Chapter Summaries

Jiang Che trained to master White Cloud Fist while struggling to support his younger sister, Jiang Ling, and hoping to awaken Qi-Blood before his deadline. He planned to search for their missing parents only after he had grown strong enough to face the Black Beasts outside the city.

• Jiang Che practiced White Cloud Fist at White Cloud Martial Hall, where his panel showed his proficiency nearing perfection, though he still had not sensed Qi-Blood.
• Jiang Che passed Zhao Hu and his men beating an old beggar but avoided getting involved.
• Jiang Che returned home and shared his scarce food with Jiang Ling, pretending he had already eaten roast chicken so she would take the egg.
• Jiang Ling asked about their missing parents, and Jiang Che said there was still no news from Hengsha City.
• Jiang Che said he would wait until he had mastered martial arts before traveling to Hengsha City, and Jiang Ling reluctantly agreed.

Jiang Che completed his Writing skill and unlocked Flow State, which sharpened his focus and improved his White Cloud Fist practice at a steep physical cost. After leaving the Martial Arts Hall early to try earning money by writing letters, he left Luo Kun wondering if he had given up training.

• Jiang Che completed Writing and unlocked the Flow State talent, discovering that it intensified his concentration but left him with a throbbing head.
• Jiang Che went to the Martial Arts Hall, watched Luo Kun demonstrate White Cloud Fist, and used Flow State to correct his own movements.
• Luo Kun judged Gong Yulei and Zhang Xiong promising disciples but dismissed Jiang Che as too poorly endowed to achieve much.
• Jiang Che found that Flow State rapidly improved his White Cloud Fist proficiency, though it drained his physical and mental strength and could not be activated again immediately.
• Jiang Che asked Luo Kun for permission to leave early so he could try writing letters for money, and Luo Kun assumed he had given up training.

Jiang Che started earning money by offering a letter-writing service in West Market Street, where he heard rumors about mysterious disappearances in Abyss-Facing City. The next morning, he used his Flow State to improve his White Cloud Fist and defeated Zhao Xisheng in sparring before Wang Dayong challenged him.

• Jiang Che bought writing supplies and furniture, then set up a letter-writing stall on West Market Street.
• An officer posted a reward notice for a missing person, and a scholar claimed that unclean things in the city could impersonate familiar people and steal their souls.
• Jiang Che earned thirty coins from three customers and hurried home as evening approached.
• Jiang Che entered the Flow State while watching Luo Kun practice, then used it to refine his own White Cloud Fist.
• Jiang Che easily beat Zhao Xisheng in their sparring match, and Wang Dayong stepped forward to challenge him.

Jiang Che defeated Wang Dayong by entering Flow State, and Luo Kun identified his mastery of the White Cloud Fist as Heart-Insight. After repeatedly defeating Wang Dayong the next morning, Jiang Che sensed Qi-Blood more clearly and became certain Flow State could help him break through.

• Luo Kun watched Zhang Xiong and Gong Yulei fight, then noticed Jiang Che defeat Zhao Xisheng and challenge Wang Dayong.
• Jiang Che entered Flow State and knocked Wang Dayong down with a precise strike, prompting Luo Kun to call his skill Heart-Insight.
• Luo Kun confirmed Jiang Che had no Qi-Blood and considered offering him a position as an assistant instructor.
• The next morning, Wang Dayong challenged Jiang Che again, and Jiang Che repeatedly used Flow State to defeat him.
• Wang Dayong broke down in frustration and left the Martial Arts Hall, while Jiang Che sensed Qi-Blood and concluded Flow State could help him break through.

Jiang Che used sparring with Zhang Xiong to sharpen his White Cloud Fist and strengthen his perception of Qi-Blood, while Gong Yulei and Zhang Xiong both broke through to the Blood-Qi Realm. With only a little over ten days left before his deadline to sense Qi-Blood, Jiang Che reached the edge of a breakthrough, perfected his fist technique, and gained the Omen talent.

• Gong Yulei defeated Zhang Xiong, broke through to the Blood-Qi Realm, and became a formal disciple of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall.
• Jiang Che discovered that sparring increased his White Cloud Fist proficiency and began training against Zhang Xiong, whose skill initially overwhelmed him.
• Over several days of sparring, Jiang Che improved enough to challenge Zhang Xiong, though the Flow State drained his mental energy and he eventually lost.
• Zhang Xiong broke through to the Blood-Qi Realm during a spar and credited Jiang Che with helping him advance.
• Jiang Che reached White Cloud Fist Perfection, sensed that he was close to breaking through, and gained the passive Omen skill.

Jiang Che struggled to break through to the Blood-Qi Realm as the Martial Arts Hall emptied, but a new calligraphy skill brought him a lucrative forgery job. On his way home with silver and a roast chicken, he was cornered by Zhao Hu and two other thugs.

• Zhao Xisheng said goodbye to Jiang Che and gave him a piece of dried Blood-Veined Perch before returning home to fish with his father.
• Jiang Che ate the fish and tried to break through, but his condensed Qi-Blood scattered at the crucial moment.
• Jiang Che noticed missing-person notices and heard merchants say that Black Wind Mountain's bandits had made travel unsafe, hurting his letter-writing business.
• At Wonderful Heart Studio, Jiang Che's writing advanced into Calligraphy Initiation, and the shopkeeper paid him five taels for an imitation and ordered ten more pieces.
• Jiang Che bought a roast chicken for himself and Jiang Ling, but Zhao Hu and two other men blocked his way home.

Jiang Che fought off Thunderbolt Gang thugs, but a green-eyed monster killed them before it could attack him, triggering his breakthrough into the Blood-Qi Realm. He returned home, promised Jiang Ling he would find their missing parents, and the next morning approached the alley where the monster had struck.

• Jiang Che defeated Zhao Hu, Skinny Monkey, and another Thunderbolt Gang thug after they demanded tribute and threatened him.
• When Skinny Monkey threatened Jiang Che and his sister, [Omen] warned Jiang Che of a monster in the alley; the monster killed all three thugs and pounced at him.
• Jiang Che broke through to the Blood-Qi Realm and escaped, while the monster stayed behind to feed on the corpses.
• Jiang Che brought roast chicken home to Jiang Ling, promised to search for their missing parents, and resolved to grow stronger.
• The next morning, Jiang Che approached the alley cautiously and saw more than a dozen people gathered there.

After escaping the slaughter of three gangsters, Jiang Che revealed that he had reached the Blood-Qi Realm and was formally accepted as Luo Kun’s disciple. He learned of White Cloud Martial Hall’s ties to the Azure Cloud Sect and prepared to begin his new training.

• Jiang Che saw Brother Blade threaten the crowd over the deaths of his younger brother and two other hooligans, then slipped away unnoticed.
• Jiang Che arrived at White Cloud Martial Hall, where the apprentices recognized that he had broken through to the Blood-Qi Realm.
• Luo Kun examined Jiang Che, took him to pay respects to the Azure Cloud Sect’s founder, and accepted him as an official disciple.
• Luo Kun explained the privileges and monthly duties of an official disciple, warned Jiang Che to nourish his Qi-Blood, and advised him to choose an affiliation in the martial world carefully.
• Jiang Che collected and put on his White Cloud uniform, then looked forward to showing it to his younger sister, Linger.

After becoming a formal disciple of White Cloud Martial Hall, Jiang Che returned home and celebrated with Jiang Ling while worrying about the dangers around them. He decided they needed to move to the East District, where the Martial Arts Hall could help keep them safe.

• Jiang Che’s disciple uniform frightened off thugs harassing an old farmer, and the farmer thanked him with wild greens.
• Jiang Che saw a nearby old man coughing blood and worried that Jiang Ling might catch consumption.
• Jiang Che returned home, found Jiang Ling safe, and warned her not to open the door to strangers or approach people who were coughing.
• Jiang Che gave Jiang Ling some silver and told her she could stop taking sewing work, then promised to seek their parents in Hengsha City with an escort agency.
• Jiang Che considered the dangers surrounding their home and decided to move with Jiang Ling to the East District.

Jiang Che joined the newly promoted Blood-Qi disciples as Luo Kun explained the realm’s stages and warned them against overtraining or taking too many tonics. Luo Kun demonstrated the Layered Cloud Fist, leaving the students stunned before Gong Yulei eagerly volunteered to try it.

• Jiang Che met Zhang Xiong, Gong Yulei, and Lin Xue'er in the advanced courtyard, where Luo Kun gathered the four new Blood-Qi disciples.
• Luo Kun explained the Ox-Hide, Stone Skin, and Iron Skin stages, then described the Force-Entering Realm and warned that reckless training or tonics could damage their meridians.
• Luo Kun told the disciples that medicinal soup could help regulate Qi-Blood but cost one tael per bowl, prompting Jiang Che to worry about his expenses and the need to earn money.
• Luo Kun demonstrated the Layered Cloud Fist, showcasing its powerful forms and astonishing force.
• Gong Yulei stepped forward and asked Luo Kun to let him try the fist.

Jiang Che learned Layered Cloud Fist after entering Flow State, while Gong Yulei and the other disciples used Soul Condensing Powder to control the Qi-Blood stirred by their practice. Unable to afford the medicine and troubled by slow progress, Jiang Che wondered whether Flow State could help him meditate faster.

• Gong Yulei, Lin Xue'er, and Zhang Xiong picked up Layered Cloud Fist quickly, while Jiang Che initially struggled with its movements.
• Jiang Che entered Flow State after becoming more familiar with the form and reached the beginner level of Layered Cloud Fist.
• Luo Kun praised Jiang Che's sudden improvement, mistaking his Flow State for another instance of Heart-Insight.
• During meditation, Gong Yulei struggled to calm his abundant Qi-Blood, so Luo Kun gave him Soul Condensing Powder; Lin Xue'er and Zhang Xiong also drank the costly medicine.
• Jiang Che declined the medicine because he lacked money, continued meditating, and wondered whether entering Flow State could speed up his Qi-Blood refinement.

Jiang Che discovered that calligraphy let him recover from the mental strain of entering the Flow State, allowing him to use it three times a day and accelerate his cultivation. His growing Qi-Blood left him physically depleted, however, and he realized he needed better nourishment to protect his body.

• Jiang Che failed to enter the Flow State a third time, then found Wonderful Heart Studio closed on two consecutive visits.
• Jiang Che used the Flow State to refine his Qi-Blood through meditation and discovered that practicing calligraphy restored his ability to enter the state.
• Jiang Che used calligraphy to practice Layered Cloud Fist twice and meditate once each day, while Zhang Xiong offered him money and Gong Yulei and Luo Kun focused on Gong Yulei's rapid progress.
• Jiang Che noticed dark circles and recognized that his weak diet could not sustain his Blood-Qi cultivation, so he concluded that he needed more nourishment.

Jiang Che chose to affiliate with Zhenyuan Escort Agency to earn money, buy nourishment, and travel to Hengsha City to search for his parents. He visited the agency and began learning about its routes and escort work.

• Jiang Che worried that he was falling behind his fellow martial artists and decided he needed to make money for food, medicine, and a safer home.
• Luo Kun announced three affiliated organizations, and Jiang Che chose Zhenyuan Escort Agency for its higher pay and trips to Hengsha City.
• The next morning, Jiang Che went to Zhenyuan Escort Agency and met Manager Wang.
• Manager Wang explained the agency's routes and travel times, and Jiang Che asked why freight escorts were more common than personal escorts.

Jiang Che joined Manager Wang’s escort agency, took an advance on his salary, and sought equipment to protect himself before taking dangerous escort work. He ordered spiked soft armor and a concealed Hand Spike, then began considering how to acquire poison.

• Manager Wang explained the risks of escort work, hired Jiang Che, and gave him thirty taels as an advance on his salary.
• Jiang Che decided to improve his defenses and went to Zhang's Smithy.
• Jiang Che ordered spiked soft armor, but the blacksmith said it would take a few days to make.
• Jiang Che designed a Hand Spike, bargained with the blacksmith, and paid a deposit for it.
• Jiang Che considered poisoning the Hand Spike and armor, but wondered where he could get poison.

Jiang Che failed to find a pharmacy willing to sell him paralyzing medicine, so he bought quicklime instead. He learned that Exotic Beast Meat could strengthen his Qi-Blood and followed Zhang Xiong to his family’s pharmacy, only to discover it was the same Hundred Herb Hall that had turned him away.

• Jiang Che asked the shopkeeper at Hundred Herb Hall for medicine that could paralyze someone, but the shopkeeper refused and sent him away.
• Jiang Che watched a boy turn a fight around by throwing ash into his opponent’s eyes, then bought a large packet of quicklime.
• Jiang Che met Zhang Xiong at the Martial Arts Hall and learned that Exotic Beast Meat strengthened a Martial Artist’s Qi-Blood; he ate a piece and felt his Qi-Blood improve.
• Zhang Xiong explained the grades and prices of Exotic Beast Meat and offered to take Jiang Che to his family’s pharmacy for a discount.
• After training, Zhang Xiong took Jiang Che to Hundred Herb Hall, where Jiang Che recognized the pharmacy that had refused to sell him medicine.

Jiang Che bought Exotic Beast Meat at Hundred Herb Hall, where Zhang Xiong also gave him poison and its antidote for self-defense. After Jiang Che left, Zhang Xiong revealed that Jiang Che’s exceptional fist technique had helped him break through to the Blood-Qi Realm, and he believed Jiang Che had a promising future.

• Jiang Che followed Zhang Xiong into Hundred Herb Hall, where Uncle Zhou initially mistook him for an outsider seeking poison.
• Zhang Xiong explained the different Exotic Beast Meats and advised Jiang Che to try several kinds to see which suited him.
• Jiang Che bought assorted jerky, including extra Pig-Sheep Beast meat, at Zhang Xiong’s discounted price.
• Zhang Xiong gave Jiang Che green numbing poison and white antidote for free, despite Jiang Che’s offer to pay.
• After Jiang Che left, Uncle Zhou questioned Zhang Xiong’s generosity, and Zhang Xiong explained that Jiang Che’s fist technique had helped him break through and convinced him Jiang Che would achieve great things.

Jiang Che strengthened his Qi-Blood with Exotic Beast Meat and accepted an escort run to Hengsha City. He worried about leaving Jiang Ling alone amid the Thunderbolt Gang’s search for a killer and the Green-Eyed Monster’s growing threat.

• Jiang Che bought roast chicken on his way home and learned that the Thunderbolt Gang was investigating the deaths of its members, whose heads and innards had been removed.
• Jiang Che shared roast chicken and Exotic Beast Meat jerky with Jiang Ling, then tested the different jerkies and found Shadow Ring Snake meat replenished his Qi-Blood best.
• Jiang Che practiced Layered Cloud Fist and saw that it was nearing Minor Accomplishment Realm.
• Li Qiang of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency invited Jiang Che on an escort run to Hengsha City, and Jiang Che immediately agreed.
• Jiang Che worried about leaving Jiang Ling alone while the Thunderbolt Gang searched the area and the Green-Eyed Monster remained at large.

Jiang Che arranged for Jiang Ling to stay safely at the Martial Arts Hall while he joined an escort convoy bound for Hengsha City. After preparing protective gear and poison, he left Abyss-Facing City and learned about the dangers beyond its walls as the convoy reached a village before nightfall.

• Jiang Che asked Luo Kun to let Jiang Ling stay at the Martial Arts Hall during his escort run, and Luo Kun agreed.
• Jiang Ling gave Jiang Che a sachet embroidered with “Safe Return,” and he brought her to stay in the East Wing.
• Jiang Che collected his soft armor and Hand Spike, coated them with Zhang Xiong’s poison, and packed lime powder before departure.
• Jiang Che joined the Zhenyuan Escort Agency convoy under Chief Escort Sun Yong and left the city for Hengsha City.
• Sun Yong explained the threats posed by bandits, horse thieves, and Black Beasts as Jiang Che watched the road.
• Before nightfall, Sun Yong led the convoy to a village to rest.

Jiang Che and Sun Yong’s escort caravan encountered a powerful Black Beast on the road to Hengsha City, and Jiang Che killed it with a single carefully timed strike. Afterward, Sun Yong revealed that the corpse was valuable, leaving Jiang Che curious about its uses.

• Jiang Che’s Omen warned the caravan of danger, and a black-furred Black Beast emerged from the roadside grass.
• Sun Yong fought the beast, but it revealed Stone Skin Realm strength and wounded him while driving him back.
• Jiang Che entered the Flow State, found an opening, and killed the Black Beast with the Layered Cloud Fist.
• Sun Yong and the escort guards thanked Jiang Che, and Sun Yong admitted the beast was a Stone Skin Realm Black Beast.
• Sun Yong called the corpse a treasure, and Jiang Che asked what made it valuable.

Jiang Che and the Zhenyuan Escort Agency defeated a Black Beast, and Sun Yong found a valuable Black Crystal inside it. After the escort reached Hengsha City, Jiang Che prepared to begin investigating his parents’ disappearance at the Li Estate.

• Sun Yong struggled to cut open the Black Beast and discovered that Jiang Che had crushed its heart with a single punch.
• Sun Yong found a Black Crystal inside the beast and explained that it could help Black Beasts advance and was worth at least five hundred taels of silver.
• Sun Yong offered to buy the Black Crystal for the Zhenyuan Escort Agency, and Jiang Che accepted the offer and took the crystal until payment could be made.
• Sun Yong explained that the dead Black Beast’s remains and strange force could not be used, and the escort group continued on to Hengsha City.
• After the goods were handed over, the escort guards dispersed, while Jiang Che stayed behind and prepared to investigate his parents’ disappearance at the Li Estate.