Recaps

Qin Shi stayed at Lin Yunqing’s villa and worried that the deaths of the fake-drug dealers might mean someone was targeting him. Lin Yunqing’s brother Lin Xiaohan arrived and learned she had spent millions investing in Qin Shi’s potential as a future warrior.

• Qin Shi ate high-energy food, reviewed his training progress, and resolved to ask Old Liang for tougher combat practice while considering whether to investigate Zhao Kun.
• Lin Yunqing told Qin Shi that the fake-drug dealers he had reported had died from suspected food poisoning, prompting him to fear retaliation from their syndicate.
• Lin Xiaohan arrived at Lin Yunqing’s villa and found Qin Shi there the morning after he had stayed overnight.
• Lin Yunqing explained that she viewed Qin Shi as a financial investment and had spent heavily on his training, including an eighteen-million-yuan Meditation Room and premium Energy Liquid.
• Lin Xiaohan doubted that Qin Shi would become another He Lanchán, but Lin Yunqing defended her gamble and joked that she could marry into wealth if it failed.

Lin Xiaohan explained Hengzhou’s martial arts history and the rise of New Martial Arts schools to Lin Yunqing and Qin Shi. He offered to help Qin Shi explore Qiguang Hengda University’s virtual Combat Room, leaving Qin with a possible path to study New Martial Arts.

• Lin Xiaohan warned Lin Yunqing that Qin Shi faced a steep disadvantage compared with Yu Li, but agreed to find Qin a New Martial Arts teacher once his Life Force exceeded twenty.
• Lin Xiaohan told Lin Yunqing that Hengzhou had once produced notable Martial Artists, described the Cadre School’s past, and warned her not to use outside communication devices or electronics there.
• Lin Xiaohan recalled Hengzhou’s martial arts figures and explained that He Lanchán’s Void Meditation Method had been designated an SSS-level textbook before disappearing after a military factory explosion.
• Lin Yunqing introduced Qin Shi to her older brother, Lin Xiaohan, and explained that Qiguang Hengda University offered many New Martial Arts styles.
• Lin Xiaohan described his own Limit Flow martial art and offered Qin Shi the use of Lin Yunqing’s Student Card to visit the university’s virtual Combat Room.

Qin Shi entered Qiguang Hengda’s virtual Combat Room with Lin Yunqing, whose poor ranking clashed with her boasts about her fighting ability. After browsing the Martial Arts Department channel, Qin Shi chose a player and sent a match request, leaving his first fight about to begin.

• Lin Xiaohan told Qin Shi about Qiguang Hengda’s cutoff and urged him to live up to Lin Yunqing’s good opinion of him before leaving for a birthday banquet.
• Lin Xiaohan reflected on Hengzhou’s entrenched problems and asked Secretary Xu about the Qin Family’s sudden silence.
• Lin Yunqing brought Qin Shi to the basement, used a Spirit Realm helmet and his Student Card to create his Combat Room account, and dressed his avatar in an extravagant outfit with the name [Nine Heavens Thunder Double Kick].
• Qin Shi discovered Lin Yunqing ranked near the bottom of Qiguang Hengda’s school combat rankings and teased her about entering a fish-pond match.
• Qin Shi switched to the Martial Arts Department channel, browsed its match posts, selected a player, and sent a match request.

Qin Shi tested his Old Martial Arts skills in Qiguang Hengda University's Combat Room and narrowly lost to [Cat Head Killer], whose stronger stats could not prevent Qin Shi from nearly crippling him. [Cat Head Killer] publicized the mysterious fighter, and Dongfeng Nandu turned the discovery into a challenge for the Martial Arts Department.

• Qin Shi matched with [Cat Head Killer], a second-year Martial Arts Department student who used Ripple Qi Gong, and learned that his opponent's Life Force was far higher.
• Qin Shi dodged [Cat Head Killer]'s attacks, then traded injuries with him and used his Old Martial Arts strength to damage his opponent despite the stat gap.
• [Cat Head Killer] won after two minutes, but Qin Shi left eager to keep fighting and believed the intense match might spur his Life Force to grow.
• [Cat Head Killer] identified Qin Shi as an Old Martial Arts practitioner, posted screenshots and a report on the campus forum, and later returned to find the thread drawing widespread attention.
• Dongfeng Nandu announced an ultimate humiliation challenge for the Martial Arts Department, warning lower-ranked students that losing to the Psionic Department's Old Martial Arts fighter would bring lasting ridicule.

After sixty-nine solo matches against Hengda students, Qin Shi returned home and learned that a gym owner had come to see him. Cao Bin offered him a gift called Super Protein.

• Qin Shi fought sixty-nine solo matches, studying different martial arts styles while raising his cultivation and fighting skills close to their next levels.
• Lin Yunqing praised Qin Shi’s fighting spirit and prepared a training plan to help him grow stronger.
• Qin Shi returned to Old Factory Street, where Aunt Zhou told him that Zhou Ning’s hospital checkup had found him healthy but unusually resistant to drugs.
• Qin Shi found a burly visitor waiting at home and prepared for a possible fight before the man introduced himself as Cao Bin, owner of Silver Horse Gym.
• Cao Bin gave Qin Shi a small black box of Super Protein, saying Qin Shi’s dedication to muscle and innate talent had impressed him.

Qin Shi met Cao Bin, who mistook his drug tolerance for extraordinary physical talent and asked to join the Qin Family Gate. Qin Shi agreed to coach him for money and activated the Working Warrior achievement, which opened new professional skills.

• Qin Lan and Qin Shi used a coded exchange to stand down from alert and avoid calling the neighbors for help against Cao Bin.
• Cao Bin explained how his fear of becoming skinny again had led him to rely on injections and drugs, then praised Qin Shi’s ability to withstand Nine Dragons Integration and asked to join the Qin Family Gate.
• Qin Shi denied having special insights, but Cao Bin insisted on studying his routine and offered to pay for a training program.
• Qin Shi gave Cao Bin a plan involving exercise, reading, and a fitness meal prepared by Coach Qin, making the meal the main source of his fee.
• Qin Shi activated the Working Warrior achievement, which granted professional skills and increased Life Force cultivation for each certification.

Qin Shi accepted his Working Warrior profession and persuaded Cao Bin to try his muscle-building meals, while learning how deeply President Qin’s businesses shaped Smoke City. After parting from Xie Yucheng, Cheng Ze and Li Yuan went to inspect the streets slated for redevelopment, each youth heading toward a different future.

• Qin Shi reviewed his Working Warrior skills, welcomed the benefits, and wondered whether visiting new places could unlock more professions.
• Cao Bin agreed to test Qin Shi’s fitness plan and gave him Super Protein, then explained that President Qin’s Yuhai companies supplied drugs and had won the local redevelopment project.
• Qin Shi returned to Baogong Street and found Xie Yucheng leading a crowd that had gathered after hearing a musclehead was there.
• Xie Yucheng told Qin Shi that Cheng Ze and Li Yuan were checking the streets scheduled for demolition, but Qin Shi went home to cook for his little sister.
• Cheng Ze recalled Teacher Liang’s advice about putting down roots, then took Li Yuan and the others to see Jianshe Street’s future commercial center.

Qin Shi reflected on his rapid physical and mental growth, then learned Qi Lock from Old Liang after sensing the Life Force of those around him. Old Liang noted Qin Shi was approaching seventeen Life Force points and urged him to seek an opportunity to break his limits a second time.

• Qin Shi reviewed his Monument progress and resolved to have Old Cao's Super Protein checked by Old Liang before using it.
• Qin Shi dreamed of explosions and a piercing screech on Old Factory Street, but Deep Sleep shattered the nightmare and advanced its achievement.
• Qin Shi visited No. 9 Vocational Middle School, where Old Liang noticed his Life Force had grown more vigorous.
• Old Liang explained Qi Lock, and Qin Shi circulated his Qi and projected his aura, sensing Old Liang's immense but fading presence.
• Old Liang taught Qin Shi how Martial Artists concealed their Life Force and warned him about long-range attacks from Gunfighters and Gunners.
• Old Liang said Qin Shi was nearing seventeen Life Force points and urged him to find an opportunity to break his limits a second time.

Qin Shi learned that Old Liang would prepare materials to help him break the Second Limit, then watched his master demonstrate Hongsheng's signature killing move. The chapter left Qin Shi poised to learn the Whale Killer Hand.

• Old Liang explained how breaking the Seven Great Limits could transform Qin Shi's body and said the Bone Gate and Skin Gate would be among the next challenges.
• Qin Shi offered to pay for training materials, but Old Liang explained that rare Life Force resources were difficult to obtain in Hengzhou and outlined how nourishing blood could strengthen the bones.
• Old Liang said Qin Shi first needed to learn Hongsheng's signature killing move and demonstrated how combat techniques could draw out the body's potential.
• Old Liang used Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum to sweep his palm through a thick steel bar, slicing it cleanly in half.
• Old Liang named the technique the First Form of Swift as the Wind: Whale Killer Hand.

Qin Shi struggled to understand the killing intent behind Whale Killer Hand, and Old Liang explained that Old Martial Arts momentum came from life-and-death experience. That night, Qin Shi witnessed the fallout of Uncle Li’s son’s gambling debts and spoke with Cheng Ze, who urged him to move west with his sister and keep pursuing university.

• Qin Shi trained Whale Killer Hand without grasping Swift as the Wind until Old Liang explained that Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum required insight into killing techniques and experience with bloodshed.
• Qin Shi asked how the New Martial Arts Faction learned martial images, and Old Liang said battlefield combat forged its techniques.
• Qin Shi passed an ambulance carrying Uncle Li’s body and learned that his son’s gambling debts had driven him to suicide.
• Cheng Ze told Qin Shi to move west with his sister after the relocation proposal was signed and asked about his university plans.
• Cheng Ze took Qin Shi’s chicken frames, told him to stay away from Midnight Palace while continuing to pay his base salary, then lit his cigarette with a spark and disappeared into an alley.

Qin Shi repeatedly killed and was killed in his mental training, trying to understand Whale Killer Hand and improve his fighting style. After waking, he met Lin Yunqing, agreed to guide her around Dangyang Eastern Suburbs for a fee, and the chapter ended as a bulldozer entered Baogong Street.

• Qin Shi practiced killing Lin Yunqing and fighting the Boxer-Clad Naked Man, learning that combat required decisive killing moves as he was repeatedly wounded and killed.
• Qin Shi woke with his Old Martial Arts Fighting Style progress ahead of his cultivation method and set a goal of reaching twenty Life Force to attempt breaking the second limit.
• Qin Shi decided to test a muscle-building meal and headed out to buy ingredients.
• Lin Yunqing arrived in her Vast Sea Conqueror and asked Qin Shi to guide her around the Dangyang Eastern Suburbs; he charged her two hundred an hour, then reduced it to one hundred and eighty when she offered him a meal.
• Qin Shi and Lin Yunqing walked and talked until a bulldozer drove into Baogong Street.

Qin Shi and Lin Yunqing witnessed gang members pressuring Old Factory Street residents to sell their property ahead of a rumored redevelopment, while Cheng Ze appeared to yield to Luo Ji’s demands. As Qin Shi left with Lin Yunqing, he recalled the dangerous aura he had sensed from Cheng Ze and doubted that the North Pass Street Boss had truly become a sick cat.

• Qin Shi and Lin Yunqing heard rumors of land grabs and redevelopment around Old Factory Street before official demolition paperwork had been issued.
• Luo Ji ordered Abiao to force local families to sell shops and homes, then slapped him when he objected.
• Cheng Ze arrived, asked Luo Ji to spare Abiao, and agreed to speed up land purchases and watch a warehouse shipment.
• Qin Shi noticed Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng looked disappointed by Cheng Ze’s apparent submission, while the neighbors discussed his restraint.
• Qin Shi agreed to treat Lin Yunqing to beef shaomai, then wondered whether Cheng Ze’s menacing aura meant he was not truly a sick cat.

After seven days of training, Qin Shi comprehended the spirit of Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum and turned the Whale Killer Hand’s inner momentum into a fierce Wind Fist Style. His achievement panel unlocked the Fighter profession and offered him a choice of technique to enhance.

• Qin Shi raised his Old Martial Arts Cultivation Method to Level 5 while refining his body and meditating on the Spirit Cultivation Technique.
• Qin Shi realized that the speed and force of his punches could embody wind and shape his inner momentum.
• Qin Shi unleashed a storm of punches, astonishing Old Liang with the power and grandeur of his Whale Killer Hand-derived inner momentum.
• Qin Shi unlocked the Fighter profession and extracted the Wind Fist Style combat method.
• Qin Shi’s achievement panel offered him a choice between enhancing Wind Chime, Instant Shadow, or Raging Surge.

Qin Shi mastered Wind Fist Style and chose its Wind Cry technique as he prepared to raise his Life Force to twenty and attempt his second limit. On his walk home, he found the shop he usually visited sealed and under demolition, then wondered if trouble was about to find him.

• Qin Shi completed a hundred punches, and Old Liang realized his disciple had developed a personal state of mind rather than following the traditional assassination-fist path.
• Qin Shi reviewed Wind Fist Style’s three techniques and activated Wind Cry, enduring the mental shock with his Life Force at eighteen.
• Old Liang steadied Qin Shi and began preparing materials for his second limit while Qin Shi said he expected to reach twenty Life Force after a few more days of training.
• Qin Shi told Old Liang he had paused his part-time work and planned to focus on training and advancing Deep Sleep.
• Qin Shi left Old Liang and headed home, thinking he could vent his restless energy on Lin Yunqing and eventually defeat the Boxer-Clad Naked Man.
• Qin Shi found the shop he usually visited sealed with paint as excavators and drills demolished it, then wondered whether someone would soon disrupt his peaceful life.

Qin Shi trained while unrest over Old Factory Street’s redevelopment continued, then joined Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng on a visit to the Nursing Home. There, Smiling Tiger Luo Ji’s men attacked the residents, and Qin Shi confronted their leader at the stairwell.

• Qin Shi trained through the night and continued improving his Old Martial Arts and fighting skills.
• Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng invited Qin Shi to deliver fruit and money to the Nursing Home before returning to work at the Midnight Palace.
• The three brought supplies to the Old Factory Street Nursing Home, which Cheng Ze had established for injured members of the Righteous Fist Society.
• A yellow-haired man and Luo Ji’s men barged in, announced plans to turn the home into a Dog Fighting Arena, and beat Baldy when he resisted.
• The yellow-haired man threatened Qin Shi at the stairwell, and Qin Shi prepared to confront him.

Qin Shi defeated Luo Ji’s men at the Nursing Home, while Cheng Ze confronted Qin Lihao over Abiao’s death and the fate of the Righteous Fist Society. As Qin Zhijie and Luo Ji vanished after being abducted, Qin Lihao rushed out, leaving Cheng Ze behind as a storm broke over the city.

• Qin Shi beat Dao Zai Ming and the other men who came to shut down the Nursing Home, and Li Yuan learned that Brother Biao had died in a fight arranged by Qin Lihao.
• Cheng Ze visited Qin Lihao at the Black Flame Grand Hotel and asked to preserve the Nursing Home, but Qin Lihao reassigned him to the docks and gave Old Factory Street to Brother Ji.
• Luo Ji met Qin Zhijie outside the hotel and offered to arrange access to girls at a school, but a disguised attacker knocked both men unconscious and loaded them into a van.
• Qin Lihao received a call demanding something from him, failed to reach Luo Ji, and told Cheng Ze that Qin Zhijie and Luo Ji were in trouble.
• Qin Lihao left the suite, while Cheng Ze watched lightning and torrential rain through the windows.

Qin Shi trained to raise his Life Force while Qin Lihao searched for his kidnapped younger brother and ordered Cheng Ze to find him. Cheng Ze revealed that he had captured Luo Ji and Qin Zhijie, then demanded a ransom from Qin Lihao.

• Qin Shi ate his muscle-building meal, completed an intense workout, and dreamed of fighting the Boxer-Clad Naked Man as his Wind Fist Style grew more practiced.
• Qin Lihao learned that his younger brother Qin Zhijie and Luo Ji had vanished, suspected Cheng Ze, and ordered him to find Qin Zhijie within two days.
• Jiang Hao drove Cheng Ze home and secretly planted a tracker in the umbrella he gave him.
• Cheng Ze retrieved a family photograph, entered a hidden cellar, and revealed that he had bound Luo Ji and Qin Zhijie there.
• Cheng Ze injured Qin Zhijie and called Qin Lihao, demanding supplies and threatening to cut off one of Qin Zhijie's fingers for every hour he delayed.

Director Shen used a covert network card to pass along Cheng Ze’s demands to the Qin family and discovered that his fellow Traveling Merchant Ronin was stranded in Hengzhou and struggling to pay rent. After waking refreshed, Qin Shi headed to Lin Yunqing’s mansion to confront the New Martial Arts Faction.

• Director Shen discussed Cheng Ze’s demand for five bottles of Mineral Essence, a batch of Load Fluid, and ten High-Energy Batteries with members of his secret group.
• Altar told Director Shen that the Inspection Department was pursuing him after a contract on “Murder Me,” and that a delivery-job fine had left him short on rent.
• Director Shen arranged a food delivery and an extra tip to help Altar without attracting suspicion.
• Qin Shi woke after a night of fighting the Boxer-Clad Naked Man and realized he could increasingly predict his opponent’s moves.
• Qin Shi set off for Lin Yunqing’s mansion, intending to strike the first blow in the Old Martial Arts Faction’s fight against Qiguang Hengda’s New Martial Arts Faction.

Lin Yunqing brought Qin Shi to the virtual Combat Room, where he accepted a challenge from Luo Wenbin, a Martial Arts Department student who expected an easy victory. Qin Shi dodged Luo Wenbin’s opening attack and prepared to counter with Wind Fist Style—Wind Cry.

• Lin Yunqing picked Qin Shi up and brought him to her basement Combat Room, where he logged in and saw a flood of friend requests.
• Qin Shi accepted [Cat Head Killer]’s request, and Luo Wenbin challenged him to a match while arranging a paid livestream for spectators.
• Qin Shi entered the arena and found more than a hundred spectators watching as Luo Wenbin introduced himself and announced his confidence.
• Luo Wenbin unleashed Limit Flow—Giant Wave Strangulation, but Qin Shi anticipated the attack and evaded it.
• Qin Shi activated Wind Fist Style—Wind Cry as Luo Wenbin realized his attack had been read.

Qin Shi defeated Luo Wenbin in a brutal online arena match, shattering his Vibrating Barrier and earning eighty Victory Points. After logging off, Qin Shi searched the Martial Arts Association website for Old Liang and found a warning that Liang Zhengxiong was extremely dangerous and should be kept under observation.

• Luo Wenbin attacked Qin Shi with Limit Flow, but Qin Shi dodged and knocked him down with a Wind-Chime Style punch.
• Luo Wenbin activated his Vibrating Barrier, but Qin Shi shattered it and finished him with a backbreaker.
• Qin Shi won the match and earned eighty Tough Black Iron Victory Points, while Ji Yuqi wondered whether Qin Shi was an Old Martial Arts master.
• Qin Shi logged off after ten matches, having spent all his Victory Points, and noticed Lin Yunqing had left.
• Qin Shi searched the Martial Arts Association website for Liang Zhengxiong and found a red warning calling him extremely dangerous and ordering that he be kept under observation.

Qin Shi read the public record of Liang Zhengxiong’s decorated but disgraced military career and learned that his past remained mostly hidden behind access restrictions. Afterward, Chen Yun told Qin Shi and Lin Yunqing about a suspected Psionicist behind a custody death and revealed that Qin Zhijie had been kidnapped, prompting Qin Shi to suspect Cheng Ze.

• Qin Shi found that Liang Zhengxiong had been a war hero and Professional Third Stage martial artist, but his medals had been stripped after a disastrous mission that killed 172 officers.
• Qin Shi read that Liang had served time in Qincheng Prison and was considered dangerous, yet he remained loyal to his teacher.
• Chen Yun met Qin Shi and Lin Yunqing and described how a suspect in the counterfeit medicine case had apparently used a psychological suggestion to kill a detainee.
• Chen Yun explained that undocumented Star Sea Refugees and Traveling Merchant Ronin had been stranded in Hengzhou and were linked to many unsolved cases.
• Chen Yun said Qin Zhijie had been kidnapped, and Qin Shi narrowed his eyes as Cheng Ze came to mind.

Qin Shi learned more about Hengzhou’s blockade and the purpose of Eastern Xia’s expedition and reclamation from Chen Yun. Lin Yunqing showed him a vial of Level 4 Energy Liquid, which immediately triggered his [Overgrowth] ability.

• Qin Shi tried to coax Chen Yun into explaining the Qin family kidnapping, and she warned that desperate people in Hengzhou could be dangerous.
• Chen Yun explained that Eastern Xia’s expeditions were rescue missions and described the electronic and energy restrictions imposed in Hengzhou.
• Qin Shi wondered whether Eastern Xia was reclaiming lost territory and asked what happened when people used phones or computers in the wilderness.
• Chen Yun warned Qin Shi that he needed to reach the Metropolitan Area to glimpse places beyond Hengzhou, while Lin Yunqing defended his potential.
• Lin Yunqing brought out a vial of Level 4 Energy Liquid, and Qin Shi’s [Overgrowth] revealed its effects as she teased him about wanting it.

Qin Shi learned about potential ceilings and promised to help Lin Yunqing defeat Yu Li, then brought Level 4 Energy Liquid to Old Liang for advice. Cheng Ze invited Old Liang to join his venture against the Metropolitan Area, but Old Liang did not give him an answer before Qin Shi arrived.

• Lin Yunqing explained how Flesh Activity tests revealed a person's potential ceiling, and Chen Yun revealed that Yu Li had bullied Lin Yunqing as a child.
• Qin Shi promised Lin Yunqing that he would help her beat Yu Li if they met in the Stellar Cup, making her flustered.
• Qin Shi went to Old Liang's dormitory to ask for supervision while using the Level 4 Energy Liquid.
• Cheng Ze told Old Liang that he had kidnapped someone from the Qin family and invited him to join a venture against the Metropolitan Area, then said goodbye and left.
• Qin Shi showed Old Liang the Level 4 Energy Liquid, and Old Liang described several ways to use it, including an unconventional method.

Qin Shi endured twelve injections of Level 4 Energy Liquid, strengthening his major sinews and forming a seed of energy sense as his Life Force surged. Meanwhile, Cheng Ze questioned his hostages and learned that Qin Renying had sent contraband textbooks to Chen Ruofu through Brother Hao.

• Qin Shi refused Old Liang’s proposed rectal absorption method, and Old Liang prepared twelve syringe injections of Level 4 Energy Liquid.
• Old Liang injected Qin Shi at the junctions of his major sinews, causing intense pain and a dangerous rise in body temperature.
• Qin Shi used [Overgrowth] to refine the Energy Liquid, strengthened his twelve major sinews, and formed a seed of energy sense.
• Cheng Ze found evidence that someone had searched his house, then kept up his ordinary routine before returning to the cellar at four in the morning.
• Cheng Ze threatened Qin Zhijie and Luo Ji, and Luo Ji revealed that Qin Renying had arranged for Brother Hao to deliver contraband textbooks to Chen Ruofu.

Cheng Ze learned that Qin Hao had hidden a valuable textbook intended for Chen Ruofu and planned to investigate its delivery route. Meanwhile, Qin Shi advanced his Life Seed through Old Liang’s dangerous Steal Heavenly Secrets method, then upgraded Deep Sleep and unlocked the ability to construct a Mind Palace.

• Cheng Ze questioned Luo Ji about the missing textbooks and learned that Qin Hao had sent a valuable one mixed with medicine because the Metropolitan Area’s Iron Curtain detected mental fluctuations.
• Cheng Ze sedated Luo Ji and Qin Zhijie, then focused on Jiú Sōng Port, Pier No. 5 as he watched dawn break.
• Qin Shi absorbed the Level 4 Energy Liquid, and Old Liang taught him about Steal Heavenly Secrets as a way to strengthen a Life Seed through danger.
• Old Liang feinted an assassination strike at Qin Shi, whose heightened senses let him evade it and gain one point of Life Force.
• Qin Shi partially completed the Disaster Always One Step Behind Me task, then upgraded Deep Sleep the next morning and unlocked a mental space for building a Mind Palace.