Chapter Summaries

Jiang Che and Li Rushan followed a little girl to her sick mother, where Jiang Che’s omen warned him of danger. The Blood Spirit Cult’s ambush was revealed, and as Lotus attacked Jiang Che, Li Rushan hurled Red Tiger into her.

• A little girl stopped Li Rushan’s carriage and begged him to help her ill mother, so Li Rushan and Jiang Che followed her into the village.
• Jiang Che sensed danger when they reached the woman, but Red Tiger and Lotus appeared and revealed the ambush.
• The woman and the girl died after spitting out black blood filled with writhing worms, and Jiang Che recognized their attackers as the Blood Spirit Cult.
• Li Rushan attacked Lotus and told Jiang Che to escape, while Jiang Che broke through the mud wall and found Lotus blocking his way.
• Lotus lunged at Jiang Che, but Red Tiger crashed through the wall and struck her, sending them both rolling across the ground.

Jiang Che, disguised in black armor, rescued Li Rushan from Lotus and Red Tiger after they used a secret art and poison to overpower him. He left Li Rushan on the road to Seven Star Fort and stayed behind to hold off the Blood Slaughter Envoys, whose attacks and poison could not keep him down.

• Lotus and Red Tiger swallowed black pills, transformed, and attacked Li Rushan while their poison slowed his movements.
• A black-armored Jiang Che took a fatal-looking blow meant for Li Rushan, healed rapidly, and used lime powder and fake sounds to escape with him.
• Jiang Che carried Li Rushan to Old Wang's carriage and told them to hurry back to Seven Star Fort for reinforcements and treatment.
• Jiang Che turned back to block Lotus and Red Tiger from pursuing the carriage and began fighting them.
• Lotus and Red Tiger repeatedly injured Jiang Che, but he recovered from their blows and appeared unaffected by the poison they had placed on him.

Jiang Che escaped a prolonged fight with Lotus and Red Tiger, then reached Seven Star Fort after a gate guard doubted his claim to be a guest elder. At Bamboo Listening Pavilion, a physician discovered Jiang Che's wrist hardened like iron and identified his Innate Hardened Body as the reason the poison had not affected him.

• Lotus and Red Tiger fled after their secret arts began to wear off, and Jiang Che released his transformation, worried about the Heart of the Black Abyss and its strange whispers.
• Jiang Che reached Seven Star Fort but could not show his guest-elder token, so a red-nosed guard turned him away despite his mention of Li Rushan.
• Old Wang came out of the fort, confirmed Jiang Che's identity, and sent the guard after him; Jiang Che initially fled before learning Li Rushan wanted him at Bamboo Listening Pavilion.
• Jiang Che followed Old Wang to the pavilion and found Li Rushan receiving treatment from a bald physician named Old Zhang.
• Old Zhang examined Jiang Che, forced his Qi-Blood to circulate by gripping his wrist, and recognized his Innate Hardened Body as the reason he had resisted poison.

Jiang Che traded medicine testing for Zhang Jinghuai’s promise to have a fine saber forged, then met Seven Star Gang Leader Li Hanchuan and won his trust by defending his freedom to dress as he pleased. Li Hanchuan sent Shadow Owl to investigate Li Estate and Jiang Che’s missing parents, while the Blood Spirit Cult’s agents discovered a Seven Star Gang token and Jiang Che continued testing Zhang Jinghuai’s dangerous medicines.

• Zhang Jinghuai offered Jiang Che rewards for testing medicines, and Jiang Che chose a fine saber, prompting Zhang to promise to ask Situ Xuan to forge one.
• Li Rushan brought Jiang Che to meet Li Hanchuan, who surprised Jiang Che by appearing as a woman; Jiang Che defended his freedom to dress as he wished, and Li Hanchuan accepted his answer.
• Jiang Che and Li Rushan told Li Hanchuan about the Blood Spirit Cult ambush and Jiang Che’s suspicions about Li Estate, so Li Hanchuan sent Shadow Owl to investigate Hengsha City.
• Red Tiger and Lotus found a Seven Star Gang token at Li Jishi’s remains and suspected someone from the gang had taken the Black Abyss Flesh; Shadow Owl followed them after they destroyed the evidence.
• Jiang Che spent the following days testing Zhang Jinghuai’s medicines, and Zhang prepared to give him a new Qi-Blood supplement made with poisonous substances.

Jiang Che advanced his martial arts and poison resistance while investigating the Shao Estate’s decline and the suspiciously normal Li Estate. After strengthening several talents and mastering a blade art, he learned that Situ Xuan had emerged from seclusion and could forge him a blade.

• Zhang Jinghuai increased Jiang Che’s medicine doses, and Jiang Che’s Qi-Blood rose rapidly as he advanced to the Mid-Stage Stone Skin Realm and gained poison resistance.
• Jiang Che learned that the Shao Estate was in decline, with its businesses reportedly passing to the Zhao Family, and he grew concerned about its fate.
• Jiang Che perfected Rock-Splitting Fist, gained Mountain-Collapsing, and later advanced Layered Cloud Fist and Flying Swallow Steps to Major Accomplishment Realm.
• Shadow Owl reported no abnormalities at Li Estate, so Jiang Che decided to investigate it himself after reaching the Iron Skin Realm.
• Jiang Che mastered several basic fist arts, gaining stronger Mountain-Collapsing, enhanced omen, and Life-Prolonging, then perfected Wave-Breaking Blade and gained Limit-Breaking.
• Jiang Che discovered that Limit-Breaking could also trigger with his fists, then heard that Situ Xuan had emerged from seclusion and went to seek a blade from him.

Jiang Che received the two-hundred-jin Kunji Blade from Situ Xuan after proving his strength in a spar, then advanced his martial arts and Qi-Blood through a month of training. He went to Li Rushan to learn about hunting Black Beasts, and after drinking with hunter Qin Yue, he stepped outside and activated the Heart of the Black Abyss.

• Zhang Jinghuai brought Jiang Che to Situ Xuan, who tested his strength with increasingly heavy blades and recognized his Innate Hardened Body.
• Jiang Che wielded a two-hundred-jin blade and sparred with Situ Xuan, who gave him the Kunji Blade as the weapon best suited to him.
• Jiang Che trained with the Kunji Blade for a month, perfected two basic blade techniques, and reached the Late-Stage Stone Skin Realm before running out of Black Crystals.
• Zhang Jinghuai revealed that his mysterious medicine was intended to improve Jiang Che's appearance, then sent him to Li Rushan for information about hunting Black Beasts.
• Li Rushan introduced Jiang Che to Qin Yue, a leading hunter who planned to take a team into the mountains, and Jiang Che agreed to drink with him to secure a place.
• After leaving the tavern to relieve himself, Jiang Che took off his clothes and invoked the Heart of the Black Abyss.

Jiang Che joined Qin Yue’s Black Beast hunting expedition to learn the terrain and collect Black Crystals. On Moon Gazing Mountain, Jiang Che decapitated an Iron Skin Realm Iron-Hoof Ox with one slash, and the hunters discovered that his blade really weighed two hundred jin.

• Jiang Che used his transformation to sober up, then drank the hunters under the table and earned Qin Yue’s respect.
• Five days later, Jiang Che joined Qin Yue’s expedition, and Qin Yue explained the local mountains, Black Beasts, and dangers of hunting.
• The group climbed Moon Gazing Mountain, used bait to lure Black Horned Sheep, and killed them for their Black Crystals.
• Qin Yue tested Jiang Che with an Eight-Stone Bow and was astonished when Jiang Che drew it with ease.
• The hunters surrounded an Iron-Hoof Ox, and Jiang Che beheaded it with one slash when it charged him.
• Qin Yue lifted Kunji Blade, confirmed it weighed two hundred jin, and asked Jiang Che where he had gotten it.

Jiang Che hunted with Qin Yue’s group, absorbed an Iron Skin Realm Black Crystal, and later gained the Insight talent, which helped him strike a Black Beast’s weakness. After training his saber art, he heard alarming reports that the True Mother Cult’s rebels had seized Yan Province, only for a nearby man to claim Great Yan Kingdom had withdrawn and the war was won.

• Qin Yue’s group praised Jiang Che’s strength, hunted Black Beasts with him for five days, and paid him two Iron Skin Realm and fifteen Stone Skin Realm Black Crystals.
• Jiang Che absorbed an Iron Skin Realm Black Crystal, found that his transformed body had grown stronger, and visited Luo Kun, leaving Jiang Ling at the Martial Arts Hall to continue training.
• Jiang Che mastered Long River Sword and gained the Insight talent, then used it with Flow State to spot an Iron-Hoof Ox’s weakness and kill it.
• Jiang Che trained Prison-Suppressing Saber to Minor Accomplishment after returning home.
• At a teahouse, Jiang Che heard that the True Mother Cult’s rebels had occupied Yan Province with an army of several hundred thousand, before a man announced that Great Yan Kingdom had withdrawn and the war was won.

Jiang Che grew stronger while preparing for unrest and joined a hunt for Thorn-Skin Pigs, where his saber skills proved far more powerful than he expected. Niu Yan witnessed Jiang Che slay Iron Skin Realm beasts with ease and struggled to accept that the young martial artist was responsible.

• Jiang Che learned that the imperial court had defeated the rebels but continued training, reaching Major Accomplishment in the Prison-Suppressing Saber and beginning the Eight Sufferings Vajra Zen.
• At the Martial Arts Hall, Luo Kun confirmed Gong Yulei had reached Iron Skin Realm and announced a fist-match against the Gale Martial Arts Hall in two months.
• Liu Hai recruited Jiang Che and other martial artists to hunt Thorn-Skin Pigs; Niu Yan of the Gale Martial Arts Hall joined the group, hoping to win a Force-Energy Pill.
• Jiang Che effortlessly killed Stone Skin Realm Thorn-Skin Pigs with single saber strikes, then decapitated two Iron Skin Realm pigs at once.
• Niu Yan fought and killed an Iron Skin Realm Thorn-Skin Pig, then found Jiang Che's trail of one-strike kills and assumed someone had brought a powerful helper.
• Niu Yan saw Jiang Che slaughter a group of Thorn-Skin Pigs, including Iron Skin Realm beasts, and concluded that Jiang Che's saber—not Jiang Che himself—must be extraordinarily powerful.

Jiang Che defeated Niu Yan, exchanged Black Crystals for gold, and began searching Moon Gazing Mountain for Dove-Red Mushrooms to help Zhang Jinghuai develop poison arts. There he discovered a group capturing hunters, and the chapter ended with Jiang Che transforming into Black Armor and knocking their powerful leader away with one punch.

• Jiang Che defeated Niu Yan with a single punch, and Niu Yan mistook him for Gong Yulei and vowed to challenge him at the martial arts exchange.
• Jiang Che exchanged forty-six Stone Skin Realm Black Crystals for gold and agreed to help Zhang Jinghuai experiment with a poison art, for a reward he would choose later.
• After hearing that a hunting party had disappeared on Moon Gazing Mountain, Jiang Che searched the mountain for Dove-Red Mushrooms and collected several kinds of mushrooms.
• Jiang Che discovered animal-skin-clad Martial Artists capturing hunters, but a Blade-Tooth Leopard exposed his hiding place and the group surrounded him.
• The group's Half-Step Force-Entering Realm leader pursued Jiang Che, who transformed into Black Armor, crushed the man's saber, and sent him flying with a punch.

Jiang Che killed Tuoba Lie’s adopted son while transformed, then learned the Five Poisons Technique and tried to keep his identity hidden as Black Wind Mountain searched for the murderer. A hunter who suspected Jiang Che had a connection to the killing proposed investigating him, but Wang Jin objected to reporting their benefactor.

• Jiang Che’s black-armored transformation drove him to kill the bandits, including their Half-Step Force-Entering Realm leader, before he returned to normal and escaped down the mountain.
• Jiang Che rescued Wang Jin, Hu Biao, and other hunters, then took the bandits’ supplies and manuals home, discovering that they carried Black Wind badges and had ties to Tuoba Lie.
• At Bamboo Listening Pavilion, Zhang Jinghuai identified Jiang Che’s poisonous mushrooms, helped him master the Five Poisons Technique, and began teaching him how to compound antidotes.
• Jiang Che heard that Tuoba Lie had offered a hundred thousand taels for the killer and decided to avoid carrying his saber or leaving the city.
• Hu Biao told Wang Jin that the bandit chief’s adopted son had died on Moon Gazing Mountain and suspected Jiang Che’s supposed companion was the mysterious saber wielder; Wang Jin challenged Hu Biao’s suggestion to report the boy who had saved them.

Jiang Che joined Hundred Herb Hall’s escort mission for its precious Stone Snow Fruit shipment, where the hired leader Ma Chuan proved cowardly and overbearing. When two notorious bandits ambushed the group, Jiang Che revealed his strength by killing them both with single slashes and left Ma Chuan trembling after a warning cut.

• Wang Jin warned Hu Biao not to trust the horse bandits’ promise of a hundred thousand taels, and Hu Biao agreed not to report them.
• Jiang Che went to Hundred Herb Hall and joined Zhang Xiong’s escort team to transport the harvested Stone Snow Fruits into Abyss-Facing City.
• Ma Chuan led the shipment’s escort, claimed the Black Crystals from several Black-Toothed Pigs, and ordered Jiang Che to clear away their corpses.
• The Corpse Field Twin Farmers appeared on the road and announced that they had been paid to kill everyone and seize the goods; Ma Chuan tried to flee but was stopped.
• Jiang Che borrowed Ma Chuan’s saber and killed the short, fat twin, then caught and killed the tall, thin twin as he fled.
• Ma Chuan begged for his life and handed Jiang Che his gold bars; Zhang Xiong condemned his desertion, and Jiang Che cut Ma Chuan’s throat lightly to frighten him.

Jiang Che saved Zhang Xiong’s convoy from the Corpse Field Twin Farmers, exposed Ma Chuan’s cowardice to the Zhang family, and collected compensation from him. After the goods were delivered, Zhang Xiong told Jiang Che that the Zhao Family was behind the attacks and that his family planned to leave Abyss-Facing City for Cang Prefecture.

• Jiang Che forced Ma Chuan to promise twenty thousand taels, then concealed the Corpse Field Twin Farmers’ bodies while Zhang Xiong agreed to hide Jiang Che’s involvement.
• Zhang Xu learned from a Four Seas Pavilion note that the Corpse Field Twin Farmers had been hired to attack the shipment, then waited anxiously for the convoy.
• When the convoy returned safely, Zhang Xiong and the guards told Zhang Xu that Jiang Che had defeated the bandits and Ma Chuan had fled.
• Zhang Xu thanked Jiang Che, while the Zhang Family kept the incident quiet and collected a large payment from Ma Chuan.
• At Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Zhang Xiong told Jiang Che that the Zhao Family had targeted Hundred Herb Hall and that his family would close the shop and move to Cang Prefecture.
• Jiang Che asked Zhang Xiong whether he would continue practicing martial arts.

After Zhang Xiong left, Jiang Che received a method for producing Exotic Beast Meat and later used High-Grade Exotic Beast Meat to break through to the Iron Skin Realm. He planned to test his transformed strength against a Force-Entering Realm Black Beast, but an omen warned him that two powerful assailants were about to attack.

• Zhang Xiong told Jiang Che that the Zhao Family was raising a private army and offered to reunite with him in Cang Prefecture if Abyss-Facing City became unsafe.
• Zhang Xiong gave Jiang Che a half jade pendant, a notebook detailing how to produce Exotic Beast Meat, and Four Seas Pavilion's contact information before leaving.
• A month and a half later, Jiang Che reached Major Accomplishment in the Eight Sufferings Vajra Zen and began training the Shadow Trace Steps.
• After eating High-Grade Exotic Beast Meat, Jiang Che broke through to the Iron Skin Realm, tested his strength by sending an eight-hundred-jin bell flying, and transformed using the Heart of the Black Abyss.
• Jiang Che decided to test his transformed strength against a Force-Entering Realm Black Beast on Moon Gazing Mountain, but remembered the sparring match with Gale Martial Arts Hall and headed to the Martial Arts Hall.
• As Jiang Che stepped outside, his upgraded Omen showed two attackers stronger than Peak Iron Skin Realm but below the Force-Entering Realm rushing to assassinate him.

Jiang Che lured Red Tiger and Lotus into a forest, where he fought them after they transformed and ultimately killed them using his black-armored form. He stopped himself from attacking an innocent fisherman, assessed the limits of his strength, and hurried to the Martial Arts Hall for the competition.

• Jiang Che left for the outskirts after realizing Red Tiger and Lotus were following him, and he confronted them by the Quicksand River.
• Red Tiger and Lotus used pills to transform, overpowering Jiang Che and poisoning him during their fight.
• Lotus revealed that they had come from Squire Li's estate, and Jiang Che confirmed his suspicion before transforming into his black-armored form.
• Jiang Che killed Red Tiger and Lotus, then stopped himself from attacking a fisherman when the transformation's killing intent took hold.
• Jiang Che concluded that he could defeat Iron Skin Realm opponents but did not know whether he could match a Force-Entering Realm Martial Artist, disposed of the bodies, and hurried to the Martial Arts Hall.

White Cloud Martial Hall and Gale Martial Arts Hall held a fist exchange, where Hu Hui and Gong Yulei won several matches before Niu Yan defeated Gong Yulei with one blow. As the match seemed to end in Gale Martial Arts Hall’s favor, Jiang Che arrived and challenged that conclusion.

• White Cloud Martial Hall lost most of the Ox-Hide and Stone Skin matches, until Hu Hui defeated three Gale Martial Arts Hall disciples before losing to their Peak Stone Skin fighter.
• Gong Yulei won his first two Iron Skin matches, but Niu Yan then knocked him out of the arena with a single punch and fractured his arm.
• Niu Yan mocked Gong Yulei and argued with White Cloud Martial Hall disciples, prompting Luo Kun to silence them and rebuke their response to defeat.
• As Li Hong prepared to leave with Gale Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Che entered the courtyard and declared that the exchange was not over.

Jiang Che revealed his Iron Skin Realm strength and defeated Niu Yan with a single kick, stunning both martial halls. He then fought Cao Tieliu to a draw, leaving Luo Kun convinced Jiang Che had extraordinary potential and wondering if he was a better candidate than Gong Yulei for the Azure Cloud Sect.

• Jiang Che arrived at the gathering and revealed that he had reached the Iron Skin Realm, shocking Gong Yulei and the White Cloud Martial Hall disciples.
• Niu Yan recognized Jiang Che as the man who had tricked him and attacked, but Jiang Che kicked him through the courtyard wall and sent him flying into the street.
• Luo Kun revealed that Jiang Che possessed an Innate Hardened Body, while Lin Xue'er struggled to accept that Jiang Che had concealed his strength.
• Cao Tieliu challenged Jiang Che, and the two exchanged about twenty blows before stopping their spar as a draw.
• Luo Kun praised Jiang Che's strength and wondered whether he was better suited than Gong Yulei to join the Azure Cloud Sect.

After Jiang Che drew with Cao Tieliu, Abyss-Facing City’s factions sought to recruit him, while Luo Kun taught him about Force-Entering and revealed the White Cloud Martial Hall’s Fundamental Diagram. Jiang Che memorized the diagram in one viewing, and the chapter ended with night watchmen discovering a fire at Li Estate in Hengsha City.

• Jiang Che’s fight with Cao Tieliu made him famous, and Gong Yulei and Lin Xue'er approached him after overcoming their contempt and jealousy.
• Representatives of Abyss-Facing City’s families and businesses, apprentices, and former disciples crowded around Jiang Che, but he politely refused to join another force.
• Luo Kun explained that Force-Entering martial artists wielded Force Energy and that a Fundamental Diagram was necessary to cultivate it.
• Luo Kun showed Jiang Che the White Cloud Martial Hall’s Fundamental Diagram, and Jiang Che entered its scene and memorized its details after one viewing.
• Jiang Che recalled the diagram in Flow State, causing his Qi-Blood to circulate faster, and Luo Kun recognized his exceptional comprehension.
• Two night watchmen in Hengsha City spotted a fire at Li Estate and hurried to raise the alarm.

The Sacrificial Chancellor’s attempt to summon the Lord of the Black Abyss failed, while Jiang Che tested himself against a Force-Entering Black Beast on Moon Gazing Mountain. After surviving and preparing more poison, Jiang Che arranged to travel to Hengsha City with Zhenyuan Escort Agency; the Sacrificial Chancellor entered Abyss-Facing City to reclaim the Black Abyss Flesh but left after receiving a message.

• The Sacrificial Chancellor watched Li Estate burn and resolved to reclaim the Black Abyss Flesh in Abyss-Facing City and try the summoning again.
• Jiang Che found horse bandits hunting Black Crystals on Moon Gazing Mountain and suspected they were gathering resources to support many Martial Artists.
• Jiang Che fought the tiger-shaped Force-Entering Black Beast, discovering his transformation let him survive its attacks, then escaped when it stopped pursuing him.
• Jiang Che gathered mushrooms, prepared poison paste with Zhang Jinghuai, and arranged to join Zhenyuan Escort Agency’s run to Hengsha City.
• The Sacrificial Chancellor entered Abyss-Facing City to follow a bee toward the Black Abyss Flesh, but left after reading a message delivered by a magpie.

Jiang Che uncovered the Blood Spirit Cult’s underground prison beneath Li Estate and found hundreds of victims, but none were his parents. He later confirmed they had never entered Hengsha City, leaving their fate—and whereabouts—unknown.

• Jiang Che returned to Hengsha City, discovered Li Estate had burned down, and reasoned that the estate must have had a hidden underground passage.
• Jiang Che broke through the ruins into an underground prison, where he found cages, a dead Blood Beast, and hundreds of bound corpses arranged around it.
• Jiang Che searched the victims for his parents but found no sign of them, while learning that the Blood Spirit Cult’s ritual had failed.
• Jiang Che joined relatives claiming the recovered bodies and learned from Aunt Li that the carpenters, including his parents, had never been recorded entering Hengsha City.
• Jiang Che secretly questioned several guards with hallucinogenic poison and confirmed the city-entry records were accurate, then wondered what had happened to his parents outside the city.