Recaps

Lu Zhen and the Gu Family party boarded a steam-powered iron ship bound for Jiang City, where they caught a Red Scale Treasure Fish before a huge Mutated Black Catfish attacked. The guards’ weapons failed to pierce its armor, and the demon struck several men as the ship came under assault.

• Zhao Si invoked the Gu Family’s influence to get the party through the Japanese checkpoint, while the Eastern Island Captain secretly ordered his men to watch the ship and investigate its cargo.
• Lu Zhen boarded the Gu Family’s steam-powered iron ship and learned that mutated water demons made steel vessels necessary on the Yangtze.
• Hou San and Chen Er showed Lu Zhen how the crew used a steel net and bait to catch a Red Scale Treasure Fish.
• A Mutated Black Catfish slammed into the ship, and Zhao Si warned Lu Zhen that the demon could kill a Mid Force Refining Realm martial artist with one blow.
• Zhao Si rallied the guards, but their Ironwood Javelins bounced off the demon’s armor, and its barbel smashed the gunwale and struck three guards.

Lu Zhen helped kill a Black Catfish Demon and grew suspicious of the valuable cargo aboard the steamship. In Ocean City, Gu Wanshan revealed that the ship was a decoy for an ambush against the Shen Family, while Gu Yanzhi learned Lu Zhen was still aboard.

• Zhao Si wounded the Black Catfish Demon with an Ironwood Javelin, and Lu Zhen fired the Armor-Piercing Crossbow to kill it.
• Zhao Si said the demon’s carcass could fetch at least ten thousand Silver Dollars, prompting Lu Zhen to suspect the ship’s lower hold contained something more valuable.
• Zhao Si evaded Lu Zhen’s questions about the cargo, deepening Lu Zhen’s suspicions about the voyage.
• A steward told Gu Wanshan that the Shen Family had taken the bait and was sending an elite force to intercept the steamship.
• Gu Wanshan revealed that the lower hold held only scrap metal and ballast, ordered the real cargo transported by land, and sent a second fleet to ambush the Shen Family.
• Gu Yanzhi confronted Gu Wanshan after learning the steamship was bait and protested that Lu Zhen was aboard, but Gu Wanshan dismissed his concern.

Gu Yanzhi confronted Gu Wanshan over using Lu Zhen as bait and left to save him, while Gu Wanshan secretly ordered the Black Guard to follow. As the ship entered Soul-Falling Gorge, Lu Zhen learned it was bait for the Shen Family and decided to prepare for battle on his own terms.

• Gu Yanzhi accused Gu Wanshan of treating people as bargaining chips and insisted that friendship required sincerity.
• Gu Yanzhi left to save Lu Zhen, and Gu Wanshan told the steward to send A-Kuan and the Black Guard after him.
• Zhao Si told the guards that the ship was bait in Gu Wanshan's empty-ship stratagem and revealed the hidden guns, crossbows, and downstream fleet.
• Lu Zhen distrusted Gu Wanshan's plan and went to his cabin under the pretense of regulating his inner breath.

Lu Zhen advanced to the Late Force Refining Realm and strengthened his Iron Wire Fist before the Shen Family attacked the Gu Family’s steam iron ship in Soul-Falling Gorge. The Gu Family initially repelled the attackers, but Black Dragon Water Bandits appeared, leaving Zhao Si shocked by the unexpected threat.

• Lu Zhen used his General Experience to raise Coiling Dragon Stake and Iron Wire Fist to Lv.4, breaking through to the Late Force Refining Realm.
• Lu Zhen discovered that his Copper Skin Iron Bone physique gave him 1,200 jin of strength in one arm, and his Iron Wire Fist reached four Resonance.
• The Shen Family attacked the steam iron ship with grappling hooks and swift boats as Zhao Si ordered the Gu Family to fire its hidden guns.
• The Gu Family guards and their firearms and crossbows drove back the Shen Family deathsworn.
• A bone whistle halted the Shen Family assault, and Black Dragon Water Bandits boarded the ship, shocking Zhao Si.

Lu Zhen rescued the Gu Family guards from the Black Dragon Water Bandits, using his immense strength to kill several attackers and hold the breach in the ship’s railing. The bandit young master and two Shen Family assassins then moved to attack him from three directions.

• The Black Dragon Water Bandits’ young master defeated Zhao Si and broke through the Gu Family guards’ defensive line.
• Lu Zhen emerged with an iron-banded staff and killed two bandit leaders who were about to attack Hou San and Chen Er.
• Lu Zhen swept through the bandits, killing or crippling attackers and stopping their advance at the railing.
• The enraged young master charged Lu Zhen as two Shen Family assassins struck from the sides.

Lu Zhen fought off the young chief and Shen Family death warriors aboard the iron ship until Gu Yanzhi and A-Kuan arrived, and A-Kuan killed the young chief with a single Bright Force punch. After returning to Shiliupu Pier, Lu Zhen accepted Gu Yanzhi’s apology and the resources he needed to pursue Bright Force.

• Lu Zhen struggled against the young chief’s perfected saber technique and the Shen Family death warriors, who forced him onto the defensive.
• Gu Yanzhi arrived with A-Kuan and the Gu Family’s Black Guard, prompting the young chief to flee toward the river.
• Lu Zhen blocked the young chief’s escape, and A-Kuan leaped aboard and killed him with a Bright Force punch.
• Gu Yanzhi admitted that Gu Wanshan had used the ship as bait and filled its lower hold with ballast stones, while Lu Zhen accepted responsibility for not being strong enough to prevent it.
• Back at Shiliupu Pier, Gu Yanzhi offered Lu Zhen Red Scale Treasure Fish and a Century-Old Mountain Ginseng, which Lu Zhen accepted to support his push for Bright Force.

After surviving a battle with the Black Dragon Water Bandits, Lu Zhen used his settlement rewards to strengthen his body and earned new respect at the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall. The chapter ended with the hall master summoning him to the rear hall alone.

• Lu Zhen returned home early after fighting the Black Dragon Water Bandits, and Shen Yun and Lu Wan learned that he was unharmed.
• Lu Zhen received triple settlement rewards, including Red Scale Treasure Fish and Century-Old Mountain Ginseng, then used them to deepen his training and advance toward the Bright Force threshold.
• Lu Zhen arrived at the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, where disciples praised his breakthrough and his stand against the bandits.
• Gu Yanzhi and Yan Shanshan told Lu Zhen that Song Shi had been killed and Zhao Peng crippled during an escort job for the Four Seas Escort Agency.
• Xiong Yue told Lu Zhen that the hall master wanted to see him alone, and Lu Zhen entered the rear hall.

Yan Tieqiao explained the Bright Force breakthrough to Lu Zhen and increased his martial arts hall benefits, while privately doubting Lu Zhen could reach it at his age. After the ambush at Soul-Falling Gorge failed, Duan Hai was forced by Fujita Shoichi to postpone revenge against the Gu Family and ordered Duan Hu to identify the person who killed his son.

• Yan Tieqiao taught Lu Zhen that reaching Bright Force required internally conditioning his organs before age forty, and warned that Lu Zhen's age made the breakthrough difficult.
• Yan Tieqiao raised Lu Zhen's pay, replaced his Blood Qi Soup with Tiger Bone Strengthening Powder, and gave him access to the hall's weapons and internal arts manuals.
• After Lu Zhen left, Yan Tieqiao regretted that his late progress made him unlikely to reach Bright Force and decided Zhang Lei would be the hall's future.
• Duan Hai learned that the Soul-Falling Gorge ambush had failed and his son had died, then threatened to attack the Gu Family.
• Fujita Shoichi ordered Duan Hai and Shen Wanlin to preserve their positions and not disrupt the Kwantung Army's grand plan by moving against the Gu Family.
• Duan Hai told Duan Hu to investigate who had killed his son and take revenge on that person while the Gu Family remained off-limits.

Lu Zhen used the Red Scale Treasure Fish and Century-Old Mountain Ginseng to strengthen his physique as he continued training toward Bright Force. At the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, Zhang Lei perfected six-resonance Iron Wire Fist and received Yan Tieqiao’s treasured Earth Dragon Blood Vine, while Yan Tieqiao dismissed Lu Zhen as past his potential.

• Lu Zhen spent five days consuming the treasure fish and ginseng and training, raising his Copper Skin Iron Bone experience to 2,150.
• Zhang Lei demonstrated six-resonance mastery of Iron Wire Fist before the gathered disciples and stared provocatively at Lu Zhen and Gu Yanzhi.
• Lu Zhen ignored Zhang Lei and focused on the faint tremor in his internal organs as he pursued Bright Force.
• Yan Tieqiao praised Zhang Lei’s achievement and gave him a three-hundred-year-old Earth Dragon Blood Vine to improve his chances of reaching Bright Force.
• Yan Tieqiao decided Zhang Lei was the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall’s true heir and judged Lu Zhen to have reached the end of his potential.

Duan Hai ordered Lu Zhen killed to avenge his son, while Lu Zhen used his accumulated experience to advance into Bright Force. Duan Hu sent three elite killers to Lu Zhen’s shack, unaware of his breakthrough.

• Duan Hu told Duan Hai that A-Kuan had killed the Young Master with Gu Yanzhi’s support, while Lu Zhen had blocked the Young Master’s escape.
• Duan Hai decided he could not yet target the Gu Family’s leaders, so he ordered Duan Hu to kill Lu Zhen without leaving a trace.
• Lu Zhen spent 600 General Experience to raise his Physique to Blood-Qi Like a Furnace Lv.5 and broke through into Bright Force.
• Lu Zhen tested his new strength with a punch that blasted the air and surpassed A-Kuan’s power.
• Duan Hu sent three Late Force Refining Realm killers to Lu Zhen’s shack in Pig Cage Alley.

After breaking through to Bright Force, Lu Zhen gained a new awareness of his surroundings and sensed three assassins approaching his shack. He killed two of them and left Sun Gouzi alive, begging for mercy.

• Lu Zhen entered Bright Force and briefly understood how a martial artist could use the surrounding terrain to strengthen his attacks.
• Lu Zhen sensed Qi Biao, Han Chuan, and Sun Gouzi moving toward his shack through the winter rain.
• Qi Biao ordered Sun Gouzi to enter through a window and Han Chuan to guard the front door, instructing them to kill everyone inside.
• Lu Zhen appeared before the three assassins, and Qi Biao realized he was a Bright Force Martial Master.
• Lu Zhen killed Qi Biao with an Iron Wire Fist and struck Han Chuan down with an empty-air whip kick.
• Sun Gouzi collapsed in terror and begged Lu Zhen to spare his life.

After killing the three assassins sent by Duan Hu, Lu Zhen realized the Black Dragon Water Stronghold might target his sister Lu Wan and Sister Shen. He decided to strike first and set out to kill Duan Hu before the bandits could retaliate.

• Sun Gouzi revealed that Duan Hu had ordered the assassins to kill Lu Zhen, and Lu Zhen killed him despite his plea for mercy.
• Lu Zhen dumped the three assassins’ bodies into the river, while a night watchman witnessed the disposal from a distance.
• Lu Zhen returned home with the assassins’ meager spoils and concluded that Duan Hu would soon notice their failure.
• Lu Zhen reasoned that Duan Hu’s death would be blamed on a hidden Bright Force expert rather than on him, while keeping Duan Hu alive could endanger Lu Wan and Sister Shen.
• Lu Zhen took his sword and left in the storm to infiltrate the stronghold and kill Duan Hu.

Lu Zhen infiltrated a Concession mansion and killed Duan Hu, the Black Dragon Water Stronghold’s second-in-command, before escaping with money, gold, and a token. Investigators ruled out the Gu Family and suspected the Xiao Family, leaving Duan Hai and Fujita Shoichi alarmed by the possibility that a major power had entered the conflict.

• Lu Zhen used his superior strength to ambush Duan Hu, shatter his arm, and kill him with a blow to the chest.
• Lu Zhen knocked a waking dance-hall girl unconscious, took bank drafts, gold bars, and the Black Dragon Token, and escaped before the guards arrived.
• Concession guards found Duan Hu’s corpse, and news of the killing spread through Ocean City.
• Duan Hai blamed the Gu Family, but Fujita Shoichi rejected the accusation because the evidence showed the killer had overwhelming strength and left no chance for a prolonged fight.
• Fujita Shoichi suggested that the Xiao Family might be responsible, and Duan Hai and Fujita feared the consequences of attracting the attention of a powerful force.

Lu Zhen moved Shen Yun and Lu Wan from Pig Cage Alley into a spacious courtyard on Anping Street, buying it outright with his hidden wealth. At the martial arts hall, Zhang Lei achieved the Seven-Sound Limit Break and was named eldest disciple, then fixed Lu Zhen with a hostile stare.

• Lu Zhen decided Pig Cage Alley was too dangerous and planned to move his family near his eldest sister on Anping Street.
• Lu Zhen bought a three-sided courtyard for 350 silver dollars and moved Shen Yun and Lu Wan into it that evening.
• Lu Zhen arrived at Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall and found the Inner Sect disciples gathered to watch Zhang Lei.
• Zhang Lei broke through to the Seven-Sound Limit Break with Iron Wire Fist, though he remained below Bright Force.
• Yan Tieqiao named Zhang Lei the eldest disciple, and Zhang Lei arrogantly glared at Lu Zhen.

Lu Zhen learned that warlords and Hetero-Martialists had forced the government to schedule a conference on abolishing traditional National Martial Arts in three days. After considering how to obtain treasure medicines and improve his settlement level, he was visited at night by Shen Yun, whose unexpected appearance left her intentions apparent.

• Lu Zhen read that the Northern Zhilu Allied Army and the Berserk Beast Legion were pressuring the National Government to abolish traditional martial arts, prompting a decisive conference in Shangjing in three days.
• Lu Zhen returned home and found Lu Fang speaking privately with Shen Yun, who fled in embarrassment when he arrived.
• Lu Zhen realized his Bright Force cultivation needed rare treasure medicines, but he could not rely on Gu Yanzhi or easily buy supplies on the black market.
• Lu Zhen reviewed his daily settlement and resolved to save General Experience to raise his Daily Settlement level rather than spend it on martial skills or physique.
• Shen Yun came to Lu Zhen's bedroom at night wearing a revealing nightgown, and he recognized the implication of her visit.

Lu Zhen gave in to his attraction to Shen Yun, then rejected Zhao Heihu’s offer to join the Green Snake Gang as he considered how to obtain martial arts capable of advancing his Bright Force. At the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, Zhang Lei’s secret courtship of the White Family heiress angered Yan Tieqiao, while Gu Yanzhi told Lu Zhen he could seek stronger techniques from Ocean City’s great families or official institutions without betraying the hall.

• Lu Zhen called Shen Yun back as she tried to leave and spent the night with her.
• Zhao Heihu offered Lu Zhen a share of the Green Snake Gang’s profits and medicinal treasures, but Lu Zhen declined.
• Lu Zhen arrived at the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall and learned Zhang Lei had secretly dined with the White Family heiress after receiving Yan Tieqiao’s treasured Earth Dragon Blood Vine.
• Gu Yanzhi invited Lu Zhen to become a Guest Elder of the Gu Family, but Lu Zhen explained that he needed advanced martial arts and medicinal resources.
• Gu Yanzhi said Ocean City’s top families and official institutions could provide stronger techniques, and reassured Lu Zhen that seeking another faction would not betray Yan Tieqiao.

Zhang Lei came to leave the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall and join the White Family as Bai Zhi’s live-in husband, but Yan Tieqiao refused to release him. Bai Jingye threatened an Expulsion Notice and a fight in three months, leaving the hall in turmoil while Lu Zhen postponed his own request.

• Zhang Lei entered the Inner Courtyard with Bai Zhi, Bai Jingye, and four bodyguards to announce that he wanted to leave the martial arts hall and marry Bai Zhi.
• Bai Jingye offered Silver Dollars and medicinal herbs to buy out Zhang Lei’s bond with Yan Tieqiao, but Yan Tieqiao asked Zhang Lei if this was truly his wish.
• Yan Shanshan accused Zhang Lei of coveting the White Family’s wealth and betraying Yan Tieqiao after receiving the Earth Dragon Blood Vine.
• Yan Tieqiao forbade Zhang Lei from leaving, so Bai Jingye threatened to have Zhang Lei deliver an Expulsion Notice in three months and challenge him in the Training Ground.
• Yan Tieqiao smashed his teapot and withdrew in anger, while Gu Yanzhi advised Lu Zhen to wait before raising his own matter and offered to gather information about Ocean City’s factions.

Lu Zhen learned that Traditional Martial Arts had three years before a decisive debate on Mount Tai, then revealed to Yan Tieqiao that he had reached Bright Force. He reassured his master that he would seek strength in the troubled world but would always consider the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall home.

• Lu Zhen read that the National Government, warlords, and Hetero-Martialist forces had agreed to hold the Mount Tai Debate in three years, with Traditional Martial Arts facing a ban if it lost.
• Lu Zhen returned to the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall and asked Yan Shanshan to arrange a meeting with Yan Tieqiao.
• Lu Zhen asked whether Coiling Dragon Stake remained effective above Bright Force, angering Yan Tieqiao, and then demonstrated that he had already reached Bright Force.
• Yan Tieqiao celebrated Lu Zhen's breakthrough but feared he would leave the hall, recalling that Zhang Lei had recently stormed off.
• Lu Zhen explained that the coming turmoil required him to seek greater strength, then promised Yan Tieqiao that the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall would always be his home.

Lu Zhen learned about Force Extreme and the legendary Control Realm from Yan Tieqiao, then offered to fight in his place in three months. Yan Tieqiao accepted, while Yan Shanshan wondered whether her father had noticed her feelings for Gu Yanzhi.

• Yan Tieqiao explained that the Coiling Dragon Stake could not support cultivation beyond Bright Force and said he could not pass on his forbidden internal method to Lu Zhen.
• Yan Tieqiao described the seven layers of Force Extreme and the legendary Control Realm, which the Xiao Family's old ancestor was said to have reached.
• Lu Zhen wondered whether the fleeting realm he had sensed in the rain was the Control Realm.
• Lu Zhen offered to fight for Yan Tieqiao three months later, and Yan Tieqiao agreed.
• Yan Shanshan asked what Lu Zhen had told her father, who teased her about spending time with Lu Zhen, Gu Yanzhi, and the others, leaving her embarrassed about her feelings for Gu Yanzhi.

Lu Zhen learned about Ocean City’s power structure and considered ways to gain access to better martial arts resources. He chose to pursue a place in the Garrison Bureau with Gu Yanzhi, then returned home to Shen Yun and Lu Wan.

• Gu Yanzhi told Lu Zhen he had reached Late Force Refining Realm and handed him detailed information about Ocean City’s forces.
• Lu Zhen learned that the Xiao and Huo Families controlled much of the Garrison Bureau, while the Xiao and Huo Families opposed the Zhou and Zheng Families.
• Gu Yanzhi recommended the Garrison Bureau as a path to advanced training and resources through military merit, and explained its members had more independence than family retainers.
• Lu Zhen agreed to go with Gu Yanzhi to seek admission to the Garrison Bureau the next morning.
• Shen Yun welcomed Lu Zhen home and prepared warm water for his feet, while Lu Wan teased her by calling her sister-in-law.

Lu Zhen raised his Daily Settlement level to Lv.4 before accompanying Gu Yanzhi to enlist at the Third Station of the Garrison Bureau. After Gu Yanzhi passed the strength test, Zheng Hu stepped in to block him.

• Lu Zhen spent 845 General Experience to raise his Daily Settlement level to Lv.4, increasing its reward multiplier to X4.
• Lu Zhen and Gu Yanzhi arrived at the Third Station of the Garrison Bureau, where Gu Yanzhi explained its ranks and recruitment standards.
• Zheng Hu recognized Gu Yanzhi as a member of the Gu Family and planned to obstruct his enlistment because of the feud between the Zheng and Xiao families.
• Gu Yanzhi lifted the eight-hundred-pound stone lock and passed the strength test.
• Zheng Hu and several of his men blocked Gu Yanzhi as he approached the registration desk.

Lu Zhen revealed that he had reached Bright Force when Zheng Hu humiliated Gu Yanzhi at the Third Station, forcing the station to welcome him and offer him a position. Chen An hosted Lu Zhen and Gu Yanzhi, and they began discussing the appointment over a meal.

• Zheng Hu mocked Gu Yanzhi and claimed the Third Station had no openings, so Gu Yanzhi decided to leave without causing trouble.
• Lu Zhen walked to the five-thousand-pound boulder and lifted it one-handed, revealing his Bright Force cultivation to everyone in the courtyard.
• Lu Zhen asked Zheng Hu whether the Third Station now had an opening, and Zheng Hu could not answer.
• Chen An introduced himself as the Third Station's Squad Leader, welcomed Lu Zhen, and invited him and Gu Yanzhi to discuss his appointment over a meal.
• Over drinks, Gu Yanzhi praised Lu Zhen's breakthrough, and Lu Zhen said surviving life-and-death struggles had helped his qi and blood break through the bottleneck.

Lu Zhen collected his Squad Leader gear and took command of Class A-6 Barracks at Third Station. He laid down rules for the veteran soldiers, who agreed outwardly but remained distrustful as they awaited their first muster.

• After drinking with Chen An, Lu Zhen and Gu Yanzhi went to the Logistics Department to register and collect their gear.
• In the barracks, Monkey and the veteran soldiers worried that a young new Squad Leader would drag them into dangerous missions.
• Gu Yanzhi chose a horizontal saber, while Lu Zhen selected a heavy long saber and received the Three Yang Breathing Technique and Army-Breaking Eight Slashes.
• Lu Zhen introduced himself to the ten men of Class A-6 and ordered them to follow commands outside the city, promising fair pay and a chance to return alive.
• The soldiers agreed to obey but privately doubted Lu Zhen, who dismissed them and ordered them to muster in the courtyard the next morning.

Lu Zhen mastered Three Yang Breathing Technique and began practicing Army-Breaking Eight Slashes, discovering that his foundation carried over to both new techniques. He headed to the Garrison Bureau the next morning, focused on obtaining resources to raise his Physique and advance beyond Early Bright Force.

• Lu Zhen practiced Three Yang Breathing Technique and felt it draw his qi and blood inward to temper his organs.
• Lu Zhen practiced Army-Breaking Eight Slashes and applied the force-generating principles he had mastered through Iron Wire Fist.
• Lu Zhen's Daily Settlement Panel awarded him experience and showed that Three Yang Breathing Technique and Army-Breaking Eight Slashes had inherited his previous training foundation.
• Lu Zhen decided to seek nourishing medicines and meat, aiming to raise his Physique and break through to mid Bright Force.
• Lu Zhen rode a crowded electric tram to the Inner City District, where the other passengers feared him and gave him space.
• Lu Zhen arrived at his station, reflected that Gu Yanzhi's car had been faster, and set aside thoughts of comfort to focus on cultivation.

Lu Zhen learned how the Garrison Bureau rewarded merit and chose a dangerous mission to hunt a second-tier beast leader on Yanglin Official Road. He ordered his Class A-6 squad to prepare for the expedition, leaving the gray-uniformed soldiers to decide whether they would join him.

• Gu Yanzhi explained that squad leaders received demon beast meat allowances and that promotion required earning ten major merits.
• The military affairs clerk told Lu Zhen that ordinary soldiers could exchange ten minor merits for a three-hundred-year-old Earth Dragon Blood Vine.
• Lu Zhen chose the Yanglin Official Road mission to slay a second-tier beast leader and more than fifty late first-tier beasts.
• Lu Zhen announced that Class A-6 would leave the city the next morning, and Monkey eagerly volunteered to join him.
• Lu Zhen gave the other soldiers until morning to decide whether to join the mission or resign.