Recaps

In Changfeng County, Lu Li rescued the injured martial artist Hero Zhao and persuaded him to teach him Tiger-Subduing Fist. A newly appeared proficiency panel revealed Lu Li could advance with practice, and after seeing the dangers and poverty of the city, he returned home eager to train.

• Lu Li asked Hero Zhao to teach him martial arts, and Zhao agreed to show him Tiger-Subduing Fist despite warning him about its dangers.
• As Lu Li practiced the stance, a panel appeared showing his fate, attribute, and Tiger-Subduing Fist proficiency.
• Lu Li practiced the routine again and saw his proficiency rise from one to two, leading him to suspect he might be a martial arts genius.
• Hero Zhao told Lu Li to return home before dark, and Lu Li descended the mountain with his herb basket.
• On his way through the city, Lu Li witnessed refugees, corpses, and an old man dragged into an alley before hurrying home.
• After locking his door, Lu Li went into the courtyard to continue practicing Tiger-Subduing Fist.

After five days of training, Lu Li broke through to the Skin-Refining Realm and discovered that his Tiger-Subduing Fist had reached its limit because Hero Zhao had not taught him the complete art. He went to find Hero Zhao for further instruction, but found him gravely wounded and warning Lu Li to run.

• Lu Li practiced the Tiger-Subduing Fist and realized that his Heaven Rewards Diligence fate made him a martial arts prodigy.
• Lu Li gathered herbs in the mountains, learned the six stages of Body-Tempering from Hero Zhao, and trained whenever he could.
• On the fifth day, Lu Li broke through to the Skin-Refining Realm, recovered from his frostbite, and tested his increased strength and toughness.
• Lu Li found that the Tiger-Subduing Fist could not be upgraded further, concluded Hero Zhao had withheld its complete form, and decided to seek the rest of it.
• Lu Li brought wine, food, and hidden lime to Hero Zhao's cave, where he found Hero Zhao badly wounded and heard him shout for Lu Li to run.

Lu Li killed Li Er and Li Da after they ambushed him and Zhao Hongyun, then heard Zhao Hongyun's dying request for revenge against Ji Bochang. Zhao Hongyun gave Lu Li the complete Tiger-Subduing Fist and a Flesh-Regenerating Pill before dying, and Lu Li buried all three men and left.

• Li Er attacked Lu Li, but Lu Li blinded him with lime powder and revealed his martial strength.
• Lu Li defeated Li Da in a fistfight, chased him down as he fled, and beat him to death; he then killed Li Er.
• Zhao Hongyun told Lu Li how Ji Bochang had abducted and violated his wife, driving her to suicide, and asked Lu Li to avenge them.
• Lu Li agreed to Zhao Hongyun's request, and Zhao Hongyun gave him the Tiger-Subduing Fist manual and a Flesh-Regenerating Pill.
• Zhao Hongyun died after explaining that greater martial realms existed beyond the Grandmaster Realm, and Lu Li bowed to him.
• Lu Li searched the bodies, buried Zhao Hongyun, Li Da, and Li Er in the mountains, and left.

Lu Li used the Flesh-Regenerating Pill to rapidly improve his Tiger-Subduing Fist and strengthen his body, then faced Zhang Hu demanding protection money. After Lu Li paid, Zhang Hu offered him a job as Master Wang’s adopted son, and Lu Li realized Master Wang was rumored to be a rabbit lord.

• Lu Li hid his twenty taels of silver, memorized the remaining Tiger-Subduing Fist moves, and swallowed the Flesh-Regenerating Pill.
• Lu Li practiced through the night as the pill boosted his body and raised his Tiger-Subduing Fist proficiency to Skin-Refining 60/200.
• Zhang Hu arrived with two men and a dead man, demanded protection money, and Lu Li paid him one hundred copper coins.
• Zhang Hu said Master Wang wanted Lu Li as his adopted son and promised him a job with food and clothes.
• Lu Li remembered rumors that Master Wang had no family because he was a rabbit lord.

Lu Li rejected Zhang Hu’s attempt to sell him to Master Wang and waited for a chance to kill him. After learning the Black Tiger Gang and Blood Wolf Gang were about to fight, Lu Li saw an opportunity to act and prepared a disguise.

• Zhang Hu offered Lu Li to Master Wang as a godson, threatened him, and gave him a week to decide; Lu Li resolved to find a chance to kill Zhang Hu.
• Over the next two days, Lu Li watched Zhang Hu but found no opening, while his Tiger-Subduing Fist proficiency reached 100 points.
• Uncle Zhao warned Lu Li that the Black Tiger Gang and Blood Wolf Gang were about to clash.
• Lu Li decided to use the coming gang conflict to kill Zhang Hu and earn silver, then visited Tongchun Hall and saw that martial arts medicines were far beyond his means.
• Lu Li bought black cloth and stitched it into a face covering and loose robe to conceal his identity.

Lu Li exploited the gang war on Xinping Street to ambush three Black Tiger Gang members and steal their silver. He returned home planning to use some of the money to buy meat, while precious medicines remained out of reach.

• Lu Li learned that the Black Tiger Gang and Blood Wolf Gang were fighting on Xinping Street, but he did not find Zhang Hu there.
• After the Black Tiger Gang won, Lu Li watched its members search the dead and waited in an alley for three men, including Brother Ma.
• Lu Li blinded Brother Ma with lime powder and killed him with one punch, then killed the two lackeys by smashing their heads together.
• Lu Li searched the three bodies and took ten taels of silver, then left unnoticed as residents came out to clean the street.
• At home, Lu Li washed his bloodstained clothes and decided to buy meat to restore his strength, while breaking the silver ingots into smaller pieces for safekeeping.

Lu Li bought and ate meat to improve his martial arts, while planning to gain strength and find a new identity through the Huang Family. After he secretly killed members of both gangs to rob them, the Black Tiger Gang and Blood Wolf Gang blamed each other and edged toward open conflict.

• Lu Li brought home meat bought from several stalls and considered venturing into the mountains for rare herbs to earn a place practicing martial arts with the Huang Family.
• Lu Li cooked and ate a full pot of pork, feeling the nourishment strengthen his body.
• Over three days, Lu Li robbed the Black Tiger Gang once and the Blood Wolf Gang twice, earning twenty taels of silver and reaching forty-five taels in savings.
• Lu Li's body filled out, and his Tiger-Subduing Fist proficiency reached 150 points as regular meals made training easier.
• Zhao Heihu learned that fifteen Black Tiger Gang members had been killed and accused Lin Batian and the Blood Wolf Gang of the attacks.
• Lin Batian also blamed Zhao Heihu and vowed to wipe out the Black Tiger Gang.

Lu Li gathered herbs and learned that the Black Tiger Gang and Blood Wolf Gang were waging a bloody conflict, while Uncle Zhao warned him about Zhang Hu and gave him 500 copper coins. Zhang Hu was promoted to hall leader and rewarded with Black Mountain Ginseng, then headed home boasting about selling Lu Li to Master Wang, unaware that someone was watching him from a dark alley.

• Lu Li filled his basket with herbs in half a day and brought them to the Huang Family.
• Uncle Zhao told Lu Li about the gangs’ escalating violence, warned him to return early, and gave him 500 copper coins after hearing about Zhang Hu’s threat.
• Zhao Heihu praised Zhang Hu for helping capture a Blood Wolf Gang stronghold and promoted him to hall leader.
• Zhao Heihu gave Zhang Hu Black Mountain Ginseng to help him advance toward the Martial Artist realm.
• Zhang Hu walked home celebrating his promotion and planning to sell Lu Li to Master Wang, while a pair of murderous eyes watched him from a dark alley.

Lu Li followed the drunk Zhang Hu home and killed him after witnessing him abuse his parents and wife. He returned with Zhang Hu’s money and the Black Mountain Ginseng, leaving Zhang Hu’s family to discover the corpse.

• Lu Li followed Zhang Hu, who arrived home alone and drunk, and watched him beat his parents and throw them out into the snow.
• Lu Li saw Zhang Hu beat his wife and threaten her with scissors, then burst in and attacked him.
• Zhang Hu recognized Lu Li before Lu Li struck him in the mouth and killed him.
• Lu Li searched Zhang Hu’s body, took thirty taels of silver and the Black Mountain Ginseng, and escaped over the wall.
• Zhang Hu’s wife told his parents that he had suspected someone from the Blood Wolf Gang, while Lu Li returned home and counted his gains.

Lu Li used Black Mountain Ginseng to break through to the Flesh-Refining Realm after a night of Tiger-Subduing Fist practice. At Huang Mansion, he learned that Zhang Hu had been killed and that the Black Wolf Gang and Blood Wolf Gang had begun fighting.

• Lu Li swallowed the Black Mountain Ginseng and practiced Tiger-Subduing Fist through the night as its medicinal effects strengthened his body.
• Lu Li reached the Flesh-Refining Realm and easily lifted a stone mill with one hand.
• Lu Li delivered medicinal herbs to Huang Mansion, where Uncle Zhao told him Zhang Hu had been killed in his home.
• Uncle Zhao explained that Zhao Heihu retaliated by seizing a Blood Wolf Gang hall, prompting Lin Batian to fight him.
• Uncle Zhao insisted that Lu Li keep his copper coins to buy meat, and Lu Li accepted them.

Lu Li suspected someone had manipulated the gangs and planned to venture deeper into Long-Abundance Mountain to find valuable herbs, earn money, and secure an official identity. In Changfeng County, the gang leaders learned their patrons suspected an unknown person had stirred up the violence and ordered them to investigate.

• Lu Li decided to explore Long-Abundance Mountain gradually in search of rare herbs that he could trade to the Huang Family for a position as a martial arts-trained servant.
• Wang Ju and Huang He questioned Zhao Heihu and Lin Batian about the attacks that had reignited their gangs’ feud.
• Huang He and Wang Ju ordered Zhao Heihu and Lin Batian to identify anyone their men had offended and handle the matter without involving their families.
• Zhao Heihu proposed that he and Lin Batian investigate together, and Lin Batian agreed that he wanted to find and kill whoever had manipulated them.

Lu Li encountered Niu Er, who went into the deep mountains alone and returned with a valuable Blue Thorn Leaf. While Niu Er celebrated his reward and mocked Lu Li, Uncle Huang dismissed both men as poor prospects for martial cultivation.

• Lu Li met Niu Er on the snowy mountain path and refused to join his risky expedition into the deep mountains.
• Niu Er entered the deep mountains alone while Lu Li stayed behind to gather herbs and watch what happened.
• Niu Er returned to the Huang Family with a high-quality Blue Thorn Leaf, which Uncle Huang valued at fifty taels of silver.
• Niu Er chose silver over a chance to learn martial arts, then mocked Lu Li for not accompanying him and invited others to join him in the mountains the next day.
• Lu Li ignored the crowd's scorn and went home to practice martial arts, while Uncle Huang judged both Lu Li and Niu Er unsuitable for cultivation.

Lu Li went into Long-Abundance Mountain to gather valuable herbs, partly hoping to find money for Aunt Zhao's treatment. After realizing someone was following him, he headed back and encountered a black-robed Skin-Refining martial artist blocking his path.

• Niu Er boasted about leading a trip into the mountains and offered to pay for Aunt Zhao's treatment if Uncle Zhao cut ties with Lu Li, but Uncle Zhao refused.
• Lu Li realized Aunt Zhao was seriously ill and decided to enter the mountains to gather herbs and keep his wealth concealed.
• Lu Li practiced martial arts at home, raising his proficiency by 15 points to 30, then set out for Long-Abundance Mountain the next day.
• Lu Li gathered two medicinal herbs as he ventured farther into the mountains.
• Lu Li heard someone following him and pretended to be a frightened herb gatherer before turning back.
• A black-robed Skin-Refining martial artist jumped down and blocked Lu Li's path.

Lu Li defeated a black-robed man and fought a giant White Tiger that the man had controlled. After Lu Li beat the tiger, its eyes cleared and it pleaded for mercy, revealing that it had gained intelligence.

• Lu Li used white powder to distract the black-robed man, then struck him hard enough to shatter his hand and injure his arm.
• Lu Li beat the black-robed man again, who begged for mercy and promised to reveal a place full of precious herbs.
• A three-zhang-tall White Tiger appeared, and the black-robed man sent it to attack Lu Li.
• Lu Li dodged the tiger's claws, snapped off a tree, and struck the tiger until its eyes began to clear.
• The White Tiger submitted to Lu Li, and he saw that its eyes were clear and that it was pleading for him to follow.

Lu Li forced the black-robed man to reveal the Demon-Spirit Communion Technique and learned that he had controlled the White Tiger with a parasite. After mastering the technique, Lu Li spoke with the female White Tiger and confirmed that her cave was safe to enter.

• Lu Li questioned the black-robed man about controlling demons and tore off one of his legs when he refused to answer.
• The black-robed man revealed the Demon-Spirit Communion Technique and explained that a parasite in the White Tiger's head had controlled her mind.
• Lu Li practiced the Demon-Spirit Communion Technique until he mastered it, while the White Tiger stayed cowed nearby.
• Lu Li spoke with the White Tiger and learned she had wanted to trade herbs from her cave for her life, and that the black-robed man had forced her to eat people.
• Lu Li tested the White Tiger's account again and, satisfied with her answer, decided it was safe to enter her cave.

Lu Li killed the man in black, recruited Hu Niu to follow him for a year, and found a hidden herb garden that yielded a major haul. After relocating with Hu Niu to a safer cave, he planned to trade a Red Sun Fruit to the Huang Family for a new identity.

• Lu Li made Hu Niu agree to follow him for a year without using the Gu to control her, then killed the man in black and took his Black Market token.
• Hu Niu showed Lu Li the ten herbs she had grown in her den, and Lu Li suspected the Rebel Army would return to claim them.
• Lu Li gathered the herbs and moved with Hu Niu to a concealed bear's den, where he killed the bear and began cultivating with an herb.
• Lu Li gained 40 points of Tiger-Subduing Fist proficiency from the herb, while Hu Niu prepared cooked bear meat and excitedly accepted his promise to bring seasonings.
• After resting overnight, Lu Li took five useful herbs and planned to trade the Red Sun Fruit to the Huang Family for a new identity.

Lu Li returned from the mountains with a precious Red Sun Fruit and asked to learn martial arts from the Huang Family. Uncle Huang offered him a place in the family with free training, meals, and medicinal soup, while Niu Er bitterly regretted turning down a similar opportunity.

• Lu Li returned to the city after two days in the mountains, carrying the Red Sun Fruit and having gained the Demon-Spirit Communion Technique and Hu Niu.
• At Huang Mansion, Niu Er handed in too few herbs and mocked Uncle Zhao, who feared Lu Li had died in the mountains.
• Lu Li arrived unharmed, reassured Uncle Zhao, and showed Uncle Huang the Red Sun Fruit.
• Uncle Huang valued the fruit at seventy taels, and Lu Li asked to learn martial arts.
• Uncle Huang offered Lu Li free martial arts training, medicinal soup, and meals if he joined the Huang Family, leaving Niu Er envious and regretful.

Lu Li learned about the Huang Family’s martial arts training and arranged for a physician to treat Aunt Zhao. He stopped Er Gou from forcing Zhao Yuanyuan into marriage and drove the gang away by claiming his new status as a Huang Family retainer.

• Uncle Huang explained the martial arts realms and agreed to take Lu Li to the Martial Academy the next day.
• Uncle Huang rejected Niu Er’s request to learn martial arts, and Lu Li promised Uncle Zhao he would repay the five hundred copper coins after they got home.
• Lu Li brought Uncle Zhao to Spring-Returning Hall and hired a physician to treat Aunt Zhao.
• At Uncle Zhao’s home, Er Gou demanded protection money and tried to seize Zhao Yuanyuan, shoving Aunt Zhao aside.
• Lu Li confronted Er Gou and said he was a Huang Family retainer training in martial arts.
• After recognizing the physician from Spring-Returning Hall, Er Gou apologized and left with his men when Lu Li ordered him to go.

Lu Li cured Aunt Zhao and killed Niu Er before beginning his training at the Huang Family Martial Academy. He met his instructor, Huang Haitao, who warned him that he would be dismissed if he made no progress within a year.

• Er Gou decided to stop charging the Zhao Family protection fees and apologize to keep Lu Li from taking offense.
• Lu Li paid a physician twenty taels to treat Aunt Zhao, who recovered after taking the medicine, and he offered the Zhao Family more silver.
• Lu Li went to Niu Er's house, killed him after hearing him plan to murder Lu Li, and took fifty taels of silver.
• Lu Li practiced the Tiger-Subduing Fist after taking a great tonic, then resolved to visit the Black Market once he reached the Flesh-Refining Realm.
• Uncle Huang brought Lu Li to the Martial Academy, where Huang Haitao became his instructor and warned that he would be sent away if he failed to progress within a year.

Lu Li learned the Azure Wave Palm at the Huang Family's Martial Academy while concealing how quickly he mastered it, then prepared to break through into the Tendon-Refining Realm. After ten days of training and nourishment, his Tiger-Subduing Fist reached 400, transforming his body.

• Huang Haitao demonstrated the Azure Wave Palm, and Lu Li recognized it as a low-grade technique while secretly advancing his mastery.
• Huang Hao told Lu Li that Niu Er had been killed by a mysterious martial artist, and Lu Li visited Aunt Zhao, who had recovered after taking the medicine.
• Er Gou and his companions apologized to Uncle Zhao's family and offered silver and goods, and Lu Li accepted their apology.
• Lu Li spent ten days training and held back his Azure Wave Palm progress so the Huang Family would not suspect his talent.
• Li Qing invited Lu Li to join a group of the academy's promising students, but Lu Li politely declined, prompting Li Qing to criticize him after he left.
• Lu Li returned home, ate a hearty meal, and continued practicing the Tiger-Subduing Fist until his progress reached 400 and his body transformed.

Lu Li reached the Tendon-Refining Realm and decided to seek a new martial art at the Black Market. At the Martial Academy, a search for the Fifth Young Master's missing demon beast Wind-Chaser ended with the dog’s owner killing a man, and Lu Li asked Huang Haitao for two days off.

• Lu Li broke through to the Tendon-Refining Realm, found that Tiger-Subduing Fist could not advance further, and resolved to visit the Black Market for another martial art.
• Lu Li practiced Azure Wave Palm while blending in Tiger-Subduing Fist, ignoring Li Qing and two others as they mocked him.
• Huang Haitao ordered the Martial Academy students to search for the missing Wind-Chaser, and they found the demon beast in the Outer District.
• Wind-Chaser bit a man who tried to separate it from a female dog, and the Fifth Young Master killed the man for striking his dog.
• After Huang Haitao ordered everyone to handle the body, Lu Li asked him for two days off.

Lu Li secured leave from Huang Haitao and went to the Black Market to find martial arts manuals, but he could not afford the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist. The Fifth Young Master bought the manual and mocked Lu Li, who left the market planning to take revenge after they were outside.

• Lu Li gave Huang Haitao five taels of silver and earned leave by claiming he needed to mourn at his parents’ graves.
• Lu Li bought spices, found Hu Niu in the mountains, and traveled with her to the Black Market.
• Lu Li learned that the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist could reach the Inner-Qi Realm, but its thousand-tael price far exceeded his funds.
• The Fifth Young Master arrived with the Wind-Chasing Dog, bought the manual, and mocked Lu Li for having only one hundred and eighty taels.
• Lu Li left without confronting the Fifth Young Master, intending to wait until they were outside the Black Market and take the manual from him.

Lu Li followed the Fifth Young Master out of the Black Market and attacked him in a secluded clearing, badly injuring him. After Hu Niu killed Wind-Chaser, Lu Li rode after the fleeing young master and caught up with him.

• Lu Li wanted to buy a Fire God Pill, but the Fifth Young Master outbid him with two hundred taels of silver.
• Lu Li followed the Fifth Young Master from the Black Market, intending to rob and kill him.
• The Fifth Young Master mocked Lu Li after luring him into revealing himself, but Lu Li charged and shattered his arm with a powerful punch.
• The Fifth Young Master ordered Wind-Chaser to attack and fled, while Hu Niu killed the dog.
• Lu Li mounted Hu Niu and pursued the Fifth Young Master, catching up with him on the road.

Lu Li defeated and killed Fifth Young Master, then looted his corpse and discovered that Black Hawk had been watching. Black Hawk invited Lu Li to join the Wind and Rain Pavilion, an assassin organization, and vanished after giving him a token and map.

• Huang Haitao fought Lu Li and Hu Niu, suffered broken ribs, and yielded so he could pursue Fifth Young Master.
• Lu Li and Hu Niu caught up with Fifth Young Master, who tried to bargain and threaten Lu Li before Lu Li killed him with a punch.
• Lu Li searched Fifth Young Master's corpse and took the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist, the Fire God Pill, and the Flying Swallow Step.
• Black Hawk appeared, praised Lu Li's fighting style, and gave him a Wind and Rain Pavilion token and map.
• Black Hawk explained that the Pavilion was an assassin organization and told Lu Li to give his name when joining so he could receive a referral reward, then disappeared.

Lu Li began practicing the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist and considered joining the Wind and Rain Pavilion for access to stronger resources. At the Huang Family, Huang He learned that the Fifth Young Master had been killed and suspected Wang Ju.

• Lu Li practiced the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist, gained two proficiency points, and noticed that it seemed to increase his strength alongside the Tiger-Subduing Fist.
• Lu Li learned that the Wind and Rain Pavilion operated across Great Yan and considered becoming one of its assassins after joining the Huang Family as a martial artist.
• Huang He and Wang Ju discussed their failure to identify who was working against them and the approaching Incense Fragrance Sect, whose missing member had vanished in Changfeng County.
• Huang He questioned Wang Ju about the Fifth Young Master, then Huang Haitao arrived and reported that the Fifth Young Master was dead.
• Huang He learned that a Tendon-Refining Realm expert had taken a martial art capable of reaching the Inner-Qi Realm and confronted Wang Ju with suspicion.