Chapter Summaries

Arro let Claire continue toward the Heaven Mending Ruins without giving him the Heaven Mending Technique, believing Claire still needed to complete his Self-Pilgrimage and carving. At the courtyard, Arro interrupted Bevan’s martial arts lecture, set basic rules for the rescued Maidens, and discussed how to house them.

• Arro introduced Bevan and the Maidens to Claire, then sent Claire onward with food, weapons, and stone fragments to carve.
• Arro worried that withholding the Heaven Mending Technique might cause his mission to fail, but decided he could not give it to Claire before the proper time.
• Bevan offered the Maidens the choice to leave later or stay and learn martial arts, then began explaining acupuncture points.
• Arro stopped Bevan’s lesson and told the Maidens to inform him before going for water, while otherwise treating the courtyard as their home.
• Arro and Bevan discussed giving the Maidens space and using the Stone Houses to shelter them safely.

Arro discovered that life force circulating through the Heaven Mending Technique had begun changing into an uncontrollable transitional form of internal strength, and he considered how to develop accessible cultivation methods. He stayed awake in the wilderness, concerned about threats from the sky and planning his martial arts teachings.

• After meditation, Arro sensed life force circulating automatically through the Heaven Mending Technique and realized his emotions had met the requirements of Martial Dao True Meaning.
• Arro tested the circulating life force and found he could only accelerate it by reciting the Heaven Mending Technique and guiding his Mental Strength along its route.
• Arro concluded that the life force had become a transitional form of internal strength, possibly through the combined effects of meditation and Great Heavenly Cycle circulation.
• Arro considered designing a Minor Heaven Mending Technique and other simplified methods so ordinary people could cultivate internal strength.
• Unable to sleep in the wilderness, Arro worried that the courtyard alarm could not detect airborne enemies and planned how to teach Overcoming Strength with Softness and public Internal Cultivation Methods.

Arro designed a female Internal Cultivation Method based on the Yin Character Technique, choosing the Swallow Character Technique to support women’s strength without the unwanted effects of Yang-based training. As he planned its Martial Dao True Meaning, he settled on keeping the usual standards and considered detachment as its safety latch.

• Arro realized that public Internal Cultivation Methods should use short meridians and few acupoints, and considered designing later techniques as Minor and Great Heavenly Cycles.
• Arro rejected a Yang-based method for women because excess testosterone could cause unwanted physical effects, then chose the Swallow Character Technique to improve nutrition and support martial training.
• Arro imagined a Jianghu populated by bold heroes and valiant female martial artists, and decided that women needed their own Internal Cultivation Method based on the Yin Character Technique.
• Arro considered copying the Heaven Mending Technique’s Martial Dao True Meaning but rejected that approach, resolving to study seven distinct Martial Dao True Meanings under normal standards.
• Arro weighed possible principles for the new technique’s safety latch and focused on asceticism and seclusion, wondering whether detachment would work.

Arro developed the Non-Action Technique around detachment and the balance of movement and stillness, then named the new women’s sect Bright Moon Palace. The new technique could later be combined with the revised Yang Character Technique as the Tai Chi Technique.

• Arro decided detachment could serve as the new Internal Cultivation Method’s Martial Dao True Meaning, since practitioners could return to calm after battle and avoid prolonged Qi Deviation.
• Arro linked detachment’s stillness with the martial artists’ active Will of Heaven through the balance of movement and stillness in Tai Chi.
• Arro formulated the method’s guiding principle as following heaven and the Dao, remaining tranquil, and acting with a heart of non-action.
• Arro named the Martial Dao True Meaning Non-Action True Meaning and the martial art the Non-Action Technique, which could combine with the revised Yang Character Technique as the Tai Chi Technique.
• Arro rejected the name Ancient Tomb Sect and named the new women’s sect Bright Moon Palace.

Arro explained to Bevan why the Non-Action Technique needed strict rules and how Bright Moon Palace would balance the martial arts world. He then began teaching the girls, easing their fear by demonstrating the power of internal martial arts.

• Bevan questioned whether evil people could learn the Non-Action Technique, and Arro agreed that they could if their actions caused no inner conflict.
• Arro explained that strict sect rules and conduct assessments would shape apprentices and keep crooked disciples from rising through Bright Moon Palace.
• Arro told Bevan that Bright Moon Palace would use Non-Action as a moderating force and that Martial Arts Mountain would unite Non-Action with its opposite, Having Accomplishments.
• Arro found the girls trembling with fear as he began teaching them martial arts, so he described Baron Claire's strength and the extraordinary abilities of internal martial arts.
• Arro punched the air and sent a streak of fire across the courtyard, showing the girls the kind of internal martial arts he would teach.

Arro tried to spark the girls’ interest in internal force by demonstrating powerful martial techniques in the courtyard. He left them eager to learn after smashing a bluestone slab and using a blade of grass to pluck a flower.

• At Bevan’s suggestion, Arro chose a bluestone slab for a physical demonstration.
• Arro struck the slab with his palms and shattered it, impressing the girls and Bevan with his Great Stone Tablet Hand.
• When Bevan asked for another technique, Arro demonstrated Flying Leaf Plucking Flower with a blade of Soft Leaf Vegetable, cutting off an orange-yellow flower and bringing it back.
• Arro gave the flower to the youngest girl and asked whether the girls wanted to learn; they all agreed.

Arro explained vigor and internal cultivation to Bevan, showing how vigor could increase damage to both hard objects and living creatures. The five girls continued training, with the merchant girl excelling at learning theory and Still Stance.

• Arro told Bevan that combining Extraordinary Power with physical strength created vigor, and explained how elemental and neutral forces could produce different kinds of vigor.
• Arro used a piece of beef to show Bevan how vigor could exploit muscle grain and increase the damage force inflicted on living creatures.
• Arro explained that internal cultivation combined bodily training to develop internal force with opening meridians and acupoints to purify it.
• Arro taught the five girls the details of internal cultivation and had to make them rest because they trained until exhaustion.
• The merchant girl quickly memorized martial arts theory and learned Still Stance with remarkable speed.

Dorothea’s talent in learning martial stances impressed the other girls, leading Arro to consider helping her cultivate inner force faster. Bevan worried that she would Open the Dantian before him and proposed using Life Force first, then mixing in Magic Power.

• Dorothea reassured her sisters that training would strengthen their bodies and help them master the Still Stance.
• Arro told Bevan that Dorothea learned movements unusually quickly, and Bevan argued that her talent had helped her survive the Magic Den.
• Arro decided to give Dorothea Life Force-rich magic plants so she could Open the Dantian sooner.
• Bevan asked when he could Open the Dantian and suggested using Life Force before adding Magic Power to absorb the Magic Power leaking from his body.

Arro prepared to help Dorothea open her dantian with a Life Force-rich magic plant he called ginseng. After explaining his plans to return Bevan to Cat Faction Academy, he arrived at the training ground and introduced the plant to Dorothea and the other girls.

• Arro told Bevan to focus on mastering the Still Stance and said he would take him back to Cat Faction Academy after helping Dorothea open her dantian.
• Arro arrived at the training ground and found Dorothea guiding the girls through their Still Stance practice.
• Arro told Dorothea that her flawless mastery of the Still Stance meant she could move on to the next step.
• Arro had Bevan open a wooden box and showed Dorothea and the girls three roots of a magic plant rich in Life Force, which he called ginseng.

Dorothea used Arro’s instructions and the ginseng to Open her Dantian, then thanked him by pledging her loyalty. Arro awkwardly dismissed the pledge and told her to focus on training.

• Arro explained how Dorothea should consume the ginseng and use Still Stance to guide its vitality toward her dantian.
• Dorothea took the ginseng to her room while Arro explained that she needed a tranquil heart and would have to complete the final step herself.
• Arro told the other girls to rest while Dorothea practiced.
• About an hour later, Dorothea emerged with a glowing complexion, and Arro recognized that she had Opened her Dantian.
• Dorothea knelt and pledged herself to Arro, who pulled her up and told her to train her martial arts instead.

Arro prepared Dorothea to continue training and explained that he was leaving to handle matters in his territory. Before departing, he assigned her concealed-weapon and lightness-skill exercises, leaving her and the other Maidens to train in the wilderness.

• Arro explained Life Force, dantian cultivation, and the importance of building Dorothea’s foundation through diligent training.
• Arro told Dorothea that he would leave for ten days to several months, after clearing nearby Demonic Beasts and deciding the wilderness could serve as a training ground.
• Dorothea and the other girls were frightened by Arro’s departure, but Dorothea did not ask him to stay.
• Arro instructed Dorothea to practice Flying Leaf Plucking Flower using his wooden cards and book, and to train leg strength and force application for lightness skill.

Arro explained that lightness skill could not be demonstrated as a universal technique because his Eight Extremes Method differed from the apprentices’ Non-Action Technique. He demonstrated its external foundation—strengthening the forefoot to support the body—and left the apprentices with an explanation of how it imitated a cat’s hind paws.

• Bevan asked Arro to demonstrate lightness skill, and Arro agreed after explaining that his cultivation method might make his version unsuitable for the apprentices.
• Arro described lightness skill’s dependence on the legs and traced its footwork to Cat Style Fist: Tree Climbing.
• Arro rose onto the pads of his toes, and Bevan imitated him, twisted his foot, and wondered why his toes felt weak.
• Arro explained that supporting the body on the toe pads marked the Beginner stage of lightness skill.
• Arro compared human forefeet to a cat’s hind paws and said external lightness training strengthened them to improve speed, agility, and burst power.

Arro demonstrated how internal martial arts enhanced external lightness skill, while a new personal task prompted him to accept a disciple. After the demonstration, he prepared to return to the Viscount Territory and wondered whether Mental Strength was connected to how tasks were triggered.

• Arro explained how internal martial arts used inner force to strengthen the body and influence the Outside World, then created miniature tornadoes with the Feather Fall Spell.
• A personal task appeared, requiring Arro to accept at least one disciple for a skill point, and he questioned why it had triggered.
• Bevan and Dorothea tested the airflow, describing how it affected their movement, before Arro demonstrated the complete lightness skill.
• Arro returned to the tent with Bevan and used magic to clean and inspect it before their planned return to the Viscount Territory.
• Arro compared the circumstances of previous task activations and suspected that Mental Strength might be involved.

Arro tried to formalize his relationship with Bevan as master and disciple, hoping the act would complete his system mission. As they traveled by Glider, Bevan called him Shifu, and Arro realized the bond had given him a stronger sense of belonging, though Bevan still needed his family’s approval.

• Arro considered why the system struggled to detect missions and decided to ask Bevan to become his disciple.
• Arro explained the meaning and responsibilities of a master-disciple relationship, and Bevan solemnly agreed to call him Shifu.
• Arro saw that the mission remained incomplete and told Bevan that his family had to approve the arrangement because he was not yet an adult.
• Bevan enthusiastically pointed out sights during their Glider journey, then fell asleep pale and uncomfortable from either fear of heights or motion sickness.
• Arro shut down the Glider's Power Core and used the Soaring Dragon Movement Technique to guide the craft, reflecting that Bevan had become an Anchor Point in his new life.

Arrow used Wind Magic Power to propel the Glider and gained insight into Wind Control, advancing the Soaring Dragon Movement Technique to Proficient before reaching the Earldom. Back at the Academy, he learned the New District had suffered an internal family conflict and opened Anabe’s Parchment Book, where he found evidence that Life Force and magical power conflicted severely.

• Arrow practiced Wind Control while piloting the Glider, and the Soaring Dragon Movement Technique advanced from Beginner to Proficient.
• Arrow brought Bevan to the outskirts of Treant Forest, then detoured to the Academy.
• Anabe told Arrow that unrest in the New District came from an internal family conflict, while the Academy and its wizard instructors remained unaffected.
• Arrow asked about the Internal Cultivation Method and opened the Parchment Book Anabe had brought him.
• Arrow furrowed his brows as he read how severely Life Force and magical power conflicted.

Arro learned from Anabe’s experiments that Magic Power and Life Force repelled each other, while the partial Swallow Character Technique confirmed that Magic Power could fuel internal martial arts. Studying the results, Arro conceived a possible Innate Technique linking Mental Strength and physique, though its workings remained unverified.

• Anabe’s attempt to guide Magic Power through his meridians caused it to ricochet against Life Force, leaving him in pain and making his face even stiffer.
• Anabe explained that the experiment had confirmed meridians and acupoints could use small amounts of Magic Power or Life Force to produce bodily effects.
• Anabe said he had cultivated only half of the Swallow Character Technique because its overlapping meridians and acupoints conflicted with Qi Blood Rampage, but it had improved his appetite.
• Arro studied the technique’s detailed data and realized Magic Power could serve as the energy source for internal martial arts.
• Arro imagined using the repulsion between Magic Power and Life Force to design a martial art that could connect physique to Mental Strength, which he called the Innate Technique.

Arrow studied Anabe’s carefully illustrated stomping techniques and recognized them as a foundation for martial arts. Anabe agreed to continue cultivating the Eight Extremes Method but proposed that other Demon Hunters learn the complete Heaven Mending Technique.

• Arrow read Anabe’s descriptions and sketches of stomping techniques, admired their precision, and considered how they complemented his own Cat Style Fist.
• Anabe explained that he could not design more moves until he opened additional meridians, since residual Life Force from Qi Blood Rampage prevented him from cultivating the full Swallow Character Technique.
• After reviewing the Heaven Mending Technique, Anabe teased Arrow about creating another Internal Cultivation Method and said he had avoided making anyone else cultivate the Eight Extremes Method.
• Arrow argued that the Eight Extremes Method offered broader choices and a higher potential than the specialized Heaven Mending Technique.
• Anabe said he would continue cultivating the Eight Extremes Method but wanted the other Demon Hunters to learn the complete Heaven Mending Technique, noting that Arrow might not finish the remaining Character Techniques before leaving.

Arro reviewed the academy’s overcrowding and resource problems, then planned to move bullet production underground and convert the factory into a soap business that could secretly supply Holly with gunpowder ingredients. He finished an underground base development plan and asked his visitor to share the promised good news.

• Anabe declined the Eight Extremes Method and planned to support Arro by serving the academy and developing foundational martial arts moves suited to Demon Hunters.
• Arro reviewed academy records and found that more than four hundred students strained the academy’s teaching and food supplies.
• Arro decided not to release firearm designs publicly and planned to move the bullet-making equipment underground for Holly to use on a small scale.
• Arro planned to turn the Bullet Factory into a soap and scented-soap factory, with Holly secretly collecting glycerin for gunpowder.
• Arro prepared an underground base development plan for Holly and asked his visitor about the good news they had mentioned.

Ian surprised Arro by creating a Snake Game device using principles from his Wind Dragon Armor. Arro realized his own progress had stalled because he had ignored the foundational knowledge and magical techniques available in this world.

• Ian told Arro he had built a device that played Snake Game, and Arro hurried him to the Academy's Alchemy Room to see it.
• Ian started the machine, and the monitor displayed Snake Game, leaving Arro stunned by how quickly Ian had succeeded.
• Ian explained how he adapted One-Click Casting and the Wind Dragon Armor's magic patterns to control the game and generate beans.
• Arro recognized that he had been too arrogant and had overlooked how knowledge from this world could help him build a computer.

Arro studied Ian’s puppet-making design and sought knowledge of manufacturing puppet cores for his planned computer. He learned the knowledge was scarce and expensive, while the Fernando Family had withdrawn after an attack that Arro denied carrying out.

• Arro found that Ian’s puppet-core design used a soul, making him worry that adapting it for his dantian could corrupt his inner force.
• Arro asked Ian for puppet-core manufacturing knowledge, but Ian explained that his family possessed only low-level cores and research materials, not the manufacturing method.
• Ian described the high costs of studying puppet arts and suggested that only a powerful family like the Fernando Wizard Family could afford to train puppet wizards.
• Ian told Arro that the Fernando Family had suffered explosions, abandoned resource areas, and withdrawn behind its defenses, amid rumors that Arro had attacked them.
• Arro denied attacking the Fernando Family and suspected that its retreat had resulted from trouble within the family.