Chapter Summaries

Li Xiuwen learned the Startling Swan Wandering Dragon technique, advanced his blood-qi cultivation during a month of seclusion, and prepared for the Learning Society’s upcoming Spring Hunt. After several factions invited him to join, he considered the Tiger-Crane Society’s offer, while its leaders expected him to accept.

• Mr. Long taught Li Xiuwen the Startling Swan Wandering Dragon technique for 80 Tongbao and warned him that he would not shelter his students or tolerate betrayal of Mr. Ming.
• Li Xiuwen settled into Winter Storage No. 7, trained through a month of seclusion, refined fourteen Flood-Dragon Elixir pills, and condensed two blood-qi seeds with an embryo of a third.
• Li Xiuwen defeated Wang the Fat repeatedly in the Grand Void Illusory Realm and learned that Pig Butcher had returned to the Enclave.
• Gui Xuanling told his master that he had begun the tiger hunt stage and planned to compete for first place among new students in the Spring Hunt.
• Wang Yingzhao invited Li Xiuwen to join the Tiger-Crane Society, offering protection, instruction, and monthly Tongbao; Li Xiuwen asked for three days to consider.
• Liu Yiyi and Vegetable Monk also invited Li Xiuwen to join their factions, but he declined after hearing the Tiger-Crane Society’s offer, while Su Cha and Li Xiaohu expected him to accept.

Li Xiuwen returned home from the Learning Society and reunited with his family, who were being cared for by Hesheng Tu. He learned that the Club had grown stronger and ranked second in the eastern district, though a conflict with the Six Harmonies Gang could become dangerous.

• Su Cha asked Li Xiaohu whether he planned to hunt anyone during the Spring Hunt, and Li Xiaohu said he might target Su Ming.
• Li Xiuwen returned to Chen's Rice Noodle Factory with Little Loudspeaker and found Liu Chun teaching his uncle and aunt boxing.
• Li Xiuwen's aunt reassured him that Hesheng Tu covered his uncle's medical expenses and that the family had enough money.
• Lion-Head Buddha praised Li Xiuwen's rapid progress and told him the Club had grown to four Red Poles and second place in the eastern district.
• Li Xiuwen and Lion-Head Buddha discussed the Six Harmonies Gang's golden network expert and the risk of a supremacy war.

Li Xiuwen attacked Wang the Fat in the Pork Offal Congee Shop, overwhelming him with gunfire, blades, and superior movement. Wang the Fat tried to escape, but Li Xiuwen caught him and struck his head with a powerful punch.

• Li Xiuwen shot Wang the Fat, who dodged the next two bullets and charged with pig-slaughtering blades.
• Wang the Fat fought back with a cleaver, iron poker, and Palm Thunder, but Li Xiuwen evaded his shots and broke through a basement wall to ambush him.
• Li Xiuwen wounded Wang the Fat’s hands and identified his Hard Qigong, while Wang the Fat recognized he was outmatched.
• Wang the Fat activated a secret seed-eruption technique and tried to flee, but Li Xiuwen caught him with a dragon-like leg lock and punched his head.

Xiao Feng explained her plan to steal Red Scale’s Blood Source Core, while Li Xiuwen studied Wang the Fat’s Human-Skin Mask and Dragon-Binding Skill. The Dragon-Binding Skill merged with his Binding Armor Skill, and the chapter ended with Li Xiuwen arriving at Four Seas Martial Hall to see Huang Sihai practicing.

• Xiao Feng told Xiao Tao that Red Scale’s Blood Source Core could help their family raise a new Exotic Beast, and planned to use Big Bi Zai to get close to a Red Scale Variant Beast.
• Xiao Feng advised Xiao Tao to wait for Li Xiuwen to become isolated before attempting to assassinate him.
• Li Xiuwen examined Wang the Fat’s Human-Skin Mask, recognized its connection to the Great Snow Mountain Region, and decided to save it for secret killings.
• Li Xiuwen read the Dragon-Binding Skill and learned that it was the original art behind his Binding Armor Skill.
• Li Xiuwen began practicing the Dragon-Binding Skill, and the incense burner merged it with his Binding Armor Skill, advancing it to the third level and strengthening his defense.
• Li Xiuwen went to Four Seas Martial Hall in the morning and watched Huang Sihai practice punches.

Huang Sihai explained the Whale-Killing Fist’s highest intent and told Li Xiuwen how it could help him reclaim the Sea Sand Style’s legacy. He encouraged Li Xiuwen to pursue the Golden Prize Tournament and approved his invitation to join the Tiger-Crane Society.

• Li Xiuwen asked Huang Sihai about the Whale-Killing Fist’s intent, and Huang Sihai explained Vast Sea Grapples the Whale and Lone Suppression of the Heavenly Abyss.
• Huang Sihai said that mastering Lone Suppression of the Heavenly Abyss would suppress Sea Sand Style practitioners and improve Li Xiuwen’s chances of reclaiming the legacy in Qingzhou Prefecture.
• Huang Sihai promised to teach Li Xiuwen an Inner Heaven and Earth martial art if he reached the Golden Network Gate and comprehended the intent.
• Li Xiuwen said he planned to prepare for the Spring Hunt and earn Blood-Coagulating Elixir, and Huang Sihai warned him about a dangerous enemy from the past.
• Li Xiuwen told Huang Sihai that the Tiger-Crane Society had invited him to join, and Huang Sihai approved.

Li Xiuwen studied the Azure Rankings, took Lan Zixiang on as his lackey, and confronted Hong Sanquan over robbing him. The chapter ended with Li Xiuwen challenging Hong Sanquan to fight him ten times in the robbery ring.

• Li Xiuwen reviewed the Azure Rankings and noted that many of the top disciples practiced Hard Qigong, while he planned to learn Iron Cloth Shirt to conceal his Dragon-Binding Skill.
• Lan Zixiang asked Li Xiuwen to take him on as a lackey, and Li Xiuwen agreed to accept a third of his Tongbao in exchange for errands and protection.
• Hong Sanquan demanded money from Lan Zixiang, but Lan refused and said Hong had robbed him thirteen times without protecting him.
• Wang Dafu and Wang Yingzhao arrived to back Li Xiuwen, prompting Hong Sanquan to withdraw while warning that Li Xiuwen would not remain above him.
• Li Xiuwen asked Lan Zixiang how many times Hong had robbed him, then challenged Hong to fight him ten times in the robbery ring.

Li Xiuwen challenged Hong Sanquan ten times and repeatedly defeated him, drawing the Iron Wire Society’s leaders to intervene. He refused to back down, and Hong Sanquan finally broke down and begged him to stop.

• Su Cha told Li Xiaohu that Li Xiuwen planned to challenge Hong Sanquan ten times to establish his authority.
• Wang Wu and Fatso learned of the challenge and gathered Iron Wire Society disciples, while Tiger Granny allowed the fight to proceed.
• Li Xiuwen overpowered Hong Sanquan with his hard qigong, movement technique, and combat skill, knocking him off the platform repeatedly and collecting his Tongbao.
• Wang Wu and Fatso tried to pressure Li Xiuwen into stopping, but he insisted he was following the Learning Society’s rules and resumed the challenge.
• An Iron Wire Society disciple challenged Li Xiuwen but backed down because of their rank difference, while Zhou Huan fought him and conceded after ten exchanges.
• Li Xiuwen pressed the injured Hong Sanquan to continue, and Hong Sanquan fell to his knees, sobbing and begging to be spared.

Li Xiuwen defeated Hong Sanquan and resisted the martial way auras of Wang Wu and Fatso, then joined the Tiger-Crane Society with his companions. After a feast where the group discussed Inner Heaven and Earth aura, Su Cha asked whether Li Xiuwen could reach Tiger Hunt before the Spring Hunt, and Li Xiuwen said it depended on earning enough for potent medicinal ingredients.

• Li Xiuwen humiliated Hong Sanquan, whose pleas for mercy revealed that Li Xiuwen had broken his martial will.
• Wang Wu and Fatso used their Inner Heaven and Earth auras against Li Xiuwen, but his will endured and Heart Furnace Three Forgings proficiency rose by ten percent.
• Wang Daorong paid Li Xiuwen fifty Treasure Tokens, and he accepted the money and left Hong Sanquan with the Iron Wire Society.
• Wang Yingzhao and Wang Dafu brought Li Xiuwen and his companions to meet the Tiger-Crane Society, where Su Cha welcomed them and they agreed to join.
• Li Xiaohu explained that Inner Heaven and Earth aura combined martial will with the momentum of a school's core combat method.
• Su Cha asked whether Li Xiuwen could reach Tiger Hunt before the Spring Hunt, and Li Xiuwen replied that he needed to earn enough for potent medicinal ingredients.

Li Xiuwen learned about the Spring Hunt and joined the Tiger-Crane Society, while his brutal victory over Hong Sanquan spread his fearsome reputation through the Learning Society. Hong Sanquan resolved to rebuild his Martial Will and defeat Li Xiuwen, and the chapter ended with Li Xiuwen visiting Mr. Long.

• Su Cha explained the Spring Hunt, its dangers and rewards, and the upcoming Hilltop Contest against the Iron Wire Society; Li Xiuwen considered taking part and selling the heads he captured to Su Cha.
• Li Xiuwen joined the Tiger-Crane Society, and Master Black Tiger and Elder Wondrous Crane discussed how much he might achieve in Azure Hall.
• News spread that Li Xiuwen had robbed Hong Sanquan ten times and beaten him until he knelt, earning Li Xiuwen a fearsome reputation.
• Hong Fang warned Hong Sanquan that kneeling had damaged his Martial Will; Hong Sanquan decided to use Tiger Elephant Pills and settle matters with Li Xiuwen himself.
• Sun Wanhai and Sun Dazhou discussed Li Xiuwen's rising reputation, while Little Blazing Monk reacted to the news at the Buddha Salute Society.
• The next day, Li Xiuwen visited Mr. Long, who invited him inside while continuing to practice in the rain.

Li Xiuwen advanced his cultivation and decided to visit the Iron Wire Society to earn money and test himself before the Hilltop Contest. With Su Cha and the Tiger-Crane Society backing him, he challenged every Iron Wire Society disciple at Three-Leaf rank or below, declaring that he would keep fighting until he had beaten ten.

• Mr. Long praised Li Xiuwen for standing up to Hong Sanquan and warned him that the Iron Wire Society might seek revenge, while offering to teach him the Hibernating Dragon Art after he saved enough Tongbao.
• Li Xiuwen bought Flood-Dragon Elixirs and cultivated in Winter Storage No. 7, bringing his third Blood-Qi Seed close to completion and improving his Startled Swan, Roaming Dragon skill.
• Lan Zixiang offered Li Xiuwen his savings, but Li Xiuwen returned most of the money and promised to make him his martial attendant if he entered Tiger Hall.
• Unable to find anyone willing to challenge him at Azure Hall, Li Xiuwen called Su Cha and proposed visiting the Iron Wire Society, where he could test himself and earn money.
• News of Li Xiuwen’s visit drew factions and experts from Azure Hall and Tiger Hall, while the Iron Wire Society prepared its strongest Three-Leaf Green Sprouts to defend its reputation.
• At the Iron Wire Society headquarters, Li Xiuwen challenged every disciple at Three-Leaf rank or below and announced that he would not stop until he had beaten ten.

Li Xiuwen challenged the Iron Wire Society to ten consecutive fights and defeated every opponent, including Zheng Dayou and Qian Xiaolong fighting together. He left the society humiliated and his allies impressed by his strength.

• Li Xiuwen challenged the Iron Wire Society to send ten fighters against him, and Fatso agreed to choose their opponents.
• Li Xiuwen knocked out the first eight fighters in quick succession, leaving the Iron Wire Society and its onlookers stunned.
• Li Xiuwen demanded that Zheng Dayou and Qian Xiaolong fight him together, and Fatso ordered them to combine their strengths.
• Li Xiuwen outmaneuvered Zheng Dayou and Qian Xiaolong, defeated both, and completed his challenge.
• Li Xiuwen mocked the Iron Wire Society for failing to provide a worthy opponent.

Li Xiuwen defeated ten Iron Wire Society disciples in a challenge, won money, and earned recognition across Azure Hall. As the societies assessed his growing reputation and the Iron Wire Society plotted revenge, Li Xiuwen stocked up on training supplies and Mr. Long considered taking him as a disciple.

• Li Xiuwen collected his winnings from Wang Daorong, who praised him and announced he planned to enter the Golden Network, while Hong Sanquan vowed to defeat him.
• Wu Youcai comforted Hong Sanquan and privately planned to cripple Li Xiuwen in the Challenge Arena once he entered Tiger Hunt.
• Li Xiaohu gave Li Xiuwen another hundred Tongbao, and Wang Hezi praised his combat awareness as Su Cha urged Tiger-Crane Society disciples to protect him from retaliation.
• News of Li Xiuwen's victory spread through Azure Hall, prompting reactions from Vegetable Monk, Liu Yiyi, and Sun Dazhou.
• Li Xiuwen bought Great Elixirs and herbs, and Mr. Long recognized his exceptional combat instincts and considered making him a true disciple.
• The Three Heroes told Huang Sihai about Li Xiuwen's challenge, while the Sirius Club's senior brother criticized the Iron Wire Society and noted Li Xiuwen would not be coming to Tiger Hall.

Li Xiuwen broke through to tiger hunt, defeated Thunder God Lo in the Grand Void Illusory Realm, and prepared for the coming Spring Hunt and a clash over its grounds. As he went home, his newly introduced senior fellow disciple Qi Yunzhi was warned to conceal his true identity and strength in Xianghai.

• Li Xiuwen reached tiger hunt, mastered the first layer of the Whale-Swallowing Art, and killed Thunder God Lo in under ten moves in the Grand Void Illusory Realm.
• Li Xiuwen learned that Thunder God Lo and Little Fenglian had joined Big Bi Zai’s 4K Gang after killing Purple Lightning, and he decided to investigate the gang before attacking it.
• Gui Xuanling told Green-Haired Turtle to hide his tiger hunt cultivation and remain just below Li Xiuwen in the rankings while pursuing a later breakthrough.
• Lu Yu and Little Dragon stayed secluded in Hongfuwan as Lu Yu planned to enter the Number One Heavenly Courtyard and Little Dragon speculated about Li Xiuwen’s progress.
• Big Bi Zai ordered the 4K Gang to patrol its territory ahead of the Spring Hunt, while Li Xiuwen continued improving his Dragon-Binding Skill and agreed to join the Learning Society’s planned mass brawl with the Iron Wire Society.
• Li Xiuwen asked to visit his family and met Qi Yunzhi, whom Mr. Long had just taken as a disciple; after Li Xiuwen left, Mr. Long instructed Qi Yunzhi to conceal his true age and cultivation.

The Learning Society announced that its top Azure Hall disciples would compete at the Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly in the Prosperous State, stirring ambition and rivalries among Fragrant Sea's martial prodigies. After returning home, Li Xiuwen visited Huang Sihai and gave him the Wumeng Scripture, which Huang planned to use to advance his cultivation.

• Qi Yunzhi asked Mr. Long about Li Xiuwen, then decided to attend the Spring Hunt for experience.
• Tiger Granny announced the Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly and ordered the top ten Azure Hall disciples in the next Azure Rankings to represent the Learning Society.
• Ling Xuangui, Little Loudspeaker, Wang Daorong, Wu Youcai, Sun Dazhou, and Little Blazing Monk considered the competition, its rewards, and their plans for qualifying.
• Li Xiuwen returned to Fragrant Sea, checked on his uncle-in-law and friends, then visited Huang Sihai with nourishing pastries.
• Li Xiuwen showed Huang Sihai the Wumeng Scripture, and Huang decided to practice it as a way to advance toward Elephant-Hurling Peak.

Li Xiuwen gave Huang Sihai a Three Gates Method and sold Big Brother Mo a White Tiger Great Elixir for Little Loudspeaker, then searched the East District for Thunder God Lo. After two fruitless days, Li Xiuwen continued training at the rice noodle factory, where his body-conditioning arts had advanced.

• Li Xiuwen warned Huang Sihai that gate initiation was too risky without a Great Medicine, and Huang Sihai decided to cultivate the Wumeng Scripture Li Xiuwen had brought him.
• The Three Heroes praised Li Xiuwen for sharing the Three Gates Method and planned to seek a Supreme Gate-Worship Great Elixir for Huang Sihai.
• Li Xiuwen sold Big Brother Mo a White Tiger Great Elixir for three hundred Tongbao so Little Loudspeaker could safely attempt gate initiation, and Big Brother Mo asked whether they were more than sworn siblings.
• Li Xiuwen returned to the rice noodle factory and began staking out the East District to find Thunder God Lo, but two days of searching revealed no trace of him.
• After Chun Liu finished conditioning Li Xiuwen's body, Li Xiuwen checked his Incense Burner and saw that his Golden Bell Shield, Iron Cloth Shirt, and Iron Buddha Art were perfected, while his Dragon-Binding Art had reached the third level.

Li Xiuwen perfected three basic hard-qigong arts and set out to search for someone again, while martial leaders across the Prosperous State prepared gifted youths for next year’s Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly. The chapter introduced several rising contenders and left Wu Sanmei asking to attend the assembly.

• Li Xiuwen perfected the Golden Bell Shield, Iron Cloth Shirt, and Iron Buddha Art, then left Chen's Rice Noodle Factory to search for someone again.
• Chi Xiazi warned Zuo Tianqing not to underestimate Fragrant Sea martial artists and instructed him to prepare for the Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly.
• Chi Xiazi privately considered Zuo Tianqing a lesser contender and reserved a stronger disciple for the coming upheaval.
• An old monk told Little Monk to train by his methods and demanded he reach the top eight at the assembly to save their ruined temple.
• Wu Sanmei told her grandfather, Wu Zongheng, that she wanted to attend the Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly.

Li Xiuwen learned that Little Fenglian had been Crown Prince Ren’s undercover agent and joined him in a plan to grow stronger, while Crown Prince Ren promised to teach him the Tai Sui Overlord Body if he won the Golden Prize Tournament. Back at Hesheng Tu, Li Xiuwen became its new Dragon Head, and the chapter ended with him proposing a new name for the gang: the Axe Gang.

• Crown Prince Ren revealed that Little Fenglian had lured Thunder God Lo to Li Xiuwen and sent her back with a cover story after Thunder God Lo’s death.
• Crown Prince Ren asked Li Xiuwen to cooperate with him, urged him to reach Inner Heaven and Earth, and promised to teach him the Tai Sui Overlord Body if he won the Golden Prize Tournament.
• Crown Prince Ren’s men reported that Thunder God Lo had been killed and sent Li Xiuwen 100 Tongbao as a reward.
• Heavenly-Liang Old Man and the Red Poles offered Li Xiuwen Hesheng Tu’s Dragon Head position, and Li Xiuwen accepted.
• Heavenly-Liang Old Man relinquished the twin swords, and Li Xiuwen took an oath as Hesheng Tu’s new Dragon Head while the brothers pledged to follow him.
• After Heavenly-Liang Old Man announced Thunder God Lo’s death, Li Xiuwen proposed renaming Hesheng Tu the Axe Gang.

Li Xiuwen renamed Hesheng Tu the Axe Gang and began turning it into a more organized force, drawing new recruits and attention from rival groups. Meanwhile, Big Bi Zai prepared to use prodigy Lin Xiasheng as bait during the Spring Hunt, while Lin dismissed Li Xiuwen as an unworthy has-been.

• Li Xiuwen persuaded Heavenly-Liang Old Man and the other Red Poles to rename Hesheng Tu the Axe Gang, then suggested uniforms and a march to strengthen its identity.
• Huang Sihai approved of Li Xiuwen becoming a Dragon Head, and the Axe Gang quickly attracted skilled recruits and interest from other Halls.
• Xiao Fenglian reported that Lei Gonglao had died while trying to assassinate Li Xiuwen, and Big Bi Zai ordered the gang to focus on protecting its Spring Hunt prodigies.
• Big Bi Zai revealed that Lin Xiasheng was intended as bait to draw Ever Joy geniuses into a trap during the Spring Hunt.
• Lin Xiasheng met Lu Yu and Little Dragon, rejected discussion of his mixed ancestry, and boasted that he could defeat Li Xiuwen if they met.

After [Beginner Martial Arts Knowledge] reached perfection, Li Xiuwen slept through the Grand Void Illusory Realm’s evolution and woke to find its detail and detection range improved. Meanwhile, Mr. Long trained Little Loudspeaker and Qi Yunzhi and reflected on the challenges facing his students, and Li Xiuwen began exploring the upgraded realm.

• Li Xiuwen perfected [Beginner Martial Arts Knowledge], triggering an evolution of the Grand Void Illusory Realm, then went to sleep.
• Little Loudspeaker completed her gate initiation in three days, and Mr. Long gave her fried cicada nymphs that nourished her golden cicada bones.
• Mr. Long assigned Qi Yunzhi chores as cultivation and planned to train both him and Little Loudspeaker, while worrying that Li Xiuwen and Ling Xuangui might not be strong enough to qualify for Dragon Raising.
• Li Xiuwen woke at noon, saw that the realm’s evolution was complete, and went back to sleep to enter it.
• Inside the realm, Li Xiuwen found its visuals improved and its strength detection able to update targets from farther away; he decided to visit Mr. Long’s place.

Li Xiuwen began learning the Red Chiuch Sixfold Shedding True Canon from Mr. Long, determined to master its demanding training method. After his qi and blood began to conflict with the Whale-Swallowing Art, Mr. Long explained the risks of practicing multiple arts and gave him the Dormant Dragon Art to conceal his presence.

• Li Xiuwen decided to seek more books on Martial Way metaphysics and visited Little Loudspeaker after she reached Tiger Elephant.
• Li Xiuwen paid Mr. Long two hundred Treasure Tokens to learn the Red Chiuch Sixfold Shedding True Canon, and Mr. Long warned that mastering it would require exceptional resources and effort.
• Li Xiuwen studied the canon until he reached its first level, then felt the distinct qi and blood from it clash with the Whale-Swallowing Art.
• Mr. Long explained how practitioners could harmonize different strains of qi and blood and warned Li Xiuwen against cultivating multiple arts with his inferior physique.
• Mr. Long gave Li Xiuwen the Dormant Dragon Art, which could conceal his physical and martial traits from powerful martial artists.