Recaps

After recovering memories of his past life, Chen Cheng learned that the Black Wolf Gang’s Laitou had nearly killed him and that he had lost his job. He set out with Madam Li to seek a promised chance to learn martial arts and retrieve his father’s letter, but an ancient eye-shaped mark suddenly formed in his mind.

• Chen Cheng woke in the slums and recalled his past life after being knocked unconscious by Laitou of the Black Wolf Gang.
• He told Madam Li that Laitou had robbed him, cost him his job at the Tea Horse Trading Firm, and might come after him again.
• Chen Cheng resolved to learn martial arts, but he and Madam Li had almost no money or food.
• Madam Li revealed that Chen Cheng’s grandfather had promised him six months of free martial arts instruction and that his father’s letter had been delivered to his grandfather’s home.
• Chen Cheng and Madam Li left to seek the martial arts instruction and retrieve the letter.
• A torrent of strange power surged into Chen Cheng’s mind and formed an ancient mark shaped like a vertical eye.

Chen Cheng and Madam Li left the Chen family after Old Master Chen denied Chen Cheng the promised chance to learn martial arts, and Chen Cheng declared their ties severed. While reading his father's family letter, Chen Cheng awakened a new ability that let him understand the world's written language.

• Chen Cheng suspected Eldest Aunt had diverted his chance to learn martial arts to Chen Hao, and Old Master Chen confirmed that Chen Hao had already entered the Martial Hall.
• Chen Cheng told the Chen family that he and Madam Li would no longer acknowledge them, then retrieved his father's family letter.
• Third Uncle gave Chen Cheng some wild vegetables and firewood as the mother and son left, while Eldest Aunt mocked him from the courtyard.
• Chen Cheng discovered he could not read the family letter until the mark in his mind activated and revealed the ability [Word-Breaking Literacy].

Chen Cheng discovered that the Vertical Eye Mark could turn clear memories from his past life into permanent skills, giving him a way to learn martial arts despite lacking money. He began practicing Health-Preserving Taiji Fist at home while the threat of the Black Wolf Gang’s tax still hung over him and his mother.

• Chen Cheng understood the letter about his father’s Death Squad Camp service and ten-tael reward, but hid its contents from Madam Li because the money had gone to the old family home.
• Aunt Zhang and the other village women questioned Chen Cheng about his work before Scar Bear warned that the Black Wolf Gang’s Peace Tax would be due in seven days.
• Chen Cheng realized he and Madam Li might not be able to pay the sixty copper coins or afford food, and he searched for a way to escape their poverty.
• Chen Cheng used the Vertical Eye Mark on clear memories from his past life and gained Beginner-level Health-Preserving Taiji Fist.
• Chen Cheng invited Madam Li to practice with him, but she refused because she needed to conserve her strength for work, so he began practicing alone in their cramped room.

Chen Cheng sought a way to learn a lethal martial art and went to Dragon Mountain Martial Hall to try for its tuition-waived Lower Academy, despite its dangerous Death-Pledge Contract. The chapter ended as the Hall began testing the youths’ comprehension after checking their bones.

• Chen Cheng discovered that each flawless round of Health-Preserving Taiji Fist increased his progress, but decided he needed a lethal art before the Black Wolf Gang collected its Peace Tax in seven days.
• Xiao Long told Chen Cheng about Dragon Mountain Martial Hall’s Lower Academy, where promising slum youths could waive tuition by signing a Death-Pledge Contract and cultivating a stick of Blood Qi within six months.
• Chen Cheng declined Xiao Long’s offer to join the Clear River Gang and went to Dragon Mountain Martial Hall in Peaceful Lane.
• A fat Martial Hall examiner checked Chen Cheng’s bones and directed him to the left, then announced a comprehension test.

Chen Cheng signed the Death-Pledge Contract and became a disciple of Dragon Mountain Martial Hall’s Lower Academy after impressing Fang Wenhou with his comprehension. With the Vertical Eye Mark revealing the Dragon-Subduing Stake’s secrets, Chen Cheng mastered the breathing method almost instantly, though his poor innate bones still threatened his cultivation.

• Chen Cheng was the last youth to imitate the Dragon-Subduing Stake, and Fang Wenhou praised his exceptional comprehension despite his weak innate bones.
• Chen Cheng accepted the risk and signed the Death-Pledge Contract, becoming a Lower Academy disciple and learning the hall’s rules from Fang Wenhou.
• Fang Wenhou allowed Chen Cheng to eat in the kitchen, where Chen Cheng filled himself with porridge and flatbread but left the remaining food behind for fear of breaking the rules.
• Fang Wenhou corrected Chen Cheng’s stance and began teaching the breathing method, but Chen Cheng’s Vertical Eye Mark had already revealed the technique’s hidden details.
• Chen Cheng instantly achieved the correct breathing and completed the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique, which advanced to Beginner (1/300).

Chen Cheng began training at Dragon Mountain Martial Hall, where he learned the limits of his body and discovered how the Vertical Eye Mark recognized martial arts. After a grueling day, he used the Health-Preserving Taiji Fist to ease his exhaustion and fell asleep feeling nourished by its warm current.

• Chen Cheng collapsed after practicing the Crouching Dragon Stake Technique, and Fatty Fang warned him not to train past exhaustion.
• Chen Cheng watched the youths practice Crouching Dragon Fist and realized the Vertical Eye Mark required him to see a flawless performance from beginning to end before it granted entry.
• Shi Lei befriended Chen Cheng, but several youths lost interest when they learned he had been selected for comprehension rather than innate foundation.
• Chen Cheng trained until evening, then returned to Bitter Locust Village while an unseen observer watched him leave Dragon Mountain Martial Hall.
• Chen Cheng told Madam Li that Xiao Long had helped him enter the martial hall, and she offered to work more to repay the tuition.
• Chen Cheng practiced Health-Preserving Taiji Fist, which eased his soreness and left him feeling nourished as he slept.

Chen Cheng trained at Dragon Mountain Martial Hall, where Fatty Fang praised his grasp of the Crouching Dragon techniques but warned that his weak physique could be ruined without nourishing food and medicine. Zhang Ping returned Chen Cheng’s unpaid wages and explained that Laitou had been crippled, leaving Chen Cheng resolved to grow stronger in a world that showed no kindness to the weak.

• Chen Cheng practiced the Crouching Dragon Stake Technique and recovered remarkably quickly after the previous day’s training.
• Fatty Fang demonstrated the Crouching Dragon Fist Technique, praised Chen Cheng’s understanding, and warned that his physique might fail under the training without nourishment.
• Shi Lei told Chen Cheng that Zhang Ping had come looking for him, and Chen Cheng went to meet the steward outside the hall.
• Zhang Ping gave Chen Cheng his outstanding wages and said the Proprietor had sent them, then revealed that Guard Zhao had crippled Laitou instead of killing him.
• Chen Cheng agreed to let the matter with Laitou pass and concluded that he needed to keep growing stronger to escape the lot of the weak.

Chen Cheng bought cheap fish, learned that the Black Wolf Gang was raising the Peace Tax, and watched Scar Bear exempt Hu Niu’s family because her brother Xiao Long had become a martial master. Over the following week, Chen Cheng and Madam Li paid their tax while he trained and sought cheap meat; at the Martial Hall, Shi Lei told him that King Yama Fang had just recruited a girl who seemed to be receiving gentler treatment than Chen Cheng.

• Chen Cheng bought two jin of small fish at Buckwheat Alley and learned from an old hunter that Master Lai of the Black Wolf Gang had recently had a leg broken.
• Madam Li told Chen Cheng that she had earned twenty coppers washing black cloth, and Scar Bear announced that everyone’s Peace Tax would rise by twenty coppers.
• Scar Bear waived Hu Niu’s family’s Peace Tax because her brother Xiao Long had become a martial master, while Chen Cheng silently endured Scar Bear’s contempt.
• Chen Cheng and Madam Li paid their Peace Tax over the next seven days, and Chen Cheng ate cheap meat while training the Crouching Dragon Fist and Health-Preserving Taiji Fist.
• Shi Lei told Chen Cheng that King Yama Fang had recruited a girl who had stood in horse stance all morning without being beaten or scolded.

Chen Cheng refused Shi Lei’s offer to join a gang clash, then used the Black Wolf Gang’s absence to kill Laitou and steal money. He left the courtyard without leaving a trace, having secured funds while keeping himself out of the public fight.

• Shi Lei told Chen Cheng about a gifted new girl and the coming competition for Blood Refining Powder, then offered him money to stand with the Clear River Gang; Chen Cheng refused.
• Wang Han, Ma Zhao, and other disciples mocked Chen Cheng for his poor aptitude and caution, while Shi Lei defended him.
• Chen Cheng watched Laitou’s courtyard for seven nights and waited until Laitou’s three fellow Black Wolf Gang lackeys were away at the clash.
• Chen Cheng entered the courtyard and killed Laitou with a spear stone, then stabbed him with his dagger.
• Chen Cheng searched the rooms, took Laitou’s money pouch and hidden coins, cleaned himself, and slipped away into the night.

Chen Cheng concealed the bloody work that earned him money from his mother and used his remaining coins to support his meals and martial training. At the Chen family shop, Chen Hao revealed that Chen Cheng had entered Dragon Mountain Hall’s dangerous Lower Academy, leaving Chen An worried and Old Chen angry again.

• Chen Cheng burned his bloodstained clothes, gave Madam Li three strings of copper coins, and promised there would be no next time.
• Chen Cheng ate meat and trained at the Martial Hall, where he guided Qiao Qiao through the Crouching Dragon Fist and later checked on the withdrawn Shi Lei.
• Chen An told Old Chen and Chen Yong that Chen Cheng had joined Dragon Mountain Martial Hall, but Chen Yong questioned whether he could afford martial training.
• Chen Hao said Chen Cheng had entered Dragon Mountain Hall’s Lower Academy, where students had to cultivate One-Incense Blood Qi within half a year or risk being sent on deadly missions.
• Chen An asked whether Chen Cheng could still succeed, and Chen Hao dismissed his chances without a strong natural foundation and ample resources.

Chen Cheng encountered Scar Bear, who dismissed the idea that he had killed Laitou, while Master Zhao ordered Laitou’s former companions to find the murderer within a month. At a reunion dinner with Xiao Long, Hu Niu, Liang Guang, and Cao Badou, Chen Cheng endured their condescension and chose to walk Hu Niu home as the others went out drinking.

• Chen Cheng met Scar Bear on his way home, and Scar Bear judged him too inexperienced to have killed Laitou.
• Master Zhao threatened Laitou’s three former companions with a one-month deadline to find the killer, and they speculated that Laitou resembled him.
• Chen Cheng went to Zhaofu Restaurant, where Xiao Long, Hu Niu, Liang Guang, and Cao Badou had gathered for dinner.
• Liang Guang and Cao Badou talked down to Chen Cheng and urged Xiao Long to leave the Clear River Gang, while Chen Cheng remained quiet and ate.
• When Liang Guang and Cao Badou invited the others to Dream Relic Pavilion, Chen Cheng declined and offered to walk Hu Niu home.
• Chen Cheng and Hu Niu headed toward Bitter Locust Village together as Xiao Long, Liang Guang, and Cao Badou went deeper into Lenan Ward.

Chen Cheng’s martial arts training advanced over the month, and Zhao Shan came to the academy to take him away over a suspected murder. Chen Cheng resisted Zhao Shan’s lackey, but Fatty Fang forced Zhao Shan to leave for lack of evidence.

• Chen Cheng continued practicing Health-Preserving Taiji after returning home, and a month of meat-rich meals strengthened his body and accelerated his training.
• Qiao Qiao stayed close to Chen Cheng and helped care for him, while Fatty Fang rewarded her with a room, training clothes, and nourishing food.
• Zhang Ping brought Chen Cheng to the gate, where Zhao Shan and three Black Wolf Gang lackeys confronted him over the suspected murder of Zhao Shan’s nephew.
• When a lackey tried to grab him, Chen Cheng seized his wrist with Dragon Tooth Nail, and Shi Lei and Qiao Qiao came out to support him.
• Fatty Fang identified himself as a disciple of Longshan Middle Academy and demanded evidence; Zhao Shan had none and left after threatening Chen Cheng.

After Zhao Shan’s failed attempt to seize Chen Cheng, Chen Cheng learned that Zhao Shan would leave town the next morning. At the academy’s Minor Competition, Shi Lei lost to Wang Han, and Chen Cheng stepped forward to challenge him.

• Zhao Shan beat his three lackeys for botching their investigation, then left Peaceful Lane furious at Chen Cheng.
• Zhang Ping told Chen Cheng that Zhao Shan would leave with a caravan the next morning, and Chen Cheng silently noted the timing.
• Fatty Fang brought Chen Cheng to the Lower Academy’s Minor Competition, where Wang Han emerged as the favored contender for the Blood Refining Powder.
• Shi Lei challenged Wang Han to avenge Ma Zhao, but Wang Han outmaneuvered him until Fatty Fang intervened to stop a potentially crippling blow.
• Chen Cheng challenged Wang Han despite Fatty Fang’s doubts and Shi Lei’s warning, and Fatty Fang allowed the competition to continue.

Chen Cheng defeated Wang Han and received the Blood Refining Powder from Fatty Fang despite choosing it over cash to support his family. He mastered the Crouching Dragon Fist and successfully condensed Blood Qi, breaking through as the gathered disciples watched.

• Chen Cheng outmaneuvered Wang Han and held back a finishing blow, forcing Wang Han to admit defeat and beg for the Blood Refining Powder.
• Chen Cheng asked Fatty Fang to exchange the powder for cash, but Fatty Fang lent him money and urged him to use it to attempt a breakthrough.
• Fatty Fang gave Chen Cheng the Blood Refining Powder and ordered the disciples to make room and keep quiet while he tried to condense Blood Qi.
• Wang Han remained kneeling and seethed with resentment as Chen Cheng began his breakthrough.
• Chen Cheng's Crouching Dragon Fist reached (300/300), and he condensed a blood-red incense within his dragon bones, successfully breaking through.

Chen Cheng succeeded in condensing Blood Qi, became an official Middle Academy disciple, and sold his unused Blood Refining Powder to Fatty Fang. When he returned home with braised beef, he found Black Wolf Gang lackeys outside and Zhao Shan sitting inside with his mother, Madam Li.

• Chen Cheng’s successful breakthrough amazed the disciples, while Wang Han collapsed in despair and Shi Lei and Qiao Qiao reacted with relief.
• Fatty Fang declared Chen Cheng an official Middle Academy disciple and explained his options for settling the Death-Pledge Contract, including the Zhao City Martial Selection.
• Chen Cheng revealed that he had kept his Blood Refining Powder, sold it to Fatty Fang for five taels of silver, and trained until his One-Incense Blood Qi grew steadier.
• Chen Cheng bought five catties of braised beef for his mother and hurried home after noticing Black Wolf Gang lackeys gathering at his doorway.
• Chen Cheng entered to find Madam Li trembling in a corner, Scar Bear watching nearby, and Zhao Shan seated beside the brazier.

Chen Cheng confronted Zhao Shan, who had come to force him out over Laitou, and revealed that he had condensed Blood Qi by driving Zhao Shan back in a fight. After Zhao Shan and Scar Bear left, Chen Cheng comforted Madam Li, kept his father’s death hidden from her, and began practicing Taiji to tend to his injured arm.

• Chen Cheng inferred that Zhao Shan’s fury over Laitou suggested Laitou was his illegitimate son, while Scar Bear demanded the Peace Tax and Zhao Shan threatened Chen Cheng.
• Chen Cheng used Crouching Dragon Entangling Lock Force and Dragon-Splitting Drill against Zhao Shan, forcing him into the shed, though the clash injured Chen Cheng’s right arm.
• Scar Bear urged Zhao Shan to leave, then waived Chen Cheng’s family’s Peace Tax and promised to help his relatives as well.
• Madam Li rejoiced that Chen Cheng had become a Martial Artist, while Chen Cheng kept concealed that his father had died and sent back reward silver.
• Chen Cheng hid his arm injury from Madam Li, had her bar the door, and began practicing Health-Preserving Taiji.

Chen Cheng discovered that Health-Preserving Taiji strengthened his Blood Qi and helped heal his injuries, then visited Chen An’s impoverished family with food and revealed that he had cultivated One-Incense Blood Qi. The chapter ended with Chen An and Madam Bai stunned by the news.

• Scar Bear warned his lackeys not to offend Chen Cheng or his mother because Chen Cheng was destined for Dragon Mountain Hall’s Middle Academy.
• Zhao Shan accepted that he could not act against Chen Cheng without proof, but remained determined to avenge Laitou; Sun Rang invited him to drink and visit Red Jade Pavilion.
• Chen Cheng found that Health-Preserving Taiji strengthened his Blood Qi, eased his injuries, and improved his senses.
• Madam Li urged Chen Cheng to help Chen An’s family and told him that Hu Niu’s parents were considering marriage proposals for her.
• Chen An and Madam Bai returned home hungry and exhausted, and Chen An reaffirmed his vow to care for Madam Li and Chen Cheng.
• Chen Cheng brought Chen An’s family rice, fish, and shrimp, thanked them for helping him and Madam Li, and announced that he had cultivated One-Incense Blood Qi.

Chen Cheng rejected his family’s attempt to reconcile, returned the Peace Tax to Chen An, and secretly killed Zhao Shan after the drunken man left Red Jade Pavilion. The next morning, the Martial Hall treated Chen Cheng as its senior, and he learned that the red powder found in Zhao Shan’s pouch was Blood-Boosting Powder.

• Chen Cheng told Chen An he would have nothing more to do with the old family and returned the sixty copper coins Chen An had paid as Peace Tax.
• Chen Cheng ambushed Zhao Shan in the dark, shattered his arm, killed him with a punch to the throat, and disguised the wounds before taking his money pouch.
• The neighbors and Martial Hall disciples greeted Chen Cheng with new respect, while Ding Qiang and Li He offered him gifts to seek his favor.
• Chen Cheng accepted the gifts and shared the wild chicken with the disciples, then received new training clothes from Fatty Fang.
• Fatty Fang described the appearance and effects of Blood-Boosting Powder, and Chen Cheng recognized it as the red powder in the bottle he had taken from Zhao Shan.

Chen Cheng chose to borrow silver from Fatty Fang to dissolve his Death-Pledge Contract and learned that Wang Han had been sent away after a failed breakthrough. After Zhang Ping warned him that Zhao Shan had been murdered and the Proprietor was hunting for the killer, the story shifted to Chen Family Old Residence, where Old Chen asked the family to fund Chen Hao’s Blood Condensation breakthrough.

• Fatty Fang explained that the Middle Academy’s Death-Pledge Contract barred Chen Cheng from taking outside jobs, so Chen Cheng asked him to lend the ten taels needed to dissolve it.
• Fatty Fang told Chen Cheng that Wang Han had failed to break through, gone unhinged, and been sent away, while Shi Lei had received three days off for an urgent family matter.
• Chen Cheng shared a meal with the disciples, then met Zhang Ping, who warned him that Zhao Shan had been murdered and that the Proprietor and Head Pot-Master Zhao were searching for the killer.
• At the Chen Family Old Residence, Old Chen said Chen Hao needed one portion of Blood Refining Powder to attempt Blood Condensation and asked Chen Yan and the fourth child’s family to provide money.
• Chen Yan objected that her family had already paid heavily toward Chen Hao’s training, while Chen Hao pleaded that this would be the last time.

Chen Hao asked his relatives for more money to buy Blood Refining Powder, but Chen An and Madam Bai revealed that Chen Cheng had already become a Martial Artist and freed their household from the Peace Tax. Chen Hao accused Chen Cheng of using a forbidden method and warned his relatives to avoid him.

• Chen Hao swore to honor Chen Yan if she helped him and persuaded her to give him three more taels of silver.
• Chen Hao asked Chen An for the remaining two taels, but Madam Wang berated Chen An for refusing to help his nephew.
• Madam Bai explained that Chen Cheng had secretly given her and Chen An food, and Chen Yan asked how he was doing.
• Madam Bai said Chen Cheng had refined One-Incense Blood Qi and become a Martial Artist, while Chen An confirmed their family no longer had to pay the Peace Tax.
• Chen Hao claimed Chen Cheng might have used a sinister method associated with Red Moon Nunnery and warned Chen An and Madam Bai to stay away from him.

Chen Cheng avoided questioning by Zhao Chuan, learned that Xiao Long had been seriously injured after the Black Wolf Gang crushed his gang, and entered Dragon Mountain Hall’s Middle Academy. He received proof that his Death-Pledge Contract had been lifted and became an ordinary Outer Hall disciple.

• Chen Cheng passed Zhao Chuan and two constables in Bitter Locust Village, and Zhao Chuan decided he needed hard evidence before acting against him.
• Madam Li told Chen Cheng that the Black Wolf Gang had attacked Xiao Long’s gang, leaving Xiao Long seriously injured and in hiding.
• Chen Cheng reassured Madam Li that Scar Bear was unlikely to target them, while resolving to grow stronger and find Xiao Long.
• Fatty Fang brought Chen Cheng to Dragon Mountain Hall’s Middle Academy and explained its Outer Hall and restricted Inner Hall.
• Fatty Fang returned with proof that Chen Cheng’s Death-Pledge Contract had been lifted and a token identifying him as an ordinary Outer Hall disciple.

Chen Cheng trained at the Middle Academy while considering how to earn a stable income, and Qian Baolu approached him with risky job offers. The chapter ended with Qian Baolu arguing that poor people had to risk their lives to earn money and advance in martial cultivation.

• Fatty Fang warned Chen Cheng to keep their connection quiet and advised him to spend money on cultivation rather than rush to repay his debt.
• Chen Cheng trained with Blood-Boosting Powder and realized he needed a stable source of income for medicine, tuition, food, and winter expenses.
• Chen Cheng observed that White Badge disciples were forced to perform menial labor under the Death-Pledge Contract.
• Qian Baolu approached Chen Cheng at dinner and offered to connect him with various dangerous jobs in exchange for half his first paycheck.
• Chen Cheng declined the risky work, and Qian Baolu argued that people from ordinary families had to stake their lives to make money and cultivate martial arts.

Chen Cheng settled into his Black Badge room, trained through the night, and learned that rich food helped replenish the strain of tempering his body. The next morning, he found Hu Niu exhausted and being mistreated at her workshop, where his arrival made the supervisor back down.

• Chen Cheng accepted Qian Baolu's lodging advice, registered for East Thirty-Three, and spent the night tempering himself.
• Chen Cheng watched the disciples train late into the night, then returned to his room to continue practicing.
• Chen Cheng bought a Venison Medicinal Meal and found that it eased the weakness left by his training.
• Chen Cheng left the academy and visited Hu Niu at her needlework workshop.
• The supervisor, Zhou Qiao, berated Hu Niu and threatened to dock her wages until Chen Cheng intervened.
• The supervisor recognized Chen Cheng's academy clothing and bearing and addressed him with a fawning smile.

Chen Cheng visited his injured friend Zhou Long, gave him his money, and learned that Zhou Long suspected Red Moon Nunnery was connected to the strange attackers who crippled him. After returning to Annan Ward, Chen Cheng went to Yongsheng Trading Firm, where Gou Fu barely recognized his changed appearance.

• Chen Cheng frightened the workshop manager into letting Hu Niu leave without losing her wages, then took her to see Zhou Long.
• Zhou Long explained that mysterious black-clad fighters had injured him during the clash between the Clear River Gang and the Black Wolf Gang, leaving him gravely damaged and unable to work or practice martial arts.
• Chen Cheng gave Zhou Long his money pouch, while Hu Niu quietly wept beside the bed.
• Zhou Long warned Chen Cheng to avoid work from Red Moon Nunnery and leave Bitter Locust Village, describing rumors and a strange incense-and-decay smell linked to the attackers.
• Zhou Long and Hu Niu resolved to remember Chen Cheng's kindness after learning he had entered Longshan Middle Academy.
• Chen Cheng returned to Annan Ward and visited Yongsheng Trading Firm, where Gou Fu recognized him only after studying his transformed appearance.

Chen Cheng sought an affiliated martial artist position at Yongsheng Firm and negotiated a safe, well-paid post with Proprietor Shen Mi. Shen Mi then raised the subject of Zhao Shan's death, leaving Chen Cheng's response unresolved.

• Zhang Ping stopped Gou Fu from insulting Chen Cheng and learned Chen Cheng was interested in the firm's vacant martial artist position.
• Chen Cheng revealed his Dragon Mountain Hall token, and Zhang Ping hurried to introduce him to Shen Mi.
• Shen Mi recognized Chen Cheng as a Middle Academy disciple and said he was not ready to replace Elder Wen as the firm's resident expert.
• Shen Mi offered Chen Cheng five taels of silver monthly to stand watch at the warehouse for two hours each day, and Chen Cheng accepted.
• Shen Mi turned serious and asked Chen Cheng about Zhao Shan's death.