Arc 1Into the Quantum Realm

Li Congxin transformed himself through training, published Doupo Cangqiong, and became entangled with Hope Van Dyne and Hank Pym after entering the Quantum Realm. He began studying quantum mechanics and warned Hank about future threats while his martial arts family discovered the immense weights he trained with.

  • Li Congxin began exercising with the God-Tier BGM System, defeated Gorilla in a school race, and used the attention he gained to pursue novel writing and martial arts training.
  • After Doupo Cangqiong became a hit, Li Congxin trained at Nalan Martial Arts School, survived an alley fight, and used his learned kicks to defeat the gang that attacked him.
  • Li Congxin met Hope Van Dyne, received an Ant-Man Suit from her, and shrank into the Quantum Realm, where he saw strange energy pursuing figures through a vortex before using the suit’s blue disc to return.
  • Hank Pym explained that Janet Van Dyne had vanished in the Quantum Realm, while Li Congxin described scattered memories of Janet and a woman who had helped him.
  • At Tony Stark’s masquerade ball, Li Congxin refused Stephen Strange’s offers to buy Martha’s Gym and won a wager with Tony by naming three similarities between himself and Superman.
  • Hank Pym offered to teach Li Congxin quantum mechanics and provide Pym Particles in exchange for help rescuing Janet, while Janet began teaching Li in his dreams.
  • Li Congxin warned Hank Pym about Captain America’s future discovery and an alien seed planted in Missouri, then visited Nalan Martial Arts School and revealed that his training weights totaled four hundred kilograms.
Chapters 1–25 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 1Chapter 1

Li Congxin transmigrated into the body of a wealthy, overweight student in 1998 Manhattan, where he identified his new world as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and resolved to start over. His friend Dave Lizewski called to tell him that the humiliating class ranking had been posted on the school forum and made him famous.

  • Li Congxin concluded that he was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ten years before Tony Stark would reveal himself as Iron Man.
  • Li Congxin learned that his new body belonged to a wealthy fitness-club owner whose parents had died and who had recently killed himself after a girl announced a class ranking.
  • Li Congxin chose not to touch the electric lamp again and decided to begin a new life in this dangerous world.
  • Dave Lizewski called Li Congxin and told him the class ranking had been posted on the forum, making him famous at school.

Ch. 2God-Tier BGM System

After a campus forum post mocked his fitness, Li Congxin resolved to lose weight and activated the God-Tier BGM System. He used his beginner’s gift to obtain and upgrade the “Calories” BGM, then tested it with an hour of running at Martha’s Gym and went home refreshed.

  • Li Congxin read the forum replies mocking his results and decided to start exercising and losing weight immediately.
  • The God-Tier BGM System activated after he reached 100 Impression Points and awarded him a Random BGM Draw Card.
  • Li Congxin used the card to obtain “Calories,” which increased exercise effectiveness and reduced its exhaustion and damage.
  • He spent one Impression Point to upgrade “Calories” to Level 2, doubling its effects.
  • Li Congxin ran on a treadmill for an hour at Martha’s Gym while “Calories” played, then showered and went to sleep.

Ch. 3Piercing the Heart, Bro!

Li Congxin woke at six after his BGM-assisted workout, felt unusually energetic, and upgraded the Calories BGM using his Impression Points. At school, Joe Cook mocked him over his infamous 9.58-second performance, and Li Congxin retaliated with a cutting insult that earned him Impression Points.

  • Li Congxin discovered he had woken at six and suspected his workout had reset his chaotic sleep schedule.
  • Li Congxin noticed his improved energy and upgraded the Calories BGM, raising its fitness benefits and reducing training damage by 30%.
  • Li Congxin encountered Joe Cook at school, where Joe mocked him over his 9.58-second performance and his success with the girl Joe had pursued.
  • Li Congxin insulted Joe about his yearlong romantic failure and earned nine Impression Points from him.

Ch. 4Burn My Calories!

Li Congxin provoked Gorilla, then competed against him in a twenty-lap school punishment run while collecting Impression Points from the spectators. After Gorilla sprinted ahead and exhausted himself, Li Congxin caught up, and Gorilla sped up again when Li Congxin's class came out to cheer him on.

  • Li Congxin provoked Gorilla and prepared to fight dirty, but Vice Principal William stopped them and ordered both to run twenty laps, with the last finisher having to apologize to the winner.
  • Students gathered to watch the race, giving Li Congxin Impression Points as he ran to the music from his God-Tier BGM System.
  • Gorilla sprinted ahead and lapped Li Congxin once, but his stamina began to fade while Li Congxin maintained his pace and caught up.
  • Li Congxin overtook Gorilla and earned a burst of Impression Points from him.
  • Li Congxin's homeroom teacher brought their class out to cheer, provoking Gorilla to abandon his plan to conserve stamina and speed up again.

Ch. 5Watch Your Left

Li Congxin won the long-distance race against Gorilla, earned enough Impression Points to upgrade “Calories” to Level 4, and began planning how to train harder and grow his fame. The chapter ended with him deciding to write novels and opening Word to type his first line: “Fighting power, three segments!”

  • Li Congxin overtook Gorilla repeatedly with his “Watch your left!” taunts, won the race, and collected 1,000 Impression Points.
  • Li Congxin forced the exhausted Gorilla to apologize, and Gorilla passed out after saying, “Sorry!”
  • Li Congxin used all 1,000 Impression Points to raise “Calories” to Level 4, increasing exercise effects and reducing exercise-related damage by 40%.
  • Li Congxin decided to intensify his training and concluded that becoming famous by writing novels could help him earn more Impression Points.
  • Li Congxin got a workout plan from a coach at Martha's Fitness Club, adjusted it for his system, then opened Word and typed, “Fighting power, three segments!”

Ch. 6The Road of a Copycat Writer

Li Congxin lost weight, wrote a novel, and sought Marcus Williams’s help publishing it while asking for combat training recommendations. His attempt to get the manuscript reviewed ran into trouble when he encountered Joe Cook, and Cook’s father took the manuscript home, planning to dismiss it after reading.

  • Li Congxin lost 50 kilograms in a month and wrote about twenty thousand words a day while adapting Doupo Cangqiong for Western readers.
  • Li Congxin called Marcus Williams and asked him to help find a publisher and recommend a place to learn combat skills.
  • Li Congxin met Marcus at Martha’s Gym, where shared music had boosted the gym’s popularity and raised Li Congxin’s Impression Points balance to 3,546.
  • Li Congxin encountered Joe Cook and refused his rematch challenge, earning Impression Points from Joe with his replies.
  • Joe Cook’s father took Li Congxin’s manuscript home to review, while Marcus could not recommend a place for Li Congxin to learn fighting.
  • Outside the gym, Joe Cook’s father told him he would criticize the manuscript after reading it, and Joe praised his plan.

Ch. 7Commercial Fiction in the Novel World

Old Cook recognized the commercial potential of Li Congxin’s Doupo Cangqiong and arranged to discuss publishing it, while also helping him find a martial arts school. The chapter left Li Congxin planning to visit Nalan Martial Arts School after dinner, with Marcus offering him a ride.

  • Old Cook told Gorilla that Doupo Cangqiong was a commercial opportunity and asked him to get along with Clark.
  • Gorilla went to find Li Congxin’s contact information, while Old Cook called Eddie, a Chinatown reporter, for help finding a martial arts school.
  • Li Congxin told Marcus that his earlier attempts to help with publishing and martial arts had failed, then received a call from Cook.
  • Cook offered to discuss publishing Li Congxin’s novel and recommended a martial arts school through his reporter friend.
  • Li Congxin learned the school was Nalan Martial Arts School, and Marcus offered to drive him there after dinner.

Ch. 8Not Cowardice, but Following One's Heart!

Li Congxin enrolled in the elite class at Nalan Martial Arts School, determined to learn genuine martial arts despite the cost and warnings. At the classroom, his name was misread on the registration form, and he suspected Nalan Bai had written it that way on purpose.

  • Li Congxin visited Nalan Martial Arts School and chose the elite class after Nalan Bai advised him to take the cheaper regular course.
  • Li Congxin enrolled despite Nalan Bai warning that mastering martial arts required talent, effort, and perseverance, and that the school offered no guarantees or refunds.
  • Li Congxin met Nalan Qing and handed him the registration form, which led the students to stifle their laughter when Nalan Qing misread his name as Li Song.
  • Li Congxin examined the form and realized Nalan Bai's vertical cursive handwriting had made his name difficult to read, so he suspected she had done it deliberately.

Ch. 9Truth Revealed

Li Congxin trained in Tan Leg at Nalan Martial Arts School and quickly mastered its basic kicks with the help of his music. After Nalan Long approved him for weighted training, Li Congxin joked with Nalan Bai and left the school on better terms with her.

  • Nalan Qing explained the origins and fundamentals of Shaolin Twelve Road Tan Leg, then led the class through basic leg techniques.
  • Li Congxin used music while training and mastered the basic kicks in one afternoon, prompting Nalan Qing to recommend weighted exercises within a few days.
  • Nalan Long watched Li Congxin's training footage, praised his talent, and said he could begin basic weighted training immediately.
  • Nalan Qing explained that Nalan Bai had filled out Li Congxin's form and revealed the martial arts roles of his siblings.
  • Li Congxin bought leg weights from Nalan Bai, apologized for his earlier rudeness, and teased her with a riddle that made her smile.

Ch. 10Laneside Brawl!

Li Congxin was ambushed by nine armed punks and struggled to apply his martial arts in a group fight. Wounded and surrounded, he recalled Nalan Long’s teachings as the punks charged at him again.

  • Li Congxin trained intensely, improving his physical abilities while still struggling to master Twelve-Road Tan Leg.
  • Nine armed punks trapped Li Congxin in an alley and demanded his valuables and portable music player.
  • Li Congxin fought back, kicking three punks down but relying on improvised attacks instead of his trained routines.
  • The braided leader joined the fight with a dagger, cutting Li Congxin’s arm and forehead.
  • Li Congxin scattered the iron sand from his torn arm weight to force the punks back briefly, then remembered Nalan Long’s advice as they charged again.

Ch. 11A Man Should Better Himself

Li Congxin awakened two new BGMs and used the combat awareness boost from “A Man Should Better Himself” to defeat the gang attacking him. He robbed the punks of their wallets for Impression Points, then ran toward home before police cars arrived.

  • Li Congxin awakened two BGMs and activated “A Man Should Better Himself,” which improved his combat awareness by 20%.
  • Li Congxin used the Shaolin Twelve Road Tan Leg to knock down the pigtail and the rest of the gang within seconds.
  • Li Congxin demanded the punks’ valuables and collected all ten wallets after the pigtail tried to refuse.
  • Li Congxin took the cash from the wallets, tossed the wallets onto a passing garbage truck, and earned more Impression Points from the punks’ reactions.
  • Li Congxin turned “Calories” back on and ran toward home, but police cars arrived as he started to leave.

Ch. 12Doupo Ablaze

Li Congxin’s novel Doupo Cangqiong became a runaway bestseller in New York, inspiring some readers and drawing the attention of a mysterious man who reconsidered his choice of Johnny. The second print run sold millions of copies, while Li Congxin gained Impression Points and strengthened his activated BGM effects.

  • Sheriff Marcus drove Li Congxin home after a street fight, and Li Congxin decided to keep taking risks rather than change his habits.
  • Doupo Cangqiong’s first print run sold out, and the novel became a craze among students across New York.
  • Dave argued that the novel had inspired him to become a superhero, while Peter Parker received a copy from Ben and vowed to become like Xiao.
  • A mysterious man read Doupo Cangqiong, questioned whether Johnny was the right choice, and headed toward New York City.
  • The publisher released a second print run, and Doupo Cangqiong sold more than 3.4 million copies in its third week.
  • Li Congxin gained Impression Points and raised the levels of his activated BGM tracks.

Ch. 13Hope Van Dyne

After half a month of accelerated martial arts training, Li Congxin returned to school transformed into a muscular young man and discovered that his classmate Dave Lizewski was Kick-Ass. As the new school year began, Dave asked to learn kung fu, and a new student named Hope Van Dyne joined their class.

  • Li Congxin awakened the "Chinese Kung Fu" and "A Man Should Better Himself" BGMs after fighting ten robbers, then rapidly improved his martial arts under Nalan Long's guidance.
  • Li Congxin returned to school for his second year, impressing his classmates with his muscular transformation and earning hundreds of Impression Points.
  • Dave Lizewski recognized Li Congxin, asked to learn Chinese Kung Fu, and accepted Li Congxin's invitation to meet on Saturday.
  • Kara introduced the new student, Hope Van Dyne, who told the class she was from New Jersey.

Ch. 14Strong Man Locks Down a Man (Happy New Year)

Hope Van Dyne joined Li Congxin’s class, showed off her fighting skills, and earned his suspicion that she was the Second Generation Wasp. After school, Li Congxin went looking for troublemakers to impress, but Crawford Hingirl appeared in the alley and called out to him.

  • Hope Van Dyne introduced herself and took the only empty seat beside Katie Deauxma.
  • Hope asked Dave to switch seats, then greeted Li Congxin, who teased her and received 66 Impression Points.
  • Belgreen insulted Li Congxin and grabbed at Hope, but Hope subdued him with a chokehold and earned 233 Impression Points from Li Congxin.
  • Li Congxin chose a secluded route home, hoping to encounter thugs, when Crawford Hingirl called to him from behind.

Ch. 15Engaging Hope

Li Congxin rejected Crawford's attempt to reconcile, then Hope intervened when four thugs approached them and challenged him to fight. Their sparring ended with Li Congxin kicking Hope into the path of two police officers, who mistook them for a couple fooling around.

  • Crawford apologized to Li Congxin and asked if he would help her if four men bullied her, but he said he would not.
  • Four thugs approached Crawford and Li Congxin in an alley, and Hope swiftly knocked them all down.
  • Hope told Crawford she needed to speak with Li Congxin privately, then explained that she had spared him the dilemma of helping Crawford.
  • Hope challenged Li Congxin to fight, and after they exchanged more than twenty blows, he kicked her out of the alley.
  • Two patrolling police officers drew their guns on Li Congxin until Hope explained they were friends, and one officer joked that he was tossing his girlfriend around.

Ch. 16Ant-Man Suit

Hope invited Li Congxin to Tony Stark’s charity masquerade ball and gave him an Ant-Man Suit, which he tried on at home. After pressing its shrinking button, he found himself shrinking into a dazzling, unfamiliar space.

  • Hope asked Li Congxin to arrange fitness club memberships for her and her father, Hank Pym.
  • Hope invited Li Congxin to a charity masquerade ball hosted by Tony Stark, and he accepted after hearing Stark’s name.
  • Hope gave Li Congxin a box containing an Ant-Man Suit, and he wondered whether it could help him gain power and reach the Quantum Realm.
  • Li Congxin locked his door, put on the suit, and pressed the red button on his right thumb.
  • Li Congxin shrank continuously as the room grew immense around him, and he found himself in a kaleidoscopic space.

Ch. 17Quantum Realm

Li Congxin accidentally shrank into the Quantum Realm, where he witnessed a red sphere, a white sphere, and a figure fleeing black energy before he lost consciousness. He regained his clarity with the help of an automatically activated Buddhist BGM, found a blue disc in his suit, and pressed the size-changing button in an attempt to escape.

  • Li Congxin tried to use the Ant-Man Suit’s controls to grow, but kept shrinking into the Quantum Realm.
  • Li Congxin saw black energy send tentacles through a vortex after a red sphere, a white sphere, and a blurry figure fled across his path.
  • Hope and a white-haired old man searched surveillance feeds for Li Congxin, then decided to go upstairs and investigate.
  • Qing Xin Zhou played automatically, helping Li Congxin regain consciousness as new BGM entries appeared in his system.
  • Li Congxin found the blue disc in his suit, put it into the waist controller, and pressed the red button.

Ch. 18Hank Pym

Li Congxin escaped the Quantum Realm in the Ant-Man Suit, collapsed, and woke in the hospital. Hank Pym explained how Janet vanished into the Quantum Realm and why he and Hope sought Li Congxin, leaving Li Congxin asking whether he carried Quantum Realm energy.

  • Li Congxin returned from the Quantum Realm, collapsed from his injuries, and Hope caught him.
  • Li Congxin woke in the hospital and demanded an explanation from Hope and Hank Pym about the Ant-Man Suit.
  • Li Congxin mentioned Janet Van Dyne, prompting Hank and Hope to react with surprise.
  • A nurse reported Li Congxin was recovering unusually quickly, and Hank agreed to tell him and Hope the truth about Janet.
  • Hank explained that Janet had shrunk to the subatomic level to destroy a missile and never returned, then said he had tracked Quantum Realm energy fluctuations to Li Congxin.
  • Li Congxin asked whether his body had always carried energy unique to the Quantum Realm.

Ch. 19Doctor Strange Appears at the Masquerade Ball

Li Congxin explained his fragmented memories of Janet Van Dyne to Old Pi, who moved in next door after asking him to report any new recollections. At a masquerade ball in Stark Tower, Li Congxin met influential guests and then Stephen Strange, who asked to buy his gym.

  • Li Congxin told Old Pi that his memories of the Quantum Realm were scattered and included Janet Van Dyne and a woman who had helped him.
  • Old Pi asked Li Congxin to contact him if he remembered anything, then bought the house next door and settled in.
  • Li Congxin and Hope attended the Stark Tower masquerade ball in superhero costumes, where Hope introduced him to guests including Justin Hammer and Norman Osborn.
  • Li Congxin gained Impression Points from meeting prominent guests and told Hope he expected them to remember him in ten years.
  • Stephen Strange approached Li Congxin, identified him as the owner of Martha's Gym, and offered to buy it.

Ch. 20Tony Stark

Stephen Strange tried to buy Martha's Gym from Li Congxin, but Li refused every offer. At Tony Stark's masquerade ball, Tony challenged Li to name similarities between himself and Superman, and Li's answers impressed Tony.

  • Stephen Strange offered Li Congxin five million dollars for Martha's Gym, but Li refused to sell the business his parents had left him.
  • Stephen raised his offer to ten million dollars, and Li compared selling the gym to selling Strange's hands; Strange stormed off in anger.
  • Tony Stark noticed Hope and invited her to dance, but she refused and pointed out that Li was her dance partner.
  • Tony used Jarvis to look up Li and challenged him to name more than three similarities with Superman, promising to fund the European release of Doupo Cangqiong if Li succeeded.
  • Li named their matching outfits, their poverty, and their shared connection to someone named Martha, earning 6,666 Impression Points from Tony.

Ch. 21Cosmic Source Will

Li Congxin humiliated Tony Stark at the masquerade ball with a trick question, then left to consider how to grow stronger in the Marvel world. A roadside encounter earned him an unexpected reward from the Cosmic Source Will.

  • Jarvis revealed that Li Congxin was wealthy, but Li Congxin challenged the guests to prove they were poorer than him and gained Impression Points.
  • Li Congxin challenged Tony Stark to solve a bus problem, then asked how many stops the bus made, leaving Tony and the onlookers baffled.
  • Tony tried to leave the exchange gracefully, but Li Congxin called him “Old Iron” and showed his student ID to mock Tony for being old.
  • After the ball, Li Congxin declined Hope's offer of a ride and ran while considering higher-ceiling power systems, including becoming Ancient One's disciple.
  • A drink-stand owner's comment about music prompted the Cosmic Source Will to award Li Congxin a Random BGM Draw Card.

Ch. 22A Community of Shared Destiny

Li Congxin suspected that a powerful Cosmic Source Will had noticed him, but he set aside the mystery and agreed to study quantum mechanics with Old Pi while continuing to write. After Old Pi and Hope left, he turned to the system and prepared to use his Random BGM Draw Card.

  • Li Congxin noticed that the water stall had vanished, suspected the Cosmic Source Will was watching him, and took a taxi home.
  • Li Congxin paid the driver, Jerome Arnold, after Jerome questioned whether he had money for the fare.
  • Old Pi and Hope visited Li Congxin, and Old Pi offered to teach him quantum mechanics and give him Pym Particles in exchange for help rescuing Janet.
  • Hope told Li Congxin that their interests were aligned, and Old Pi agreed to let him keep writing if he studied quantum mechanics for two hours each day.
  • After Old Pi and Hope left, Li Congxin opened the system interface and focused on his Random BGM Draw Card.

Ch. 23Dreams Began to Fill with Smoke

Li Congxin used the BGM “Kan Wo 72 Bian” to fall into a deep sleep and met Janet in a dream. She began teaching him quantum mechanics, while he remained unaware that Old Pi and his daughter had drawn the attention of people with ulterior motives.

  • Li Congxin learned that “Kan Wo 72 Bian” induced deep sleep and could gradually improve his appearance, then played it as he went to bed.
  • Li Congxin dreamed that he was in the Quantum Realm and recognized the woman before him as Aunt Janet.
  • Janet told Li Congxin she could enter his dreams through quantum entanglement and teach him about the Quantum Realm.
  • Janet explained that although Li Congxin would forget the lessons after waking, the knowledge would remain in his subconscious for when Hank taught him.
  • Janet began Li Congxin’s first lesson in quantum mechanics as Old Pi and his daughter drew the attention of people with ulterior motives.

Ch. 24Malice from Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D.

Alexander Pierce sent Rumlow to extract information about Hank Pym from Li Congxin without revealing S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra. After studying quantum mechanics with Pym, Li Congxin described visions of Captain America’s discovery and a future alien threat, leaving Pym asking for more details.

  • Alexander Pierce told Rumlow to question Li Congxin about Hank Pym while concealing S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra’s involvement.
  • Li Congxin continued studying quantum mechanics with Hank Pym and made rapid progress.
  • Li Congxin told Pym that fragments from the Quantum Realm showed Captain America being discovered frozen in ice years later.
  • Li Congxin described an alien seed that would threaten Earth in 2017 and be stopped by the alien’s son and others.
  • Hank Pym asked Li Congxin whether he knew more detailed information about the future threat.

Ch. 25Are You Taking Indirect Shots at Us?

Li Congxin visited Nalan Martial Arts School for the Mid-Autumn Festival, where Nalan Bai teased him about his novel and Nalan Long assessed his training. The chapter ended with Nalan Bai and Nalan Long discovering that Li Congxin had been casually carrying four hundred kilograms of custom weights.

  • Li Congxin told Old Pi that a seed had been planted in Missouri and shared what he claimed to know about the alien who left it.
  • Li Congxin bought mooncakes and visited Nalan Martial Arts School, where Nalan Bai accused him of using the Nalan Family and Nalan Yanran in Doupo Cangqiong to take indirect shots at them.
  • Nalan Long invited Li Congxin to dinner and told him to limit his weighted training to two hours a day before asking to see his progress.
  • Li Congxin removed his custom Osmium alloy weights, and Nalan Bai struggled to lift his two-hundred-kilogram vest.
  • Li Congxin explained that his weights totaled four hundred kilograms, surprising Nalan Bai and Nalan Long.
Arc 1 of 17