Chapter Summaries

Li Xiuwen reached great mastery in Sand-Turning Palm, impressing Huang Sihai and making the outcome of the second-floor contest uncertain. He planned to push his conditioning and movement training further, while worrying about the cost of his progress, then entered the Great Void Illusion Realm.

• Li Xiuwen brushed off A Zhen’s marriage teasing and continued focusing on martial arts.
• During a late-night practice, Li Xiuwen reached great mastery in Sand-Turning Palm, while Liu Chun realized he had caught up to her progress.
• Li Xiuwen demonstrated the Hard-Soft Palm to Huang Sihai, who reconsidered whether Li Xiuwen could win a place on the second floor.
• Li Xiuwen’s aunt-in-law tempered his body with a hammer, and he reviewed his progress and training plans while calculating his expenses.
• Li Xiuwen resolved to find a way to earn money and entered the Great Void Illusion Realm to train.

Li Xiuwen tested his growing martial arts skills against students from both halls and learned that Longlegs Seven had advanced dramatically. He left the chapter determined to keep improving before challenging Longlegs Seven again.

• Li Xiuwen crippled Big Silly Qiang with a palm strike, then lost a hundred-exchange sparring match against Liu Chun.
• Li Xiuwen tested himself against the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall fighters in the Grand Void Illusory Realm, then increased his Sand-Turning Palm and Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance proficiency by sparring with Liu Chun.
• The Four Seas Martial Arts Hall students learned that Li Xiuwen had reached Great Mastery in the Sand-Turning Palm, while Liu Chun remained withdrawn.
• Li Xiuwen ate pork intestine outside the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall and left after Longlegs Seven accused him of seeking revenge.
• In the Grand Void Illusory Realm, Longlegs Seven defeated Li Xiuwen instantly, so Li Xiuwen returned to sparring with Liu Chun.

Li Xiuwen broke through to black membrane after months of training and told Huang Sihai about his progress. Meanwhile, Hesheng’s leaders discussed recruiting promising students and the threat from Thunder God Shed.

• Li Xiuwen used a fish ball to push Sea-Sand Stance to Great Mastery and reached black membrane, gaining greatly increased strength.
• Li Xiuwen decided he could attempt the second gate once he had enough qi and blood, since the Incense Burner guaranteed his success.
• At Hesheng’s headquarters, Heavenly-Liang Old Man, Lion-Head Buddha, and Brother Wild Chicken discussed their recruits and considered bringing Li Xiuwen into the club.
• Heavenly-Liang Old Man said Ever Joy’s Main Headquarters was waiting to draw out larger enemies while Thunder God Shed made moves.
• Li Xiuwen told Huang Sihai he had reached black membrane, and Huang advised him to practice independently as he prepared to pursue the Second Floor.

Li Xiuwen bought more cultivation-enhancing fish balls from Huang Sihai and continued preparing for the Second Floor contest against Liu Chun. Twelve days before the contest, a girl calling herself Little Loudspeaker arrived at the Sihai Martial Arts Hall to meet him.

• Huang Sihai raised the price of his fish balls, and Li Xiuwen spent 2,200 on four before leaving with only 6,000 remaining.
• Li Xiuwen and Liu Chun secretly competed at the Martial Arts Hall, while Liu Chun hired black membrane sparring partners and her father offered to have Li Xiuwen attacked.
• With twelve days left before the contest, Li Xiuwen advanced to black membrane 20% and judged that his technique could offset any remaining gap with Liu Chun.
• Huang Sihai introduced a girl from Hesheng Tu, who called herself Little Loudspeaker and asked whether Li Xiuwen was there.

Li Xiuwen declined Little Loudspeaker’s offer to join Hesheng Tu because the pay was too low and the work would interfere with his training. Meanwhile, Za Jiu’s men identified Li Xiuwen as a suspect in the murders of Brother Ji and Third Master, but Za Jiu ordered them to investigate further before acting.

• Little Loudspeaker offered Li Xiuwen a Four-Nine position in Hesheng Tu with a guaranteed monthly cut of five hundred, but he turned her down.
• Lion-Head Buddha accepted Little Loudspeaker’s report that Li Xiuwen refused and decided to leave him alone.
• Za Jiu’s underling named Li Xiuwen as a possible suspect in Brother Ji and Third Master’s deaths, citing his connection to the Rice Noodle Factory and his recent martial arts progress.
• Za Jiu rejected arresting Li Xiuwen without direct evidence, warning that the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall and Master Huang were not worth provoking.
• Za Jiu ordered his underlings to investigate and establish proper grounds before taking action.

Za Jiu ordered Missing-Tooth Kid to secretly seize Li Xiuwen, but Missing-Tooth Kid ignored Za Jiu’s cautions and ambushed Li Xiuwen himself. Li Xiuwen defeated him with ease and killed him, leaving the conflict with Za Jiu unresolved.

• Za Jiu warned Missing-Tooth Kid to act cautiously while pursuing Li Xiuwen, hoping to secure the Flood-Dragon Elixir and advance.
• Li Xiuwen continued exploring the streets and the Dragon City Grand Arena while preparing for the Second-Floor Contest.
• Missing-Tooth Kid staked out Li Xiuwen’s route and decided to abduct him despite Za Jiu’s orders to be careful.
• Missing-Tooth Kid attacked Li Xiuwen from above with Brass Knuckles, but Li Xiuwen blocked the blow and slammed him to the ground.
• Li Xiuwen blinded Missing-Tooth Kid with a sand-filled palm strike and delivered a hidden attack that ruptured his heart and killed him.

Li Xiuwen investigated the attacker who had tried to capture him, then protected his family and confronted three street thugs in the Enclave. A dying old man who claimed to come from the Prosperous State entrusted him with a piece of golden silk to take to Thousand-Buddha Mountain in Qizhou Prefecture.

• Li Xiuwen killed a Black Membrane attacker, searched his body, and left the corpse for Crocodile and the other creatures in the Sewers.
• He warned Aunt-in-law and Uncle-in-law to stay home and considered moving them to the Central District, then resolved to reach the Second Floor and become Huang Sihai's formal disciple.
• On his way to the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, Li Xiuwen stopped three thugs from beating the Mad Old Man, crippled them with three slaps, and sent them away.
• The Mad Old Man recognized Li Xiuwen, said he could not remember his martial arts family, and refused Li Xiuwen's money for its supposed secret technique.
• The Mad Old Man gave Li Xiuwen a piece of golden silk hidden in his shoe and asked him to take it to Thousand-Buddha Mountain in Qizhou Prefecture, Lu Region.

Li Xiuwen received the profound Heart Furnace Three Forgings from the dying Old Madman but could not yet understand how to practice it, so he continued strengthening his Binding Armor Skill while investigating who wanted him dead. As the second-floor competition approached, Za Jiu learned that Missing-Tooth Kid had vanished, and Li Xiuwen's uncle-in-law compared his toughness to the legendary Iron Shirt.

• The Old Madman gave Li Xiuwen the ancestral Heart Furnace Three Forgings, then died, and Li Xiuwen cremated him and scattered his ashes to the wind.
• Li Xiuwen studied Heart Furnace Three Forgings but found it too advanced for his current martial knowledge to practice.
• Li Xiuwen continued conditioning his body with his uncle-in-law and trained in the Supreme Illusion Realm, improving his odds against Chun Liu.
• Li Xiuwen searched for the would-be killer's identity but found no clues, while Za Jiu learned that Missing-Tooth Kid had disappeared and decided to investigate personally.
• Two days before the second-floor contest, Li Xiuwen's uncle-in-law asked whether he was practicing the legendary Iron Shirt.

Li Xiuwen strengthened his martial arts and defeated Liu Chun in ten dream-realm bouts, then sparred with second-gate fighter Gao Jiaoqi to improve his Sand-Turning Palm. At the Second-Floor Contest, Thunder Boy greeted him and gave him a porcelain bottle.

• Li Xiuwen reviewed his martial arts progress and decided to focus on perfecting Sand-Turning Palm while easing off medicine because of accumulated poison.
• Li Xiuwen defeated Liu Chun in all ten rounds in the Grand Void Illusory Realm and concluded he could secure the Second Floor without revealing Hard Qigong.
• Li Xiuwen challenged Gao Jiaoqi at the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall, endured his powerful attacks, and gained Sand-Turning Palm proficiency despite losing.
• Li Xiuwen arrived at the Second-Floor Contest at the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, where Thunder Boy remembered him and praised his progress.
• Thunder Boy handed Li Xiuwen a small porcelain bottle, leaving Li Xiuwen wondering what it contained.

Li Xiuwen entered the First-Floor Martial Contest while Liu Chun sought to secure a place on the Second Floor. He defeated her with a powerful palm strike but spared her, leaving his own advancement to the remaining match against Big Silly Qiang.

• Thunder Boy gave Li Xiuwen three leftover fish balls, and Huang Sihai opened the contest with Xiao Tianhong watching.
• Liu Chun defeated A Zhen with her movement technique after promising to concede if A Zhen landed one palm strike in ten moves.
• Li Xiuwen concealed his strength by taking dozens of moves to defeat his opponents, while Liu Chun and Big Silly Qiang also advanced through the standings.
• Li Xiuwen and Liu Chun met in the first match among the three leading contenders, and their palms clashed head-on.
• Liu Chun was badly hurt by Li Xiuwen's strike, and he stopped his follow-up palm just short of her face before conceding the match to him.

Li Xiuwen won the Grand Tournament by defeating Liu Chun in one move and was announced as the winner. Huang Sihai took him upstairs to meet the Second-Floor disciples, where Ao Jiu challenged the use of fish balls and Huang defended them as necessary for martial training.

• Li Xiuwen defeated Liu Chun in one move, revealing that he had reached Black Membrane, and Huang Sihai declared him the Grand Tournament winner.
• Huang Sihai told everyone to keep the matches secret, then took Li Xiuwen to the Second Floor as A Zhen, Big Silly Qiang, and Liu Chun said goodbye.
• Huang Sihai introduced Li Xiuwen to the four Second-Floor disciples, including Ao Jiu and Chen Jia.
• Ao Jiu criticized Li Xiuwen's strength as the result of fish balls, while Chen Jia explained that Ao Jiu treated everyone the same.
• Huang Sihai argued that fish balls were a useful food source for martial artists and that training beyond the Dragon Muscle Gate required more than hard work alone.

Li Xiuwen joined the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall’s Second Floor and learned its benefits, duties, and rules. After Huang Sihai left, Ao Jiu and Chen Jia warned him about overusing fish balls and explained why Lu Yu and Little Dragon trained in the Enclave.

• Huang Sihai lectured Ao Jiu about eating nourishing meat, while Li Xiuwen spoke with Chen Jia about Hard Qigong.
• Lu Yu ignored Li Xiuwen’s greeting and left with Little Dragon to bet on fights at the Grand Arena.
• Huang Sihai explained the Second-Floor benefits, work expectations, three-month assessments, fish-ball limits, and his protection for disciples who were in the right.
• Ao Jiu and Chen Jia warned Li Xiuwen that excessive fish balls could cause cultivation deviation.
• Chen Jia told Li Xiuwen that Lu Yu and Little Dragon looked down on Enclave residents but sought a place in the River Crossing Assembly.

Li Xiuwen studied practical combat books and discovered a genuine treatise on cultivating the qi of an Association Banner. He left Gui Street with the book and crossed paths with Lu Yu and Little Dragon, who had come to scout martial talent.

• Li Xiuwen borrowed martial arts books on the Second Floor and read Three Streets and Six Alleys Battle Cases to improve his knowledge.
• Li Xiuwen visited Gui Street to find books, and his martial arts knowledge proficiency rose to minor mastery.
• Li Xiuwen recognized that On the Qi Channels of Association Banners contained genuine knowledge about Killing Qi, Courage Qi, and Dominance Qi, and bought it for ten yuan.
• Li Xiuwen met Lu Yu and Little Dragon as he left Gui Street, while Lu Yu explained that she was scouting martial talent for her father.

Lu Yu reflected on Li Xiuwen’s bleak prospects in the Enclave while Dao Youming trained his Golden Bell Shield and promised Za Jiu a reward for finding Aji’s killer. Days later, Li Xiuwen reached minor mastery in the Binding Armor Skill, shed his old skin, and discovered that his body had become denser and heavier.

• Lu Yu scolded Little Dragon for refusing to shake Li Xiuwen’s hand, then watched him leave and described the grim fate she expected for him.
• Dao Youming demonstrated his Golden Bell Shield and told Za Jiu to find Aji’s killer, offering him a Flood-Dragon Elixir if the job succeeded.
• Dao Youming explained that Za Jiu had reached snake muscle but needed help to advance to python muscle.
• Li Xiuwen woke with intense itching and shed much of his old skin as a new layer appeared beneath it.
• Li Xiuwen realized the Binding Armor Skill had made his skin smooth and his body much heavier, and he considered getting a tan to hide the change.

Li Xiuwen tested his newly mastered Binding Armor Skill, then returned to find a masked second-gate expert waiting at his relatives’ noodle factory. The stranger took him into the rain to question him about Brother Ji, and Li Xiuwen prepared to fight back with his enhanced defense.

• Li Xiuwen tested Binding Armor Skill and concluded that it could protect him from attacks by experts below the second gate and perhaps withstand a newly advanced second-gate fighter.
• Grimace Mask Man questioned Li Xiuwen’s aunt and uncle about Brother Ji, accused Li Xiuwen of killing him, and waited for Li Xiuwen to return.
• When Li Xiuwen arrived, Grimace Mask Man threatened him and bound his hands, while Li Xiuwen agreed to go with him to keep his relatives safe.
• Grimace Mask Man cut the phone line, hooded Li Xiuwen, and led him through the rain, intending to hand him to Brother Ming and dispose of him afterward.
• Li Xiuwen activated Binding Armor Skill beneath his clothes and prepared to turn the confrontation against Grimace Mask Man.

Li Xiuwen survived Za Jiu’s pursuit through an alley, and Little Loudspeaker drove the masked Second Gate expert away. Za Jiu retreated to plan a future attack on Li Xiuwen and steal his Hard Qigong manual, while Li Xiuwen thanked Little Loudspeaker for saving him.

• Li Xiuwen used the scaffolding and his Hard Qigong to withstand Za Jiu’s kick, then escaped Za Jiu’s dagger with a counterattack.
• Little Loudspeaker confronted Za Jiu and injured his arm with Vajra Lion Palm, but Za Jiu escaped by throwing poison powder mixed with quicklime.
• Za Jiu bandaged his arm at Guangwang Street’s Jinghai Gambling Den and decided to target Chen's Flour Factory to capture Li Xiuwen and take his Hard Qigong manual for Brother Ming.
• Li Xiuwen thanked Little Loudspeaker for intervening, and she praised his ability to survive against a Second Gate expert.

After Li Xiuwen returned safely, Huang Sihai connected the attack to the street thugs Li Xiuwen had killed and offered to move his relatives near the martial arts hall. Huang Sihai warned Li Xiuwen that his chances of joining the Learning Society next year were slim and urged him to train steadily rather than rely on fish balls.

• Little Loudspeaker accompanied Li Xiuwen to Chen's Rice Noodle Factory, where he reunited with his safe aunt-in-law and uncle-in-law.
• Huang Sihai asked Li Xiuwen about his enemies, and Li Xiuwen admitted he had killed a gold-toothed attacker and three members of the Longjin Road Thirteen Guardians.
• Huang Sihai concluded that an Enclave gang had likely sent the attacker and offered to rent Li Xiuwen's relatives a home near the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.
• Li Xiuwen agreed to pay the rent and said he hoped to bring his relatives to the Central District if he entered the Learning Society.
• Huang Sihai explained the fierce competition for the Learning Society and advised Li Xiuwen to train patiently and avoid overusing fish balls.

Huang Sihai explained the dangers of medicine poison to Li Xiuwen and helped arrange a safer home for his family near the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall. In the Great Void Illusion, Li Xiuwen unmasked his opponent and identified him as Ninth Master, a Thunder God Shed enforcer who might be connected to the Thirteen Guardians.

• Huang Sihai warned Li Xiuwen that medicine poison caused greed, hatred, and delusion and could reduce the chance of succeeding at gate initiation, then explained that rare treasures could cleanse it.
• Li Xiuwen told Uncle-in-law and Aunt-in-law that they would move near the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, and they relocated that night to a top-floor tenement arranged by Old Huang.
• Li Xiuwen fought the Grimace Mask Man in the Great Void Illusion, lost after ten exchanges, and tore off his mask before dying.
• Li Xiuwen recognized the masked man as Ninth Master, the boss of Jinghai Casino on Guangwang Street, and suspected he was connected to the Thirteen Guardians.
• Li Xiuwen planned to question Chen Jia about Ninth Master and gained one percent Sand-Turning Palm proficiency.

Li Xiuwen settled into his new home, paid rent to Huang Sihai, and trained at the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall. He asked Chen Jia about the Thunder God Shed and learned that its strongest Straw Sandal, Dao Youming, and his followers included Za Jiu, whom Chen Jia considered weaker than himself.

• Li Xiuwen's uncle-in-law and aunt-in-law celebrated their peaceful new home and resolved to work hard at the rice noodle factory.
• Li Xiuwen encouraged Big Silly Qiang and A Zhen to reach the Second Floor, while Liu Chun practiced quietly to close the gap between them.
• Li Xiuwen paid Huang Sihai nine hundred in rent and considered finding work to cover future expenses without disrupting his training.
• Li Xiuwen went to the Second Floor, where Ao Jiu trained intensely, and asked Chen Jia about the Thunder God Shed.
• Chen Jia described the Enclave's gang hierarchy and explained that Dao Youming was the Thunder God Shed's strongest Straw Sandal, with Za Jiu among his followers.
• Chen Jia said he and Za Jiu were both at Snake Muscle but that he could defeat Za Jiu within a hundred moves.

Li Xiuwen learned that Little Loudspeaker had crippled Za Jiu's right arm, giving him a chance to attack Dao Youming's trusted man while he recovered. He accepted Little Loudspeaker's offer to become her family's head instructor and went with her to meet her father.

• Li Xiuwen confirmed through Chen Jia that Za Jiu served Dao Youming and guarded the Thunder God Shed's headquarters.
• Little Loudspeaker told Li Xiuwen that she had broken Za Jiu's right arm with the Vajra Lion Palm, and Li Xiuwen saw an opportunity to kill him while he healed.
• Little Loudspeaker offered Li Xiuwen a head instructor position with a monthly salary and a share of the profits, and he accepted.
• Little Loudspeaker gave Li Xiuwen an outdated communicator and showed him how to use it.
• Little Loudspeaker took Li Xiuwen to her family's detached house in the Central District to meet her father.