Chapter Summaries

After Chen Chuan sensed that his knife required a special method, Cheng Zitong tried to obtain a family Knife Manual from Qiao Linhu but refused the price of three years of service. He found an old manual elsewhere and gave it to Chen Chuan, who discovered its knife force was called Heavy Slash Knife Force.

• Chen Chuan continued training and asked Cheng Zitong about the unusual way his knife seemed to work.
• Cheng Zitong examined Chen Chuan’s Mutated Tissue and said it showed no accelerated growth, then decided to seek him suitable knife techniques.
• Cheng Zitong asked Qiao Linhu for his family-inherited Knife Manual, but Qiao Linhu demanded that Chen Chuan serve as his disciple’s assistant for three years.
• Cheng Zitong rejected Qiao Linhu’s condition and left, complaining that people were clinging to old rules.
• Cheng Zitong brought Chen Chuan a worn, handwritten Knife Manual he had acquired elsewhere.
• Chen Chuan read the manual and found the name Heavy Slash Knife Force.

Chen Chuan studied the Snow Monarch Blade’s methods and continued training before visiting Aunt’s home, where emergency reports announced armed robberies and hostages. Cheng Zitong called and ordered Chen Chuan to return to school immediately.

• Cheng Zitong explained the Knife Manual’s authentic force methods and gave Chen Chuan a notebook of key points.
• Chen Chuan learned that the Snow Monarch Blade could become more compatible with him through prolonged practice or dangerous battles and killing.
• Chen Chuan trained with Weaponry Department students and met Fang Zhiming, who delivered him an Entrusted Company name card.
• Chen Chuan visited Aunt’s home with gifts, then heard an emergency broadcast about armed robberies and hostages.
• Cheng Zitong called Chen Chuan and urgently ordered him to return to school.

Chen Chuan accepted the Arms Certificate Designated Assignment to help the Patrol Bureau capture Fang Dawei and his group. He joined the upperclassmen and Committee Member Han as they prepared to set off.

• Chen Chuan returned to school, where Cheng Zitong explained that Fang Dawei's group had attacked a councilor's residence for Anti-Alienation Drugs and that the Government Affairs Hall planned to eliminate them.
• Cheng Zitong warned Chen Chuan that Fang Dawei's group likely had Military Implant Bodies, guns, and Protective Suits, and Chen Chuan agreed to join the dangerous assignment.
• Chen Chuan retrieved the Snow Monarch Blade, signed and sealed the assignment form, and went to the Great Hall to meet the upperclassmen who had accepted it.
• The upperclassmen recognized Chen Chuan as the freshman who had beaten Zhong Wu into a vegetative state and took him seriously.
• Han Guo of the Review Committee arrived, explained that she would record and evaluate their actions, confirmed that no one wished to withdraw, and ordered them to set off.

Han Guo led Chen Chuan and the other Wuyi Academy trainees toward Caijia Village, where kidnappers held Councilor Fang Zuo’s son. The Patrol Bureau surrounded the village, but an assault was repelled, and Guan Yuming prepared to involve the arriving trainees in negotiations and the rescue.

• Han Guo briefed the trainees on the kidnapping and said the Patrol Bureau had tracked the kidnappers to Caijia Village.
• Guan Yuming positioned patrol teams around the village and ordered the Entrusted Company personnel to rush the entrance under covering fire.
• A hidden machine gun and two attackers killed the assaulting personnel, while Wei Laohu’s team captured the low mound and seized a damaged Liting-style light machine gun.
• Madam Fang begged Guan Yuming to save her child, and the director ordered him to prioritize the boy’s safety and negotiate.
• The kidnappers demanded at least twenty boxes of Anti-Alienation Drugs, fifty thousand Jianyuan Currency, and three vehicles; they agreed to let someone see the child but insisted the drugs come first.
• Wuyi Academy’s trainees arrived, and Guan Yuming told his aide to bring them over so he could give them instructions.

Chen Chuan and the Wuyi Academy students entered Caijia Village to negotiate a medicine exchange and rescue Madam Fang’s son, but a sudden explosion shattered the village. Guan Yuming learned the boy had never been kidnapped, and Fang Dawei’s group withdrew north as the students faced the blast’s aftermath.

• Guan Yuming asked the students to rescue the hostage if an opportunity arose, and Senior Student Liu secured Protective Suits and temporary authorization for the group.
• Senior Student Liu led several students into Caijia Village to negotiate while Chen Chuan and Student Wu guarded the entrance.
• Guan Yuming received word that Fang Xunli had left the village that morning and was safe at a classmate’s home, then ordered the students to return.
• Student Wu relayed the recall, but Senior Student Liu heard a child crying and rushed toward the sound while sending the female student back.
• An explosion collapsed buildings in the village center, and Madam Fang learned her son had never been kidnapped.
• Guan Yuming ordered Captain Yu to pursue Fang Dawei’s group as it withdrew north, while Han Guo acknowledged a telegram and prepared to notify the commissioned students.

After Senior Liu died saving a child, Chen Chuan stayed in Caijia Village to help the Patrol Bureau capture Fang Dawei's group, even as the assignment was canceled and Mo Lan Company's security force prepared to take over. With Senior Wu joining him and the officers watching, Chen Chuan charged toward the sentry fort alone.

• The Patrol Bureau found Senior Liu dead beneath rubble after he shielded a child, and Han Guo announced that the Designated Assignment had been canceled.
• Chen Chuan met Guan Xiaohui, learned her relatives had been driven from Caijia Village, and chose to stay while the other students withdrew.
• Guan Yuming learned Mo Lan Company's security force would take over within forty minutes, and Chen Chuan volunteered to assault the sentry fort before they arrived.
• Guan Xiaohui told Chen Chuan about a hidden path, but Senior Wu returned to help him avenge Senior Liu, and Chen Chuan instead prepared to attack from the front.
• Chen Chuan put on Guan Yuming's Protective Suit, drew the Snow Monarch Blade, merged with his Second Self, and launched himself up the path toward the fort.

Fang Dawei's bandits waited inside Highland Sentry Post for rescue while Chen Chuan charged up to attack them. Chen Chuan cut down their armored guard and reached the entrance, leaving the bandits facing his assault.

• Fang Dawei's group learned that Mo Lan Company's security team would arrive in about forty minutes, while Fang hoped turmoil in the city might give them another way out.
• Old Seven found a hidden passage beneath the post, and Doctor Lin warned that the group's medicine would last only three days as Fang Dawei suffered an episode and took a capsule.
• Tong Qianjiang spotted Chen Chuan below, and the bandits laughed at the lone student before the Patrol Bureau opened fire to cover his advance.
• Chen Chuan raced up the path, evaded the gunman's shots, and leaped across a ravine to bypass the final bend.
• Chen Chuan sliced through the armored gunman and walked toward the sentry post entrance.

Chen Chuan stormed the sentry fort and slaughtered the armed men on its second floor, while his Protective Suit turned aside their bullets. He jumped down to confront Fang Dawei’s remaining fighters and killed the small man, leaving Tong Baitao and the others facing him.

• Chen Chuan dropped through the roof into the fort and killed the men guarding the second floor, blocking bullets with a corpse and then his Protective Suit.
• Fang Dawei ordered Tong Qianjiang to guard the entrance against the Patrol Bureau while Chen Chuan assessed the survivors and their implants.
• Chen Chuan jumped from the second floor as Fang Dawei’s group closed around him and Old Seven crawled into position behind him.
• Tong Baitao charged with steel batons while the small man attacked with a blade, and Chen Chuan redirected the small man into Tong Baitao’s path.
• Chen Chuan struck the small man’s head, killed him, and hurled his body toward Tong Baitao.

Chen Chuan fought Tong Baitao, Tong Qianjiang, and Fang Dawei inside the bunker, overcoming their coordinated attacks and Tong Baitao’s strange defensive abilities. He killed Tong Baitao and Tong Qianjiang, while Fang Dawei remained standing nearby.

• Tong Baitao and Tong Qianjiang coordinated their attacks as Old Seven threatened Chen Chuan from above, but Chen Chuan disarmed Tong Baitao and wounded his chest.
• Tong Baitao trapped the Snow Monarch Blade in his body and restrained Chen Chuan, but Chen Chuan broke free, threw him to the ground, and pulled the blade out.
• Fang Dawei attacked Chen Chuan, who knocked him aside before striking Tong Baitao and thrusting the Snow Monarch Blade through his throat and head.
• Tong Qianjiang emptied his gun at Chen Chuan and charged with Fang Dawei, but Chen Chuan retreated among the debris and killed Tong Qianjiang with a thrust and an upward slash.
• Fang Dawei stopped as Tong Qianjiang’s head flew through the bunker gate and his body collapsed.

Chen Chuan defeated Tong Qianjiang and faced Fang Dawei, whose experimental Implant Body resisted blades and bullets. By exploiting the moments when Fang Dawei had to breathe, Chen Chuan wounded and subdued him, then dragged him upstairs and prepared to drop him with a rope.

• Patrol Bureau officers identified the head Chen Chuan had thrown from the sentry post as Tong Qianjiang’s, and Wei Laohu led them up the slope.
• Chen Chuan confronted Fang Dawei after the spider-like person fled, while Doctor Lin explained that Fang Dawei’s Implant Body was an experimental model still in its adjustment period.
• Fang Dawei offered Chen Chuan a share of the bank robbery money and threatened to reveal a secret about Mo Lan Company, but Chen Chuan told Wei Laohu’s officers to stay outside.
• Chen Chuan realized Fang Dawei’s Implant Body had to open gaps when he breathed and attacked him, striking whenever Fang Dawei tried to inhale.
• Chen Chuan repeatedly cut Fang Dawei until he could no longer move, tied a rope around him, and dragged him to the second floor.

Chen Chuan defeated Fang Dawei’s group at the sentry fortress, while Senior Wu intercepted Old Seven and Lin Fa revealed Mo Lan Company’s experiments before Chen Chuan killed him. Guan Yuming arranged for Chen Chuan’s canceled Designated Assignment to count as passed and made clear that the Patrol Bureau would protect him.

• Senior Wu waited at the hidden passage, pinned Old Seven to the wall with a spear, and broke his neck.
• Chen Chuan killed Fang Dawei, and Doctor Lin identified himself as Lin Fa, a Mo Lan External Implant Body Doctor who had been documenting the company’s experiments on criminals.
• Lin Fa described Mo Lan Company’s prisoner hunts and said he planned to report Chen Chuan’s fight for a chance to join its Implant Body Laboratory, so Chen Chuan cut him down.
• Chen Chuan emerged from the fortress and reaffirmed his resolve to grow strong enough to break free of every shackle.
• Wei Laohu led the Patrol Bureau officers into the fortress and reported that Chen Chuan had defeated Fang Dawei’s group alone.
• Guan Yuming persuaded the director to treat Chen Chuan’s canceled Designated Assignment as still valid and declared that the Patrol Bureau would protect him.

Mo Lan Company arrived at the sentry station to take over the operation against Fang Dawei’s group, but Guan Yuming revealed that the Patrol Bureau had already captured them all. As the bureau drove Chen Chuan and Wu Han toward Captain Nian’s home, He Yaoxian panicked and ordered his assistant to seek terms with Guan.

• He Yaoxian and Wan Poming arrived at the sentry station with Mo Lan’s armed security team, expecting to take down Fang Dawei’s group.
• Guan Yuming told He Yaoxian that the Patrol Bureau had captured all the bandits and that suspects and corpses were at the scene.
• He Yaoxian realized the surviving suspects could expose Mo Lan’s secrets and ordered his assistant to offer Guan whatever demands he wanted.
• Wu Han thanked Chen Chuan for his help, pledged to save people in the future, and introduced himself as a second-year student of Wuyi Academy.
• Chen Chuan learned that Guan Yuming’s driver would take him and Wu Han to Captain Nian’s home before returning them to school.

After helping capture Fang Dawei’s gang, Chen Chuan returned to Wuyi Academy, where the authorities reinstated his Arms Certificate assignment. As he resumed training and reflected on his growing strength, he prepared for dangers beyond the bandits he had already faced.

• Nian Fuli returned home after an overnight watch and told Yu Wan that Chen Chuan’s actions had earned notice and might bring him benefits.
• Chen Chuan’s classmates praised him for helping capture the bandits, and he regretted that Senior Liu received little recognition in the newspaper.
• Cheng Zitong visited Chen Chuan, confirmed the academy would handle Liu Xin’s affairs, and told him to obtain his Arms Certificate with him in three mornings.
• Cheng Zitong warned Chen Chuan to be cautious around Mo Lan Company and advised him to wait for his Arms Certificate before taking another Well Child assignment.
• Chen Chuan maintained the Snow Monarch Blade, noted that its damage had healed and his overlap time with his Second Self had neared an hour, then practiced a draw and returned the blade to its sheath.

Chen Chuan received his Arms Certificate and discussed buying a gun and pursuing an Armored Certificate with Cheng Zitong. Elsewhere, Teacher Tan noticed a newspaper report about Chen Chuan and ordered someone to bring him in for a meeting.

• Chen Chuan completed the paperwork and received his Arms Certificate, while Senior Wu and Senior Liu were also recognized for their actions during the Designated Assignment.
• Cheng Zitong rejected a proposed certificate-awarding ceremony and advised Chen Chuan to keep the certificate safe and buy a Wu Ji Handgun.
• Chen Chuan asked about taking the Armored Certificate assessment, and Cheng Zitong said it would be more convenient now that he had an Arms Certificate.
• Cheng Zitong gave Chen Chuan tickets to the Class B Student Arena Competition and left for the administration building.
• Teacher Tan watched a student train, then read a newspaper report about Chen Chuan and ordered a young man to bring him in.

After earning his Arms Certificate, Chen Chuan continued training with a long saber until Jing Lin arrived and tried to summon him to meet his teacher from Central City. Chen Chuan refused, defeated Jing Lin in a brutal fight, and left him on the floor before returning to his dormitory.

• Chen Chuan trained with the Weaponry Department's trainees while waiting for a possible new assignment.
• Jing Lin visited Chen Chuan's dormitory and told him that his teacher from Central City wanted to meet him.
• Chen Chuan refused to meet Jing Lin's teacher, so Jing Lin challenged him to fight.
• Jing Lin used a special movement technique to attack Chen Chuan, but Chen Chuan blocked him and proved stronger in their grapple.
• Chen Chuan repeatedly smashed Jing Lin into the wall until Jing Lin's strength gave out, then threw him to the ground.
• Chen Chuan told Jing Lin, "Welcome to the real world," and walked away as students and the dormitory teacher watched.

Tan Wang offered Chen Chuan a chance to go to Central City as his servant and gave him two days to decide, warning that he disliked refusals. After Tan Wang returned to the lakeside residence, he found He Xiaoxing waiting for him.

• Chen Chuan called Cheng Zitong to report Jing Lin's approach, and Cheng Zitong told him to refuse any further invitations and contact Chief Gao if trouble arose.
• Chen Chuan returned home, gave Yu Wan tickets for the academy's year-end Arena Competition, and went back to Wuyi Academy as December began.
• Chen Chuan entered an empty Weaponry Training Hall and met the man who had guided Jing Lin, who identified himself as Tan Wang.
• Tan Wang revealed that Jing Lin was his toy and offered to take Chen Chuan to Central City as his servant, officially as his student's sparring partner.
• Tan Wang returned to the residence in the middle of the lake and found He Xiaoxing seated on his sofa.

He Xiaoxing defeated Tan Wang after Tan Wang tried to force Chen Chuan to accept a recommendation, then left the academy. Cheng Zitong told Chen Chuan that He Xiaoxing had been his intended teacher and took him to meet He Xiaoxing before he departed.

• He Xiaoxing confronted Tan Wang at Ring Lake Villa, broke free of his tendon-like restraints, and struck him through the training hall wall.
• He Xiaoxing walked through the lake and left while the academy teachers watched, and Tan Wang soon departed for Central City.
• Chen Chuan continued his training and decided he would not accept Tan Wang's recommendation.
• Cheng Zitong told Chen Chuan that He Xiaoxing had resolved the matter and was leaving the academy, then invited him to meet He Xiaoxing.
• Cheng Zitong drove Chen Chuan to South Hill, where they approached He Xiaoxing as he stood facing the night sky.

Chen Chuan learned how Shen Zheng challenged the Mutual Aid Society, obtained the Infinite Defense Certificate, and died under suspicious circumstances. Warned that seeking the same certificate would make powerful recommended students see him as a threat, Chen Chuan chose to face the challenge.

• Cheng Zitong introduced Chen Chuan to He Xiaoxing, who explained that Shen Zheng had chosen Profound Appearance Force to meet others' expectations despite knowing it did not suit him.
• Cheng Zitong explained that the Infinite Defense Certificate granted broad defensive rights and limited law-enforcement authority, and that recommended students had monopolized it.
• Cheng Zitong recounted how Shen Zheng founded the Fenxin Society to oppose Class A students' abuse of Class B students and provide support to younger students and academy applicants, bringing him into conflict with the Mutual Aid Society.
• Cheng Zitong said Shen Zheng's successful application for the Infinite Defense Certificate likely triggered the events that ended with Shen Zheng dead in an abandoned factory, while He Xiaoxing explained why he had not sought revenge.
• Cheng Zitong warned Chen Chuan that pursuing the Infinite Defense Certificate would alarm recommended students and their backers, but Chen Chuan said students had to break free of the forces binding them.

He Xiaoxing tested Chen Chuan’s strength, explained the First Limit, and identified flaws in his Zhou Yuan Force training. After guiding Chen Chuan through corrective exercises, He Xiaoxing left, and Chen Chuan returned to the dormitory with a clearer path for cultivation.

• He Xiaoxing tested Chen Chuan’s punch and judged that his strength was close to the theoretical upper limit of the First Limit.
• He Xiaoxing explained how the First and Second Limits differed and praised Chen Chuan’s talent and solid training so far.
• He Xiaoxing identified areas of Chen Chuan’s Mutated Tissue that were not fully trained or engaged, then advised him to use the Breath Regulation Method to correct those weaknesses.
• Cheng Zitong promised to obtain the medicines Chen Chuan would need, and He Xiaoxing demonstrated exercises while correcting Chen Chuan’s movements.
• Near midnight, He Xiaoxing ended the lesson and left with Cheng Zitong, while Chen Chuan thanked him and returned to the dormitory with a clearer direction for cultivation.

Chen Chuan continued strengthening his foundation and learned more about the Defense Certificates before accepting a commissioned task from Cheng Zitong. He arrived at Lanxiang Cinema, where the unusual assignment was waiting.

• Chen Chuan spent more than twenty days correcting flaws in his training with guidance from He Xiaoxing's notebook and Cheng Zitong's advice.
• Chen Chuan reviewed the requirements for the three grades of Defense Certificate and decided to focus on reaching the limit of the First Limit before pursuing one.
• Cheng Zitong brought Chen Chuan a commissioned task, and Chen Chuan agreed to take it after learning that it involved a strange phenomenon.
• Chen Chuan called the task's contact, prepared the Snow Monarch Blade and Wu Ji Handgun, and rode to Lanxiang Cinema.
• Chen Chuan entered the cinema carrying his sword, drawing startled looks from the pedestrians and security guards as the driver led him toward Manager Huang.