Chapter Summaries

Li Qing began forging a longsword of pure Ink Gold for Qian Hong, enduring days of heating and hammering to make the difficult metal malleable. He formed the blade’s rough shape and discovered he had enough surplus Ink Gold to keep two fist-sized pieces for himself.

• Qian Hong gave Li Qing her Green Rainbow Sword as a model and left it with him while he forged her a pure Ink Gold longsword.
• Li Qing fired up his forge and repeatedly heated and hammered the Ink Gold with the Peerless Hammer, stopping at night to rest.
• Li Qing spent five days repeating the process until the Ink Gold became malleable enough to refine into a single blade.
• Boss Fang remarked on Li Qing’s skill and strength as the smithy’s booming hammer blows continued.
• Li Qing forged the rough shape of the Ink Gold blade and found he could keep about two fist-sized pieces of surplus metal.

Li Qing completed the Green Rainbow Sword, earning three years of lifespan and discovering that it could cleave through iron armor. Qian Hong received the finished weapon and, overwhelmed with excitement, finally grasped its hilt.

• Li Qing oil-quenched the Ink Gold blade, fitted it with a rosewood and brass hilt, and spent thirteen days polishing and sharpening it.
• The system awarded Li Qing three years of lifespan for forging the Green Rainbow Sword, raising his remaining lifespan from 146 to 149 years.
• Li Qing tested the sword by slicing through iron armor and marveled at the power a peerless weapon could give its wielder.
• Qian Hong received word that her sword was ready and hurried to Li Qing's shop on Chiming Street.
• Qian Hong recognized the ink-black sword as a peerless divine weapon, took hold of its hilt, and called it a fine sword.

After forging the Green Rainbow Sword for Qian Hong, Li Qing enjoyed a peaceful year before opening his Tiger Bone Health Preserving Wine to aid his martial training. The wine began subtly strengthening his body, while Rice Bucket grew into a formidable tiger.

• Qian Hong thanked Li Qing for forging the Green Rainbow Sword and left his blacksmith shop with the weapon.
• Li Qing collapsed from exhaustion and slept for a full day and night.
• Autumn brought a bountiful harvest and an unusually peaceful year, with no attacks from Liang Kingdom or the Bandong Grasslands.
• Li Qing spent the year practicing martial arts during the calm, but made little progress toward Internal Energy.
• After the Tiger Bone Health Preserving Wine aged for a year, Li Qing drank a cup and felt its medicinal power begin to affect his body.
• Li Qing practiced Fierce Tiger Fist after drinking the wine, while Rice Bucket grew to nearly the size of an adult tiger.

Tuwahaer’s cavalry grew to more than thirty thousand as he prepared to absorb the remaining tribes and cut off any retreat, while Li Qing completed the first layer of the Golden Body Technique and sought a way to advance his Internal Energy. The chapter ended with a lean young man killing Zhang Lai in a dark alley.

• Tuwahaer refused to lead his cavalry south and ordered that cattle and sheep be slaughtered as he moved to incorporate the remaining tribes.
• Li Qing completed the first layer of the Golden Body Technique after a year and a half of training, reaching the pinnacle of Outer Strength.
• Li Qing wondered how to advance his Internal Energy and decided to seek advice rather than continue training blindly.
• Zhang Lai left Xiliu Street drunk and stumbled into a dark alley.
• A lean young man followed Zhang Lai, pierced his throat, and pressed a hand against his abdomen.

After three Flying Cloud Martial Arts School disciples were murdered, Song Yunting ordered an investigation and warned his remaining disciples to stay together. Meanwhile, Li Qing remained above suspicion as he trained under Guo Zhentong and left the Maple Guard Department close to reaching the Internal Energy level.

• Song Yunting learned that his fourth disciple, Lu Feng, had been killed and ordered Mo Nian to cooperate with the Maple Guard Department while keeping the remaining disciples inside the school.
• Yang Xing reported that the Golden Armor and Hongfeng Martial Arts Schools could mostly be ruled out, and he requested help from experienced constables.
• Li Qing continued practicing Internal Energy techniques at the Maple Guard Department and tested his strikes on a stone mill.
• Li Qing thanked Guo Zhentong for teaching him, then departed after exchanging farewells.
• Guo Zhentong reflected that Li Qing had inherited Master Gu's blacksmithing skills and expected him to approach the Internal Energy level within a year.

Li Qing spent six months training in the Eternal Night World and finally entered the Internal Energy realm. With his new strength and control over his blood and qi, he prepared to leave the mountains and explore the world.

• Li Qing returned to the Eternal Night World with Rice Bucket to train and set up a wilderness camp in the Black Wind Mountain Range.
• Li Qing noticed Rice Bucket was unusually listless, though the tiger ate and responded to him vigorously.
• Li Qing practiced the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger and repeatedly struck mountain rocks while returning to Sheng Tian for supplies.
• After six months of training, Li Qing shattered a boulder with a controlled palm strike and achieved the Internal Energy realm.
• Li Qing realized he could control his blood and qi, assessed his advantages over many Internal Energy experts, and decided to leave the mountains.

Li Qing returned to Obsidian City with Rice Bucket and saw that the Righteous Gang had made the city more prosperous. Tian Long and the gang’s leaders went to confront the stranger, then recognized Li Qing as he approached.

• Li Qing left the Black Wind Mountain Range with Rice Bucket, carrying a hammer, supplies, and Tiger Bone medicinal wine.
• Li Qing entered Obsidian City and observed its glowing mushroom lanterns and thriving mushroom trade.
• A Righteous Gang scout reported Li Qing and Rice Bucket to Tian Long, who suspected the newcomer might be the young man who had helped defeat the Yan family.
• Tian Long gathered Zhao Kou, Wei Tian, and the Seven Kill Squad, then led them to meet the newcomer.
• Tian Long recognized Li Qing and dropped his Golden Ring Saber.

Li Qing returned to Obsidian City after six years and reunited with Tian Long, Wei Tian, Zhao Kou, and An Xuan at a welcoming banquet. He learned that Old Man An and Old Man Mo had died, and heard about Armored Pigs and the mysterious Heavenly Measure Mountain before asking to see the pigs.

• Li Qing arrived at the Righteous Gang's estate, where Tian Long and Wei Tian and Zhao Kou recognized him and welcomed him back.
• Tian Long invited Li Qing inside for a banquet and dismissed a subordinate who had failed to recognize him despite the gang keeping Li Qing's portrait.
• An Xuan reunited with Li Qing, and Tian Long told him that Old Man An and Old Man Mo had died after Li Qing left.
• Tian Long explained that the Yan family had once sent Black Rye Mushrooms to Heavenly Measure Mountain and described how a faction in Giant Rock City traded Armored Pigs for mushrooms.
• Li Qing tasted the Armored Pig meat, asked about Heavenly Measure Mountain, and then requested to see the pigs; Tian Long agreed.

Li Qing learned that the Red Fish Merchant Guild in Giant Rock City traded Armored Pigs and sought animals from the Sunlight Era, suggesting it had an expert who could cultivate creatures for the Dark Era. Tian Long urged Li Qing to stay in Obsidian City and marry An, but Li Qing refused and prepared to continue his travels.

• Tian Long showed Li Qing an Armored Pig sent from Giant Rock City, and Li Qing examined its scales and suspected it had been bred through human intervention.
• Tian Long told Li Qing that the Red Fish Merchant Guild sold Armored Pigs and bought wild beasts from the Sunlight Era, and warned that it would take an interest in Li Qing's tiger.
• Li Qing asked Tian Long about Giant Rock City's factions and learned that the City Lord's Mansion and the Red Fish Merchant Guild each had an Internal Energy expert.
• Tian Long urged Li Qing to stay, inherit the Righteous Gang, and marry An, but Li Qing declined because he wanted to pursue martial arts and avoid attachments.
• Tian Long accepted Li Qing's decision and lamented that the growing gang had brought him more troublesome matters.

Rumors spread that Tian Long planned to name Li Qing as the next leader of the Righteous Gang, prompting conflict among its members. Tian Long ordered the execution of dissenting elders and core members while Li Qing remained unaware, studying martial arts manuals in the Yan family's treasury until someone called for him.

• Tian Long told Li Qing that he was nearing the end of his life and did not know whom to choose as the next gang leader.
• Zhao Kou slapped his subordinates for repeating rumors about Li Qing becoming leader and warned them not to question Tian Long's decisions.
• Wei Tian and An Xuan punished their subordinates for disrespecting Li Qing or spreading the rumor, while some founding elders and core members openly objected to his possible appointment.
• After receiving a secret report, Tian Long ordered the Seven Kill Squad to kill the elders and core members who opposed Li Qing's succession.
• Li Qing studied the Shadow Seeking Footwork in the Yan family's martial arts treasury, and an unidentified person called to him from outside.

Li Qing prepared to leave Obsidian City, turning down An Xuan’s plea to stay and promising he might return. As the Righteous Gang saw him off, Zhao Kou challenged him to a spar, and Li Qing effortlessly disarmed him.

• An Xuan visited Li Qing in the martial arts repository and asked him to stay, but he explained that he wanted to travel and pursue martial arts.
• An Xuan thanked Li Qing for saving her and her grandfather, wished him well, and left after asking whether he would return.
• Li Qing gathered his valuables, loaded them onto Rice Bucket, and prepared to depart as members of the Righteous Gang came to see him off.
• Zhao Kou, now an Outer Strength martial artist, asked Li Qing to demonstrate his strength, and Li Qing agreed to spar without a weapon.
• Zhao Kou attacked with his saber, but Li Qing stood still and disarmed him with a flash of blade light.

Li Qing left Obsidian City after demonstrating his overwhelming strength to Zhao Kou and traveled to Giant Rock City with Rice Bucket hidden in a Righteous Gang caravan. He entered the orderly city without drawing attention and received money crystals from the gang’s contact, Miao Qi.

• Li Qing disarmed Zhao Kou with ease, leaving a fingerprint pressed through Zhao Kou’s saber, and Tian Long reaffirmed Li Qing’s place as the Righteous Gang’s other leader.
• Li Qing hid his valuables in Sheng Tian, stocked up on food, and spent several days traveling toward Giant Rock City while practicing his skills.
• Li Qing assessed Giant Rock City’s defenses and waited for a Righteous Gang caravan to arrive so he could enter without attracting the Red Fish Merchant Guild’s attention.
• Li Qing had Rice Bucket hide in an empty grain cart and entered Giant Rock City with the caravan after its members paid the guards money crystals.
• Miao Qi gave Li Qing a bag of money crystals supplied by Tian Long, explaining that they could buy roughly two Armored Pigs.

Li Qing settled into Giant Rock City by opening a blacksmith shop and training while observing the peaceful city. When the Sand Crocodile Gang ordered Beast Traps, he suspected they were planning a hunt and sent Miao Qi to investigate.

• Li Qing opened a blacksmith shop, sold tools and weapons, and practiced Shadow Seeking Footwork while gathering information about Giant Rock City.
• Li Qing learned that the city’s gangs and its two leading powers lived in unusual peace, and wondered why the Red Fish Merchant Guild collected Sunlight Era beasts.
• Sand Crocodile Gang members ordered ten Beast Traps from Li Qing for fifteen Money Crystals each.
• Miao Qi arrived with orders to stay in Giant Rock City and assist Li Qing, who asked him to investigate the gang’s plans.
• Miao Qi eagerly left to gather intelligence, imagining that Li Qing was preparing a major operation.

Li Qing learned that the Red Fish Merchant Guild was offering a Blood-Generating Pill and Money Crystals for wolves found in the southern Mushroom Forest, then watched the city’s gangs join the hunt. After several gangs returned with prey and others with new grudges, three members of a gang that had stolen someone else’s wolf were found murdered in their homes.

• Miao Qi told Li Qing about the wolves, the Guild’s reward, and the gangs heading south, so Li Qing sent Beast Traps to the Sand Crocodile Gang and asked him to keep watch on the Guild and City Lord’s Mansion.
• Li Qing suspected Gifted Ones were behind the Red Fish Merchant Guild because it could breed mutant beasts and produce Blood-Generating Pills.
• Gangs and commoners streamed out of Giant Rock City to hunt wolves, leaving the city unusually quiet while Li Qing waited and gathered information.
• The True Martial Gang returned with a bound gray wolf, and its leader promised the Blood-Generating Pill to his Second Brother and a meat feast for the gang.
• Other hunters returned with prey or empty-handed, and fights over captured wolves left gangs at odds despite the City Lord’s Mansion’s authority.
• Three members of a gang that had stolen another group’s prey were found dead in their homes, throwing the city into an uproar.

Li Qing refused the Sand Crocodile Gang’s demand for a partial refund and intimidated its thugs into slapping one another before sending them away. Miao Qi then told him that City Lord Qin was holding a birthday banquet for the city’s gang leaders.

• Li Qing learned that the Great River Gang had lost three members and threatened revenge after the wolf-hunting operation.
• The Sand Crocodile Gang’s thugs brought back ten Beast Traps and demanded a refund of one hundred Money Crystals.
• Li Qing refused to refund them, and when their leader drew his blade, Li Qing snatched it away and snapped it in half.
• The thugs knelt and slapped one another at Li Qing’s order before fleeing his smithy.
• Miao Qi arrived and told Li Qing that City Lord Qin had invited the leaders of the city’s notable gangs to a birthday banquet.

After learning that the City Lord’s Mansion was hosting a peace feast, Li Qing considered whether the invitation might offer him a way into Giant Rock City’s circles of influence. Meanwhile, Sand Crocodile Gang leader Keloda investigated the beating of his men, and Li Qing arrived to explain himself in person.

• Miao Qi told Li Qing that the City Lord’s Mansion had invited prominent gang leaders to a birthday banquet, where aged wine would be served.
• Li Qing suspected the banquet was a peace feast and asked whether he counted as a notable figure in Giant Rock City.
• Keloda, leader of the Sand Crocodile Gang, received an invitation and decided the feast was worth attending for its wine.
• Four gang hooligans reported that Li Qing had beaten them, exaggerating his conduct and demanding that Keloda retaliate.
• Keloda ordered the men to behave while he investigated Li Qing’s background, refusing to act before learning whether Li Qing was an Outer Strength expert.
• Li Qing entered the Sand Crocodile Gang’s hall and offered to explain his background personally.

Li Qing confronted Keloda at the Sand Crocodile Gang headquarters and proved his overwhelming strength by stopping a punch just short of Keloda’s forehead. After ordering Keloda’s thugs outside, Li Qing sat down to discuss the invitation from the City Lord’s Mansion.

• Li Qing entered the Sand Crocodile Gang headquarters, where Keloda realized he had overcome the guards and cautiously asked what he wanted.
• Li Qing challenged Keloda to withstand one punch, then overwhelmed him with his martial spirit and stopped his fist a strand of hair from Keloda’s forehead.
• Keloda recognized that Li Qing was an Internal Energy expert and understood his warning not to draw attention.
• Li Qing ordered four thugs to leave and slap each other outside, and Keloda told them to obey.
• Li Qing took Keloda’s chair and asked whether he had received the City Lord’s Mansion invitation.

Li Qing questioned Keloda about the Red Fish Merchant Guild and learned that its rise coincided with Ge Wen being seriously injured. He disguised himself as a Sand Crocodile Gang member and accompanied Keloda to City Lord Qin Xiu’s birthday banquet, where the gathered gang leaders began offering congratulations.

• Li Qing told Keloda he would attend the City Lord’s Mansion banquet disguised as a gang member, then asked him about the Red Fish Merchant Guild.
• Keloda explained that the guild controlled Giant Rock City’s economy and began selling Armored Pigs when meat was scarce; he recalled that Ge Wen had been seriously injured around that time.
• Li Qing suspected an unusual person had caused the guild’s changes, warned Keloda to keep their encounter secret, and left.
• As Qin Xiu’s birthday banquet approached, the gangs eased their tensions and gathered at the City Lord’s Mansion.
• Li Qing arrived with Keloda, who offered congratulations to City Lord Qin on behalf of the Sand Crocodile Gang.

Li Qing attended a banquet at the City Lord’s Mansion, where Qin Xiu tried to calm tensions among Giant Rock City’s gang leaders. Jia Dachun refused to let the deaths of three Great River Gang members go unanswered, and Qin Xiu offered to investigate and hand over the culprit.

• Keloda greeted Wan Yan at the banquet while Li Qing quietly observed the gathered gang leaders.
• Ge Wen, president of the Red Fish Merchant Guild, and City Lord Qin Xiu arrived, drawing the attention of the guests.
• Qin Xiu urged the gang leaders to preserve order and praised Keloda for avoiding trouble.
• Qin Xiu asked Jia Dachun to let the dispute end, but Jia Dachun said three of his men had been killed and he could not accept that.
• Qin Xiu refused to allow a gang war and promised to investigate the deaths and hand the culprit over to Jia Dachun.

At Qin Xiu’s birthday banquet, Jia Dachun exposed the City Lord’s Mansion’s role in his gang’s killings and revealed that he had reached the Internal Energy realm. As Jia Dachun prepared to fight Qin Xiu and Ge Wen, Shi Dong stabbed him from behind.

• Ge Wen eased the tense banquet by urging Qin Xiu to serve wine, and Li Qing gave his share to Keloda.
• Jia Dachun questioned Qin Xiu’s promised investigation, then realized his cup had been drugged and accused Qin Xiu and Ge Wen of killing three members of his gang.
• Jia Dachun forced his strength through the drug’s effects and revealed himself as an Internal Energy expert, while Qin Xiu summoned the City Lord’s Mansion’s armed forces.
• Jia Dachun called on Shi Dong to help seize Giant Rock City, but Shi Dong stabbed him in the back.