Chapter Summaries

Key Plot Points and Events

• The opening ceremony of Yunhan Martial Arts University introduces the new freshmen, including Tie Wushuang, the runner-up from Hai City, who serves as the freshman representative.
• Chen Mochuan, despite being the Northern Academy's top freshman, declines the representative position.
• Students register and choose their academies, with Chen Mochuan opting for the Northern Academy due to his master's position as dean.
• The university's teaching model emphasizes independent study and cultivation, with instructors offering elective public courses and guidance.

Character Developments

• Tie Wushuang: Introduced as a confident and passionate freshman representative with a heaven-grade Spirit Talent, nearing the completion of his Mortal Shedding Realm cultivation.
• Chen Mochuan: Maintains his humble and determined demeanor, declining the representative position and choosing the Northern Academy. He continues to cultivate diligently, visualizing his techniques even during the opening ceremony.
• Li Biao and Ding Muzhi: Become familiar with each other and echo one another's opinions, showing their eagerness to please Chen Mochuan.
• Zhong Xu: Demonstrates his straightforward and competitive nature, arranging a battle with Chen Mochuan on Heaven Martial Battle Net.
• Li Cheng: Introduced as the Northern Academy's second-ranked freshman, openly challenging Chen Mochuan to a fight to determine who is stronger.

Significant Themes

• Competition and rivalry among students, fostered by the university's teaching model and inter-academy activities.
• The importance of independent study and cultivation, with students encouraged to take initiative in their learning.
• The diverse backgrounds and strengths of the freshmen, reflecting the university's role as a gathering place for top martial arts talents.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mochuan and Tie Wushuang: Although they haven't interacted yet, Chen Mochuan is interested in challenging Tie Wushuang to a battle to gauge his current strength.
• Chen Mochuan and Zhong Xu: Maintain their friendly rivalry, with Zhong Xu suggesting a battle on Heaven Martial Battle Net.
• Chen Mochuan and Li Cheng: Li Cheng openly challenges Chen Mochuan to a fight, showing his eagerness to prove himself as the second-strongest freshman in the Northern Academy.
• Li Biao and Ding Muzhi: Become close and echo each other's opinions, showing their eagerness to please Chen Mochuan.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Cheng challenges Chen Mochuan, hinting at blocking the door.
• They spar on the spot, with no referee or commands.
• The battle is intense, with both showing their prowess.
• Chen Mochuan gradually gains the upper hand, suppressing Li Cheng.
• Other freshmen watch the battle from afar, including Cao Chuyue.

Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan: Shows exceptional skill in fist art, movement technique, and control of force. His Mental Power, now in the Innate Realm, gives him an edge in perception and insight.
• Li Cheng: Proves to be a formidable opponent with impressive Hard-Body Training and fierce strength. He grows more alarmed as Chen Mochuan suppresses him.

Significant Themes

• The importance of all-around prowess in martial arts, not just strength or a single technique.
• The role of Mental Power in enhancing perception and insight.
• The value of restraint and control in sparring to avoid serious injury.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mochuan and Li Cheng: They show mutual respect and excitement for each other's skills. Their spar is intense but fair, with both holding back from using lethal moves.
• Cao Chuyue and other freshmen: They watch the battle from a distance, impressed by Chen Mochuan's skills. Cao Chuyue, in particular, feels the pressure of Chen Mochuan's strength.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mochuan tests his Mental Power's external release for auxiliary perception in combat.
• He spars with Li Cheng, using his newfound "Mental Touch" to gain an advantage and win.
• They agree to help each other with striking exercises for Hard-Body Training.
• Chen Mochuan explores his new villa and orders lunch for both of them.

Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan gains insights into using Mental Power externally and improves his combat skills.
• Li Cheng acknowledges Chen Mochuan's strength and becomes his friend, eager to spar and train together.
• Chen Mochuan appreciates the convenience of his intelligent housekeeper, Xiaoyun.

Significant Themes

• The importance of practical combat experience for growth and understanding of one's abilities.
• The value of friendship and mutual support in cultivation and growth.
• The convenience and efficiency of advanced technology in daily life.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mochuan and Li Cheng's friendly rivalry and mutual respect grow during their spar.
• They decide to help each other with striking exercises, benefiting both their Hard-Body Training methods.
• Chen Mochuan and Xiaoyun communicate about daily needs and arrangements.

Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mochuan and Li Cheng, after a heavy lunch, visit Yunhan Martial Arts University's Gravity Training Hall.
• They encounter Xie Xiqiong, a top genius and contender for the strongest freshman, who acknowledges Chen Mochuan's gaze.
• They enter Gravity Room No. 16 and gradually increase the gravity multiplier, with Li Cheng reaching his limit at 8 times gravity and Chen Mochuan at 8.5 times.
• They decide to practice Hard-Body Training in the gravity room, with Chen Mochuan's Tiger Roar Body-Forging Technique advancing to Mastery (77%).
• Li Cheng reaches his limit and leaves the room, while Tie Wushuang exits another room.

Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan demonstrates his exceptional physical prowess and control under high gravity.
• Li Cheng shows determination and sportsmanship, acknowledging Chen Mochuan's superior performance.
• Xie Xiqiong displays her sharp perception and acknowledges Chen Mochuan as a formidable opponent.

Significant Themes

• The importance of physical body tempering and its role in Martial Warriors' cultivation.
• The use of high-gravity environments to enhance cultivation efficiency.
• The acknowledgment of strength and respect among Martial Warriors.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mochuan and Li Cheng's friendly competition and mutual respect grow as they push each other's limits.
• Xie Xiqiong and Chen Mochuan's silent acknowledgment of each other as potential rivals.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Tie Wushuang and He Fan train in the Gravity Room, with Tie Wushuang holding back to accommodate He Fan's higher gravity tolerance.
• Xie Xiqiong finishes her training in the same area, having surpassed Tie Wushuang's gravity adaptation.
• Li Cheng exits the Gravity Room, revealing that he has been training at 4.8 times gravity.
• Chen Mochuan is discovered to be training at 6.6 times gravity, surpassing Tie Wushuang's personal record.
• Chen Mochuan spends over an hour practicing Wind Tiger Movement under extreme gravity, improving his mastery of the technique.

Character Developments

• Tie Wushuang: Realizes he has underestimated Chen Mochuan and sees him as a strong competitor. Becomes motivated to improve.
• Chen Mochuan: Proves his exceptional Hard-Body Training and gains new insights into his movement technique.
• He Fan: Shows understanding and support for Tie Wushuang, despite being held back during their training session.

Significant Themes

• The importance of hard work and perseverance in cultivation.
• The value of competition and having strong opponents to push one's limits.
• The efficiency of specialized training environments, like the Gravity Room.

Character Interactions

• Tie Wushuang and He Fan: Show their long-standing friendship and mutual support.
• Tie Wushuang and Xie Xiqiong: Briefly acknowledge each other as rivals, with Xie Xiqiong showing surprise at Chen Mochuan's gravity adaptation.
• Chen Mochuan and Li Cheng: Exchange messages about their plans, showing a growing camaraderie.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mochuan enters Yunhan Martial Arts University’s Mental Waterfall, an ancient stone stele that emits powerful Mental Power fluctuations and helps students cultivate.
• He establishes a connection with the stele and projects his consciousness into it as a small “point of light.” By climbing upward through the mental currents, he tempers and strengthens his Mental Power.
• Chen reaches 22.1 meters, eventually exhausting himself and being expelled from the stele’s mental space. His cultivation improves:
  • Mental Power: 74.82 → 75.13
  • Sun-Forging Heaven-Burning Visualization Method: 59% → 61%
  • Taiyin Moon-Congealing Visualization Method: 59% → 61%
• He realizes that Mental Waterfall cultivation is highly effective but cannot be overused. He estimates that one intensive session every four days is ideal for recovery and progress.
• Chen attempts to use Spirit Devourer on the immense Spiritual Essence within the stele but fails, concluding that he must become stronger before trying again.
• Meanwhile, Tie Wushuang completes nearly five hours of cultivation and reaches 19.1 meters, initially believing his performance establishes him as the strongest freshman in Mental Power.
• When Tie checks the rankings, he discovers that Chen is in first place, three meters ahead of him. The result devastates Tie’s confidence, especially because Chen had already defeated him in physical endurance earlier that day.
• Tie compares Chen to Fu Tiankuo, the overwhelming rival who dominated him throughout high school. He briefly fears that Chen may surpass him in every fundamental aspect of martial cultivation.
• Tie ultimately regains his composure, reminding himself that martial strength also depends on technique, combat adaptability, insight, and willpower. He resolves to prove himself in the upcoming Beast-Hunting Trial and Four-Academy Martial Meet.
• Chen leaves the Mental Waterfall at night, encouraged by the university’s intense competitive atmosphere and determined to continue improving.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan: Demonstrates exceptional Mental Power talent and disciplined cultivation. He surpasses Tie Wushuang’s result by a significant margin, while remaining cautious about overexertion and aware of his current limitations. His failure to absorb the stele’s Spiritual Essence emphasizes that he still has room to grow.
• Tie Wushuang: Experiences a major blow to his pride and confidence after being surpassed in both physical and mental cultivation. However, rather than collapsing, he draws on his past struggles with Fu Tiankuo and transforms humiliation into renewed determination. He begins shifting from an assumption of superiority to a more resilient, competitive mindset.
• Fu Tiankuo: Does not appear directly, but his past dominance over Tie continues to shape Tie’s fears, ambitions, and reactions to Chen.

3. Significant Themes

• Talent versus effort: Chen’s overwhelming results challenge Tie’s belief that exceptional lineage, resources, and innate talent guarantee superiority.
• Pressure and resilience: Tie’s response shows that defeat can either destroy confidence or become fuel for further growth.
• Competition as motivation: The university’s rankings and upcoming trials create an atmosphere where rivalry pushes students to cultivate harder.
• Limits and sustainable growth: Chen recognizes that intense cultivation must be balanced with recovery; reckless overtraining can damage one’s foundation.
• Breaking free from past shadows: Tie chose Yunhan University to escape Fu Tiankuo’s dominance, only to encounter another powerful rival. His development lies in confronting, rather than fleeing from, that pressure.
• Foundations of martial strength: Physical body and Mental Power are crucial, but technique, battle experience, adaptability, insight, and willpower also determine true combat ability.

4. Character Interactions

• Chen has no direct interaction with Tie in this chapter, but his achievements strongly affect Tie’s state of mind.
• Tie compares Chen to Fu Tiankuo, viewing both as seemingly insurmountable rivals who threaten his sense of superiority.
• The ranking screen serves as the central point of conflict between them: Chen’s first-place result silently challenges Tie, while Tie responds by pledging to surpass him in future competitions.

Chapter Summary: Beast-Hunting Trial

Key Plot Points and Events

• More than a month passes after Chen Mochuan enters Yunhan Martial Arts University. He and Li Cheng train intensively in a Gravity Room set to 7.2 times normal gravity.
• Chen completes the Tiger Roar Body-Forging Technique, while Li Cheng similarly completes the Iron Spine Hard-Body Formula. Their comparable physical strength allows them to serve as effective sparring partners.
• Chen’s cultivation progresses slowly but steadily. His Tiger Roar technique rises from 10% to 11% at Great Completion, and his Blood-Qi Value surpasses 40, placing him firmly in the late Mortal Shedding Realm.
• Chen attends public classes and receives guidance from his master, Fu Dongliu, improving his systematic understanding of martial arts beyond what he previously gained through Spirit Devourer.
• Because his Mental Power has already reached the Innate Realm, Chen trades away two portions of Clear-Heart Spirit-Calming Incense for three portions of Meridian-Piercing Vine, accelerating his Aperture Condensation.
• He condenses his tenth Mortal Shedding Realm acupoint, the Great He Acupoint, beginning to form an internal acupoint network.
• Chen occasionally hunts Ferocious Beasts in the Wilderness Zone for cultivation materials and beast spirits, while disguising himself to avoid assassination attempts by hostile cult organizations.
• During high-gravity sparring, Chen’s Hundred Beasts Fist and Wind Tiger Movement naturally break through to the next realm.
• Li Cheng urges Chen to enter the freshman Beast-Hunting Trial after hearing other academies mock Northern Academy and speculate that Chen is afraid to compete.
• Chen explains that he deliberately waited until his martial techniques improved so he could achieve a strong result in one attempt rather than repeatedly challenge the trial.
• Entering the virtual Beast-Hunting Trial, Chen quickly defeats a First Order Initial Stage Grey-Maned Ferocious Wolf, clearing the first floor in 32 seconds and earning 10 Yunhan Points.

Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan becomes increasingly disciplined, efficient, and strategically minded. He prioritizes foundational cultivation and waits for meaningful breakthroughs instead of chasing superficial rankings.
• His physical body, Blood-Qi, aperture cultivation, martial techniques, and combat abilities all advance significantly. His cultivation status reaches:
  • Blood-Qi Value: 40.83
  • Mental Power: 86.38
  • Tiger Roar Body-Forging Technique: Great Completion, 11%
  • Hundred Beasts Fist: Mastery, 1%
  • Wind Tiger Movement: Great Completion, 1%
• Chen also demonstrates greater confidence in practical combat, calmly analyzing the trial environment and enemy before defeating his opponent.
• Li Cheng develops into Chen’s loyal training partner and supporter. Although he is frustrated by Northern Academy’s poor rankings, he trusts Chen’s strength and eagerly encourages him to prove himself.
• Li Cheng’s own hard-body cultivation reaches Great Completion, establishing him as a capable rival and companion rather than merely a weaker friend.

Significant Themes

• Patient cultivation versus immediate recognition: Chen ignores rumors and rankings, choosing long-term improvement over rushing to prove himself.
• Practical combat and mutual training: Sparring with Li Cheng proves more beneficial than isolated practice, emphasizing the importance of adapting techniques through real exchanges.
• Efficient use of resources: Chen reallocates treasures according to his changing needs, showing strategic planning in cultivation.
• Strength and reputation: Northern Academy’s low ranking creates pressure, while Chen’s eventual challenge promises to restore the academy’s standing.
• Preparation and caution: Chen balances ambition with awareness of danger, particularly the threat posed by cult assassins in the Wilderness Zone.
• Systematic learning: Formal instruction complements Chen’s unusual innate advantages, giving him a deeper and more organized martial foundation.

Character Interactions

• Chen and Li Cheng repeatedly train together, alternating between hard-body strikes and martial sparring. Their partnership drives both of their progress.
• Li Cheng complains about Chen’s seemingly inexhaustible stamina but continues training alongside him, highlighting both admiration and friendly rivalry.
• Li Cheng confronts Chen about the Beast-Hunting Trial after hearing others insult Northern Academy. His loyalty and confidence in Chen push Chen to finally participate.
• Chen reveals his recent breakthroughs to Li Cheng, who reacts with excitement and urges him to aim for first place.
• Chen’s master, Fu Dongliu, indirectly influences events by providing guidance and warning him about assassination risks.
• In the trial, Chen cautiously tests the Grey-Maned Ferocious Wolf before decisively defeating it, demonstrating the contrast between his analytical approach and the beast’s direct aggression.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dong Ya, an Innate Realm Perfection martial artist and enthusiastic foodie, receives an alert that Chen Mochuan has begun the Beast-Hunting Trial.
• Dong Ya recalls betting 1,000 Yunhan Points that Chen Mochuan would outperform Tie Wushuang. He had formed this confidence after witnessing Chen’s exceptional comprehension, rapid cultivation, and impressive results in the Mental Waterfall rankings.
• Chen quickly clears the first three stages, apparently defeating the guardians of the second and third stages in single strikes.
• He then clears the fourth stage in only 36 seconds. His progress shocks students who had previously mocked him and the Northern Academy, especially since Tie Wushuang took nearly four minutes on the same stage.
• In the fourth stage, Chen defeats a First-Order Perfection leopard-type beast by relying on his Great Completion Wind Tiger Movement, which allows him to surpass the beast’s greatest advantage—its speed.
• The fifth stage takes place in a dense forest, reminding Chen of the practical examination where he previously encountered a Crimson-Scaled Snake.
• The snake is far more powerful than the one Chen fought months earlier, possessing exceptional speed, defense, strength, and poisonous mist. Despite its advantages, Chen now meets it head-on rather than fleeing.
• Chen withstands the snake’s attacks with his greatly strengthened body, evades its attempts to bite, crush, or constrict him, and gradually studies its defensive properties.
• Realizing ordinary strikes cannot penetrate the snake’s tough, force-dispersing scales, Chen deliberately creates an opening and uses the killing technique “Mountain-Collapsing Fist: Piercing Stone.”
• He punches through the snake’s chest and abdomen, follows with a second strike through the same wound, and finishes it with several blows to the head.
• Chen clears the fifth stage in 1 minute and 39 seconds, earning 200 Yunhan Points and preparing to continue to the sixth stage.

Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan: Demonstrates a major transformation since his earlier wilderness encounter. His Great Completion Wind Tiger Movement, Great Completion Tiger Roar Body-Forging Technique, improved bloodline and physical strength, Mental Power, Spirit Power, and Neutralizing Force now allow him to dominate First-Order Perfection beasts. He fights calmly and analytically, adapting rather than relying only on brute force.
• Dong Ya: His confidence in Chen is validated. He shifts from anxious impatience—wondering why Chen had delayed entering the trial—to excitement and astonishment as Chen rapidly climbs the rankings. Dong Ya’s rivalry and wager make him an enthusiastic observer of Chen’s success.
• Tie Wushuang: Although he does not appear directly, his previous strong performance and status as the expected freshman champion are undermined by Chen’s dramatically faster progress.
• Other students: Their earlier mockery of Chen and the Northern Academy turns into surprise and unease as Chen enters the top ten and threatens to take first place.

Significant Themes

• Rapid growth and transformation: Chen’s return to the Crimson-Scaled Snake highlights how dramatically he has advanced in only a few months.
• Talent versus reputation: Chen challenges the assumption that established prodigies such as Tie Wushuang must automatically dominate newcomers.
• Adaptability and combat intelligence: Chen wins not simply through greater strength, but by identifying the snake’s defensive weakness, controlling his position, and timing a decisive attack.
• Overcoming past limitations: An enemy that once forced Chen to retreat is now defeated directly, symbolizing his progression from survival to mastery.
• Vindication and rivalry: Dong Ya’s wager represents confidence in Chen and the satisfaction of seeing that judgment confirmed publicly.

Character Interactions

• Dong Ya’s earlier argument and wager with a rival establish the chapter’s competitive backdrop and motivate his intense interest in the rankings.
• Dong Ya’s admiration for Chen contrasts with the freshmen who previously mocked Chen; Chen’s performance forces them to reconsider their assumptions.
• Chen’s main interaction is with the Crimson-Scaled Snake, whose repeated attacks test his speed, durability, patience, and tactical judgment.
• Chen’s fight with the snake also echoes his earlier encounter with the species, turning a former threat into proof of his growth.

Chapter Summary: “One Conventional, One Unorthodox”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mochuan defeats the Crimson-Scaled Snake on the fifth floor and immediately begins the sixth-floor challenge without checking the rankings.
• His exceptionally fast clear time—1 minute 39 seconds—moves him into first place, surpassing Tie Wushuang’s much slower fifth-floor record.
• He quickly clears the sixth floor in 2 minutes 36 seconds, defeating two First-Order Perfection Ferocious Beasts despite fighting in a restrictive forest environment.
• Chen credits Li Cheng’s intelligence about the sixth floor for helping him prepare an effective strategy. He recognizes that Li Cheng’s strong defense could not compensate for his lack of speed.
• On the seventh floor, Chen faces two unusually dangerous beasts in an open wasteland:
  • The heavily armored

Stone-Bodied Lizard

• The swift and elusive

Shadowmarked Jackal

• The beasts use highly coordinated tactics, with the lizard attacking openly while the jackal hides behind it and launches surprise attacks.
• Chen struggles to break through their teamwork. He suffers several wounds but remains composed, using muscle control to stop the bleeding and continue fighting.
• He eventually exploits damage to the lizard’s flank, striking it with Mountain-Collapsing Fist: Mountain Opening and severely injuring its internal organs.
• However, the jackal immediately interrupts his attempt to press the advantage, forcing Chen to retreat.
• As the fight intensifies, Chen realizes the battle will become increasingly dangerous if prolonged. He notices that the injured lizard has become slower when turning right and begins forming a strategy to exploit this weakness.

Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, quickly surpassing Tie Wushuang and establishing himself as the trial’s strongest freshman.
• His strengths include exceptional speed, powerful offense, physical toughness, calm judgment, and highly developed perception through Innate Realm Mental Power.
• He shows tactical maturity by using Li Cheng’s intelligence, studying the beasts’ combat patterns, and identifying subtle changes in the lizard’s movement.
• Despite sustaining multiple wounds, Chen remains emotionally controlled and refuses to panic or fight recklessly.
• Li Cheng is indirectly characterized as highly knowledgeable and defensively capable, though lacking the speed necessary to overcome the sixth-floor challenge.
• Tie Wushuang is established as the previous leader of the rankings, but Chen’s performance demonstrates a dramatic gap between them.

Significant Themes

• The gap between ordinary and exceptional talent: Chen’s astonishing clear times shock the other freshmen and establish his superiority.
• Preparation combined with adaptability: Chen benefits from Li Cheng’s information but succeeds because he can adjust his strategy in real time.
• Strength versus teamwork: Individually, Chen believes he could defeat either beast quickly, but their coordinated tactics create a much greater threat.
• Conventional and unorthodox combat: The Stone-Bodied Lizard represents direct, forceful defense and offense, while the Shadowmarked Jackal relies on speed, deception, and sudden attacks.
• Patience and tactical analysis: Chen does not rush despite being injured and disadvantaged; he carefully studies his opponents until he discovers a exploitable weakness.
• The danger of prolonged battles: Even a powerful fighter can gradually be worn down when facing coordinated enemies.

Character Interactions

• Chen has no direct interaction with the other freshmen, but his rapid rise in the rankings causes widespread discussion and astonishment throughout the academy.
• The freshmen compare his achievements with Tie Wushuang’s and react with disbelief to how quickly he clears the floors.
• Chen’s indirect cooperation with Li Cheng is important: Li’s earlier experience and intelligence enable Chen to prepare for the sixth-floor battle.
• In combat, Chen engages in a tactical contest with the Stone-Bodied Lizard and Shadowmarked Jackal. The lizard serves as the primary attacker and shield, while the jackal exploits every opening created by Chen’s engagement with it.
• The chapter ends with Chen beginning to turn the beasts’ coordinated strategy against them by deliberately adjusting his position and targeting the lizard’s damaged right side.

Chapter Summary: “Refusing to Pay”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mochuan exploits the Stone-Bodied Lizard’s injured right abdomen, repeatedly positioning himself there to irritate and disrupt its coordination with the Shadowmarked Jackal.
• He deliberately takes a powerful tail strike and pretends to be badly staggered, luring the Shadowmarked Jackal into attacking his exposed back.
• Using his defensive physique and Neutralizing Force to reduce the damage, Chen Mochuan abruptly counterattacks with his newly mastered Tiger-Force Cannon Hammer. He crushes the jackal’s shoulder, then pursues it and kills it with a precise strike to the throat.
• With the jackal eliminated, Chen Mochuan focuses on the Stone-Bodied Lizard. He avoids direct clashes, relying on Wind Tiger Movement to circle it and exploit its worsening injuries.
• He blinds the lizard by destroying its left eye, mounts its back from a blind angle, and repeatedly strikes its skull with Neutralizing Force. The eighth punch kills it.
• Chen Mochuan clears the seventh level of the Beast-Hunting Trial in 6 minutes and 28 seconds, earning 800 Yunhan Points. Despite his injuries and exhaustion, he immediately begins the eighth-level challenge because the Sun-Moon Imprint has restored his mental state.
• His achievement causes the rankings and the student body to erupt in excitement. He becomes the first-ranked freshman, far ahead of Tie Wushuang, who has only cleared the fifth level.
• Instructors and upperclassmen recognize that his accomplishment is extraordinarily rare, especially since he has been enrolled for only a little over a month and is still merely in the Late Mortal Shedding stage.
• Dong Ya contacts Ren Chuan to collect the 1,000 Yunhan Points owed from their wager. Ren Chuan stalls, arguing that the wager does not officially end until October 10 and Tie Wushuang could still overtake Chen Mochuan.
• Dong Ya agrees to wait three more days but privately hopes Ren Chuan refuses, since breaking the wager would damage Ren Chuan’s reputation.

Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan demonstrates exceptional tactical intelligence, patience, resilience, and combat adaptability. He combines deception, movement, defensive techniques, and precise targeting rather than relying solely on brute force.
• His mastery of the Tiger-Force Cannon Hammer marks a significant advancement in his martial abilities.
• He becomes increasingly confident and ambitious after defeating two unusually powerful First-Order Perfection Ferocious Beasts. Rather than being discouraged by the challenge, he becomes eager to face the final level.
• Dong Ya shifts from seeing Chen Mochuan as merely talented and “fierce” to recognizing him as an extraordinary martial prodigy. Chen’s achievement also motivates Dong Ya to cultivate harder so his junior does not catch up to him.
• Ren Chuan reveals himself as evasive and unwilling to honor the wager promptly, attempting to exploit a technical delay despite the obvious result.

Significant Themes

• Tactical intelligence over brute strength: Chen wins by manipulating enemy behavior, creating openings, and attacking vulnerable points.
• Growth through pressure: Facing powerful opponents allows Chen to test and refine his techniques, accelerating his development.
• Reputation and recognition: His victory transforms public opinion of the Northern Academy and establishes him as one of the university’s standout freshmen.
• Competition and ambition: Chen’s success raises expectations for the Four-Academy Martial Meet and intensifies rivalries among students and instructors.
• Integrity versus evasion: Dong Ya expects the wager to be honored, while Ren Chuan attempts to delay payment, highlighting the importance of credibility and reputation.

Character Interactions

• Chen manipulates the Stone-Bodied Lizard and Shadowmarked Jackal’s coordination, using the lizard’s temper and the jackal’s predatory instincts against them.
• The two beasts cooperate effectively at first, but Chen’s trap forces them apart and allows him to kill the jackal before finishing the lizard.
• Dong Ya admires Chen’s performance and sees him as both a source of pride and a future rival to his own standing.
• Dong Ya and Ren Chuan’s phone call centers on their wager: Dong Ya demands payment, while Ren Chuan pretends the outcome remains uncertain and postpones settling the debt.

Chapter Summary: “Showing Off”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mochuan enters the eighth level of the Beast-Hunting Trial, finding it unusually silent and empty. He realizes the enemy may be concealing itself.
• A Tier Two Bone-Splitting Mastiff suddenly appears and attacks. Although Chen fights desperately using his movement technique, physical strength, and martial skills, he is ultimately killed after battling it for more than two minutes.
• Despite losing, Chen’s performance produces significant gains:
  • Hundred Beasts Fist: Mastery 1% → 2%
  • Wind Tiger Movement: Great Completion 1% → 2%
  • Mental Power: 86.38 → 86.39
• Chen recognizes that the Bone-Splitting Mastiff is an excellent training opponent and immediately begins challenging the eighth level again, treating each defeat as an opportunity to improve.
• News of Chen’s seventh-level clear time—6 minutes and 28 seconds, only thirteen seconds slower than Tie Wushuang’s record—spreads throughout the university.
• Tie Wushuang is shocked and unsettled by Chen’s progress. He decides that merely avoiding his old rival Fu Tiankuo is insufficient and resolves to seek family support to break through the Mental Barrier and reach the Innate Realm.
• Xie Xiqiong becomes excited at the prospect of fighting Chen at the upcoming Four-Academy Martial Meet, even though she expects to lose.
• Shen Qinghe, initially confident in his own rapid progress, learns of Chen’s achievement and immediately returns to training despite exhaustion.
• Chen’s master, Fu Dongliu, watches his eighth-level battle through a privileged live feed. Proud of Chen, he analyzes his disciple’s weaknesses while enjoying the chance to boast about him to the other academy deans.
• The deans of the Southern and Eastern Academies refuse Fu Dongliu’s calls, while Western Academy Dean Ye Wenzhou answers briefly before pretending the signal has failed and hanging up to avoid hearing more bragging.

Character Developments

• Chen Mochuan: Demonstrates exceptional endurance, adaptability, and determination. Though unable to defeat the Tier Two beast, he withstands its attacks and even wounds it, turning failure into rapid martial and mental growth.
• Tie Wushuang: Suffers a major blow to his confidence after realizing Chen has surpassed his achievement. Rather than collapse, he recommits himself to advancing and confronting his past directly.
• Xie Xiqiong: Reveals a strong competitive spirit and eagerness to test herself against powerful opponents.
• Shen Qinghe: Shows discipline and determination by resuming training immediately after learning he has fallen behind Chen.
• Fu Dongliu: Displays deep pride in his disciple and takes on the role of an observant mentor, carefully studying Chen’s combat technique while cheerfully showing him off to his peers.

Significant Themes

• Growth through adversity: Chen’s defeat is still valuable because intense pressure produces breakthroughs in technique and Mental Power.
• Competition as motivation: Chen’s rise forces the other top freshmen to reassess their abilities and work harder.
• Facing challenges instead of fleeing: Tie Wushuang realizes that avoiding Fu Tiankuo will not solve his problems and begins preparing for a direct confrontation.
• Mentorship and pride: Fu Dongliu’s analysis and enthusiastic boasting highlight the bond between teacher and disciple.
• Strength beyond rankings: The chapter suggests that established rankings can change quickly, and talent, persistence, and battle experience matter more than past achievements.

Character Interactions

• Chen and the Bone-Splitting Mastiff: Their repeated clashes function as a brutal training partnership, with Chen learning from every exchange despite being defeated.
• Tie Wushuang and He Fan: He Fan cautiously informs Tie of Chen’s result and worries about his reaction. Tie responds by deciding to pursue a breakthrough.
• Xie Xiqiong and Chen: Though they do not meet directly, Chen’s achievement sparks Xie’s anticipation for their future battle.
• Shen Qinghe and his fellow students: News from the Western Academy group chat prompts him to abandon rest and resume training.
• Fu Dongliu and Chen: Fu observes Chen’s fight in real time, identifying technical flaws and planning future guidance.
• Fu Dongliu and the other deans: His calls become an amusing display of academic rivalry, as the other deans avoid listening to him boast about Chen’s achievements.

Chapter Summary: The Duel of Spear and Axe

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Mochuan repeatedly challenges the eighth floor of the Beast-Hunting Trial, fighting the Tier Two Bone-Splitting Mastiff.
• His combat ability steadily improves. He progresses from barely surviving for minutes to landing meaningful attacks and exploiting openings with his movement, punching techniques, and defensive force-redirection.
• Despite his growth, the mastiff’s overwhelming strength eventually defeats him. After nearly four minutes of combat and suffering severe injuries, Chen Mochuan is killed and returned to the trial’s starting area.
• Having spent nearly twelve hours repeatedly fighting, Chen Mochuan recognizes that he has reached the virtual trial’s current training limit. His recorded gains include increased Mental Power, improved Hundred Beasts Fist mastery, and greater completion of Wind Tiger Movement.
• He decides to continue fighting the mastiff regularly for experience, while acknowledging that true life-and-death battles in the Mind Martial Drill would produce greater gains at a much higher cost.
• After leaving the trial, Chen Mochuan reflects on his remaining potential in the Mortal Shedding realm: his blood replacement, acupoint condensation, and Spirit Meridian development are all incomplete.
• During the following months, he maintains an intense cultivation routine and completes his full-body blood replacement far faster than his peers.
• Li Cheng is astonished by Chen Mochuan’s progress, while Zhong Xu advises him not to compare himself too closely with Chen Mochuan and lose confidence. Despite the disparity, Li Cheng, Zhong Xu, and Chen Mochuan continue to compete and improve together.
• Chen Mochuan later returns home with his close friend Li Biao, whom he continues to support despite their difference in strength. He reminds Li Biao that he must clear the third floor of the Beast-Hunting Trial before the semester ends.
• They watch a highly anticipated Global Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Championship match between Hua Nation’s Chu Huaishan and America’s Nolan Bach, two third-year championship favorites.
• The match begins with Chu wielding a spear and Nolan fighting with twin axes. Their weapons collide with extraordinary speed, immediately demonstrating that both are elite martial artists.

Character Development

• Chen Mochuan: Shows exceptional perseverance, battle awareness, and adaptability. He learns from repeated defeat rather than becoming discouraged. He also demonstrates a clear understanding of his limits and of the difference between simulated training and genuine life-or-death combat. His cultivation remains far ahead of his peers, but he remains disciplined and continues training even while watching the championship match.
• Li Cheng and Zhong Xu: Both are talented and continue progressing rapidly, though neither can match Chen Mochuan’s pace. Their response to his advancement reveals a healthy competitive relationship rather than resentment.
• Li Biao: Remains less advanced than Chen Mochuan but is determined to improve and confident that he can meet the university’s trial requirement. His close friendship with Chen Mochuan remains unchanged.
• Chu Huaishan and Nolan Bach: Are introduced as powerful international competitors. Their opening exchange establishes them as evenly matched, highly skilled, and among the tournament’s strongest contenders.

Significant Themes

• Growth through repeated failure: Chen Mochuan’s defeats are valuable because each battle exposes weaknesses and creates opportunities for improvement.
• Limits of virtual training: The Beast-Hunting Trial can build experience but cannot fully reproduce the realism, danger, and pain of actual life-and-death combat.
• Discipline and relentless cultivation: Chen Mochuan’s progress comes from maintaining an intense, consistent routine rather than relying only on talent or resources.
• Healthy competition: Chen Mochuan, Li Cheng, and Zhong Xu motivate one another without allowing differences in ability to destroy their confidence.
• Friendship and loyalty: Chen Mochuan continues to support Li Biao despite becoming much stronger, showing that his success has not distanced him from his closest friends.
• Human potential: Chen Mochuan’s incomplete blood replacement, acupoint condensation, and Spirit Meridians emphasize that he still has substantial room to grow.

Character Interactions

• Chen Mochuan battles the Bone-Splitting Mastiff in a tense exchange of dodges, counters, punches, kicks, and defensive techniques.
• Li Cheng openly marvels at Chen Mochuan’s cultivation speed, while Zhong Xu cautions him against unhealthy comparisons.
• Chen Mochuan encourages Li Biao to meet the university’s Beast-Hunting Trial requirement, and Li Biao confidently promises to clear the third floor within ten days.
• Chen Mochuan and Li Biao watch the international championship together. Even while observing the fight, Chen Mochuan continues cultivating, prompting Li Biao to imitate him.
• The chapter ends as Chu Huaishan and Nolan Bach launch into their spear-and-axe duel, with Chen Mochuan watching closely to study the techniques of elite martial artists.

Plot points and events

• Chen Mochuan watches a fierce Hidden Dragon Championship bout between Hua Nation’s Chu Huaishan and Nolan Bach. After more than ten minutes of evenly matched fighting, Chu exploits his spear’s reach and a sudden change in technique to injure Nolan’s arm, disarm him, and win.
• Inspired by Chu’s victory, Li Biao predicts Chen will compete in next year’s championship and eventually win it. Chen accepts the ambition without boasting, while recognizing that he must first grow stronger.
• Chen, Li Biao, and later Li Cheng watch another match, which a Hua Nation swordswoman wins decisively.
• Li Cheng brings Chen a first-tier, five-star military assistance mission near Antu City. The garrison wants to suppress unusually active Ferocious Beasts before they can gather into a larger threat. The mission requires ten people, including at least three Antu locals, and offers an unusually high reward of 200 Yunhan Points per person.
• Chen invites Li Cheng to fill the final team slot, then assembles nine other familiar students, including Zhong Xu and former classmates. He accepts the mission and plans to leave for Antu the next day.
• While preparing, Chen reviews reports of abnormal beast activity—not just near Antu, but across Songjiang Province. He recalls a Spatial Rift glimpsed in a beast’s memory and feels uneasy, but decides the matter is for more experienced authorities. Missing his hometown and parents, he nevertheless ends the evening with his usual training.

Character developments and interactions

• Chu Huaishan demonstrates patience, technical mastery, and tactical adaptability, turning a close duel into a decisive victory.
• Chen Mochuan learns by studying the championship fighters and begins to envision competing himself. He also shows initiative and responsibility by organizing the mission team and accepting the captaincy.
• Li Biao is openly enthusiastic and confident in Chen’s future, while Li Cheng is practical and envious of the mission’s exceptional reward. Chen’s invitation gives Li Cheng a chance to join the team, reinforcing their friendly relationship.
• Chen’s exchanges with his hometown friends show the strength of his local ties; they readily agree to join the mission.

Significant themes

• Growth through observation and experience: Chen studies stronger fighters and remains committed to training rather than assuming success.
• Teamwork and mutual support: The mission depends on a full team, and Chen draws together capable companions while extending an opportunity to Li Cheng.
• Duty and preparation: The students must leave the safety of campus to gain real-world experience; Chen prepares carefully and continues training even before departure.
• Unease beneath ordinary events: Increasingly abnormal beast activity and the remembered Spatial Rift hint at a broader danger beyond the mission.
• Homesickness and belonging: Chen’s anticipation of returning to Antu reflects his attachment to home and family.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mochuan’s ten-person student squad has spent three days clearing Ferocious Beast packs near Antu City. What began as a relatively manageable mission turned into an emergency when beasts appeared in unusually large numbers, raising the threat of a Beast Tide.
• The team fought nearly nonstop for two days, clearing more than thirty packs. Chen’s heightened senses once helped them hide from a Tier Two beast; after he reported it, an Innate Realm Martial Artist took over that area.
• With reinforcements from Yunhan Martial Arts University—including stronger students and reportedly high-level teachers—the surge is beginning to subside. The exhausted squad returns to a forward outpost to recover.
• Chen sells the team’s collected trophies for just over 3.9 million Blue Star Coins, to be divided among the ten members.
• Chen suspects a Spatial Rift may explain the sudden, unnatural influx of beasts. Before he can rest, an urgent alert reports that Yunhan students are surrounded in Area Seventeen. The name Han Hao reminds Chen of a fist-technique notebook given to him by his teacher, Han Zhen, and he wonders whether the trapped student is Han Zhen’s son.
• The outpost has few fit fighters available, so Chen, Li Cheng, and Zhong Xu volunteer for the rescue. Despite the officer’s warning that five First-Order Perfection beasts are present, Chen convinces him by citing the trio’s strong records in the university’s Beast-Hunting Trial. They depart by flying vehicle.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Mochuan remains alert and capable despite the mission’s strain. He thinks strategically about the beast surge, takes responsibility for reporting danger, and chooses to help the trapped students out of gratitude toward Han Zhen.
• Li Biao and Ding Muzhi provide comic relief with their complaints and teasing, but their exhaustion is genuine; both fall asleep at the outpost.
• Li Cheng and Zhong Xu are among the few squad members still in good condition and accompany Chen on the rescue.
• The outpost officer is cautious and protective, reluctant to risk the students after their hard fighting. Chen’s calm confidence and proven ability persuade him to authorize the mission.
• The squad’s camaraderie shows in their shared fatigue, joking, and mutual reliance, while Chen’s rescue decision reflects his loyalty and sense of obligation.

Significant themes

• Duty and compassion: Chen volunteers to rescue strangers because of his gratitude toward someone who helped him.
• Courage balanced with judgment: The rescue is dangerous, but Chen relies on demonstrated skill rather than bravado alone.
• Endurance and teamwork: The students’ success comes through sustained cooperation, though the mission takes a heavy physical and mental toll.
• Unexplained danger: The unnatural appearance of beasts—and Chen’s Spatial Rift theory—suggest a larger threat behind the immediate crisis.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Chen Mochuan, Li Cheng, and Zhong Xu are dispatched to rescue Han Hao’s four-person team, trapped in a cave in Area Seventeen’s stone forest and besieged by Grey-Maned Ferocious Wolves.
• Their flight commander reports that a new wave of beasts has entered the area and warns the team to prioritize the rescue—and their own survival—over defeating the pack. Reinforcements, including an Innate Realm fighter, are on the way.
• After landing, the three travel through the rocky terrain, dispatching a few lesser beasts along the way. They find wolf corpses marking the route to the cave, evidence of a prolonged and bloody defense.
• Han Hao and a saber-wielding teammate are still holding the cave entrance. Han Hao fights with exceptional precision and has apparently killed one of the pack’s strongest wolves, while two First-Order Perfection wolves and a massive, near-Second-Order Wolf King remain.
• Chen Mochuan decides to engage the Wolf King while Li Cheng and Zhong Xu take on its two guards. As the trio approaches for a surprise attack, the Wolf King turns and spots them.

Character developments

• Chen Mochuan shows composure and tactical judgment, balancing the urge to fight with the mission’s rescue-first priority. He recognizes the threat posed by the Wolf King and assigns roles accordingly. His high-end Wuzheng protective vest and gauntlets also reflect his growing status and potential.
• Han Hao is revealed as a disciplined, highly skilled spear fighter. Despite his injuries, he remains steady under pressure and has already felled a powerful wolf.
• Li Cheng is eager for combat and visibly admires Chen Mochuan’s upgraded equipment.
• Zhong Xu remains quiet and focused, preparing for battle without fuss.
• The Wolf King is established as intelligent and cautious, directing the pack while avoiding a direct fight that could cost it its life.

Character interactions

• Chen Mochuan recognizes Han Hao as the son of his former high-school homeroom teacher, Han Zhen, and recalls that Han Hao’s martial insights once helped his own cultivation.
• Li Cheng notices Chen Mochuan’s reaction and later envies his superior gauntlets.
• The commander stresses that Chen Mochuan’s team must protect themselves and withdraw if the situation becomes unmanageable.
• Chen Mochuan gives Li Cheng and Zhong Xu their assignments; both accept without hesitation.

Significant themes

• Survival and responsibility: The rescue mission takes priority over winning a fight, and the commander explicitly cautions against needless sacrifice.
• Skill and discipline: Han Hao’s efficient spearwork and Chen Mochuan’s quick tactical assessment contrast with brute force.
• Intelligence in nature: The wolves are not mindless attackers; the Wolf King weighs risks and controls the pack strategically.
• Support and opportunity: Chen Mochuan’s equipment and progress reflect both his potential and the help he receives from others.

Plot points and events

• The Wolf King notices Chen Mochuan’s approach and pulls most of the pack away from Han Hao’s cave, forming a defensive line around itself.
• Chen Mochuan, Li Cheng, and Zhong Xu launch a coordinated attack: Chen engages the Wolf King, while Li Cheng and Zhong Xu take on its two Wolf Guards. The three fight effectively despite being harassed by the rest of the pack.
• Chen’s toughness and speed let him withstand the ordinary wolves and hold his own against the Wolf King. Li protects Zhong Xu, whose flame-enhanced sword strikes target the beasts’ vital points.
• With the cave less besieged, Han Hao kills the wolves still guarding it and joins the fight. He and Chen trap the Wolf King between them and steadily wound it.
• The Wolf King’s attempts to escape fail. It makes a desperate, frenzied charge at Chen, but Chen checks its attack long enough for Han Hao to spear it. Chen then kills it with a powerful fist strike to the head.
• The Wolf Guards lose their will to fight. Li and Zhong Xu kill one, while Chen catches and kills the other. The remaining wolves flee. Chen stops his companions from giving chase so they can focus on rescuing the injured.
• Before they can leave, Chen hears an approaching presence. Han Hao confirms that more ferocious beasts are coming, and Chen senses that the threat is far beyond any first-order beast. The chapter ends with his warning: “It’s too late—”

Character developments

• Chen Mochuan demonstrates exceptional strength, composure, and tactical judgment. His advanced body-forging and movement techniques allow him to withstand the pack and suppress a near-second-order Wolf King. He also shows good battlefield awareness by coordinating with Han Hao and preventing a reckless pursuit.
• Han Hao shifts from defending the cave to supporting the attack once the pressure eases. Though astonished by the first-years’ abilities—especially Chen’s—he stays focused on protecting his injured companions and helps deliver the decisive spear strike.
• Li Cheng proves to be a powerful, dependable defender, taking on both Wolf Guards while shielding Zhong Xu from ambushes.
• Zhong Xu displays precision and discipline with his flame-enhanced sword, relying on Li Cheng’s protection to make dangerous attacks.
• The Wolf King shifts from confident leadership to wary retreat, then to a desperate last stand when cornered.

Significant themes

• Teamwork and complementary strengths: Chen, Han Hao, Li Cheng, and Zhong Xu succeed by combining power, defense, precision, and timing.
• Courage and composure under pressure: The fighters keep their focus despite being surrounded and facing a formidable leader.
• Competence across generations: Han Hao’s surprise at the first-years’ strength highlights Chen and his companions’ extraordinary progress.
• Victory does not mean safety: The pack’s defeat is immediately overshadowed by a greater, approaching threat.

Character interactions

• Chen and Han Hao quickly read one another’s intentions and attack the Wolf King from opposing angles.
• Li Cheng actively protects Zhong Xu, creating an effective defense-and-attack partnership.
• Han Hao recognizes Chen from his reputation, but witnessing his ability firsthand leaves him astonished.
• Chen takes charge after the victory, stopping Li Cheng from pursuing the fleeing wolves and urging the group to prioritize the wounded and escape.

Chen Mochuan drew a Tier Two Black-Horned Savage Bull away from the others while Han Hao, Li Cheng, and Zhong Xu fought its five beast companions. The trio killed the Crimson-Scaled Snake, but Chen Mochuan was sent flying into a boulder by the bull.

• Chen Mochuan recognized the approaching Black-Horned Savage Bull and assigned himself to hold it off while Han Hao, Li Cheng, and Zhong Xu fought the other five beasts.
• Chen Mochuan provoked the bull with a thrown rock and led it away as the others charged the five first-order perfection beasts.
• Han Hao, Li Cheng, and Zhong Xu coordinated their attacks, gradually gaining the upper hand against the beasts.
• Han Hao exposed a damaged patch on the Crimson-Scaled Snake, and Zhong Xu killed it with a flaming sword strike.
• Li Cheng saw Chen Mochuan fly backward and crash into a giant boulder after a heavy impact from the bull.