Chapter Summaries

Ling Wuyuan answered a fellow student’s question about a book while other newcomers envied his spotless record at the Punishment Hall. As the final assessment approached in three days, Ling Wuyuan looked ahead to beginning martial arts cultivation.

• A newcomer asked Ling Wuyuan where to find a book, and Ling Wuyuan directed him to the first-floor bookshelf nineteen.
• The newcomer’s companions discussed studying to avoid another whipping at the Punishment Hall, and one disparaged Ling Wuyuan for spending so much time reading.
• The newcomer who had spoken with Ling Wuyuan defended him indirectly and recalled that Ling Wuyuan had already passed the gang’s physical fitness test.
• Ling Wuyuan continued reading, unconcerned by the others’ envy and aware that he had mastered the academy’s lessons far beyond what the instructors expected.
• Ling Wuyuan thought about the final assessment in three days, after which he could officially begin martial arts cultivation.

After passing the assessment, Ling Wuyuan and the other top newcomers entered the White Crow Gang’s Treasure Library to choose cultivation methods and other rewards. He compared the available manuals and realized he needed an affordable method, leaving him to weigh the costs and benefits of [Savage Bull Strength].

• Ling Wuyuan passed the final assessment in first place, and Elder Feng announced that the top three newcomers could each choose a low-grade martial skill and an ordinary weapon in addition to a cultivation method.
• Elder Feng led the newcomers to the heavily guarded Treasure Library and left them with Manager Li while he went upstairs to meet Elder Zhao.
• Manager Li explained the rules and gave the newcomers catalogs so they could choose an entry-level cultivation method within two hours.
• Ling Wuyuan found that the catalog included partial access to mid-grade methods, but [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique] required costly materials that he could not afford.
• Ling Wuyuan compared it with [Savage Bull Strength], which was cheaper to begin but difficult and expensive to master, and recognized that his lack of money limited his options.

Ling Wuyuan chose to pursue a mid-grade basic manual, then arranged to sell a class reward that let him select a low-grade martial skill. He persuaded a wealthier classmate to pay 250 gold coins, securing the money he needed for medicinal materials.

• Ling Wuyuan reviewed cultivation manuals and decided to seek a mid-grade basic manual because low-grade manuals could harm a cultivator's long-term potential.
• Ling Wuyuan realized he could sell his reward for choosing a low-grade martial skill to fund the medicines his chosen manual required.
• Ling Wuyuan approached a wealthy classmate and offered to transfer his selection right for 250 gold coins.
• Ling Wuyuan argued that the White Crow Gang's martial skills were reliable and worth the full market price.
• The classmate agreed to the deal, and Ling Wuyuan declared their business concluded.

Ling Wuyuan reviewed his martial arts manuals, weapon, and 250-gold-coin banknote, then went to buy medicinal ingredients for the [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique]. The herbal shop had the ingredients but needed its manager to confirm whether it could provide fresh tiger blood.

• Ling Wuyuan chose the costly [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique] and planned to learn the basic combat manuals before studying others.
• Ling Wuyuan assessed his Hundred Refined Fine Iron longsword and calculated that his 250 gold coins would support his cultivation for now but might not carry him to the [Bone Forging Realm].
• Ling Wuyuan went to the largest nearby herbal shop and asked for one standard portion of each ingredient on his list.
• The female employee recognized the ingredients for [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique] and said she needed to ask the manager whether the shop's tigers could provide more blood.
• Ling Wuyuan agreed to wait while the employee consulted the manager.

Ling Wuyuan visited a pharmacy to buy fresh tiger blood and saw two enormous, ferocious tigers kept in cages. The manager explained how hunters had captured them, leaving Ling Wuyuan facing the prospect of taking down beasts that could challenge Bone Forging Realm cultivators.

• The pharmacy manager led Ling Wuyuan into the rear courtyard after confirming he could pay for fresh tiger blood.
• The manager described the pharmacy's extensive stock of fierce beasts and explained that the tigers' blood had recently been replenished.
• Ling Wuyuan saw two immense caged tigers and met their threatening stares with growing excitement and cruelty.
• The manager told Ling Wuyuan that hunters had captured the tigers mainly with traps and poison, despite their strength and speed rivaling Bone Forging Realm cultivators.

Ling Wuyuan received a discount on medicinal ingredients after visiting an apothecary, whose manager planned to track his purchases to judge his cultivation progress. That night, Ling Wuyuan brewed medicine and began practicing Basic Fist Technique, realizing that mastering its fundamentals would take time.

• Ling Wuyuan watched apothecary clerks subdue a tiger and draw its blood, then accepted the manager’s offer of a fifty percent discount on medicinal ingredients.
• The manager told a subordinate to record Ling Wuyuan’s future purchases and alert him when he bought ingredients for the Bone Forging Chapter, so he could estimate his progress and aptitude.
• Ling Wuyuan spent the night brewing medicine and studying Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Fist Technique, and Basic Movement Technique.
• Ling Wuyuan practiced Basic Fist Technique in his room and read that achieving real skill in its fundamentals could take an ordinary person twenty years.

Ling Wuyuan studied [Basic Fist Technique] and rapidly improved his punching form through practice, using his innate strength and ability to produce a devastating, near-supersonic strike. The exertion left him exhausted, with his arm twitching in pain.

• Ling Wuyuan memorized [Basic Fist Technique], drawing on his previous experience with Military Boxing.
• Ling Wuyuan practiced the moves in his room, quickly smoothing out his stiff form and controlling the airflow with his punches.
• Ling Wuyuan refined his technique until he could channel most of his body's power through each punch.
• Ling Wuyuan activated his innate ability during a punch, increasing its speed fourfold and realizing he might break through the air resistance needed for a supersonic strike.
• Ling Wuyuan's final full-force punch shook nearby objects, but drained his stamina and left his strained arm twitching in pain.

Ling Wuyuan considered the limits of his speed-enhancing innate ability and planned to strengthen his body and use weapons to fight safely. He treated his injured arm and prepared medicine for training, while reflecting on how his painful transmigration had helped him endure years as a beggar.

• Ling Wuyuan recognized that his innate ability accelerated his punches but could not protect his fist from the recoil of striking hard targets.
• Ling Wuyuan decided to strengthen his body with the [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique] and rely on weapons such as swords to make better use of his speed.
• Ling Wuyuan rubbed medicinal wine on his twitching arm and continued brewing medicine for the next day's training.
• Ling Wuyuan recalled how the agony of his transmigration had made the hardships of living as a beggar in Black Stone City seem bearable.
• Ling Wuyuan admitted he was not yet strong enough to show off and promised to reveal his vicious tricks after he had developed further.

Ling Wuyuan watched the White Crow Gang instructor explain the dangers and assessments of martial training before the newcomers underwent physical tests. By holding back some strength, Ling Wuyuan still ranked among the top five, and the instructor prepared to teach the basics of cultivation methods.

• The instructor told the newcomers that their foundations needed improvement and that they would face monthly assessments in martial techniques or cultivation methods.
• The newcomers ran and lifted weights while the instructor recorded their performances to assess their physical condition.
• Many newcomers pushed themselves to perform well in hopes of receiving better training and resources.
• Ling Wuyuan treated the tests as routine exercise, held back some strength, and earned an overall ranking among the instructor's top five.
• The instructor told the newcomers to rest before he explained the key points of the cultivation methods.

After a grueling day of training, Ling Wuyuan reflected on the strange nature of this world's sun and Lunar and the failure of his attempt to make black powder. He drank a foul medicinal brew and used its effects to sense the Qi and Blood required for cultivation.

• Ling Wuyuan rested by his window and watched the Lunar, whose nature and behavior differed greatly from the moon in his previous life.
• He recalled that the world's physical laws had prevented him from making black powder and concluded that cultivation was the better path.
• Ling Wuyuan forced himself to drink the medicinal brew he had prepared the night before.
• As the medicine took effect, Ling Wuyuan felt heat course through his body and sensed his Qi and Blood for the first time.

Ling Wuyuan used the medicine and meditation from the [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique] to sense his [Qi and Blood]. As his [Self-Will] awakened, his perception expanded and then turned inward, letting him observe his [Qi and Blood] with extraordinary clarity.

• Ling Wuyuan focused on the faint [Qi and Blood] the medicine had helped him sense and tried to observe its circulation.
• He calmed his mind with the meditation method recorded in the [Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique].
• Ling Wuyuan's [Self-Will] grew more substantial, allowing him to perceive the surroundings from all directions.
• His mind adapted to the flood of sensory information and sorted useful details from the rest.
• Ling Wuyuan's perception sank into his body, enabling him to see his faint [Qi and Blood] clearly from multiple angles.

Ling Wuyuan discovered he could sense and control his Qi and Blood, then practiced the Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique with remarkable efficiency. After completing four full circulations in a few hours, he chose to rest rather than risk overtaxing his unaccustomed body, and postponed testing whether his innate ability could accelerate cultivation.

• Ling Wuyuan realized he could observe his body's Qi and Blood and gained control over it.
• Ling Wuyuan carefully circulated the Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique’s Body Tempering Chapter, keeping close watch on his Qi and Blood.
• Ling Wuyuan completed four full circulations in a few hours, far faster than the technique’s benchmarks for ordinary and gifted practitioners.
• Ling Wuyuan decided to stop cultivating for the night because his body had not yet adapted and he needed sleep before his daily training.
• Ling Wuyuan considered using his innate ability to speed up cultivation but postponed the experiment until his body was ready.

Three months later, Ling Wuyuan practiced rapid swordsmanship and footwork in a foggy bamboo grove while two newcomers watched and speculated about his training. After they left, Ling Wuyuan continued moving and striking at superhuman speed.

• Ling Wuyuan practiced erratic sword swings and strange footwork in the bamboo grove near the residence.
• Two newcomers watched and guessed that he was fighting an imagined opponent because he seemed too solitary to find a sparring partner.
• The newcomers complained about the mosquitoes and mocked Ling Wuyuan for keeping to himself as they left.
• Ling Wuyuan ignored their conversation and continued practicing, his sword leaving layers of afterimages and his footwork reaching roughly fifty meters per second.

Ling Wuyuan trained his swordsmanship and footwork by striking and dodging mosquitoes in a bamboo grove, using his precision, stability, and Flawless Circle. He left after unleashing a blazing sword strike that burned away a swarm, though he believed his mosquito training still needed more work.

• Ling Wuyuan practiced precision by striking tiny targets and trained stability by keeping his weighted sword tip steady.
• He used mosquitoes as moving targets, cutting them down and dodging them with help from Flawless Circle and accelerated thinking and reactions.
• Ling Wuyuan judged that he still relied too much on his talent and expected to need another ten days before he could handle the mosquitoes without extra acceleration.
• After stopping, Ling Wuyuan accelerated his body sixfold and swung his sword at seventy to eighty percent of his strength, creating a heated gale that burned hundreds or thousands of mosquitoes.
• Ling Wuyuan sheathed his hot sword and headed back to his residence to cultivate the Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique.

A martial-skill instructor explained the strengths and risks of weapon-based and unarmed combat, advising beginners to focus on weapons while learning basic unarmed skills. She praised Ling Wuyuan’s broad training, while some students privately doubted his archery and believed specialization would let them surpass him.

• The instructor warned that unarmed fighters could struggle against armored enemies and beasts, and recommended that new cultivators take up weapons.
• She cautioned weapon users that losing access to their weapons could leave them vulnerable, so they should also learn basic unarmed martial skills.
• The instructor praised Ling Wuyuan for studying swordsmanship, fist arts, palm arts, movement techniques, and archery.
• Some students privately criticized Ling Wuyuan for dividing his attention and mocked his difficulty hitting the bullseye with a short bow.

Ling Wuyuan practiced archery and reflected on his cultivation, martial skills, and growing need for nutritious food. He planned to enter the mountains to gather herbs and hunt so he could support his training.

• Ling Wuyuan heard others discussing his archery but continued practicing, secretly hitting tiny targets with perfect accuracy.
• Ling Wuyuan considered his strength, the limits of his training bow, and his plans to master swordsmanship, fist techniques, and movement techniques alongside the Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Technique.
• Ling Wuyuan recognized that his rapid cultivation required more food and costly supplements, leaving him worried that his savings would not last.
• Ling Wuyuan rejected the White Crow Gang's bounty missions and decided to gather herbs and hunt in the mountains to obtain food.

Ling Wuyuan prepared to leave the White Crow Gang to gather herbs, earn bounty money, and hunt game. A veteran gang member warned him about the dangers outside and questioned his expensive weapons, but Ling Wuyuan left after reassuring him.

• Ling Wuyuan arrived at the White Crow Gang's gate fully equipped and said he planned to gather herbs, earn bounty money, and hunt.
• The gate guards directed Ling Wuyuan to register his identity, plans, and departure and return times.
• A veteran gang member advised Ling Wuyuan to study current local information and warned that the areas around the gang could still contain dangerous beasts.
• The veteran noticed Ling Wuyuan's valuable weapons and special arrows and warned him that carrying them could invite trouble.
• Ling Wuyuan thanked the man, said he carried the equipment to handle unexpected trouble, and left the gang.

Ling Wuyuan entered the Fog Sea Forest to gather valuable resources and found that his harvest could help cover his food expenses. After collecting Green Umbrella Mushrooms, he killed and butchered a venomous snake, then continued his foraging with both meat and vegetables.

• Ling Wuyuan approached the Fog Sea Forest and reflected on hiding his weapons better after a White Crow Gang guard had noticed them.
• Ling Wuyuan entered a marked area of low-to-moderate danger, carrying weapons he had bought for the trip.
• Ling Wuyuan climbed a tree and gathered Green Umbrella Mushrooms, adding them to other finds worth about four silver coins.
• Ling Wuyuan used his dagger to pin a Green-striped Viper to a branch and identified its venom, skin, meat, blood, and gallbladder as useful.
• Ling Wuyuan drank the snake's blood, ate its brain and gallbladder, and put the remaining body in his basket.

Ling Wuyuan followed a wolf pack’s howls through Fog Sea Forest, expecting to find valuable prey, but discovered the wolves surrounding three injured men. He began to retreat until one man demanded a treasure map, making him stay to find out more.

• Ling Wuyuan heard wolves howling and hurried through the forest, hoping to hunt a valuable wolf.
• He realized a large pack was wary of its prey and suspected it might have found an injured demon beast.
• Ling Wuyuan approached through the treetops and saw more than thirty wolves surrounding three wounded men.
• He judged that the men were likely much stronger than the wolves and decided that getting involved was too dangerous.
• As Ling Wuyuan began to slip away, one of the men demanded that the others hand over the treasure map, prompting him to stay and listen.

Ling Wuyuan decided the potential reward of the treasure outweighed the danger and watched three former gang members fight over an ancient treasure map. As their deadly clash began, the wolf pack was caught in the chaos, while Ling Wuyuan remained poised to act.

• Ling Wuyuan drew a special metal arrow and observed the three men arguing over whether to keep searching for the treasure or abandon the map.
• Ling Wuyuan pieced together how the men had stolen their leader’s ancient map and spent years searching for its treasure in the Fog Sea Forest.
• Ling Wuyuan expected the three men to fight to the death after their dispute and earlier exchange of blows.
• The three men launched into a fierce sword-and-blade battle that tore through the fog, shattered the ground, and killed several wolves.
• The Wolf King fled the fighters’ path as the wolf pack howled in alarm.