Recaps

Chen Cheng defeated the attackers threatening Jiuan Hunting Manor, then learned that the Bai Family, the Immortal Bone Sect, and the Rebel Army were linked in a larger scheme. Three days later, he practiced a new archery technique and decided to focus on his other training until Elder Pang's sect recommendation was settled.

• Chen Cheng searched the dead attackers, collecting money, concealed weapons, and Bai Fangshuo's Archery Classic: General Formula.
• Wang Chuang and Zhu Kang arrived and discovered Chen Cheng had killed Bai Fangshuo, Chu Biao, Yu An, and the other attackers by himself.
• Chen Cheng and the others found Wang Peng and Yun Shuangling alive, and Chen Cheng carried Yun Shuangling out while Wang Chuang carried Wang Peng.
• Chen Cheng told Wang Peng about the Immortal Bone Sect's scheme, and Yun Shuangling identified the sect as an evil cult tied to Rebel Army branches.
• Yun Shuangling offered to help protect Chen Cheng from retaliation, and he agreed to her plan.
• Three days later, Chen Cheng practiced the Well Pattern technique from the Archery Classic, then chose to focus on tempering his other techniques before Elder Pang's recommendation to a sect.

After securing his spoils and medicine, Chen Cheng received Wang Chuang and Yun Shuangling, who thanked him for saving them and Jiuan Hunting Manor. Yun Shuangling paid him the bounties for Chu Biao and Yu An and took credit for their deaths to shield Chen Cheng, then began presenting her own gift of thanks.

• Chen Cheng stored his cash, hidden weapons, poisons, and Strange Tiger Jerky in his locked pharmacy, then used the last of his Golden Ring Treasure Snake Medicinal Wine.
• Wang Chuang and Yun Shuangling arrived with five jars of medicinal wine from Jiuan Hunting Manor and admired the Treasure Fish in Chen Cheng's courtyard.
• Wang Chuang explained that the wine was a small thank-you from Jiuan Hunting Manor and that Wang Peng was preparing a greater gift for Chen Cheng.
• Yun Shuangling gave Chen Cheng two thousand taels in bounty money for Chu Biao and Yu An, which she had collected from the Commandant's Mansion.
• Yun Shuangling told Chen Cheng she had claimed responsibility for killing Bai Fangshuo, Chu Biao, and Yu An, taking the fame and merit to protect him.
• Yun Shuangling said she had resolved the problem Chen Cheng cared about most, then took out another gift to thank him for saving her life.

Yun Shuangling gave Chen Cheng a life-saving pill and offered to recommend him to the Shanhai Sect, while Chen Cheng refused to join the campaign against the Bai Family. After comforting his mother about class prejudice and preparing for the Martial Selection, Chen Cheng was visited by Senior Brother Zhous, who arrived with an unexpected load of goods.

• Yun Shuangling gave Chen Cheng a Little Restoration Pill and promised to recommend him to the Shanhai Sect if she returned safely from the north.
• Yun Shuangling told Chen Cheng that the Commandant's Mansion planned to destroy the Bai Family and recruit fighters, but Chen Cheng refused to participate.
• Madam Li told Chen Cheng that Inner City officials' wives had looked down on her, and Chen Cheng encouraged her by saying he would seek the rank of Martial Guard in the Martial Selection.
• Madam Li mentioned that a Martial Guard's household could gain tax and service exemptions, and Chen Cheng told her not to inform Third Uncle until his plans were certain.
• Chen Cheng trained, tasted the stronger Golden Ring Treasure Snake Medicinal Wine, and learned that Madam Sun had visited to apologize.
• Zhou Ping and Zhou An arrived at Chen Cheng's gate with people carrying goods, surprising him.

Chen Cheng accepted Zhou Yonglu’s black vat and Golden-Tail Eel, then spent a month cultivating while the Bai Family’s power in the Inner City collapsed. He attended a wedding with Madam Li, where his enormous gift drew attention, and the chapter ended as two young men hurried over to greet him.

• Zhou An explained that Zhou Yonglu had sent Chen Cheng a Golden-Tail Eel and a mysterious black vat, and Chen Cheng accepted the gift after hearing that Zhou Yonglu and Wu Ziyu had reconciled.
• Chen Cheng learned that the Upper Academy had an assignment requiring at least Six-Wick Blood Qi and that Master Cao might approach him about a matter next month.
• Chen Cheng spent a month cultivating and using his resources while the Bai Family lost its Inner City holdings to the other Seven Great Clans.
• Chen Cheng and Madam Li left home for a wedding, where Chen Cheng presented a gift of one hundred thousand cash.
• Guests at the wedding crowded around Madam Li and praised Chen Cheng, and two young men ran over to greet him.

At Zhou Long and Hu Niu’s wedding, Chen Cheng reunited with old acquaintances and learned how Cao Badou and Liang Guang had fallen into hardship. After agreeing to help Zhou Long’s family work with Yongsheng Firm, Chen Cheng noticed a powerful young Martial Artist at the gate and left with him after receiving a secret message.

• Cao Badou and Liang Guang tried to approach Chen Cheng, but Chen Cheng dismissed Liang Guang and gave Cao Badou only a cool response.
• Chen Cheng warmly congratulated Zhou Long and Hu Niu, whose family thanked him for helping them rise in status and arranging Zhou Long’s marriage.
• Zhou Long told Chen Cheng that Cao Badou had lost his exam place and Liang Guang had been stripped of his clerk position and driven into debt.
• Chen Cheng agreed that Zhou Long’s family could approach Yongsheng Firm in his name, provided their goods were reliable.
• Chen Cheng noticed a young Martial Artist at the gate and reflected on how Health-Preserving Taiji’s Endless trait had strengthened and renewed his body.
• The young Martial Artist whispered to Chen Cheng, who told Zhou Long to watch over his mother and left, promising to return for the wedding wine.

Chen Cheng rushed toward Seven-Mile Slope after Zhu Kang reported that the Bai Family's private soldiers had ambushed Manor Master Wang and left him trapped. As Chen Cheng reached the ruins, the Bai Family soldiers searched for survivors, while the wounded Wang Peng and Du Wenshun hid with a guarded wooden box and faced discovery.

• Chen Cheng told Wang Chuang that he had formed the Sixth-Wick Blood Qi and explained he needed stronger cultivation medicines, while Wang Chuang said his uncle had found no sellers.
• Zhu Kang arrived wounded and poisoned, reporting that Bai Family private soldiers had ambushed the group at Seven-Mile Slope and trapped Manor Master Wang; Chen Cheng set off to help as Wang Chuang stayed behind.
• Chen Cheng used the Thunder-Stepping Technique to race through the city gate and across the snowy distance to Seven-Mile Slope.
• The Bai Family soldiers searched the ruins for injured survivors, while their leader threatened the men with punishment if they returned without supplies.
• Wang Peng hid in a ruined stone house with Du Wenshun, suffering from a poisoned arrow wound while clutching a wooden box; a soldier appeared over the broken wall.

Chen Cheng rescued Wang Peng from the ruins, then attacked Bai Family soldiers setting an ambush on the mountainside. When a terrifying roar sounded from deeper in the forest, he abandoned the soldiers and rushed toward it.

• Chen Cheng killed the face leaning over Wang Peng and Du Wenshun, then prepared to carry the injured Wang Peng away.
• A signal flare summoned Pang Qingyuan and the Evil-Slaying Red Armor, who gave Wang Peng medicine and escorted him down the mountain while Chen Cheng left with the wooden box.
• Chen Cheng found Bai Family soldiers preparing an ambush and killed several of them, evading their arrows and walking through their poison powder unharmed.
• A monstrous roar rang out from farther into the forest, and Chen Cheng rushed toward its source, leaving the surviving soldiers behind.

Zhang Wen, Shen Chun, Wang Peng, and Du Wenshun confronted the Cloth-Wrapping Demon, which overwhelmed Zhang Wen and Shen Chun with its strength. As the demon descended on Shen Chun, a masked man with a wooden box intervened, and Shen Chun recognized him as her father.

• Du Wenshun, Wang Peng, Shen Chun, and Zhang Wen saw the terrifying Cloth-Wrapping Demon perched on a tree.
• The Cloth-Wrapping Demon charged Zhang Wen and smashed him through trees and rocks despite his defensive stance.
• Shen Chun attacked the demon's neck while Zhang Wen tried to restrain it, but the demon's hide remained uncut and it struck both of them down.
• The Cloth-Wrapping Demon leaped toward the injured Shen Chun as Wang Peng shouted for her to move.
• A masked man carrying a long wooden box collided with the demon in midair, drove it back, and landed safely.
• Shen Chun stared at the newcomer through her tears and whispered that he was her father.

Chen Cheng tested his enhanced physique and new Foundation Establishment Taiji trait against the Cloth-Wrapping Demon, then struck it with a devastating combination of coiling force and Blood Qi. His palm landed squarely on the demon’s cheek, leaving the outcome of the blow unresolved.

• The Cloth-Wrapping Demon charged Chen Cheng, who took the impact head-on and remained unharmed after being thrown back.
• Chen Cheng used Foundation Establishment Taiji’s Coiling-Transmission trait to slice through the demon’s tough skin with a whipping strike of his fingers.
• The Cloth-Wrapping Demon roared as Chen Cheng launched himself upward and gathered coiling force, Dark Force, and enhanced Blood Qi into his right palm.
• The demon lunged to bite Chen Cheng, but he evaded it and struck its left cheek with his crimson palm.

Chen Cheng returned from killing the Cloth-Wrapping Demon to attend Zhou Long’s wedding banquet, where Cao Badou and Liang Guang tried and failed to steal his wooden box. As Blood-Robed Ones attacked the Outer City and children were killed, Chen Cheng stopped fleeing toward the Inner City and prepared to confront the cultists.

• Chen Cheng crushed the Cloth-Wrapping Demon with one palm, then disappeared before Wang Peng and the others could identify him.
• Pang Qingyuan arrived and questioned Shen Chun, who described the demon’s killer as a handsome young man in white.
• Chen Cheng returned to Zhou Long’s wedding banquet with the wooden box, and Cao Badou and Liang Guang secretly tried but failed to move it.
• After the banquet, Cao Badou dismissed martial artists while Liang Guang warned him about Chen Cheng’s strength; Blood-Robed Ones then attacked and killed Liang Guang and Cao Badou.
• Chen Cheng spotted the bodies, heard two children’s cries abruptly stop inside a nearby residence, and opened the wooden box as an Evil-Slaying Red Armor approached.

Chen Cheng killed a Blood-Robed One with his Mysterious Iron Treasure Bow and arranged for Zhuang Zhuang to claim the reward in exchange for Three Treasures Foundation-Cultivating Pills. The next morning, he returned to Longshan Upper Academy, where Fatty Fang described his Blood Qi bottleneck and Chen Cheng offered to spar with him.

• Chen Cheng killed a Blood-Robed One with a Mysterious Iron Pellet, and Zhuang Zhuang explained that the shot still could not pierce a Transformation Force barrier.
• Zhuang Zhuang agreed to claim the Blood-Robed One's reward for Chen Cheng and let him accompany her as they responded to another Whistling Arrow.
• Chen Cheng told Madam Li that Zhuang Zhuang would visit for lunch, then left for Longshan Upper Academy the next morning.
• At the academy, Chen Cheng spoke with Fatty Fang, who said his Blood Qi had reached a bottleneck and that he planned to seek a breakthrough through sparring.
• Chen Cheng offered to exchange moves with Fatty Fang.

Chen Cheng revealed that he had formed his sixth wick of Blood Qi and sparred with Fatty Fang, impressing him with his speed and strength. After learning about the upcoming Young Qilin Gathering and Cao Zhao’s marriage alliance with the Pang Family, Chen Cheng returned home and went to the Inner Courtyard with Zhuang Zhuang.

• Chen Cheng told Fatty Fang that he had formed Six-Wick Blood Qi, then sparred with him and proved too fast and powerful for Fatty Fang to handle.
• Cao Zhao explained the Young Qilin Gathering and warned Chen Cheng to observe rather than compete, while Fatty Fang announced Chen Cheng’s advancement and Cao Zhao offered to seek resource rewards for him.
• Cao Zhao revealed that his marriage to a direct-line Pang Family woman had been arranged, potentially giving him access to the Pang Family’s Secret-Transmission Method.
• Fatty Fang told Chen Cheng that Zhao Tianlai was the headmaster’s final personal disciple and had forced his way through martial bottlenecks with brute strength.
• Chen Cheng returned home, where Zhuang Zhuang was dining with Madam Li, and then went with her to the Inner Courtyard.

Chen Cheng received pills from Zhuang Zhuang, discussed the coming Martial Selection and her worries about the front lines, then continued training while considering how to improve his aptitude. Elsewhere, Wang Peng learned of plans against Cangying Hunting Manor and its allies, while a young man secretly greeted a Red Moon Lord Moon Envoy.

• Zhuang Zhuang gave Chen Cheng nine Three Treasures Foundation-Cultivating Pills and told him that officials were searching for the youth in white who had killed a Cloth-Wrapping Demon.
• Zhuang Zhuang explained that the Martial Selection might be moved earlier and that lower-ranked participants could be sent to the northern front; Chen Cheng considered whether she might join a martial sect.
• Chen Cheng trained with the Heavenly God Subduing Dragon Map, while Madam Li told him that Chen Hao had married into a wealthy widow's household after his family sold Old Chen to a Human Meat Shop.
• Du Wenshun asked Wang Peng to let Wang Chuang leave for the Prefecture City, and Pang Qingyuan revealed that the authorities planned to move against Cangying Hunting Manor and faced resistance from Black Cloud Water Stronghold.
• A black-clad visitor entered a private study, where a young man knelt and greeted him as Lord Moon Envoy.

Chen Cheng rescued Zhou An, Zhou Yonglu, and other Zhou Family survivors after an Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel wrecked their boats, then obtained the Roaming Dragon Art and began training in the icy marsh. He mastered its beginner movements underwater and lay in wait for a valuable Green-Silver Dragon.

• Chen Cheng spotted survivors aboard sunken Zhou Family boats, and Wu Ziyu ordered her fleet to rescue them despite Old Zhang's warnings.
• Zhou An explained that an Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel had attacked their boats, and Wu Ziyu turned the fleet back to shore to avoid another encounter.
• Chen Cheng asked about training water skills, and Zhou Yonglu lent him the difficult Roaming Dragon Art.
• After the Zhou Family survivors departed, Chen Cheng dove into the icy marsh and found that his Iron Lung trait helped him swim and hold his breath with ease.
• Chen Cheng spotted a large Green-Silver Dragon, studied its movements, concealed himself among water plants, and reached toward it as it swam past.

Chen Cheng explored the depths of Black Cloud Marsh, killed a Bai Family fisherman, and captured a Green-Ink Treasure Snake whose gallbladder restored his warmth and strength. After returning to the city with the snake and a Green-Silver Dragon, he was recognized by a richly dressed woman who addressed him by name.

• Chen Cheng rode a Green-Silver Dragon through the marsh, studying how it moved through the water, before spotting five Cangying Fishery Manor fishermen setting a net for a Treasure Fish.
• The fishermen caught a Green-Ink Treasure Snake, but Chen Cheng killed the man carrying it, took the snake and a fish spear, and escaped underwater as another fisherman fled to the surface.
• Chen Cheng swam to a distant reed marsh, swallowed the snake's gallbladder, and used the icy water to temper its intense heat as his body warmed and his strength returned.
• Chen Cheng returned to Wu Family Pier with the Green-Ink Treasure Snake and Green-Silver Dragon, then carried them into the city while passersby speculated about his catch.
• A luxurious carriage stopped before Chen Cheng, and a woman inside recognized him as Chen Cheng of Longshan Upper Academy; he asked who she was.

Chen Cheng refused to sell his restorative treasures to Qin Xiangyun, trained to improve his strength, and received cultivation pills and an offer of a secret transmission through Cao Zhao. Three days later, he attended the Young Qilin Gathering, where Zhuang Zhuang introduced him to several top young contenders.

• Qin Xiangyun offered Chen Cheng silver for his Green-Silver Dragon, but he refused, and Qin Xiangyun asked Qin Zhao to cripple him at the Young Qilin Gathering.
• Chen Cheng prepared the Green-Silver Dragon and Green-Ink Treasure Snake for food, trained his martial arts, and decided to spend more time tempering the Roaming Dragon Art to face the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel.
• Cao Zhao delivered six Red Jade Blood-Boosting Pills from his grandfather and told Chen Cheng that Master Cao wanted to discuss matchmaking him with great families for a chance to learn a secret transmission.
• Zhou Yonglu thanked Chen Cheng for saving sixteen members of the Zhou Family and promised him sixteen Treasure Fish once the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel was eliminated.
• Zhou Yonglu told Chen Cheng that several great masters would attack Cangying Hunting Manor, while Chen Cheng remained in secluded cultivation for the next three days.
• At the Young Qilin Gathering, Zhuang Zhuang introduced Chen Cheng to Zhu Qian and Huang Tao as two of the event's standout young talents.

At the Young Qilin Gathering, Chen Cheng learned that Senior Sister Zhuang's old rival Zhan Mubai had returned and that powerful fighters, including the Dragon Mountain Hall Master, had been injured at Cangying Hunting Manor. Chen Cheng declined to compete, choosing to focus on the Martial Selection in two months, and offered Zhuang Zhuang unlimited Treasure Fish to support her training.

• Senior Sister Zhuang identified Zhan Mubai as the man who injured her three years earlier and considered seeking revenge at the Martial Selection.
• Senior Sister Zhuang explained the standing of the Yuntai Hall Master, Li Zhenyue, and Hong Jinhai as the gathering's officials and guests.
• Chen Cheng learned that Cao Miao attended despite severe injuries and that the Dragon Mountain Hall Master and other experts had also been hurt by a possible Immortal Bone Sect technique.
• Hong Jinhai announced that the fist matches could go no further than a touch, and two young geniuses began fighting on the arena.
• Chen Cheng told Zhuang Zhuang that the two fighters together would last only three to five moves against him, then declined to enter the matches so he could prepare for the Martial Selection.
• Chen Cheng offered Zhuang Zhuang as much Treasure Fish as she could eat, and Zhu Qian became the arena champion after the next bout.

Zhu Qian defeated her opponent and withdrew from the Young Qilin Gathering, while Qin Zhao beat Huang Tao in a fierce arena match and established himself as the gathering’s leading contender. Chen Cheng refused Cao Miao’s offer to arrange a marriage for access to a Secret-Transmission Method, and the chapter ended as Cao Zhao rushed in after Qin Xiangyun taunted Chen Cheng.

• Zhu Qian overwhelmed her opponent, drew praise from the gathered masters, and yielded the stage to Qin Zhao and Huang Tao.
• Zhu Qian greeted Zhuang Zhuang and challenged Chen Cheng to trade a punch, but Zhuang Zhuang and Cao Miao stopped them before Qin Zhao and Huang Tao took the stage.
• Qin Zhao and Huang Tao exchanged fierce attacks until Qin Zhao forced Huang Tao to concede, confirming Qin Zhao as the Young Qilin contender.
• Cao Miao explained the advantages of Secret-Transmission Methods and offered to arrange a marriage for Chen Cheng, but Chen Cheng refused and said he expected another opportunity in two months.
• Qin Xiangyun taunted Chen Cheng for not taking the stage, and Cao Zhao hurried into the venue.

After the Longshan Hall Master was gravely wounded by a Red Moon remnant, Chen Cheng prepared to flee if danger reached his home and set out to eliminate a threat. He killed Qin Xiangyun and Zhan Mubai with poisoned needles, then escaped in his reversible black-and-white robe, leaving Qin Zhao poisoned and the Immortal Pavilion in chaos.

• Cao Zhao told Cao Miao that a Red Moon remnant had ambushed and gravely wounded the Longshan Hall Master, and Cao Miao warned Chen Cheng and Zhuang Zhuang to stay away from the Upper Academy.
• Chen Cheng inventoried his weapons and supplies, prepared his mother and home for a possible escape, and went to the Immortal Pavilion in disguise.
• Qin Xiangyun ordered Zhan Mubai to cripple Chen Cheng, and Zhan Mubai agreed to attack him that night.
• Chen Cheng secretly shot poisoned needles that killed Qin Xiangyun and Zhan Mubai outside the Immortal Pavilion, then retrieved the needles and escaped.
• Qin Zhao handled Qin Xiangyun's corpse and was poisoned by its blood, while the Yuntai Hall Master and Hong Jinhai searched for the unseen killer.
• Chen Cheng changed his reversible robe in a secluded alley and reflected that the killings had gone more smoothly than planned.

Chen Cheng learned that Qin Zhao had been badly injured and Dragon Mountain Hall was nearing collapse, then tested his strength against Zhuang Zhuang. His overwhelming punch left her asking whether he had entered the Secret Transmission path long ago.

• Qin Yuan and Qin Changlie ruled out Chen Cheng as the killer of Qin Xiangyun and Zhan Mubai, while Qin Zhao hid the damaged cloth doll and worried about missing the Martial Selection.
• Zhuang Zhuang told Chen Cheng that Qin Zhao had been injured, Dragon Mountain Hall was falling into panic, and major powers were poised to seize its businesses.
• Zhuang Zhuang gave Chen Cheng a mysterious book recovered from a Bai Family descendant at Cangying Hunting Manor.
• Chen Cheng tested a punch on Zhuang Zhuang and learned that his first strike was about half as strong as Zhu Qian's.
• Chen Cheng unleashed a much stronger punch, forced Zhuang Zhuang to use Transformation Force, and withstood the backlash without serious injury.
• Zhuang Zhuang judged Chen Cheng strong enough to kill Zhu Qian and suppress Qin Zhao, then asked whether he had entered the Secret Transmission path.

Chen Cheng sparred with Zhuang Zhuang, practiced archery, and learned the Raptor Taming Chapter before joining an expedition to hunt an Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel. As Dragon Mountain Hall weakened and his engagement to the Pang Family seemed uncertain, Wu Ziyu offered him a place and support at the Wu Family Fishing Manor.

• Chen Cheng sparred with Zhuang Zhuang, defended against her Transformation Force, and outlasted her before they agreed to continue their training.
• Chen Cheng practiced White Arrow archery during his medicinal bath and learned the Raptor Taming Chapter from an old book Zhuang Zhuang had given him.
• Chen Cheng joined Zhou Yonglu's ships with Wu Ziyu and Zhou An to help deal with the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel.
• Zhou An told Chen Cheng that Dragon Mountain Hall was losing disciples, funding, and support, and that Cao Zhao's engagement to the Pang Family had been rejected.
• Chen Cheng realized Pang Shixun might also break their agreement and noted that he had forty days before the Martial Selection.
• Wu Ziyu offered Chen Cheng a place at the Wu Family Fishing Manor and promised him strong, lasting support.

Chen Cheng rescued Wu Ziyu from a ship sunk by an Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel, while Zhou Yonglu hired five experts to hunt the creature. The experts demanded extra payment and a share of its corpse before diving into the water, and Wu Ziyu began explaining Ruan Jinzhong’s background to Chen Cheng.

• Wu Ziyu described the defenses of Wu Family Fishing Manor and suggested it could shelter Chen Cheng.
• An Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel repeatedly struck Zhou Yonglu’s ship, flooding its hull and forcing the passengers to flee.
• Chen Cheng carried Wu Ziyu across the water to Zhou Yonglu’s lead ship, using floating crates as footholds.
• Zhou Yonglu ordered his crew to rescue the survivors, then asked five hired experts to kill the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel.
• Wang Han and Qi Yan demanded higher payment, while Ruan Jinzhong demanded the creature’s corpse; Zhou Yonglu reluctantly agreed.
• The five experts entered the water to hunt the creature, and Wu Ziyu led Chen Cheng aside to explain Ruan Jinzhong’s background.

Chen Cheng learned that Ruan Jinzhong had been sending children to Black Cloud Water Stronghold, then entered the water after Cai Bao’s corpse surfaced. As Ruan Jinzhong, Wang Han, and Qi Yan schemed against one another while hunting the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel, Chen Cheng silently approached them from the darkness.

• Wu Ziyu told Chen Cheng that Ruan Jinzhong had colluded with Black Cloud Water Stronghold and sent children there as sacrifices, and she explained that he remained formidable underwater.
• Cai Bao’s corpse surfaced, and Chen Cheng identified it; when Zhou Yonglu’s fishermen refused to retrieve it, Chen Cheng undressed and plunged into the water.
• Cai Xiong’s corpse surfaced soon afterward, and Wu Ziyu feared Chen Cheng was in danger as Zhou Yonglu and Zhou An suspected the survivors had turned on the Cai brothers.
• Wang Han and Qi Yan revealed their plan to kill Ruan Jinzhong before sharing the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel’s spoils, and the three hunters scattered through the reefs to encircle the beast.
• Chen Cheng silently swam out from the darkness and followed the separated hunters along the riverbed.

Chen Cheng killed Wang Han underwater and poisoned the area, causing Qi Yan to drown and weakening Ruan Jinzhong. When Ruan Jinzhong tried to escape, Chen Cheng ambushed him with the Crouching Dragon Seal and slammed him into a reef.

• Chen Cheng ambushed Wang Han underwater, cut his throat, and hid his corpse in a fishing net.
• Chen Cheng released a colorless, odorless poison around Wang Han's body and swam away.
• Qi Yan followed the scent of blood, succumbed to the poison, and drowned.
• Ruan Jinzhong found Wang Han and Qi Yan hanging in fishing nets, realized he had been poisoned, and tried to flee to the surface.
• Chen Cheng attacked Ruan Jinzhong with the Crouching Dragon Seal and drove him into a reef, splitting it apart.

Chen Cheng killed Ruan Jinzhong and the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel underwater, then returned to the Zhou Family’s ship with the creature’s body. His return relieved Wu Ziyu and the others, and he reclaimed the clothes she had held for him.

• Chen Cheng repeatedly struck Ruan Jinzhong with Crouching Dragon Seals until Ruan Jinzhong died, then hung his corpse beside Wang Han and Qi Yan’s.
• The Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel crushed the corpses, swallowed Ruan Jinzhong, Wang Han, and Qi Yan, and charged at Chen Cheng.
• Chen Cheng drove two Black Iron Daggers into the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel’s head and killed it.
• Wu Ziyu, Zhou Yonglu, and Zhou An feared Chen Cheng had died when they heard he had surfaced, then learned he had dragged up the dead eel.
• Chen Cheng returned to the ship with the Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel, and Wu Ziyu wept with relief as he took back his clothes.