Chapter Summaries

Li Xiuwen unlocked the complete Heart Furnace Three Forgings, gaining the ability to inspect his body and see the Medicine Poison accumulating around his heart. At the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, he revealed that he had passed the Second Gate and challenged Little Dragon to decide who would represent the hall in the upcoming Hall Challenge.

• Li Xiuwen studied the golden manual and unlocked its complete teachings, learning that the Heart Furnace Three Forgings refined Martial Will through three temperings.
• Li Xiuwen used his new inner vision to discover Three Poisons around his heart, recognized his Medicine Poison, and resolved to reduce his use of fish pills while seeking a way to treat it.
• Li Xiuwen confirmed that his Heart Furnace Three Forgings had begun and found that it strengthened his Martial Will and made his Red Whale Momentum more substantial.
• Huang Sihai proposed sending Li Xiuwen to the Hall Challenge, and Li Xiuwen revealed that he had passed the Second Gate and reached Snake Muscle.
• Little Dragon and Lu Yu questioned Li Xiuwen's suitability, so Huang Sihai proposed a match between Li Xiuwen and Little Dragon to choose the representative.
• Li Xiuwen insisted on fighting Little Dragon immediately, and the disciples cleared space for their match.

Li Xiuwen defeated Little Dragon with his mastery of Shattered Sea and prepared for the upcoming hall challenge, while Huang Sihai warned him about the risks of overtraining and revealed his history with the Wu Clan Sea Sand Style. Lu Yu and Little Dragon discussed Li Xiuwen’s talent and refusal to join the Lu family, leaving his next test against Longlegs Seven ahead.

• Li Xiuwen used Shattered Sea’s Shadow Kill to defeat Little Dragon, shocking her, Lu Yu, and Ao Jiu.
• Lu Yu invited Li Xiuwen to tea, but he declined, and Ao Jiu cautioned him against pursuing quick gains.
• Huang Sihai told Li Xiuwen the hall challenge would match disciples by stage and warned him that Longlegs Seven was exceptionally strong.
• Huang Sihai revealed that his Sea Sand Style lineage had fallen out with the Wu Clan branch in Qingzhou and reflected on his old companions.
• Lu Yu explained that she had hoped to recruit Li Xiuwen, while Little Dragon lamented losing to him and wanted to take fish pills.

Li Xiuwen continued training for the Hall Challenge while discovering that his Heart Furnace Three Forgings progressed quickly, and he prepared to face Longlegs Seven. As the two martial arts halls gathered for the challenge, plots against Little Loudspeaker and the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall remained in motion.

• Li Xiuwen advanced his Heart Furnace Three Forgings and discussed a snake-muscle troublemaker on Longjin Road with Little Loudspeaker, who promised to support him after the challenge.
• Dao Youming and a Child Tower elder planned to lure Little Loudspeaker into an ambush, while Thunder God Lo revealed that he wanted her dead and received a secret message linking Tong Heavenly King to Heaven's Will.
• Li Xiuwen defeated Longlegs Seven in their Grand Void Illusory Realm match after a hundred exchanges, leaving him confident about the challenge.
• Huang Sihai explained that he hoped Longlegs Seven would help Li Xiuwen understand the gap between himself and the Crossing River Association, while Third Aunt worried about Li Xiuwen's prospects.
• The Four Seas Martial Arts Hall selected its six challengers, including Li Xiuwen, and Master Ye prepared the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall, confident that Longlegs Seven would beat him.
• Huang Sihai arrived at the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall to issue the Hall Challenge, and Master Ye welcomed him as reporters prepared to cover the event.

At the hall challenge between the Four Seas and Night Heron martial arts halls, Li Xiuwen defeated Longlegs Seven in a major upset, and Ao Jiu secured a three-to-three draw. At the banquet afterward, Li learned more about the scarcity of Second Gate body-tempering arts and the medicine needed for Ao Jiu’s breakthrough.

• Master Huang and Master Ye held a six-match hall challenge, and the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall lost its first two matches.
• Liu Chun defeated Tian Er in ten moves, giving the Four Seas hall its first win.
• Li Xiuwen endured more than a hundred exchanges with Longlegs Seven, then defeated him with Shattered Sea’s second layer, Shadow Kill.
• A reporter agreed to cover Longlegs Seven’s loss truthfully, though she later told her assistant to describe it as a narrow defeat caused by carelessness.
• Lu Yu lost her match, but Ao Jiu defeated Big Guy, leaving the hall challenge tied three to three.
• At Pine Crane Restaurant, Lu Yu offered to pay Li Xiuwen for combat advice, while Ao Jiu explained that breakthrough medicine was difficult to obtain even with money.

After defeating Longlegs Seven, Li Xiuwen received a Flood-Dragon Elixir from Huang Sihai and learned that the renowned Tiger-Crane Martial Arts Hall wanted to recruit him. He declined out of loyalty to the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, but Wang Yingzhao challenged him to consider whether he wanted to advance beyond the Three Gates or remain a local powerhouse.

• Longlegs Seven struggled with his defeat, while Master Ye and Big Brother Mo urged him to accept the loss and improve; Little Loudspeaker praised Li Xiuwen’s victory.
• Aunt-in-law and Brother Jun proudly displayed newspaper coverage of Li Xiuwen’s fight and praised his success.
• Huang Sihai gave Li Xiuwen a Flood-Dragon Elixir, revealed that he had seen through Li Xiuwen’s concealed cultivation, and promised to teach him an advanced martial art in the future.
• Lin Qing and Wang Yingzhao visited Li Xiuwen on behalf of Tiger-Crane Martial Arts Hall and invited him to join Black Tiger Ah Hong’s school.
• Li Xiuwen declined the invitation because the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall had treated him well, and Wang Yingzhao asked whether he wanted to pass the Three Gates or rule among Tiger Elephant Experts.

Li Xiuwen refused Tiger-Crane Martial Arts Hall’s offer and used a Flood-Dragon Elixir to advance from Snake Muscle to Python Muscle. After receiving more recruitment offers and a letter from Li Nanshu urging him to attend the Crossing River Association, he decided to stay with Four Seas and not reply.

• Li Xiuwen turned down Lin Qing and Wang Yingzhao’s offer to join Tiger-Crane, reaffirming his loyalty to Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.
• Master Black Tiger discussed Li Xiuwen’s exceptional comprehension and predicted that he would eventually seek his help.
• Li Xiuwen spent three days refining the Flood-Dragon Elixir and reached Python Muscle, greatly increasing his Qi and Blood and control over his muscles.
• Li Xiuwen declined recruitment offers from several martial arts halls and asked his family to thank them on his behalf.
• Li Xiuwen received a letter from Li Nanshu congratulating him and urging him to enter the Crossing River Association, but chose not to reply.

Li Xiuwen continued advancing in martial arts and earned money sparring with Lu Yu, while Little Loudspeaker took him into the Sewers to hunt Sparrow Lo. Their ambush turned into a gunfight, and Little Loudspeaker was badly injured when a hidden Flood Dragon Muscle fighter attacked her; she identified the attacker as Jiaoji.

• Li Nanshu assessed Li Xiuwen’s progress and considered helping him join the Southern Sky Martial Hall if he could not enter the Learning Society.
• Li Xiuwen sparred with Lu Yu for pay, impressed her with his combat insights, and saw his martial proficiency increase.
• Little Loudspeaker and Li Xiuwen entered the Sewers together to find Sparrow Lo, who attacked Little Loudspeaker with a venomous Jujube-Kernel Nail and escaped wearing a bulletproof vest.
• An unseen attacker ambushed the pair with a crocodile and gunfire, injuring Little Loudspeaker before she and Li Xiuwen returned fire.
• Li Xiuwen retreated as Little Loudspeaker confronted a black-clad fighter, who revealed Flood Dragon Muscle strength and knocked her into the water.
• Little Loudspeaker recovered enough to flee toward the light and shouted that the enemy was Jiaoji.

Li Xiuwen killed Sparrow Lo in the sewers and took his body armor, gold, and hidden-weapon manual. He then rescued Little Loudspeaker from Ling Ling Eight, ambushed the wounded assassin again, and killed him, leaving Li Xiuwen to conceal the evidence.

• Li Xiuwen ambushed and killed Sparrow Lo, then took his Klavier Body Armor, gold bars, and Sand-Spitting Manual.
• Little Loudspeaker fled through the sewers while poisoned, but Ling Ling Eight caught her at a manhole and grabbed her ankle.
• Li Xiuwen shot Ling Ling Eight, allowing Little Loudspeaker to escape, then followed the wounded assassin to launch another ambush.
• Ling Ling Eight extracted the bullets and prepared to treat his wounds, but Li Xiuwen attacked again and pinned him down.
• Li Xiuwen defeated Ling Ling Eight with a short blade and a final leg strike, killing him in the sewers.

Li Xiuwen rescued Little Loudspeaker from a Child Tower assassin and earned Big Brother Mo’s promise to help him seek an additional place at the Crossing River Association. As he resumed training and investigated the attack through his own suspicions, he advanced Thousand Waves, Floating Light to major mastery.

• Li Xiuwen killed the Flood Dragon Muscle assassin with his gun, disposed of the body, and carried the poisoned Little Loudspeaker to Big Brother Mo’s home.
• Big Brother Mo identified the attacker as likely belonging to the Child Tower, and Little Loudspeaker later confirmed Li Xiuwen had doubled back and saved her.
• Big Brother Mo offered to seek Li Xiuwen an additional Learning Society quota if he secured a recommendation and performed well at the Crossing River Association.
• Longlegs Seven brought Little Loudspeaker a Pine Crane Pill, and Big Brother Mo told her to keep the attack secret while he investigated.
• Li Xiuwen practiced the Sand-Containing Book, passed his quarterly assessment, and won five thousand at the Kowloon Grand Arena.
• In the Grand Void Illusory Realm, Li Xiuwen crossed the sewer water in a hundred and eighty steps and reached major mastery in Thousand Waves, Floating Light.

Li Xiuwen reached great mastery in Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance and advanced to the Sixth Platform of the Grand Arena, where a formidable Black Tiger Style fighter defeated him. He gained sudden insight into a new leg technique and learned that perfecting his movement skill could teach him the Sea Sand Style’s secret technique, Wave-Climbing Force.

• Li Xiuwen used his newly mastered movement technique to evade Longlegs Seven, then discovered that Lu Yu had secretly entered Flood Dragon Muscle when her palm sent him crashing into a wall.
• Li Xiuwen swept through the first four Grand Arena platforms and defeated a powerful Iron Wire Style fighter by outlasting him and striking with Shattered Sea.
• During his fight on the Fifth Platform, Li Xiuwen combined Sand-Turning Palm’s Hard-Soft Force with Shattered Sea and defeated his opponent with a new leg technique.
• A long-braided Black Tiger Style fighter defeated Li Xiuwen on the Sixth Platform, though his new technique wounded her and let him last twenty moves.
• Li Xiuwen pretended he could not reach far in the Grand Arena while Lu Yu pretended she was still preparing to enter Flood Dragon Muscle, and both concealed their true abilities.
• Huang Sihai praised Li Xiuwen’s progress and explained that perfecting Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance would let him learn Wave-Climbing Force, the Sea Sand Style’s secret movement technique.

Li Xiuwen joined Hesheng Tu as a Cloth Shoe after Lion-Head Buddha and Little Loudspeaker invited him, and he completed his initiation alongside two other recruits. He collected his Ever Joy Tower access token and coins, then entered the headquarters’ resource exchange with He Sheng and Jia Ren.

• Lion-Head Buddha offered Li Xiuwen Cloth Shoe rank, a monthly stipend, and access to Ever Joy Treasury Coins, and Li Xiuwen agreed to join Hesheng Tu.
• Little Loudspeaker took Li Xiuwen to Hesheng Tu, where he swore the club’s oaths and received Cloth Shoes from Heavenly-Liang Old Man alongside He Sheng and Jia Ren.
• Hesheng Tu’s senior members questioned Li Xiuwen’s promotion, but Heavenly-Liang Old Man defended it because Li Xiuwen had defeated Longlegs Seven.
• Lion-Head Buddha took the three new members to Ever Joy’s main headquarters, where Li Xiuwen received his identification token and five Treasury Coins.
• He Sheng and Jia Ren accompanied Li Xiuwen to Ever Joy Tower, where the Black and White Elders explained that Cloth Shoes could browse its third floor.

Li Xiuwen visited Ever Joy Tower, borrowed books to advance his martial knowledge, and learned that the Dragon-Shaking Classic could teach qi observation. After asking Little Loudspeaker about earning treasury coins, he secured a place on Twelfth Madam’s mission to eliminate a Heaven’s Will drug shop, pending a strength test.

• Li Xiuwen borrowed nine miscellaneous books and the costly Dragon-Shaking Classic, which increased his Basic Martial Arts Knowledge proficiency.
• Li Xiuwen surveyed Ever Joy Tower’s martial arts and medicines, learned Flood-Dragon Elixir cost twenty treasury coins, and heard that Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were reserved for higher-level members.
• The black-robed elder told Li Xiuwen that studying the Dragon-Shaking Classic had once led someone to comprehend qi observation.
• Li Xiuwen asked Little Loudspeaker about missions that paid treasury coins, and she told him Twelfth Lady planned to eliminate a Heaven’s Will drug shop in the Walled City.
• Twelfth Madam agreed to add Li Xiuwen to the team and ordered him to meet her at Jadecloud Residence in ten days for a meeting and strength test.
• Li Xiuwen finished his first day at Hesheng Tu and learned he would take over the Galaxy Impression bar’s turf and earn five percent of its monthly revenue.

Li Xiuwen settled into his new role as a Cloth Shoe in Hesheng Tu, balancing gang duties, family support, and martial training. As his skills improved, an undercover agent and Ming Youdao plotted to stage an attack on his bar, leaving Galaxy Impression in danger.

• Li Xiuwen told his aunt and uncle he had joined Hesheng Tu, gave his uncle money for hospital visits, and reassured them that his new position was not too dangerous.
• At Sihai Martial Arts Hall, Li Xiuwen spoke with Huang Sihai about the risks of gang life and promised to keep training; Huang Sihai warned him to be careful and mentioned Liu Da had joined a gang outside The Enclave.
• Li Xiuwen took charge of Galaxy Impression and met Chen Jia and Lin Yu, who had been overseeing the bar; he told them to handle routine matters while he focused on training.
• Li Xiuwen trained at the bar, at home, and in the Grand Void Illusory Realm, improving the Sand-Containing Book and Sleeping Shark Art while awaiting an assessment for Twelfth Madam’s operation.
• Ming Youdao agreed to help a masked Hesheng Tu undercover agent stage an attack on Galaxy Impression so the agent could rescue the bar and improve his standing with Heavenly-Liang Old Man.
• Li Xiuwen reached minor mastery in the Sand-Containing Book and advanced his Sleeping Shark Art, while the planned attack on his establishment remained imminent.

Li Xiuwen confronted Chang San and the Thunder God Shed after they came to wreck the Galaxy Bar. He defeated Chang San without revealing his Binding Armor Skill, leaving him pinned to the wall by three knives.

• Chen Jia called Li Xiuwen to the Galaxy Bar after Chang San and the Thunder God Shed arrived to cause trouble.
• Li Xiuwen demanded fifty thousand to let them book the bar and charged them for the damage Chang San caused.
• Chang San broke a table and defeated Redhead Eight with his Ninefold Fist, but Li Xiuwen stepped in and evaded his attacks.
• Chang San tried to attack a server, so Li Xiuwen struck him with Shattered Sea’s Shadow Kill and three follow-up kicks.
• Li Xiuwen threw three fruit knives that pierced Chang San’s shoulder blade and both palms.

Li Xiuwen crippled Chang San after Chang San attacked his bar, then forced Dao Youming to pay for the damage with Twelfth Madam’s support. Twelfth Madam praised Li Xiuwen’s fighting skill, confirmed he would join next month’s operation, and gave him a Palm Thunder.

• Li Xiuwen defeated Chang San with blade kicks that used Hard-Soft Force, then demanded compensation from Chang San’s men for the damage to his bar.
• He Sheng arrived but deferred to Li Xiuwen, and Dao Youming came with his fighters to confront him.
• Twelfth Madam intervened, and Dao Youming paid Li Xiuwen twenty thousand before leaving with Chang San.
• Twelfth Madam congratulated Li Xiuwen, confirmed he was included in next month’s mission, and gave him a Palm Thunder.

Li Xiuwen’s defeat of Chang San raised his reputation across the Enclave, and Heavenly-Liang Old Man rewarded him while warning him to expect retaliation. Thunder God Shed’s leaders considered ways to eliminate Li Xiuwen and Little Loudspeaker during next month’s operation.

• Twelfth Madam praised Li Xiuwen’s rapid progress, gave him a Palm Thunder and ammunition, and said Heavenly-Liang Old Man would reward him for top contributions in the next operation.
• Huang Sihai and the Three Heroes learned that Li Xiuwen had incorporated Hard-Soft Force into an advanced combat method, while news of his victory over Chang San spread through the gangs and martial arts halls.
• Li Xiuwen visited Heavenly-Liang Old Man, who gave him five Tongbao and warned him to watch for Thunder God Shed’s retaliation.
• At Thunder God Shed, Ming Youdao, Thunder God Lo, Purple Lightning Hand, and Little Fenglian discussed killing Li Xiuwen through Child Tower rather than using their own people.
• Ming Youdao considered exploiting next month’s operation to eliminate both Li Xiuwen and Little Loudspeaker and claim credit for destroying a Heaven’s Will stronghold.

Li Xiuwen won a Tongbao assignment by defeating Hong Tianzhen and learned that Pig Butcher was hiding in the White Cloud Alley Sewers. He killed Pig Butcher’s men and struck down the saber-wielding gang leader, while Thunder God Shed vowed revenge against him.

• Li Xiuwen competed with Hong Tianzhen for the Tongbao mission and revealed that he had reached Python Muscle before defeating him with the Sea-Shattering Leg Technique.
• Lion-Head Buddha told Li Xiuwen that Pig Butcher was hiding in the White Cloud Alley Sewers and warned him that the gang might have a mole.
• Chang San begged Dao Youming to avenge him, but Dao Youming said Li Xiuwen had reached Python Muscle; Copper Hammer and Golden Leopard promised to kill Li Xiuwen.
• Li Xiuwen entered the sewers wearing a pai gow mask and killed Pig Butcher’s underlings with concealed weapons.
• Pig Butcher attacked Li Xiuwen with his twin sabers, but Li Xiuwen used Streamlined Iron armguards to block the blades and kicked him into a wall, shattering his bones and sinews.

Li Xiuwen captured Pig Butcher, claimed his blade manual and weapons, and advanced his training through combat practice and a Flood-Dragon Elixir. After earning the nickname Little Blade Wen and exchanging the manual for Tongbao, he reached late Python Muscle and set his sights on reaching Tiger-Elephant before year's end.

• Li Xiuwen crippled and captured Pig Butcher in the Sewers, then took his cash, Cook Ding's True Interpretation, and Pig-Slaughtering Blades.
• Lion-Head Buddha let Li Xiuwen keep Pig Butcher's money and blades, paid him two Tongbao, and carried the captive away.
• Li Xiuwen practiced blade techniques against Golden Leopard in the Grand Void Illusory Realm and resolved to kill Dao Youming and Thunder God Lo if he got the chance.
• Aunt-in-law told Li Xiuwen that people were calling him Little Blade Wen, and he went to Ever Joy Tower to exchange Cook Ding's True Interpretation for ten Tongbao.
• Li Xiuwen asked about methods of Crossing the Three Gates and learned that only branch leaders could access them on the fifth floor.
• Li Xiuwen used twenty Tongbao to buy a Flood-Dragon Elixir, refined it over three days, and raised his Sleeping Shark Skill to Minor Mastery at 71% Python Muscle.

After becoming a local celebrity in Hesheng Tu, Li Xiuwen faced growing tensions over his defeat of Chang San while sharpening his leg technique in the Grand Void Illusory Realm. Twelfth Madam selected him and four others for a secret operation, where their performance would determine who earned a Flood-Dragon Elixir.

• At Hesheng Tu’s Dragon-Head Meeting, Heavenly-Liang Old Man praised Li Xiuwen’s bravery, while Uncle Ba and He Sheng warned that crippling Chang San could provoke the Thunder God Shed; Twelfth Madam and others defended him.
• After the meeting, He Sheng tried to enlist Uncle Ba against Li Xiuwen, but Uncle Ba saw through his attempt and rejected it.
• Li Xiuwen defeated Lu Yu once in the Grand Void Illusory Realm using Shattered Sea’s Tornado Kill, then won four of their next ten bouts as he advanced the technique to great mastery.
• Su Cha told Master Black Tiger that he wanted to join Tiger Hall, and they discussed Li Xiuwen’s refusal to join the Tiger-Crane Martial Arts Hall and the risks of lacking a powerful school network.
• Twelfth Madam summoned Li Xiuwen, Little Loudspeaker, Old Third Zhang, Pretty-Toothed Kid, and He Sheng for a secret operation, offering a Flood-Dragon Elixir to the strongest contributor.

Li Xiuwen learned that the Quicksand Sea Hall lacked the complete Sea Sand Style method for crossing the three gates, while Huang Sihai warned him that he had less than two months to secure a Learning Society recommendation. As Li Xiuwen prepared for a gang assignment and aimed to advance quickly, Ao Jiu and Lu Yu emerged as concealed rivals for the limited places.

• Heavenly-Liang Old Man and the Red Poles discussed their plan to test whether He Sheng was a mole and agreed to watch Li Xiuwen's rapid progress and possible medicine poison.
• Zhao Dalong learned from Ming Pao that Li Xiuwen had reached python muscle and considered recruiting him into the Cai Zi Gang.
• Li Xiuwen returned to the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, where disciples congratulated him and Huang Sihai explained that the hall lacked the complete Sea Sand Style inheritance needed to cross the three gates.
• Huang Sihai told Li Xiuwen that recommendation slots had to be decided within two months and warned that Ao Jiu was certain to claim one place while Lu Yu was a dangerous rival.
• Li Xiuwen and Lu Yu discussed their progress, while Li Xiuwen suspected she was trying to slow him down; Ao Jiu privately resolved to take one of the Learning Society places.