Recaps

Deng Qing placed near the bottom of the Intermediate Inspector rankings, then refused Chen Tai and Song Wuji’s offers to surrender his position. When Huang Yunfan tried to pressure him into yielding, Deng Qing invoked the True Yang Martial Sect’s honor to turn the crowd against the scheme, and Chen Tai accused him of stealing a Qi Petal.

• Deng Qing completed his duties, submitted his qi petals and recording, and went to see the rankings.
• Deng Qing found his name near the bottom of the Intermediate Inspector list and realized Chen Tai had lied about his results to make him slack off.
• Chen Tai and Song Wuji offered Deng Qing silver to resign, but he refused, and Song Wuji warned him about entering the Intermediate Testing Zone alone.
• Huang Yunfan claimed Deng Qing as a fellow sect member and tried to persuade him to surrender his position in exchange for silver and help securing a post.
• Deng Qing defended Huang Yunfan and the True Yang Martial Sect against Song Wuji’s insult, making Huang Yunfan unable to continue pressuring him.
• Chen Tai accused Deng Qing of stealing his Qi Petal and demanded to know how he would settle the debt.

After Deng Qing defeated Song Wuji, he trained and received advice from Chef Fei to save his Merit Vouchers for Fortune Meat. As the Fortune Meat sale began, Deng Qing joined the long queue for offal, and Chef Fei addressed the gathered crowd.

• Deng Qing evaded Song Wuji's attack and threw him to the ground, leaving Chen Tai and Huang Yunfan stunned.
• Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji resolved to discover Deng Qing's true strength and vowed not to let the matter rest.
• Deng Qing trained with a five-hundred-jin boulder, received twenty-three Merit Vouchers, and helped Chef Fei clear the dining hall.
• Chef Fei warned Deng Qing that Fortune Meat would soon be available and advised him to save his Merit Vouchers for it.
• Huang Yunfan visited Deng Qing, demanded that he follow his lead, and asked to borrow ten vouchers, but Deng Qing talked him out of it.
• During the rest days, Deng Qing searched unsuccessfully for Jian Ruyu, then joined the offal queue when the Fortune Meat sale began.

Deng Qing missed out on buying offal, then arranged through Chef Fei to buy it back cheaply from people who could not stomach it. As the Intermediate Desolate Soil Test was announced for the next day, Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji discovered that the offal they had bought was nearly worthless.

• Many buyers followed the so-called Offal Martial Saint’s example and bought up the offal, leaving Deng Qing with none.
• Deng Qing asked Chef Fei to post an offer to buy back offal, and Chef Fei agreed to handle it for him.
• Deng Qing trained by lifting and throwing heavy stones, but his progress slowed as he realized his qi-blood was insufficient.
• A notice announced that the Intermediate Desolate Soil Test would begin the next day, and Huang Yunfan warned Deng Qing not to stand out on duty.
• Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji admitted they could not eat the offal and had sold it back at a steep loss, while the kitchen lowered its buyback price to eight percent.

Deng Qing used the mystic wasteland baleful blood to extract Wasteland Blood from a large supply of offal, then spent the night refining it and practicing the Elephant-Throwing Method. After making rapid cultivation gains, he completed his first uneventful day patrolling the Intermediate Testing Zone, where Huang Yunfan approached him at dinner.

• Chef Fei gave Deng Qing more than six hundred and seventy jin of Wasteland Beast offal and accepted three Merit Vouchers for arranging the purchase.
• Deng Qing carried the offal to his training spot and used the mystic wasteland baleful blood to extract Wasteland Blood while expelling Wasteland Qi.
• Deng Qing spent the night alternating between refining Wasteland Blood and practicing the Elephant-Throwing Method, raising his cultivation realm to Bone-Tempering Two (16%).
• Deng Qing began patrolling the Intermediate Testing Zone and discreetly practiced the Elephant-Throwing Method as he walked, avoiding combat throughout the day.
• Huang Yunfan approached Deng Qing while he was eating dinner at camp.

Deng Qing secretly trained with Wasteland Blood and advanced his strength while keeping his patrol score at zero. After Jian Ruyu urged him to stop yielding to threats, he lured a Qi Beast with scraps of flesh and waited for a creature to emerge from the northern woods.

• Deng Qing trained with a thousand-jin boulder, refined Wasteland Blood from the Wooden Box, and raised his cultivation and technique progress.
• Two patrollers intercepted a one-petal wolf-shaped Qi Beast in Deng Qing's zone and chased it away before he could fight it.
• Deng Qing trained through the night, uprooted a tree, hurled a two-thousand-jin boulder, and advanced the Elephant-Throwing Method to grand mastery.
• Jian Ruyu confronted Deng Qing about his zero scores, heard his claim that Huang Yunfan had threatened him, and urged him to fight for his future with her backing.
• Deng Qing poured saved Wasteland Beast heart and lung fragments near the northern mountains, hid nearby, and watched a strange six-limbed creature emerge from the woods.

Deng Qing killed several Qi Beasts and learned that his score had risen to sixteenth, alarming Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji. After the Inspector assessment offered Feather Guard Merit to the top ten, Song Wuji abandoned his plan to make peace with Deng Qing and joined Huang Yunfan in plotting to eliminate him.

• Deng Qing used Wasteland Beast flesh to draw Qi Beasts and killed seven of them during the day's work.
• Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan learned that Deng Qing had reached sixteenth place, and Song Wuji urged Huang Yunfan to stop provoking him because Deng Qing might be a dangerous rising talent.
• Song Wuji persuaded Huang Yunfan that they should apologize to Deng Qing, and Huang Yunfan agreed to yield for the time being.
• Deng Qing learned that the top ten Inspectors would receive Feather Guard Merit and resolved to pursue the reward.
• Song Wuji reconsidered when he learned the reward's value, and he and Huang Yunfan agreed to kill Deng Qing so they could claim places in the top ten.

Deng Qing used bait and the Image Recording Needle to draw a horde of qi beasts into a stone forest, where he began fighting them with the terrain and his improved strength. Jian Ruyu rescued him, leaving Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan alarmed that he had survived and plotting to learn his condition and summon Huang Yunfan’s father.

• Deng Qing lured more than twenty qi beasts toward himself, recorded a statement, and led them into the woods.
• Deng Qing fought off the pursuing qi beasts and reached a stone forest, where he reactivated the Image Recording Needle and prepared to face them.
• Jian Ruyu learned that an Inspector had been caught in a beast tide and rushed out after hearing Zheng Bei explain that the Inspector had attracted the beasts with Wasteland Beast flesh and blood.
• Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan celebrated their apparent advantage, then Huang Yunfan publicly mourned Deng Qing’s supposed death at the dining hall.
• Jian Ruyu carried Deng Qing back to camp, and Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan recognized him as alive and worried he might seek revenge.
• Song Wuji urged Huang Yunfan to find out how badly Deng Qing was hurt and summon his father if Deng Qing had survived; Huang Yunfan agreed to send word the next day if Deng Qing was not dead.

Deng Qing used the torrential rain to kill Song Wuji and Huang Yunfan, then revealed enough qi petals to put himself in contention for first place. The Deployment Office investigated the murders and ruled out Deng Qing because he was believed to be gravely injured, while Huang Changhe and Li Dashan each reacted to events elsewhere in the Desolate Soil.

• Jian Ruyu confronted Deng Qing about the beast tide, and Deng Qing decided to act against Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji after she signaled she would not stop him.
• A storm gave Deng Qing cover to kill Song Wuji and then Huang Yunfan, using their bodies to approach each man’s door.
• Deng Qing returned to his secluded house, dried his clothes, and showed Jian Ruyu thirty-five qi petals and an Image Recording Needle, claiming he had earned them in the Stone Forest.
• Huang Changhe learned that his son Huang Yunfan’s Life Tablet had shattered, while Li Dashan woke in agony as something seemed to change in his back.
• Xia Daoyu reported that Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji had been murdered and identified Inspectors ranked sixteenth through eleventh as suspects, but said Deng Qing was ruled out because of his injuries.
• Zheng Bei asked Jian Ruyu how soon Deng Qing might recover.

Deng Qing’s verified score placed him second among the Inspectors, but failed candidates accused him of cheating and demanded an explanation. Old Han showed footage from Deng Qing’s Image Recording Needle, which revealed him preparing to lure a beast tide away from the Martial Exam Students and recording what he believed would be his last testament.

• Jian Ruyu told the Deployment Office that Deng Qing had collected thirty-five qi petals, and Xia Daoyu and Zheng Bei agreed that this cleared him of suspicion in the earlier killings.
• Deng Qing left the healing house, visited the mess hall, and learned that he had ranked second among the Inspectors.
• After the results were posted, Zheng Shan and other unsuccessful candidates surrounded Deng Qing and demanded that he explain his score or fight Zheng Shan.
• Old Han arrived and used a Divine Shadow Stone to show the footage from Deng Qing’s Image Recording Needle.
• The footage showed Deng Qing smearing beast viscera on himself to draw the beast tide away from the examination zone and leaving instructions for his belongings and a final message.

After Deng Qing’s recordings confirmed his second-place result and revealed how he survived the beast tide, Jian Ruyu arranged for him to learn a powerful movement technique. The chapter ended with Deng Qing learning that the entrance to the Desolate Soil at Liangshan had been temporarily sealed.

• The crowd watched Deng Qing’s recordings, and Lin Li and Chen Hong debated whether his apparent sacrifice and survival had been calculated.
• Old Han confirmed Deng Qing’s second-place result, defended his actions, and warned that the Deployment Office would investigate the disturbance.
• Deng Qing told Jian Ruyu that he had used his last words to gain goodwill and asked her for a difficult movement technique.
• Jian Ruyu accepted a hundred of Deng Qing’s Merit Vouchers and arranged for an expert to teach him for four hours.
• Deng Qing asked why those eliminated in the Intermediate Test remained in the Desolate Soil, and Jian Ruyu said the Liangshan entrance had been temporarily sealed.

Deng Qing learned Old Han’s Collapse Step by translating his mathematical explanation into familiar notation, while Old Han became absorbed in the notation Deng Qing taught him. Meanwhile, Zheng Shan told Zheng Bei that Deng Qing had killed Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji and claimed they had engineered the Beast Tide, leaving Zheng Bei to weigh the accusation.

• Jian Ruyu warned Deng Qing that he might be sent to the Front Line, where the highest-level retest would take place.
• Old Han tested Deng Qing with a mathematical problem, and Deng Qing solved it after rewriting the explanation in familiar notation.
• Deng Qing taught Old Han Arabic numerals and mathematical symbols, then learned the Collapse Step and began practicing it.
• Zheng Shan secretly visited Zheng Bei and claimed that Deng Qing had killed Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji.
• Zheng Shan told Zheng Bei that Huang Yunfan and Song Wuji had engineered the Beast Tide after failing to suppress Deng Qing.

Zheng Bei killed Hu Li and forced Zheng Shan to dispose of the body after warning him that accusing Deng Qing would endanger the Zheng family. Meanwhile, Deng Qing broke through to the initiation stage of Collapse Step, and Old Han demonstrated how the technique advanced at higher levels.

• Zheng Shan brought Hu Li to Zheng Bei, and Hu Li described Huang Yunfan’s plot to attract Qi Beasts toward Deng Qing with a blood-attracting Yin Pet.
• Zheng Bei killed Hu Li, then warned Zheng Shan that Deng Qing was the Martial Dao Lower Court’s chosen model and that accusing him could implicate Elder Jian and ruin the Zheng family.
• Zheng Bei ordered Zheng Shan to carry Hu Li’s body away and scouted ahead as they left under cover of darkness.
• Deng Qing studied the footprints left by his practice and realized he could use the circle’s fixed center to overcome the pauses in his steps.
• Deng Qing traced two seamless circles and gained Collapse Step at 1% initiation.
• Old Han explained that advanced Collapse Step collapsed many steps into one within a controlled circle, then demonstrated crossing the room in a single step.

Deng Qing trained Collapse Step and replenished his Wasteland Blood with offal obtained through Chef Fei, while his cultivation and mystic wasteland baleful blood improved. An urgent Front Line order changed the final examination into a wartime assignment, and Zheng Bei revealed that the Command Center and Donghuang Cult were fighting over control of the Wasteland Veins.

• Jian Ruyu questioned Old Han about Deng Qing, and Old Han admitted he had misjudged Deng Qing's talent.
• Deng Qing asked Chef Fei to obtain more Wasteland Beast offal, then trained for two days and a night before refining a new supply and testing his strengthened baleful blood and Collapse Step.
• Chef Fei gave Deng Qing a letter from Jian Ruyu warning that Zhao Feiyan had spread rumors about his Qi Petals and instructing him to win the final round.
• An urgent order summoned the camp to the Front Line and converted the final examination into a wartime assignment.
• Zheng Bei explained that the Command Center and Donghuang Cult were fighting to control the Wasteland Veins and restrain Wasteland Qi.

Deng Qing and twelve others were sent to pin down a newly appeared Wasteland Vein, with their assessment rankings to be determined by anonymous peer scores. After a Beast Tide swept through their route, Deng Qing helped the group escape by riding the fleeing beasts, while Chen Hong later returned with the three students who had gone missing.

• Zheng Bei assigned the Inspectors and Martial Exam Students to carry Wasteland Spikes to a designated area and explained that they would score one another after the mission.
• The group disputed who should lead, then chose six students at the third level of Bone Tempering to coordinate their route and duties.
• When three Qi Beasts appeared, several students charged out to hunt them, but Deng Qing warned the rest that a much larger herd was fleeing toward them.
• Deng Qing urged everyone to run alongside the Beast Tide and leap onto the beasts, and the group escaped the stampede by riding their backs.
• Chen Hong proposed that Deng Qing act as their Scout, but Deng Qing turned back to look for the three missing students.
• Chen Hong returned with the three students, including Su Yun, whose lower leg had been broken in the stampede.

Deng Qing’s team reached the canyon and found an injured Death Scythe healing over a Wasteland Vein, then debated whether to attack it. Deng Qing exposed an ambush by the Donghuang Cult, and the chapter ended as Huo Dongfeng and his Lingbiao Squad emerged from the woods.

• Lin Li ordered the group to carry the injured Su Yun on a stretcher and continue toward the canyon.
• Su Yun identified the Death Scythe and explained that the group would need to sever its tail to stop it from drawing Wasteland Qi and healing.
• Long Xiu proposed attacking the Death Scythe, and twelve people voted in favor while Deng Qing stayed silent.
• Deng Qing suspected an ambush in the woods and hurled rocks into them, prompting hidden fighters to reveal themselves.
• Deng Qing and Lin Li helped Su Yun as the group regrouped, and Huo Dongfeng appeared with twelve members of his Lingbiao Squad.

Deng Qing took command of the Martial Exam Students and negotiated an alliance with Huo Dongfeng’s Lingbiao Squad to kill Death Scythe, securing an oath and an equal share of its Fortune Meat. The alliance’s first attempt to sever Death Scythe’s tail failed, leaving Deng Qing’s group to send the next fighter.

• Lin Li agreed to lead the Martial Exam Students, then yielded command to Deng Qing when he could not find a way past the stalemate with Huo Dongfeng.
• Deng Qing kicked a rock near Death Scythe to force Huo Dongfeng to negotiate, then proposed that both sides take turns trying to sever its tail and split the remaining Fortune Meat equally.
• Huo Dongfeng accepted the plan and swore before heaven that the two sides would work together and not turn against one another.
• Deng Qing warned his group to stay ready for a fight, despite Huo Dongfeng’s oath.
• A bearded Lingbiao Squad member tried to reach Death Scythe but was struck by a scythe and returned with his Soft Armor ruined, telling Deng Qing’s group it was their turn.

Deng Qing traded an Azure Fish Pill for the chance to sever Death Scythe’s tail, then trained his Collapse Step until it reached minor mastery. He crossed the rotating blades with ease, leaving the others poised to attack while Huo Dongfeng prepared to strike.

• Chen Hong tried to pass Death Scythe’s scythes but was swept away, though his Golden Silkworm Garment protected him from serious injury.
• Lin Li advanced through the blades and escaped their counterattack, but failed to reach Death Scythe’s tail.
• Deng Qing negotiated with Huo Dongfeng for an Azure Fish Pill, claiming he needed it to break through and use a Secret Method.
• Deng Qing practiced Collapse Step for more than two hours, then took the pill and advanced to minor mastery.
• Deng Qing laid out a coordinated attack plan, with Lin Li and Huo Dongfeng’s groups assigned to distract the blades while Huo Dongfeng prepared the killing blow.
• Deng Qing crossed all three scythes with his improved footwork and reached Death Scythe’s tail, astonishing Chen Hong and Lin Li.

Deng Qing and the two camps killed Death Scythe and divided its Fortune Meat, but he suspected Huo Dongfeng planned to attack the Martial Exam Students once his squad recovered. Deng Qing prepared for a possible battle, replenished some of his Wasteland Blood from the buried offal, and ended the night with his abilities improved.

• Deng Qing severed Death Scythe's tail, and the two squads pinned its scythes down while he killed it with a spear through its Qi Petals.
• Deng Qing divided the remaining Fortune Meat between both camps, then buried Death Scythe's organs as the Lingbiao Squad and Martial Exam Students rested at separate fires.
• Huo Dongfeng told Yang Jie to wait until his injured squad recovered, while Deng Qing warned Lin Li and Long Xiu that Huo Dongfeng might be planning to kill them.
• Deng Qing explained that the Martial Exam Students lacked the unity to attack first, and Lin Li and Long Xiu agreed to hold Huo Dongfeng off while Deng Qing led the others in a fight.
• Deng Qing trained Collapse Step, arranged watches for the night, and secretly used the Devour Heaven Scripture to draw Wasteland Blood from Death Scythe's buried offal.

As the Wasteland Veins began circulating, Huo Dongfeng and the Lingbiao Squad attacked the Martial Exam Students to stop them from pinning the veins. Deng Qing revealed that his apparent fear had been a ruse, broke the enemy’s formation, and then faced Huo Dongfeng, whose strength still forced him back.

• Deng Qing studied the booklet through the night, and the Wasteland Qi surged as the Wasteland Veins began circulating.
• Huo Dongfeng led the Lingbiao Squad toward the Martial Exam Students, then mocked his oath by claiming his thin sword, named Ten Thousand Blades, had pierced his chest without harming him.
• Lin Li and Long Xiu charged Huo Dongfeng while Deng Qing appeared to cower, prompting Chen Hong and the others to prepare to defend themselves.
• Deng Qing suddenly attacked Yang Jie, killed him and two other fighters, and shattered the Lingbiao Squad’s sword formation.
• Deng Qing told Chen Hong to handle the scattered attackers and went to stop Huo Dongfeng after Lin Li and Long Xiu were knocked back.
• Deng Qing met Huo Dongfeng’s Returning Dragon Fist head-on, was driven back five steps, and learned that he still faced a substantial strength gap.

Deng Qing used his footwork and endurance to lure Huo Dongfeng into a stone grove, then seized his opening and killed him. He returned to the battle, saved the remaining Martial Exam Students, and helped the survivors tend their wounded and honor their dead.

• Huo Dongfeng pursued Deng Qing with relentless attacks, then drew his sword and drove him into a grove of stone pillars.
• Huo Dongfeng battered Deng Qing with sword strikes, but Deng Qing’s Treasure Armor protected him as he waited for Huo Dongfeng to exhaust himself.
• Deng Qing caught Huo Dongfeng’s blade with his hand, used Phoenix Swaps the Nest to seize his arm, and killed him with the Ten Thousand Blades Sword before breaking his neck.
• Deng Qing looted Huo Dongfeng’s body and returned to the battle, where he killed the fallen Donghuang Cult members and helped the Martial Exam Students defeat the rest.
• Deng Qing carried Lin Li and Long Xiu back to the survivors, gathered supplies, distributed medicine, and prepared the two dead Martial Exam Students for burial.
• Deng Qing blamed himself for the deaths of Dong Jun and Xiao Jun, but Long Xiu, Lin Li, Hong Lin, and Chen Hong praised his actions, and Chen Hong accepted that Deng Qing deserved first place.

Deng Qing discovered that his Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood could draw underground vein qi and stayed behind to investigate, triggering a vast surge of wasteland qi. At the Frontline Command Center, Jian Ruyu and the others saw the surge converge in Donghuang Cult territory, and Feng Xiuquan urged Jian Ruyu to intervene.

• Deng Qing studied the moving vein qi, used his Wasteland Spike with the others, and noticed underground light gathering when his blood baleful intent entered the soil.
• Deng Qing stayed behind after the others left and let his blood baleful intent follow a force underground, drawing spots of light together and unleashing a powerful surge of wasteland qi.
• At the Frontline Command Center, Jian Ruyu questioned the apparent tie between the Liangshan Frontline and the Donghuang Cult as Feng Xiuquan issued orders and Huang Changhe reported killing Miao Like.
• The projected spots of light converged in the southeast, prompting Feng Xiuquan to send eastern forces to reinforce the area.
• Jian Ruyu, Old Han, and Feng Xiuquan reached a mountain summit, where Feng Xiuquan asked Jian Ruyu to intervene and she rebuked him for threatening her.

Deng Qing returned to camp after apparently pinning down the seventh Wasteland Vein, while the Command Center detained the returning students and inspectors for questioning. He told Jian Ruyu he might have secured the Vein, leaving her to hear of his potentially decisive achievement.

• Feng Xiuquan learned that the Donghuang Cult had pinned down the Vein Dragon’s head and the Command Center had pinned down its tail, then ordered staff to identify the team responsible.
• Deng Qing used his blood and Wasteland Spike to trigger a violent surge of Wasteland Qi, found the Spike glowing at the site, and suspected he had pinned down the seventh Wasteland Vein.
• Huang Changhe and Command Center guards surrounded the Deployment Office camp and took Long Xiu, Lin Li, and the other returning participants away for questioning.
• Deng Qing returned to Jian Ruyu’s tent with collected weapons and valuables, and Jian Ruyu praised his role in bringing the others back safely.
• Deng Qing told Jian Ruyu that he might have pinned down the Wasteland Veins.

Deng Qing revealed that he had pinned down a wasteland vein, and Jian Ruyu negotiated rewards and protection for his achievement amid attempts by Huang Changhe to claim it. Deng Qing received cultivation resources, a reassignment for Zhang Yan, a cultivation room, and an honorary rank, then left to prepare for the registration examination.

• Deng Qing told Jian Ruyu how he had driven the Wasteland Spike into the ground and learned that he had pinned down a wasteland vein.
• Jian Ruyu warned Deng Qing that others could steal his credit by obtaining his blood, and explained that Huang Changhe had taken Long Xiu and the others for questioning.
• Deng Qing asked Jian Ruyu to transfer Zhang Yan to the Deployment Office and let him avoid missions by tending the Strange Horses.
• Huang Bingyao ordered Deng Qing to attend Huang Changhe's address, but Jian Ruyu rejected the demand and struck Huang Bingyao out of her tent.
• Feng Xiuquan met with Jian Ruyu to negotiate over Deng Qing's achievement, and Jian Ruyu secured ten Great Fortune Pills, five Azure Fish Pills, a Cultivation Room, and a reassignment for Zhang Yan.
• Jian Ruyu told Deng Qing he had also received a commandant's Honorary Merit Rank at the Principal Eighth Rank and reminded him to prepare for the registration examination.

Deng Qing collected his rewards, moved into a Cultivation Room, and learned from Zhang Yan that his master might soon break through. He began his new post at the Horse Farm and recognized Wasteland Beast offal among the feed being delivered to the Strange Horses.

• Deng Qing received pills, Merit Vouchers, and a Cultivation Room permit, while his comrades thanked him for saving them and Lin Li asked him to look after Lin Hui during the enrollment examination.
• Xia Daoyu asked Deng Qing to plead with Jian Ruyu on his behalf and arranged for Deng Qing’s spoils to be exchanged for 3,253 taels; Deng Qing also received his official dog-shaped jade pendant.
• Deng Qing moved into the Cultivation Room, then received Zhang Yan’s letter saying Zhang Yan would not transfer to the Deployment Office and that their master seemed close to a breakthrough.
• Deng Qing decided to save his Great Fortune Pills and Azure Fish Pills for a breakthrough, then reported to the Horse Farm and told Zhang Dahe he had transferred there to avoid dangerous battles.
• Deng Qing toured the north stable and waited for the horses’ feed; when laborers delivered carts, he recognized the contents of six sealed carts as Wasteland Beast offal.

Deng Qing secretly extracted Wasteland Blood from Wasteland Beast offal while feeding the Strange Horses, and Zhang Dahe mistook his methods for horse-training practice. After using the blood to train through the night, Deng Qing returned to the Horse Farm, where Zhang Dahe praised him.

• Deng Qing restrained the first Strange Horse and extracted Wasteland Blood from its trough of offal while Zhang Dahe watched.
• Zhang Dahe guessed Deng Qing was practicing to take the Horse Trainer examination, and Deng Qing denied it and continued feeding the horses.
• Deng Qing subdued a second Strange Horse, then extracted blood from the troughs of all eighteen horses before leaving the farm.
• Deng Qing refined the collected Wasteland Blood and practiced Collapse Step and the Elephant-Throwing Method through the night.
• Deng Qing returned to the Horse Farm before feeding time, and Zhang Dahe greeted him with praise.