Recaps

Su Xinghe, a Great River Gang temporary worker with a diligence-based cultivation cheat, was smuggled aboard a merchant ship carrying goods to Qingzhou Academy. When water bandits attacked, he fought to survive and was left wounded but alive as the ship fell quiet.

• Su Xinghe endured the cramped, foul-smelling journey inside a wooden crate with seven other men as the merchant fleet traveled toward Qingzhou Academy.
• After emerging from the crate, Su Xinghe reviewed his martial arts and cultivation traits, which had helped him master several ordinary combat techniques.
• Water bandits attacked the merchant ship on bamboo rafts, and masked martial artists leaped aboard as the gang's fighters prepared to defend it.
• Forced onto the deck with the spear squad, Su Xinghe fought the attackers and focused on killing his enemies so he could return alive.
• After the battle, Su Xinghe rested on the ship with fresh wounds, and a companion praised his speed before suggesting they visit Two-Chi Alley.

After a brutal fight at the wharf, Su Xinghe returned to his home in Tongzi Ward, where his family remained vulnerable to local thugs and his neighbors treated him with growing disdain. He compensated his young underling for protecting his household and ended the chapter at his courtyard gate after speaking briefly with Zhao Ya.

• Su Xinghe refused Lu Kui’s invitation to bathe together and left the wharf after Lu Kui told him to come to the garrison warehouse that night.
• Su Xinghe passed a dispute over wages at the wharf and witnessed guards accuse a man without a Travel Pass Talisman of being a Peaceful Heaven Sect spy.
• Su Xinghe reached his alley and learned from his underling that Liu Laizi’s gang had demanded protection money from his household, but no one had been harmed.
• Su Xinghe gave his underling five large coins to cover the money he had paid Liu Laizi’s men.
• Su Xinghe spoke with Zhao Ya, who said she had not eaten because her father had not returned, then went into his courtyard.

Su Xinghe returned home after working with a gang, hiding his wounds and dangerous new livelihood from his family. He resolved to keep earning money until he could afford legitimate martial arts training, while worrying over his blind mother’s hard work.

• Su Xinghe washed his wounded back and reassured his mother, Chen Guilan, that he had returned safely from work.
• He recalled how he had wasted forty taels on the fake Ascending Dragon Stance and turned to dock work and gang activity to earn money and seek a path into martial arts.
• Su Xinghe considered taking the literate Little Beggar as a younger brother because the boy knew the neighborhood and could help watch the house.
• After dinner, Su Xinghe found Chen Guilan still spinning thread and urged her to rest, promising that he would soon solve the family’s money problems.

Su Xinghe gave his mother his earnings, then returned to the Great River Gang after a dangerous day of fighting and tried to keep his gang life hidden from his family. The chapter ended as the gang’s disciples welcomed the arriving young gang leader.

• Su Xinghe gave Chen Guilan a large hundred-cash coin and reassured her that his work at Lu Family Wharf was plentiful.
• Su Xinghe stored his battle spoils, then fed blood to the White Bat so it could help him avoid the Martial Dao Bureau’s Sky-Patrolling Ravens.
• Su Xinghe went to the Great River Gang’s headquarters, where Lu Kui and the others put their meal on his tab.
• Su Xinghe reflected on the gang’s business and the rules governing weapons and martial artists in Lin County.
• The disciples rose and greeted the young gang leader as he entered the headquarters.

At the Great River Gang’s merit gathering, Su Xinghe received a small share of the silver despite killing the most enemies in his squad. The next morning, he learned that the Qingshan Escort Agency planned to recruit escorts and that the Old Madman’s condition had worsened.

• Zhou Yingjun praised the gang members and distributed silver rewards, awarding Li Tiebang’s squad sixty-two taels and Zhang Whiskers’s squad thirty-six taels.
• Zhang Whiskers kept sixteen taels, leaving Su Xinghe two taels while the six veteran squad members each received three.
• Su Xinghe left the gathering, bought a hen, and stewed it overnight for his impoverished family.
• The next morning, Su Xinghe’s young subordinate told him that the Qingshan Escort Agency planned to recruit ten escorts and teach them genuine martial arts.
• The young subordinate reported that the Old Madman’s injury treatment had been replaced by medicine to calm his mind and ease pain, suggesting he was running out of silver.

Su Xinghe considered his options and continued keeping watch for the Great River Gang while its strength was depleted. Meanwhile, Qi Rui'an's Fishermen's Gang lost a shipment meant for Qingshan Academy, and Su Xinghe was summoned to meet the old gang leader at Veteran's Trade House.

• Su Xinghe decided to postpone approaching Old Madman and asked his subordinate to watch for others targeting him and for news of Old Swindler.
• Qi Rui'an learned that the Fishermen's Gang's goods had been stolen at Coldwater Bay by the Qian Family Trading Company.
• Qi Rui'an brought the news to Third Master Lu, who identified the lost cargo as illicit goods and ordered that the men be spared while the goods remained in Lin County.
• Su Xinghe guarded the Great River Gang's warehouse while its disciples recovered from recent casualties.
• Steward Zhou summoned Su Xinghe and led him to Veteran's Trade House, where the old gang leader had called for him.

Su Xinghe received the Golden Ape Fist transmission from Zhou Tianxiong and signed a contract that tied his future freedom and position to his cultivation progress. The chapter ended with Zhou Chun announcing severe prohibitions against revealing, passing on, or stealing the martial art.

• Zhou Tianxiong tested Su Xinghe and another Great River Gang disciple with a finger strike, then dismissed the other disciple.
• Zhou Tianxiong read out Su Xinghe’s background and demonstrated the Golden Ape Fist, which Su Xinghe concentrated on memorizing.
• Zhou Tianxiong offered Su Xinghe a contract setting different rewards and obligations based on whether he reached Inner Tempering within three months or became a martial artist within a year.
• Su Xinghe read the contract and signed it, accepting its terms.
• Zhou Chun warned the group that publicly demonstrating the Golden Ape Fist, secretly passing it on, or laying hands on it would bring severe punishment.

Su Xinghe received the first three stages of the Golden Ape Fist and postponed a risky operation so he could focus on mastering the art. After practicing alone, he finally entered the first level, beginning the Inner Tempering stage.

• Zhou Chun showed the apprentices the first three stages of the Golden Ape Fist, and Su Xinghe learned that the Brokerage Guild’s training ground was open to him.
• Zhou Chun told Zhou Tianxiong that Su Xinghe had Grade A or better talent, and Zhou Tianxiong warned him to keep the discovery confidential.
• At dinner, Su Xinghe made Lu Kui hand over three copper coins from the squad’s earnings and declined an invitation to join the others later.
• Su Xinghe canceled that night’s plan to approach Old Madman, told Little Beggar to keep watching the target, and asked him to buy three jin of sulfur.
• After returning home, Su Xinghe practiced the Golden Ape Fist alone and reached its entry threshold for Inner Tempering.

Su Xinghe discovered that each round of Golden Ape Fist increased his experience and martial progress, though the practice quickly made him hungry. After eating and resting, he went to train at the Brokerage Guild, where an old man doubted his chances of becoming a martial artist, and Su Xinghe answered that diligence could overcome dullness.

• Su Xinghe confirmed that each round of Golden Ape Fist gave him one experience point and advanced his martial progress.
• After practicing twenty-five rounds, Su Xinghe ate the remaining hen, saw his martial realm reach eight percent, and went to sleep.
• Su Xinghe woke hungry, ate three bowls of noodles, bought provisions and an old hen, then hurried to the training ground.
• An elderly Brokerage Guild employee mistook Su Xinghe for a thief before learning he was a new Great River Gang disciple.
• The old man praised Su Xinghe's potential but said his age made becoming a martial artist unlikely, and Su Xinghe replied that diligence made up for dullness before entering the side courtyard.

Su Xinghe tested his strength and practiced Golden Ape Fist at the Veteran's Trade House, impressing the Brokerage Guild apprentices who saw him. After realizing he had revealed too much, he warned them that his gang life was violent, and they backed away to resume training.

• Su Xinghe tested stone locks up to two hundred and fifty jin, then practiced four rounds of Golden Ape Fist.
• Su Xinghe watched the other trainees and noticed the Brokerage Guild apprentices struggling to grasp the fist technique.
• Sun Jie and the other apprentices praised Su Xinghe's skill and asked whether he had a secret to practicing.
• Su Xinghe claimed he had trained all night and accidentally grasped how to exert force, prompting the apprentices to suspect he had taken Qi-Replenishing Pills.
• When the apprentices tried to ingratiate themselves with him, Su Xinghe said his silver was stained with blood and warned them not to back away when it was time to fight.
• The apprentices grew frightened and retreated to practice their fists.

Su Xinghe’s early return from training exposed that he had reached the beginner stage of the Golden Ape Fist overnight, drawing Elder Xie’s attention. Elder Xie refused to take him as a disciple because he was too old and costly to train, leaving Su Xinghe trying to flatter his way back into consideration.

• Su Xinghe left the training grounds early, and Xie Guang mocked him for abandoning his bold claims about becoming a great talent.
• Su Xinghe explained that he had exhausted his strength, but Xie Guang realized his fatigue suggested he had reached the beginner stage of the Golden Ape Fist.
• Xie Guang praised Su Xinghe’s rare talent but lamented that he had begun martial practice too late to become a martial warrior quickly.
• Su Xinghe claimed he was only twenty-two and had developed late because his family was poor, but Xie Guang refused to take him as a disciple because training him would cost too much and take years.
• Su Xinghe flattered Xie Guang’s appearance and vitality until Xie Guang told him to stop calling him Senior and use Elder Xie instead.

Su Xinghe trained toward Inner Tempering, secured a bet with Xie Guang for ten bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills, and began preparing to deal with Liu Laizi’s men. Meanwhile, the Qian Family was devastated, and Lu Zhengkun’s allies gathered for another operation against the Head-Chopping Bandits.

• Su Xinghe bet Xie Guang that he could reach Inner Tempering within three months and become a martial artist within a year, with ten bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills as the prize.
• Su Xinghe learned that the Qian Family’s trading company and homes had been destroyed, then trained harder until his Golden Ape Fist reached Hall-Entering.
• Lu Zhengkun attended a gathering of Lin County gang leaders and experts, where the woman in red took command of an operation against the Head-Chopping Bandits.
• Su Xinghe discovered Liu Laizi’s men had beaten Little Beggar, gave him money for a doctor, and confirmed that the supplies he had requested were hidden nearby.
• Su Xinghe walked Xiaoya home and encountered Zhao Jing, who scolded her for lingering outside; he reflected that people in Oil Seller Alley knew he had been swindled and lost his job.

Su Xinghe arranged for Little Beggar to summon his father and brother home so the family could address Haitao’s marriage, then prepared a surprise for Liu Laizi. The chapter left Su Xinghe in an abandoned courtyard with the materials he had gathered for his plan.

• Chen Guilan told Su Xinghe that Haitao’s sweetheart was pregnant, and Su Xinghe offered to handle the betrothal gifts and call his father home.
• Su Xinghe reassured Chen Guilan that he had a contract with a Brokerage Guild, while she urged him not to borrow from moneylenders and asked about Zhao Jing.
• Su Xinghe visited Little Beggar and asked him to go to Lu Family Farm at daybreak to bring Su Cheng and Haitao back.
• Su Xinghe watched Liu Laizi’s companion leave Lucky Fortune Card House and confirmed Liu Laizi was inside.
• Su Xinghe retrieved a bundle of black powder hidden in a tree hollow and entered a nearby abandoned courtyard to collect another bundle.

Su Xinghe planted a crude gunpowder trap that led to Liu Laizi’s gang being arrested, but the blast also exposed the Peaceful Heaven Sect’s presence in the city. After a three-day manhunt, he returned home and found his family being pressured by a gang leader secretly working for the sect.

• Su Xinghe planted a gunpowder trap in Liu Laizi’s courtyard and escaped as the explosion drew the Public Security Office and Inspection Bureau to the scene.
• The Peaceful Heaven Sect’s Red Sister canceled an operation nearby and withdrew with her people when officials arrived.
• Little Beggar told Su Xinghe that locals blamed the explosion on the Holy Mother, and Su Xinghe warned him to avoid the sect.
• A notice named twenty-two people, including Liu Laizi, for colluding with Peaceful Heaven Sect remnants and secretly storing gunpowder.
• After a three-day manhunt, Su Xinghe returned home and found his father and younger brother arguing with a Brotherhood man demanding silver or their courtyard as collateral.
• Su Xinghe recognized the man as a Peaceful Heaven Sect agent connected to the Breeding Cave, then entered the room and greeted his father.

Su Xinghe lured Wang Kuoyi and Wang Yuan away from his family and killed them with help from Little Beggar. Back home, he offered his savings toward Haitao’s wedding and decided to pursue steady cultivation while concealing how quickly he was advancing.

• Su Xinghe led Wang Kuoyi and Wang Yuan out of the alley, while Little Beggar followed to help him.
• Little Beggar distracted the two men with foul water, allowing Su Xinghe to wound Wang Kuoyi with a chisel.
• Su Xinghe blinded and killed Wang Kuoyi, then killed Wang Yuan after Little Beggar was cornered; he carried Little Beggar to the ruined temple and left him money for a doctor.
• Su Xinghe returned home and reassured Su Cheng and Su Haitao that the men would not come back, though he worried the Brotherhood and Peaceful Heaven Sect would remain a threat.
• Su Haitao revealed that Huaiyu had saved twenty taels for the wedding, and Su Xinghe brought his own savings to help his family.
• Su Xinghe reviewed his cultivation progress, set aside ten taels, and gave the remaining silver to Su Cheng while resolving to advance more cautiously.

Su Xinghe reunited with his family, gave them the silver he had earned as a Brokerage Guild guard, and helped settle his younger brother’s wedding plans. With his family’s new life taking shape, he returned to the Guild’s training ground to attempt a breakthrough to Inner Tempering.

• Su Xinghe revealed that his bundle contained more than forty taels of silver earned working as a guard for the Brokerage Guild, and the family set Su Haitao’s wedding for the eighth of next month.
• Su Cheng and Chen Guilan discussed living and working together again, while Su Haitao practiced the Ascending Dragon Stance with his brother in the courtyard.
• Zhao Ya climbed over the courtyard wall to visit Su Haitao and Su Xinghe, then left after teasing Su Haitao about his upcoming marriage.
• Su Xinghe wondered where he would live as his family made room for Su Haitao’s new household, then told his brother he would not return to the farm the next morning.
• Su Xinghe went to the Brokerage Guild warehouse for his night watch and then entered the training ground, where he planned to break through to Inner Tempering.

Su Xinghe broke through to Inner Tempering while practicing Golden Ape Fist, but soon discovered that an enemy had infiltrated the Great River Gang’s base and used Soul-Confusing Incense to put the disciples to sleep. He warned the base and fled toward the Brokerage Guild as the ponytailed swordswoman and her allies launched an attack.

• Su Xinghe tested his strength, practiced Golden Ape Fist, and broke through to Inner Tempering, sharpening his senses and strengthening his Qi-Blood.
• After falling asleep in the warehouse hall, Su Xinghe woke when his improved sense of smell detected a strange, fishy-sweet scent.
• Su Xinghe noticed that the disciples were all asleep and saw a ponytailed girl emerge from the minor leader’s room with a bloodied sword.
• The ponytailed girl recognized that Su Xinghe had resisted the Soul-Confusing Incense and realized he had begun Inner Tempering his Qi-Blood.
• Su Xinghe shouted an enemy warning and ran toward the Brokerage Guild, while the ponytailed girl attacked and her allies answered from the rear courtyard.

Su Xinghe tried to escape a raid on the Veteran's Trade House, but Qingmei pursued him through the warehouse while attackers blocked the exits. After reaching the weapons storehouse, he was forced into a direct clash with the Ninth-Rank martial artist and prepared to break through a wooden partition.

• Su Xinghe deduced that rival gangs were behind the raid and tried to flee, but Qingmei pursued him with her sword.
• Su Xinghe blinded Qingmei with chili-lime powder, discovered Six had been killed, and found that attackers had blocked the rear alley.
• Su Xinghe returned through the poisonous fog as the old gang leader called out, and the powder roused the warehouse's unconscious defenders.
• Qingmei ordered the attackers into the warehouse, while Su Xinghe tried to reach the weapons storehouse but was driven into Li Tiebang's room.
• Su Xinghe took Li Tiebang's saber and barely blocked Qingmei's strike before she sent him crashing into a wooden partition beside the weapons storehouse.

Su Xinghe survived the attack on the Veteran's Trade House but lost Cripple Uncle, then escaped with money and a copper token identifying Qingmei as a transmitting disciple of the Peaceful Heaven Sect. By dawn, he learned the sect was being blamed for the massacre and a manhunt had begun, while Lu Zhengquan dealt with the failed operation.

• Su Xinghe blinded himself with lime and chili powder, while Old Cripple ambushed Qingmei and helped Su Xinghe kill her with a spear thrust.
• Old Cripple died after urging Su Xinghe to escape, and Su Xinghe searched the bodies and found money and a Red Lotus Branch copper token hidden in Qingmei's boot.
• Su Xinghe escaped through the storeroom roof, hid by the Central River, and decided the token's secret had to remain with him.
• Lu Zhengquan learned Qingmei had died and the operation had failed to recover the goods, then ordered a citywide manhunt.
• At dawn, Su Xinghe heard vendors discussing the Peaceful Heaven Sect massacre and bounty before ordering meat buns to go.

Su Xinghe found the Veteran's Trade House in ruins and learned that martial arts schools would investigate his background before teaching him beyond the Apprentice Three Realms. Lu Kui then brought him to a gathering of survivors, where the Brokerage Guild's leaders confirmed the scale of their losses and prepared to keep the surviving Zhou family members hidden.

• Su Xinghe saw that the Veteran's Trade House and the Great River Gang's warehouse had been destroyed, then decided to seek a martial arts school and leave gang life behind.
• Su Xinghe learned that martial arts schools required background checks for advanced training, which his Great River Gang past would not survive.
• Lu Kui found Su Xinghe and brought him to a courtyard where surviving Great River Gang disciples, Brokerage Guild clerks, and maidservants had gathered.
• Zhou Chun reported that only a few people had survived from the 155 people at the Brokerage Guild, and Xie Guang wept over the losses.
• Zhou Yingjun blamed the Lu Family for the attack, while Zhou Chun said the attackers had left no evidence and the Bandit Suppression Bureau had not returned.
• Xie Guang sent Zhou Chun to wait for news from the Bandit Suppression Bureau and led Zhou Yingjun downstairs to address the survivors.

Zhou Yingjun announced the Great River Gang’s disbandment and Veteran's Trade House’s temporary closure, then returned indentures and paid compensation to departing workers. Su Xinghe remained with a small group summoned by Xie Guang, leaving their purpose unclear.

• Zhou Yingjun announced that the Great River Gang was disbanded and the trade house would cease operations temporarily.
• Zhou Yingjun distributed workers’ indentures and one month of compensation, while an absent worker’s fate prompted him to order a home visit.
• Lu Sandao berated the Great River Gang disciples for failing to help during the attack, and Zhou Yingjun gave the remaining men three taels each.
• Lu Kui tried to take Su Xinghe to a restaurant and recruit him into the Fishermen's Gang, but Zhang Whiskers called him away.
• Xie Guang led Zhou Yingjun, the former leaders, Su Xinghe, and seven other men inside; Su Xinghe noticed that all eight remaining disciples had trained at the trade house, and two were Grade Martial Artists.

After Veteran's Trade House lost its territory and the Great River Gang disbanded, Zhou Yingjun reorganized its survivors into White Ape Martial Academy. Su Xinghe chose to stay, became an Outer Disciple, and learned that Old Cripple's family had been killed; the new academy faced a difficult future with scarce resources.

• Zhou Yingjun told the gathered survivors that Veteran's Trade House had lost its territory and asked Su Xinghe whether he would stay; Su Xinghe agreed after hearing they would not be forced outside the city.
• Zhou Yingjun renamed Veteran's Trade House White Ape Martial Academy, appointed its leaders and instructors, and distributed healing pills to the survivors.
• Su Xinghe and Liu Bin became Outer Disciples, while two former Great River Gang disciples who had reached Inner Tempering became Inner Disciples.
• Xie Guang praised Su Xinghe for staying, and Su Xinghe said he had reached Force Infusion before asking about Old Cripple's work contract.
• Xie Guang told Su Xinghe that Old Cripple had been a guard before his injuries and that his family had been killed; Su Xinghe resolved to honor Old Cripple's final words by living well.

Su Xinghe fought off gang members who tried to rob him, then secured a new home and a formal position as a disciple of the White Ape Martial Academy. He ended the day telling Chen Guilan about his improved prospects and planning to bring his father and younger brother back from Lu Family Farm.

• Su Xinghe defeated four gang members who blocked his way, then left the alley without killing them.
• Su Xinghe visited the former Brokerage Guild warehouse on Narcissus Street and considered his new academy position, his hidden past, and the danger facing his family.
• Su Xinghe rented a secluded courtyard near the martial academy for two years at fifty taels and furnished it for himself and his family.
• Su Xinghe returned to Tongzi Ward, greeted his worried mother, and told Chen Guilan he had become a formal disciple of the White Ape Martial Academy with a monthly stipend.
• Su Xinghe told Chen Guilan he planned to call his father and younger brother back from the farm, and she agreed they could return to prepare for Haitao's wedding.

Su Xinghe and Little Beggar visited the starving, terminally ill Old Madman, hoping to trade food and wine for his true martial arts. When Old Madman mistook Su Xinghe for Liu and demanded meat, Su Xinghe offered to help him.

• Su Xinghe heard from Little Beggar that Old Madman had not left his house or lit a fire for several days, and the two delayed their visit to avoid strict inspections.
• Su Xinghe and Little Beggar walked through a deserted alley by a foul ditch, where Little Beggar became frightened and clung to Su Xinghe.
• Old Madman greeted them from his dark house and repeatedly asked whether they had come to wait for him to die.
• Su Xinghe offered Old Madman aged wine and braised meat in exchange for true martial arts, and Old Madman eagerly demanded the food.
• Old Madman said Liu had not brought him food for several days, and Su Xinghe handed the food and wine to Little Beggar before offering to help him.

Su Xinghe killed Old Madman and discovered that he had hidden an Outer Demon in his house, where Little White Bat found and ate its brain matter. Su Xinghe recovered a talent-assessment manual called Listening to Tides Art and began testing it with Little Beggar, whose early concentration left Su Xinghe curious about what the technique would reveal.

• Su Xinghe dragged Old Madman through the window and beat him until his neck broke, then stabbed his eye to make sure he was dead.
• Su Xinghe entered Old Madman's house and found Little White Bat emerging from a dead Outer Demon with a black pearl in its mouth.
• Su Xinghe recalled that Old Madman had secretly fed the Outer Demon corpses from the ditch, then cleared the remains and took a black token marked Yi Thirteen and a parchment called Listening to Tides Art.
• Little Beggar asked Su Xinghe to help him pursue martial arts, so Su Xinghe brought him to his room and opened the manual with him.
• Su Xinghe read the talent-assessment method and saw Little Beggar begin meditating; he then opened his Fate Panel and found Listening to Tides Art listed at First Glimpse of the Path, 0/100.