Recaps

After Lin Xiaotian was forced into a mist-filled fissure, he endured extreme corrosion but discovered his Blood Qi could absorb the mist and keep him alive. He survived beneath the mist with his body intact and his Blood Qi growing denser.

• A dying man brought Lin Xiaotian to a fissure and said its corrosive mist would kill the unblessed while offering a chance for someone fortunate.
• The man kicked Lin Xiaotian into the fissure, then stomped on his hands when he clung to the edge.
• Before Lin Xiaotian fell, the man told him to watch out for his scheming elder sister.
• As Lin Xiaotian fell through the mist, his body seemed to dissolve, but a warm current swept through him and he survived.
• Lin Xiaotian realized his Blood Qi was absorbing the mist and producing a bloody glow that protected him.

Lin Xiaotian explored the mist-filled pit, discovered that his Blood Qi absorbed the mist and healed his injuries, and repeatedly failed to climb out. After resting and waking refreshed, he prepared to try a new way to escape.

• Lin Xiaotian found the remains of earlier victims and discovered a stone stairway leading toward the opening above.
• He climbed the stairs but failed to leap across the gap, fell, and suffered serious injuries.
• His Blood Qi absorbed the mist, healed his injuries, and formed a red light around his body again.
• Lin Xiaotian made several more failed escape attempts, then lay down to sleep and recover.
• He woke feeling refreshed, noticed the mist had thinned, and turned back to the stairs with a new escape idea.

Lin Xiaotian escaped the foggy gap, survived a seven-day trek to Long River Town, and returned to Song Wanyan, who agreed to support his wish to learn martial arts. After he left for the Huang Family Martial Hall, a seductive presence emerged in Song Wanyan’s body and argued with her original self over Lin Xiaotian’s unusual nature.

• Lin Xiaotian used a running leap to climb out of the gap, rested, and went into the woods to find food.
• After seven days of walking, Lin Xiaotian reached Long River Town and returned to Song Wanyan’s home.
• Song Wanyan said she had taken Lin Xiaotian in because he resembled her younger brother, then supported his plan to learn martial arts.
• Lin Xiaotian went to the Huang Family Martial Hall to learn about training and its fees.
• After Lin Xiaotian left, a seductive presence surfaced in Song Wanyan’s body and clashed with her original self over Lin Xiaotian.

Song Wanyan used spiritual energy to draw a mysterious pattern while Lin Xiaotian sought training at the Huang Family Martial Hall and learned how difficult advancement would be. After returning home, he noticed something unusual about the room Song Wanyan had prepared, while a young master of the Qin Household was warned by his father not to pursue her.

• Song Wanyan's seductive self urged her cold sister to test whether Lin Xiaotian was the person they sought, then used their combined energies to draw a pattern.
• Lin Xiaotian asked to study at the Huang Family Martial Hall, where a burly senior brother explained the martial stages and told him to return with twenty taels for an aptitude test.
• Lin Xiaotian asked whether he could learn without paying, but the senior brother angrily sent him away and told him to come early the next morning.
• Lin Xiaotian returned home, noticed something unusual about the room Song Wanyan said she was turning into a spare room, and told her about the martial hall over dinner.
• The young master of the Qin Household asked to take Song Wanyan as a concubine, but his father forbade him and drove him out.

Lin Xiaotian went to the Huang Family Martial Arts Hall hoping to study despite having no silver, while his sister secretly used demonic energy to alter a hidden pattern and set a plan in motion. Senior Brother Tao explained that ordinary aptitude could not prove a person’s potential, leaving Lin Xiaotian unsure how to demonstrate his extraordinary Blood Qi.

• Lin Xiaotian left home without telling Song Wanyan about the silver and headed to the Martial Arts Hall, believing the warning about his sister was meant to unsettle him.
• After Lin Xiaotian left, Song Wanyan’s demonic side suppressed the white spiritual energy within her, altered the faint pattern in the ground, and decided to put pressure on him.
• At the Qin Residence, Young Master Qin took his servant’s advice to visit the Martial Arts Hall and planned to go after breakfast.
• At the hall, Lin Xiaotian tried to join the Stake Skill test without paying, but Senior Brother Tao said the hall could not waive his fees based on ordinary aptitude.
• Senior Brother Tao explained that martial training developed Blood Qi and that only someone with Hidden Force potential from the outset might qualify for an exception.
• Lin Xiaotian suspected his own unusual Blood Qi was exceptional but could not think of a way to prove it to the hall.

Lin Xiaotian sought another way to prove his aptitude and asked Senior Brother Tao to lend him silver for Initiation, but Tao refused. When Young Master Qin arrived, Lin Xiaotian demanded five taels from him, punched him, and insisted Qin had borrowed the money.

• Lin Xiaotian asked Senior Brother Tao to lend him silver for Initiation, but Tao said most Martial Arts Hall students could not afford to lend any.
• Senior Brother Tao explained that Young Master Qin had long desired Song Wanyan, whose parents had helped the Qin Household become one of Long River Town's four great Lineages.
• Young Master Qin entered the Martial Arts Hall and reacted jealously when Tao introduced Lin Xiaotian as Song Wanyan's younger brother.
• Lin Xiaotian demanded five taels of silver from Young Master Qin, then punched him and claimed Qin had borrowed the money.

At the Martial Arts Hall, Lin Xiaotian struck Young Master Qin, then persuaded him to hand over five taels of silver, confident he would not dare trouble Song Wanyan. Lin Xiaotian began the Initiation test and realized the Entrance Stake Method was far more dangerous and difficult than it looked.

• Lin Xiaotian hit Young Master Qin and asked him for silver, and Young Master Qin gave him five taels before leaving the Martial Arts Hall.
• Lin Xiaotian explained to Senior Brother Tao that Young Master Qin would not dare approach Song Wanyan because he feared Master Qin’s punishment.
• Senior Brother Tao mentioned that another son of the Qin Household had once been beaten to death, then accepted Lin Xiaotian’s silver and led him to the Initiation test.
• Senior Brother Tao demonstrated the Entrance Stake Method and told the applicants they had three days to learn its sequence.
• Lin Xiaotian noticed that the method’s movements strained the body and understood how difficult it would be for ordinary people to enter the Martial Dao.

Lin Xiaotian watched Senior Brother Tao demonstrate a difficult Stake Skill and learned that its mnemonic formula and unusual key movements tested Blood Qi, aptitude, and endurance. After teaching the technique, Senior Brother Tao gave the trainees three days to complete it and qualify as disciples of the martial arts hall.

• Lin Xiaotian noticed that the Stake Skill’s movements changed between Senior Brother Tao’s first two demonstrations, while most trainees failed to spot the differences.
• Senior Brother Tao praised Lin Xiaotian for understanding the technique and explained how its mnemonic formula affected Blood Qi and its key movements challenged normal bodily limits.
• Lin Xiaotian asked whether the stance’s pain could be avoided, and Senior Brother Tao explained that enduring hardship was part of the test.
• Senior Brother Tao taught the mnemonic formula and gave a final demonstration, revealing that the key movements stayed the same while the rest of the routine changed.
• Senior Brother Tao told the trainees they had three days to complete the stance art and become disciples of the martial arts hall.

Lin Xiaotian practiced the Initiation Stake Skill and discovered that his special blood qi helped him endure and heal its strain. After several youths fell trying the skill on stakes, Senior Brother Tao singled Lin Xiaotian out to demonstrate it, leaving him to decide whether to step forward.

• Lin Xiaotian practiced the Stake Skill and found that his blood qi made the difficult movements easier and healed the resulting injuries.
• A youth tried the skill on the stakes, lost his balance, and fell, prompting Senior Brother Tao to explain that practicing on stakes was essential.
• A second youth carefully familiarized himself with the stakes but fell after beginning the second form.
• Several more youths tried the skill and fell, while Senior Brother Tao mocked their failures.
• Senior Brother Tao asked Lin Xiaotian to lead by demonstrating the skill, and Lin Xiaotian hesitated as the others watched.

Lin Xiaotian attempted the Entrance Stake Method, enduring severe twisting pain and healing his injuries with Blood Qi as he moved unusually slowly. He completed the sequence and became a disciple of Huang Family Martial Hall, while an excited prospective disciple stepped up to try.

• Lin Xiaotian began the Entrance Stake Method as the prospective disciples and Senior Brother Tao watched.
• Lin Xiaotian nearly lost his balance on the first stance, but Blood Qi eased his pain and helped him steady himself.
• Lin Xiaotian forced his second step despite a stress fracture, then used Blood Qi to heal the injury enough to continue.
• Lin Xiaotian slowed each stance so his injuries could heal, drawing mockery from the prospective disciples and surprise from Senior Brother Tao.
• Lin Xiaotian completed the sequence after two cups of tea, and Senior Brother Tao declared him a disciple of Huang Family Martial Hall.
• A prospective disciple eagerly asked Senior Brother Tao to let him try the method.

Lin Xiaotian and three other prospective disciples passed the Huang Family Martial Hall’s three-day Stake Skill trial, while Senior Brother Tao discussed Lin Xiaotian with his master. Back at home, Lin Xiaotian worried that his missing older sister, Song Wanyan, was trying to pay his tuition, then found Young Master Qin at the gate after dark.

• A prospective disciple failed the Stake Skill despite slowing down, and Senior Brother Tao urged the prospective disciples to keep practicing.
• After three days of trials, only four prospective disciples passed, and Lin Xiaotian pretended to be injured and asked Senior Brother Tao to waive his tuition.
• Senior Brother Tao told his master about Lin Xiaotian, and his master noted that Lin Xiaotian’s older sister, Song Wanyan, had once grown up at the hall.
• Lin Xiaotian returned home and worried because Song Wanyan had been gone for several days.
• Lin Xiaotian opened the courtyard gate at night and found Young Master Qin waiting outside.

Lin Xiaotian beat Young Master Qin before learning that the Qin Household had supposedly detained his sister and demanded fifty taels. He suspected his sister was using the Qin Household to pressure him, but decided to wait as long as she was safe.

• Young Master Qin tried to intimidate Lin Xiaotian, but Lin cut him off and beat him until he handed over the remaining silver.
• Young Master Qin told Lin that the Qin Household had detained his sister and demanded fifty taels of silver.
• Lin stayed calm and argued that the Qin Household could not take his sister; Young Master Qin admitted he had been too afraid to knock on Lin's gate.
• When Lin pressed Young Master Qin about his sister, he denied knowing anything and fled.
• Lin bolted the courtyard gate and wondered why his sister was using the Qin Household to pressure him, then decided to wait because he believed she was safe.

Song Wanyan confronted Young Master Qin at the Qin Residence, exposed the illusions surrounding him, and forced Master Qin to plead for his son. By morning, Lin Xiaotian headed to the martial arts hall with his tuition money, still waiting to learn what had happened at the Qin Residence and to check on his sister.

• Young Master Qin returned home in terror, realized something was wrong with Hong'er and the unusually quiet residence, and discovered she was an illusion.
• Song Wanyan appeared and made Young Master Qin recount his encounter with Lin Xiaotian before teasing him about his desire for her.
• Song Wanyan threatened to uncover Lin Xiaotian's secret, while Master Qin knelt and begged her to spare his son.
• Song Wanyan threw Master Qin into the rain and shut the door, leaving Young Master Qin howling inside.
• Lin Xiaotian woke after the rain, decided to wait a few days before visiting the Qin Residence, and went to the martial arts hall with twenty taels for tuition.

Lin Xiaotian reunited with Song Wanyan, who warned him to flee because she feared she might devour him, then apparently erased his memories before leaving. His Blood Qi broke through the memory seal, and he realized his sister’s abilities went beyond Martial Dao as he prepared to eat again and head to the Martial Arts Hall.

• Lin Xiaotian welcomed Song Wanyan back and served her breakfast, while she praised his composure and ate with him.
• Song Wanyan warned Lin Xiaotian to leave town, saying she feared she might lose control and swallow him, and revealed that Martial Dao could not resolve her troubles.
• Song Wanyan left through a strange barrier, and its ripples engulfed Lin Xiaotian, causing him to faint as the courtyard and its surroundings vanished.
• Lin Xiaotian woke with no memory of Song Wanyan’s visit, noticed signs that someone had eaten with him, and began to suspect his sister had come.
• Lin Xiaotian’s Blood Qi surged painfully through his head and broke through the seal on his memories, restoring his recollection of Song Wanyan.
• Lin Xiaotian concluded that his sister had sealed his memories and that his Blood Qi consumed great amounts of food, then decided to cook again before going to the Martial Arts Hall.

Song Wanyan’s demonic side took control and flew toward the Qin Residence while Hall Master Huang sensed an ominous presence. At the martial arts hall, Lin Xiaotian learned about a powerful Ouyang Household elder whose death might be connected to his past.

• Song Wanyan’s black demonic qi overwhelmed her icy aura, and she flew toward the Qin Residence.
• Hall Master Huang sensed a disturbance, then told Senior Brother Tao that a mysterious Internal Force expert had died.
• Senior Brother Tao welcomed Lin Xiaotian, explained the Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force manual, and described how few practitioners advanced to higher stages.
• Senior Brother Tao recalled an old expert from the Ouyang Household who may have found a path to Hidden Force before disappearing.
• Lin Xiaotian connected the Ouyang elder to the person who had abducted him into the world within the rift and worried the Ouyang Household might trace the man’s death to him.

Song Wanyan warned Old Master Qin to keep women away from his unconscious son, then turned her attention to using a male-female illusion technique to help her younger brother. At the Huang Family Martial Arts Hall, Lin Xiaotian watched Master Huang demonstrate a powerful technique, assessed his own limits, and wondered whether Blood Qi could improve his pill.

• Song Wanyan visited the Qin Residence and told Old Master Qin to keep maidservants away from Young Master Qin because of his condition.
• Song Wanyan considered using the male-female illusion technique to stimulate her younger brother's Blood Qi, despite the risks, because her old injuries were worsening.
• Master Huang demonstrated Eight Extremities Mountain-Shattering Force to the Martial Arts Hall disciples, impressing Lin Xiaotian with its power.
• Senior Brother Tao praised Lin Xiaotian's registration and laughed at his account of Young Master Qin delivering silver and asking to be punched.
• Lin Xiaotian judged his martial talent to be poor and decided to observe the disciples before consuming his faintly glowing pill.
• Lin Xiaotian tried infusing the pill with Blood Qi, saw no change in its glow, and resolved not to rely on lucky chances.

Lin Xiaotian faced a seductive impostor wearing his sister’s appearance, who revealed that she had manipulated his sister’s stay at the Qin Household to provoke his Blood Qi. After forcing Lin Xiaotian to train and activating a hidden formation, she tried to use his Blood Qi and heightened desires for her own recovery and fusion.

• Lin Xiaotian practiced Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force in his courtyard and sensed a strange pull coming from a nearby room.
• A seductive woman wearing his sister’s appearance entered and admitted she was not his sister, then questioned Lin Xiaotian about his training and his dealings with Young Master Qin.
• The woman seized Lin Xiaotian and carried him into the room, explaining that his sister had used the Qin Residence to stir his emotions and intensify his Blood Qi.
• The woman ordered Lin Xiaotian to practice, and he produced force resonance that revealed tiny glimmers hidden beneath the floor.
• The woman unleashed black Qi that filled Lin Xiaotian with overpowering desires, while his Blood Qi surged into a visible crimson river and strengthened the effect.
• The hidden glimmers flared into countless rays as the woman declared that she would use Lin Xiaotian’s essence and blood as the medium for her fusion refinement.

Lin Xiaotian fought the seductive sister’s attempt to drain his blood, while Blood Qi kept him partly conscious. The normal sister sent herself and the seductive sister through a teleportation vortex, and Lin Xiaotian later discovered that his Blood Qi had changed.

• The seductive sister covered the room in black mist and used a formation to draw Blood Qi from Lin Xiaotian, but he retained some control of his mind.
• The normal sister revealed she had preserved most of her strength and used a Teleportation Talisman to send their body and the seductive sister through a vortex.
• Before disappearing, the normal sister told Lin Xiaotian that the Secret-Treasure Array Pattern beneath him could take him to save her once he transcended Hidden Force.
• After the vortex vanished, the Formation Inscription drew out Lin Xiaotian’s Blood Qi and struck him, leaving him unconscious.
• Lin Xiaotian awoke to find the vortex and inscription gone, then tested his Blood Qi on a pill and saw it turn vivid yellow.

Lin Xiaotian discovered that his Blood Qi could improve pills, then studied how meals and pills affected cultivation while seeking silver from Young Master Qin. After another beating of Qin and several days of nourishing a pill, its halo turned golden.

• Lin Xiaotian realized his Blood Qi had upgraded a pill, but became dizzy when he tried to activate the missing Formation Inscription because his qi and blood were depleted.
• Lin Xiaotian learned from Senior Brother Tao that the Martial Arts Hall's daily meal allowance contained an essence that replenished qi and blood.
• Lin Xiaotian compared the effects of the meal soup and pills, concluding that pills caused an immediate leap in strength while later training brought slower progress.
• Lin Xiaotian waited several days for Young Master Qin to appear, then beat him again and took his silver.
• Lin Xiaotian nourished a pill with Blood Qi over several days until its halo changed from bright yellow to golden.

Lin Xiaotian waited for another disciple to reach Skin Tempering before taking his top-grade Blood Essence Pill, while worrying about his sister and learning more about the Qin Household. He broke through to Skin Tempering and felt his Blood Qi surge.

• Lin Xiaotian practiced Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force and found that the room's array pattern had vanished after absorbing his Blood Qi.
• Senior Brother Tao told Lin Xiaotian that a Martial Arts Hall disciple had reached Skin Tempering, warned him not to bring trouble upon the Hall through his conflict with the Qin Household, and explained the threat posed by Master Qin's daughter.
• Lin Xiaotian learned that Master Qin's daughter had reached External Force at a young age and was rumored to have escaped an Internal Force expert.
• Lin Xiaotian swallowed his top-grade Blood Essence Pill and practiced Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force as its medicinal power nourished his Blood Qi.
• Lin Xiaotian felt the crushing pressure of a breakthrough vanish and realized he had reached Skin Tempering.

Lin Xiaotian broke through to Skin Tempering and met Qin Yueyao, who confronted him over Qin Ziyu before offering him silver and questioning him about Ouyang Dongli. She left after revealing that Song Wanyan's supposed parents seemed never to have existed.

• Lin Xiaotian strengthened and practiced his martial arts after reaching Skin Tempering.
• Qin Yueyao arrived, identified herself as Qin Ziyu's elder sister, and struck Lin Xiaotian before warning him not to target her brother or the Qin Household.
• Qin Yueyao gave Lin Xiaotian several hundred taels of silver, saying she saw promise in his martial arts.
• Qin Yueyao questioned Lin Xiaotian about his disappearance and Ouyang Dongli, and Lin Xiaotian said he had been abducted and that the old man died on the way.
• Qin Yueyao left town and told Lin Xiaotian that Song Wanyan's parents seemed never to have existed, though townspeople remembered them.

Lin Xiaotian worried that Qin Yueyao’s power might extend beyond the Martial Dao, then learned more about the costs and limits of training at the Huang Family Martial Arts Hall. After Master Huang sensed unusual potential in his Blood Qi, he granted Lin an extra bowl of medicinal broth, leaving Lin wondering whether he could upgrade it with his Blood Qi.

• Lin Xiaotian feared that an ability capable of altering an entire town’s memories would be beyond even Hidden Force, and resolved to surpass it.
• Several exquisitely dressed people arrived outside Lin Xiaotian’s courtyard while he slept, saying Miss Qin might have come there and deciding to investigate elsewhere first.
• Senior Brother Tao reprimanded Lin Xiaotian for arriving late and explained the fees and time limits for advancing through Skin Tempering and External Force.
• Lin Xiaotian asked Master Huang for a Blood Essence Pill, but Master Huang tested his Blood Qi and ordered the kitchen to secretly give him two bowls of broth each day instead.
• Master Huang said a Blood Essence Pill cost five taels and was premature for Lin Xiaotian, who then considered using his Blood Qi to upgrade the medicinal broth.

Lin Xiaotian received an extra bowl of soup from Martial Aunt, then secretly nourished some in his gourd and discovered it strengthened his unusual Blood Qi. He ended the night practicing the Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force with the enhanced nourishment.

• Martial Aunt gave Lin Xiaotian an extra bowl of soup and explained that he needed to drink it before afternoon training to keep his Blood Qi steady.
• Senior Brother Tao silenced the whispering disciples, defended Lin Xiaotian, and asked why Martial Aunt had kept him behind; Lin Xiaotian claimed he had asked about the soup.
• An older martial sister sparred with Lin Xiaotian and defeated him, easing the other disciples’ worries about his strength.
• Lin Xiaotian returned to his room and nourished the soup in his little gourd until it developed a golden glow.
• Lin Xiaotian drank the enhanced soup, felt his foundation grow stronger, and began practicing the Eight Extremes Mountain-Shattering Force.

Three visitors from the Ouyang Household arrived at Master Huang’s school, and Ouyang Nianci challenged Lin Xiaotian to a spar. When his senior sister took his place and launched an attack, Lin Xiaotian intercepted the blow and pretended to be gravely injured.

• After more than ten days of peaceful training, Lin Xiaotian watched three finely dressed visitors enter the inner courtyard to meet Master Huang.
• Ouyang Nianci introduced herself as a member of the Ouyang Household and asked Lin Xiaotian to spar with her, claiming she wanted to sharpen her skills.
• Lin Xiaotian’s senior sister stepped in to challenge Ouyang Nianci instead, and Ouyang Nianci threatened her with harm.
• As the senior sister struck, Lin Xiaotian lunged into the blow and was sent flying.
• Lin Xiaotian realized he had survived the strike, then bit his tongue and spat blood to make the others think he was badly hurt.

After Ouyang Zhentian revealed Lin Xiaotian’s Skin Tempering strength and left the martial hall, Lin was carried back to recover while pretending to be unconscious. Once the room grew quiet, his master suddenly spoke, exposing that Lin was still faking his injuries.

• Lin Xiaotian bit down and spat out more blood while the disciples protested Ouyang Zhentian’s group leaving without recompense.
• Ouyang Zhentian identified himself as the Ouyang Household Head, revealed that Lin had reached Skin Tempering, and compared his potential to Qin Yueyao’s.
• The Ouyang Household members left, and the disciples realized Lin had secretly reached Skin Tempering.
• Lin feigned unconsciousness as the disciples carried him to the rear courtyard and treated his injuries, then relaxed when everyone left.
• Lin noticed the Mind-Calming Incense’s effects and sensed the room change before his master asked how long he planned to keep pretending.