, learned that four people had been killed, and briefly vomited after seeing the crime scene.
• A Bang recorded statements as the inn owner's wife blamed a mother and daughter, and Zhou Yongnian ordered the witnesses and the inn owner's wife taken to the station.
• Zhou Yongnian warned Zhou Xiumei and Fang Cheng to be careful and dismissed Fang Cheng's question about whether the killer was a serial killer.
• Fang Cheng told Zhou Yongnian that he might have seen the killer, so Zhou Yongnian took him to the station to give a statement.
• A little girl looked back at Fang Cheng as she got into a patrol car, and Fang Cheng thought she seemed familiar.

Fang Cheng helped the police investigate the killer and stopped a frantic suspect from attacking people at the station. As he left, the little girl he had protected thanked him.

• A police sketch artist drew a portrait of the strange man, and Fang Cheng judged it eighty to ninety percent accurate.
• Zhou Yongnian sent the sketch to be compared with traffic recordings and agreed to notify Fang Cheng when the criminal was caught.
• A thin man suddenly convulsed, bit officer Huang, and broke free to attack the mother and daughter.
• Fang Cheng struck the man with a Sweeping Kick, and the officers restrained him again.
• As Fang Cheng left the police station, the little girl tugged his sleeve and quietly thanked him.

Fang Cheng practiced with the butterfly knife and used an imagined Man in Black to develop his Knife Technique, unlocking a new skill. He ended the chapter concerned that only three Skill Bar slots remained and resumed studying foreign languages.

• Fang Cheng searched his home for signs of intruders and reviewed the dangers posed by the Man in Black’s organization and the rainy-night monster.
• Fang Cheng inspected the Black Demon Pistol and butterfly knife he had taken from the Man in Black, then decided to practice with the knife.
• Fang Cheng fought an imagined Man in Black, learned that a single opening could decide a close-quarters fight, and adapted his knife moves using techniques from other martial arts.
• Fang Cheng defeated the imagined opponent and unlocked Knife Technique Lv0, leaving only three Skill Bar slots available.
• Fang Cheng folded away the butterfly knife and began his evening study of foreign languages.

Fang Cheng arrived at the Martial Arts Research Association with Wu Datong and met its elderly martial arts masters, including Ma Jianguo and Ma Donghe. The masters prepared to test Fang Cheng’s aptitude, while he asked them for guidance first.

• Ma Jianguo stopped his injured son, Ma Donghe, from leaving and told him to help keep order at the day’s event.
• Wu Datong brought Fang Cheng by electric scooter to the Martial Arts Research Association in Tianxin Village and praised its leader, Ma Jianguo.
• Fang Cheng recognized Ma Donghe as the debt collector he had met at the hospital, and Ma Donghe recognized him too.
• Ma Jianguo and four other elderly masters introduced their martial arts styles and said they would test Fang Cheng’s aptitude.
• Fang Cheng asked whether they could test his aptitude and requested guidance from the masters first.

Fang Cheng impressed the Martial Arts Research Association’s seniors with his strength and was formally invited to join, hoping to learn qi gong. Ma Donghe then warned him that the seniors’ qi gong was far less powerful than it appeared and hinted they wanted something from Fang Cheng.

• Fang Cheng challenged the association’s seniors, who instead demonstrated their martial arts skills, including Dong Yunchuan’s ability to heat a kettle with his palms.
• At Ma Jianguo’s request, Fang Cheng punched apart half of a limestone rockery and astonished the seniors.
• Ma Jianguo formally invited Fang Cheng to join the Martial Arts Research Association, and Fang Cheng accepted while asking to learn qi gong.
• The seniors prepared a celebratory farmhouse feast for Fang Cheng’s arrival.
• Ma Donghe privately warned Fang Cheng that Dong Yunchuan’s qi gong performance was costly to use and suggested the association wanted access to Fang Cheng’s people.

After the welcome party, Fang Cheng met with Ma Jianguo, Wu Dewang, and Wu Datong, who revealed their work investigating monsters and developing ways to fight them. Fang Cheng learned that their path involved qi gong and agreed to begin studying it.

• After the guests left the welcome party, Ma Jianguo asked Fang Cheng why he had trained in so many combat styles without competing.
• Ma Jianguo suggested that Fang Cheng was training to find a way to fight monsters connected to his father's death, and Fang Cheng learned that Ma Jianguo suspected the true Serial Killer from seventeen years ago was among them.
• Wu Dewang and Ma Jianguo explained that the Martial Arts Research Association sought methods to surpass ordinary human limits because monsters possessed abilities beyond what ordinary training could overcome.
• Wu Dewang described qi gong as the association's approach to transforming the body and spirit, combining health-nourishing methods with training.
• Ma Jianguo warned Fang Cheng that qi gong demanded exceptional aptitude and years of practice, but Fang Cheng immediately agreed to learn it.

Fang Cheng practiced Ma Jianguo’s horse stance and breathing technique, unlocked Pile Stance, and chose the Dance of Lightning enhancement after Sanda reached master level. On his way home from the bathhouse, he noticed a frail little girl searching through a trash bin.

• Fang Cheng practiced horse stance and Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound Skill in Jiangbin Park, then unlocked Pile Stance lv0.
• Fang Cheng reviewed his training gains and raised Sanda to master level.
• Fang Cheng chose the Dance of Lightning special effect, which increased his movement speed with successive leg-technique hits.
• Fang Cheng left the park, showered at A Yang Bathhouse, and bought breakfast on his way home.
• Fang Cheng noticed a frail little girl struggling to search inside a large trash bin.

Fang Cheng reunited with Wen Xin, fed her, and walked her back to the basement where she lived. When gangsters threatened Wen Xin and her mother, Fang Cheng swiftly subdued them and held one at knifepoint.

• Fang Cheng found Wen Xin struggling to retrieve a beer can and helped her collect it.
• Fang Cheng invited Wen Xin to share breakfast, learned they were neighbors, and gave her leftover buns to take home.
• Fang Cheng accompanied Wen Xin to the basement entrance and heard gangsters demanding money from her mother and threatening to take Wen Xin as payment.
• Fang Cheng confronted the three gangsters, knocked down the strongman, and took the dagger from Flower Arm Man, who begged him not to hurt him.

Fang Cheng drove off the men who threatened the building and received Wen Xin’s treasured Lucky Card. Later, he found an anonymous postcard bearing a cryptic message and symbols, which he planned to investigate at the library.

• Fang Cheng broke a dagger to frighten Flower Arm Man and Xiaosa Ge into leaving Old Factory Street with their unconscious accomplice.
• Wen Xin gave Fang Cheng her childhood Lucky Card, and her mother thanked him for defending them.
• Fang Cheng found an anonymous postcard inside his apartment and checked the home for signs of a break-in.
• Fang Cheng asked Zhou Xiumei and the neighbors whether they had seen a stranger, but none had noticed anyone.
• Fang Cheng studied the postcard’s strange symbols, planned to visit the library, and continued practicing his knife skills and foreign languages.

Fang Cheng sought help deciphering the strange writing on a postcard and met Lin Chuqiao, a lecturer who identified it as genuine script and suggested folklore books and a public lecture. He left with a possible lead at the library’s New Year’s Day events.

• Fang Cheng searched academic books at the East Capital Library for clues about the postcard’s writing but found none.
• Fang Cheng noticed Lin Chuqiao, a lecturer he had seen at the library before, and later spoke with her about linguistics.
• Lin Chuqiao examined the postcard and said its marks followed the qualities of writing, though she had never seen the script.
• Lin Chuqiao advised Fang Cheng to study folklore and attend a New Year’s Day lecture by a renowned paleolinguist.
• Fang Cheng thanked Lin Chuqiao, introduced himself, and told her he worked as a Sparring Partner at a Boxing Gym.

Fang Cheng reached Expert Level in Handstand Push-Ups, improved his attributes, cooked a nutritious meal, and raised Eastern Ocean Language to Expert Level. He then went to the Global Elite Fighting Club for a sparring session, where he learned he would receive a New Year's Day Red Envelope as an Outstanding Employee.

• Fang Cheng completed Handstand Push-Ups until the skill reached Expert Level, then allocated six Free Attributes, raising his Constitution to 30.
• Fang Cheng prepared beef and soup, considered the cost of his maternal grandfather's treatment, and studied Eastern Ocean Language until it reached Expert Level.
• Fang Cheng left for the club without speaking to Wen Xin's Mother, whom he saw sitting outside her door.
• At the Global Elite Fighting Club, Chen Xiaohai told Fang Cheng that the big boss would give Red Envelopes to Outstanding Employees on New Year's Day, and that Fang Cheng had made the list.
• Fang Cheng put on his protective gear and faced his waiting Muay Thai sparring partner, who felt as if a hungry beast had targeted him.

Fang Cheng trained in Ma Family Tai Chi under Wu Datong, then tested his developing skills against Ma Donghe in push-hands. He found an opening and sent Ma Donghe tumbling, unlocking the Tai Chi skill.

• Wu Datong corrected Fang Cheng's twenty-four Tai Chi forms and explained the principles of practice.
• Ma Donghe asked Fang Cheng to spar, but Fang Cheng declined because Ma Donghe was still recovering from his injury.
• Wu Datong suggested single-hand push-hands, and Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe began exchanging techniques.
• Fang Cheng entered a focused state, sensed Ma Donghe's force, and used an opening to send him tumbling.
• Fang Cheng received a prompt announcing that he had mastered a Combat Skill and unlocked Tai Chi lv0.

Fang Cheng arranged to find a place to practice Gun Technique after his exams and noticed Wen Xin looking at a pair of shoes. As he prepared for his graduate entrance exams, he kept his mother at a distance from the danger he feared and retrieved his concealed weapons.

• Fang Cheng reflected on Tai Chi and arranged with Ma Donghe to visit a place for Gun Technique practice after his exams.
• Fang Cheng saw Wen Xin staring at pink leather shoes from a bus and checked the Lucky Card bearing the date January 1st, 1983.
• Li Biyun returned home with groceries and gifts, gave Fang Cheng a Golden List Inscription Talisman, and agreed to take him to his exam before returning to the hospital.
• After lunch, Fang Cheng retrieved his concealed pistol and Butterfly Knife, determined to protect his family and happiness from whoever had sent the Postcard.

After finishing his graduate exams, Fang Cheng went with Ma Donghe to an East City Association shooting range to practice with a handgun. He rapidly improved, mastered Gun Technique, and left Ma Donghe astonished by his talent.

• Fang Cheng finished his two days of graduate exams and met Ma Donghe outside East Capital University.
• Ma Donghe warned Fang Cheng that the shooting range belonged to the powerful East City Association and that he should keep their visit secret.
• Fang Cheng registered under a false name and began handgun practice under a shooting coach's guidance.
• Fang Cheng corrected his aim and landed two consecutive bullseyes at fifteen meters before hitting a bullseye at fifty meters.
• Fang Cheng unlocked Gun Technique lv0 and then challenged difficult moving targets, leaving Ma Donghe amazed.