Chapter Summaries

At Jingcheng Museum, senior Shen Qian accidentally activated an old phone’s mysterious installation package, triggering a blast that disabled Jing City’s technology and shattered its protective barrier. The chapter ended with the city exposed to the wasteland beyond as three suns appeared and dangerous howls drew near.

• Ding Yi confronted Shen Qian for skipping the school uniform and reminded him of money she had lent him, while students discussed her guaranteed admission to Northern Martial University.
• Shen Qian considered whether to pursue martial arts or liberal arts, knowing he lacked the talent and resources for cultivation.
• Class 109 toured the museum, where Shen Qian examined an old Hongmeng phone and opened an installation package that warned of an unknown virus.
• The phone identified Shen Qian as a suitable host, then caused a blast that threw him across the museum and shattered its glass.
• An invisible wave disabled electrical devices across Jing City and broke its protective barrier, letting in violent winds and sand as three suns appeared and howls approached.

After a disaster struck Jing City, Marquis Jingcheng stopped the sandstorm and restored order while investigators found no abnormalities in Shen Qian. Given an unexpected day off, Shen Qian went to the school’s Physical Testing Hall and used the Martial Arts Simulator, where he was quickly defeated by a bronze man.

• Marquis Jingcheng halted the sandstorm, shielded the city from the heat, and flew away as Jing City’s power and defenses came back online.
• Police Warriors searched the students at Jingcheng Museum, but their detector found no abnormalities on Shen Qian.
• On the bus, Wang Yangming showed the students footage of Marquis Jingcheng intervening, and Liu Simin admitted she did not know how someone became a marquis.
• After the school gave the affected classes a day off, Shen Qian borrowed Grandpa Xu’s work ID and entered the Martial Arts Simulator.
• Shen Qian chose the Bronze Man Formation and was knocked down by a bronze man with a single punch.

Shen Qian worried that his ordinary martial aptitude and his family's financial troubles would keep him from becoming a martial artist, while his parents arranged a possible path into the military. After Shen Qian fell asleep, a system finished loading and began guiding him toward a mission.

• Shen Qian checked his training statistics and lamented that his strength and speed were improving too slowly to meet martial artist standards.
• Shen Qian returned home, learned that his father's factory had temporarily shut down, and joked with his parents over their unusually generous meal.
• Shen Liang told Shen Qian that he and Wang Xiaojuan were considering military enlistment as his remaining chance to pursue martial arts, despite Wang Xiaojuan's objections.
• Zhao Guangzhi and Zhao Xin visited, and Shen Liang gave Zhao Guangzhi twenty thousand yuan to help Shen Qian enlist in a military unit with better benefits.
• Shen Qian cared for Wang Xiaojuan, whose health had been damaged during the evacuation from Lucheng, then went to sleep feeling exhausted.
• A system completed loading, assessed Shen Qian's aptitude as D-Class, generated a mission objective, and woke him with a notification.

Shen Qian woke on a rooftop after the system’s AFK session had secretly prepared and administered a Stamina Potion, leaving him physically enhanced and covered in grime. After discovering he had missed most of the morning, he learned the martial arts exam registration deadline was that day and decided to apply.

• Shen Qian reviewed the AFK Record and learned that the system had borrowed money from Ding Yi, gathered medicinal ingredients, and successfully prepared a Stamina Potion that caused him intense pain and unconsciousness.
• Shen Qian rushed to school late and received a lecture and conduct-score penalty from Liu Simin.
• Shen Qian learned from Zhou Xu that martial arts exam registration cost five hundred yuan and was due that day.
• Shen Qian took five yuan from Wang Yangming and left to pay the registration fee, surprising Wang Yangming and Zhou Xu.

After discovering that his physical abilities had improved overnight, Shen Qian tested himself and came close to last year’s Martial Arts College Entrance Exam threshold. He retrieved a memory of pharmaceutical refining from the system and went to a pharmacy to investigate potions.

• Shen Qian persuaded Teacher Liu to reveal that someone had already paid his exam registration fee.
• Shen Qian tested himself on the Bronze Man Formation, lasted two more moves than the day before, and recorded 116 KG of burst strength and a 11.1-second 100-meter speed.
• Shen Qian thanked Ding Yi, whose father teased her about paying his registration fee; Ding Yi recorded in her notebook that Shen Qian had borrowed the money from her.
• Shen Qian unlocked a pharmaceutical-refining memory from the system and found that he had mastered the process and gained knowledge of medicinal ingredients.
• Shen Qian went to Tianrentang Pharmacy and asked which potion had the best body-tempering effect for someone below the level of a Beginner Martial Artist.

Shen Qian investigated the market for Body Tempering Potions and considered how to handle the valuable Stamina Potion formula he had obtained from the system. After receiving a police warning about Scavengers in the city, he woke from another AFK training session to discover the system had pushed his workout far beyond his normal limits and broken a rooftop drying rack.

• A saleswoman told Shen Qian that Canglang Pharmaceuticals' Beginner Body Tempering Potion cost 68,888 Huaxia Coins with a student discount and took two months to work, so he left after memorizing its ingredients.
• Shen Qian approached Ding Anbai, general manager of Canglang Pharmaceuticals' China Southwest South District, and asked for his business card; Ding gave it to him and remarked to a manager that it was a greater pity.
• Shen Qian considered the extraordinary strength and fast effects of his system-produced Stamina Potion, while worrying about how to protect and profit from its formula.
• Shen Qian received a police broadcast warning that dangerous Scavengers had infiltrated the city during the recent power failure.
• After waking on the rooftop, Shen Qian read the AFK Record and learned that his system-driven self had completed hundreds of push-ups, squats, and pull-ups in two hours, breaking the clothes-drying pole in the process.

Shen Qian continued relying on the system’s punishing training while trying to make weekend plans, but Ding Yi summoned him to Central Plaza. There, she brought him back to the martial arts hall where they first met and confronted him about the money he had lent her.

• Shen Qian trained through the week with the system, steadily improving his fitness and recovering after each night’s session.
• After Shen Qian considered joining his classmates at a new VR Hall, Ding Yi called and demanded that he meet her at Central Plaza.
• Shen Qian and Ding Yi discussed the heightened Police Warrior inspections and the Scavengers, including martial artists, who had crossed the border.
• Ding Yi led Shen Qian to Jingcheng National Martial Arts Hall, where they recalled meeting three years earlier when Shen Qian lent her his registration fee.
• Shen Qian admitted he had already been rejected from the training class before lending Ding Yi the money, and Ding Yi pinched his waist while explaining she had borrowed from him for three years.

Shen Qian agreed to apply to a university in North Capital after Ding Yi said she would wait for him there, but the system suddenly activated AFK mode and transported him into a sewer. After surviving a fight with two Scavengers, he awoke beside their corpses and was arrested by Police Warriors.

• Ding Yi gave Shen Qian information about martial arts colleges and told him she was leaving for North Capital to train at Northern Martial University.
• Ding Yi asked Shen Qian to meet her in North Capital, and he agreed to apply to a university there.
• The system detected a valuable combat target, activated AFK mode, and transported Shen Qian into a sewer.
• A Scavenger attacked Shen Qian with a longsword, and Shen Qian tried to fight back before losing consciousness.
• Shen Qian woke beside two dead Scavengers, including the man who had attacked him, and wondered whether the system had taken control of his body.
• Police Warriors arrived, ordered Shen Qian to surrender, and bound his hands.

After the police released Shen Qian, he reviewed his AFK Record and extracted a memory of the system-controlled fight, discovering how efficiently it had killed a Scavenger. He suspected the system had also dealt with the second Scavenger but wondered why he had awakened midway through.

• Captain Song questioned Shen Qian about the two Scavengers, and Shen Qian maintained that he had stumbled upon them fighting each other.
• Liu Simin arrived and helped Shen Qian complete the formalities; Captain Song arranged a ten-thousand-yuan reward for the two Scavengers.
• Captain Song dismissed a fellow Police Warrior’s suspicions and left to continue investigating Scavengers in the city.
• Liu Simin urged Shen Qian to contact her if he suffered psychological distress, and Shen Qian went home alone.
• Shen Qian checked his AFK Record and saw that the system had killed one Scavenger in about a minute.
• Shen Qian extracted the combat experience and recalled the system’s precise, powerful attacks, then wondered why he had awakened during the fight.

Shen Qian absorbed the system’s combat memories, learned that the Scavengers had carried an Obsidian Spirit Stone, and received the 10,000 Huaxia Coin payment. He bought ingredients for another Stamina Potion and activated the system’s AFK mode to search for Seven Flavors Fruit.

• Shen Qian extracted the system’s memory of defeating the two Scavengers and studied their relative strength.
• Shen Qian found an Obsidian Spirit Stone fragment among the Scavengers’ belongings and learned online that it could benefit Mental Power.
• Shen Qian counted the Scavengers’ money and returned Ding Yi’s call, promising not to borrow from her again.
• Shen Qian received 10,000 Huaxia Coin from Song Ye’s payment and bought supplementary ingredients for a Stamina Potion.
• Shen Qian used the system’s AFK mode to begin searching for Seven Flavors Fruit.

After using the System’s auto-grinding feature, Shen Qian learned that he might be able to improve his Mental Power after becoming a Beginner Martial Artist and focused on advancing while hiding his strength. At school, Liu Simin announced Ding Yi’s early departure and distributed the College Entrance Examination Admissions Guide, revealing that martial arts applicants faced requirements beyond physical fitness.

• Shen Qian tested the System’s auto-grinding feature, failed to obtain money or girlfriends, and saw a note that he could try to increase Mental Power after advancing to Beginner Martial Artist.
• Wang Xiaojuan found Shen Qian asleep after he had brewed medicine until dawn, and he slipped out before she could question him about the taxi money he claimed Shen Liang had given him.
• At school, Shen Qian learned that Ding Yi had withdrawn to attend Northern Martial University, then warned Wang Yangming not to leave after class because he had something to tell him.
• During paired sparring, Shen Qian accidentally kicked Zhou Xu across the room, then concealed his strength by blaming the slippery floor and Zhou Xu’s distraction.
• Liu Simin announced that Lin Xiaoqian would temporarily replace Ding Yi as class president and distributed the College Entrance Examination Admissions Guide; Zhou Xu explained that martial arts applicants also faced background, combat, and liberal arts requirements.

Shen Qian learned that the martial arts college entrance exam offered ordinary students a rare chance to become martial artists while still young, and that early Beginner Martial Artists could receive a monthly subsidy. As Wang Yangming and Zhou Xu discussed their college choices, they discovered Shen Qian’s guide listed only four of the nation’s top martial arts universities.

• Shen Qian read the admissions guide and learned that Minister Wu Wei had inscribed its opening poem.
• Dai Wen asked why martial arts college admissions were so competitive despite the number of martial artists in society, and Zhang Liangwei explained that most Rogue Martial Artists advanced after their prime years.
• Zhang Liangwei and Liu Simin explained that Beginner Martial Artists under twenty-two could receive a subsidy that declined with age, strengthening Shen Qian’s resolve to pursue martial arts.
• Wang Yangming asked Shen Qian about applying to Southwest Martial University or Jingcheng Martial University, while Zhou Xu noted Jingcheng’s high tuition.
• Zhou Xu and Wang Yangming saw that Shen Qian’s guide page listed only Northern Martial University, Hua Martial University, Suke Martial University, and Shenwu University.

Shen Qian learned that top Martial Arts Colleges demanded both exceptional physical fitness and high academic scores, revealing that his grades were his biggest weakness. As the school began a preliminary assessment for martial arts applicants, he faced a form asking for his physical fitness information.

• Shen Qian studied Northern Martial University's admission requirements and realized he needed to improve both his physical fitness and his academic score of 405.
• Shen Qian told Wang Yangming and Zhou Xu that his physical fitness had improved beyond last year's minimum admission line, surprising them.
• Shen Qian, Wang Yangming, Zhou Xu, and Zhang Liangwei discussed Jiangzhong Military University's mysterious history and its absence of admission details in the guide.
• Liu Simin announced a preliminary assessment for students applying to martial arts programs and handed out forms.
• Shen Qian stared at the physical fitness section of his form and hesitated over what to write.

Jingcheng No.7 High School’s principal Huang Tao arranged a martial arts assessment after the City Lord urged the city’s schools to find and cultivate talent, and he suspected Marquis Jingcheng’s appearance at a banquet carried further significance. Meanwhile, Shen Qian’s system filled out his assessment form with figures beyond his current ability, and he gave Wang Yangming a suspicious potion disguised as AD Calcium Milk to test.

• Huang Tao told Zhao Hanhai that expanded martial arts college admissions and the City Lord’s instructions had prompted the school’s assessment and might require it to use reserved resources.
• Huang Tao revealed that Marquis Jingcheng, Gao Wenyuan, had appeared at the City Lord’s banquet and was the honorary principal of Jingcheng Martial University.
• Shen Qian discovered that the system had entered burst strength of 140 kg and speed of 10.5 seconds on his assessment form while he was in AFK mode.
• Shen Qian offered Wang Yangming a portion of his new Stamina Potion, claiming he had obtained it from the black market.
• Wang Yangming noticed the bottle looked like AD Calcium Milk but pocketed it to try at home.

Wang Yangming struggled with his family’s finances and his decision to abandon martial arts, while Shen Qian went to Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall to improve his training. Shen Qian spotted Zhao Xin there and remembered to get his family’s twenty thousand yuan back.

• Wang Yangming overheard his parents arguing about the cost of his Special Effect Potion and the strain his martial arts ambitions placed on the family.
• Wang Yangming told his parents he wanted to study medicine, then sent Shen Qian a long message declaring his resolve before drinking the calcium milk Shen Qian had given him.
• Wang Yangming began screaming in pain five minutes after drinking the calcium milk.
• Shen Qian visited Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall because he lacked professional training equipment and waited in the reception room to sign up.
• Shen Qian recognized Zhao Xin, whose family had taken twenty thousand yuan from Shen Qian’s parents, and resolved to ask his father to recover the money.

Shen Qian visited the South City branch of Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall, where Zhao Xin and Zhong Xiaoli mocked him and tried to make him wait. After a salesperson turned him away in favor of them, intern Xiao Xuan offered to show him around, and the chapter left them approaching the hall’s rankings board.

• Shen Qian met Zhao Xin and Zhong Xiaoli at the branch, where they recognized him as the son of his father's colleague and asked to cut in line.
• Shen Qian recorded Zhong Xiaoli’s promise to help him enter the military, then left with Manager Zheng.
• Zhao Xin and Zhong Xiaoli questioned whether Shen Qian could afford a membership, and Zheng Nanfeng chose to serve them instead.
• Xiao Xuan apologized to Shen Qian and offered to show him around the martial arts hall.
• Xiao Xuan showed Shen Qian the training equipment and arenas, then led him toward the rankings board.

Shen Qian toured Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall with Xiao Xuan, examined its student rankings and cultivation rooms, and decided to buy a membership. At the membership counter, Zhao Xin tested his potential and learned he qualified for a discount, while Shen Qian’s own test remained pending.

• Xiao Xuan showed Shen Qian the overall and South City Store Potential Index rankings, where Wang Shuo led the overall list and Jiang Xiancheng led the South City list.
• Xiao Xuan showed Shen Qian the private cultivation rooms, and Shen Qian asked her to get him a membership card instead of using the free trial.
• Shen Qian teased Zhao Xin about sticking close to Zhong Xiaoli, embarrassing Zhao Xin in front of Manager Zheng.
• Zhao Xin tested on the Martial Arts Simulator and received a Potential Index of 68, qualifying for a combined discount that reduced the price to seventy-two percent.

Shen Qian outscored Zhao Xin on the Simulation Machine and used his discount to rent a cultivation room for an intense round of training. After gulping down his Stamina Potion, he handed control to the system as unbearable pain overtook him.

• Shen Qian tested at a Potential Index of 70, surpassing Zhao Xin's score of 68 and earning a larger membership discount.
• Zhao Xin angrily demanded a retest, but Manager Zheng refused, and Zhao Xin left with Zhong Xiaoli looking shocked and alarmed.
• Shen Qian bought a Gold membership, paid to rent a Gold Cultivation Room for half a day, and settled into the private room.
• Shen Qian drank his concentrated Stamina Potion in the bathtub, hoping to endure its effects while conscious.
• Overwhelmed by pain, Shen Qian shouted for the system to take over, and his consciousness sank into darkness.

After Shen Qian trained at Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall, its staff discovered that his performance indicated he was already a Beginner Martial Artist. The South City branch’s management celebrated his potential and saw him as a contender against Sihai Martial Arts Hall.

• Shen Qian used the medicine’s remaining effects to train intensely, then measured a Burst Strength of 138 kg and an instantaneous speed of 10.5 seconds.
• After Shen Qian left, Zhao Li found treadmill data showing he had run 4.8 kilometers in ten minutes and asked the front desk to identify him.
• Zhao Li confirmed Shen Qian was a seventeen-year-old high school senior and checked the room’s other equipment to verify the records.
• Zhao Li summoned Director Zhu, who gathered the South City branch’s management to examine the equipment data.
• The staff estimated Shen Qian’s Burst Strength at 155 to 170 kg and his hundred-meter speed at 8.1 to 9.8 seconds, prompting Zhu Deyong to celebrate him as a seventeen-year-old Beginner Martial Artist.

After a rapid improvement in his martial fitness, Shen Qian turned his attention to raising his academic scores before the college entrance exams. With Zhang Liangwei's help, he made a study plan and began memorizing history, where he discovered something unexpected.

• Shen Qian reviewed the system's training memories and realized he had crossed the Quasi-Martial Artist line and surpassed Beginner Martial Artist thresholds.
• Zhou Xu remarked on Shen Qian's improved appearance, and Shen Qian learned Wang Yangming had taken leave after posting a hospital photo.
• Shen Qian asked Zhang Liangwei for help improving his academic scores and gave him two Succubus Cafe Online top-up cards.
• Zhang Liangwei analyzed Shen Qian's placement-test results and wrote him a study plan, then Shen Qian took some of his study notes.
• Shen Qian spent the morning memorizing History of Huaxia instead of attending physical fitness class, then closed his textbook after making an unexpected discovery.