Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ning settled into a room at the martial arts hall and continued training, while Madam Sun hinted at a painful memory from her past. Over the next three days, Jiang Ning raised his Source Energy and advanced the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique to Mastery.

• Madam Sun prepared a room for Jiang Ning at the martial arts hall and recalled someone who had once been much like him.
• Jiang Ning saw that his Source Energy had risen to 4.4 and concluded that richer meals increased its growth.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animals Fist, gaining experience and drawing closer to a breakthrough.
• Jiang Li brought Jiang Ning several changes of clothes and saw that his body had grown sturdier.
• Jiang Ning finished his book and raised the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique to Mastery, increasing his strength and speed.

Jiang Ning strengthened his body through morning training before Wang Jin announced a competition for Blue-Wave Martial Academy’s final recommendation to the Inspection Office. Jiang Ning resolved to meet the three-month requirements and become Wang Jin’s personal disciple, seeing the position as protection against the Cao Family.

• Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animals Fist, raised his experience to 90/100, and felt his stamina and blood and qi force improve.
• Jiang Ning met Senior Brother Cheng Ran at the martial academy and joined the other disciples in listening to Wang Jin.
• Wang Jin explained that the Inspection Office would be established across the realm to combat evil cults and rebellion, offering powerful authority, martial methods, medicines, and possible guidance from the Martial Saint.
• Wang Jin announced that the academy’s remaining recommendation slot would go to a disciple who mastered two fist intents of the Five Animals Fist, completed blood and qi, and reached Martial Dao rank-entry within three months.
• Jiang Ning resolved to meet the requirements and become Wang Jin’s personal disciple so he could qualify for the Inspection Office and gain leverage against Xu Yunfeng and the Cao Family.

At Blue-Wave Martial Academy, Xiao Peng demonstrated his advanced Five Animals Fist skills and became Wang Jin’s personal disciple, earning a place in the competition to join the Inspection Office. Jiang Ning resolved to train hard enough to master the fist and enter the ranks of Martial Dao within three months.

• After Wang Jin announced the Inspection Office’s requirements, the students discussed who might qualify, and some pointed to Cheng Ran as a possible candidate.
• Xiao Peng announced his progress in the Tiger Form Fist, Ape Form Fist, and qi and blood, then demonstrated both forms for Wang Jin.
• Wang Jin confirmed Xiao Peng’s skill, made him his personal disciple, waived his tuition, and promised him three bowls of medicinal soup each day.
• Jiang Ning watched Xiao Peng leave with Wang Jin and resolved to qualify for the Inspection Office within three months.
• Jiang Ning calculated how much practice he needed to advance the Five Animals Fist, then recognized that circulating qi and blood through his whole body would be his greatest challenge.

Jiang Ning used wild ginseng to accelerate his Five Animals Fist training and broke through to Mastery, which doubled the qi and blood he condensed per set. He tested his new strength by lifting a hundred-jin stone lock and then moved to try a one-hundred-and-fifty-jin lock.

• Jiang Ning ate half of the remaining wild ginseng and practiced Five Animals Fist until its experience reached Mastery.
• Jiang Ning realized that each Mastery-level set condensed two strands of qi and blood, bringing him closer to martial entry and a place in the Inspection Office.
• Jiang Ning encouraged Cheng Ran, who was discouraged by Xiao Peng's progress in Tiger-Crane Two Forms Fist.
• Jiang Ning easily lifted a hundred-jin stone lock and then went to test himself against a one-hundred-and-fifty-jin stone lock.

Jiang Ning tested his growing strength, practiced Five Animals Fist until his qi and blood improved, and worried that he could not afford more wild ginseng. He sought Wang Jin’s guidance on the fist forms, but Wang Jin told him to wait until his skill advanced further.

• Jiang Ning lifted a 150-pound stone lock, and Cheng Ran praised his rapid progress and martial talent.
• Jiang Ning estimated his strength at around 170 or 180 pounds and reflected that proficient Five Animals Fist let him condense two strands of qi and blood per practice session.
• Cheng Ran declared that he would pursue great accomplishment, become Wang Jin’s personal disciple, defeat Xiao Peng, and join the Inspection Office rather than inherit his family’s thousand mu of fertile land.
• Jiang Ning practiced Five Animals Fist ten times after lunch, raising his skill to proficient 13/200 and increasing the reach of his qi and blood.
• Jiang Ning realized his wild ginseng was gone and considered slowing his practice, staying safe from Xu Yunfeng, and seeking further benefits from the martial hall.
• Jiang Ning asked Wang Jin about the deeper meanings of the five fist forms, and Wang Jin told him to return for guidance after his fist art and breathing became instinctive.

Jiang Ning showed Wang Jin that he had reached proficiency in the Five Animals Fist and earned medicinal soup and personal instruction. After studying Wang Jin’s demonstration of the minor accomplishment realm, Jiang Ning said he would try the fist himself.

• Jiang Ning demonstrated his proficient Five Animals Fist, astonishing Wang Jin with how quickly he had advanced.
• Wang Jin regretted that Jiang Ning had started martial training too late to qualify for the Inspection Office, but considered making him his final disciple.
• Wang Jin told Jiang Ning to collect medicinal soup from the back kitchen three times a day, then agreed to explain the minor accomplishment realm.
• Wang Jin demonstrated the Five Animals Fist’s changes in force and muscle patterns while Jiang Ning watched closely.
• After replaying the demonstration in his mind, Jiang Ning opened his eyes and said he would try the fist himself.

Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animals Fist under Wang Jin’s guidance and gained insight that increased his experience. Wang Jin told him he could observe the caged tiger fight in eight days, leaving Jiang Ning eager to improve his skills and pursue entry into the Inspection Office.

• Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animals Fist after watching Wang Jin demonstrate how force changed his movements.
• Jiang Ning gained a small insight into the fist technique and earned two experience points from a round of practice.
• Jiang Ning realized Wang Jin’s guidance could improve his experience-gaining efficiency even though it did not increase his blood and qi refinement.
• Wang Jin told Jiang Ning that the tiger in the courtyard would fight someone in eight days and encouraged him to observe it closely.
• Wang Jin promised to pass on his lifetime of learning if Jiang Ning passed his test and reached major achievement.

Jiang Ning gained permission to use Wang Jin’s study after explaining his ambitions to improve in both martial arts and literature. He entered the study expecting to find useful books, including possible Martial Dao manuals, and began examining its shelves.

• Jiang Ning confidently told Wang Jin that he would soon master the Five Animals Fist, and Wang Jin advised him to rest for the night.
• Jiang Ning asked to borrow books so he could study during breaks, explaining that he hoped to earn scholarly honors for protection and pursue both literature and martial arts.
• Wang Jin praised Jiang Ning’s aspirations and allowed him to enter the study whenever he wished, instructing him to get a key from Auntie Sun.
• Auntie Sun gave Jiang Ning the key and was pleased to hear that Wang Jin had granted him medicinal soup three times a day.
• Jiang Ning entered the study, lit a candle, and began looking through its books, first spotting shelves devoted to medicine and pharmacology.

Jiang Ning found a fragment of the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique in Wang Jin’s study and realized its potential, while considering how his panel might let him advance the incomplete method. He then read a dossier of rebellions and learned that unrest had plagued Zeshan Prefecture and the wider Great Xia.

• Jiang Ning examined Wang Jin’s books and reaffirmed his plan to focus on Literacy and a small number of skills.
• Jiang Ning discovered the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique fragment and read how it could cultivate inner breath, strengthen the body, and potentially form an inner elixir.
• Jiang Ning memorized the fragment, saw that the technique required one hundred experience points to begin, and decided not to let it slip away.
• Jiang Ning read the Great Xia Rebellion Summary and found that six rebellions had occurred in Zeshan Prefecture in the previous year.

After realizing the rebellions were part of a realm-wide struggle to force the imperial clan to loosen military control, Jiang Ning decided to join the Inspection Office for protection and a chance to advance in Martial Dao. He studied Luoshui County’s factions and concluded he had to reach the Martial Dao ranks within three months.

• Jiang Ning read that factions were using rebellions and evil-god shrines to pressure the imperial clan into loosening military control.
• Jiang Ning decided the Inspection Office was his best shelter and route to Martial Dao advancement.
• Jiang Ning studied intelligence on Luoshui County, including the power of Constable Wang, the county magistrate, and the Cao, Liu, and Xie Lineages.
• Jiang Ning learned that Xu Yunfeng was close to entering the Martial Dao ranks and questioned why he was targeting Jiang Ning’s elder brother.
• Jiang Ning resolved to reach the Martial Dao ranks within three months so he could join the Inspection Office.

Jiang Ning prepared to study both the imperial examinations and Martial Dao, then tested the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique at sunrise. After absorbing its warmth and gaining experience, he felt his organs and qi and blood respond before his body returned to normal.

• Jiang Ning gathered books on the imperial examinations and Martial Dao, hoping to earn scholarly honors and strengthen his prospects with the Inspection Office.
• Jiang Ning saw that his Source Energy had risen to 6.0 after eating wild ginseng and concluded that greater energy intake increased his daily gains.
• Jiang Ning sat in the courtyard before sunrise and began practicing the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique as the sun appeared.
• Jiang Ning repeatedly absorbed warmth through the breathing method and gained experience in the technique.
• Jiang Ning stopped two breaths before the sun fully rose, then sensed warmth spreading from his organs as his qi and blood circulated before his body returned to normal.

Jiang Ning advanced his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique, gained experience by chopping wood, and improved his Five Animals Fist practice. By the end of the day, he had found a way to double the experience he gained from each fist-training round.

• Jiang Ning's Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique reached 13/100, and he experienced a purge that convinced him the technique was working.
• Jiang Ning chopped wood until his Wood-Chopping Saber Technique reached 633/1000, nearing its next breakthrough.
• Auntie Sun fed Jiang Ning ten meat buns and medicinal soup before he headed off to practice his fist technique.
• Jiang Ning adjusted his Five Animals Fist routine and gained two experience points per round by grasping softness within hardness and hardness within softness.
• Jiang Ning spent the day practicing his fist technique and reading, pleased with his doubled training efficiency.

Jiang Ning continued cultivating and grinding experience, bringing his Wood-Chopping Saber Technique to the brink of completion. The final experience point triggered a change in its status panel entry.

• Jiang Ning reviewed his progress and noted that his reduced Source Energy gains showed how much wild ginseng had helped him.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique at sunrise, increasing its experience and feeling its benefits to his energy and stamina.
• Jiang Ning went to the kitchen courtyard and chopped firewood, raising his Wood-Chopping Saber Technique from 633 to 999 experience.
• Jiang Ning gained the final experience point, and the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique entry on his panel changed.

Jiang Ning perfected the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique and raised Five Animals Fist to minor mastery while continuing to build his strength. Cheng Ran told him the martial hall would release a tiger into the courtyard in six days for the disciples to observe, and Li Qing might take part.

• Jiang Ning perfected the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique, making his swings faster and stronger, and decided he should acquire a proper saber for self-defense.
• Over the next four days, Jiang Ning advanced Five Animals Fist to minor mastery and increased his qi and blood through practice.
• Jiang Ning reviewed his progress and noted that he still needed to reach the Martial Dao and prove himself in combat before the Inspection Office opened.
• Cheng Ran told Jiang Ning that a fierce tiger would be released into the martial hall courtyard in six days so disciples could observe its fight.
• Cheng Ran said Li Qing might enter the arena as she prepared to break into the ranks of Martial Dao.

Jiang Ning watched Cheng Ran and Xiao Peng fight and compared their abilities with his own. The exchange convinced him that his balanced cultivation of all Five Animals had made him stronger than he realized.

• Jiang Ning learned that Li Qing had been making a final push toward entering the ranks of Martial Dao.
• Cheng Ran said that observing a fierce tiger might help him complete Tiger Form Fist, while Jiang Ning listened.
• Xiao Peng challenged Cheng Ran to exchange moves, and the two began fighting before the academy’s outer-courtyard students.
• Xiao Peng met Cheng Ran’s strongest strike head-on, surprising Cheng Ran by keeping the difference between them small.
• As their fight continued, Jiang Ning judged their strengths and weaknesses and realized that his own cultivation of all Five Animals had given him balanced abilities and considerable strength.

Jiang Ning saved Cheng Ran from being badly injured after Xiao Peng defeated him, and his strength surprised Cheng Ran. Xiao Peng dismissed Jiang Ning as a threat to the Inspection Office quota because of his ordinary family background, while Cheng Ran said he expected to enter the Martial Dao within a month.

• Xiao Peng struck Cheng Ran with a powerful Bear Form Fist move and sent him flying toward a courtyard wall.
• Jiang Ning caught Cheng Ran in midair and redirected his fall, preventing him from crashing into the wall.
• The onlookers praised Xiao Peng's technique and discussed Jiang Ning's progress after learning his name and ordinary family background.
• Xiao Peng decided Jiang Ning could not threaten his Inspection Office quota and resolved to improve his own blood-qi and combat skills.
• Cheng Ran thanked Jiang Ning, said he would enter the Martial Dao within a month, and realized Jiang Ning's strength exceeded two hundred catties.

Cheng Ran realized Jiang Ning had extraordinary Martial Dao talent and gave him fifty taels of silver to thank him for preventing an injury. Jiang Ning accepted the money to support his training as he prepared to pursue a place in the Inspection Office, though he remained unsure whether he could attain Martial Dao rank in the three months he had left.

• Cheng Ran estimated Jiang Ning's strength exceeded two hundred catties and privately concluded that his Martial Dao talent and fist technique had advanced remarkably.
• Cheng Ran gave Jiang Ning a fifty-tael silver note in gratitude for helping him avoid a serious injury, and Jiang Ning accepted it.
• Disciples nearby discussed Cheng Ran's wealth and the importance of the upcoming Inspection Office selection in Luoshui County.
• Jiang Ning planned to use the money to resume more intensive training and improve his chances of joining the Inspection Office.
• Jiang Ning assessed the requirements for reaching Martial Dao rank and recognized that attaining it within three months remained uncertain.

Jiang Ning helped the injured Cheng Ran recover and agreed to spar with him, while keeping his rapidly growing strength secret from Xiao Peng. The next morning, Jiang Ning waited for his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique to reach initiation and hoped his panel could help him master the incomplete technique.

• Jiang Ning helped Cheng Ran rest after Xiao Peng's vicious strike, and Cheng Ran said his injuries would heal with a few days of recuperation.
• Cheng Ran confirmed Jiang Ning's strength exceeded two hundred jin, agreed to keep it secret, and invited him to spar after recovering.
• Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran agreed to build their combat experience through regular sparring, and Cheng Ran promised to investigate a matter Jiang Ning had entrusted to him.
• The next morning, Jiang Ning waited for the sun as his Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique stood at 91/100 experience points.
• Jiang Ning speculated that the technique could refine his organs and eventually form a golden elixir, and hoped his panel would let him perfect it despite possessing only a fragmentary page.

Jiang Ning initiated the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique and discovered that it greatly strengthened his organs. He cautiously practiced with the newly risen sun, survived a surge of scorching essence, and gained experience despite missing the technique’s later guidance method.

• Jiang Ning practiced the breathing method until the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique reached initiation, causing his heart, breathing, and body temperature to surge.
• Jiang Ning expelled a breath that sent fallen leaves flying and recognized that his organs and stamina had grown stronger.
• Jiang Ning considered how inner and outer cultivation could complement each other and wondered whether he could progress without the technique’s missing later methods.
• Jiang Ning practiced before the morning window ended and drew scorching essence into his abdomen, where it threatened to burn his organs.
• Jiang Ning felt an invisible force calm the essence, gained a point of experience, and concluded that further inner strengthening could become a powerful trump card.

Jiang Ning continued cultivating the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique and resolved to grow strong enough to protect his brother’s family. Cheng Ran reported that the Green Snake Gang was watching the martial arts hall, described the threats surrounding Jiang Ning’s family, and suggested a cheaper source of wild ginseng as Jiang Ning prepared to pursue a place in the Inspection Office.

• Jiang Ning cultivated the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique until it reached Beginner 6/1000 and decided to repay the twenty taels his elder brother had borrowed for him.
• Cheng Ran told Jiang Ning that two Green Snake Gang members had been watching the martial arts hall and that increased patrols were keeping his brother’s family safe for now.
• Cheng Ran reported that Xu Yunfeng was likely a martial artist close to entering the ranks and was connected to Cao Bin and the Cao Family.
• Cheng Ran advised Jiang Ning to buy ten-year wild ginseng from Zhou Xing for ten taels of silver when Zhou demonstrated Fierce Tiger Leaves the Cage.
• Cheng Ran said his father’s Great Restoration Pill had healed his injuries and strengthened his qi and blood, and he vowed to compete with Xiao Peng for the Inspection Office position.