Chapter Summaries

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.