Chapter Summaries

After Shen Qian was found at a hotel, he fainted when everyone discovered a massive wound across his back. He woke in a hospital with Ding Yi beside him and opened his fifth AFK Record to learn what had happened.

• Shen Qian ate several meals, then opened his door to Huo Ling'er, who explained that the school, his parents, and others had been searching for him.
• Shen Qian asked Huo Ling'er whether Ding Yi had returned, and Ding Yi arrived with Shen Qian's family, Liu Simin, Zhou Xu, Wang Yangming, and Song Ye.
• Huo Ling'er spotted a deep, bloodless wound across Shen Qian's back in the mirror, and Shen Qian fainted.
• Shen Qian dreamed of a White-robed Man on a broken bridge, who showed him a pair of terrifying eyes in the darkness.
• Shen Qian woke in a hospital room with Ding Yi beside him, confirmed his back was bandaged, and opened his fifth AFK Record.

Shen Qian learned that his system-guided journey outside Jing City had nearly killed him but opened a tenth aperture, then faced an official inquiry about his disappearance. He remained hospitalized and planned to test his new strength after recovering.

• Shen Qian read the AFK Record and learned he had fought a Z-Class Iron Eater Beast outside Jing City and opened the tenth aperture, the Shenque Aperture.
• Shen Qian discovered that the system had hidden the Scavengers’ looted belongings beneath a peach tree at 998 Special Hospital and had opened the tenth aperture by pushing him to the brink of death.
• A doctor told Shen Qian, Wang Xiaojuan, Song Ye, and Ding Yi that Shen Qian’s vitality was strong and he might leave the hospital within a week.
• Song Ye questioned Shen Qian about his disappearance, and Shen Qian claimed he remembered little and had been knocked unconscious after meeting Huo Ling’er.
• Song Ye closed the missing-person case, while Ding Yi left without speaking to Shen Qian, who hoped to explain himself after discharge.

After returning to class following his rapid recovery, Shen Qian retrieved valuable spoils and went to the Physical Testing Hall to test the limits of his strength. He learned how to use the Martial Arts Simulator’s detailed mode and prepared to inspect his abilities.

• Shen Qian returned to Class 109, where Lin Xiaoqian and his classmates welcomed him with a surprise celebration.
• Shen Qian explained that his wounds had healed quickly, and he promised Lin Xiaoqian and the others he would obtain the compound soon.
• Shen Qian recalled retrieving a tourmaline stone, a hand-drawn map, and a bottle of unknown liquid from the hospital garden, then burying the liquid again.
• Shen Qian skipped training and went to the Physical Testing Hall to test his strength and bodily limits.
• Grandpa Xu told Shen Qian to use his work badge and switch the Martial Arts Simulator to detailed mode; Shen Qian hurried off, leaving Grandpa Xu a bag of Lake City Longjing tea.

Shen Qian logged into the Martial Arts Simulator, cleared the first Bronze Man Formation stage in one punch, and discovered his body had extraordinary strength and potential. After practicing against multiple bronze men and avoiding Huo Ling’er, he left the campus hungry and found a newly opened seafood buffet offering a cheap grand-opening special.

• Shen Qian used Grandpa Xu’s work ID to enter the simulator as “Dried Up Confusion” and defeated one bronze man with a single punch.
• Shen Qian’s test results showed 191 Kg burst strength, a 7.9-second hundred-meter speed, and a questionable physical potential reading of 999 Kg.
• Shen Qian struggled against two bronze men, then practiced until he could handle them more easily and decided to train his combat skills regularly.
• Shen Qian returned Grandpa Xu’s ID and ran away when Huo Ling’er called to him outside the Physical Testing Hall.
• Shen Qian decided not to eat at home because of his appetite, then spotted Pang Dahai Seafood Buffet’s 58-yuan grand-opening offer near the school gate.

Shen Qian gorged himself at Pang Dahai Seafood Restaurant before heading to Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall to train. There, he learned his ranking had vanished and encountered Zhao Xin, whose new strength and benefits sparked Shen Qian’s interest, before Xiao Xuan interrupted their tense exchange.

• Shen Qian ate so much seafood that Manager Zhu personally served him until the restaurant closed, and he promised to return often.
• Shen Qian went to Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall seeking a Gold Cultivation Room after the final Platinum room had been reserved.
• Zhao Xin mocked Shen Qian because his name had disappeared from the Trainee Potential Index Rankings.
• Manager Zheng announced that Zhao Xin’s Burst Strength had exceeded 145 and his Potential Index had reached 78, ranking third at the branch.
• Shen Qian’s icy, violent gaze frightened Zhao Xin, but Xiao Xuan’s arrival calmed Shen Qian and broke the tension.

Shen Qian received a Black Diamond Membership Card after Zhu Deyong recognized him as a seventeen-year-old Beginner Martial Artist. He left the South City Store with Xiao Xuan as Zhao Xin and Manager Zheng faced consequences, while Shen Qian’s new Potential Index placed him first in the store and sixteenth overall.

• Zhao Xin lunged at Shen Qian, but Zhao Li struck him and defended Shen Qian when Manager Zheng objected.
• Zhu Deyong welcomed Shen Qian and had Xiao Xuan present him with a Diamond-tier membership card.
• Zhao Xin recognized Shen Qian’s Martial Arts Emblem, and Shen Qian declined to take another physical assessment.
• Shen Qian demanded Zhao Xin repay the twenty thousand and asked for Zhao Xin and Manager Zheng to be removed from the store.
• Shen Qian accepted the Black Diamond Membership Card, and his Potential Index rose to 89, ranking him first in the South City Store and sixteenth overall.

Shen Qian trained at Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall and heard Zhu Deyong recount a terrifying story about the creature said to have swallowed Lucheng. Zhu then asked Shen Qian to endorse the hall’s promotional claims.

• Xiao Xuan offered Shen Qian her personal services, confessed she had a good impression of him, and left after he failed to respond.
• Shen Qian trained intensely in the Diamond Training Room, then ordered a meal for ten and asked Xiao Xuan for a massage.
• Zhu Deyong visited Shen Qian and described a former comrade’s account of a colossal, terrifying creature near Lucheng.
• Shen Qian questioned whether the Great Serpent really existed and how it could have failed to destroy the world.
• Zhu Deyong asked Shen Qian to say that Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall’s promotional claims were true, including that he had become a martial artist at seventeen after training there.

Shen Qian signed a three-month publicity contract with Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall, then rushed to the airport after learning Ding Yi was leaving for North Capital. He arrived in time to see her off and revealed that he had bought an afternoon ticket to follow her.

• Shen Qian negotiated with Zhu Deyong and signed a three-month contract promoting Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall in exchange for a stored-value card, membership, and free food and drinks.
• Shen Qian learned from Wang Yangming that Ding Yi was leaving that morning and hurried from school to the airport.
• Shen Qian found Ding Yi at the boarding gate just before she entered the passageway and told her he had come to see her off.
• Shen Qian showed Ding Yi an afternoon plane ticket and said he would follow her to North Capital if necessary.
• Ding Yi's expression softened as she asked how much the ticket had cost, while Shen Qian concealed that it had cost nearly five thousand yuan.

Shen Qian and Ding Yi shared a tender goodbye at the airport before she flew to North Capital, while he later continued his training and set out to brew Special Effect Potions. The chapter also revealed Ding Anbai’s concern over whether Shen Qian could withstand a long-distance relationship and his preparations for a fierce Body Tempering Potion competition.

• Ding Yi told Shen Qian she liked him, and he hugged her at the airport before she boarded her flight.
• Lin Xiaoqian revealed that Ding Yi’s flight had been scheduled for eleven, and Shen Qian refunded his ticket after she left.
• Shen Qian greeted Ding Anbai at the airport, but Ding Anbai left without explaining his complicated expression.
• Ding Anbai asked A-Wei about Wei Sijian’s progress on the Body Tempering Potion and decided to visit the researcher himself.
• Shen Qian’s physical testing showed improved strength and speed, with his martial arts realm assessed at the middle of the First Stage of Elementary Martial Artist.
• Shen Qian returned Grandpa Xu’s card and headed to South Gate River to brew the Special Effect Potions he had promised Lin Xiaoqian and the others.

Shen Qian returned to training after two weeks away and learned that Liu Changqing had introduced a demon-beast challenge for the class. The chapter ended as a chained group emerged from the dark corridor behind Chen Feng, Zhao Hanhai, and Liu Changqing.

• Shen Qian gave Lin Xiaoqian and four other girls diluted Stamina Potion and expected payment after they tested its effects.
• Shen Qian went to the Physical Testing Hall and found the Training Class tense, while Zhou Xiaoguang dismissed him.
• Zheng Shaoyang told Shen Qian that Liu Changqing had made the class fight a demon-beast cub for a military-grade Bone Quenching Potion, and that only six people, including Huo Ling'er, had succeeded.
• Chen Feng, Zhao Hanhai, and Liu Changqing entered the hall as the sound of dragging chains came from the corridor.
• Shen Qian and Zhou Xiaoguang heard the chains as another group began emerging from the dark corridor.

Liu Changqing set the Training Class students against thirteen imprisoned criminals in a combat assessment, with reduced sentences offered to the prisoners who won. Shen Qian recognized that the draw seemed rigged to pit Huo Ling'er and Zhou Xiaoguang against the two most dangerous inmates, and the first match began with Cui Shuai facing Prisoner Number One.

• Liu Changqing announced that students would fight randomly matched serious criminals for assessment rewards, while winning prisoners could earn reduced sentences or escape execution.
• Huo Ling'er drew number Seven, and Shen Qian saw that Zhou Xiaoguang had drawn number Nine, suspecting that both numbers belonged to the strongest serial killers.
• Liu Changqing ordered the matches to begin with the odd-numbered prisoners, starting with number one.
• Cui Shuai entered the ring, and Chen Feng removed Prisoner Number One's shackles and hood before reporting that the inmate was an Elementary Martial Artist with diminished stamina.

Shen Qian entered the ring to face Prisoner No. 7, a condemned serial killer with Elementary Martial Artist cultivation. He identified a weakness in the prisoner’s left leg and struck his knee, dropping him in pain as the arena fell silent.

• Prisoner No. 1 defeated Cui Shuai, and Liu Changqing reduced the prisoner's sentence by two years.
• Three prisoners won their matches in a row as the students struggled against their greater fighting experience.
• Chen Feng revealed Prisoner No. 7's identity and strength, frightening the students gathered for the next match.
• Shen Qian traded paper balls with Huo Ling'er and entered the ring to face Prisoner No. 7.
• Shen Qian spotted that Prisoner No. 7's left leg was stiff and struck his knee, causing the prisoner to collapse.

Shen Qian passed Liu Changqing’s test and received an Origin Fusion Pill, while Zhou Xiaoguang was quickly defeated by Prisoner No. 9. After the training session, Shen Qian drove Huo Ling'er home, then learned from Zhu Deyong that Zhao Xin had powerful police connections and might retaliate.

• Shen Qian defeated the weakened Prisoner No. 7, and Liu Changqing rewarded him with an Origin Fusion Pill before assigning Zhou Xiaoguang to face Prisoner No. 9.
• Prisoner No. 9 tricked Zhou Xiaoguang, slammed him to the ground, and nearly bit his throat before Liu Changqing stopped the fight.
• The remaining students completed their matches, and Liu Changqing later told Shen Qian that he would list him as the third person for the assessment while warning him not to repeat his earlier intervention.
• Shen Qian agreed to drive Huo Ling'er home, then assured Ding Yi over the phone that he was alone and distracted Huo Ling'er when she questioned him.
• Zhu Deyong called Shen Qian and warned him that Zhao Xin’s uncle was a sub-bureau chief and his cousin served in the police martial unit, raising the possibility of retaliation.

After learning that Zhao Xin had a powerful uncle, Shen Qian considered finding a strong backer but decided to rely on himself. He celebrated his academic progress and growing wealth, then headed to Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall while realizing he still could not afford a Mountain Sea Martial Artist.

• Shen Qian learned that Zhao Xin had a bureau chief uncle and thought about the influence and protection powerful connections could provide.
• Shen Qian asked Huo Ling'er about her family's influence, but learned her home was so far away that a relative's visit took seven days.
• Shen Qian headed to Jiuzhou Martial Arts Hall after spending time studying and playing VR games with Zhang Liangwei; he had scored 549 on a mock exam.
• Shen Qian received his second martial artist subsidy, including a Labor Day benefit, and discovered his account balance had reached 352,308.74 yuan.
• Shen Qian walked toward the martial arts hall, reflecting that hiring a Mountain Sea Martial Artist would cost at least a million yuan.

Shen Qian continued improving his martial arts while balancing training, family life, and his growing closeness with Xiao Xuan. On his way home, three men identifying themselves as Martial law agents confronted him and ordered their companions to take him in for an investigation.

• Shen Qian tested his strength in the simulator and saw that his Burst Strength had reached 289 kilograms.
• Xiao Xuan served Shen Qian a meal and massaged him, while he reflected on how comfortable it was to be around her.
• Shen Qian recalled that Shen Liang had been promoted after giving the deputy factory director gifts and a thousand-yuan red envelope.
• Shen Qian noticed three black-uniformed men waiting for him beneath an overpass and questioned who they were.
• The lead man claimed they were from Martial law, flashed a badge, and ordered the other two to take Shen Qian.

Shen Qian was ambushed by men who claimed to be law enforcement, and he unleashed the system’s power to defeat them, though he suffered a broken leg. As police arrived, he recognized the officer leading them as Captain Song.

• The effeminate man ordered two black-clad men to capture Shen Qian, and Shen Qian was cut while evading their attacks.
• Shen Qian enraged by the wound, knocked both attackers unconscious, and tried to flee before four more black-clad men surrounded him.
• The effeminate man declared that Shen Qian could be executed for resisting arrest, and Shen Qian called on the system as the attackers closed in.
• Shen Qian regained awareness amid a wrecked street, with all four attackers and the effeminate man badly injured and his own right leg broken.
• Captain Song arrived with police, and Shen Qian greeted him as the sirens drew near.

Shen Qian recounted his fight with the men in black to Song Ye, who explained that their leader, Chai Mu, belonged to the Special Affairs Bureau for Martial Artists. Song Ye then showed Shen Qian documents revealing that he had been drafted into the military, missed his enlistment, and was now wanted as a deserter.

• Song Ye questioned Shen Qian about the clash, and Shen Qian described how he encountered the men in black and fought them.
• Song Ye explained the history and role of the Special Affairs Bureau for Martial Artists, identifying the opposing leader as Chai Mu of the Jing City branch.
• Song Ye said Chai Mu claimed Shen Qian had resisted arrest, while Shen Qian insisted that Chai Mu had hidden his badge before he could inspect it.
• Song Ye gave Shen Qian a military enlistment notice and an investigation request concerning his absence from the enlistment ceremony.
• Shen Qian read an arrest warrant from the Jing City Martial Law Branch accusing him of being a deserter.

Shen Qian and Song Ye uncovered how the Zhao Family used a delayed enlistment notice to frame Shen Qian as a deserter and derail his college entrance exams. As the Martial Law Bureau took custody of him, Shen Qian borrowed Song Ye’s wristband to make one call, hoping Wang Yangming would help.

• Shen Qian told Song Ye that his father had asked Zhao Guangzhi to help enlist him, and they connected the notice to Zhao Xin’s family and Shen Qian’s past clashes with Zhao Xin.
• Song Ye explained that Shen Qian would struggle to clear his name because the enlistment paperwork and injuries from resisting arrest supported the charges, while an investigation could finish after the college entrance exams.
• Song Ye and Shen Qian concluded the Zhao Family had used the deserter case as an open scheme to arrest him and ruin his prospects.
• Two Martial Law Bureau officers arrived with a transfer order signed by the deputy director, and Song Ye failed to stop them from taking Shen Qian.
• Shen Qian asked Song Ye not to notify his parents or school for one day and borrowed Song Ye’s wristband to call Wang Yangming.

Shen Qian was taken to the Martial Law Bureau after arranging backup with Song Ye and Wang Yangming. Wang Yangming found the Sky-Reaching Tower and sought out Liu Changqing for help, but was left waiting while Wu Hongxu went to deliver his message.

• Shen Qian gave Song Ye a note and asked him to seek help if Shen Qian had not returned within a day.
• Zhao Guiying confronted Shen Qian outside the police compound, kicked his injured leg, and watched as officers loaded him into a van with Chai Mu.
• Wang Yangming searched for No. 9 Jingnan Road and discovered it was the Sky-Reaching Tower, the residence of Marquis Jingcheng Gao Wenyuan.
• Wang Yangming entered the tower and asked gatekeepers Wu Hongxu and Qian Weiyun to help him find Liu Changqing.
• Wu Hongxu agreed to pass Wang Yangming's message to Liu Changqing and went upstairs.

Liu Changqing learned that Shen Qian had invoked his Seven Orifices—and, if necessary, Eight Orifices—to ask for help. He rushed off to find Shen Qian at the Martial Law Bureau.

• Liu Changqing complained to Shi Dingyan that Teacher’s restrictions made finding a suitable disciple nearly impossible.
• Wu Hongxu told Liu Changqing that someone sent by Shen Qian was waiting downstairs and had been muttering about Seven Orifices and Eight Orifices.
• Liu Changqing hurried to the plaza and asked Wang Yangming to repeat Shen Qian’s message exactly.
• Wang Yangming explained that Shen Qian had said to mention his Eight Orifices if Seven Orifices did not move Liu Changqing.
• Liu Changqing asked where Shen Qian was, learned he was at the Martial Law Bureau, and vanished to go there.