Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo killed Iron Arm Wang Kai during a Black Market encounter, then used his growing wealth to pursue new training and explore the Inner City. He left with an Official Permit, two manuals, and a plan to keep visiting the Black Market to afford an Inner City home.

• Chen Mo caught Wang Kai's punch, crushed his bones, and killed him, then took the banknotes from his body.
• Three men discovered Wang Kai's corpse and fled after identifying him as the Golden Sun Gang's leader and an Inner Strength Realm expert.
• Chen Mo counted his gains at home, bringing his wealth to nearly nine hundred taels, and decided to study three Health Cultivation Techniques.
• Chen Mo bought an Official Permit for ten taels and explored the Inner City, where he purchased the Qi Concealing Art and a Pharmacopoeia for fifty-five taels.
• Chen Mo learned Inner City homes were costly and resolved not to miss the twice-monthly Black Market.

Chen Mo settled into life in Hequ County while steadily advancing his martial arts, then agreed to help the surviving Green Gang attack the Wild Wolf Gang in exchange for half the spoils. The chapter ended as the group began its raid under cover of night.

• Chen Mo learned that only the Three Great Families and the True Martial and Fierce Tiger schools could reliably provide Exotic Beast Meat, and he continued training while spending time in the Inner City.
• Chen Mo advanced Flying Cloud Steps and the Cleaving Wind Blade into Flying Swallow Steps and the Wind Slaying Blade, then decided to focus on advancing Tiger Fist as well.
• Zhao Long, the supposedly dead leader of the Green Gang, approached Chen Mo and offered him half the gains for helping destroy the Wild Wolf Gang.
• Chen Mo joined Zhao Long's eighteen surviving Green Gang members, seeing the group as useful scapegoats and an opportunity to claim a haul.
• After waiting until the dead of night, Chen Mo and the Green Gang began their operation against the Wild Wolf Gang.

Chen Mo joined Zhao Long’s plan to attack the Wild Wolf Gang, but the group was lured into an ambush by Wei Liu. Chen Mo killed the gang’s leaders with ease, forcing most of its members to surrender, and began considering building a force of his own.

• Zhao Long led Chen Mo and his group into the Wild Wolf Gang headquarters with help from Wei Liu, who had betrayed them.
• Sun Shan, Yu Ming, Zhu Tong, and more than a hundred gang members surrounded Zhao Long’s group.
• Chen Mo killed Wei Liu and cleaved Sun Shan in two with a single slash.
• Chen Mo killed Yu Ming and accepted Zhu Tong’s surrender, then ordered Zhu Tong and the others to deal with the remaining loyalists.
• Most of the Wild Wolf Gang members surrendered, and Chen Mo considered taking command of a force himself.

After defeating the Wild Wolf Gang, Chen Mo became its leader and let Zhao Long and Zhu Tong manage its affairs while he focused on cultivation. The gang began taking over the Slum District as Chen Mo moved into the Inner City, unaware that its forces had noticed him.

• Chen Mo accepted the Wild Wolf Gang leadership, took sixty percent of its monthly silver, and appointed Zhao Long and Zhu Tong as deputy leaders.
• Chen Mo planned to expand the gang across the Outer City while keeping its existing name to avoid attracting too much attention.
• Zhao Long and Zhu Tong began consolidating the gang and targeting Slum District gangs as rumors spread that Chen Mo had killed two Inner Strength Realm martial artists with two strikes.
• Chen Mo bought a property in the Inner City for twelve hundred taels and began digging a cellar there.
• Chen Mo remained unaware that he had attracted the attention of the Inner City's forces.

Chen Mo advanced Tiger Fist into Fierce Tiger Fist and drew the attention of the Guo Family, which invited him to become a Guest Official. After learning that Chen Ying and Chen Yuqi had been recruited as guards and discovering he was being followed, Chen Mo led his pursuers into an abandoned alley.

• Chen Mo tested Fierce Tiger Fist and decided to cultivate it toward Perfect Accomplishment.
• Zhao Long told Chen Mo that Inner City forces were investigating his identity, and Guo Da arrived with two young people from the Guo Family.
• Guo Da offered Chen Mo a position as a Guo Family Guest Official, asking him to act for the family four times a year; Chen Mo agreed to consider the offer.
• Chen Mo learned the Guo Family had recruited Chen Ying and Chen Yuqi as guards and taken them to the Inner City.
• Chen Mo noticed he was being followed, entered an abandoned alley at the boundary of the Commercial District and the Slum District, and was blocked by two people.

Chen Mo killed two Divine Strength Realm Martial Artists who ambushed him, realizing the county’s factions would soon see him as a threat or recruit him. Guo Da of the Guo Family visited again, and Chen Mo questioned why he had come.

• Scarface and Small Eyes attacked Chen Mo, but he killed Small Eyes with his blade and defeated Scarface with his fists.
• Chen Mo searched the bodies, took their pills and banknotes, and returned home, reflecting that the attackers likely came from a rival faction.
• Chen Mo checked his room for intruders, then practiced the Fierce Tiger Fist as spies from nearby factions watched and reported his strength.
• Guo Da arrived with the same young man and woman, and Chen Mo let them inside.
• Guo Da said the Guo Family had not ordered the ambush, and Chen Mo asked why he had come again.

Chen Mo met with Guo Family Patriarch Guo Kangcheng and became a Guo Family Guest Official in exchange for protection within the Guo Family Ancestral Land. As other county powers weighed the threat and opportunity he represented, Guo Da prepared to advise the divided Guo Family elders about him.

• Guo Da led Chen Mo to meet Guo Kangcheng at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, where Guo Kangcheng pressed him for the secret behind reaching the Divine Strength Realm at fifteen.
• Chen Mo agreed to become a Guo Family Guest Official after Guo Kangcheng promised safety within the Guo Family Ancestral Land.
• Chen Mo moved into an independent courtyard in the Inner City and resolved to focus on strengthening himself.
• The Fan Family and Yu Family grew wary of Chen Mo and considered uncovering his opportunity or eliminating him, while the two martial arts schools remained indifferent.
• Guo Kangcheng faced disagreement among Guo Family elders over whether to win Chen Mo over or control him, then looked to Guo Da for his assessment.

The Guo Family’s elders decided to observe Chen Mo rather than provoke the dangerous young Divine Strength Realm Martial Artist living on their grounds. Chen Mo took advantage of the comfortable routine and Exotic Beast Meat to cultivate, but just as he brought Fierce Tiger Fist to Great Accomplishment, the Guo Family disrupted his peaceful life.

• Guo Da persuaded the Guo Family elders to treat Chen Mo cautiously and observe him while he stayed on their grounds.
• Guo Kangcheng grew interested in Chen Mo, who became a Guo Family Guest Official and began cultivating in his courtyard.
• Chen Mo discovered that his meals included Exotic Beast Meat and used its energy to practice Fierce Tiger Fist and study the Pharmacopoeia.
• Chen Mo settled into a strict routine, using his daily Epiphany opportunity on Fierce Tiger Fist after dinner.
• After a week of seclusion, Chen Mo reached Great Accomplishment in Fierce Tiger Fist and gained another surge in combat strength, but the Guo Family broke his peaceful routine.

Chen Mo weighed how to spend his daily enlightenment and worried that the Guo Family’s troubles would soon reach him, then met Guo Wanxuan, the Family Head’s granddaughter. When she asked what he thought of her, he rejected her, saying she was not his type.

• Chen Mo concluded that beginner-level Health Cultivation Techniques had barely improved his lifespan or aptitude and calculated that perfecting Fierce Tiger Fist would require four more enlightenments.
• Chen Mo ate the Guo Family’s generous lunch, testing the food with a silver needle before training in the courtyard.
• Guo Wanxuan arrived with two maids and watched Chen Mo demonstrate his Great Accomplishment Fierce Tiger Fist.
• Guo Wanxuan introduced herself as the Family Head’s granddaughter and praised Chen Mo’s technique, while he wondered if the Guo Family had sent her to win him over.
• Guo Wanxuan seriously asked what Chen Mo thought of her, and Chen Mo told her she was not his type.

Chen Mo rejected Guo Wanxuan’s marriage proposal, then drew interest from rival factions within the Guo Family as he continued cultivating. After four days of practice, his Fierce Tiger Fist reached Perfection Realm, and he planned to visit the Guo Family’s Cultivation Technique Pavilion to learn more about martial cultivation.

• Chen Mo insulted Guo Wanxuan by saying she was too small for his standards, and she fled in embarrassment.
• Guo Wanxuan sulked at home while Guo Kangcheng and Guo Kai decided to watch Chen Mo and monitor the Guo Family factions seeking to contact him.
• Several Guo Family faction members visited Chen Mo to recruit him, leaving him uneasy about his position in the family.
• Chen Mo considered that marrying Guo Wanxuan might have secured his safety, but she did not return after his mockery.
• After four days of practice, Chen Mo advanced the Fierce Tiger Fist to Perfection Realm and estimated his one-handed strength exceeded five thousand jin.
• Chen Mo decided to visit the Guo Family’s Cultivation Technique Pavilion the next day to look for books explaining the basics of the Martial Path.

Chen Mo avoided the Guo Family factions’ attempts to recruit him and studied introductory martial arts books to better understand the realms. He accepted Fifth Elder Guo Da’s request to guide the Guo Family’s juniors for a month, recognizing that the lessons would also test his strength.

• When Chen Mo found Guo Family juniors waiting to approach him in the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, he left rather than get involved in their factional rivalry.
• Chen Mo returned to the empty pavilion and read books explaining the Body Tempering Realm and the Qi and Blood Realm.
• After Chen Mo returned to his courtyard, Guo Da asked him to guide the Lineage’s juniors for a month, and Chen Mo agreed to begin the next day.
• Guo Da warned Chen Mo that the young masters had their own teachers, and Chen Mo realized they intended to test him through sparring.
• Chen Mo reviewed the martial realms and his own abilities, concluding that few opponents below the Divine Valor Realm or Qi and Blood Realm could threaten him.

Chen Mo met the Guo Family’s young descendants and sparred with instructor Guo Wenbai, surprising everyone with his strength and Great Accomplishment Fierce Tiger Fist. He kept the fight going to improve his control, leaving Guo Wenbai increasingly shaken by the fifteen-year-old’s ability.

• Chen Mo arrived at the Guo Family’s Training Ground and met instructors Guo Wenbai, Guo Shao, and Deng Qi, along with the seven descendants he would teach.
• Guo Mingxuan and the others learned that Chen Mo was only fifteen and a Divine Strength Realm Martial Artist, and they wondered whether the rumors about his combat ability were true.
• Chen Mo and Guo Wenbai began sparring, and Chen Mo’s Great Accomplishment Fierce Tiger Fist astonished the instructors and young descendants.
• Guo Wenbai struggled to gain an advantage as Chen Mo effortlessly countered his techniques and matched his strength.
• Chen Mo let the spar continue so he could practice the Fierce Tiger Fist and improve his control over his strength.

Chen Mo defeated Guo Wenbai through his superior endurance, then disarmed Guo Shao with three overwhelming saber strikes. He faced Deng Qi next, ready for a serious match.

• Chen Mo and Guo Wenbai exchanged blows until Guo Wenbai realized his attacks could not penetrate Chen Mo’s defenses and agreed to stop.
• Guo Shao challenged Chen Mo with a blade, hoping to exhaust him before Deng Qi’s turn.
• Chen Mo used three powerful Wind Slashes to knock Guo Shao’s saber away and buried his own saber in the ground just beside him.
• Guo Shao admitted defeat and recognized that Chen Mo’s strength made the Guo Family’s decision not to provoke him wise.
• Chen Mo faced Deng Qi, who launched an attack with his palm technique.

Chen Mo sparred with Deng Qi and impressed the Guo Family, then settled into a cautious routine of teaching, training, and studying. After more than ten peaceful days, he found that the Turtle Breath Health Cultivation Technique was ready for an Epiphany and prepared to advance it.

• Chen Mo fought Deng Qi for more than two hundred moves, gaining the upper hand before Guo Wenbai stopped the sparring.
• Chen Mo agreed to spar with Deng Qi, Guo Wenbai, and Guo Shao again, while the Guo Family members began treating him as a super genius.
• Chen Mo taught Guo Mingxuan and the others, accepted five jin of Exotic Beast Jerky, and declined the maid's advances.
• Chen Mo returned to a routine of teaching and training, but Deng Qi and the others soon made excuses to avoid sparring with him.
• After more than ten days, Chen Mo saw that the Turtle Breath Health Cultivation Technique was ready for an Epiphany and decided to advance it.

Chen Mo used an epiphany to fuse four health cultivation techniques into the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique, gaining eleven years of lifespan and strengthening his mind. After resting in his underground hideout and keeping up his usual routine, he arrived at the Training Ground and sensed something was wrong.

• Chen Mo began an epiphany on the Turtle Breath Health Cultivation Technique, but the Spring Return Technique, Bird Dance Technique, and Eight Brocades instead reached perfection.
• The epiphany fused the four health cultivation techniques into the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique, which appeared on Chen Mo's panel at Initiation.
• Chen Mo noticed his lifespan had increased to 143 and resolved to learn more techniques that could be combined through epiphanies.
• Chen Mo rested underground, then practiced the Wind Slaying Blade and Flying Swallow Steps in the courtyard as usual.
• Chen Mo went to the Training Ground after lunch and found Deng Qi, Guo Mingxuan, and the others there, but sensed that the atmosphere was unusual.

Chen Mo suspected the Guo Family’s plans for Guo Wanxuan threatened him, so he strengthened his Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique and prepared an escape route. After discovering poison in his meal, he entered the tunnel to leave the Guo Family’s estate.

• Guo Xin accidentally revealed that Guo Wanxuan planned to find someone else, and Chen Mo suspected the matter was connected to him.
• Chen Mo used four Epiphanies to raise the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique to the Proficient level, increasing his lifespan by seventeen years.
• Chen Mo completed a tunnel to the Bamboo forest and decided to leave the Guo Family if danger arose.
• Chen Mo noticed that his usual maid had been replaced and found that one piece of Exotic Beast Meat had turned his silver needle black.
• Chen Mo avoided the poisoned food, entered the tunnel, and restored the stone slab behind him.

Chen Mo escaped the Guo Family’s ancestral land and hid in Hequ County while strengthening himself and monitoring the county’s affairs. As the Guo and Yu Families formed an alliance and attacked the Fan Family, Chen Mo identified the Yu Family as his main threat and chose to remain hidden.

• Chen Mo vanished from the Guo Family’s residence, and Guo Kangcheng decided not to pursue him while Guo Kai welcomed the escape.
• Chen Mo hid in the county government Archives, studied records, and kept watch over the Inner City while avoiding notice.
• On the fourth day after his escape, Chen Mo advanced the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique to Minor Accomplishment and sensed a bottleneck before the Divine Valor Realm.
• Chen Mo learned that the Guo and Yu Families had formed a marriage alliance and joined forces to seize Fan Family mines and target its shops.
• Chen Mo concluded that the Yu Family had driven the attempt against him and decided not to join the weakened Fan Family until he had grown stronger.

Chen Mo robbed Black Market visitors, concealed himself in an underground hideout, and used an Epiphany to advance the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique to Great Accomplishment. He broke through to the Divine Valor Realm and ended the chapter stronger, with a lifespan of 205 years.

• Chen Mo knocked out and robbed more than a dozen Black Market visitors, then pawned their weapons and manuals for nearly a thousand taels in total.
• Chen Mo returned to his Inner City residence, found it had been searched, and hid in the underground space beneath his bed.
• The authorities intervened in the Guo Family and Yu Family's assault on the Fan Family, while rumors spread about Lei Ming meeting with the Yu Family's Family Head.
• Chen Mo used an Epiphany to advance the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique to Great Accomplishment, triggering an intense bodily transformation.
• Chen Mo consumed his stored food to sustain the transformation and reached the Divine Valor Realm, gaining greatly increased strength, defense, endurance, and recovery.
• Chen Mo checked his panel and found that his lifespan had increased to 205 years.

After breaking through to the Divine Valor Realm, Chen Mo cautiously weighed joining a major force to secure Exotic Beast Meat, but chose to stay independent and stock up on Great Tonic Soup instead. As Hequ County’s rival families continued maneuvering, he prepared to use an Epiphany to perfect the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique.

• Chen Mo heard reports that the Fan Family Great Elder had killed three Divine Strength Realm martial artists and suspected the elder had reached the Qi and Blood Realm.
• Concerned about his growing need for cultivation resources, Chen Mo considered joining a county power but decided to observe the unsettled situation instead.
• Chen Mo bought a hundred bowls of Great Tonic Soup, hid his movements from people following him, and kept track of the rival families and the authorities.
• On the seventh night of using an Epiphany for the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique, Chen Mo prepared to bring it to Perfect Accomplishment.

Chen Mo perfected his remaining cultivation techniques, discovered that his improved aptitude made cultivation at least three times more efficient, and grew powerful enough to escape the people monitoring him. He left them to report his strength to their Family Head and wondered how he would fare against a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist.

• Chen Mo advanced the Evergreen Turtle Breath Technique to Perfect Accomplishment, gaining strength and sharper senses, then replenished the energy the breakthrough had drained.
• Chen Mo tested his Dragon Among Men aptitude and found it improved his cultivation efficiency by at least three times.
• Chen Mo used his training and epiphanies over six days to bring Wind Slaying Blade, Flying Swallow Steps, and Qi Concealing Art to Perfect Accomplishment.
• Chen Mo demonstrated his speed while escaping two people who were monitoring him, and they decided to warn their Family Head about his strength.
• Chen Mo overheard the pursuers mention the Family Head, let them go as a warning, and considered the danger posed by the county's Qi and Blood Realm martial artists.