Chapter Summaries

Li Congxin prepared to retrieve evidence from a Manhattan warehouse, but Old Pi warned him that the site belonged to mafia boss Frank D'Amico and arranged backup. Hawkeye and Yi Long joined Li Congxin for the nighttime operation, leaving the three of them on their way to the warehouse.

• Li Congxin waited until late at night to sneak into a Manhattan supply warehouse and retrieve hidden evidence.
• Hawkeye visited Li Congxin and admitted he suspected Li Congxin had already recognized him.
• Old Pi introduced Yi Long and said he had called the two men to help Li Congxin.
• Old Pi warned that Frank D'Amico controlled the warehouse and had many armed men, so Li Congxin accepted Hawkeye and Yi Long's help.
• Li Congxin disguised himself, and Hawkeye drove him and Yi Long toward the warehouse.

Li Congxin, Hawkeye, and Yi Long went to rescue Damon Macready and Kick-Ass, only to discover Mindy at the warehouse and learn that her father had been captured. As Li Congxin’s group attacked Frank D’Amico’s men, a mysterious old man appeared before Damon and offered him power.

• Hawkeye told Li Congxin that his desire to fight crime was reason enough to help.
• Yi Long spotted someone hiding near the warehouse, and Li Congxin disarmed Mindy, who told him Damon had been kidnapped.
• Mindy explained that Damon and Kick-Ass had been captured after Kick-Ass brought a spy to their secret base, and Li Congxin led the group into the warehouse.
• Frank D’Amico’s men tied Kick-Ass and Damon to chairs and prepared to burn them during a livestream, while a mysterious old man asked Damon if he craved power.
• Li Congxin attacked the thugs with Ruyi Bang, and Hawkeye, Yi Long, and Mindy joined him in the fight.
• Li Congxin noticed that he gained Impression Points whenever his teammates killed the thugs, and he began forming a bold idea.

After Damon died in a supernatural blaze, Li Congxin formed the Heroes Alliance with Mindy, Hawkeye, and Yi Long as they headed to confront Frank D'Amico. They arrived to find Frank's headquarters engulfed in flames, while a flaming Batmobile-like car raced past them, leaving the attacker unknown.

• Damon was consumed by mysterious flames, and Mindy mourned her father's death before asking Li Congxin and the others to help her seek revenge.
• Li Congxin agreed to help Mindy, rejected Kick-Ass as a teammate, and led the group toward Frank D'Amico's headquarters with incriminating evidence.
• Li Congxin proposed an alliance, and Mindy, Hawkeye, and Yi Long agreed to join.
• Hawkeye asked what the organization would be called, and Li Congxin named it the Heroes Alliance.
• The group found Frank D'Amico's skyscraper burning, then watched a flaming Batmobile-like car speed out of the fire and race past them.

Li Congxin’s physical training reached the limits of human ability, and he demonstrated his mastery of the Four Gates Staff Technique with a cloth staff. As Nalan Long and Yi Long prepared to leave, Nalan Long revealed a possible way for Li Congxin to surpass those limits: qi.

• Li Congxin handed the evidence from the flash drive to Marcus and kept a backup, while Hawkeye questioned why he had not left the matter entirely to the police.
• Li Congxin’s training gains stalled; Old Pi recorded his extraordinary strength, speed, and combat ability as roughly equal to Black Widow’s.
• Li Congxin used a cloth staff to destroy four two-ton sandbags, impressing Yi Long and Nalan Long with his martial skill.
• Nalan Long said he would take A Qing and A Hong home, leave Xiao Bai to continue her studies, and ask Li Congxin to look after her.
• Yi Long said he planned to return home after Mr. Hank’s examination suggested his condition had been resolved.
• Nalan Long told Li Congxin that qi could let a martial artist unleash power beyond the human body’s limits.

Li Congxin weighed ways to gain power and decided to travel to the Himalayas to seek Kunlun or the Sanctum. He then joined the lively Heroes Alliance chat and stunned its members with a crude reply.

• Nalan Long and Yi Long told Li Congxin that qi was a rare martial art power, and that its practitioners were said to gather in Kunlun.
• Li Congxin rejected Hit-Girl’s request to join the Heroes Alliance chat and discussed learning hacking with Old Pi.
• After Nalan Long and Yi Long departed, Li Congxin sent Xiao Bai back to Nalan Martial Arts School with Hope and set off alone to consider how to break through his bottleneck.
• Li Congxin decided to travel to the Himalayas and seek either Kunlun or the Sanctum, then rejected Hit-Girl’s request again.
• Li Congxin saw Punisher, Daredevil, and Hawkeye chatting in the group and replied to Daredevil’s question as Black Mask, leaving the chat silent.

Li Congxin interrupted his plan to buy Daredevil’s friend’s struggling special-effects studio when Mindy called for help after Sheriff Marcus was killed. He found her and learned The Hand was behind the crimes, but Madame Gao attacked and left him badly injured as the USB drive was destroyed.

• Daredevil explained that his friend’s special-effects studio was failing, and Li Congxin offered to buy it.
• Mindy called Li Congxin for help, saying Marcus had been killed and she was being pursued, so Li Congxin headed to meet her and alerted the Heroes Alliance.
• Li Congxin found Mindy in a secluded park, where she gave him a USB drive containing evidence that The Hand was the real power behind Frank D'Amico.
• Madame Gao appeared and mocked Mindy for carrying the evidence with her.
• Madame Gao struck Li Congxin, sent him flying, and shattered the USB drive in their exchange.

Li Congxin and the Heroes Alliance defeated Madame Gao’s ninja ambush, but discovered that The Hand’s leaders had drawn them into a trap. As three of The Hand’s ancient Five Fingers confronted them, Li Congxin prepared to fight despite the overwhelming odds.

• Madame Gao revealed dozens of ninjas who had been waiting to ambush Li Congxin and Mindy, and he realized the attack was meant to lure out the Heroes Alliance.
• Li Congxin and Mindy fought the ninjas until Daredevil, Punisher, and Hawkeye arrived and helped kill them.
• Li Congxin warned the others that the apparent victory had left them in danger, and Madame Gao was joined by Murakami and Bakuto.
• Li Congxin recognized the three as core members of The Hand and braced himself as the Heroes Alliance faced the three powerful ancient members of the Five Fingers.

Li Congxin discovered that his new BGM granted him a poisonous compliment curse rather than help in the battle, then joined his allies against three of The Hand’s fingers. The heroes fought with growing coordination but suffered serious injuries and were close to losing their strength.

• Li Congxin learned that “Fung Wan 2” could activate a supreme skill in a life-or-death crisis, and it gave him the “Not Beneath Me” curse, which could weaken an opponent after the battle at the cost of 1,000,000 Impression Points.
• Li Congxin urged the group to fight, while Punisher chose Murakami and Daredevil chose Bakuto as their opponents.
• Li Congxin attacked Madame Gao and told Hawkeye to support the fighters from behind while Hit-Girl protected him.
• The three battles broke out as Hawkeye’s arrows interfered with the enemies and the heroes gradually improved their teamwork.
• Bakuto wounded Daredevil beneath the ribs, Murakami struck Punisher in the back of the heart, and the heroes’ injuries left them close to exhaustion.

Li Congxin struggled against Madame Gao and the other Hand fighters while the police approached. Old Pi arrived in an Ant-Man Suit and blinded Madame Gao with a sudden shrinking attack, leaving the fight unresolved.

• The Hand fighters intensified their attacks after hearing approaching police sirens, determined to finish the fight quickly.
• Madame Gao cut Li Congxin’s cloth staff and pressed him with her sword, but he summoned the Ruyi Bang and fought back.
• Madame Gao overpowered Li Congxin with a sword strike, injuring his hands and forcing him to retreat.
• Old Pi charged at Madame Gao in an Ant-Man Suit, shrank to evade her sword, and struck her in the face.
• Old Pi’s attack destroyed Madame Gao’s right eye, and Li Congxin realized the suit could be used as a devastating weapon.

Li Congxin and Old Pi helped drive Murakami, Bakuto, and Madame Gao from the battlefield, then avoided arrest with Police Chief Gordon’s intervention. On the way to the hospital, Old Pi asked who their enemies were, and Li Congxin said the three old men were all as powerful as he was.

• Li Congxin knocked Madame Gao through the restroom wall while flying ants let him rescue the wounded Punisher from Murakami.
• Murakami called off the fight, and Bakuto helped him and Madame Gao retreat as sirens approached.
• Officer Solomon’s police surrounded Li Congxin’s group, but Police Chief Gordon ordered Solomon to leave the injured heroes alone and claim credit for defeating the gangsters.
• Old Pi drove Li Congxin and the others to the hospital and explained that he had recognized trouble from a viral parkour video.
• Old Pi asked Li Congxin who their enemies were, and Li Congxin said the three old fellows were incredibly powerful and not one was below him.

Li Congxin discovered that using Not Beneath Me on three targets had drained most of his Impression Points, then regrouped with his injured allies after their battle with The Hand. Mindy revealed she had preserved clues left by Marcus, giving Li Congxin a lead for planning their next move against The Hand.

• Li Congxin learned that he lacked enough Impression Points to use Not Beneath Me again and realized the skill had cost three million points when he targeted three elders.
• Mindy reached for Li Congxin’s dangerous pistol, but he snatched it back and explained that the failed product could still be lethal.
• Li Congxin arranged hospital treatment for Daredevil and Punisher, then apologized to them and Hawkeye for involving them in the conflict.
• Punisher, Daredevil, and Hawkeye told Li Congxin they had each opposed The Hand for months or years, and the group agreed that The Hand was their common enemy.
• Li Congxin worried that The Hand might have discovered their identities and began thinking about a practical plan to defeat its leaders.
• Mindy revealed that she had switched out Marcus’s clues while The Hand pursued her, and Li Congxin urged everyone to retrieve them immediately.

Li Congxin and Mindy recovered the flash drives from Egghead, who shared information about The Hand because of his bond with Frank Castle. After Marcus’s funeral, Li Congxin agreed to bring Mindy home, though he did not formally answer her request to become her guardian.

• Li Congxin found Egghead at the vending machine, and Egghead gave him two flash drives: one with Marcus’s clues and one with classified information about The Hand.
• Egghead explained that he provided the information for Frank Castle, his former comrade-in-arms, then drove away.
• At Marcus’s funeral, Li Congxin and Mindy silently mourned the officer and walked home together through the snow.
• Mindy asked Li Congxin to become her guardian and offered him her three million dollars for food and lodging.
• Li Congxin told Mindy to keep her money, ruffled her hair, and invited her to come home with him.

After Mindy moved into Old Pi’s villa, Old Pi warned Li Congxin that The Hand’s remaining leaders might come after them and urged him to recover until Yi Long returned. Old Pi revealed he had secretly arranged Yi Long’s wife’s remarriage, then suddenly collapsed after dropping his juice bottle.

• Old Pi happily welcomed Mindy into the villa, but she politely declined his offer to become her guardian.
• Old Pi told Li Congxin that The Hand had five leaders and that the remaining Fingers might come to New York.
• Old Pi advised Li Congxin to recover and wait for Yi Long before acting against The Hand.
• Old Pi explained that Yi Long’s wife had remarried and admitted he had helped the professor advance his career.
• Old Pi said he had donated five million dollars to Shaolin Temple, then dropped his bottle and collapsed on the sofa.

After Old Pi fell into a coma from the side effects of the Ant-Man Suit, Li Congxin recognized how deeply he cared about his mentor and resolved to grow stronger. The system awakened a BGM that could evolve his life form, and Li Congxin sought a widely broadcast television interview to earn the Impression Points needed to use it.

• Stephen Strange told Li Congxin and Hope that Old Pi's examinations showed no illness or injury, but he could not predict when Old Pi might wake up.
• Hope explained that years of using the Ant-Man Suit and the strain of the Pym Particles had pushed Old Pi's aging body beyond its limits.
• Li Congxin realized he no longer saw the people around him as distant figures and felt determined to become strong enough to protect them.
• The system awakened the BGM "Maha Incredible Adventure," which could evolve Li Congxin into a stronger life form for 100 million Impression Points.
• Li Congxin called Old Cook and asked him to arrange an interview with the television program that had the widest reach as soon as possible.

Li Congxin arranged to appear on the live talk show The Real You to build his reputation while searching for a way to wake Old Pi. After striking a preliminary deal to buy Pic Piff Special Effects Studio, he recognized that his injured allies needed a safe support base.

• Li Congxin chose The Real You for his television appearance and was scheduled to appear Saturday night.
• Hope stayed at the hospital with Old Pi while Li Congxin returned home and spent the night studying Old Pi's research for a cure.
• Matthew visited Li Congxin with Chelsea Bernie, owner of Ona Pictures, to discuss selling Pic Piff Special Effects Studio.
• Li Congxin and Bernie reached a preliminary agreement to sell the studio for five million dollars, pending legal procedures.
• Matthew told Li Congxin that he and Frank had left the hospital because it was unsafe for people like them, prompting Li Congxin to consider building a support base.

Li Congxin appeared on a live New York TV show and answered hostile questions about his studies, fitness, and writing. The chapter ended with a critic accusing his books of being a substitute spiritual drug, leaving Li Congxin to respond.

• Li Congxin went to New York TV Station on December 26 to appear on the live show "The Real You."
• Gerald Walker challenged Li Congxin for writing books instead of focusing on school, and Li Congxin replied that he ranked first in every subject at midterms.
• Gerald questioned Li Congxin's lack of school sports, and Li Congxin showed off his muscles before telling Gerald he was unfit to criticize his fitness.
• A literary critic asked Li Congxin about scholars calling his books worthless, and Li Congxin said readers' approval mattered more to him than their opinions.
• The critic claimed Li Congxin's books could replace narcotics as a spiritual drug, provoking an uproar and putting Li Congxin on the spot.

Li Congxin handled hostile questions about his novels and revealed that he had studied Chinese Kung Fu. He demonstrated his kicking power on a skeptical guest, sending him flying into a padded wall.

• Li Congxin said Doupo Cangqiong was about one-third complete and would likely end in the latter half of next year, then mentioned two ideas for his next novel.
• Li Congxin sparred verbally with four guest interrogators during the first half of the program, impressing the host and keeping viewers tuned in.
• Li Congxin told the host he had studied Chinese Kung Fu and agreed to demonstrate his speed and strength.
• A chubby white guest challenged Li Congxin to kick him while he wore protective gear, betting on whether he would reach the padded wall.
• Li Congxin kicked the guest, sending him five or six meters into the padded wall and making the studio tremble.

After earning more than 100 million Impression Points, Li Congxin activated Maha Incredible Adventure and broke through his body's limits, gaining a dramatic increase in combat ability. He headed home determined to master his new strength, defeat The Hand, and then focus on Old Pi's condition.

• Li Congxin visited Old Pi in the hospital and talked with Hope beside his bed, helping her regain some of her composure, but Old Pi remained unconscious.
• Li Congxin discovered that his Impression Points had reached 102 million and activated Maha Incredible Adventure on a quiet New York street.
• Li Congxin endured a minute and fifty seconds of intense transformation as his body and senses changed, then realized his combat strength had increased substantially.
• Li Congxin decided to familiarize himself with his new strength, eliminate The Hand as a threat, and later find a way to help Old Pi.

Madame Gao’s attempt to break through her qi bottleneck was ruined by a vision of Li Congxin, leaving her badly injured again. Murakami decided to target Damon Macready’s orphaned daughter, while Li Congxin experimented with qi and noticed Hit-Girl sneaking into his villa.

• Madame Gao saw a phantom of Li Congxin attacking her during her breakthrough and suffered qi deviation after striking back.
• Murakami told Madame Gao he had identified Damon Macready’s daughter as a possible way to draw out their enemies, and planned to target her.
• Li Congxin practiced controlling his newly acquired qi in the snowy villa courtyard.
• Hit-Girl entered the courtyard carrying a samurai sword, and Li Congxin spotted her approaching the villa.

Li Congxin learned that Ghost Rider had rescued Mindy from Murakami and warned her not to act alone again. Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and Alexander Pierce then arrived at the villa, where Li Congxin recognized them as trouble and mocked the name of Mindy’s sword.

• Li Congxin confronted Mindy about going out as Hit-Girl and asked how she had obtained Murakami’s katana.
• Mindy explained that she had attacked a Hand hideout, been captured by Murakami, and been rescued when Ghost Rider arrived and killed him with a glare.
• Li Congxin recognized Ghost Rider’s intervention and warned Mindy that her recklessness could have endangered the Heroes Alliance.
• Li Congxin returned the katana to Mindy, and she asked him what it was called.
• A suited man identified the sword as Raikiri, formerly wielded by Tachibana Dōsetsu and later owned by Murakami.
• Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and Alexander Pierce arrived, and Li Congxin greeted their explanation with a sarcastic remark about Chidori.