Chapter Summaries

Qin Shi and Zhou Ning worked summer jobs while discussing the costs of martial arts training, their prospects, and the hurdles facing poor students in the Great Universe Era. Qin Shi left for his Youth Palace job, still wondering what would happen when the hidden Monument panel’s progress reached 100%.

• Zhou Ning complained that Qin Shi had the air-conditioned front-desk job while he had to hand out flyers in a hot mascot suit, and Qin Shi explained that he earned commissions by signing up customers.
• At lunch, Qin Shi received a Growth Value increase from the mysterious system, then discussed with Zhou Ning the high costs of martial arts lessons and the difficulty of raising their Life Force before the Rank-Placement Exam.
• Zhou Ning said he might train at Silver Horse Gym and pursue the Martial Arts Track because his exam scores were unlikely to get him into a first-class university; Qin Shi worried about the expense his family would face.
• Qin Shi reflected on his sister supporting the family and on the risks of enlistment and frontier work, while the hidden Monument panel showed his progress at 99%.
• After watching news about martial arts stars, university admissions, and military recruitment, Qin Shi told Zhou Ning that they would have to work their way up from Old Factory Street and left for his Youth Palace job.

Qin Shi worked several part-time jobs in the Metropolitan Area while trying to find an affordable way to improve his Life Force. At home on Old Factory Street, Qin Xiao gave him money for training and said she would leave on a long freight trip the next day, while Qin Shi planned to visit Teacher Liang at No. 9 Vocational Middle School.

• Qin Shi finished his Youth Palace job and accepted a monthly assistant instructor position for its advanced martial arts classes.
• On the bus home, Qin Shi saw a Growth Value notice after walking 17,240 steps and wondered what had grown.
• Qin Shi returned to Old Factory Street and ate dinner with Qin Lan and Qin Xiao.
• Qin Shi ordered a computer for Qin Lan and told Qin Xiao he planned to seek Life Force training from Teacher Liang at No. 9 Vocational Middle School.
• Qin Xiao gave Qin Shi ten thousand Dongxia New Currency bills for training and told him she would leave on a long freight trip the next day.

After Qin Shi’s repeated effort and a deep sleep unlock a Monument, he discovers that he has gained the Deep Sleep achievement and its restorative benefits. He leaves home feeling energized and heads to the Sports Academy, hopeful that the Monument can help him grow stronger.

• Qin Shi decided to focus on raising his Life Force before considering the Sports Academy training course and fell asleep.
• Qin Shi’s deep sleep reached 100% progress and unlocked a Monument.
• Qin Shi woke feeling unusually refreshed and saw that his panel now showed one Monument and a new Growth Stage.
• Qin Shi unlocked the Deep Sleep achievement, which granted high-quality sleep and offered an upgrade path for keeping a healthy routine.
• Qin Shi reassured Qin Lan that he would still buy her a computer, ate breakfast, and left for the Sports Academy.

Qin Shi visited Teacher Liang at No. 9 Vocational Middle School and asked to train under him despite the risks of Liang’s extreme Life Force methods. Liang agreed to let him try for two days, leaving Qin Shi with a chance to prepare for the Rank-Placement Exam.

• Qin Shi used a story about his former school and a pack of cigarettes to persuade the guard to let him enter No. 9 Vocational Middle School.
• Qin Shi found Teacher Liang training students and introduced himself as an acquaintance of Uncle Zhou who wanted to build a solid foundation.
• Teacher Liang explained that his training rapidly raised Life Force by damaging the body and warned Qin Shi against risking his health for the Rank-Placement Exam.
• Qin Shi insisted that he had no other way to improve his prospects and asked Liang to train him.
• Teacher Liang agreed to let Qin Shi train for two days for two hundred, reserving the right to send him away if he could not endure it.

Qin Shi began Old Martial Arts training with Teacher Liang, who explained the risks of its faster but more damaging methods. After enduring an exceptionally painful first Muscle Twisting lesson, Qin Shi was carried home, while Teacher Liang expected him to quit.

• Qin Shi paid Teacher Liang for lessons and listened as he explained Life Force, New Martial Arts, and the dangers of Old Martial Arts.
• Teacher Liang warned Qin Shi against sacrificing his future health for quick gains, but Qin Shi insisted on following his chosen path.
• Teacher Liang taught Qin Shi how Old Martial Arts strengthened tendons and bones, then began a painful Muscle Twisting exercise.
• Qin Shi endured fifteen minutes of training until Teacher Liang judged he had reached his limit and ended the lesson.
• Teacher Liang asked Xie Yucheng to carry the exhausted Qin Shi home, while privately expecting the boy to abandon Old Martial Arts after experiencing its hardships.

After enduring an intense first lesson with Teacher Liang, Qin Shi discovered that his training had unlocked the Muscle Memory achievement. He used it to repeat Muscle Twisting at home and found that the exercise became easier as his body awakened.

• Xie Yucheng carried the exhausted Qin Shi back to Old Factory Street and told him he would have his back around Ninth High School.
• Qin Shi returned home and discovered that his training had activated the Muscle Memory achievement and advanced his Growth Stage to Embryo.
• Qin Shi resolved to keep training despite Teacher Liang’s warnings and began repeating Muscle Twisting after resting.
• Qin Shi maintained the exercise for thirty-four minutes as the replicated movements awakened his muscles, earning 30 Growth Value.

After recovering unusually quickly from Teacher Liang’s Muscle Twisting, Qin Shi returned for another Old Martial Arts lesson. Teacher Liang began explaining how the practice developed Life Force, leaving Qin Shi puzzled by the concept of “Nourish Void with Substance.”

• Qin Shi woke refreshed after Deep Sleep, ate two bowls of rice, and ran to school faster than before.
• Qin Shi persuaded the old guard to let him enter by giving him a pack of cigarettes.
• Teacher Liang was surprised that Qin Shi had recovered from Muscle Twisting and found no sign of muscle fatigue when he examined him.
• Xie Yucheng and Li Yuan discussed Qin Shi’s resilience and Li Yuan’s resentment toward Tai'an Metropolitan Area.
• Teacher Liang praised Qin Shi’s physique and taught that Old Martial Arts developed Life Force through “Nourish Void with Substance,” which Qin Shi asked him to explain.

Old Liang taught Qin Shi the Old Martial Arts basics of Grasping Qi Sensation and opening the Eight Sections and Nine Joints. Qin Shi used the Monument to grasp qi, and Old Liang recognized his potential and took him to eat.

• Old Liang accepted Qin Shi as a student and explained how Muscle Twisting and Back Stretching prepared the body for Grasping Qi Sensation.
• Old Liang taught Qin Shi about the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, the Eight Sections, and the Nine Joints, then left him to practice in the training room.
• Qin Shi used Muscle Memory and the Monument to replicate the training movements until he caught and guided a thread of qi.
• Qin Shi completed an exhaustion training set and gained fifty Growth Value, but collapsed when his stamina ran out.
• Old Liang noticed Qin Shi had grasped Qi Sensation, laughed with delight, and invited him to a meal.

Old Liang explained the costs and demands of Old Martial Arts to Qin Shi, who declared his ambition to rise beyond his poor beginnings. Impressed by Qin Shi's resolve and potential, Old Liang waived his enrollment fee and offered to supply his Nutritional Paste during a half-month trial, leaving Qin Shi determined to prove himself.

• Old Liang took Qin Shi to Li Ji Fast Food, ordered himself a meal, and gave Qin Shi a box of Longxiang Ji Nutritional Paste to support his training.
• Old Liang explained that Body Cultivation was essential, described the paste's benefits and cost, and acknowledged how poverty prevented many students from pursuing martial arts.
• Qin Shi said that being born on Old Factory Street did not stop him from aspiring to reach the stars, citing Stone Buddha He Lanzhan and his humble origins.
• Old Liang praised Qin Shi's resilience and offered to waive his enrollment fee and provide Nutritional Paste if Qin Shi circulated his Qi sensation five times and completed the Lesser Heavenly Cycle within half a month.
• Qin Shi thanked Old Liang, accepted the trial, and bowed solemnly as Old Liang hoped he would cross the threshold into Old Martial Arts.

Qin Shi enjoyed Old Liang’s growing approval and hoped to improve his Life Force Development with training and Nutritional Paste. Old Liang then brought him to a foot bath parlor, where technician Yan Shuang began treating his overtrained muscles, leaving Qin Shi in sudden, excruciating pain.

• Old Liang offered Qin Shi free Nutritional Paste if he maintained qi sensation for an hour the next day, and Qin Shi suspected the supplements and training could help him break through ten points in Life Force Development.
• Old Liang took Qin Shi to Jinse Impression, a foot bath parlor, and arranged for him to receive a two-hour treatment while he waited with tea.
• Qin Shi feared Old Liang had brought him there for sexual services, but relaxed when he learned his technician, Yan Shuang, was a man who specialized in massage and muscle treatment.
• Yan Shuang praised Qin Shi’s unusually balanced physique and applied Safflower Oil and muscle-relaxant cream before beginning the massage.
• Yan Shuang increased the pressure, and Qin Shi was overwhelmed by sharp pain as if his skeleton were coming apart.

Qin Shi paid for an expensive massage and heard Old Liang explain why body cultivation required investment, then learned that Old Liang had once stood close to legendary Martial Artists. After agreeing to train with him, Qin Shi returned home to joke with Qin Lan and recommitted to his training.

• Qin Shi paid nearly seven hundred yuan for a massage at Jinse Impression, and Old Liang explained that body cultivation and recovery were essential parts of a Martial Artist’s training.
• Old Liang revealed that he had once been close to Stone Buddha He Lanzhan and Raging Vajra Kou Yunchao, then urged Qin Shi to look beyond his local area and the nearby cities.
• Old Liang arranged to teach Qin Shi training methods the next morning and punches and kicks in the afternoon, and Qin Shi decided to leave Silver Horse Gym while continuing his work at the Youth Palace.
• Qin Shi brought roasted chicken frames home for Qin Lan, who found his 188-yuan Jinse Impression voucher and teased him about entering the flesh trade.
• Qin Shi checked his training notifications, saw that he had gained 100 Growth Value, and resolved to meet his Exhaustion Training target the next day.

Qin Shi encouraged Qin Lan to quit her risky homework-writing job and resolved to raise his Life Force to pass the Rank-Placement Exam. At Ninth High School, Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng envied Qin Shi’s rapid progress and considered whether to recruit him for Boss Ze.

• Qin Lan told Qin Shi she was writing homework for Elite Class students, and Qin Shi warned her that it could get her in trouble.
• Qin Shi reassured Qin Lan that he and Eldest Sister would help pay for her education, then decided to focus on raising his Life Force and earning a scholarship.
• At Ninth High School, Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng discussed Qin Shi’s quick grasp of Qi Sensation and his ability to endure training.
• Xie Yucheng suggested introducing Qin Shi to Brother Ze, but Li Yuan wanted to watch Qin Shi longer and judge his fighting ability first.

Qin Shi endured several days of intensive Old Martial Arts training under Old Liang and rapidly improved his physique and Qi circulation. After completing the Deep Sleep achievement, he unlocked Combat Rewind and wondered whether his growth progress reflected his Life Force.

• Old Liang kept Qin Shi after the students began running and made him practice Muscle Twisting until he grasped Qi sensation, then pushed him to continue despite his exhaustion.
• Over four days, Old Liang intensified Qin Shi’s Muscle Twisting, Back Stretching, and Qi circulation training, forcing him to complete two Lesser Heavenly Cycles.
• Qin Shi examined his stronger, taller physique and saw that his Deep Sleep achievement had reached its next level.
• Qin Shi unlocked the Combat Rewind skill, which could capture his opponent’s movements and reveal openings, but his attempt to activate it produced no response.
• Qin Shi checked his updated panel and decided he needed a comprehensive test to learn his Life Force level.

Old Liang explained the Rank-Placement Exam and began teaching Qin Shi, Li Yuan, and Xie Yucheng fighting techniques. Qin Shi practiced the basics with confidence, and his training earned him Growth Value.

• Old Liang explained that the Rank-Placement Exam tested Life Force Development and ring combat, and described how the examinations were supervised.
• Old Liang chose Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng to learn fighting techniques, then invited Qin Shi to join them.
• At the training room, Old Liang explained Li Yuan's Eight-Arm Stance and Xie Yucheng's Military Stance while Qin Shi studied their strengths and weaknesses.
• Qin Shi practiced basic footwork, punches, and force application, and completed a set of Exhaustion Training that gave him 50 Growth Value.

Qin Shi trained intensely in the basic fighting style and used his Monument achievements to improve his movements, while Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng bet on how quickly he would learn. He persuaded Li Yuan to spar with him, and the chapter ended as Qin Shi launched a jab at Li Yuan.

• Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng bet on how many days Qin Shi would need to get started with the fighting style.
• Qin Shi completed several rounds of exhaustion training and used [Muscle Memory] to refine his punches and footwork.
• Qin Shi asked Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng to spar with him so he could practice against a real opponent.
• Li Yuan initially refused, but agreed to spar after Qin Shi offered to treat them to Nutritional Paste.
• Qin Shi and Li Yuan put on protective gear and took their stances, and Qin Shi opened with a jab aimed at Li Yuan's face.

Qin Shi sparred with Li Yuan to turn his training into real fighting experience, learning to defend and read an opponent’s movements despite repeatedly getting knocked down. By the end, Qin Shi had adapted to Li Yuan’s attacks and landed a powerful counter, stunning Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng.

• Qin Shi rushed Li Yuan at the start of their spar, escaped Li Yuan’s wrist hold with his strength, then got knocked down by Li Yuan’s roundhouse kick.
• Qin Shi eagerly asked Li Yuan to continue sparring, and Li Yuan shifted to attacking while Qin Shi practiced defending.
• Over the next hour, Qin Shi endured repeated takedowns and rapidly improved until Li Yuan had to fight with full focus.
• Li Yuan told Qin Shi to watch an opponent’s shoulders rather than their hands, but warned that understanding a move did not mean Qin Shi could perform it.
• Li Yuan launched a combination of feints, an elbow, and a front kick, but Qin Shi blocked the attacks, closed in, and struck Li Yuan in the chest.

Qin Shi defeated Li Yuan in sparring and used the victory to build a friendly connection with him and Xie Yucheng. The three boys headed to North Pass Street to meet Brother Ze, while Old Liang watched Qin Shi and recognized his exceptional talent in Old Martial Arts.

• Qin Shi used Li Yuan's advice and his rapid learning to defeat him in sparring, impressing Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng.
• Qin Shi praised Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng, bonded with them over their shared resentment of the Tai'an Metropolitan Area, and offered to share his Nutritional Paste.
• Li Yuan invited Qin Shi to North Pass Street to meet Brother Ze, and Qin Shi agreed to go with him and Xie Yucheng.
• Old Liang emerged after the boys left and concluded that Qin Shi was a natural-born talent in Old Martial Arts.

Qin Shi, Li Yuan, and Xie Yucheng walked through North Pass Street, where Li Yuan explained how Boss Ze had helped him and Xie Yucheng after they got into trouble. The three arrived at Midnight Palace and knocked on its locked iron door.

• Li Yuan bought grilled chicken frames for Qin Shi and Xie Yucheng, and they reminisced about Old Factory Street’s factory days.
• Qin Shi asked how Li Yuan had met Brother Ze as they passed the Cleaver Gang’s hangouts on North Pass Street.
• Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng recounted how a labor broker cheated them, then thugs beat them after Li Yuan smashed a bottle over the broker’s head.
• Brother Ze intervened, offered them work at the karaoke lounges he looked after, and earned the loyalty of his crew.
• Li Yuan led Qin Shi and Xie Yucheng through an alley to Midnight Palace, where he knocked on the locked iron door.

Qin Shi accompanied Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng to the Midnight Palace, where he learned about its underground boxing operation and the Righteous Fist Society. He started work as a waiter, while reflecting that his own studies and Old Martial Arts might give him a way beyond Old Factory Street.

• Li Yuan brought Qin Shi and Xie Yucheng through the Midnight Palace’s back entrance, and Niu Aihua let them in after Li Yuan said Qin Shi was a potential hire.
• Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng helped Qin Shi change into a waiter’s uniform, and Qin Shi agreed to work there and offered to treat them to a meal.
• Li Yuan explained that his parents ran Li Ji Food Stall, then showed Qin Shi posters advertising the Midnight Palace’s upcoming underground boxing show.
• Li Yuan told Qin Shi about the Righteous Fist Society, its underground fighters, and how boxing matches settled disputes between gangs.
• Qin Shi learned that Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng hoped boxing would help them get ahead, and he felt grateful that his education and Old Martial Arts gave him another path.

Qin Lihao reassigned Cheng Ze’s Righteous Fist Society duties to Abiao and ordered him to focus on the Midnight Palace, while Qin Shi began working there as a waiter. Cheng Ze learned that Qin Shi studied martial arts under Teacher Liang and reacted with sudden alarm.

• Qin Lihao told Cheng Ze to hand the Righteous Fist Society and plans for a Fighting Club to Abiao, while Cheng Ze kept responsibility for the Midnight Palace.
• Qin Shi impressed Manager Yu with his work and attracted attention from customers, while Xie Yucheng and Li Yuan joked about his popularity and tips.
• Qin Lihao left with Abiao, and Cheng Ze warned his men not to interfere with the club plans before returning to manage the venue.
• Li Yuan introduced Qin Shi to Cheng Ze, who gave him a staff badge and money after learning he had entered New No. 1 Middle School.
• Cheng Ze heard Li Yuan mention Qin Shi’s training with Teacher Liang and asked Qin Shi if he was Teacher Liang’s disciple.