Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran sparred at Blue-Wave Martial Academy, and Cheng Ran discovered Jiang Ning’s extraordinary strength and fist technique talent. Their bout continued as Jiang Ning used the Deer Form Fist and learned that fighting increased his Five Animals Fist experience.

• Cheng Ran challenged Jiang Ning to a spar, and Jiang Ning agreed so he could gauge Xu Yunfeng’s strength.
• Jiang Ning struck Cheng Ran with a palm that unleashed a thousand jin of force, startling him with Jiang Ning’s Tiger Form Fist mastery.
• Cheng Ran recognized Jiang Ning’s talent and decided he should be treated as a friend, then continued sparring with him.
• Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran exchanged repeated blows, and Jiang Ning saw that sparring increased his Five Animals Fist experience.
• Jiang Ning used the Deer Form Fist’s shifting speed to exploit Cheng Ran’s defense and stagger him, prompting Cheng Ran to demand another round.

Jiang Ning sparred with Cheng Ran and showed how his Five Animals Fist, nimble footwork, and stamina let him evade and pressure a stronger opponent. After Cheng Ran overwhelmed him with full force, Jiang Ning reflected that he might beat Cheng Ran with a blade but was not yet confident against Xu Yunfeng.

• Jiang Ning used his unpredictable movements and precise footwork to land strikes on Cheng Ran while avoiding most of his attacks.
• Cheng Ran unleashed his full strength and drove Jiang Ning back, forcing him to leap onto a wall and concede the spar.
• Cheng Ran recognized Jiang Ning's exceptional talent and felt relieved that only about three months remained before the Inspection Office opened.
• Jiang Ning saw that fighting had raised his Five Animals Fist experience, while his qi and blood had not increased.
• After Cheng Ran left, Jiang Ning judged that a blade might let him defeat Cheng Ran but doubted he could yet defeat Xu Yunfeng.

Jiang Ning continued strengthening his martial skills and body while anticipating a visit from Zhou Xing to buy wild ginseng. At lunch, deputy tower master Shen Congyun arrived at Blue-Wave Martial Academy, and Wang Jin eagerly welcomed him because Shen had helped him glimpse a path beyond the peak of the seventh rank.

• Jiang Ning reviewed his progress and planned to use accumulated energy to break through his Wood-Chopping Saber Technique and strengthen his Literacy skill.
• Jiang Ning practiced Five Animals Fist repeatedly and noticed that his growing endurance and appetite helped him train more.
• A disciple announced that Shen Congyun had come to visit, surprising Wang Jin and drawing the attention of Jiang Ning and the other disciples.
• Cheng Ran explained that Myriad Splendor Tower rarely invested in Martial Dao talents and questioned why Shen Congyun had personally visited.
• Wang Jin greeted Shen Congyun at the academy gates and invited him inside, encouraged by the opportunity Shen had given him to advance beyond the peak of the seventh rank.

Shen Congyun explained the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique’s origins and limitations to Wang Jin, who had begun cultivating it with the help of secret medicine. Shen decided to invest in Wang Jin, while Wang Jin learned that the technique’s perfection method was missing.

• Shen Congyun asked Wang Jin how he had found the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique, and Wang Jin said it had restored many of his bodily functions.
• Wang Jin said he had begun cultivating the technique after using Shen Congyun’s secret medicine, and Shen praised his Spiritual Wisdom and talent.
• Shen Congyun explained that the technique was an ultimate art derived from ancient Immortal Dao methods and that its incomplete version could only be cultivated to major accomplishment.
• Wang Jin asked what Shen Congyun wanted in exchange for teaching him, and Shen said he was willing to invest in him but lacked the method for perfection.
• Shen Congyun described how perfecting the technique could form a golden elixir and extend one’s lifespan, while Wang Jin regretted that the crucial method was lost.
• After confirming Wang Jin had successfully begun cultivation, Shen Congyun resolved to support him as a promising talent.

Shen Congyun valued Wang Jin as a rare Martial Dao genius and hoped to invest in his future, while Jiang Ning continued training and focused on improving his Five Animals Fist. The chapter ended with Jiang Ning heading to watch Zhao Hu demonstrate his perfected Tiger Form Fist.

• Shen Congyun judged that Wang Jin could recover his strength, advance through the Martial Dao ranks, and perhaps even become a Grandmaster, which justified Shen Congyun's investment in him.
• Cheng Ran told Jiang Ning that Myriad Splendor Tower's support could transform a Martial Dao genius's prospects, though he thought he had little chance of receiving it himself.
• Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animals Fist, gained one experience point, and noted that his stamina and strength had improved after cultivating the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique.
• Cheng Ran rushed to tell Jiang Ning that Li Qing had entered a Martial Dao rank and Zhao Hu had perfected his Tiger Form Fist and mastered Fierce Tiger Force.
• Jiang Ning went with Cheng Ran to the front courtyard to watch Zhao Hu demonstrate the perfected Tiger Form Fist.

Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran watched Zhao Hu praise Xiao Peng at the Blue-Wave Martial Academy, while Cheng Ran worried about their competition for a place in the Inspection Office. Outside the academy, Liu Zhixiang and Zhou Xing clashed over the academy’s talented disciples, and Zhao Hu led the disciples away to demonstrate Fierce Tiger Force.

• Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran saw Zhao Hu compliment Xiao Peng’s mastery of Tiger Form Fist, and Cheng Ran vowed to surpass him.
• Liu Zhixiang arrived at the Blue-Wave Martial Academy to meet Academy Master Wang Jin.
• Zhou Xing arrived with Zhang Tiesheng, accused Liu Zhixiang’s Four Harmonies Trading Company of overreaching, and entered the academy.
• Liu Zhixiang resented Zhou Xing’s rebuke and hoped to use his powerful allies to teach him a lesson.
• Zhao Hu invited the disciples to watch him demonstrate Fierce Tiger Force and felt pleased when Li Qing followed the group.

Jiang Ning’s changed physique and concealed skill impressed Li Qing, while Zhao Hu grew jealous of his friendly exchange with her. Zhao Hu confronted Cheng Ran, but Zhou Xing and Zhang Tiesheng arrived before the dispute was explained.

• Zhao Hu demonstrated the explosive Fierce Tiger Force to the martial arts hall disciples while watching Jiang Ning speak with Li Qing.
• Li Qing praised Jiang Ning’s physical transformation and offered to test his Five Animals Fist, while Jiang Ning worried that Zhao Hu had taken notice of him.
• Cheng Ran called Jiang Ning his sparring partner, but Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran played down their training, leading Li Qing to suspect that Jiang Ning had exceptional talent.
• Zhao Hu challenged Cheng Ran to fight, then leapt across the courtyard and confronted him and Jiang Ning.
• Zhou Xing and Zhang Tiesheng arrived as Cheng Ran demanded to know why Zhao Hu had challenged him.

Zhou Xing stopped Zhao Hu from forcing Cheng Ran into a spar and offered Cheng Ran and Li Qing invitations to discuss joining forces ahead of the Inspection Office opening. Jiang Ning bought wild ginseng from Zhou Xing, who decided he was not worth a major investment, and Li Qing left to pay respects to their master.

• Zhou Xing arrived and learned Zhao Hu wanted to spar with Cheng Ran, then pointed out that Zhao Hu’s greater skill made the challenge unfair.
• Li Qing rebuked Zhao Hu, who left after threatening Cheng Ran, and Zhou Xing advised Cheng Ran to be careful.
• Zhou Xing invited Cheng Ran and Li Qing to Fenghua Tower and offered them terms to join his plans for the Inspection Office.
• Jiang Ning exchanged a fifty-tael banknote and twenty taels of silver for ten wild ginseng roots, with Zhou Xing adding three as a goodwill gesture.
• Zhou Xing decided against investing heavily in Jiang Ning, then left; Li Qing went to pay respects to their master.

Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran discussed Zhou Xing’s generous offer to invest in Cheng Ran in exchange for a future favor, while Jiang Ning regretted missing out on the resources such backing could provide. Meanwhile, Li Qing greeted Shen Congyun at the martial arts school, and Wang Jin invited him to inspect his disciples.

• Cheng Ran read Zhou Xing’s invitation offering silver, premium ointment, and century-old wild Earth Ganoderma for a future favor, then said he would compare offers before accepting.
• Jiang Ning considered how Zhou Xing’s investment could increase his resources and source energy, which he needed to break the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique’s limits.
• Li Qing greeted Wang Jin and Shen Congyun, feeling nervous at the prospect of being noticed by the powerful Myriad Splendor Tower deputy tower master.
• Shen Congyun praised Li Qing’s physique, and Li Qing understood from his response that he was unlikely to invest in her.
• Wang Jin told Shen Congyun that the disciples had assembled and invited him to inspect them, and Shen Congyun agreed.

At Blue-Wave Martial Academy, Liu Zhixiang tested Zhou Xing with a pointed greeting, but Zhou Xing concealed his displeasure and went to pay respects to Wang Jin. Liu Zhixiang resolved to avoid offending Zhou Xing too deeply while carrying out the Fourfold Merchants Association’s plan to support promising candidates for the Inspection Office.

• The disciples gathered to watch Wang Jin’s captured tiger be released, hoping to learn from its fighting spirit and improve their Tiger Form Fist.
• Liu Zhixiang entered the academy and greeted Zhou Xing, who suspected the Fourfold Merchants Association’s business was tied to the Liu Family.
• Zhou Xing held back his anger, encouraged Xiao Peng, and headed to the rear courtyard to pay his respects to Wang Jin.
• Liu Zhixiang recognized Zhou Xing’s talent and composure, deciding he should find a way to ease their relationship.
• Liu Zhixiang reviewed his assignment to invest in promising Blue-Wave Martial Academy disciples who might join the Inspection Office.

Liu Zhixiang of the Fourfold Merchants Association sought promising Blue-Wave Martial Academy disciples for investment, while Cheng Ran received an invitation. Cheng Ran invited Jiang Ning to the Association’s banquet and promised to recommend him, leaving Jiang Ning ready to pursue the resources he urgently needed.

• Liu Zhixiang identified Cheng Ran, Xiao Peng, and Zhao Hu as the academy’s best prospects for investment and gave Cheng Ran an invitation.
• Cheng Ran told Jiang Ning he would favor the Fourfold Merchants Association’s offer if its terms were better than Zhou Xing’s.
• Cheng Ran, concerned about Jiang Ning’s talent and need for resources, invited him to the Association’s banquet and offered to recommend him for investment.
• Jiang Ning accepted Cheng Ran’s offer and thanked him, hoping to secure resources that would speed his martial progress and help protect his family.

Wang Jin brought Shen Congyun to the martial hall courtyard, where Shen inspected the disciples while considering Wang Jin’s character but expecting no exceptional talent among them. Zhou Xing recognized a chance to win Myriad Splendor Tower’s favor and resolved to show his abilities in the arena.

• Cheng Ran told Jiang Ning that Shen Congyun’s favor could transform his future, while Jiang Ning questioned how much it could help someone already wealthy.
• Wang Jin asked Shen Congyun to assess his disciples, and Shen agreed, appreciating Wang Jin’s concern for them despite expecting no investment-worthy talent.
• Shen Congyun reflected that Myriad Splendor Tower sought disciples with the potential to become first-rate experts and that grandmaster-level prospects were exceedingly rare.
• Zhou Xing saw Shen Congyun and renewed his hope of gaining Myriad Splendor Tower’s support for himself and the Zhou Family.
• Zhou Xing clenched his fists and resolved to enter the arena and prove himself.

At the martial hall, Shen Congyun assessed the gathered disciples and initially dismissed Jiang Ning as mediocre. After sensing Jiang Ning’s powerful heartbeat and the lingering aura of Sun Essence, Shen Congyun realized Jiang Ning had mastered the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique and concealed his surprise.

• Wang Jin told the disciples to carry the tiger’s cage to the western courtyard, and several eager disciples lifted it, waking the tiger with a roar.
• Cheng Ran hoped to fight the tiger and attract Shen Congyun’s attention, while Jiang Ning considered how to gain Myriad Splendor Tower’s support.
• Shen Congyun judged Cheng Ran and Jiang Ning to be ordinary, then noticed Jiang Ning’s unusually steady breathing and forceful heartbeat.
• Shen Congyun sensed the lingering aura of Sun Essence on Jiang Ning and concluded that Jiang Ning had entered the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique and tempered his internal organs.
• Wang Jin asked Shen Congyun what he had noticed, but Shen Congyun concealed his discovery and said nothing was wrong.

Shen Congyun recognized Jiang Ning’s exceptional aptitude for the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique and decided to investigate him as a potential investment. Meanwhile, Cao Bin refused to abandon the plan to pressure Jiang Li, despite Jiang Ning’s protection at Wang Jin’s academy.

• Shen Congyun sensed that Jiang Ning had cultivated the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique without secret medicine and judged his innate spiritual wisdom extraordinary.
• Shen Congyun decided to consider investing in Jiang Ning after investigating his martial arts experience and talent.
• Wang Jin asked Shen Congyun what he thought of his disciples, and Shen Congyun replied that they were not bad.
• Xu Yunfeng told Cao Bin that Jiang Ning had moved into Blue-Wave Martial Academy after becoming Wang Jin’s disciple, blocking the plan to use him against Jiang Li.
• Cao Bin warned that Wang Jin was not someone to confront directly but insisted that they continue targeting Jiang Li to force the county magistrate to take a position.

Cao Bin ordered Xu Yunfeng to frame Jiang Li and target Jiang Ning before the Inspection Office arrived. After watching the academy’s disciples fight a tiger, Jiang Ning studied the battle and prepared to improve his Tiger Form Fist with newly delivered wild ginseng.

• Cao Bin told Xu Yunfeng to use the God-Worship Cult as a charge against Jiang Li and his family, and ordered him to arrange Jiang Ning’s arrest and death as well.
• Wang Jin and Shen Congyun watched as the martial academy’s disciples fought a tiger in an iron cage.
• Cheng Ran told Jiang Ning that he had fought the tiger to improve his Tiger Form Fist and attract Shen Congyun’s favor.
• Cheng Ran planned to study the battle and invited Jiang Ning to the Fourfold Merchants Association’s banquet the following evening.
• Jiang Ning received ten wild ginseng roots from Zhou Xing and reviewed the tiger fight, seeking to master the spirit and form of Tiger Form Fist.

Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animals Fist through the night, using half a wild ginseng root to restore his strength and deepen his understanding of the tiger's spirit and form. He reached great mastery in Tiger Form Fist and ended the night heading to eat with Auntie Sun, excited by his improved training gains.

• Jiang Ning practiced the Five Animals Fist while recalling the tiger's pounce, but his experience gains initially remained at one point per set.
• Jiang Ning ate half of the wild ginseng, which quickly restored his energy, and resumed training through the night.
• Jiang Ning's practice began yielding two experience points per set, showing that his Tiger Form Fist had reached great mastery and qualifying him to become Wang Jin's true disciple.
• Jiang Ning trained until late at night, gaining 23 experience points in total and raising his Five Animals Fist to Minor Mastery 78/500.
• Auntie Sun brought Jiang Ning to eat the dinner she had repeatedly reheated, while he looked forward to practicing with greater efficiency the next day.

Jiang Ning broke through the limit of the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique and gained the Drawing Parallels trait, which improved his ability to learn saber techniques. He decided to tell Wang Jin that his Tiger Form Fist had reached major mastery so he could become Wang Jin’s true disciple.

• Jiang Ning ate a large meal at the martial academy’s back kitchen, practiced his fist techniques, and went to sleep with 9.2 Source Energy points.
• Jiang Ning woke to find his Source Energy had risen to 10.1 after absorbing wild ginseng.
• Jiang Ning used his Source Energy to break the Wood-Chopping Saber Technique’s limit and gained the Drawing Parallels trait.
• Jiang Ning resolved to find a saber and learn a saber technique, believing Wang Jin could help him obtain both.
• Jiang Ning decided to tell Wang Jin that his Tiger Form Fist had reached major mastery and that he had passed the assessment to become a true disciple.
• Jiang Ning sensed increased strength from the breakthrough and left his room to find Wang Jin.

Jiang Ning tested his strength and found his right arm could exert about 350 jin and his left arm 300 jin, then continued training before drawing in the sun’s essence with the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique. Shen Congyun watched from afar and was stunned that Jiang Ning dared to practice the technique without knowing what came next.

• Jiang Ning lifted the 300-jin stone weight with each arm and found he could not lift the 400-jin weight clear of the ground.
• Jiang Ning estimated his right arm’s strength at about 350 jin and his left arm’s at 300 jin, and considered how his saber technique might let him challenge Xu Yunfeng.
• Jiang Ning returned to his courtyard, practiced the Five Animals Fist, and gained four experience points and six wisps of blood and qi.
• After sunrise, Jiang Ning drew in the sun’s essence and gained experience in the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique.
• Shen Congyun watched Jiang Ning from a distant building and reacted with shock that he was practicing without a guiding method for what came next.

Jiang Ning cultivated the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique while Shen Congyun watched and questioned how he had learned it. He demonstrated his Tiger Form Fist to Wang Jin, passed his test, and became Wang Jin’s true disciple.

• Shen Congyun observed Jiang Ning absorbing sunlight to cultivate the Inner Elixir Life-Nourishing Technique and decided to await an investigation report.
• Jiang Ning gained experience in the technique, ate breakfast, and brought Wang Jin his meal so he could reveal his progress.
• Jiang Ning told Wang Jin that his Tiger Form Fist had reached major accomplishment, and Wang Jin asked him to demonstrate it.
• Wang Jin recognized Jiang Ning’s mastery after watching his demonstration and learned that seeing a fierce tiger fight had helped him comprehend the form.
• Jiang Ning offered Wang Jin tea in a formal ceremony, and Wang Jin accepted him as his true disciple.

Wang Jin showed Jiang Ning the mid-grade Canglang Saber Art but said he was not yet qualified to learn it because he had not mastered force. Jiang Ning resolved to train for the Inspection Office opportunity and, wondering whether he could enter the saber art early, turned back to ask Wang Jin for a saber.

• Wang Jin explained that Jiang Ning had to master a Five Animals Fist stance before he could qualify to learn the Canglang Saber Art.
• Wang Jin gave Jiang Ning the manual, and Jiang Ning read and memorized its instructions for the powerful Ninefold Force.
• Jiang Ning realized that entering the Canglang Saber Art required mastering force, which he could only pursue after advancing the Five Animals Fist.
• Wang Jin encouraged Jiang Ning to reach perfection in the Five Animals Fist and promised to help him seek a place in the Inspection Office if he succeeded in time.
• Jiang Ning saw that the Canglang Saber Art had appeared on his panel, considered using it to master Ninefold Force early, and turned back to ask Wang Jin for a saber.