Chapter Summaries

Li Xiuwen learned that the Sea Sand Sect’s ancestral secret medicine was toxic and discovered the Whale-Slaying Tradition’s hidden history. After confirming the Binding Armor Branch was a genuine martial tradition, he studied its manual and decided to test its entry-level training despite its costs.

• Li Xiuwen asked Huang Sihai about the Nine Dragons Patriarch’s appearance and learned that fish balls were a toxic ancestral medicine.
• Huang Sihai prayed to the statue and recalled that the Whale-Slaying Daoist had once defeated a Crimson Giant Whale and sought an heir to restore the tradition’s legacy.
• Li Xiuwen checked his martial arts progress and asked Old Chen about the Moving-Mountain Style and its Binding Armor Branch.
• Li Xiuwen returned home, made sure Brother Ji had not visited, and secretly read the Binding Armor Skill manual.
• Li Xiuwen learned the skill’s stages required increasingly difficult hammer conditioning and medicinal ingredients, then planned to buy entry-level ingredients and try it.

Li Xiuwen began testing the Binding Armor Skill, using Blood-Transforming Paste and blows from his aunt-in-law and uncle-in-law to temper his skin membrane. After a painful night of recovery, he saw the skill register at 1%, leaving him ready to continue training.

• At the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, Big Silly Qiang revealed he had reached purple membrane, while Liu Chun disclosed she had reached black membrane.
• Huang Sihai encouraged Li Xiuwen to aim for purple membrane, and Liu Chun doubted his use of fish balls would help him catch up.
• Li Xiuwen spent twenty dollars on ingredients and made Blood-Transforming Paste for his Binding Armor Skill training.
• Li Xiuwen asked his aunt-in-law and then his uncle-in-law to strike him with a hammer while he circulated energy through his body.
• Li Xiuwen applied the paste and endured pain and itching overnight, then saw the Binding Armor Skill reach entry at 1% on the Incense Burner.

Li Xiuwen continued cultivating Hard Qigong while training at the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, where A Zhen reached purple membrane before him. He then broke through to purple membrane himself, leaving him far stronger and more confident about facing threats in the Enclave.

• Li Xiuwen examined the azure membrane created by his Hard Qigong and found that it could cushion most of a knife's cutting force.
• For several days, Li Xiuwen trained Hard Qigong at night with help from his aunt-in-law and uncle-in-law, gaining proficiency slowly.
• A Zhen reached purple membrane and bragged that Li Xiuwen could not hurt her with a punch, while Big Silly Qiang worried that Li Xiuwen had been discouraged from training.
• Li Xiuwen practiced the Sea-Sand Stance until his qi and blood surged through his body, transforming his azure membrane into purple membrane.
• The Incense Burner recorded Li Xiuwen's Sea-Sand Stance at minor mastery and his stage at purple membrane, and he felt ready to face the Enclave's street thugs.

Li Xiuwen revealed his breakthrough to purple membrane, earned Huang Sihai’s attention, and began special training ahead of the fight with the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall. After learning that Brother Ji had not collected protection money, he visited his aunt and uncle and agreed to attend a hometown gathering, while Venomous Snake suspected Li Xiuwen had killed Brother Ji.

• Li Xiuwen showed his purple membrane breakthrough to the students, surprising them and earning Huang Sihai’s recognition as the fourth contestant for the upcoming fight.
• Huang Sihai selected Li Xiuwen, A Zhen, Big Silly Qiang, and Liu Chun for ten days of special training in Sand-flipping Palm.
• Over the next three days, Huang Sihai’s instruction improved the four students’ combat-method proficiency and Li Xiuwen’s martial knowledge.
• Li Xiuwen’s aunt told him Brother Ji had not appeared to collect protection money and that Zhao Dalong had arranged a hometown gathering at Hongyun Restaurant for the next day.
• Venomous Snake told Third Master he suspected Li Xiuwen, known as A Wen, had killed Brother Ji.

Li Xiuwen attended a reunion with the three other survivors of the Snake Den, discovering how far their lives had diverged since their escape. Zhao Dalong proposed that they form a hometown association to support one another in Fragrant Harbor.

• Venomous Snake and Third Master discussed abducting Li Xiuwen, but agreed to investigate his strength before acting.
• Li Xiuwen left the Walled City to attend a gathering with Zhao Dalong, Li Nanshu, and Ding Sheng, the three other survivors of the Snake Den.
• Zhao Dalong revealed that he was a gang member and that Li Nanshu had become a disciple of the Southern Heaven Martial Arts Hall.
• Li Nanshu recognized that Li Xiuwen carried the air of a trained fighter, but respected his choice not to discuss it.
• Ding Sheng arrived, and Zhao Dalong revealed that Ding Sheng's great-grandfather was newspaper tycoon Ding Chunyi and that Ding Sheng had destroyed the Snake Den.
• Zhao Dalong proposed forming a hometown association so the four survivors could support one another in Fragrant Harbor.

Li Xiuwen, Zhao Dalong, Li Nanshu, and Ding Sheng founded the Shengxing Society, with Zhao Dalong as president, and shared a meal at the Fortune Restaurant. After Li Nanshu and Ding Sheng left, Zhao Dalong went to the restroom with his companion, visibly displeased.

• Li Nanshu offered money and Ding Sheng offered an office and help registering Zhao Dalong's proposed hometown association.
• Li Xiuwen agreed to join the group despite lacking resources, and they named it the Shengxing Society.
• Zhao Dalong became president, Ding Sheng became vice president, and Li Nanshu and Li Xiuwen became members.
• The four celebrated over dinner, and Li Xiuwen asked Zhao Dalong to look for a Thunderheart Palm handgun.
• Li Xiuwen packed some food to take away, then Li Nanshu and Ding Sheng departed after saying farewell.
• After everyone left, Zhao Dalong entered the restroom with his female companion, looking displeased.

Ding Sheng considered joining Shengxing Society while Li Nanshu reflected on her ambitious future and her old friend A Wen. Back in the Enclave, Li Xiuwen’s family tried to use his powerful connections to deter Venomous Snake, and Xiuwen attacked one of Snake’s thugs as they were leaving.

• Zhao Dalong complained that Ding Sheng looked down on him, while Ding aimed to win over Li Nanshu and preserve his ties to the Shengxing Society.
• Li Nanshu dismissed her senior sister’s warning about her old friends and privately wondered why A Wen was hiding his martial arts training.
• Li Xiuwen brought home untouched food from the gathering, and his aunt-in-law and uncle-in-law eagerly heard about his three successful friends.
• Venomous Snake visited the family to ask about Aji, but hesitated to test Xiuwen after hearing that Xiuwen knew Li Nanshu, Ye Nantian’s disciple.
• As Venomous Snake turned to leave, Li Xiuwen dropped his timid act, caught a thug, and snapped his neck.

Li Xiuwen captured Venomous Snake after killing two of his men, then learned where Third Master lived and set out to kill him. He found Third Master in the sewers, where his arrival ended with Venomous Snake’s severed body crashing into Third Master.

• Li Xiuwen killed two street thugs at Chen's Rice Noodle Factory and knocked Venomous Snake unconscious, telling Aunt-in-law and Uncle-in-law that he planned to kill Third Master.
• Li Xiuwen dumped the two corpses in the sewers, then tortured Venomous Snake until he revealed Third Master's location and confirmed that Third Master had no gun.
• Li Xiuwen killed Venomous Snake and encountered a deformed crocodile carrying a severed arm in the sewers.
• Third Master waited in ambush at his waterside home and brought down a body with his machete, only to recognize it as Venomous Snake.

Li Xiuwen killed Third Master in the sewers after a difficult fight, advancing his Sand-Turning Palm to minor mastery. He searched Third Master’s chest and found cash, jewelry, and an aphrodisiac, but no martial arts manuals.

• Li Xiuwen ambushed Third Master in the sewers, and they fought with a Hatchet and rebar.
• Li Xiuwen used a newly grasped soft-force technique to strike Third Master with Surging Tides and cripple him.
• Third Master tried to bite Li Xiuwen, but Li Xiuwen stabbed him through the throat with the rebar and killed him.
• The incense stick for Sand-Turning Palm burned out, and Li Xiuwen’s skill advanced to minor mastery.
• Li Xiuwen searched Third Master’s iron chest and found tens of thousands in banknotes, gold and silver jewelry, and an aphrodisiac.

After killing Third Master, Li Xiuwen returned home, shared the recovered money with his uncle-in-law and aunt-in-law, and urged them to care for their health. He planned how to spend the remaining funds on training and medicine, knowing he would need to challenge another school to secure more income.

• Li Xiuwen told his uncle-in-law and aunt-in-law that Third Master was dead and warned them to keep the killing secret.
• Li Xiuwen counted the recovered twenty-four thousand yuan and insisted his uncle-in-law take ten thousand to repay debts and keep the factory running.
• Li Xiuwen confronted his uncle-in-law about his hidden medical report and urged both relatives to seek treatment, improve their health, and consider having a child.
• Li Xiuwen reassured his aunt-in-law and returned to his room after promising that their lives could improve now that Third Master was gone.
• Li Xiuwen planned to spend his remaining money on fish pills and better medicine for Hard Qigong, then resolved to challenge another school to improve his chances in the Second-Floor Tournament.

Li Xiuwen learned that his growing martial skill had impressed Huang Sihai, who named him a prospect for the second floor and planned to take the students to the Nine Dragons Grand Arena. Meanwhile, Za Jiu offered to investigate the killing of Third Master, hoping to earn Dao Youming’s favor.

• Li Xiuwen heard that people blamed Ever Joy for the deaths of Third Master and the Thirteen Guardians, and Liu Chun agreed that Li Xiuwen could not have killed them himself.
• Huang Sihai assessed the students’ Sand-Turning Palm, praised Li Xiuwen’s comprehension and Soft Palm mastery, and called him a prospect for the second floor.
• Huang Sihai explained that fish balls improved qi and blood but not combat methods, prompting Liu Chun to recognize Li Xiuwen as a genuine rival.
• Huang Sihai announced that he would take the students to see the Nine Dragons Grand Arena for actual combat.
• At the Thunder God Shed, Dao Youming dismissed concern over his dead cousin, while Za Jiu volunteered to investigate the killing and sought a Flood Dragon Grand Elixir as a reward.

Li Xiuwen bought two fish balls as he prepared to pursue the Second Floor selection, then joined Huang Sihai and his fellow disciples on a visit to the Nine Dragons Grand Arena. Huang Sihai taught them to read fights at the Thread of Sky Teahouse, while Li Xiuwen quietly considered finding a safer home for his relatives near the Learning Society.

• Li Xiuwen declined A Zhen's offer to ask Sister Buddha about joining Hesheng Tu and told her he wanted to train more first.
• Li Xiuwen bought two fish balls from Huang Sihai and learned that the Second Floor selection was only two months away and his chances were poor.
• Huang Sihai led Li Xiuwen, A Zhen, Liu Chun, and Big Silly Qiang through the Central District and described Mr. Ming's strength and the safety near the Learning Society.
• At the Thread of Sky Teahouse, Huang Sihai recalled winning nine fights there as a young man, and Li Xiuwen paid for his tea.
• Huang Sihai identified the fighters' styles and predicted the White Crane practitioner would win; the fat fighter then defeated the skinny fighter.
• Huang Sihai explained that fighters in the first arena had to register their backgrounds and martial arts, making hidden styles and profitable upsets unlikely.

Huang Sihai took his disciples to the Nine Dragons Grand Arena, where A Zhen and Big Silly Qiang tested themselves while Li Xiuwen kept his abilities hidden from the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall. As the Hall Challenge approached, Li Xiuwen trained with better Blood-Transforming Paste and, after reflecting on martial knowledge, saw the incense burner produce a mysterious golden text.

• Huang Sihai explained the arena challenges and paid for A Zhen and Big Silly Qiang to compete, while Li Xiuwen and Liu Chun chose to conceal their abilities.
• A Zhen cleared three platforms before losing on the Fourth Platform, and Big Silly Qiang won five platforms in a row before being defeated on the sixth.
• Master Night learned of the disciples' arena results and concluded that Liu Chun was the Sea Sand Style's only likely winner, unless he faced Longlegs Seven.
• Li Xiuwen trained with high-quality Blood-Transforming Paste, improved his Binding Armor Skill, and raised his cultivation to [Purple Membrane (40%)].
• On the eve of the Hall Challenge, Li Xiuwen reflected on martial knowledge as the incense for [Basic Martial Way Knowledge] burned anew and golden text appeared, announcing the Illusory Realm of the Great Void.

After Beginner Martial Arts Knowledge reached minor mastery, Li Xiuwen discovered that the Incense Burner let him enter the Grand Void Illusory Realm in his dreams and practice combat methods with doubled efficiency. He tested the realm against several opponents and learned its limits, then continued sparring as the Crimson Incense burned.

• Li Xiuwen learned that the Incense Burner could take him into the Grand Void Illusory Realm, where practicing combat methods improved his efficiency.
• Li Xiuwen entered the realm in a dream and found that its frozen, pixelated landscape recreated parts of the Walled City and people he knew.
• Li Xiuwen selected Huang Sihai as an opponent and was defeated instantly, then sparred with A Zhen and found that the realm replicated her remembered skill level.
• Li Xiuwen fought Silly Qiang and gained one percent proficiency in Sand-Turning Palm, confirming that practice in the realm doubled his progress.
• Li Xiuwen challenged Liu Chun, discovered that he could not actively use training methods such as Binding Armor Skill or Sea-Sand Stance, and learned that their passive physical enhancements still applied.

Li Xiuwen used the Grand Void Illusory Realm to study the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall’s fighters, improving his chances against three of them while discovering that the training drained his mental energy. The Hall Challenge began at the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, where Old Huang saw Longlegs Seven’s strength and feared his disciples would lose.

• Li Xiuwen lost quickly to Longlegs Seven in the illusory realm, then sparred repeatedly with Tian Er, Black Dog, and Wen Wu until he gained a clear advantage over them.
• Li Xiuwen woke exhausted after two hours in the illusory realm, realized it had drained his mental energy, and decided to sleep later and seek spirit-replenishing herbs.
• Li Xiuwen arrived at the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall as Ye Xiangtian and the Night Heron challengers came to issue a Hall Challenge.
• Ye Xiangtian and the eight challengers honored the Sea Sand Style’s ancestral master before the reporters from the Ming Daily recorded the proceedings.
• Huang Sihai chose to draw lots for the pairings, while Longlegs Seven’s strength convinced him that the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall was unlikely to win.

The Four Seas Martial Arts Hall faced the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall in a challenge, and Liu Chun, A Zhen, and Big Silly Qiang all lost. After Master Ye mocked Huang Sihai’s students, Huang defended his decision to train ordinary people and suggested one of them might still become real gold.

• The lots paired Liu Chun with Longlegs Seven, A Zhen with Black Dog, Big Silly Qiang with Wen Wu, and Li Xiuwen with Tian Er.
• Longlegs Seven defeated Liu Chun with his Waterbird Fist, leaving her humiliated and shaken.
• Black Dog beat A Zhen, giving the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall its second win.
• After a long fight, Wen Wu exploited Big Silly Qiang’s opening and defeated him.
• Master Ye mocked Huang Sihai for accepting supposedly worthless students, and Huang replied that turning ordinary people into something was real skill.

Li Xiuwen fought Tian Er in the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall challenge, using his knowledge of Waterbird Fist and his Sand-Turning Palm to counter the stronger fighter. He struck Tian Er with a crushing palm, leaving the result of the match unresolved.

• Big Silly Qiang lost to Tian Er, leaving Li Xiuwen to represent the Sea Sand Style.
• Li Xiuwen stepped onto the platform, and Tian Er mocked him before the match began.
• Li Xiuwen read Tian Er's Waterbird Fist and countered his attacks, while Tian Er used footwork to avoid being pushed off the platform.
• After more than a hundred exchanges, Tian Er unleashed Thousand Egrets, but Li Xiuwen found his real body and drove him back.
• Tian Er chose to take Li Xiuwen's palm head-on, then realized Li Xiuwen's Sand-Turning Palm had reached minor mastery.

Li Xiuwen defeated Tian Er with the Sand-Turning Palm, helping the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall claim a win in the first-floor matches, then watched the second-floor disciples compete. After the challenge, Huang Sihai recognized Li Xiuwen's combat comprehension and offered to teach him movement techniques, while Master Ye urged Longlegs Seven to aim beyond the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.

• Li Xiuwen knocked Tian Er off the platform with a powerful palm strike, and Huang Sihai taunted Master Ye over the result.
• Li Xiuwen watched the second-floor matches, where Ao Jiu defeated Big Guy and the Night Heron side narrowly won the contest overall.
• After the hall challenge ended, Huang Sihai praised Li Xiuwen's ability to learn combat methods by watching and offered to teach him movement techniques.
• Master Ye learned that Li Xiuwen had once tried to join the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall and told Longlegs Seven that the boy's comprehension was impressive but his physical aptitude limited him.
• Master Ye warned Longlegs Seven not to grow conceited and named the Rivercrossing Association and the Academic Society as his real goals.

Li Xiuwen learned the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall’s movement technique and used the Grand Void Illusory Realm to master it quickly while advancing his stake training. By the end of his second month, Huang Sihai was increasingly impressed with him, and Li Xiuwen remained focused on his training.

• Huang Sihai taught Li Xiuwen Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance and explained how to practice the movement technique.
• Li Xiuwen’s aunt-in-law and uncle-in-law congratulated him on winning a match and learning to support himself through waived training fees.
• Li Xiuwen practiced Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance in the Grand Void Illusory Realm, reaching entry level, then advanced his purple membrane stage to fifty percent.
• Liu Chun vowed to earn a Second Floor place through the Grand Tournament, while Li Xiuwen told Huang Sihai he could run ten steps across water without sinking.
• As Li Xiuwen’s second month of training ended, he declined Zhao Dalong’s invitation to meet and promised to drink three penalty cups next time.

Li Xiuwen’s appearance in Ming Pao prompted reactions from Brother Jun, Ding Sheng, Nan Shu, and his aunt and uncle. The chapter left his relatives hopeful about his future while Ding Sheng and his driver dismissed his prospects because he came from the Enclave.

• Brother Jun read that Li Xiuwen had performed best for Four Seas Martial Arts Hall and felt pleased that he had supported him.
• At a gathering, Ding Sheng complained that Li Xiuwen had skipped it, while Zhao Dalong said Li Xiuwen might feel inferior to their better fortunes.
• Ding Sheng’s driver disparaged the Enclave and its people, and Ding Sheng later spotted Li Xiuwen’s name in Ming Pao.
• Nan Shu read the article and praised Li Xiuwen for doing well despite his modest martial constitution and aptitude.
• Aunt-in-law proudly saved the newspaper page mentioning Li Xiuwen, and she urged Uncle-in-law to look after his health and follow Li Xiuwen’s advice.