Chapter Summaries

Lin Chen entered Martial Park’s arena after opening his fourth aperture and faced Fu Ang of Quaking Mountain Martial Arts Academy. He broke through Fu Ang’s Iron Bone Technique with Clear Wind Palm, and Fu Ang deliberately charged off the arena to avoid further humiliation.

• Lin Chen opened his fourth aperture, changed clothes, and went to Martial Park’s arena, where the judge recognized his old registration number.
• Lin Chen watched a Quaking Mountain Martial Arts Academy fighter defeat a Seven Stars Martial Arts Academy fighter, then challenged the winner, Fu Ang.
• Lin Chen’s first Clear Wind Palm strikes failed to pierce Fu Ang’s Iron Bone Technique, so he relied on his nimble footwork to evade Fu Ang’s charges.
• Lin Chen unleashed his full strength and landed a series of painful Clear Wind Palms, forcing Fu Ang to retreat despite their equal realm.
• Fu Ang charged straight off the arena on purpose, claiming inwardly that he had lost to his own recklessness rather than to Lin Chen.

After defeating Fu Ang, Lin Chen watched Fei Hong dominate the six-aperture arena and considered the advantages that family background gave Martial Artists. A referee named Yan He'an offered Lin Chen a way to attract suitable sparring partners with a stake, and Lin Chen agreed while requesting nighttime battles.

• Spectators and masked students discussed Lin Chen's victory over Fu Ang, while Qi Shan hinted that he was nearing seven apertures.
• Lin Chen watched Fei Hong of Iron Blood Martial Arts Academy defeat a six-aperture opponent with Iron Collapse Fist, and nobody challenged him afterward.
• The referee Yan He'an stopped Lin Chen and asked why he took part in arena battles; Lin Chen said he wanted to improve his practical combat ability.
• Yan He'an offered to arrange stake challenges and said the Martial Garden could provide the first stake in exchange for Lin Chen's personal information.
• Lin Chen weighed the risks of revealing his identity, accepted the offer, and asked whether the battles could be held at night.

A Martial Garden elder arranged for Lin Chen to fight Clearwind Martial Arts Hall practitioners without revealing his connection to Still Water Martial Arts Academy. Lin Chen won two matches, gained insight into Clear Wind Palm, and ended the night with his mastery progressing to (6/10).

• A Martial Garden elder told Yan He'an to arrange fights for Lin Chen against Clearwind Martial Arts Hall martial artists who had reached minor mastery in Clear Wind Palm, while keeping Lin Chen's identity secret.
• Lin Chen chose private wagered matches and defeated Li Muyun after adapting to his palm technique, raising Clear Wind Palm to Minor Mastery (4/10).
• Lin Chen fought another Clear Wind Palm practitioner, learned from his improved version of Wind Sweeping Clouds, and defeated him after a hundred breaths.
• Lin Chen stopped fighting to recover, then accepted Yan He'an's offer to stay in a Martial Garden courtyard.
• Lin Chen practiced by recalling both battles and advanced Clear Wind Palm to Minor Mastery (5/10) and then (6/10).

Lin Chen trained and fought at Martial Garden, using bouts against Clear Wind Palm practitioners to improve his technique. He defeated the aging Guo Xuesong after enduring his Major Accomplishment palm attacks, and Guo Xuesong conceded when his declining strength gave out.

• Lin Chen swept up the damage from his intense cultivation, ate a free breakfast at Martial Garden, and won five arena bouts before losing to a practitioner with Major Accomplishment in Gale Leg.
• Lin Chen fought three Clear Wind Palm practitioners and defeated them, while Yan He'an reflected on how Clearwind Martial Arts Hall had twice let Lin Chen go.
• Lin Chen agreed to spar with Guo Xuesong, an aging former six-aperture martial artist whose Clear Wind Palm had reached Major Accomplishment.
• Guo Xuesong overwhelmed Lin Chen with powerful palm attacks, but Lin Chen noticed his declining stamina and focused on defending rather than exploiting his weakness.
• After thirty breaths, Guo Xuesong conceded, and Lin Chen saw him off with a salute.

Lin Chen reflected on Guo Xuesong’s decline, then pushed aside his fears and trained until Clear Wind Palm reached mastery. After learning how technique proficiency accelerated realm growth and earning a reward from Kong Yinglei, he continued his cultivation with a clearer understanding of the Aperture Opening Realm.

• Lin Chen reconsidered his battle with Guo Xuesong and resolved to keep growing stronger rather than dwell on old age.
• Lin Chen practiced through the night and brought Clear Wind Palm to mastery, increasing his realm progress by fifteen points.
• Yan He’an reported Lin Chen’s achievement to the Elder, who placed Lin Chen on the watch list.
• Lin Chen watched a masked seven-aperture fighter defeat an eight-aperture opponent with minor-mastery Water Cloud Palm and suspected she was Senior Sister Jiang.
• Kong Yinglei awarded Lin Chen fifty taels for mastering Clear Wind Palm and explained how technique proficiency helped martial artists break through apertures.

Lin Chen learned about the Aperture Opening Realm’s cultivation paths and the hidden strength of the other academies’ students, then focused on Clear Wind Palm to break through to five apertures. He left to test himself against six-aperture martial artists and assess the competition’s likely contenders.

• Kong Yinglei warned Lin Chen not to combine hand and leg techniques during the Aperture Opening Realm and explained the costs and advantages of Quaking Mountain Martial Arts Academy’s Iron Bone Technique.
• Kong Yinglei cautioned Lin Chen that many students were hiding their strength and that five apertures might not be enough to enter the competition’s top ten.
• Kong Yinglei demonstrated Water Cloud Palm for Lin Chen, performing it from mastery through perfection, but told him to focus on Clear Wind Palm until he opened eight apertures.
• Lin Chen cultivated Clear Wind Palm for several days, took a Nourishing Aperture Pill, and opened his fifth aperture at the Danzhong Acupoint.
• Lin Chen decided to visit Martial Arts Garden to fight six-aperture martial artists and learn more about the other academies’ students before the competition.

Lin Chen watched Lu Yongfeng win a sparring match at Martial Park before Fu Ang defeated Tian Zhi and challenged Lin Chen to a rematch. Lin Chen accepted and revealed that he had opened his fifth aperture, leaving Fu Ang stunned as their fight was about to begin.

• Lin Chen met Zhao Jingchuan and Cheng Ying at Martial Park, where they explained that they had come to watch Lu Yongfeng fight.
• Lu Yongfeng knocked a Mantis Martial Arts Hall disciple out of the ring, and Fu Ang mocked the Mantis disciples for complaining about injuries.
• Tian Zhi challenged Fu Ang, but Fu Ang struck him out of the air before he could land in the ring.
• Cheng Ying told Lin Chen that Fu Ang ranked second among this year's Quaking Mountain Martial Arts Academy disciples.
• Fu Ang recognized Lin Chen and challenged him to a rematch, hoping to restore his reputation after losing to him before.
• Lin Chen accepted Fu Ang's challenge and disclosed that he had recently opened his fifth aperture.

Lin Chen defeated Fu Ang in the arena, revealing the power of his Clear Wind Palm and prompting other martial artists to reassess Clearwind Martial Arts Hall. He later discussed the coming competition with his companions, while Lu Yongfeng realized Lin Chen had earned a reward for reaching minor mastery in his technique.

• Fu Ang learned Lin Chen was a new student, regained his fighting spirit, and attacked with the Iron Bone Technique.
• Lin Chen met Fu Ang's charge head-on and knocked him down with four Clear Wind Palms.
• The watching martial artists grew wary of Lin Chen, while Lu Yongfeng warned his companions not to approach him and risk exposing his identity.
• Lin Chen joined Lu Yongfeng, Zhao Jingchuan, and Cheng Ying at the courtyard, where they discussed his chances in the upcoming Eight Martial Halls competition.
• Lin Chen said the Martial Arts Hall had rewarded him, and Lu Yongfeng inferred that his Clear Wind Palm had reached minor mastery.

Lin Chen broke through to six apertures and advanced Water Cloud Palm to Minor Accomplishment before reporting his progress to Kong Yinglei. Jiang Qing was astonished by his rapid cultivation, and Kong Yinglei tentatively agreed that he could claim another academy reward.

• Lin Chen cultivated Clear Wind Palm by day and Water Cloud Palm at night as the Three-Month Grand Competition approached.
• Lin Chen opened his sixth aperture, the Origin Returning Aperture, and narrowly avoided damaging a camphor tree with his newly strengthened palm wind.
• Lin Chen advanced Water Cloud Palm to Minor Accomplishment and decided to ask whether he could claim its twenty-silver-tael reward.
• Lin Chen told Kong Yinglei and Jiang Qing that he had opened six apertures and reached Great Accomplishment in Clear Wind Palm, astonishing Jiang Qing.
• Lin Chen revealed that Water Cloud Palm had also reached Minor Accomplishment, and Kong Yinglei said he should be able to claim another academy reward.

Jiang Qing told Lin Chen she was close to opening her ninth aperture, while the Deputy Hall Masters reviewed the academies’ latest student statistics. The meeting left the others believing Clearwind Martial Arts Hall had a hidden prodigy, though Kong Yinglei knew the masked martial artist was likely Lin Chen and planned to let the misunderstanding continue until the competition.

• Jiang Qing told Lin Chen that she had opened eight apertures and might reach nine within two or three days.
• The Deputy Hall Masters reviewed the latest statistics, including Song Yu’s eight apertures and Lin Chen’s six apertures at Still Water Martial Arts Academy.
• Qi He explained that Lin Chen had been transferred because his academy lacked enough Grade A Student allocations, while privately regretting the decision only briefly.
• The Deputy Hall Masters noted Still Water Martial Arts Academy’s strong numbers and asked about the Clearwind Martial Arts Hall student rumored to have reached minor mastery in Clear Wind Palm.
• Kong Yinglei realized Mantis Martial Arts Hall had mistaken Lin Chen’s masked victory over Fu Ang for a hidden Clearwind Martial Arts Hall prodigy, and she chose not to correct them yet.

As Still Water Martial Arts Academy prepared for the upcoming competition, Kong Yinglei warned Lin Chen and the other contenders about their rivals and the uncertain rules. Lin Chen was called to the academy entrance by his brother and villagers, where a woman begged him to save Qianqian.

• Kong Yinglei told Lin Chen, Jiang Qing, Fu Jingya, and Gu Qingqing that only a few top-ten spots remained and identified their strongest rivals.
• Fu Ang warned his fellow disciples to watch out for a Clearwind Martial Arts Hall student with six apertures who had defeated him.
• Jiang Qing invited Lin Chen to spar with their strength equalized, but a servant interrupted them with news that Lin Chen's brother and government-office soldiers were at the entrance.
• Lin Chen and Jiang Qing went to the entrance, where Lin Chen found Lin Liang, village chief Zhao Canghu, Gu Fei, other villagers, and a government-office soldier.
• A disheveled woman knelt before Lin Chen and begged him to save Qianqian.

Lin Chen learned that Qianqian had gone missing and was suspected of being abducted by his cousin Lin Ming, then promised Auntie Zhou he would find her. After learning the girl might have been sold to Zhou San, Lin Chen set out with Lin Xiuyong and Jiang Qing to confront him.

• Auntie Zhou begged Lin Chen to help find her missing daughter Qianqian, and Zhao Canghu revealed she had disappeared the previous day.
• Lin Liang said Lin Ming had left the village on the day Qianqian vanished, and an officer had seen a man resembling him taking a girl into the city.
• Lin Chen promised Auntie Zhou he would bring Qianqian back, even if Lin Ming had abducted her.
• Lin Xiuyong told Lin Chen that Zhou San was suspected of trafficking children and that the girl might have been sold to him.
• After Lin Chen revealed he had opened six acupoints, he asked Lin Xiuyong to lead him to Zhou San, and Jiang Qing joined them.

Lin Chen and his companions confronted Zhou San over the missing children, but Jiang Qing attacked when Zhou San tried to exploit a desperate mother. They rescued the abducted children, and Jiang Qing left Zhou San’s courtyard full of corpses.

• Lin Chen, Lin Xiuyong, Zhao Canghu, and Jiang Qing entered the southern district to demand Zhou San’s help finding the missing girl Qianqian.
• Zhou San tried to extort a desperate mother and agreed to help Lin Chen only after Zhao Canghu offered him ten taels.
• Jiang Qing struck Zhou San through a doorway and threatened to kill him and his family unless he gave up the abducted children.
• Lin Chen learned from Zhou San’s men that the children were held in a residence across the street, then went there with Zhao Canghu and Lin Xiuyong.
• Lin Chen defeated the guards and found the abused children; Auntie Zhou reunited with her daughter, while Zhao Canghu killed the fallen guards and claimed responsibility.
• Lin Chen returned to find Jiang Qing standing unharmed among the bodies of Zhou San and his men.

Lin Chen and Jiang Qing killed Zhou San after uncovering his child trafficking, and Captain You settled the case in their favor. As Lin Chen worried that Zhou San's family might retaliate against his relatives, he left Still Water Martial Arts Academy to investigate the Zhou Clan, unaware that another figure followed shortly after.

• Jiang Qing joked that she would kill Zhou San's family, then explained that the constabulary would handle them and that Zhou San's family might seek revenge.
• Captain You investigated Zhou San's death, accepted Lin Chen and Jiang Qing's account of self-defense, and promised the constabulary's thanks.
• Lin Chen left Lin Ming's case to the constabulary, comforted Aunt Zhou and Qianqian, and encouraged Gu Fei to train in martial arts.
• Master Pang ordered his maid to look after Zhou San's family, while Zhao Qianqiu told Yan He'an to kill Zhou San's children.
• Lin Chen realized Zhou San's family could threaten his relatives, decided to investigate the Zhou Clan, and left the academy; another figure followed shortly afterward.

Lin Chen killed Zhou San’s family before they could flee, then took their belongings and discovered a hidden silk pouch among Zhou Ke’s clothes. Jiang Qing arrived afterward, while Yan He’an set the residence on fire and Master Pang’s men withdrew; Lin Chen left with the pouch and money.

• Zhou Ke suspected Master Pang’s men planned to kill his family and prepared to escape with his mother and sister.
• Lin Chen entered Zhou Residence and killed Zhou Ke, Mother Zhou, and Zhou Ke’s sister.
• Jiang Qing arrived too late to find Zhou San’s family alive, and Yan He’an set fire to the residence.
• Master Pang’s men arrived, saw the burning residence, and withdrew without recovering Zhou San’s money.
• Lin Chen counted the stolen Silver Notes and silver, found a silk pouch hidden in Zhou Ke’s robe, and sank one bundle in the river before leaving.

Lin Chen used a mysterious Martial Arts Will scroll to reach perfection in Clear Wind Palm overnight. The next morning, he joined the other academy disciples heading to the Martial Arts Administration, where the rules for the important Three-Month Grand Competition remained unknown.

• Lin Chen opened Zhou San’s scroll and pressed his palm against it, triggering the Martial Arts Will left by Dai Jingfeng.
• Lin Chen watched a master demonstrate Clear Wind Palm and understood its true meaning, reaching perfection in the technique.
• Lin Chen’s System Panel showed his Clear Wind Palm at Perfection and his martial arts progress increased.
• Lin Chen arrived at the Training Ground, where students noticed his changed air and Xiao Ting felt disappointed by rumors linking him to Jiang Qing.
• Instructor Shen led Lin Chen and eight other disciples toward the Martial Arts Administration and explained that the competition rules had not yet been announced.

Lin Chen attended the martial arts competition, where the hall masters explained Lord Su’s harsh group-stage rules and assigned students to groups. He volunteered for Group Bing, while Fu Ang later chose Group Xu, and the group assignments remained underway.

• Lin Chen arrived at the Training Ground with Still Water Martial Arts Academy and saw students from the other halls, including Fu Ang and his junior brothers.
• Kong Yinglei explained that seeded students would advance directly, while the remaining contestants would be assigned to nine groups and compete under a single-elimination format.
• Iron Blood Martial Arts Academy placed Zhang Qing in Group Jia, and Li Xue volunteered to join him; Gu Qingqing then entered Group Yi, which became a death group with three seven-aperture students.
• Lin Chen volunteered for Group Bing, where Lu Shuyu from Clearwind Martial Arts Hall also chose to compete against him.
• Fu Ang volunteered for Group Xu after avoiding the groups containing Clearwind Martial Arts Hall’s three six-aperture students.

At the Poyang County martial arts competition, the students fought through the Grade A and early Grade B matches while Lin Chen analyzed the contestants and predicted an upset. The chapter ended as seven-aperture fighters Chi Hanfei and Meng Yuan prepared to face off, with Lin Chen backing Meng Yuan.

• Su Lingchuan and County Magistrate He Ruyun discussed the competition’s rewards and He Ruyun offered an additional prize from the county office.
• Zhang Qing won the Group A matches, and Kong Yinglei advised Lin Chen on how to counter Iron Collapse Fist.
• Gu Qingqing defeated her five-aperture opponent, while a Gale Martial Arts Hall student lost after an Iron Blood Martial Arts Academy fighter pretended to run out of strength.
• A Quaking Mountain Martial Arts Academy student easily won the third Grade B match.
• Lin Chen predicted that Meng Yuan would defeat Chi Hanfei, surprising Fu Jingya.

Meng Yuan revealed that his Mantis Fist had reached minor mastery, defeating Chi Hanfei and winning Group B despite Gu Qingqing's challenge. Lin Chen then entered Group C and wondered why Clearwind Martial Arts Hall's students seemed hostile toward him.

• Chi Hanfei urged Meng Yuan to concede, but Meng Yuan refused and fought him at the referee's signal.
• Meng Yuan used his agile, minor-mastery Mantis Fist to overcome Chi Hanfei's Clear Wind Palm and knock him from the arena.
• Meng Yuan defeated Gu Qingqing in the group's final match, showing mercy at the last moment, and she conceded.
• Fu Jingya praised Lin Chen for predicting Meng Yuan's strength, while Gu Qingqing vowed to train for the next competition.
• Lin Chen entered Group C after his fellow students encouraged him and noticed hostile looks from Clearwind Martial Arts Hall's students.

Lin Chen defeated Tu Le in the martial arts competition by using his proficient Water Cloud Palm to counter Iron Collapse Fist. After Tu Le conceded, Lin Chen left the training ground victorious, and the first volume ended.

• The referees drew lots, placing Lin Chen against five-aperture Tu Le and Zhou Yu against a five-aperture student from Gale Martial Arts Hall.
• Zhou Yu defeated his opponent in three punches, while observers debated whether Lin Chen or Lu Shuyu might threaten Zhou Yu's chances.
• Tu Le opened with Iron Collapse Fist, but Lin Chen used Water Cloud Palm to absorb the attack and overwhelm him with successive palms.
• Tu Le admitted defeat after Lin Chen's third palm left his hand and arm injured, and Lin Chen saluted him before leaving the match area.