Chapter Summaries

Su Cha arranged the Tiger-Crane Society’s strategy for a contest against the Iron Wire Society over Hongfu District, while Li Xiuwen fought Wu Youcai in the Grand Void Illusory Realm. The chapter left Li Xiuwen badly hurt after hundreds of exchanges with Wu.

• Su Cha explained that the Hilltop Contest would decide which society controlled Hongfu District and outlined its capture-the-flag rules.
• Wang Hezi agreed to hold off Wang Daorong, while Big Mountain and Ye Changkong were assigned to defend the other lanes.
• Ye Changkong, Ling Xuangui, and Wen were chosen to face Wu Youcai, whom the Tiger-Crane Society feared for his perfected combat method.
• Li Xiuwen fought Wu Youcai atop a stone lion in the Grand Void Illusory Realm and took heavy injuries while resisting his Iron Mountain Palm.

Li Xiuwen studied the Profound Passage Classic and learned about the Mountain-Moving Ancestor’s tomb-robbing legacy and the Learning Society’s hopes for Yin-Yang Martial Artists. After reaching Tiger Hunt, he joined the Tiger Crane Society as they prepared to face the Iron Thread Society in the Hilltop Contest, where Ye Changkong agreed to guard their flag.

• Elder Feng explained the Profound Passage Classic’s origins and teachings, while he and Elder Long discussed Li Xiuwen’s potential to become a Yin-Yang Martial Artist and explore the Dragon-Bone Great Tomb.
• Li Xiuwen borrowed reference books and spent three days studying the Profound Passage Classic alongside the Dragon-Shaking Classic.
• Su Cha summoned the Tiger Crane Society to face the Iron Thread Society, and Li Xiuwen arrived bearing a Four-Leaf Green Sprout token after reaching Tiger Hunt.
• The society discussed its chances against Wu Youcai, and Ye Changkong, despite his fear after a previous defeat, chose to serve as flag guard rather than risk Li Xiuwen or Ling Xuangui being targeted.

Old Tian celebrated Martial Way!'s strong August performance and announced a September push for the top ten on the monthly vote chart. He planned a large release on September 1 and hoped to add an evening bonus chapter after catching up on sleep.

• Old Tian reported that he had posted 430,000 Chinese characters in August and that average subscriptions per chapter had risen to 15,000.
• Old Tian thanked readers after Martial Way! ranked first among new books on August's monthly vote chart, fifteenth overall, and around fifteenth on the bestseller chart.
• Old Tian said he would keep updating in September and aim to bring Martial Way! into the monthly vote chart's top ten.
• Old Tian planned to post three bonus chapters after midnight on September 1, two regular chapters at noon, and possibly another bonus chapter in the evening.

As the Tiger-Crane Society struggled to hold its three fronts, Li Xiuwen charged into Wu Youcai’s flank and quickly defeated two of his lackeys. The fight continued with Wu Youcai still standing and another of his disciples surrendering.

• Su Cha and Li Xiaohu assessed the three fronts and hoped Big Mountain and Ye Changkong’s flank could win before Wang Daorong overwhelmed Wang Hezi.
• Wang Wu and Fatso predicted the Iron Wire Society would win on all three fronts, dismissing Ye Changkong’s chances against Wu Youcai.
• Ye Changkong and Gui Xuanling engaged Wu Youcai while Li Xiuwen promised to deal with his three lackeys within ten breaths.
• Li Xiuwen battered one lackey, threw him to the ground, broke his ribs, and forced him to surrender.
• Wang Wu berated the defeated disciple, then watched as a second lackey returned in terror and surrendered.

Li Xiuwen defeated Wu Youcai and then swept aside Iron Wire Society fighters, helping Tiger-Crane Society seize the right and middle routes. Wang Daorong remained surrounded on the left route as the battle for the hilltops continued.

• Li Xiuwen saw through Wu Youcai's airborne afterimages, defeated him with a throw and ten punches, and left him badly injured.
• Wang Wu and Fatso agreed to abandon the right route because no one could stop Li Xiuwen, while Wu Youcai realized his injuries could cost him the Dragon Raises Its Head gathering.
• Li Xiuwen chose to support the other battlefields and charged toward the Iron Wire Society disciples on the left route.
• Wang Daorong threatened to cripple Tiger-Crane Society youngsters, but Wang Hezi met him head-on as phantom black dragons surrounded him.
• Li Xiuwen endured the attacks of four Iron Wire Society Green Seedlings and defeated them with his hard qigong and Whale-Killing Fist.
• Gui Xuanling, Ye Changkong, and the others helped defeat Sun Sanpao, prompting the Iron Wire Society disciples to surrender; only Wang Daorong remained fighting.

The Tiger-Crane Society won the Hilltop Contest after Li Xiuwen defeated Wu Youcai and Wang Hezi helped bring down Wang Daorong. Su Cha gave Li Xiuwen intelligence on targets in Hongfu District for the upcoming Spring Hunt, and Li Xiuwen suspected that a highly valuable target was bait.

• The Tiger-Crane Society's disciples overwhelmed Wang Daorong after Wang Hezi broke his Hard Qigong, and Fatso conceded the contest.
• Wang Daorong accepted his defeat and told Li Xiuwen they would meet again at Dragon Rising in a year.
• Hong Fang ordered Hong Sanquan to defeat Li Xiuwen within a year, while Wang Wu considered killing Li Xiuwen before he grew stronger.
• Su Cha awarded Li Xiuwen and Wang Hezi two hundred Tongbao each and warned Li Xiuwen to avoid the K4 Gang's docks and Yitian's Ninth Branch Headquarters.
• Li Xiuwen chose to hunt alone during the Spring Hunt, learned the Thirteenth Young Master was operating on Sun-Moon Island, and suspected Lin Xiasheng's bounty was a trap.

As the Spring Hunt approached, Heaven’s Will used Lin Xiasheng as bait to lure Ever Joy geniuses into an ambush, while other factions made plans around him. Li Xiuwen perfected Cook Ding’s True Interpretation in the Grand Void Illusory Realm and set out to face the Number One Heavenly Courtyard’s geniuses, with Mr. Dragon warning him to stay cautious.

• Li Xiuwen suspected Heaven’s Will would use Lin Xiasheng as bait and decided to avoid the commotion until he understood the situation.
• The Ninth Young Master revealed that he had weakened Lin Xiasheng with medicine and planned to trade him for Learning Society geniuses, while Xiao Feng advised Xiao Tao to watch Lin Xiasheng as a way to ambush Li Xiuwen.
• Lu Yu, Little Dragon, and Lin Xiasheng discussed Li Xiuwen, and Lin Xiasheng declared that he would make a name for himself as Will Rocks.
• Su Ming ordered Fu Dayou and Wang Yaoyao to watch Lin Xiasheng and alert him if top Azure Rankings geniuses appeared, and he also asked them to capture Li Xiuwen alive.
• Li Xiuwen repeatedly fought Wang Daorong in the Grand Void Illusory Realm, mastered the fourth level of blade technique, and brought Cook Ding’s True Interpretation to perfection.
• Li Xiuwen left for the Spring Hunt after Mr. Dragon warned him about Heaven’s Will’s likely ambush, and someone asked to go watch him.

With the Imperial No. 1 Residence entrance exam three days away, Li Xiuwen killed Wen Xuewu and a veteran master, then perfected the Sand-Concealing Manual. He tested his improved accuracy and prepared for the hunts ahead.

• At the Magnificent Honor Martial Arts Hall, Wen Xuewu vowed to enter the Number One Heavenly Courtyard, but a hidden projectile killed him.
• The veteran master pursued the dark-skinned attacker, who turned back and killed him with a blade before leaving with both heads.
• In the Hongfu District sewers, Li Xiuwen checked the Incense Burner and discovered that killing his targets had perfected the Sand-Concealing Manual.
• Li Xiuwen tested his enhanced aim with hidden projectiles and concluded that the skill would make his future hunts easier.

Li Xiuwen rescued Wang Yingzhao from Detective Team Tiger and continued hunting targets as rival factions searched for him and Lin Xiasheng. The chapter ended with Li Xiuwen dodging an ambush, his defenses absorbing a strike to his neck.

• Li Xiuwen killed Li Jiasheng, then dodged gunfire from Wang An and two officers before Wang An withdrew and let Wang Yingzhao go.
• Wang Yingzhao thanked the dark-skinned Li Xiuwen and hurried away, while Xiao Tao arrived at the villa carrying two heads and resolved to hunt him down.
• Li Xiuwen continued toward his next target, sensing that Lin Xiasheng stood at the center of the Spring Hunt’s growing turmoil.
• Sun Sanpao and two Iron Wire Society disciples failed to find Li Xiuwen and decided to pursue the top genius instead.
• Li Xiuwen left his perch when his intended target failed to appear, but an unseen attacker launched three streaks of cold light at him; his defenses blunted the strike that hit his neck.

Li Xiuwen killed Xiao Tao and found a concealed treasure map before Sun Sanpao and two Learning Society lackeys tried to rob him. In the sewers, Li Xiuwen killed the lackeys and faced Sun Sanpao, who revealed himself as an enemy sent by Wang Wu.

• Li Xiuwen searched Xiao Tao's corpse, found a roll of oil paper hidden in a silicone implant, and identified it as a Hundred Ghosts Attending the Body Diagram.
• Sun Sanpao demanded a share of Li Xiuwen's loot, then attacked him after pretending to let him leave; Li Xiuwen escaped over a wall with his bulletproof vest absorbing the strike.
• Sun Sanpao and his two lackeys pursued Li Xiuwen into the sewers while Qi Yun Zhi arrived at Xiao Tao's body and tracked Li Xiuwen's direction.
• Li Xiuwen concealed himself with the Hibernating Dragon Art and ambushed the pursuers, killing both lackeys in the darkness.
• Li Xiuwen recognized Sun Sanpao and accused Wang Wu of sending him; Sun Sanpao denied it, declared that only one of them would leave alive, and attacked as Li Xiuwen countered.

Li Xiuwen discovered that an old martial arts manual contained the Blood Flood Art, a secret technique for condensing more than nine blood essence seeds and strengthening a future Inner Heaven and Earth. He began testing the technique, while continuing to pursue money for the Blood-Coagulating Elixir auction.

• Lu Yu imagined marrying Lin Xiasheng and proving to her former acquaintances that she could succeed without the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.
• Li Xiuwen disguised himself as a vagrant, surveyed the area around Lin Xiasheng's villa, and planned possible ways to escape through the sewers if he attacked.
• Li Xiuwen killed another genius at the flood dragon muscle pinnacle, bringing his earnings to 400 Tongbao as he continued saving for the Blood-Coagulating Elixir auction.
• Li Xiuwen read the Blood Flood Art manual and learned that it could help practitioners condense extra blood essence seeds and gain a larger sea of Inner Heaven and Earth.
• Li Xiuwen decided his Dragon-Binding Skill made him a suitable practitioner of the Blood Flood Art and began cultivating it.

The Qionglu Zhang Family sent Zhang Lingxuan and Zhang Huang to challenge the Learning Society, while Heaven’s Will and Ever Joy’s conflict erupted around Lin Xiasheng’s attempt to reach the Number One Heavenly Courtyard examination. Lin Xiasheng escaped the first ambush but ran into Dashan, as Su Cha fought another genius elsewhere.

• Tiger Granny learned that Zhang Lingxuan and Zhang Huang would hold year-long challenge arenas at the Learning Society to test its disciples ahead of the Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly.
• Mr. Ming sent the Zhang geniuses to Fragrant Sea, where Zhang Huang boasted that he would defeat the Learning Society’s Four Great Powerhouses; Zhang Lingxuan mentioned that Qi Yunzhi was also training there.
• The Ninth Young Master sent Lin Xiasheng toward the examination as bait, and Lin Xiasheng used his girlfriend Yu Lu as a shield when an attacker shot her.
• Su Ming killed an Ever Joy genius with Heavenly Serpent Drinks the Sea, then fought Li Xiaohu as Lin Xiasheng fled toward the sewers.
• Lin Xiasheng found no escort in the sewer passage and continued alone until Dashan spotted him and gave chase.
• Su Cha appeared elsewhere holding the head of a top-ranked Elephant-Hurling genius, with the Cinnabar Sky Crimson Crane manifested behind him.

Li Xiuwen pursued Lin Xiasheng and killed him on the way to the Number One Heavenly Tower, then escaped into the Sewers with Lin Xiasheng’s head as fighters and police closed in. On his way back to the Enclave, he encountered the wounded Yu Lu and shot her.

• Su Cha warned Li Xiuwen that Lin Xiasheng’s villa complex was a trap, and Li Xiuwen decided to hunt Lin Xiasheng after learning he had fled.
• Big Bi Zai suspected that Big Mountain or Wang Hezi had killed Xiao Tao and urged Xiao Feng to become strong enough to avenge her.
• Lin Xiasheng abandoned the wounded Yu Lu, hijacked Zhao Dalong’s car, and ordered him to drive to the Number One Heavenly Tower.
• Li Xiuwen chased Lin Xiasheng by taxi, then ambushed his car from an office building, severed his wrist, and killed him with his twin blades.
• Li Xiuwen fled the pursuing fighters and police into the Sewers while Big Mountain fought Wang Yaoyao and Fu Dayou.
• Li Xiuwen encountered the injured Yu Lu in the Sewers; when she mistook him for Lin Xiasheng, he shot her.

Li Xiuwen returned from the Spring Hunt with five heads and sold them to Su Cha, who agreed to claim the Demon Blade nickname and take responsibility for the killings. As the factions mourned losses and prepared for the Number One Heavenly Exam, Li Xiuwen left open the possibility of hunting Heaven's Will under that name again.

• Li Xiuwen emerged from the Sewers, while Su Ming killed Big Mountain and learned that Lin Xiasheng's killer had escaped.
• Zhao Dalong, Wang An, and Brother Little Knife discussed the twin-blade killer, as Vincent vowed to investigate Lin Xiasheng's murder.
• The Ninth Young Master heard Su Ming's account of Lin Xiasheng's death and turned his attention to the Number One Heavenly Exam.
• Li Xiuwen returned to the Learning Society, reassured Little Loudspeaker, and left Gui Xuanling wondering whether A Wen had skipped the Spring Hunt.
• Wang Wu and Fatso worried that Sun Sanpao and two other Iron Wire Society disciples had not returned, while Su Cha and the Tiger-Crane Society mourned Dashan and two other fallen brothers.
• After Jiahao Daily reported Su Ming had killed Dashan, Li Xiuwen brought five heads to Su Cha, who paid him twelve hundred Treasure Tokens and offered to claim the Demon Blade name.

Li Xiuwen trained and learned more about the dangers of advancing through the Martial Way while the rumor that Su Cha was Demon Blade spread across the Enclave. After the next Placement Exam, Li Xiuwen rose to fourteenth in Azure Hall, while Ling Xuangui again fell short of surpassing him.

• Su Cha’s public hunt report made him and his brother Su Ming the talk of the town, while the Iron Wire Society concluded that Sun Sanpao had died during the Spring Hunt.
• Li Xiuwen examined Xiao Tao’s Hundred Ghosts Attending the Body Diagram, then visited Huang Sihai, who warned him about the risks of Gate Initiation and the formidable Tiger Hall fighter Sirius.
• The Ninth Young Master, Brother Little Knife, and Tiger Granny each treated the Demon Blade story cautiously, while Vincent wondered whether Su Cha was truly Demon Blade.
• Li Xiuwen placed fourteenth in Azure Hall’s Ranking Placement after many opponents conceded or lost to him, and Little Loudspeaker, Little Basket, Jiu Ao, and Ling Xuangui also discussed their rankings.
• Ling Xuangui placed twentieth and resented that he could not even place ahead of Li Xiuwen.

Two Vault Mountain disciples, Zhang Lingxuan and Zhang Huang, arrived at Azure Hall and easily defeated its challengers, leaving the disciples determined to surpass them. Li Xiuwen lost to Zhang Lingxuan in the Grand Void Illusory Realm but used their repeated fights to improve his techniques; the next day, he bought three Blood-Coagulating Elixirs at auction and learned that Treasured Armor: Boundless Silk was up for sale.

• Tiger Granny introduced Zhang Lingxuan and Zhang Huang as Vault Mountain guests who would hold daily challenges, with a Tiger Cub stipend for anyone who beat them.
• Zhang Huang defeated Wang Hezi, and Zhang Lingxuan overwhelmed an Elephant-Hurling challenger; Wang Wu then taunted Li Xiuwen, who refused to fight and left for the auction.
• Li Xiuwen repeatedly fought Zhang Lingxuan in the Grand Void Illusory Realm, losing each time but increasing his Whale-Slaying Fist and Startled Swan, Roaming Dragon proficiency.
• Li Xiuwen attended the Four Seasons Auction with Little Lama, Ling Xuangui, and others, then bid successfully on three Blood-Coagulating Elixirs for 860 Tongbao.
• Su Cha told Li Xiuwen that Treasured Armor: Boundless Silk was next, and the auction assistant described its strong protection against bullets, blades, and powerful attacks.

After the Four Seasons Auction, Li Xiuwen used his three Blood-Coagulating Elixirs and intensive training to rapidly strengthen his qi and blood while Zhang Lingxuan and Zhang Huang continued defeating Azure Hall challengers. He remained in seclusion and skipped two Placement Exams, leaving the hall waiting to see whether his progress would let him challenge the Prosperous State prodigies.

• Wang Wu and Fatso won the auction for [Silk to the End] at 5,000 Tongbao, intending to give the armor to Hong Fang for his fiftieth birthday.
• Mr. Long warned Qi Yunzhi that her unsettled mindset needed training, while Li Xiuwen began refining his Blood-Coagulating Elixirs.
• After refining two elixirs and training between doses, Li Xiuwen advanced from Early Tiger Hunt toward Late Tiger Hunt as his fourth and fifth blood-qi seeds grew.
• Wang Hezi lost three fights to Zhang Huang, and Azure Hall disciples failed to find challengers capable of lasting long against Zhang Lingxuan.
• Wang Daorong delayed his challenge, while injured Wu Youcai blamed Li Xiuwen for ruining his chance to fight Zhang Lingxuan.
• Li Xiuwen skipped the Placement Exam to remain in seclusion; Little Loudspeaker, Green-Haired Turtle, and Jiu Ao attended and placed seventieth, seventeenth, and fifty-fourth, respectively.

After six months at the Learning Society, Li Xiuwen emerged from seclusion at peak Tiger Hunt and discussed his progress and Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly prospects with Mr. Long. Mr. Long explained the competition’s demanding requirements and began to describe why special endowments gave fighters an advantage.

• Ye Changkong broke through to Elephant-Hurling, while Little Loudspeaker climbed to fifty-seventh in the Ranking Placement and Li Xiuwen’s ranking fell to sixteenth.
• Zhang Lingxuan and Zhang Huang remained undefeated in the Grand Arena, and Zhang Huang defeated Little Blazing Monk.
• After refining three Great Elixirs and consolidating his cultivation, Li Xiuwen ended his seclusion at peak Tiger Hunt.
• Li Xiuwen asked Mr. Long about tomb-raiding arts, and Mr. Long offered to introduce him to a Tomb Raider friend who would arrive the following month.
• Mr. Long assessed Li Xiuwen’s prospects at the Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly, emphasizing the need to perfect the Whale-Killing Fist and reach peak Elephant-Hurling.
• Mr. Long began explaining that special endowments could let fighters overwhelm those with superior physiques in the same realm.

Li Xiuwen learned more about the gap between the Learning Society and the ancient orthodox lineages, then continued preparing to face Zhang Lingxuan while his cultivation reached peak tiger hunt. As the month ended, he attended another Placement Exam, where the old tigress confirmed his breakthrough.

• Mr. Long warned Li Xiuwen that special endowments and the ancient lineages’ hidden reserves made the Dragon-Raising-Head Dharma Assembly far more daunting than he had expected, and explained the Vault Mountain geniuses’ martial arts.
• Li Xiuwen told Huang Sihai that Old Wu Ghost was at least at the iron bone gate, and Huang Sihai admitted he had long known reclaiming their lineage would be extremely difficult.
• Huang Sihai reflected that Li Xiuwen had reached peak tiger hunt and resolved to accept him as a direct disciple as the fourth of the Four Heroes.
• Li Xiuwen fought Zhang Lingxuan in the Grand Void Illusory Realm and lost narrowly, though he sometimes managed to win; he also finished the second layer of the Killing Qi Song and condensed six killing swords while visualizing Fifth King.
• Li Xiuwen’s friends learned he had reached peak tiger hunt, while students at Azure Hall urged him to challenge Zhang Lingxuan and the Tiger and Crane Society worried Zhang Lingxuan would soon advance to elephant-hurling.
• At the end-of-month Placement Exam, the old tigress confirmed Li Xiuwen had reached peak tiger hunt and considered his rapid progress remarkable despite his shallow foundations.

During the Baseline Assessment, Li Xiuwen faced Ye Changkong, an Elephant-Hurling fighter, and fought him bare-handed despite being only at peak Tiger Hunt. Li Xiuwen broke through his movement technique mid-fight and defeated Ye Changkong, leaving his friends and the examiners celebrating his achievement.

• Li Xiuwen swept through the Six-Leaf Green Seedlings, then met Ye Changkong, who had reached early Elephant-Hurling.
• Li Xiuwen and Ye Changkong exchanged heavy blows, but Ye Changkong switched to evasive movement when his fists began to suffer.
• Li Xiuwen pursued Ye Changkong with Fast-Slow Fist and gradually wore him down, while his Startling Swan Wandering Dragon proficiency advanced during the fight.
• Li Xiuwen broke through to Startled Swan Dance, used his new speed to trap Ye Changkong, and struck him with twenty rapid punches.
• Ye Changkong conceded defeat, and Li Xiuwen's friends, Tiger Granny, and the watching disciples praised his victory and mid-fight breakthrough.