Chapter Summaries

After his father’s death, Gu Sheng awakened the wisdom of his past life and discovered the proficiency panel he had created. With little money and food, he sought work to survive and save for martial arts training, but Steward Gu He doubted he was strong enough to chop wood.

• Gu Sheng recovered the memories of his past life and vowed to live despite his father’s death.
• Gu Sheng summoned his proficiency panel and realized it could help him advance in martial arts, though he knew no martial arts yet.
• Gu Sheng counted his family’s meager savings and decided to ration their food while saving to train with an instructor at fifteen.
• Gu Sheng waited for news of work, and Gu Erniu arrived with Steward Gu He.
• Gu He assessed Gu Sheng as too thin and weak to chop wood, leaving Gu Sheng worried about whether he would get the job.

Gu Sheng secured a wood-chopping job at the Gu family's northern courtyard to earn money and survive, while resolving to save enough to learn martial arts. After chopping ten logs, he discovered that the Proficiency Panel had registered wood chopping as a martial art.

• Gu Erniu persuaded Steward Gu He to hire Gu Sheng to chop at least two hundred pieces of firewood a day for two copper coins per hundred.
• Gu Sheng thanked Gu Erniu, who warned him to work carefully and said he planned to hunt in the dangerous mountains.
• Gu Sheng decided to survive first and save one tael of silver so he could practice martial arts.
• Gu Sheng went to the main family's northern courtyard and began splitting logs, quickly tiring from the hard work.
• After chopping ten logs, Gu Sheng opened the Proficiency Panel and saw Martial Arts: Chopping Wood (Beginner 1%).

Gu Sheng discovered that the Proficiency Panel improved his wood chopping by preserving his optimal state, helping him chop far more logs than expected. After completing his first day’s quota, he collected three copper coins from Gu He and headed home encouraged by his progress.

• Gu Sheng realized that chopping wood counted as martial arts and that raising its proficiency could improve his skill and earnings.
• Gu Sheng chopped more than 120 logs by noon as his Chopping Wood proficiency reached 12%.
• Gu Sheng learned to borrow strength from his waist and abdomen, raising his proficiency from 12% to 16%.
• Gu Sheng completed 253 logs and raised Chopping Wood proficiency to 29%.
• Gu He gave Gu Sheng three copper coins for his work, and Gu Sheng left the village household pleased with the start he had made.

Gu Sheng received meat and medicinal ointment from Gu Erniu’s family, then pushed himself through days of wood chopping and hearty meals. By the third day, his wood-chopping skill reached minor mastery, leaving him with a new level of proficiency and growing strength.

• Li Lian brought Gu Sheng smoked rabbit meat and medicinal ointment on Gu Erniu’s behalf, and Gu Sheng thanked her for their kindness.
• Gu Sheng cooked and ate the rabbit meat, decided to increase his daily food intake, and applied the ointment to his sore muscles.
• The next day, Gu Sheng chopped 324 pieces of wood, raised his proficiency to 65%, and earned three copper coins from Gu He.
• On the third day, Gu Sheng discovered a more effective way to swing the axe and cleanly split a log.
• Gu Sheng checked his panel and saw that wood chopping had reached Minor Mastery 0%.

Gu Sheng reached minor mastery in chopping wood, increased his earnings, and worried about finding money for food and future martial training. Gu Erniu asked him to look after his wife while he joined a village hunting expedition, and Gu Sheng continued chopping wood as Gu Erniu entered the mountains.

• Gu Sheng reached minor mastery in chopping wood and found that he could chop more than a hundred pieces in two hours, raising his proficiency to 2%.
• Gu He counted Gu Sheng's 364 pieces of firewood and paid him four coins, while Gu Sheng promised to repay what he owed.
• Gu Sheng ate, used the last of Gu Erniu's ointment, and worried that chopping wood would not earn enough to cover food and future martial training.
• Gu Erniu gave Gu Sheng smoked meat and asked him to help his wife while he was away on a village hunting expedition led by a great expert.
• The next day, Gu Sheng went to chop firewood as usual while Gu Erniu entered the mountains.

Gu Sheng improved his woodcutting, reassured Li Lian while Gu Erniu remained missing, and carefully managed his food and earnings. On the eighth day after Gu Erniu entered the mountains, Gu Sheng reached major mastery in Chopping Wood and expected to earn enough to cover his expenses.

• Gu Sheng demonstrated his efficient axe technique to Gu He, who praised his comprehension and said the main household's woodcutting work could support him.
• Gu Sheng returned the ointment jar to Li Lian and gave her a grass cricket for Xiao Wan, then offered to help while Gu Erniu was away in the mountains.
• Gu Sheng calculated that his rice bran would last about twelve days and saved his fifteen copper coins for buying rice after his income improved.
• As Gu Erniu's absence stretched to five days, Gu Sheng continued chopping wood and tried to reassure the increasingly worried Li Lian.
• On the eighth day, Gu Sheng split a log with a powerful strike and saw that Chopping Wood had reached Major Mastery 0%.

Gu Sheng reached mastery in Chopping Wood, improved his earnings, and learned he could try martial arts training when he turned fifteen. That night, a wolf pack attacked Gu Family Village, and a wild wolf targeted his home.

• Gu Sheng worried about Gu Erniu’s continued absence and comforted Li Lian, who feared something had happened to her husband.
• Gu Sheng chopped nine hundred logs in a day, earned nine copper coins, and began saving money while his Chopping Wood proficiency rose by four percent.
• Gu He watched Gu Sheng demonstrate his technique, praised his comprehension, and urged him to learn martial arts under Instructor Gu Jingang when he turned fifteen.
• Gu Sheng counted his savings, ate his last piece of smoked meat, and went to sleep feeling stronger than before.
• Gu Sheng woke to wolves howling and saw dozens of them scattering through Gu Family Village, then took his woodcutter’s machete.
• A wild wolf leaped over the fence outside Gu Sheng’s home and appeared to target the house.

Gu Sheng fought and killed a wolf that smashed through his door, surviving through his mastery of chopping wood. Hearing screams and howls from the village, he realized Gu Erniu’s wife might be in danger.

• A blood-eyed wolf followed its nose to Gu Sheng’s courtyard and broke through his wooden door.
• Gu Sheng used his full-body chopping strength to cut deep into the wolf’s waist and abdomen.
• Gu Sheng retreated from the wolf’s snapping jaws, then killed it by striking it with stones.
• Gu Sheng confirmed the wolf was dead and realized his mastery of chopping wood had saved his life.
• Hearing wolf howls, screams, and a woman’s cries near Gu Erniu’s home, Gu Sheng recognized the woman as Erniu’s wife.

Gu Sheng went to protect Li Lian and Gu Wan from a wolf after hearing it attack their home. He killed the injured wolf, leaving Li Lian and Gu Wan safe for the moment.

• Gu Sheng decided to help Li Lian and Gu Wan, then took a woodcutter's knife and a stick to Gu Erniu's home.
• Li Lian hid with Gu Wan as a wolf entered their yard and attacked the door.
• Gu Erniu's trap struck the wolf's hind leg, but the injured animal stayed near the cabin.
• Gu Sheng arrived and told Li Lian to stay hidden, then fought the wolf with his stick and knife.
• Gu Sheng dodged the wolf's attack and cut it in two with a powerful slash, stunning himself and Li Lian.

Gu Sheng killed a wolf attacking Li Lian and Gu Wan, then helped them barricade themselves inside while the village came under a pack assault. When Instructor Gu Jingang arrived with the village’s martial artists, Gu Sheng witnessed him slaughter the fleeing wolves and saw the power of a true martial artist.

• Gu Sheng split a wolf in two and dragged its corpse away before retreating into the house with Li Lian and Gu Wan.
• Li Lian treated Gu Sheng’s back wounds, and the three barricaded the door against the wolves.
• Gu Sheng and Li Lian heard the wolves’ cries grow more frequent as the village’s martial artists began fighting back.
• Instructor Gu Jingang ordered the villagers to stay indoors while he pursued the fleeing wolves.
• Gu Jingang shattered a wolf’s head with one punch and killed the remaining wolves, leaving Gu Sheng awed by a martial artist’s strength.

After surviving a wolf attack, Gu Sheng drew the attention of Instructor Gu Jingang, who encouraged him to seek martial arts training next year. The next morning, Gu Sheng processed the two wolves he had killed and checked his Proficiency Panel.

• Li Lian told Gu Sheng that Gu Jingang had reached the Blood Refining Realm, stirring Gu Sheng's interest in martial arts.
• Gu Jingang noticed the wolf Gu Sheng had killed and learned that the youth had slain it alone without martial arts training.
• Gu Sheng told Gu Jingang he hoped to learn martial arts after turning fifteen, and Gu Jingang asked him to come to the training grounds next year.
• After Gu Jingang announced that the wolf pack had been defeated, Gu Sheng spent the night at Gu Erniu's house with Li Lian and Gu Wan.
• Before dawn, Gu Sheng carried a wolf corpse home, processed both wolves, and ate wolf-bone soup.
• After recovering from the night's exhaustion, Gu Sheng checked his Proficiency Panel.

After surviving the wolf attack, Gu Sheng improved his strength and savings by chopping wood while wondering why the wolves had come. The chapter ended with Gu Erniu returning from the mountains and learning that Gu Sheng had saved Li Lian and Gu Wan.

• Gu Sheng saw Uncle Gen's family among the wolf attack's dead and learned from Gu He that forty-three people had died across thirteen households.
• Gu Sheng continued chopping wood despite his injury, then gradually healed, grew stronger on wolf meat, and saved more than seven hundred copper coins.
• Li Lian worried after Gu Erniu remained away in the mountains for half a month.
• Gu Erniu returned home and reunited emotionally with Li Lian and Gu Wan.
• Li Lian told Gu Erniu that Gu Sheng had risked his life to save her and Gu Wan, and that they needed to thank him properly.

Gu Sheng learned that Gu Erniu had returned safely from the mountains, where he helped a group of martial artists hunt a demon wolf. After they discussed the hunt, Gu Erniu asked Gu Sheng whether he wanted to learn archery.

• Gu He told Gu Sheng that the mountain hunters had returned with no deaths, and that Gu Erniu had earned merit.
• Gu Sheng reunited with Gu Erniu, who thanked him for saving Li Lian and Xiao Wan and gave him game from the hunt.
• Gu Erniu told Gu Sheng that the group had hunted a silver-white wolf with part of a demon's bloodline, and that his arrow had struck its hind leg.
• Gu Erniu said the hunt had connected him with Gu Changming, then asked Gu Sheng if he wanted to learn archery.

Gu Erniu offered to teach Gu Sheng archery and hunting, giving Gu Sheng a new way to earn money and improve his strength. Meanwhile, Gu Changming and Gu Jingang discussed using the demon wolf’s remains to strengthen Gu Family Village against the Black Sand Gang, and Gu Sheng began his first archery lesson.

• Gu Erniu offered to teach Gu Sheng archery and mountain hunting to repay him for saving his wife and child, and Gu Sheng gladly accepted.
• Gu Changming told Gu Jingang that they would refine the demon wolf’s blood into Blood Strengthening Pills and distribute its meat among promising youths, including Gu Xiaojiang.
• Gu Changming and Gu Jingang discussed the growing threat from the Black Sand Gang and the lack of cooperation from Li Family Fort.
• Gu Sheng finished chopping wood early, collected ten copper coins from Gu He, and hurried to meet Gu Erniu.
• Gu Erniu gave Gu Sheng an old hunting bow and taught him how to draw it steadily, explaining the basics of aiming and posture before demonstrating a precise shot.

Gu Erniu taught Gu Sheng archery, and Gu Sheng’s first successful hit added Archery to his panel. Gu Sheng planned to train until he reached Minor Mastery before hunting in the mountains, setting a one-month goal to improve his skills and strength.

• Gu Erniu explained that martial artists needed resources to train and that his own archery would only give him a slim chance against one.
• Gu Erniu corrected Gu Sheng’s stance as he practiced, and Gu Sheng gradually improved until an arrow struck a tree fifty meters away.
• Gu Sheng checked his panel and found Archery recorded at Beginner 1%.
• Gu Erniu promised to teach Gu Sheng archery every day and told him to rest and eat well after training.
• Gu Sheng cooked wolf meat at home and decided to replace rice bran with millet once he could earn money from hunting.
• Gu Sheng set a goal to reach Minor Mastery in archery, perfect Chopping Wood, and strengthen his body within a month before entering the mountains.

Gu Sheng reached perfected Chopping Wood and discovered that its proficiency could continue advancing beyond perfection, while his archery kept improving. After Gu He offered to support his martial arts training if he married into the family, Gu Sheng politely refused, intent on pursuing his own ambitions.

• Gu Sheng's archery rapidly improved through daily practice, leaving Gu Erniu amazed by his talent and progress.
• While chopping wood, Gu Sheng reached perfected Chopping Wood and gained the ability to sense a log's grain and split it precisely along its weakest points.
• Gu Sheng noticed a new progress bar beyond perfection on his panel and realized the skill could still advance.
• Gu Sheng finished his work faster and with less effort, giving him more time and stamina to practice archery.
• Gu He offered to support Gu Sheng's martial arts training through a marriage alliance, but Gu Sheng declined because he had no plans to marry.

Gu Sheng rejected Gu He's offer and postponed joining Gu Erniu and Zhang Ze on a hunting trip so he could improve his archery first. He continued his daily training and reached minor mastery in archery.

• Gu Sheng declined Gu He's suggestion to start a family in Gu Family Village, choosing instead to build wealth through hunting on his own terms.
• Gu Erniu and Zhang Ze watched Gu Sheng shoot and invited him to enter the mountains with them, but Gu Sheng said he needed more practice first.
• Gu Sheng spent the next day chopping wood and practicing archery while Gu Erniu and Zhang Ze hunted a wild boar without him.
• Gu Erniu brought Gu Sheng some wild boar meat and described their successful hunt, but Gu Sheng remained resolved to wait until he felt more prepared.
• Gu Sheng kept training and landed an arrow in a coin-sized target, advancing his archery to minor mastery.

Gu Sheng joined Gu Erniu and two other hunters for his first trip into Cang Mountain after improving his archery and preparing for the hunt. The group found the wild boar Zhang Ze had tracked, and Gu Erniu saw that it was larger than their previous catch.

• Gu Sheng reached minor mastery in archery and decided to enter the mountains with Gu Erniu rather than hunt alone.
• Gu Erniu told Gu Sheng that Zhang Ze had found another wild boar and invited him to join the hunt.
• Gu Sheng met Gu Erniu, Zhang Ze, and Gu Youfu at the village entrance, where they agreed to divide the prey according to contribution, with Zhang Ze receiving an extra share for finding it.
• Gu Erniu warned Gu Sheng that hunters in Cang Mountain had to watch out for people as well as beasts, and the four proceeded into the forest together.
• Zhang Ze found the wild boar's tracks and led the group to the animal; Gu Erniu saw that it was larger than their last catch.

Gu Sheng joined Gu Erniu, Zhang Ze, and Gu Youfu in a hunt for a huge wild boar, and their arrows drove it into a tripwire. When the enraged boar nearly killed Zhang Ze, Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu blinded it with precise shots and brought it down.

• Gu Erniu split the hunting party, sending Zhang Ze and Gu Youfu to set a tripwire while he and Gu Sheng prepared to drive the boar toward it.
• After Zhang Ze's whistle signaled the trap was ready, Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu shot the boar and steered its charge toward the tripwire.
• The boar crashed into the tripwire, and Zhang Ze and Gu Youfu wounded it as it struggled to its feet.
• Zhang Ze shot the boar in the head, but it charged at him, forcing him to dodge for his life while Gu Youfu retreated.
• Gu Sheng shot out the boar's left eye and Gu Erniu shot out its right eye, then they fired more arrows until it died.
• Zhang Ze escaped with cuts and scrapes, and the hunters recovered from the near-fatal encounter.

After surviving a wild boar attack, Gu Sheng and the others divided their catch and headed out of Cang Mountain. Gu Sheng sensed several people approaching and readied his bow, leaving the group braced for a possible threat.

• Gu Erniu reproached Zhang Ze for recklessly chasing the boar, and Zhang Ze thanked him and Gu Sheng for saving his life.
• The hunters processed the boar and divided the catch, giving Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu twenty-five percent each, Zhang Ze thirty percent, and Gu Youfu twenty percent.
• Gu Youfu and Gu Erniu carried the boar as Zhang Ze led the group out, and Zhang Ze missed a pheasant along the way.
• Near the mountain road, Gu Sheng heard several people approaching, took cover, and warned them to stop.
• Gu Erniu, Gu Youfu, and Zhang Ze dropped the boar, took cover, and aimed their nocked arrows toward the brush.