Chapter Summaries

Xu Yunfan hunted alongside Fang Mushan and Li Haomiao as they traveled, then advanced the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art to Great Accomplishment while mining underground. He emerged with a bronze sheen and a dramatically stronger physique, astonishing Fang Mushan and Li Haomiao, who suspected he had used true blood.

• Xu Yunfan returned from hunting with an old wolf, while Fang Mushan brought back only a rabbit and doubted Xu Yunfan would stay lucky.
• After several days of empty-handed hunting, Xu Yunfan returned with an enormous wild yak, leaving Fang Mushan despondent.
• While mining that night, Xu Yunfan filled his Crimson Flame Copper Body Art proficiency and advanced it to Great Accomplishment.
• Xu Yunfan experienced a surge of strength and recalled grueling hammer training, medicinal baths, and beatings that had tempered his body.
• Xu Yunfan emerged from the tunnel with bronze-hued skin and bulging muscles, prompting Fang Mushan to ask how he had become so brawny.
• Li Haomiao recognized Xu Yunfan's Great Accomplishment in Skin Tempering, and Fang Mushan asked whether he had used true blood.

Xu Yunfan used a concealed pit to ambush Master Xu and killed him with his hardened external cultivation. Yang Gan and his soldiers confronted the survivors, and Fang Mushan leapt out to attack them.

• Fang Mushan and Li Haomiao discussed how True Blood had accelerated Xu Yunfan’s cultivation when a warning trap snapped outside the cave.
• Xu Yunfan dragged Master Xu through the ground into the cave, where Master Xu tried to counterattack with a kick.
• Xu Yunfan endured the kick and crushed Master Xu’s head with his bare hand.
• Yang Gan recognized Xu Yunfan’s hardened external cultivation, and his soldiers drew their weapons to charge.
• Fang Mushan rushed into the soldiers, knocked one into the air, and seized a spear.

Fang Mushan and Xu Yunfan fought Zhang Shuyang’s soldiers and Yang Gan, whose Black Body Iron Armor made him difficult to injure. Xu Yunfan battered and threw Yang Gan, but Yang Gan recovered, leaving Xu Yunfan shocked by the resilience of body refiners.

• Fang Mushan killed Xu Yun and overwhelmed the soldiers until an old soldier rallied them into a defensive formation.
• Xu Yunfan climbed out of the hole, took Xu Yun’s sword, and struck Yang Gan, but Yang Gan’s iron-hard body stopped the blade.
• Li Haomiao explained Yang Gan’s Black Body Iron Armor, and Xu Yunfan attacked Yang Gan’s vital points with kicks and punches.
• Xu Yunfan’s heavy blows forced Yang Gan to defend and slowed him, but Yang Gan begged him to stop and tried to retreat.
• Xu Yunfan grappled Yang Gan and slammed him to the ground, but Yang Gan recovered and escaped his hold.

Xu Yunfan used the Iron Pickaxe embedded with the Purple Gold Earth-Shaking Hammer Fragment to kill Yang Gan, then discussed Divine Weapons and physique refinement with Li Haomiao. As Xu Yunfan considered advancing the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art toward Golden Skin Manifestation, Li Haomiao began to question what he was doing.

• Xu Yunfan grabbed the Iron Pickaxe and drove it through Yang Gan’s chest, killing him despite Yang Gan’s physique refinement.
• Xu Yunfan examined the Purple Gold Earth-Shaking Hammer Fragment and saw his Crimson Flame Copper Body Art gain thirteen proficiency points from the battle.
• Li Haomiao explained that a Divine Weapon’s power depended on its wielder and recalled an old monk who had withstood two Divine Weapons with his golden body.
• Xu Yunfan considered whether perfecting the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art would give him Golden Skin Manifestation, and Li Haomiao warned that pursuing perfection could waste years.
• Li Haomiao started to explain the risks of pursuing perfection, then asked Xu Yunfan what he was doing.

After defeating Yang Gan’s forces, Xu Yunfan learned the complete Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer from Li Haomiao as they fled. They reached a cave, where Fang Mushan learned that his father remained secure, while Li Haomiao was astonished by how flawlessly Xu Yunfan performed the newly taught hammer techniques.

• After Fang Mushan killed the last fleeing soldier, he asked Xu Yunfan to fight, but Xu Yunfan insisted they first get away from possible pursuers.
• The group gathered weapons and traveled nearly sixty li while Li Haomiao taught Xu Yunfan the full Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer.
• At dawn, Fang Mushan killed three hibernating Brown Bears in a sheltered cave so the group could eat.
• Fang Mushan recognized Li Haomiao as the Yan King and asked about his father, Fang Wen; Li Haomiao said the general remained secure and explained why Fang Mushan had ended up in Ningguta.
• Xu Yunfan practiced the Cloak Hammer with a large saber, and Li Haomiao was astonished to see him perform it flawlessly after only one explanation.

Xu Yunfan, Fang Mushan, and Li Haomiao prepared to cross the Eight Hundred Li Barren River Ice Field as winter snow began covering their tracks. Meanwhile, Zhang Shuyang mourned Xu Yun’s death and told Li Miaoyun that the snowfall had made the fugitives nearly impossible to track.

• Fang Mushan reflected on his father’s warning, and Li Haomiao promised to introduce him to someone who could explain the past once they escaped the ice field.
• Xu Yunfan continued training and practicing the Lin Character Secret, managing to sustain his cultivation for longer than the previous day.
• The three ate the last of their bear meat, donned hide clothing, and set out through the snow toward the edge of the ice field.
• Zhang Shuyang found Xu Yun dead and, grieving his longtime companion, reported to Li Miaoyun that the snow had erased the fugitives’ trail.

Xu Yunfan, Fang Mushan, and Li Haomiao crossed Accumulating Cloud Mountain toward Qing Province, but Li Miaoyun appeared at the summit and blocked their way. Xu Yunfan stepped in front of the others, ready to flee if the confrontation turned against them.

• Li Miaoyun called the injured Zhang Shuyang trash, then left without leaving footprints in the snow.
• Zhang Shuyang withdrew his men from the pursuit and ordered them to collect their dead and return home.
• Xu Yunfan, Fang Mushan, and Li Haomiao climbed Accumulating Cloud Mountain toward Qing Province, and Xu Yunfan improved his Fleet Foot skill along the way.
• Xu Yunfan and Fang Mushan reached the summit late at night, where Li Miaoyun confronted them.
• Xu Yunfan set Li Haomiao down and moved in front of him and Fang Mushan, preparing to flee if necessary.

Li Miaoyun came to take Li Haomiao back to the palace, but he revealed the Dragon-Tiger Great Pill and used Celestial Human Transformation to restore his severed limbs. The two began fighting on Accumulating Cloud Mountain while Xu Yunfan and Fang Mushan fled.

• Li Miaoyun ordered Li Haomiao to come with her, promising he could become Emperor after admitting his mistakes to the Empress.
• Fang Mushan explained that Li Miaoyun had cultivated a thread of qi through the Celestial Pivot Sect’s technique, and Xu Yunfan and Fang Mushan left Li Haomiao behind.
• Li Miaoyun threatened to let Xu Yunfan and Fang Mushan sleep forever on Accumulating Cloud Mountain, then reached to seize Li Haomiao.
• Li Haomiao grabbed Li Miaoyun’s wrist and revealed the Dao Sect Dragon-Tiger Great Pill in his mouth.
• Li Haomiao used Celestial Human Transformation to regrow his limbs and charged at Li Miaoyun, who countered with attacks aimed at his vital points.

Li Haomiao and Li Miaoyun fought fiercely, and both were left near collapse. Xu Yunfan helped Li Haomiao seize her, and Li Haomiao sealed her qi before asking Xu Yunfan not to kill her.

• Li Haomiao used the Dragon-Tiger Great Pill to fight Li Miaoyun and gradually mastered his strength, unleashing True Force in a powerful punch.
• Li Miaoyun activated her blue-black veins and overwhelmed Li Haomiao with rapid strikes, then pierced his chest with her finger after distracting him with an ancient syllable.
• Li Haomiao struck Li Miaoyun in midair, but both fighters collapsed from exhaustion and their injuries.
• Xu Yunfan rushed in and pinned Li Miaoyun down, but she could not use her qi because the fight had drained it.
• Li Haomiao used his remaining True Force to seal Li Miaoyun's qi, then begged Xu Yunfan not to kill her because she was valuable.

Xu Yunfan and Fang Mushan survived Li Miaoyun’s attack, and Li Haomiao was rescued from the brink of death by his Dao Sect master. The old daoist judged Xu Yunfan to have poor aptitude and no true blood, while Li Haomiao insisted he had promised Xu Yunfan a true art of the External Three Harmonies.

• Xu Yunfan checked on the gravely wounded Li Haomiao and found Fang Mushan still trapped in a snowdrift.
• An old daoist appeared, stopped Xu Yunfan’s punch with ease, and treated Li Haomiao with acupressure and a pill.
• Li Haomiao apologized to his master for leaving the Dao Sect without permission, and Fang Mushan finally climbed out of the snow.
• Li Haomiao praised Xu Yunfan for mastering the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer after one practice, but the old daoist dismissed his aptitude and said he had no trace of true blood.
• Li Haomiao said he had promised Xu Yunfan a true art of the External Three Harmonies, prompting the old daoist to regard Xu Yunfan with displeasure.

Xu Yunfan received the Pure Yang One Qi Art as Fang Mushan joined the Dao Sect, then left Li Miaoyun to die on Accumulating Cloud Mountain. After descending the mountain and improving Fleet Foot, he considered training on the slopes again to reach major mastery.

• Bi Sheng gave Xu Yunfan the Pure Yang One Qi Art and recruited Fang Mushan into the Dao Sect before leaving with him and Li Haomiao.
• Xu Yunfan left Li Miaoyun, whose qi had been sealed, to struggle down the freezing mountain by herself.
• Li Miaoyun collapsed in the snow, and Xu Yunfan waited nearby until he believed she had died before departing.
• Xu Yunfan descended Accumulating Cloud Mountain while practicing Fleet Foot, raising its proficiency to 779 points.
• Xu Yunfan considered running back and forth on the mountain to bring Fleet Foot and his tendon training to major mastery.

Xu Yunfan reached North Ye City, sold his furs, cleaned up, and explored the city. After seeing a dead adult and child in an alley, he realized the people’s lives were harsher than Li Haomiao had claimed.

• Xu Yunfan followed tracks to a snowy village and asked an old man for directions to North Ye City.
• Xu Yunfan entered North Ye City, where his imposing, unwashed appearance kept people at a distance and the gate soldiers let him pass without collecting a fee.
• Xu Yunfan sold his furs for twenty-six taels, bought black clothes, and bathed at the clothing shop.
• Xu Yunfan spotted an adult and child frozen to death in an alley and silently left them behind.
• Xu Yunfan ate a lavish meal at a tavern, paid two taels and three mace, and walked back outside in surprise at the cost.

Xu Yunfan infiltrated the Hu Residence at night to find money, but a woman in black drew away the estate’s martial arts master and created an opening. As he searched for the storeroom, he confronted a frightened maid.

• Xu Yunfan decided to rob the wealthy Hu Family after hearing diners condemn its reputation.
• Xu Yunfan surveyed the Hu Residence, climbed over its wall, and studied the guards’ patrol routes.
• The Hu Family’s martial arts master spotted an intruder, and a woman in black fled across the courtyard.
• The martial arts master chased the woman in black outside, leaving the Hu Residence in confusion.
• Xu Yunfan searched the estate for its storeroom, then landed in front of a frightened maid.

Xu Yunfan learned where the Hu Family treasury was and used the commotion caused by an intruder to approach it. When most of its guards left to protect Master Hu, he defeated the remaining guards and minor leader, leaving the treasury exposed.

• Xu Yunfan threatened Little Maid into revealing the Hu Family treasury’s location, then vanished while she hurried away in shame.
• Xu Yunfan used shadows and his Hunting skill to evade guards as he made his way toward the treasury.
• A shout about an intruder drew more than half the treasury guards away to protect Master Hu.
• Xu Yunfan confronted the remaining guards, shrugged off a saber strike, and knocked them down with his fists.
• Xu Yunfan disarmed the minor leader, broke his wrist, and kicked him unconscious.

Xu Yunfan tested his improved defenses, stole a fortune in gold and silver from the Hu Residence, and overheard the Hu Family discussing a leaked rumor about a divine weapon. He escaped to an inn with the loot and planned to buy a home and focus on cultivation.

• Xu Yunfan confirmed that his Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer had made him resistant to ordinary blades and collected boxes of gold and silver from the Hu Residence storeroom.
• Xu Yunfan overheard Hu Hong and Hu Fei'ang discuss how rumors of a divine weapon had drawn dangerous visitors to the Hu Family.
• Xu Yunfan decided not to pursue the divine weapon and climbed over the wall to leave with the stolen valuables.
• A guard reported the theft to Hu Hong, who learned that nearly thirty thousand taels of gold and silver were missing and angrily vowed to punish the thieves.
• Xu Yunfan safely returned to his inn, counted the loot, and meditated while planning to buy a residence and continue cultivating.

Xu Yunfan settled in North Ye City by obtaining an identity and buying a residence, then commissioned a heavy warhammer. After the broker helped him register at the yamen, he had a home, household registration, and property deed.

• While cultivating the Lin Character Secret, Xu Yunfan visualized an illusory figure and felt close to gaining an entry-level grasp of the method.
• Xu Yunfan paid a real estate broker to help him obtain household registration documents and toured North Ye City with Little Zhou.
• Xu Yunfan bought the two-courtyard Clear River Residence for three hundred and fifty taels of silver.
• Xu Yunfan gave Lu Tiejang a design for a heavy refined-steel warhammer and paid a deposit for its forging.
• Two days later, Xu Yunfan registered his name at the yamen and received an identity, property deed, and household registration.

Xu Yunfan hid his silver beneath Clear River Residence and used expensive exotic beast meat to boost his cultivation, though the cost quickly worried him. As he prepared to eat at Long Wind Tavern again, a girl attacked him over her eldest brother’s house, and he knocked her down with a kick.

• Xu Yunfan buried his silver in a secret chamber beneath Clear River Residence and decided against joining the imperial court.
• At Long Wind Tavern, Xu Yunfan ate Azure Cloud Deer meat and saw the Attribute Panel report small improvements to his constitution.
• Xu Yunfan spent over a thousand taels on meals in five days but found that dietary supplementation had greatly increased his cultivation proficiency.
• Xu Yunfan worried that his silver would not last and decided he might need to find another job.
• A girl attacked Xu Yunfan with a longsword, demanding that he return her eldest brother’s house, and he kicked her several meters away.

Xu Yunfan subdued Fei Shimei after she attacked him, then fought off Qin Bo when he tried to intervene. Qin Bo explained that he wanted to reclaim the house he had sold, but Xu Yunfan demanded five hundred taels of silver and made clear he would not let the matter go easily.

• Xu Yunfan kicked Fei Shimei down after she attacked him with a sword, then prepared to take her inside for questioning.
• Qin Bo ambushed Xu Yunfan with a palm strike, but Xu Yunfan dodged and hurled him into a stone by the riverbank.
• Qin Bo recovered and introduced himself as a Surging Wave Sect disciple, explaining that he had sold the house to fund his studies and now wanted to redeem it.
• Qin Bo apologized for Fei Shimei's behavior and offered compensation, while Xu Yunfan recognized her surname as connected to the Surging Wave Sect's leader, Fei Qi.
• Xu Yunfan demanded five hundred taels for the house and stomped on the unconscious Fei Shimei as Qin Bo objected.

Xu Yunfan drove off Qin Bo and Fei Yao after Fei Yao attacked him, taking the banknotes Qin Bo offered as an apology. He secretly followed them to their inn, while Qin Bo weighed how to get rid of his troublesome junior sister; Fei Yao woke and asked whether Qin Bo had dealt with Xu Yunfan.

• Xu Yunfan kicked Fei Shimei down and refused to let Qin Bo take her away without paying compensation.
• Qin Bo offered five hundred taels, but Xu Yunfan took the entire stack of banknotes and said he would consider selling the courtyard.
• Qin Bo carried Fei Shimei away, and Xu Yunfan followed them to their inn before returning home.
• Qin Bo considered using Fei Yao to provoke someone powerful enough to get rid of her, then hesitated because of Fei Qi.
• Fei Yao woke and asked Qin Bo whether he had dealt with Xu Yunfan.

Qin Bo and Fei Yao plotted to kill Xu Yunfan while pretending to reconcile, and Xu Yunfan continued training Fleet Foot until he demonstrated an enormous leap. The next morning, Qin Bo arrived at Xu Yunfan's door with gifts to apologize, leaving Xu Yunfan surprised and uncertain about his intentions.

• Qin Bo tended to Fei Yao's bruised abdomen, and Fei Yao urged him to find a way to kill Xu Yunfan.
• Qin Bo restrained Fei Yao from acting rashly and secretly resolved to kill Xu Yunfan to obtain the item he believed was in the courtyard.
• Xu Yunfan trained Fleet Foot, strengthened his legs, and leapt more than ten meters across to the opposite courtyard.
• Qin Bo visited Xu Yunfan the next morning with gifts and apologized, surprising Xu Yunfan.