Recaps

Zhou Yingjun recruited disciples for a three-month mine-guarding mission, while Su Xinghe stayed behind to train and developed a deeper understanding of how the Listening to Tides Art amplified his force. Zhou Yingjun later gave Su Xinghe two bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills, and Su Xinghe resolved to grow stronger and help the White Ape Martial Academy.

• Zhou Yingjun offered silver and Qi-Replenishing Pills to recruit disciples for the mine mission, then selected ten disciples to leave the next morning.
• Su Xinghe spent the day practicing the Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art and visiting Little Beggar, while aiming to reach the Ninth Rank Peak.
• Su Xinghe realized that the Listening to Tides Art let him apply his strength more effectively, amplifying his roughly three-thousand-jin power to a seven-thousand-five-hundred-jin punch.
• Su Xinghe considered developing his force-amplifying insight into a technique but postponed the idea to focus on improving his realm.
• Zhou Yingjun gave Su Xinghe two bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills and promised him a surprise when he returned.
• Su Xinghe felt grateful to Zhou Yingjun and resolved to grow stronger and help the White Ape Martial Academy through its troubles.

After Liu Bin disappeared with the White Ape Martial Academy’s only surviving copy of the Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art, Su Xinghe sent Little Beggar to investigate the fugitives’ home at Lotus-Picking Bridge. Little Beggar set out with his injuries healed and his Listening to Tides Art improved, while Su Xinghe worried about how to teach him martial arts.

• Su Xinghe learned that Liu Bin had vanished overnight along with the Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art, and that Liu Bin and his sister had left their home at Lotus-Picking Bridge.
• Wu Yingcai reported that Liu Bin’s family home was deserted, while Xie Guang explained that the stolen scroll had been the academy’s last surviving edition.
• Su Xinghe examined Liu Bin’s profile and recognized Lotus-Picking Bridge as a place connected to people he knew.
• Su Xinghe tested Little Beggar’s Listening to Tides Art, learned that he could hear as far as the academy gates, and asked him to investigate Liu Bin’s home.
• Little Beggar left with silver and a warning to avoid danger, while Su Xinghe considered finding a martial art he could teach him.

Little Beggar traced Liu Bin and his sister’s departure to a boatman from the powerful Fishermen’s Gang, leaving Su Xinghe and the academy unsure how to recover the stolen Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art. After deciding that Little Beggar’s speed and agility suited the Dripping Water Swordsmanship, Su Xinghe resolved to teach him a true art.

• Little Beggar reported that Liu Bin and his sister had left the city by boat with Old Wang of the Fishermen’s Gang.
• Su Xinghe told Xie Guang and Wu Yingcai about the clue, and Xie urged them to wait for news from the headmaster before confronting the gang.
• Su Xinghe practiced the Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art and checked his progress in bone forging.
• Su Xinghe woke the dozing Little Beggar and told him he would teach him a true art that night.
• Su Xinghe decided that the Dripping Water Swordsmanship suited Little Beggar better than the Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art.

Su Xinghe gave Little Beggar the Dripping Water Swordsmanship and a short sword, then succeeded in activating a third figure in his Consciousness Space while practicing the Listening to Tides Art. By dawn, Little Beggar had studied the swordsmanship all night, and Su Xinghe took the scroll back and led him to breakfast.

• Su Haitao welcomed Su Xinghe and Little Beggar home, where Yang Huaiyu had prepared dinner.
• Su Xinghe showed Little Beggar the Dripping Water Swordsmanship scroll and gave him a short sword to study.
• Su Xinghe fed Little White Bat, then practiced the Listening to Tides Art and successfully activated a third figure in his Consciousness Space.
• Su Xinghe practiced the sword movements in his Consciousness Space as Little Beggar trained next door through the night.
• At dawn, Su Xinghe found Little Beggar still studying and practicing, rolled up the scroll, and told him they were going to eat.

Xie Guang left to investigate Zhou Chun’s disappearance while Su Xinghe continued training and planned to leave the city for medicinal pills. The chapter ended when someone smashed down White Ape Martial Academy’s gates.

• Xie Guang told Su Xinghe he would be gone for at most two days and left with Wu Yingcai to look for Zhou Chun.
• At Red Elegance Manor, Lu Zhengkun learned that Zhou Chun had left the city alone and ordered his men recalled, while the woman in red demanded a head be thrown outside for the dogs.
• A fire broke out at Clear Lotus Pond Wharf, a major Fishermen’s Gang stronghold, prompting Su Xinghe and Little Beggar to suspect something was amiss.
• Su Xinghe’s Bone Forging progress reached 83%, but he had run out of Bone-Forging Pills and decided to seek more medicinal pills outside the city.
• Su Xinghe left the training room to prepare for a nighttime departure, but someone smashed down White Ape Martial Academy’s main gates.

The Public Security Office raided White Ape Martial Academy while searching for the culprit behind the Fishermen's Gang dock fire, and the academy's instructor fought back before being killed. Su Xinghe protected the apprentices and cooperated with the search, but he and the others were taken away.

• Qi Haifeng and Administrator Lu Xuanlin led constables into White Ape Martial Academy to search for the previous night's culprit.
• Su Xinghe recognized Qi Haifeng and realized the raid might be connected to the Fishermen's Gang dock fire, but he held back because his family and the apprentices were at risk.
• The academy's instructor charged from the rear courtyard and attacked Qi Haifeng and Lu Xuanlin, but the constables shot him and Lu Xuanlin killed him.
• Su Xinghe shielded the apprentices from the constables, then stopped Little Beggar from raising his sword by explaining that the academy could legally possess weapons.
• A White Bat pecked the red-nosed runner as he searched Su Xinghe, and the runner and his companions stole Treasure Notes and other belongings from the apprentices.
• Lu Xuanlin ordered the constables to take Su Xinghe, Little Beggar, and the other academy members away.

Su Xinghe and the White Ape Martial Academy disciples were arrested and taken to Red Elegance Manor instead of the city prison. Lu Zhengkun ordered them sent to the mines, leaving Su Xinghe surrounded by powerful enemies and waiting for a chance to act.

• Public Security Office constables arrested Su Xinghe, Little Beggar, and the White Ape Martial Academy disciples after the attack on the academy.
• Su Xinghe sensed that the prison cart was heading out of the city and resolved to wait for an opportunity to strike without endangering his family.
• The prison cart arrived at Red Elegance Manor, where Su Xinghe recognized Lu Family figures and Qi Rui'an among the people waiting for them.
• Hongxiu ordered the prisoners killed, but Lu Zhengkun stopped her and chose to send them to the mines.
• Hongxiu silently considered having the pretty boy among the prisoners whipped.

Su Xinghe decided to fight back against the forces exploiting the Brokerage Guild and attacked the mountain bandits at a cave mine. After killing the Third Chieftain and the bandits at the camp, he learned the direction of the mountain stronghold and left the apprentices to finish their fight.

• Su Xinghe realized he could not escape the coming calamity and chose to resist without involving his family.
• The prison cart delivered Su Xinghe and the others to a mine on Scarlet Cloud Mountain, where the Third Chieftain claimed Yu Miaomiao and ordered the rest imprisoned without food.
• After Red Elegance Manor's escort left, Su Xinghe killed the Third Chieftain and several bandits, then handed weapons to Little Beggar and urged the apprentices to fight.
• Su Xinghe killed the bandits gathered by the bonfire and questioned a survivor about the First and Second Chieftains.
• The survivor indicated the stronghold's direction, and Su Xinghe headed there after the apprentices defeated the remaining bandits.

Su Xinghe rescued more than forty captives from Blackwind Stronghold’s mine and learned the Lu Family had been secretly abducting survivors to interrogate them about stolen goods and a spear-wielding Martial Artist. He led the freed captives and Martial Arts School apprentices in an assault on the stronghold, killing its chief and other bandits as the battle ended.

• Su Xinghe ordered the apprentices to kill the bandits, then found and freed Lu Kui, Zhang Whiskers, and more than forty other captives by twisting apart the iron chain on their gate.
• Zhang Whiskers told Su Xinghe that the Lu Family had captured survivors from the Veteran's Trade House and questioned them about Qian Family Trading Company goods and a spear-wielding Martial Artist.
• Su Xinghe rallied the freed captives and apprentices, then charged alone to Blackwind Stronghold and smashed through its gates.
• Su Xinghe killed Gale, the stronghold chief, and the second chief before hunting down the fleeing bandits.
• The freed captives fought the remaining bandits near the entrance, while Su Xinghe searched the stronghold for anyone hiding; after a quarter of an hour, the fighting died away.

After Blackwind Stronghold fell, Su Xinghe arranged the rescued women’s care and divided the abundant spoils while the Great River Gang recovered. As he prepared to take a Bone-Forging Pill, Little White Bat returned and eagerly ate the unknown pill made from Outer Demon blood.

• Yu Miaomiao saw the rescued women and resolved to become stronger so she could catch up to Su Xinghe.
• A mine slave reunited with his sister among the rescued women, and Su Xinghe left to organize a search for spoils.
• Su Xinghe assigned Zhang Whiskers and the Great River Gang disciples to search the stronghold, then helped Little Beggar sort the valuables and divide the haul.
• The Great River Gang shared a meal while Little Beggar practiced swordsmanship, and Su Xinghe set aside an unknown scarlet pill alongside the other medicine he had found.
• Little White Bat returned to Su Xinghe, took the pill refined from Outer Demon blood, and began eating it from his palm.

Su Xinghe led his group toward Azure Cloud Mountain to find the Young Gang Leader, but their journey brought him to Xie Guang, who was cornered by men working for the Lu Family. Xie Guang prepared to take a scarlet pill, and Su Xinghe called out to him.

• Su Xinghe decided his group could not return to Lin County and announced they would travel to Azure Cloud Mountain to find the Young Gang Leader.
• Zhang Whiskers recognized the route to the mine, and the group split into five teams before heading south through the mountains.
• Su Xinghe heard familiar voices beyond a ridge and went ahead to investigate.
• Liu Three-Legs and two men surrounded Xie Guang, and Liu revealed he had always worked for the Lu Family.
• Xie Guang recalled his murdered family and drew a scarlet pill from his hidden pouch.
• Su Xinghe spotted Xie Guang beneath the tree and shouted, “Elder Xie!”

Su Xinghe fought Liu Three-Legs alongside Xie Guang, killed two Ninth-Rank bandits, and used the Listening to Tides Art to strike the Breeding Cave master. Xie Guang briefly broke through to Seventh Rank before collapsing, leaving Su Xinghe to unleash a barrage of punches on Liu Three-Legs.

• Xie Guang warned Su Xinghe to flee and swallowed a pill to restore his Internal Force before confronting Liu Three-Legs.
• Su Xinghe recognized Liu Three-Legs and killed the two Ninth-Rank bandits who had once bullied him.
• Xie Guang fought Liu Three-Legs while Su Xinghe stayed to face the Breeding Cave master with a force-amplified punch.
• Xie Guang recognized Su Xinghe's secret force-amplification technique, broke through to Seventh Rank, and then collapsed from his depleted strength.
• Liu Three-Legs froze under Xie Guang's Seventh-Rank aura, and Su Xinghe charged in and battered him with a flurry of punches.

Su Xinghe killed Liu Three-Legs and led the injured Xie Guang and the Great River Gang toward Azure Cloud Mountain Mine, where they reunited with Lu Sandao and Zhou Yingjun. At the Zhou Family Mine, Zhou Yingjun prepared to go to the city while Su Xinghe kept the full extent of his recent feats secret.

• Su Xinghe killed Liu Three-Legs, then gave Xie Guang Qi-Replenishing Pills and continued with the Great River Gang as Xie Guang was carried on a stretcher.
• Su Xinghe scouted a Bandit Suppression Bureau outpost and led the group south, where he overheard people discussing a young gang leader's breakthrough to Grade Eight.
• Su Xinghe met Lu Sandao and brought him to the hidden group, and Lu Sandao carried the severely injured Xie Guang toward the mine.
• Lu Sandao guided the Great River Gang through Azure Cloud Mountain Mine patrols to the Zhou Family Mine.
• Zhou Yingjun gave Xie Guang a Qi-Nourishing Blood-Enriching Pill and told the group to hide while he went to the city; Su Xinghe concealed his role in the recent battles and claimed he had only reached Ninth Rank.

Zhou Yingjun gave Su Xinghe the Zhou Family’s Grade-Eight Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations True Art and recognized him as a core disciple. Su Xinghe studied his new inheritance, then searched the abandoned mine with Little Beggar and secured pills and evidence taken from the Red Lotus Branch attackers.

• Zhou Yingjun agreed to tell Su Xinghe’s family that he was safe and revealed the Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations True Art from Extreme Dao Mountain Academy.
• Su Xinghe’s Fate Panel showed his new core disciple status and the Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations replacing his Ninth-Rank Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art.
• Su Xinghe learned about the Zhou Martial Sage Dynasty’s major sects and martial powers, and reflected on his possession of two supreme True Arts.
• Su Xinghe found Little Beggar, and the two entered their assigned abandoned mine tunnel after eating.
• Su Xinghe examined the bundle taken from the attackers, kept two bottles of Bone-Forging Pills and a copper badge, and gave the remaining items to Little Beggar for safekeeping.

Su Xinghe completed Ninth-Rank Bone Forging and prepared to pursue an Eighth-Rank breakthrough. Meanwhile, Zhou Yingjun revealed that the Lu Family had attacked them under the influence of the Li Family of the prefectural city, leaving the group to consider how to respond.

• Su Xinghe advanced his Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations practice, finished tempering his bones, and reached a physical strength of five thousand jin.
• Niu Erlang told Zhou Yingjun that Elder Xie needed rare medicine to recover, and Zhou Yingjun confirmed that the Lu Family had arranged the ambush.
• Zhou Yingjun told Su Xinghe and the others that the Li Family had secretly driven the conflict and that the witness who uncovered the shipment's destination had been killed.
• Su Xinghe learned that the Li Family included a Fourth-Rank general and resolved to keep growing stronger until he could confront the culprit.
• Zhou Yingjun sent Qingsong, Third Guest, and twenty mine disciples to guard the martial academy and the group's city holdings.

Su Xinghe broke through to the Grade-Eight Realm by opening his dantian and forming Internal Force, then tested its power in the mine. After spending the night training, he prepared to return to Lin County and settle his score.

• Su Xinghe chose Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations for his breakthrough and reviewed the Grade-Eight stages of Qi Nourishment, Aperture Opening, and Meridian Opening.
• Su Xinghe opened his dantian, converted a wisp of Qi-Blood into Internal Force, and awakened a fourth Silver Figurine in his Consciousness Space.
• Su Xinghe used Internal Force to strike a stone wall from a distance, impressing Little Beggar and revealing the force of his new power.
• Su Xinghe trained through the night and nurtured eight more wisps of Internal Force, though the pills he tried did little to help.
• Su Xinghe left the mine intending to return to Lin County, settle the score, and seek better pills at the Black Market.

Su Xinghe followed the Ten-Li Fishermen's Gang to its riverside estate after recognizing the captured, gravely wounded Wu Yingcai. He stormed the gang's council hall to rescue him, killing dozens before clashing with Qi Rui'an.

• Su Xinghe took banknotes from Little Beggar, warned him to practice, and traveled alone toward the Clearwater River.
• Su Xinghe recognized Wu Yingcai being carried into an estate by the Ten-Li Fishermen's Gang, then swam across the river to reach him.
• Qi Rui'an questioned the crippled Wu Yingcai and ordered his men to fetch whips so he could punish him.
• Su Xinghe entered the council hall disguised in coarse linen and killed the small gang leader at the door.
• Su Xinghe cut down more than forty gang members and wounded the remaining Bone-Forging Realm fighters before exchanging blows with Qi Rui'an.
• Qi Rui'an called for someone to bring him a saber after realizing Su Xinghe was a formidable opponent.

Su Xinghe slaughtered the Fishermen's Gang headquarters and defeated Qi Rui'an, but learned that Liu Bin and his elder sister were already dead. He killed Qi Haifeng after discovering White Ape Martial Academy's true art was with the Third Madam.

• Su Xinghe pursued Qi Rui'an and Qi Haifeng through the manor, using his saber to kill the gang leader and cripple his son.
• Su Xinghe exhausted his Internal Force and overwhelmed Qi Rui'an with a relentless barrage of powerful saber strikes, then stabbed him through the eye.
• Su Xinghe found Wu Yingcai mortally wounded and watched him die after giving him Qi-Replenishing Pellets.
• Su Xinghe questioned Qi Haifeng, who revealed that he had killed Liu Bin and his elder sister and that White Ape Martial Academy's true art was with the Third Madam.
• Su Xinghe chopped off Qi Haifeng's head.

After raiding the Fishermen's Gang estate, Su Xinghe buried the gang’s silver and headed to Lin County, where he encountered the Old Swindler again. He learned the man was a formidable martial arts expert, but left uncertain whether the Ascending Dragon Stance he had bought from him was a scam or a useful foundation technique.

• Su Xinghe burned the Fishermen's Gang estate, buried its silver behind Wu Yingcai's grave, and took its Treasure Notes, pills, and Grade-Eight True Art before traveling toward Lin County.
• At the Black Market entrance, Su Xinghe recognized the tall old man as the Old Swindler, but guards delayed his pursuit and the man disappeared.
• Gong Hao sensed Su Xinghe's Ninth Rank Peak cultivation and awakened Will Technique, while Gong Yueni and Zhan Yun discussed whether he could qualify as a disciple.
• Su Xinghe caught up with Gong Hao and was overwhelmed by the spiritual pressure of Gong Hao and Zhan Yun, suffering a bloody nose before asking why the Ascending Dragon Stance had seemed ineffective.
• Gong Hao, calling himself Jia Six, said the Ascending Dragon Stance could strengthen Su Xinghe's foundation and Qi-Blood, then departed with Gong Yueni and Zhan Yun for Eastern Province.

Su Xinghe rescued Zhou Yingjun from a group of buyers by purchasing his inherited tiger fang for two thousand taels, then followed him to a stall selling pills. Little White Bat bit the fang and absorbed wisps of its bloody Killing Intent, while Su Xinghe learned that the Qi-Nourishing Pills he bought were not suited to his cultivation needs.

• Gong Hao suggested that Gong Yueni meet the talented young man, but she refused to be drawn into his matchmaking.
• Su Xinghe spotted Zhou Yingjun being pressured to sell his tiger fang cheaply and offered two thousand taels for it.
• The black-robed buyers backed down, and Zhou Yingjun accepted Su Xinghe's payment before hurrying to seek treatment for Elder Xie.
• Su Xinghe examined the fang and tucked it away, where Little White Bat bit it and absorbed its Killing Intent.
• At a stall run by Mountain-Chasing Gang, Su Xinghe questioned the hunched old man about ineffective Qi-Nourishing Pills and asked for pills that could speed cultivation in the Grade-Eight Realm.

Su Xinghe bought pills, killed the men tailing him, and followed the awakened Little White Bat to confront Chu Liangchen and Lu Xuanlin. After fighting Lu and fleeing the scene, he found himself pursued by the Inspection Bureau’s Sky-Patrolling Ravens.

• Su Xinghe bought Bone-Forging Pills, Qi-Replenishing Pills, and two Organ-Protecting Pills, then killed eight men who had followed him outside the city.
• Little White Bat woke, sensed the direction of the red-nosed old bailiff, and flew south to seek revenge, so Su Xinghe followed.
• At Flying Snow Tower, Su Xinghe confronted Chu Liangchen and demanded his short sword; Chu Liangchen fell to his knees, and Su Xinghe knocked Chu Xiong unconscious.
• Lu Xuanlin recognized Su Xinghe and fought him, but their battle broke through the roof and crashed into the street.
• Su Xinghe grabbed valuables from Lu Xuanlin and fled into an alley as constables and the Inspection Bureau’s Sky-Patrolling Ravens pursued him.

Su Xinghe escaped the pursuit with Little White Bat’s help and discovered that it had grown into a capable hunter. At the same time, the Lu Family learned that Lu Xuanlin had been killed, but the Inspection Bureau withheld the case’s Secret Records, suggesting the killers had powerful backing.

• Little White Bat struck down a Sky-Patrolling Raven, allowing Su Xinghe to evade the pursuing constables and reach Tongzi Ward.
• Su Xinghe examined Little White Bat and found that it had grown sharp fangs, wing spurs, and powerful claws before feeding it his blood.
• A masked inspector examined the dead raven and wondered why someone had killed a Public Security Office chief and cost the bureau a raven.
• At the Fishermen’s Gang ruins, Lu Zhengquan and Lu Zhengkun surveyed the many dead gang members and found Qi Rui’an’s charred corpse.
• Lu Zhengyi arrived and told Lu Zhengquan and Lu Zhengkun that Lu Xuanlin had been killed, so they went to the Inspection Bureau.
• The Inspection Bureau’s First Chief refused to provide the Secret Records and said he would report the case himself, leaving the Lu Family unsure whether it could avenge Lu Xuanlin.

After Su Xinghe’s retaliation against the Lu Family, the family mobilized to hunt for him and began planning a citywide purge. Su Xinghe escaped to Azure Cloud Mountain Mine, delivered supplies to Little Beggar, and resumed cultivating as the Lu Family’s crackdown loomed.

• Lu Zhengkun learned that Old Ghost Xie had destroyed Blackwind Stronghold and ordered the City Defense Army to prepare a citywide search while asking Lady Red to attack Zhou Family Mine.
• Su Xinghe sorted his spoils, left a letter and supplies for his family, and escaped Lin County through Tongzi Ward and the river as patrols searched the streets.
• Su Xinghe returned to Azure Cloud Mountain Mine at dawn and gave Little Beggar a bundle of supplies and the fish-scale-sheathed short sword.
• Su Xinghe passed two Organ-Protecting Pills to Qian Jinge to deliver to the academy master, then resumed training.
• Su Xinghe refined sixteen more strands of Internal Force and calculated that he could open all one hundred acupoints within a month if his supply of Bone-Forging Pills lasted.

Su Xinghe refined his spiritual perception with the Listening to Tides Art and learned more about Little Beggar’s Spirit Sea. At a meeting about attacking Red Elegance Manor, Niu Erlang revealed that Lu Zhengkun was close to reaching Sixth Rank.

• Su Xinghe checked his Fate Panel, found that Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations had returned to Perfect Mastery, and decided to build up Internal Force before opening more apertures.
• Su Xinghe used the Listening to Tides Art to sense Little Beggar’s Spirit Sea, then asked Little Beggar to scan him and learned that Little Beggar perceived him as a river.
• Su Xinghe and Little Beggar went to a meeting after Qian Jinge explained that Senior Niu had arrived and that the academy master was pleased with Su Xinghe’s pill.
• Zhou Yingjun learned that the Fishermen’s Gang’s upper ranks had been wiped out and that a Lu Family official had been killed, strengthening the case for attacking Red Elegance Manor.
• Niu Erlang insisted that the Beheading Gang needed to strike the Lu Family’s forces quickly and revealed that Lu Zhengkun was about to break through to Sixth Rank.

Peaceful Heaven Sect attackers raided the Zhou Clan Mine, forcing Niu Erlang and Zhou Yingjun’s group to fight or flee. Su Xinghe helped send Elder Xie and the apprentices toward an escape route, while Lu Sandao was badly injured as the attackers pressed forward.

• A masked force led by Guardian An arrived at the Zhou Clan Mine after killing a Bandit Suppression Bureau patrol and slipping past its guards.
• Su Xinghe sensed the approaching enemies, and Niu Erlang recognized Guardian An as a Seventh-Rank martial artist of the Peaceful Heaven Sect’s Red Lotus Branch.
• Niu Erlang stayed to hold off Guardian An while Zhou Yingjun ordered Zhou Hao to evacuate the apprentices and Su Xinghe to take Elder Xie and leave by the back tunnels.
• Zhou Yingjun and Lu Sandao confronted the attackers as Su Xinghe sent Little Beggar deeper into the mine and charged into the dust to fight.
• A masked Eighth-Rank martial artist overwhelmed Lu Sandao with one strike, leaving him unable to move as his subordinates fell trying to slow the attackers.