Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Over the course of a month, Zhou Chen spends nearly all his money on Blood-Boiling Pills and trains intensely, while regularly hunting strange beasts and Mist Monsters outside the city to gather resources and earn money.
• He uses the accumulated Mist Incense to push his blood vitality to perfection in the First-Rank Skin Tempering Realm. The Divine Statue guides the breakthrough, and his golden skin becomes flawless.
• He then invests his remaining Mist Incense in Wind-Riding Steps, bringing it close to major accomplishment. After several more days of training and fighting, he crosses that threshold too.
• At major accomplishment, Wind-Riding Steps dramatically improves his speed and ability to read and use air currents. Zhou Chen believes that, with perfected golden skin and two martial arts at major accomplishment, he could face a Second-Rank Martial Artist at minor accomplishment—even without using Crimson Baleful Transformation—but has not yet tested this.
• Zhou Chen continues leaving the city to hunt. Jiang Tianming arrives at the gate, watches him depart, and follows, intending to kill him in revenge for his sister.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Chen’s relentless training and combat make him substantially stronger and give him a pronounced aura of killing intent. He is also becoming a familiar, respected presence among the gate guards, who recognize his regular success outside the city.
• His finances remain precarious: the Lian Household’s allowance has helped, but he has spent nearly everything and depends on selling his hunting spoils to the Nan Family Medicine Shop.
• Zhou Chen and Nan Zhiyi have grown close through their business dealings. He is fond of her, and she has invited him to the Outer City Lantern Festival.
• Jiang Tianming re-enters the story as a direct threat. His cold determination to avenge his sister turns Zhou Chen’s latest outing into a likely confrontation.

Significant themes

• Effort and advancement: Zhou Chen’s breakthroughs come from sustained, punishing training and repeated combat, amplified by the Divine Statue.
• Power and risk: His growing strength allows him to contemplate fighting across rank boundaries, but that belief remains untested.
• Resourcefulness and dependence: His progress relies on pills, hunting, and the Mist Incense system, while his lack of money keeps him under pressure.
• A looming cycle of vengeance: Jiang Tianming’s pursuit suggests Zhou Chen’s personal advancement will soon collide with unresolved hostility.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Chen visits a concealed mountain cave to replenish supplies and preserve a refuge in case he must spend the night outside the city.
• On his way back, he senses someone following him and uses a bluff to draw the pursuer out. It is Jiang Tianming, who has been tracking him over the death of Jiang’s sister, Jiang Qin.
• Zhou resolves to kill Jiang Tianming, but pretends to be frightened and offers to swear by Heavenly Dao Power that he had no part in Jiang Qin’s death.
• Jiang briefly doubts his accusation and lowers his guard. Zhou exploits the hesitation, first throwing irritating poisonous dust at him, then striking with poisoned Money Darts.
• Jiang’s Second-Rank skills and armor limit the damage: he contains the poison, forces the darts from his body, and takes a Detoxification Pill. Zhou recognizes that a Second-Rank fighter is far tougher than a First-Rank one.
• Zhou claims he will now fight fairly, but immediately launches another volley. Jiang deflects the darts with his sword, only for them to burst into a spray of poisoned fragments that pepper his exposed skin. The fight remains unresolved.

Character developments

• Zhou Chen reveals himself as calculating, deceptive, and ruthless. He prefers to weaken opponents before engaging directly, following advice from Master Zheng, and treats Jiang’s anger as evidence that his tactics are working.
• Jiang Tianming is driven by grief and revenge, but his uncertainty about Zhou’s guilt makes him vulnerable to deception. Though enraged and wounded, he demonstrates the resilience and control expected of a Second-Rank Martial Artist.

Significant themes

• Cunning versus strength: Zhou compensates for the gap between their martial ranks with preparation, feints, poison, and concealed weapons.
• Revenge and doubt: Jiang’s grief pushes him toward violence, yet his desire to punish the true culprit briefly makes him question his judgment.
• Survival and pragmatism: The chapter presents combat as a matter of exploiting every advantage, not adhering to a notion of fair play.

Character interactions

• Zhou repeatedly addresses Jiang as “Brother Jiang,” using apparent sincerity to lower his guard before attacking. Jiang’s initial willingness to reconsider gives way to furious accusations as Zhou’s tricks continue.
• Their exchange becomes an escalating contest: Zhou provokes and misleads Jiang, while Jiang relies on his armor, Blood Vitality, and swordsmanship to endure the attacks.

Plot points

• Jiang Tianming attacks Zhou Chen, blaming him for his sister’s death. Zhou effortlessly evades the sword strike and counters with a powerful punch, shattering Jiang’s refined-iron sword and hurling him to the ground.
• Jiang is shocked to learn that Zhou, despite being a First-Rank martial artist, has mastered both his fist and leg techniques and developed Golden Skin.
• The fight continues. Though Jiang’s Second-Rank cultivation lets him withstand the opening blow and trade attacks for a time, Zhou’s speed and strength steadily overwhelm him. A final strike to Jiang’s back sends him crashing into a tree, badly injured and unable to fight.
• Zhou reflects on the battle, noting the difference in bodily control between the ranks and recognizing that his poison is less effective against Second-Rank opponents. He considers extracting money from Jiang.
• Jiang threatens that his father, a powerful Second-Rank martial artist, will retaliate and harm Zhou’s family. When Zhou remains unmoved, Jiang panics and offers to drop the dispute and even cooperate with him.
• The chapter ends with Zhou rejecting Jiang’s threats and declaring that he hates being threatened, as he stands over his defeated opponent.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Chen demonstrates overwhelming confidence, tactical speed, and composure. He treats the duel as a chance to test his skills, then calmly analyzes what he learned. His taunting exposes his cruelty and sharp tongue, while his thoughts about Jiang funding him reveal his practical, opportunistic side.
• Jiang Tianming shifts from arrogant aggression to alarm, humiliation, and desperation. He first dismisses Zhou as weaker, then realizes he is outmatched and resorts to threats and bargaining.
• Their encounter escalates from a revenge-driven challenge into a one-sided contest of power and nerve: Zhou dominates both physically and psychologically, while Jiang’s threats only deepen Zhou’s resolve.

Significant themes

• Strength versus rank: Zhou’s mastery and Golden Skin let him defeat a higher-ranked opponent, showing that cultivation rank alone does not determine the outcome.
• Preparation and adaptation: Zhou identifies the limits of his poison and begins considering stronger formulas for future enemies.
• Pride and fear: Jiang’s confidence collapses under pressure, while Zhou’s refusal to be intimidated underscores his fierce independence and intolerance of coercion.

Plot points and events

• Zhou Chen kills Jiang Tianming after the young master threatens his family. He searches the body, finds a substantial amount of gold and silver, and leaves the corpse for the forest’s beasts to dispose of.
• Jiang Tianming’s threat convinces Zhou Chen that the Jiang Household will target him, so he decides he must strike first. He returns to the city, rests, and waits for nightfall.
• Zhou Chen sneaks onto the roof of the Jiang Household study, intending to ambush Jiang Chuan. Jiang Chuan detects him and attacks with a brush thrown like a sword.
• Zhou Chen activates Crimson Baleful Transformation, gaining enormous size, strength, and speed—but knowing he can sustain it only briefly before the killing urge may overwhelm him.
• He bursts into the study and attacks. Jiang Chuan’s sword and martial skill slow him but cannot seriously penetrate Zhou Chen’s golden skin. Zhou Chen presses the advantage with relentless, powerful blows as the fight continues.

Character development

• Zhou Chen is ruthless and increasingly proactive: he kills Jiang Tianming without hesitation, hides the evidence, and decides not to wait for the Jiang Household to come after him. His transformation makes him formidable, but it also threatens his control and humanity.
• Jiang Chuan begins confident in his strength and dismisses Zhou Chen as a mere First-Rank fighter. As Zhou Chen withstands his sword and overwhelms him physically, confidence gives way to fear and frustration.

Character interactions

• Zhou Chen’s final warning to Jiang Tianming—that he should not threaten his family—reveals the personal motive behind the killing.
• Jiang Chuan’s concern over his son’s late return establishes the family connection and leads directly to Zhou Chen’s ambush.
• During their fight, Jiang Chuan relies on experience, swordsmanship, and technique; Zhou Chen counters with superior raw force, durability, and relentless pursuit.

Significant themes

• Control and self-reliance: Zhou Chen believes survival depends on keeping his own fate—and his family’s—in his hands.
• Family and vengeance: Threats to Zhou Chen’s family drive his violence and his preemptive attack.
• Power’s cost: Crimson Baleful Transformation grants tremendous strength but risks consuming Zhou Chen’s will and turning him into a mindless killer.
• Appearance versus ability: Jiang Chuan underestimates Zhou Chen because of his apparent rank, while Zhou Chen’s transformed strength defies ordinary expectations.

Key events

• Zhou Chen fights Jiang Chuan, head of the Jiang Household, and reveals overwhelming strength despite appearing to be a First-Rank Martial Artist. He combines major-accomplishment Wind-Riding Steps with extraordinary durability from his golden skin, allowing him to withstand Jiang Chuan’s sword strikes.
• After realizing Zhou Chen is using the Wild Bull Fist, Jiang Chuan recognizes who he is—but Zhou Chen confirms the guess and kills him with a devastating blow to the neck, then crushes his severed head.
• Zhou Chen searches Jiang Chuan’s body, then coerces the household servants into revealing where the family keeps its wealth. He loots the treasures and escapes over the courtyard wall.
• The surviving household members conclude that the Jiang family is doomed without its Second-Rank protector: rival forces will soon prey on it.
• Nearby, Night Training General Zhao Tianhong’s patrol waits until the killing is over before entering to “clean up.” Zhao’s men defend his cautious approach, unaware that the fugitive they allowed to escape is Zhao’s own junior martial brother.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Chen proves himself a ruthless, highly capable fighter. He stays focused on killing Jiang Chuan, accepts minor wounds to create an opening, and swiftly turns to looting once the fight is over. The blood incense gained from the kill intensifies his urge to slaughter, though he retains enough control to act deliberately.
• Jiang Chuan shifts from confidence to terror as Zhou Chen’s speed, strength, and resilience overwhelm him. He attempts to retreat when his sword proves ineffective, but Zhou Chen exploits the moment when Jiang’s momentum is spent and kills him.
• Zhao Tianhong displays his cautious, survival-minded leadership by keeping his squad out of a dangerous fight. His subordinates admire this policy, while a new recruit learns why the squad avoids unnecessary risks.
• The servants and Jiang household women, terrified, quickly betray one another and reveal the location of the family’s valuables to save themselves.

Significant themes

• Strength and survival: Power determines who can protect a household—and whether others risk their lives to help.
• Violence and its cost: Zhou Chen’s victory brings wealth, but also intensifies his bloodlust.
• Pragmatism over duty: Zhao’s patrol prioritizes survival over intervention, leaving the Jiang family’s fate to its enemies.
• Dramatic irony: Zhao’s cautious decision allows his own junior martial brother to escape, though he does not know it.

Plot points and events

• Night Patrol Bureau officer Zhao Tianhong arrives at the Jiang Household after its head, Jiang Chuan, has been killed and the compound wrecked. He theatrically laments being too late, then recognizes that the killer’s strength and martial skills must be extraordinary.
• Zhao orders his men to question witnesses and record the killer’s appearance. Though the portrait suggests a fearsome, unfamiliar fighter, he decides the matter is not worth pursuing. Instead, he plans to seize part of the Jiang fortune and blame any losses on the killer.
• Zhou Chen reaches a hidden shack with the loot he took from the Jiang Household. He burns his bloodied clothes, hides the valuables he cannot safely use, and counts a large haul of gold, silver, jewels, and a sword manual. His usable funds, including money taken earlier from Jiang Tianming, now total about a thousand taels.
• The next morning, Zhou returns to Warehouse No. 2 and hears rumors about the Jiang Household’s destruction but stays quiet. He plans to keep a low profile and concentrate on cultivation.
• At the Nan Family Medicine Shop, Zhou buys thirty Blood-Boiling Pills. Nan Zhiyi notices that he has advanced to the peak of blood-vitality refinement and is preparing to attempt a breakthrough to the second rank.

Character developments

• Zhou Chen is increasingly powerful and financially secure, but cautious: he hides incriminating valuables, avoids discussing the massacre, and intends to let attention fade before acting further.
• Zhao Tianhong presents himself as a conscientious officer, yet privately sees the tragedy as an opportunity to enrich himself. He also feels pressure to advance to the third rank before the upcoming Flesh-Cutting Tournament.
• Nan Zhiyi is surprised and impressed by Zhou’s rapid progress, and hopes his breakthrough might make him another capable martial artist associated with her family’s shop.

Character interactions

• Zhao and his patrolmen perform condolences for the Jiang family, then question witnesses while Zhao privately plots to exploit the household’s wealth.
• Zhou interacts with the shopkeeper Nan Zhiyi in a playful, familiar manner: he wakes her from a nap, buys pills, and reveals his cultivation plans. Her amusement gives way to genuine amazement at his progress.

Significant themes

• Hypocrisy and self-interest: Zhao’s public display of duty contrasts sharply with his private plan to steal from the victims.
• Concealment and risk: Zhou’s fortune brings opportunity but also danger, so he separates usable money from evidence that could expose him.
• Ambition and cultivation: Both Zhao and Zhou are focused on reaching higher ranks, though Zhou’s immediate goal is to overcome the second-rank bottleneck.
• Dark humor: Zhou’s gratitude toward the Jiang father and son for funding his cultivation treats a violent tragedy as an unexpected windfall.

Chapter Summary

• Zhou Chen and Nan Zhiyi: Zhou visits Nan Zhiyi’s medicine shop and advises her family to stay cautious amid the Outer City’s unrest. Nan agrees with her father’s preference for stability over risky expansion, a stance Zhou shares.
• Bai Liuli’s competing outlook: After Zhou leaves, Bai Liuli urges Nan to seize opportunities, boasting that her family’s alliance with the New City Lord has greatly increased its profits. She dismisses Zhou as timid and useless, but Nan firmly defends him. Bai then reveals she has secured Nan’s household access to valuable medicinal-herb supply contracts, showing that her ambition also comes with generosity toward her friend.
• The conflict worsens: The Four-Family Alliance begins striking back against gangs supporting the New City Lord. Smaller groups disband or become casualties, while civilians suffer hunger, cold, and violence. Zhou recognizes that ordinary people are pawns in powerful figures’ struggles, but focuses on becoming stronger so he can protect himself and his family.
• A small act of kindness: Zhou buys hot buns for starving children and exhausted women in an alley. He leaves before they can thank him, knowing his help cannot solve their hardship but wanting to do what he can.
• Life at the martial arts hall: Fewer students attend as poverty deepens and some seek advancement by joining factions. Master Zheng appears relaxed and detached, while Lian Taoze seems exhausted and distracted.
• Zhou and Ye Lingtian: During sparring, Zhou discovers that Ye has also perfected his blood and qi and is progressing nearly as quickly as Zhou, despite their similar aptitude and backgrounds. Zhou wonders whether Ye has a hidden advantage of his own, but keeps the thought to himself. He expects to pull ahead after reaching Second Rank, then asks Lian how his household is faring.

Character Developments and Themes

Zhou remains cautious and focused on personal strength, yet his quiet aid to the starving reveals compassion beneath his pragmatic outlook. Nan stands by Zhou even when Bai mocks him, while Bai’s confidence in risk-taking contrasts with Nan’s preference for stability; her gift of business connections complicates that contrast with genuine friendship. The chapter emphasizes the human cost of factional conflict, the difference between ambition and caution, and the limits—but also the value—of individual kindness amid wider suffering.

Key plot points and events

• Lian Taoze confides that the Lian Household is struggling: profits have fallen, business is under pressure from the stronger Shen Clan, and many affiliated martial warriors have left. Even so, he promises Zhou Chen and Ye Lingtian that their stipends will continue.
• Zhou Chen and Ye Lingtian reassure him that they will remain loyal, grateful for the Lian Household’s past care—especially its reliable supply of Qi-Blood Powder.
• Lian Taoze reveals that Jiang Yan was crippled in an encirclement operation, with his meridians severed. Wan Yingying was also badly injured, while Chu Lin left the Four-Family Alliance before the disaster and now trains alone.
• Chu Lin reflects on how quickly Jiang Yan’s former confidence and status disappeared after his injury. Her experience strengthens her belief that caution and steady progress are wiser than chasing rapid advancement.
• Shen Ao arrives with Zhang Shaojiu, flaunting their improved cultivation. Shen uses Zhang’s rapid progress and the New City Lord’s support to recruit disciples for the Shen Clan. Two newly promoted first-grade disciples join, drawn by offers nearly twice as generous as the Lian Household’s.

Character developments and interactions

• Lian Taoze is exhausted and hurt by the defections, but remains committed to supporting Zhou Chen and Ye Lingtian. Their loyalty gives him a rare source of comfort.
• Zhou Chen and Ye Lingtian reaffirm their allegiance, contrasting with those who left for better rewards.
• Chu Lin shifts toward a more cautious view of martial advancement after witnessing Jiang Yan’s fate. She recognizes the value of securing each step rather than risking everything for quick gains.
• Shen Ao acts with open confidence and contempt toward Lian Taoze, using Zhang Shaojiu as proof of the Shen Clan’s opportunities. Zhang, now at first-rank perfection, reinforces the recruitment pitch.
• Lian Taoze and Shen Ao exchange barbs, but Lian Taoze can only watch as financial pressure draws more disciples away.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus self-interest: Zhou Chen and Ye Lingtian stay with Lian Taoze out of gratitude, while others leave when the balance of benefits shifts.
• The cost of ambition: Jiang Yan’s crippling shows how quickly a promising martial career can collapse.
• Security versus rapid advancement: Chu Lin’s reflection favors careful, sustainable progress over risky pursuit of immediate gains.
• Power and material incentives: The Shen Clan’s superior strength and generous compensation translate directly into influence, deepening the Lian Household’s decline.

• The Shen Clan wins over two of Lian Taoze’s disciples. Zhou Chen and Ye Lingtian leave Lian’s side to join Shen Ao’s faction, attracted by its better terms. Their brief, awkward apologies deepen Lian Taoze’s hurt, though he accepts their choice as understandable. Shen Ao savors his victory over Lian and concludes that practical advantage matters more than affection. Zhang Shaojiu shares his contempt, convinced that choosing Shen Ao will bring him wealth, connections, and a better future.
• Zhou Chen quietly resolves to help Lian Taoze. Though outwardly composed, Zhou is angered by Shen Ao’s hostility toward Lian, which is partly driven by Shen’s belief that Lian possesses the Flesh Lingzhi. Zhou decides that since Lian has taken the blame for him, he owes his senior brother support. Ye Lingtian seems to share Zhou’s cold reaction, though he quickly resumes his usual cheerful manner. Zhou returns to intensive cultivation and continues going outside the city to absorb the denser black mist.
• Master Zheng hints at a major plan. Watching events beside the lotus pond, he remarks that a long-running scheme will soon be decided by one attempt. His maid reassures him, but he remains cautious.
• The investigation into the Clear River Gang and Jiang Household killings shifts direction. Zheng Tu presses a hired investigator for results. The investigator reasons that the killer’s strength changed between the two murders, suggesting a recent breakthrough—but no known Second-Rank Martial Artist fits. He therefore proposes investigating First-Rank Martial Artists too, since the killer may be concealing a breakthrough and using a technique that alters his appearance. Zheng Tu orders a broad search of everyone with grudges against either victim.
  Character developments and themes: Shen Ao and Zhang Shaojiu embody ambition and self-interest, while Lian Taoze accepts betrayal without resorting to coercion. Zhou’s loyalty to Lian becomes a quiet motivation for action. The chapter contrasts transactional relationships with loyalty, while the renewed murder investigation builds suspense and raises the possibility that the killer is hiding in plain sight.

Plot points and events

• During a freezing winter night, Zhou Chen burns his accumulated Mist Incense, pushing his first-rank skin-tempering cultivation to 1890/4000, close to halfway toward the next rank. His intense vitality is hot enough to melt hail as it falls.
• Zhang Shaojiu arrives unexpectedly and reveals that he has reached the second rank. He credits his breakthrough to the City Lord’s Pure Profound Pill, which raises the chance of advancement by twenty percentage points.
• Zhang offers Zhou Chen a pill and opportunities to earn merit if he pledges loyalty to him. His real aim is to recruit Zhou, weaken the Lian Household, and build a following of his own.
• Zhou refuses, citing his responsibility to his parents and younger sister. Though Zhang tries to persuade him, Zhou remains firm.
• Angered by the refusal, Zhang challenges Zhou to exchange blows, intending to force him into submission.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Chen continues advancing rapidly through cultivation, while keeping his true confidence and capabilities concealed. He values his family’s safety more than a risky opportunity and resists being recruited through promises or pressure.
• Zhang Shaojiu has risen in status and power alongside the New City Lord’s faction. His confidence turns to hostility when Zhou rejects him; he views loyalty as something that can be bought and subordinates as potential followers.
• Their conversation begins with polite greetings and mutual compliments, but gradually exposes the difference between Zhou’s cautious, family-centered priorities and Zhang’s ambition and desire for control.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus responsibility: Zhang pursues influence and advancement, while Zhou weighs risk against his duty to his family.
• Power and loyalty: Zhang treats loyalty as transactional, believing sufficient rewards can win anyone over.
• Appearances and hidden strength: Zhang assumes Zhou’s poor natural aptitude makes him dependent on the pill, unaware of Zhou’s unusual cultivation advantages.
• Recruitment through coercion: The offer of aid turns into a threat when persuasion fails, revealing the force behind the City Lord’s growing faction.

Plot points

• Zhang Shaojiu tries to seize Zhou Chen and pressure him into joining the Azure Guard. Zhou blocks the attack and refuses, choosing to remain with the Lian Household.
• Zhang warns that the Lian Household may be wiped out. Zhou suspects the threat could signal a real danger, so he sends the household a report and urges vigilance.
• After half a month of training, Zhou consumes his final Blood-Boiling Pill and breaks through to the Second-Rank Flesh Tempering Realm. His body immediately develops copper sinew-flesh, and his strength, resilience, and digestion improve substantially.
• Zhou tests his new power with a punch that creates a shockwave, then enjoys a bath and a large meal. His Mist Incense accumulation rate doubles, from three inches to six per day.
• The chapter shifts to Bai Tangyin, who receives a red-enveloped letter; its contents are not revealed, but the scene suggests troubling news.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Chen becomes more wary and determined after Zhang’s threat. His breakthrough sharply increases his combat ability, and he recognizes how his unusually clear, poison-free constitution accelerates his cultivation.
• Zhang Shaojiu presents himself as recruiting Zhou for his benefit, but his attempted force and veiled threat reveal a coercive, potentially hostile agenda. He ultimately backs down rather than provoke the Lian Household.
• Xiao Qing and Xiao Lü attend to Zhou after his breakthrough, bathing and massaging him and preparing his meals. They notice his more muscular, attractive appearance.
• Bai Tangyin appears in a brief closing scene, awaiting news that seems to sadden her maid.

Significant themes

• Strength as protection: Zhou’s rapid cultivation is driven by the need to defend himself and the Lian Household.
• Political pressure and intimidation: Zhang’s recruitment pitch masks a threat amid tensions between powerful groups.
• Unusual talent and bodily transformation: Zhou’s exceptional constitution lets him reach a level of physical refinement that normally takes years.
• Power through discipline and nourishment: Training, medicine, and food all contribute to Zhou’s growing strength and cultivation efficiency.

Bai Tangyin sent Zhou Chen her saved gold and jewelry to support his martial arts practice but concealed that her family had betrothed her to Li Guiyi as a concubine. After Zhou Chen refused the gift, he caught up with Xiao Rou and asked whether something had happened to Bai Tangyin.

• Bai Qingtian arranged Bai Tangyin's betrothal to Li Guiyi in exchange for resources, while Bai Tangyin accepted the arrangement because she felt indebted to the Bai Household.
• Bai Tangyin gave Xiao Rou her savings and asked her to deliver them to Zhou Chen without revealing her plight.
• Xiao Rou delivered the parcel to Zhou Chen, who suspected Bai Tangyin was hiding something but declined to keep the valuables.
• Xiao Rou left in tears and cursed Zhou Chen for not asking more about Bai Tangyin's circumstances.
• Zhou Chen caught up with Xiao Rou and asked her to tell him whether something had happened to Bai Tangyin.

Zhou Chen learned that Bai Tangyin was in trouble because Li Guiyi had arranged an unwanted engagement, and he went to the Li Household to intervene. Li Guiyi readily canceled the engagement and gave Zhou Chen a hundred taels, leaving the matter resolved while they awaited the Bai Household’s reaction.

• Zhou Chen told Xiao Rou he had reached the Second Rank, and she explained Bai Tangyin’s predicament with Li Guiyi.
• Zhou Chen went to the Li Household and asked to speak with Li Guiyi.
• Li Guiyi recognized Zhou Chen’s strength and received him humbly.
• Zhou Chen explained Bai Tangyin’s situation, and Li Guiyi agreed to cancel the engagement and offered an apology.
• Li Guiyi gave Zhou Chen a hundred taels, and the two parted on friendly terms as they waited for the Bai Household’s response.

Bai Tangyin learned that Zhou Chen had reached the second rank and gone to the Li Residence, but she believed she could no longer hope to marry him. After Li Guiyi withdrew the betrothal and sought Zhou Chen’s favor, Bai Qingtian regretted rejecting him and planned to invite him to a banquet; the chapter then shifted to Cheng Xun telling Cheng Xiaoxiao about Zhou Chen.

• Xiao Rou told Bai Tangyin that Zhou Chen had broken through to the second rank and gone to the Li Residence to help her.
• Bai Tangyin worried Zhou Chen would be hurt confronting Li Guiyi, then decided that his new status made her an unsuitable match and proposed inviting him to a banquet instead.
• Bai Qingtian arrived with Li Guiyi’s letter withdrawing the marriage arrangement and apologizing while praising his friendship with Zhou Chen.
• Bai Qingtian admitted his regret and left to invite Zhou Chen to the evening banquet, while Bai Tangyin sat alone in sorrow.
• At the Cheng Household, Cheng Xun asked Cheng Xiaoxiao whether she remembered Zhou Chen, the man she had rejected.

Cheng Xiaoxiao regretted rejecting Zhou Chen after learning he had become a Second-Rank Martial Artist, while Cheng Xun took control of her marriage decisions. At dinner in the Bai residence, Bai Tangyin confessed her feelings to Zhou Chen and kissed him, as Xiao Rou listened outside.

• Cheng Xun told Cheng Xiaoxiao that Zhou Chen had reached the second rank and scolded her for rejecting him.
• Cheng Xiaoxiao regretted her choice, but Cheng Xun forbade her from deciding her own marriage.
• Zhou Chen accepted Bai Qingtian's gold and Blood-Boiling Pills as an apology at the Bai residence.
• Bai Tangyin toasted Zhou Chen and struggled to hide her feelings, while Bai Qingtian arranged for them to be left alone.
• Bai Tangyin asked whether Zhou Chen had feelings for her, then confessed her love and kissed him.
• Xiao Rou heard sounds from inside the room, covered her ears, and then edged closer to listen.

After discovering that intimacy with Bai Tangyin rapidly replenished his Mist Incense, Zhou Chen advanced his Wild Bull Fist and considered how to cleanse his family’s Miasma Poison. He returned home resolved to stay disciplined, but Xiao Qing and Xiao Lü appeared in revealing nightgowns at his mother’s arrangement.

• After seeing Bai Qingtian off, Zhou Chen realized intimacy with Bai Tangyin had absorbed much of her Miasma Poison and restored his Mist Incense to six feet.
• Zhou Chen spent the Mist Incense on Wild Bull Fist, raising its progress to 2290/3000 and bringing the technique close to perfection.
• The Divine Statue revealed that Zhou Chen would need to surpass the third rank to cleanse his family’s Miasma Poison without joining yin and yang, and Zhou Chen worried that it was coming to resemble him.
• Zhou Chen returned home, put away his silver, and practiced his fist technique while Xiao Qing and Xiao Lü prepared hot water.
• Zhou Chen considered cleansing Xiao Qing and Xiao Lü’s Miasma Poison but decided to build affection and avoid relying on sensual shortcuts.
• After Zhang Fang called them away, Xiao Qing and Xiao Lü returned in sheer silk nightgowns, leaving Zhou Chen to realize his mother had arranged the display.

Zhou Chen spent the night with Xiao Qing and Xiao Lü, then used the Mist Incense he absorbed from them to perfect Wild Bull Fist and strengthen his cultivation. At the martial hall, he arrived during Zhang Shaojiu’s acceptance ceremony and saw Shen Ao’s faction gaining power as the Lian Household struggled under the Shen Clan’s pressure.

• Zhou Chen invited Xiao Qing and Xiao Lü back after drinking their soup, and the three spent the night together.
• Zhou Chen burned the Mist Incense he had absorbed to bring Wild Bull Fist to perfection and improve his second-rank cultivation.
• Zhou Chen encouraged Zhou Yu’s interest in martial arts, taught her more moves, and told her to eat more meat.
• Zhou Chen arrived at the martial hall during Zhang Shaojiu’s ceremony, where Old Zheng formally accepted Zhang Shaojiu as his direct disciple.
• Zhou Chen saw Shen Ao’s faction outnumber Lian Taoze’s supporters and learned that the Shen Clan now had five second-rank martial artists, while the Lian Household had only three.

Zhang Shaojiu celebrated his promotion to Direct Disciple and Second-Rank Martial Artist, then tried to publicly humiliate Zhou Chen. Zhou Chen accepted his challenge, leaving the two disciples poised to fight.

• Old Zheng welcomed Zhang Shaojiu as a Direct Disciple and promised him daily Qi-Blood Soup and three Deer-Blood Muscle-Strengthening Pills each month.
• Shen Ao congratulated Zhang Shaojiu and urged him to pursue victory in future Flesh-Cutting Tournaments, while Old Zheng and Zhao Tianhong concealed complicated reactions to Gongsun Wuyang's name.
• Sun Yingying and Liu Fei tried to arrange a celebratory banquet with Zhang Shaojiu, but he rejected them harshly and declared he was not interested in Sun Yingying.
• Zhang Shaojiu spotted Zhou Chen and challenged him to demonstrate his foundations, intending to establish his authority in front of the disciples.
• Old Zheng tried to steer Zhang Shaojiu away from the confrontation, but Zhou Chen accepted the challenge and warned him not to get hurt.

Zhang Shaojiu challenged Lian Taoze for control of the taisui meat business and used the Crimson Ring Art to overwhelm him. As Zhang Shaojiu prepared a potentially crippling finishing blow, an unseen figure’s bronze-shining arms swept past Lian Taoze.

• Zhang Shaojiu challenged Lian Taoze, wagering that the winner would control the taisui meat business.
• Lian Taoze accepted and attacked Zhang Shaojiu with Blood Hoof Stomps the Ground.
• Zhang Shaojiu revealed the Crimson Ring Art and defeated Lian Taoze in their first exchange.
• Zhang Shaojiu injured Lian Taoze’s shoulder and prepared a powerful strike toward his chin.
• As Lian Taoze faced Zhang Shaojiu’s finishing blow, a pair of bronze-shining arms swept past him.

Zhou Chen revealed that he had reached the second rank and easily blocked Zhang Shaojiu’s attacks. After overwhelming Zhang in a fist clash, Zhou Chen left him injured and asked whether that was his full strength.

• Zhou Chen caught Zhang Shaojiu’s two palm strikes without moving, revealing his second-rank cultivation to Lian Taoze and the watching disciples.
• Sun Yingying and Liu Fei were shocked by Zhou Chen’s breakthrough, while Sun Yingying tried to convince herself Zhang was still superior.
• Zhang Shaojiu launched a stronger punch at Zhou Chen, whose fist revealed copper skin and Wild Bull Fist perfected.
• Zhou Chen’s punch shattered Zhang Shaojiu’s defense and drove him back seven steps until he spat blood.
• Zhou Chen remained standing and asked Zhang Shaojiu whether that was his full strength.