Arc 4A New Life in Hedong

Chen Shouyi became a martial artist, moved his family to Hedong City, and took a Security Advisor post while strengthening his abilities. After killing a dangerous Otherworld creature, he returned to Dongning to investigate the island beyond its Space Channel, where Shell Girl revealed she had hidden a gemstone.

  • Chen Shouyi passed the practical assessment by helping kill a giant and its tribe, then returned home and persuaded his family to move to Hedong City.
  • On the trip back to Dongning, Chen Shouyi killed a swordsman attacking a checkpoint, visited his former school, and forced Yuanlongsheng Investment Company to return his family's money.
  • Chen Shouyi secured an eight-million-yuan relocation allowance, took a Security Advisor position in Hedong, bought an apartment for his family, and began refining his body through Entering Tranquility to Refine the Self.
  • Chen Shouyi acquired Divine Marrow and gained intelligence, then attended a course at Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy and learned more about the dangers of the Otherworld.
  • Chen Shouyi killed a scaled Otherworld creature that had overwhelmed the police, earning a bonus and merit points before deciding to investigate Dongning's Space Channel.
  • Chen Shouyi entered the Otherworld near Dongning with arrows and supplies, released Shell Girl, and prepared to row toward the island after she flew away.
  • Shell Girl returned with a glass bead and told Chen Shouyi she had hidden another gemstone on the island, asking him to help retrieve it.
Chapters 76–100 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 76Divine Blood

After passing the physical assessment, Chen Shouyi learned about Divine Blood and the costs of advancing as a martial artist while dining with Lu Weifeng and Wei Chenghao. He checked official news and searched for information about the haunted house at 18 Shigang Lane, but the account he found had been deleted.

  • Chen Shouyi met Lu Weifeng and Wei Chenghao at their hotel and agreed to have dinner with them.
  • Wei Chenghao said he planned to move his family to Hedong City, and Lu Weifeng explained that martial artists could receive a settlement allowance but faced high costs for housing, equipment, and Divine Blood.
  • Chen Shouyi learned that Divine Blood was cellular fluid extracted from cultivated remains of deities who had fallen on Earth.
  • Lu Weifeng paid for the meal and suggested they go relax, but Chen Shouyi and Wei Chenghao declined.
  • Chen Shouyi confirmed that his name topped the physical assessment pass list and read about martial law and investigations in Dongning City.
  • Chen Shouyi searched for 18 Shigang Lane and found a former owner's account describing a haunted house, but the post had been deleted.

Ch. 77Eighty-Four: Winning Him Over

Chen Shouyi continued practicing swordsmanship before joining Lu Weifeng for the martial artist practical assessment. On the bus to passageway 10233, the head of the Jiangnan Province Martial Arts Notary and Discipline Supervision Department tried to recruit him to stay in Hedong City by offering special relocation assistance.

  • Chen Shouyi practiced at the haunted house for five days, and his strength, perception, and will each increased by 0.1.
  • Lu Weifeng arrived early, and Chen Shouyi went with him to the Martial Artist Club for the practical assessment.
  • Chen Shouyi overheard other candidates discussing his reputation and spoke with the Bald Man while they waited.
  • A notary announced that the candidates would take their assessment at passageway 10233 in the suburbs of Hedong City.
  • The head of the notary office asked Chen Shouyi about his plans and offered special relocation assistance to persuade him to remain in Hedong City.

Ch. 78Governing and Discipline Supervision Department

Chen Shouyi weighed whether to join the Martial Arts Certification and Discipline Supervision Department or return to Dongning City, then joined a practical assessment in a Space Channel. The group reached a barbarian tribe ruled by a sleeping giant, and their assessment began as they prepared to attack.

  • Chen Shouyi hesitated over his future and considered the safety of bringing his family to Hedong City rather than returning to Dongning City.
  • A notary explained that the tribe near Space Channel No. 10233 had enslaved villagers and fed them to a giant, and the examinees were tasked with wiping out the tribe and killing it.
  • Director Fang and the examinees arrived at the military position guarding the channel, then entered the other world.
  • Director Fang told the group that their practical assessment had begun and that they would have to act on their own unless they faced danger.
  • Chen Shouyi and the group reached a primitive barbarian camp and spotted a sleeping black-and-yellow giant surrounded by bones and excrement.

Ch. 79A Terrifying Giant

Chen Shouyi and the other martial artist candidates attacked a sleeping giant, but their arrows barely wounded it and it charged at Chen Shouyi. Director Fang struck the giant in the eye with an arrow, and it collapsed as the chapter ended.

  • The group agreed to kill the sleeping giant and crept toward it through the weeds.
  • Chen Shouyi urged the group to get within range, and the horse-faced middle-aged man coordinated a simultaneous volley.
  • The candidates' arrows failed to penetrate the giant's defenses, and it awoke, healed its wounds, and threatened to eat them.
  • The giant charged at Chen Shouyi after he shot another arrow and prepared to make a last stand.
  • Director Fang shot an arrow into the giant's eye socket, causing it to stagger and crash to the ground.

Ch. 80The Baptism

Chen Shouyi and the other examinees killed the giant and then slaughtered the barbarian tribe that came to investigate. Director Fang announced that twelve candidates, including Chen Shouyi, had passed the examination and become martial artists.

  • Director Fang shot the giant in the eye, but it rose again before collapsing, so Chen Shouyi and the others attacked until it died.
  • Chen Shouyi hacked off the giant’s head, and Director Fang warned the group that some extraordinary creatures’ blood was dangerous.
  • Three barbarians came to investigate, and the examinees killed them before pursuing and slaughtering the tribe.
  • The group returned in silence after confronting the deaths of the tribe’s members, including children and infants.
  • Director Fang warned the examinees to stay alert and announced that twelve candidates, including Chen Shouyi, had passed and become martial artists.

Ch. 81Homecoming

After passing the martial artist combat assessment, Chen Shouyi returned home and showed his certificate to his family. He proposed moving them to Hedong City for safety, and reassured his parents that a settlement allowance would help with housing costs.

  • Chen Shouyi learned he had passed the assessment, received his martial artist certificate, and left for home with Shell Girl.
  • At home, Mother Chen worried about Chen Shouyi's long absence while Chen Dawei and Chen Xingyue tried to reassure her.
  • Chen Shouyi arrived home and showed his certificate; his parents and sister celebrated that he had become a martial artist.
  • Chen Shouyi proposed moving the family to Hedong City or Ningzhou, and Chen Dawei agreed to Hedong.
  • Chen Shouyi's parents worried about Hedong's housing prices, and he told them they would receive a settlement allowance.

Ch. 82Mouse

Back in his bedroom, Chen Shouyi discovered that his Sword Qi had grown sharper and nearly twice as long, possibly because his Will had increased. As he looked for a living creature to test it on, Shell Girl rushed under the bed after hearing there was a mouse.

  • At dinner, the landlady told Zhou Xue to be polite to Chen Shouyi because he was a martial artist, but Zhou Xue insisted she would become one herself.
  • Chen Shouyi tested the sword he had taken from the man in black and found his Sword Qi had nearly doubled in length and sharpness since his Will rose to 12.5.
  • Chen Shouyi wondered whether Sword Qi could be linked to Will and tested whether it could hurt living things, deciding not to use Shell Girl as a target.
  • After spotting a mouse, Chen Shouyi tried to catch it, and Shell Girl mistook it for a mouse from Beiqi and hurried under the bed to find it.

Ch. 83Roadside Encounter

Chen Shouyi traveled with his family toward Dongning and encountered a deadly attack on a military checkpoint. He intervened and killed the blood-stained swordsman, leaving the surviving soldier and his family behind him.

  • Shell Girl panicked at the sight of a rat, and Chen Shouyi carried her back to the bed.
  • Chen Shouyi and his family left for Dongning to retrieve their investment and consider selling their old house; Zhou Xue watched them depart.
  • As their bus approached Dongning, gunmen in two sedans attacked the checkpoint, killing several soldiers.
  • Chen Shouyi left the bus despite his mother's protests and confronted the swordsman as he killed more soldiers.
  • The swordsman used Fanaticism Technique, but Chen Shouyi outmaneuvered him and pierced his forehead with his sword.

Ch. 84Things Had Changed

Chen Shouyi returned to Dongning City with his family, then secretly visited his old school. He learned that Zhang Xiaoyue had transferred away, but did not find out where she went.

  • Chen Shouyi asked the officer to keep his identity confidential and rejoined his family on the bus.
  • After the family checked into a hotel, Chen Shouyi slipped out and took a taxi to Fifth High School.
  • Chen Shouyi told Cao Lili and his classmates that he had passed the Martial Apprentice certification exam.
  • Chen Shouyi asked Sun Xin about Zhang Xiaoyue and learned that she had transferred because her father was reassigned.

Ch. 85To Get the Money

Chen Shouyi and Mother Chen went to withdraw the family’s savings from Yuanlongsheng Investment Company, but Boss Huang claimed he could not repay them. Chen Shouyi exposed his deception with force and confronted him, demanding to know what connections he had.

  • Chen Shouyi asked Cao Lili about Zhang Xiaoyue, but she did not know where Zhang Xiaoyue had transferred.
  • Chen Shouyi saw that the Unfinished Building had been demolished and turned into a military camp.
  • Chen Shouyi accompanied Mother Chen to Yuanlongsheng Investment Company to withdraw their more than 3.8 million yuan.
  • Boss Huang promised to repay them in a month, but Chen Shouyi suspected the company was bankrupt and insisted on getting the money that day.
  • Boss Huang ordered two men to escort them out, so Chen Shouyi hurled a heavy table and seized Boss Huang.
  • Chen Shouyi showed Boss Huang his Martial Artist Certificate and demanded to hear what connections he could call on.

Ch. 86Threats

Chen Shouyi forced Boss Huang to repay his mother’s money, and the family listed their old house for sale as Dongning’s housing market continued to collapse. In the Memory Space, Chen Shouyi studied Director Fang’s strength before Shell Girl demanded a gemstone in exchange for staying with him.

  • Chen Shouyi intimidated Boss Huang into transferring 4.2 million to Mother Chen and waited until the money arrived.
  • Mother Chen scolded Chen Shouyi for using violence, then listed the family’s old house for 1.2 million as they prepared to leave Dongning.
  • At dinner, Chen Dawei suggested inviting his older brother and sister-in-law to eat with the family, but Mother Chen said they should wait until Dongning was stable.
  • In the Memory Space, Chen Shouyi sensed Director Fang’s immense strength and estimated that he was a Great Martial Artist far stronger than himself.
  • Chen Shouyi accidentally grabbed Shell Girl while she tried to fly, and she cried that she wanted to return to her old home.
  • Chen Shouyi promised Shell Girl she could watch Beiqi after six days, but she demanded a large gemstone as the price for staying.

Ch. 87Nonsense

Chen Shouyi and his family left Dongning after gunfire and military activity made the city seem unsafe, deciding to move to Hedong City. As they departed Changmen Town, Zhou Xue regretted not saying goodbye and blushed when her mother teased her about liking Chen Shouyi.

  • Chen Shouyi refused Shell Girl's threat to return home, then gave her a larger marble after she complained about the tiny one.
  • After gunfire erupted in Dongning, Chen Shouyi, Chen Dawei, and Mother Chen took shelter in a clothing store before returning to their hotel.
  • Chen Dawei proposed leaving Dongning and buying a house in Hedong City, and Chen Shouyi persuaded his parents to let him contribute his money.
  • The Chen family left Dongning by bus the next morning and returned to Changmen Town before departing for Hedong City.
  • Zhou Xue watched Chen Shouyi leave, regretted not saying goodbye, and blushed when her mother teased her about liking him.

Ch. 88Internal Trading Network

Chen Shouyi explored the martial artist trading network and learned about its scarce drugs, regulated poisons, and discounted weapons. After freeing the angry Shell Girl from his briefcase, he promised she could see Beiqi if she stopped misbehaving, then ordered her to bathe.

  • Chen Shouyi logged into the internal trading network and examined its drug listings, noting Divine Marrow's effects on intelligence and that he could not afford it yet.
  • Chen Shouyi reviewed Divine Blood, Soul Liquid, other training drugs, restricted poisons, and discounted weapons, but bought nothing because he had no permanent address.
  • Chen Shouyi let Shell Girl out of his briefcase and freed her, then scolded her for urinating inside it.
  • Chen Shouyi threatened to keep Shell Girl from seeing Beiqi, and she quickly promised not to wet or soil the briefcase or throw a tantrum.
  • Chen Shouyi grabbed Shell Girl and told her to take a bath, while she protested and demanded to see Beiqi.

Ch. 89Ninety-Six: A Martial Artist Meet-and-Greet

Chen Shouyi attended Hedong City's martial artist meet-and-greet after bathing Shell Girl, where government departments and cities competed to recruit him. He avoided committing to either department, and Hedong City raised its settlement allowance to eight million.

  • Chen Shouyi washed Shell Girl in the sink, gave her fresh clothes, and left her watching a cartoon while he cleaned his briefcase.
  • Chen Shouyi arrived at the meet-and-greet and saw county and city representatives offering increasingly large allowances to attract martial artists.
  • Director Fang tried to recruit Chen Shouyi for the Martial Arts Notarization and Discipline Inspection Office, while a square-faced man urged him to join the Third Bureau of Investigation.
  • Chen Shouyi declined to choose a department, explaining that he was not yet an adult and wanted to look around first.
  • Chen Shouyi learned that Hedong City's representative was seeking approval to increase the allowance, then watched him raise it to eight million.

Ch. 90An Unexpected Encounter

Chen Shouyi chose to join Hedong City's Lower District Public Security Sub-bureau after reviewing the city's benefits and job placements. While out walking, he unexpectedly met his former teacher Wang Ruyue, who invited him to resume their sword lessons.

  • Chen Shouyi reviewed Hedong City's martial artist benefits and chose a Lower District Public Security Sub-bureau assignment to earn a salary and martial artist merit points.
  • Chen Shouyi completed the paperwork, received a start date of the following Monday, and learned that his eight million yuan relocation allowance would be deposited that afternoon.
  • Chen Shouyi ran into Wang Ruyue while walking and learned that she had moved to Hedong City.
  • Wang Ruyue invited Chen Shouyi to visit her for the two sword lessons she still owed him, and he pretended he had not already mastered the basic techniques.
  • After Chen Shouyi left, Wang Ruyue told her friend that he was already at the Martial Apprentice level and had exceptional talent.

Ch. 91Again, Optimization

After becoming a Security Advisor, Chen Shouyi used his relocation allowance to buy a home for his family and learned that a city in Toni Nation had fallen after its Space Channel was overrun. He then performed a second optimization of Entering Tranquility to Refine the Self, whose dream led him to perceive his body at the cellular level.

  • Chen Shouyi told his family about his new position and relocation allowance, then took charge of finding them a home when his parents struggled to choose one.
  • Chen Shouyi negotiated the price of a renovated apartment down to 52,000 yuan per square meter and bought it for 6.75 million yuan using his allowance.
  • Chen Shouyi moved his family into the new home, let Shell Girl out, and set up cartoons for her on a laptop.
  • Chen Shouyi read that Wushui City in Toni Nation had been overrun and that Great Xia had dispatched the South Sea Fleet to provide military assistance.
  • Chen Shouyi used three points of Energy Accumulation to optimize Entering Tranquility to Refine the Self for a second time and began perceiving the cells in his body.

Ch. 92Entering the Profession

Chen Shouyi discovered that his deeper meditative state had sharpened his Sword Qi, then went to the Lower City District Public Security Sub-bureau to begin work as a Security Advisor. The bureau chief welcomed him and explained that he would meet his colleagues and be contacted through a liaison when emergencies arose.

  • Chen Shouyi practiced at the haunted house and found his Sword Qi had cut three centimeters into a camphor tree, while his sword swept through grass with invisible force.
  • Chen Shouyi dressed to look older, checked his Status Panel, and reflected that his Swordsmanship had neared proficiency but still lacked the refinement of completed Muscle Refinement.
  • Chen Shouyi arrived at the Lower City District Public Security Sub-bureau and asked where to complete his onboarding as a newly appointed martial artist.
  • A policewoman escorted Chen Shouyi to the Human Resources Department, where Chief Zhang welcomed him and went to inform the bureau chief.
  • The bureau chief welcomed Chen Shouyi, promised to arrange a meet-and-greet with the Public Security Police Detachment, and said a liaison would contact him when emergencies required his help.

Ch. 93Shocking

Chen Shouyi was introduced as the Public Security Police Detachment’s new Security Advisor, and Bai Xiaoling recognized him from a recent shopping trip. The director appointed Bai as Chen’s dedicated liaison, and she told Wang Ruyue that her tutoring student was a martial artist.

  • The branch director introduced seventeen-year-old Chen Shouyi as the new Security Advisor, astonishing the officers with his martial artist qualifications.
  • Bai Xiaoling recognized Chen Shouyi from a recent shopping trip and stood up in shock, so Chen explained that she was his friend and the director let her off with a warning.
  • The director summoned Bai Xiaoling and appointed her as Chen Shouyi’s dedicated liaison because they already knew each other.
  • Bai Xiaoling called Wang Ruyue and revealed that Chen Shouyi was the branch’s new Security Advisor and a martial artist, which Wang Ruyue found impossible.

Ch. 94Divine Marrow

After applying for an Exploration Certificate, Chen Shouyi declined Wan Shaochun’s offer to explore together and returned home. There, he received a sealed vial of Divine Marrow and wondered if it was what he had ordered.

  • Chen Shouyi visited the Jiangnan Province Martial Arts Branch and reviewed the many otherworld exploration missions listed there.
  • He obtained an Exploration Certificate, a survival manual, and an audit pass for a short course on collecting information about otherworlds.
  • Wan Shaochun invited Chen Shouyi to join him on an exploration mission, but Chen declined because he planned to cultivate alone.
  • A Special Item Logistics Company employee delivered Chen Shouyi’s package, which contained a sealed vial that appeared to hold Divine Marrow.

Ch. 95The Effect

Chen Shouyi drank Divine Marrow and raised his Intelligence to 13, then discovered Shell Girl reacted strongly to its scent and compared it to Yata Flower. He resolved to visit Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy and return to the island behind Dongning to investigate the flower.

  • Chen Shouyi diluted and drank the Divine Marrow, gaining 0.4 Intelligence while his other attributes stayed the same.
  • Chen Shouyi tested his improved memory, considered his dwindling savings, and decided to visit Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy the next day.
  • Shell Girl smelled the Divine Marrow residue, drank the drops left in the cup, and became unsteady.
  • Shell Girl said the substance shared a feeling with Yata Flower, prompting Chen Shouyi to suspect the flower had similar effects and that the island behind Dongning was worth investigating.
  • Chen Shouyi gave Shell Girl a cartoon to watch after she refused to think more about Yata Flower.

Ch. 96Surprise

Chen Shouyi met Bai Xiaoling, his new full-time liaison, and took advantage of her car to travel to Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy for a course. There, he encountered former classmates Lu Weifeng and Song Yingjie, leaving Xiao Peipei surprised to realize he was a martial artist.

  • Chen Shouyi found Bai Xiaoling waiting at his home and learned she had become his full-time liaison.
  • Chen Shouyi asked Bai Xiaoling to drive him to Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy and read the Explorer Survival Manual during the trip.
  • Chen Shouyi got lost on campus and asked Xiao Peipei to guide him to his course.
  • Xiao Peipei brought Chen Shouyi to the classroom building, where Lu Weifeng and Song Yingjie greeted him.
  • Chen Shouyi chatted with Lu Weifeng and Song Yingjie about staying in Hedong and keeping in touch, while Xiao Peipei realized he knew the other martial artists.

Ch. 97An Urgent Mission

Chen Shouyi attended classes about the Otherworld before Bai Xiaoling summoned him to an emergency mission at Gaomei Residential Area. He arrived to find a dangerous creature inside and learned the operation had been canceled until a Great Martial Artist could help.

  • A professor explained humanity's limited knowledge of the Otherworld and described the dangers posed by its intelligent creatures and gods.
  • Chen Shouyi attended classes at the Martial Arts Academy while renovations began at his shop.
  • Bai Xiaoling brought Chen Shouyi to Gaomei Residential Area after an Otherworld Creature caused an emergency.
  • Director Huang said the mission was canceled because the creature was too dangerous, firearms had little effect, and two Security Advisors had already been lost.
  • Wei Xiang arrived, and Chen Shouyi spotted a small, scaled creature with a snake-like tail before the guns opened fire.

Ch. 98The Life-and-Death Battle

Chen Shouyi and Wei Xiang fought a swift Otherworld creature after it slaughtered several special police officers. With Wei Xiang’s arrow creating an opening, Chen Shouyi struck the creature down, ending the immediate threat.

  • The creature evaded gunfire and killed several special police officers while Chen Shouyi tried and failed to hit it with arrows.
  • Wei Xiang stepped forward to fight the creature and told the other officers to retreat.
  • The creature wounded Wei Xiang, but Chen Shouyi rushed in and took over the fight.
  • Wei Xiang picked up Chen Shouyi’s bow and shot the creature in the shoulder, briefly slowing it.
  • Chen Shouyi leaped forward and struck the creature with a blade of energy, and it collapsed dead.

Ch. 99Returning to Dongning

Chen Shouyi and Wei Xiang killed a deadly monster in Hedong City, and Chen received a large reward before heading back to Dongning. On the train, he read about the ranks of deities and suspected the mysterious tree beyond Dongning’s Space Channel was a Divine Creature.

  • Chen Shouyi killed the monster after Wei Xiang kept it occupied with an arrow, and Wei Xiang was sent to the hospital for his wound.
  • Director Huang thanked Chen Shouyi and promised him the maximum bonus and merit points for the mission.
  • Chief Consultant Cui Ziwen arrived after the fight was over, praised Chen Shouyi, and departed.
  • Two days later, Chen Shouyi took a high-speed train to Dongning after receiving 1.5 million yuan and a hundred merit points for the mission.
  • Chen Shouyi read about Divine Creatures, demigods, and true gods, and suspected the mysterious tree beyond Dongning’s Space Channel was a Divine Creature.

Ch. 100Entering Small Island

Chen Shouyi returned to Dongning City, collected his arrows and supplies, and entered the other world through the Space Channel to begin an exploration mission. After Shell Girl flew off and left him fearing she had escaped, she returned exhausted with a glass bead and asked him to help retrieve another gemstone.

  • Chen Shouyi arrived in bleak Dongning City, collected a long-awaited package of arrows from the hotel, and bought food and a suitcase.
  • Chen Shouyi showed his Exploration Certificate to the guards and entered the Space Channel, where his wind-controlling ability awakened more strongly.
  • Chen Shouyi found a dugout canoe, spent an hour scooping rainwater out of it, and released Shell Girl.
  • Shell Girl flew far away, and Chen Shouyi worried she had escaped before he prepared to row off without her.
  • Shell Girl returned carrying a glass bead and told Chen Shouyi she had hidden another gemstone on the island and wanted his help retrieving it.
Arc 4 of 33