Arc 1The Scarlet Modifier

After discovering the Scarlet Modifier, Hu Qi healed his legs, trained in combat, and found that unusual beasts could provide Modification Points. He earned money and improved his fighting, while reports of attacks in Qirong City and the Red Scale Club’s upcoming Core Class left him facing new dangers and choices.

  • Hu Qi discovered the Scarlet Modifier in the hospital and used it to heal his legs, then advanced the Nourishing Origin Breathing Method and left the hospital.
  • Hu Qi joined the Red Scale Fighting Club, learned Comprehensive Combat Technique, and borrowed money to support his training.
  • Hu Qi was followed by men hired by Lu Shi, knocked them unconscious, and learned they had targeted him over the original owner’s dispute involving Jiang Yu Yan.
  • A pale monster killed Wu Shan, while masked fighters drove it away, and Hu Qi later reviewed footage of the attack.
  • Hu Qi improved his combat skills, defeated Song Jian in sparring, and gained Modification Points by eating an unusually large swamp eel that might be an Exotic Beast.
  • Hu Qi learned about the Red Scale Club’s coming Core Class and asked Chen Wu to let him study other Combat Techniques after his progress began to slow.
  • Hu Qi sparred with Chen Wu before the trainees, then heard warnings about beasts eating people in Qirong City and noticed a crowd gathered in the corridor.
Chapters 1–25 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 1Hu Qi

Hu Qi woke in a hospital in an unfamiliar world, realizing he had transmigrated into the body of a young man with the same name and badly injured legs. As he tried to adjust to his situation, his cousin Li Yi brought him food and a new phone, leaving Hu Qi with family support as he faced an uncertain future.

  • Hu Qi woke in an orthopedic ward, recognized that he had transmigrated, and learned that his injured legs might heal with lasting complications.
  • Hu Qi saw a news report about an archaeological excavation and noticed that a discovered bronze object looked like a router.
  • Li Yi arrived with Hu Qi’s favorite dishes, helped him sit up, and told him his aunt had asked him to eat well.
  • Hu Qi recalled that the original owner had been attacked and robbed on his way home from work, leaving his legs severely injured.
  • Li Yi told Hu Qi that he had passed the first-tier college entrance exam cutoff and gave him a new phone to replace the one he had lost.

Ch. 2Scarlet

While recovering in the hospital, Hu Qi considered how he could support himself in this unfamiliar world. He discovered the Scarlet Modifier from a game he had developed and used one Modification Point to lessen the fractures in both legs.

  • Li Yi helped Hu Qi with his urinal, gave him a phone, and left for plans with classmates.
  • Hu Qi reflected on his limited prospects and decided he would need to find a way to earn money.
  • A red light revealed the Scarlet Modifier, which showed Hu Qi’s status, skills, remaining lifespan, and eight Modification Points.
  • Hu Qi learned that Modification Points could change information on the panel and used one to reduce his leg fractures from moderate to mild.
  • Hu Qi felt cool sensations in his legs after the modification.

Ch. 3Modification

Hu Qi used the Scarlet Panel to heal his injured legs, then learned about the original owner's heartbreak over Jiang Yu Yan and decided to stay in the hospital a little longer to avoid suspicion. That night, while browsing videos, he stopped at one featuring an imposing older man from Taihe Martial Arts.

  • Hu Qi spent another Modification Point to change his leg status to normal and erased the remaining signs of his sprain.
  • Hu Qi chose not to modify his Culinary Arts skill because he did not know where Modification Points came from.
  • Hu Leimei visited Hu Qi and asked whether Jiang Yu Yan had come to see him.
  • Hu Qi recalled that Jiang Yu Yan had been making out with another man, who had punched the original owner when he confronted them, and told Hu Leimei he was done pursuing her.
  • Hu Qi learned that the attacker had not been identified and decided to remain in the hospital for two more days despite his healed legs.
  • That night, Hu Qi browsed Kuaiyin and stopped at a Taihe Martial Arts video featuring a burly, half-gray-haired old man.

Ch. 4Trigger

Hu Qi discovered that the Scarlet Modification Panel could detect body-strengthening techniques and spent the night learning a breathing method. After reaching Beginner, he tried to modify it, and a cool current surged through him.

  • Hu Qi watched an old man demonstrate White Ape Fist, and the Scarlet Panel flickered as it detected the technique.
  • Hu Qi searched for martial and combat techniques, concluding that the panel could detect skills that strengthened the body, though he could not learn them from incomplete videos.
  • The doctor found Hu Qi's leg fractures were healing unusually quickly but told him to rest until another scan.
  • Hu Qi practiced the Nourishing Origin Breathing Method overnight and raised it to Beginner on the panel.
  • Hu Qi focused on the panel's modification symbol to raise the breathing method to Perfection, and a cool current surged from his Baihui Acupoint.

Ch. 5Breathing Method

Hu Qi perfected the Nourishing Origin Breathing Method, then left the hospital after recovering from his injury and returned to his residential area. On the way, he heard a badly injured woman mutter about a monster biting people, leaving him with a faint hint that something was wrong.

  • Hu Qi used three Modification Points to raise the Nourishing Origin Breathing Method from beginner level to perfection and felt his mind clear as his breathing improved.
  • More than a week later, Hu Qi completed his discharge from Second City Hospital with Li Yi and saw a bloodied woman whose lower legs had been severed.
  • Hu Qi used his newly sharpened senses to hear the woman mutter something about a monster biting people, though he dismissed it as a possible hallucination.
  • Hu Qi and Li Yi returned to the residential area, where Hu Qi thanked Li Yi for bringing him food and promised to visit his shop.
  • Hu Qi bought a watermelon outside Hanlin Garden and headed into the residential area.

Ch. 6Red Scale I

Hu Qi returned to his shabby apartment, cleaned it, and considered how to improve his body with the modifier while earning money. He decided to look for combat training at the nearby Red Scale Fighting Club, but his remaining funds were limited.

  • Hu Qi entered his old apartment, opened the windows, and spent half an hour cleaning it.
  • Hu Qi showered and decided to seek skills that could strengthen him in addition to practicing the Nourishing Origin Breathing Method.
  • Hu Qi chose the nearby Red Scale Fighting Club because its fees were affordable and its reviews were good.
  • Hu Qi checked that he had only 836.25 yuan in his phone account and recalled that the original owner had spent his savings pursuing his goddess.

Ch. 7Red Scale II

Hu Qi visited the Red Scale Fighting Club and booked a trial class after learning about its coaches and the Federation’s fighting ranks. At the first class, Coach Chen Wu introduced Combat Technique to the students, leaving them laughing after warning them not to use it to cause trouble.

  • Hu Qi entered the Red Scale Fighting Club and heard the receptionist describe its Silver Fist-certified coaches and summer promotion.
  • Hu Qi considered the Federation’s four fighting levels and booked a trial class for the next day.
  • Hu Qi joined more than twenty students as Coach Chen Wu began their first Combat Technique class.
  • Song Jian said fighting helped strengthen the body and protect people from danger.
  • Chen Wu explained that Combat Technique had evolved from ancestral survival skills, then warned the students not to bully others with what they learned.

Ch. 8Combat Technique

Hu Qi attended a trial class at the Red Scale Fighting Club, where Chen Wu taught the first move of the Comprehensive Combat Technique. Hu Qi decided he needed to pay for proper lessons, then saw Song Jian and Lin Rong arrive at a restaurant with other new club members.

  • Chen Wu explained the Comprehensive Combat Technique and demonstrated all eighteen moves, while Hu Qi’s skill panel began recording it.
  • Hu Qi practiced Cannon Fist under Chen Wu’s guidance and saw that the technique remained marked as Not Yet Initiated.
  • After the trial class, several students officially joined the Red Scale Fighting Club, and Hu Qi decided to find the money for lessons before the next class.
  • Hu Qi went to a nearby restaurant and saw Song Jian arrive with three companions and Lin Rong, all wearing new club uniforms.
  • Lin Rong questioned why Song Jian had joined instead of hiring a private instructor, and his companions teased him about wanting to spend time with her.

Ch. 9Beast

Hu Qi decided to pursue fighting rather than work for others, borrowed thirty thousand yuan through Paper Crane, and began practicing Comprehensive Combat Technique at home. The chapter ended with him receiving an official warning that a beast had entered the city and recalling the injured woman he had seen near the hospital.

  • Song Jian told his companions that the Red Scale Fighting Club was not as simple as it seemed and urged them to master Combat Technique.
  • Hu Qi resolved to make money through strength rather than take a job, then borrowed thirty thousand yuan through Paper Crane.
  • Hu Qi practiced Comprehensive Combat Technique at home and used the Nourishing Origin Breathing Method and massage to recover from the strain.
  • Hu Qi received an official message warning that a beast had entered the city and remembered the woman missing a leg whom he had seen near the hospital.

Ch. 10Shadow

Hu Qi grew more determined to strengthen himself and ordered several self-defense items after considering the dangers around Qirong City. That night, Lin Dong was dragged into a dark alley by a hidden creature, and the sounds of it eating him followed.

  • Hu Qi worried about a vicious beast and the people who had hospitalized the body’s original owner, then resolved to train harder.
  • Hu Qi ordered knuckle dusters, a folding knife, a stun baton, self-defense spray, a stab-resistant vest, and other equipment.
  • Hu Qi ate dinner and practiced the Comprehensive Combat Technique at home instead of going out to exercise.
  • Lin Dong left a card game near one in the morning and walked toward an alley to relieve himself.
  • A dark arm seized Lin Dong by the throat and dragged him into the alley, where he was killed and devoured.

Ch. 11Combat Technique, Minor Mastery

Hu Qi used his Modification Points to raise the Comprehensive Combat Technique to Minor Mastery, gaining stronger physical abilities and sharper senses. As Chen Wu dismissed the trainees’ prospects, a powerful punch sounded from inside the training room.

  • Chen Wu coached the trainees and regarded Song Jian as exceptionally talented while considering Hu Qi diligent but stiff in his movements.
  • Hu Qi left the training room, used Crimson to improve his Comprehensive Combat Technique from Beginner to Proficient and then Minor Mastery, and found that his strength and senses had increased.
  • Hu Qi heard people approaching, flushed the toilet to cover the sound of his punch, and left the restroom pretending he had just finished.
  • He Chi confronted Chen Wu about promising trainees and their upcoming performance assessment, but Chen Wu challenged him and He Chi left.
  • Chen Wu reflected that Song Jian was his only promising trainee and heard a dull explosive punch as he entered a nearby training room.

Ch. 12Showing His Hand

Hu Qi deliberately demonstrated his growing skill in the Comprehensive Combat Technique to win Chen Wu’s attention, while concealing that he had reached only the proficient level. Later, after failing to gain Modification Points from killing animals, he cooked a rooster and headed by bus toward Moshi Street.

  • Hu Qi used a deliberate punch to make a sound associated with Cannon Fist, and Chen Wu praised him after recognizing it as a sign of proficiency.
  • Song Jian asked about Hu Qi, but his companions dismissed him as no match for Song Jian.
  • Hu Qi reflected that he had held back, since reaching the minor success level so quickly would seem implausible.
  • Hu Qi killed a rooster and found that the act had not earned him any Modification Points.
  • Hu Qi cooked and ate the rooster, noting that his physique and appetite had improved through training and the Nourishing Origin Breathing Method.
  • Hu Qi left his apartment and boarded the B3 bus toward Moshi Street.

Ch. 13Trouble

Hu Qi searched the antique stalls for a source of Modification Points but found nothing, then calmed down during a sudden rainstorm. Wu Shan spotted him alive and recovered, sent two men to follow him, and promised Young Master Lu that Hu Qi would be beaten so badly he could not get out of bed.

  • Wu Shan recognized Hu Qi outside a restaurant and doubted that his leg injury had healed so quickly.
  • Hu Qi inspected antique stalls but found no objects that could increase his Modification Points.
  • A heavy rain drove people and vendors off the street, and Hu Qi reflected that he needed to be less impatient about finding Modification Points.
  • Hu Qi got off the bus near Hanlin Garden and headed toward a nearby market to buy groceries.
  • Wu Shan spotted Hu Qi again, sent Xiao Feng and Ah Zai to follow him, and called Young Master Lu to report the sighting.
  • Wu Shan apologized to Young Master Lu and vowed that Hu Qi would not be able to get out of bed after the next beating.

Ch. 14Monster [I]

Hu Qi ambushed the two men sent to capture him and discovered a message linking their attack to Wu Shan. Wu Shan followed their location to the alley, where he found them lying motionless.

  • Lu Shi flirted with Jiang Yu Yan in a private bar room.
  • Hu Qi lured the two men following him into an alley and knocked them unconscious with an electric baton.
  • Hu Qi found a message saying Wu Shan had ordered the men to catch him and was coming to the alley.
  • Wu Shan arrived at the alley with a telescopic baton and searched for the two men.
  • Lightning revealed the two men lying motionless beside a utility pole.

Ch. 15Monster [2]

Hu Qi defeated Wu Shan and his two men, learned that Lu Shi had hired them to attack him, and returned home after deciding not to kill them. Wu Shan later woke in the flooded alley, where an unknown figure approached him in the darkness.

  • Hu Qi knocked Wu Shan unconscious and searched the three men, finding cash and phones.
  • Hu Qi unlocked Wu Shan’s phone and discovered Lu Shi had paid the men to attack him because of a dispute involving the original owner’s goddess.
  • Hu Qi considered killing the attackers but decided against it because of the legal consequences, then left them injured in the rain.
  • At home, Hu Qi removed his protective vest and reflected on his combat mistakes and the need for greater caution.
  • Wu Shan woke in the flooded alley and saw a tall, thin figure approaching; lightning briefly illuminated the scene before darkness returned.

Ch. 16Monster [III]

Hu Qi watched a pale, man-eating monster attack Wu Shan and flee from two masked fighters, then continued training after realizing how dangerous the world was. At a Comprehensive Combat Technique class, Lin Rong and Chen Chang began sparring, and Hu Qi judged that Lin Rong was likely to lose.

  • A pale monster killed Wu Shan in an alley before two masked fighters arrived and drove it off in a chase.
  • Hu Qi reviewed footage from his pinhole camera, saw the monster and the fighters, and resumed practicing Combat Technique.
  • Chen Wu told his students that training was not enough and began selecting them for actual combat.
  • Chen Chang attacked Lin Rong without warning, and they traded blows in the training room.
  • Hu Qi concluded that Lin Rong's speed could not make up for her lack of strength and that Chen Chang was likely to win.

Ch. 17Practical Combat

Hu Qi defeated Song Jian in a sparring match, showing that his Comprehensive Combat Technique had advanced well beyond the beginner level. During the break, Hu Qi noticed that the technique could now be modified, though he still had only one Modification Point.

  • Chen Chang defeated Lin Rong, and Chen Wu stopped two other trainees from turning their spar into a real fight.
  • Chen Wu paired Hu Qi with Song Jian, and the two exchanged attacks using the Comprehensive Combat Technique.
  • Hu Qi overpowered Song Jian in a clash of Cannon Fists, then received Chen Wu's praise.
  • During break, Hu Qi examined his injured knuckles and estimated that Song Jian had reached the proficient level of the Comprehensive Combat Technique.
  • Hu Qi checked his panel and saw that the Comprehensive Combat Technique could now be modified despite his Modification Points remaining at one.

Ch. 18Discovery (I)

Hu Qi spent his Modification Point upgrading Comprehensive Combat Technique to Mastery, strengthening his body and healing his hand. The next day, he visited his aunt Hu Leimei’s restaurant for a family gathering and found that the others had not arrived yet.

  • Hu Qi used his Modification Points to upgrade Comprehensive Combat Technique and felt his strength and healing improve.
  • Hu Qi called Hu Leimei back and agreed to visit the next evening to welcome Li Yi home.
  • The next day, Hu Qi finished training, bought milk and a watermelon, and rode to Leimei Grilled Fish.
  • Hu Leimei welcomed Hu Qi and told him not to bring gifts, and Hu Qi asked where his uncle and the others were.

Ch. 19Discovery [II]

Hu Qi visited his aunt Hu Leimei’s restaurant, where he helped serve a crowd of customers celebrating the Harmony Reunion Festival. After dinner, he tasted a piece of wild-caught braised eel and reacted with sudden disbelief and delight.

  • Hu Leimei told Hu Qi that Li Zhenguo had gone to the market with Xiao Yi and Li Yi, then greeted him when he arrived.
  • Li Zhenguo returned with groceries, accompanied by Li Yi, who greeted Hu Qi coolly and noticed that he seemed different.
  • Li Yi invited Hu Qi to play a tower-defense game, but they stopped when customers began filling the restaurant.
  • Hu Qi helped Hu Leimei and Li Zhenguo serve the busy restaurant, impressing Hu Leimei with his speed.
  • After the customers left, Hu Leimei served braised eel, and Hu Qi’s reaction changed when he tasted it.

Ch. 20Discovery [3]

During a family meal, Hu Qi discovered that eating eel increased his Modification Points and learned the eels were unusually large Exotic Beasts. He took the second eel from Li Zhenguo and left money behind, while Li Zhenguo reprimanded Li Yi for insulting him.

  • Hu Qi noticed his Modification Points rose as he ate braised eel, reaching 2 points and 21%.
  • Hu Qi toasted Li Zhenguo, Hu Leimei, and the others, and the meal grew warmer as he joined in.
  • Hu Qi asked Li Zhenguo about the eel and learned he had bought two unusually large ones that might be Exotic Beasts.
  • Hu Qi persuaded Li Zhenguo to let him take the remaining eel, then left one thousand yuan at the restaurant.
  • Li Yi called Hu Qi shameless for taking food, and Li Zhenguo scolded her for disrespecting him and forgetting how Hu Qi's parents had treated her.

Ch. 21An Encounter

After leaving Li Zhenguo’s home, Hu Qi encountered a blood-stinking monster in an alley and escaped on his modified electric bike. Back in his apartment, he prepared the unusually large rice field eel he had brought home.

  • Li Zhenguo angrily confronted Li Yi for looking down on Hu Qi, while Hu Leimei stopped their argument.
  • Hu Qi left Li Zhenguo’s home after secretly leaving one thousand yuan and messaging Li Yi.
  • Hu Qi hit a stray cat with his bike, then spotted a red-eyed monster charging out of the alley.
  • Hu Qi used his modified electric bike to race away from the monster and reach Qirong City’s night market district.
  • Hu Qi returned safely to his apartment and poured the writhing, unusually large rice field eel into the sink.

Ch. 22Traits

Hu Qi ate the swamp eel and spent four Modification Points raising Comprehensive Combat Technique to Mastered, awakening the Coordination trait. The next day, he tested ordinary swamp eels and confirmed they gave him no Modification Points, then began searching for information about Exotic Beasts.

  • Hu Qi identified the swamp eel as male, killed and prepared it, then ate it whole.
  • Hu Qi used four Modification Points to raise Comprehensive Combat Technique to Mastered and gained the Coordination trait.
  • Hu Qi noticed he felt hungry again after upgrading his skill and ate chocolate bars.
  • Hu Qi took the day off from the Red Scale Club, cooked market-bought swamp eels, and confirmed they did not grant Modification Points.
  • Hu Qi searched online for information about Exotic Beasts and read that they were unusual-looking animals, often described as genetically mutated creatures.

Ch. 23Strange Beasts

Hu Qi sought new sources of income after spending much of his money, then earned ten thousand yuan by beating Song Jian in their sparring match. Coach Chen Wu arrived at the training room and said he had something important to announce once everyone was present.

  • Hu Qi read reports about rare Exotic Beasts, realized they could provide Modification Points, and posted that he would buy their meat and sightings information.
  • Hu Qi decided to pursue professional fighter certification to improve his income, though the registration and exam process would take time.
  • Hu Qi defeated Song Jian in a sparring match and collected ten thousand yuan under their bet.
  • Song Jian said he had spent his monthly allowance on their matches, while Hu Qi realized he had won eighty to ninety thousand yuan from him that month.
  • Chen Wu entered the training room, asked where Lin Zhi and Chen Chang were, and said he had an important announcement once everyone had gathered.
  • Song Jian grew solemn and wondered whether Chen Wu's announcement was the one he anticipated.

Ch. 24The Core Class

Chen Wu announced that the Red Scale Club would open its Core Class in a month, offering stronger Combat Techniques and a monthly income to a select few. As Hu Qi felt his progress from the Comprehensive Combat Technique stall, he asked Chen Wu to let him study other techniques.

  • Song Jian told Hu Qi that the Core Class offered powerful Combat Techniques and methods for breaking the human body's limits.
  • Chen Wu announced that the Core Class would open in a month, accept no more than five trainees, and provide its members with training and a monthly income.
  • The trainees trained with renewed enthusiasm, while Hu Qi learned that Song Jian knew little about the Core Class's limit-breaking methods.
  • Hu Qi noticed that the Comprehensive Combat Technique was barely strengthening him anymore and decided he needed a change.
  • Hu Qi asked Chen Wu to let him study other Combat Techniques, and Chen Wu warned that dividing his attention could slow his progress.

Ch. 25Sparring

Hu Qi sparred with Chen Wu and revealed that his mastery of the Comprehensive Combat Technique was nearly equal to the coach’s, while deliberately letting Chen Wu land a hit to save face. After class, Chen Wu warned the trainees about the beast attacks in Qirong City, and Hu Qi noticed a crowd gathered in the corridor as he prepared to go home.

  • Hu Qi asked Chen Wu to spar so he could assess his current strength, and Chen Wu agreed to fight him in front of the trainees.
  • Hu Qi and Chen Wu exchanged moves from the Comprehensive Combat Technique, astonishing the onlookers with Hu Qi’s skill.
  • Hu Qi deliberately slowed down and allowed Chen Wu to hit his shoulder, then thanked the coach for holding back.
  • Chen Wu warned the trainees to avoid going out at night because wild beasts had been eating people in Qirong City, but said he did not know what kind of beast was responsible.
  • Hu Qi left the storage room with his backpack and spotted a group gathered in the corridor ahead.
Arc 1 of 26