Chapter Summaries

Chu Fan concealed his breakthrough while planning to buy Blood Refining Pills and explore the Misty Swamp with Zhao Tianxing. At the Seven Star Gang's entrance, he witnessed Li Qingxue drive off Zhou Ye after Zhou Ye brutally attacked a worker.

• Zhao Tianxing gave Chu Fan a map of the Misty Swamp and proposed that they explore it in a few days.
• Chu Fan decided to keep his breakthrough secret from Cao Shi and use his remaining silver to buy Blood Refining Pills outside the gang.
• Chu Fan took Cao Shi's saber and headed out to check whether Uncle Zhao had sold the residence to the Huang Family.
• Zhou Ye beat a miscellaneous worker for accidentally bumping into him while the gathered onlookers stayed silent.
• Li Qingxue threw a chair at Zhou Ye, ordered him to leave, and had the injured worker taken for treatment.

Chu Fan learned that the Huang Family was searching the neighborhood for old objects, then secretly eavesdropped on two of its servants and discovered they were seeking a centuries-old treasure. When strange bells rang nearby, he suspected the search was connected to the Moon Worshipping Sect and quietly withdrew.

• Chu Fan asked the Short Fat Youth about the Three Major Gangs' Minor Leaders and learned that many had reached the Tempering Tendons Realm.
• Chu Fan returned with a roast chicken and learned from Zhao Hu that the Huang Family was still interested in his ancestral home and had hired ruffians to intimidate residents.
• Chu Fan reviewed the Twelve Forms Boxing and practiced it while planning to wait for Cao Shi to teach Zhao Tianxing about Blood Refining.
• Chu Fan slipped out at night and overheard two Huang Family servants discussing their search for a treasure dating back several hundred years.
• When bells rang nearby, Chu Fan wondered whether Huang Yu's search was connected to the Moon Worshipping Sect and retreated into the shadows.

Chu Fan followed the Moon Worshipping Sect and realized its search might be connected to his parents’ warnings and the Demon Suppression Stele. After escaping the White-robed person, he discovered his desperate sprint had advanced his Running Technique, then killed two ruffians sent by Huang Shouliang and carried their bodies to the Qingyang River to frame the sect.

• Chu Fan secretly followed the Huang Family servants as they trailed the Moon Worshipping Sect, whose White-robed leader searched locations with a circular object.
• Chu Fan recalled that his parents had warned him about the Moon Worshipping Sect shortly before their deaths and suspected its search was connected to the Demon Suppression Stele.
• At the Qingyang River, the White-robed person killed the plump servant and detected Chu Fan, who fled through the alleys back to his courtyard.
• Chu Fan gained Running Technique experience from his escape, then overheard Huang Shouliang’s ruffians preparing to break his window and intimidate him into selling his house.
• Chu Fan killed both ruffians, carried their corpses to the riverbank, and placed them beside the slain servant to implicate the Moon Worshipping Sect.
• A splash sounded upstream as Chu Fan stood beside the three bodies.

Chu Fan killed the last surviving servant, collected money and Spiritual Essence, and worried about the dangers posed by the Blood Saber Sect and Moon Worshipping Sect. Three days later, he advanced his Running Technique and broke the Chopping Wood Saber Technique limit, then learned that Cao Shi had urgently summoned him.

• Chu Fan killed the short, thin servant who had escaped into the river and took the four dead men's money pouches and dagger.
• At home, Chu Fan gained three Spiritual Essence points and counted enough silver to buy eleven Blood Refining Pills, while suppressing his growing urge to kill.
• Three days later, Chu Fan reached Minor Accomplishment in the Running Technique, gaining greater speed and endurance.
• Chu Fan broke the Chopping Wood Saber Technique limit and gained the Knife Heavy as a Mountain trait, which increased his power by thirty percent.
• Zhao Tianxing told Chu Fan that Cao Shi had urgently summoned him, but Chu Fan insisted on finishing his wood chopping first.

After Zhao Tianxing broke through to Blood Nourishment, Cao Feng gave him and Chu Fan Blood Refining Pills and advice for advancing further. Chu Fan asked whether Twelve Forms Boxing at Perfection could let Zhao Tianxing kill a Tempering Blood expert, leaving Cao Feng’s answer pending.

• Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing visited Cao Feng after Zhao Tianxing broke through to Blood Nourishment.
• Cao Feng gave each of them sixty Blood Refining Pills and a prescription for medicinal baths, explaining how to prepare for Blood Refining.
• Cao Feng encouraged the pair to explore the Misty Swamp and told Zhao Tianxing to protect Chu Fan there.
• Chu Fan asked whether Zhao Tianxing could kill a Tempering Blood expert with Twelve Forms Boxing at Major Accomplishment, and Cao Feng said such a fight would be difficult but possible against some opponents.
• Chu Fan asked whether Perfection in Twelve Forms Boxing would let Zhao Tianxing kill a Tempering Blood expert, and Zhao Tianxing grew puzzled.

Cao Feng taught Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing about Blood Refining and warned them about the Misty Swamp and the Moon Worshipping Sect. After learning that a sorcerer’s powerful perception explained how the sect’s followers had detected him, Chu Fan devoted himself to Twelve Forms Boxing, determined to reach Perfection and confront Huang Yu that night.

• Cao Feng explained that Twelve Forms Boxing at Perfection could let a Blood Nourishment Realm martial artist kill someone in the Tempering Blood Realm, while warning that combat remained unpredictable.
• Cao Feng cautioned Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing to avoid the depths of the Misty Swamp, then gave them booklets and taught them the method of Blood Refining.
• Chu Fan asked Cao Feng how the Moon Worshipping Sect’s followers had detected him from more than a dozen zhang away, and Cao Feng explained that one was likely a sorcerer with exceptional perception.
• Cao Feng warned Chu Fan not to provoke the Moon Worshipping Sect, whose followers were widespread and whose true nature remained sinister.
• Chu Fan returned to the courtyard to practice Twelve Forms Boxing, hoping to reach Perfection and settle his debts with Huang Yu that night.

Chu Fan pushed Twelve Forms Boxing from Major Accomplishment to Perfection, gaining a profound transformation in strength, technique, and senses. After eating the Dimai Gu meat, he prepared to recover before the fierce battle expected that night.

• Chu Fan completed another round of Twelve Forms Boxing and reached Perfection.
• Chu Fan absorbed the boxing art’s intent, corrected his flaws, and gained naturally flowing power and heightened senses.
• Aunt Zhang told Chu Fan that the meat was ready and had been left inside for him and Zhao Tianxing.
• Chu Fan ate the Dimai Gu meat that Master Cao had arranged to replenish their vitality and Blood Qi.
• Chu Fan planned to drink Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup and rest for more than two hours before the battle that night.

Chu Fan ate Zhao Tianxing’s share of the beast meat, then sneaked into the Huang residence hoping to kill Huang Yu before he could advance. There, he learned Huang Yu was absent and overheard the Huang Family plan to kill him and the Zhao Hu family the next day, leaving Chu Fan ready to strike back.

• Chu Fan ate his own Dimai Gu meat and broth, then took Zhao Tianxing’s share while Zhao Tianxing was away.
• Chu Fan found quicklime at the Seven Star Gang branch and later sneaked into the Huang Family residence at night.
• Chu Fan overheard Huang Lin and Huang Shouliang discussing Huang Yu’s injury, his search for a mysterious Key, and his recovery at the Blood Saber Sect.
• Huang Shouliang ordered the steward and Master Wang to obtain the remaining residences, including the Chu Family Ancestral Mansion.
• The steward proposed killing Chu Fan and the Zhao Hu family the next day, and Huang Shouliang approved the plan as Chu Fan listened outside.

Chu Fan ambushed and killed Master Wang and the Huang Family steward, then returned home with their money and a fist manual. The loot strengthened his resolve to raid the Huang Family again and eventually kill Huang Yu.

• Chu Fan followed Master Wang and the steward into a secluded alley and attacked them by surprise.
• Chu Fan used his perfected Twelve Forms Boxing and powdered lime to blind Master Wang, then killed him with a blow to the temple.
• Chu Fan caught the steward as he fled, revealed his identity, and crushed the steward’s throat after hearing his threats about the Huang Family and Huang Yu.
• Chu Fan searched the bodies and took their money pouches and Master Wang’s Mountain Splitting Fist manual.
• At home, Chu Fan counted forty-two taels of silver, three hundred and thirty-two copper coins, and a fifty-tael banknote, and saw that his Spiritual Essence had risen to 35.
• Chu Fan considered Huang Yu his next target and began practicing boxing in his room.

After Huang Shouliang’s steward and Master Wang were found dead, Chu Fan returned to the Huang estate but found it heavily guarded and Huang Yu still out of reach. Back at the Seven Star Gang, he learned that a medicinal bath would cost fifteen taels and decided to buy ingredients for three batches.

• Zhang Laoliu and Zhu Asi told Zhao Hu that Huang Shouliang’s steward and Master Wang had been killed, while the authorities accepted the Huang Family’s claim that the two had killed each other.
• Chu Fan heard the neighbors’ conversation, left Zhao Hu’s courtyard, and found the Huang estate surrounded by armed guards as Huang Yu remained hidden at the Blood Saber Sect.
• Chu Fan returned to the Seven Star Gang and joked with Zhao Tianxing about eating his Dimai Gu meat, offering three roast chickens as compensation.
• Zhao Tianxing gave Chu Fan a price list for Cao Shi’s medicinal ingredients, and Chu Fan saw that one medicinal bath cost fifteen taels of silver.
• Chu Fan decided to buy ingredients for three medicinal baths when he returned the next day.

Chu Fan used a Blood Refining Pill and Twelve Forms Boxing to temper his Qi and Blood Force, greatly improving its purity and control. After checking his progress, he ran around the Training Ground to push his Running Technique toward Perfection, astonishing the onlookers and Li Qingxue with his speed.

• Chu Fan swallowed his fifth Blood Refining Pill and practiced Twelve Forms Boxing through the pain to refine his Blood Qi.
• Chu Fan completed six rounds of boxing, solidifying his three strands of Qi and Blood Force and raising his Blood Refining progress to 11%.
• Chu Fan decided he could try condensing another strand of Qi and Blood Force the next day and noted that his Ninefold Thunderclap Saber had reached Minor Accomplishment.
• Chu Fan ran around the Training Ground to advance his Running Technique, while the watching martial artists marveled at his speed.
• Li Qingxue watched Chu Fan sprint like a flying bird and looked astonished.

Chu Fan perfected Running Technique, more than doubling his speed, then went to the medicine shop to buy ingredients for a medicinal bath and planned to check whether Huang Yu had returned. At the dining hall, Li Qingxue saved the Short Fat Youth after he poisoned himself with wild mushrooms.

• Chu Fan broke Running Technique through to Perfection and discovered that his speed had more than doubled.
• At the dining hall, Chu Fan told Zhao Tianxing that running fast enough would keep sorrow from catching him.
• The Short Fat Youth served wild mushrooms he had picked, then collapsed after eating them; Li Qingxue gave him an antidote pill and saved him.
• Chu Fan left the Seven Star Gang branch to buy medicinal ingredients and planned to visit the Huang Family that night to see whether Huang Yu had returned.

Chu Fan discovered Huang Yu fighting Zhou Ye and followed Huang Yu to a house in Qingfeng Alley, where he waited for a chance to attack. After killing Huang Yu’s bodyguard, Chu Fan approached the house, leaving Huang Yu alone inside.

• Chu Fan heard that Zhou Ye and Huang Yu were fighting, abandoned his apothecary errands, and went to watch.
• Zhou Ye injured Huang Yu and withdrew when Blood Saber Sect men arrived to protect him.
• Chu Fan followed Huang Yu to a house in Qingfeng Alley and overheard him speaking with a powerful bodyguard.
• When Huang Yu sent the bodyguard to buy Braised Beef and wine, Chu Fan ambushed and killed him.
• Chu Fan hid the body, returned to the house, and approached the door while Huang Yu called out, “Back already?”

Chu Fan killed Huang Yu, refined the Blood Rainbow Saber to learn the Blood Soul Nine Swords, and headed for the Huang Family. He reached its guarded residence and revealed Huang Yu’s severed head to three Blood Saber Sect guards.

• Chu Fan ambushed Huang Yu, disarmed him, and defeated him with Twelve Forms Boxing before killing him with the Ninefold Thunderclap Saber.
• Chu Fan refined the Blood Rainbow Saber and learned the Blood Soul Nine Swords from Huang Yu’s cultivation experience.
• Chu Fan took Huang Yu’s money pouch and token, wrapped his head in the man’s robe, and carried it toward the Huang Family.
• Three Blood Saber Sect members patrolled the Huang Family residence when Huang Yu’s head rolled to their feet, making the lantern bearer scream.

After Huang Yu’s head was thrown into the Huang Residence, fear drove most of the Huang Family’s guards and servants to flee, leaving Huang Shouliang and Huang Lin to barricade themselves in the Main Hall. A black figure forced its way inside and was struck by the remaining defenders’ sabers.

• The Huang Family discovered Huang Yu’s severed head, and Huang Shouliang and Huang Lin panicked as the Blood Saber Sect members realized their protector was dead.
• Huang Shouliang offered the Blood Saber Sect members gold to stay, but most left anyway, along with nearly all the Courtyard Guards, servants, and secondary wives.
• Huang Shouliang, Huang Lin, two Blood Saber Sect members, Scarface, and a few old servants withdrew into the Main Hall and barricaded the gate until dawn.
• A tremendous blow smashed open the gate, and a black shadow swept into the hall.
• Scarface and the two Blood Saber Sect members struck the black figure with their sabers, hitting its shoulder, neck, and left calf.

Chu Fan killed Huang Shouliang, Huang Lin, and the Blood Saber Sect attackers, then escaped with their valuables. Seven days later, he learned Zhou Ye had been arrested for the Huang Family massacre but was being released, while Chu Fan prepared to advance his saber skill and inspect the hidden chest.

• Chu Fan ambushed and killed the Blood Saber Sect member and Scarface, then executed Huang Lin and Huang Shouliang and took their valuables.
• Seven days later, Chu Fan returned to the Chopping Wood Courtyard, where the other workers kept their distance from him.
• The Short Fat Youth told Chu Fan that Zhou Ye had been arrested over the Huang Family massacre and was expected to return that day.
• The Short Fat Youth explained that the government office had likely found no evidence against Zhou Ye and that he planned to return to Seven Star Fort.
• Chu Fan saw that Ninefold Thunderclap Saber was close to Major Accomplishment and planned to dig up the chest that night.

Chu Fan risked serious injury to force the Ninefold Thunderclap Saber’s Fifthfold Force and broke through to Major Accomplishment. Zhao Tianxing found him wounded and brought him a Wild Ginseng, which he snapped in half and urged Chu Fan to eat.

• Chu Fan struggled to merge the Fifthfold Saber Force, knowing his Nourishing Blood Realm body could not safely withstand it.
• Chu Fan forced the fifth layer to fuse, unleashed a slash that shattered a stone lock, and collapsed with a torn arm and injured meridians.
• Chu Fan’s Ninefold Thunderclap Saber reached Major Accomplishment, and he realized he could not attempt the Sixthfold Force before reaching Tendon Tempering.
• Zhao Tianxing rushed in, saw Chu Fan’s injuries and the shattered stone lock, and recognized that Chu Fan had forcibly merged the Saber Force.
• Zhao Tianxing revealed a Wild Ginseng, snapped it in half, and told Chu Fan to eat it.

After Zhao Tianxing’s Wild Ginseng healed Chu Fan’s injuries and strengthened him, Chu Fan warned him to keep the remaining half and revealed that the Ninefold Thunderclap Saber had reached Major Accomplishment. That night, Chu Fan dug up the gold and silver notes he had buried and reflected on the power of money.

• Chu Fan ate half of Zhao Tianxing’s Wild Ginseng, which rapidly healed his wounds, stabilized his meridians, and raised his Spiritual Essence by 52 points.
• Zhao Tianxing explained that he had found the ginseng by chance near his Old House in a mountain valley and had given Chu Fan half because he thought Chu Fan was dying.
• Chu Fan urged Zhao Tianxing to keep the remaining ginseng and avoid the Misty Swamp, then realized his Ninefold Thunderclap Saber had reached Major Accomplishment.
• Chu Fan practiced Twelve Forms Boxing with Zhao Tianxing to dissolve the ginseng’s Medicinal Power and then sent him away that night.
• Chu Fan used a Pickaxe to dig up the chest he had buried and found it packed with Gold ingots, gold leaves, and silver notes.

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing went to the Drunken Immortal Tower, where Chu Fan saw the Blood Saber Sect beating Zhao Hu and Little Doubao. He intervened and struck Ding Hong, sending him flying.

• Zhang Shuyao, Jiang Yuanfan, and their companions followed Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing to Xingning Street, then waited outside the Drunken Immortal Tower.
• Zhang Shuyao left Jiang Yuanfan and Lishan to keep watch while she took Qiao Yun to buy food, and Jiang Yuanfan blamed Chu Fan for his humiliation.
• Ding Hong and two Blood Saber Sect men demanded protection money from Zhao Hu, beat him, and kicked Little Doubao aside as Second Miss Fang watched from a nearby teahouse.
• Chu Fan heard the commotion from inside the Drunken Immortal Tower, recognized Zhao Hu, and jumped out the window; Zhao Tianxing followed him.
• Chu Fan confronted Ding Hong and dodged his attack before striking him in the chest with Bear Form Crushing Fist, sending him flying.

Chu Fan defeated three Blood Saber Sect members who attacked Zhao Hu and Little Doubao, then Cao Yan drove off a stronger assailant before Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing returned to Drunken Immortal Tower. Zhang Shuyao arrived afterward, unaware of the fight, and vowed to punish Chu Fan when he was alone.

• Chu Fan rapidly defeated three Blood Saber Sect members in front of the crowd, while Jiang Yuanfan realized Chu Fan had held back in their earlier fight.
• Chu Fan gave Zhao Hu three liang of silver and sent him home with Little Doubao to seek treatment.
• A burly Blood Saber Sect man attacked Chu Fan, but Cao Yan appeared and kicked him away, forcing him and the injured sect members to flee.
• Second Miss Fang recognized Chu Fan from the congee shop, and Jiang Yuanfan regretted having followed Zhang Shuyao in antagonizing him.
• Cao Yan warned Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing about the dangers of Xingning Street, then they returned to Drunken Immortal Tower.
• Zhang Shuyao returned with steamed buns, asked where Chu Fan was, and vowed to teach him a lesson when he was alone.