Recaps

Zhao Er comprehended Toad Force and advanced his Five Poisons Fist, giving his attacks greater speed and destructive power. The next day, he brought a pair of two-pronged velvet antlers to Hundred Herbs Hall, where Zhao Cai appraised them.

• Zhao Er practiced Five Poisons Fist and discovered how to channel Toad Force through his body.
• Zhao Er used Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue to strike a sandbag three times in an instant, leaving three holes without making it sway.
• Zhao Er’s Five Poisons Fist advanced to level two, and he reflected that he could make up for flaws by combining cultivation methods.
• Zhao Er traveled to the county town and went to Hundred Herbs Hall to meet Zhao Cai.
• Zhao Er showed Zhao Cai dried centipedes and a pair of two-pronged velvet antlers, and Zhao Cai inspected the antlers.

Zhao Er sold his medicinal ingredients to Zhao Cai for thirty-one taels and five mace of silver, then visited Zhao Da and Ning Mu with a deer leg. He revealed that he had broken through to the Blood Condensation Realm and agreed to spar with Zhao Da.

• Zhao Cai bought Zhao Er's Deer Antler Velvet, Deerskin, and Dried Centipedes for thirty-one taels and five mace of silver.
• Zhao Er met Tiger at the Hundred Herbs Hall and saw that Tiger had begun practicing the Ginseng Spirit Art.
• Zhao Er visited Zhao Da and Ning Mu and brought them a deer leg from his hunt.
• Zhao Er told Zhao Da and Ning Mu that he had broken through to the Blood Condensation Realm using the Five Poisons Art.
• Zhao Da invited Zhao Er to spar, and Zhao Er agreed to test his combat strength.

Zhao Er sparred with Zhao Da, whose orthodox training and superior strength quickly overcame Zhao Er’s Five Poisons Fist. Zhao Er then demonstrated that his Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue carried poison, leaving Zhao Da shocked by the move’s effect.

• Zhao Er opened the spar by attacking Zhao Da’s eyes with Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue and followed with a palm strike, but Zhao Da’s tough body absorbed the blow.
• Zhao Er tried to bind Zhao Da with Spider Entangling Hands, but Zhao Da broke free and pressed him back with powerful punches.
• Zhao Da ended the spar and told Zhao Er that the Five Poisons Art lacked the refined force of orthodox martial arts, suggesting he switch styles.
• Zhao Er invited Zhao Da to test Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue again and tapped his chest three times with little apparent force.
• Zhao Da discovered that the three taps had left painful, swollen marks and expelled poisoned blood from his chest, then asked Zhao Er if the move had carried poison.

After Zhao Er demonstrated the strength of his Heavenly Dragon Toxin, he discussed how to improve his combat skills with Zhao Da and Ning Mu. He decided to prioritize movement techniques and conceal his toxin as a trump card, and Ning Mu recommended the government office's Martial Pavilion for choosing a weapon manual.

• Zhao Er explained that his Heavenly Dragon Toxin was centipede venom, and Zhao Da confirmed it had left him in pain despite purging it.
• Zhao Da stopped worrying about Zhao Er's rapid progress and joined him in celebrating his breakthrough.
• Zhao Er said he wanted to learn a movement technique and another fist technique, but Zhao Da advised that weapons were more useful than fists against armed martial artists.
• Zhao Er accepted that movement techniques should be his priority and resolved to hide his toxin as a final trump card.
• Ning Mu suggested that Zhao Er visit the government office's Martial Pavilion to have his aptitude assessed and choose a suitable weapon manual.

Zhao Er sold three damaged Golden Silk Nets to the Ning Family and received a token that would help him at the Martial Pavilion. After he left, Ning Mu and Zhao Da realized the nets had likely been damaged by a variant beast and decided to dispose of them discreetly; Zhao Er then reached the government Martial Pavilion.

• Zhao Er accepted fifteen taels for the three Golden Silk Nets and received an iron token from Ning Mu to waive the Martial Pavilion's aptitude-testing fee and get a discount on manuals.
• Ning Mu told Zhao Da to have the nets melted down at the family shop so their connection to a possible variant beast would not draw attention.
• Ning Mu explained that the nets' unusual damage suggested a variant beast had torn them, and Zhao Da agreed to help keep the matter quiet.
• Ning Mu praised Zhao Er's rapid progress and urged Zhao Da to train harder, prompting him to add several hours to his daily practice.
• Zhao Er went to the government Martial Pavilion beside the magistrate's office, where manuals were sold, though few cultivation manuals were available.

Zhao Er visited an old man to have his bone structure assessed and receive advice on weapons and manuals. After paying him for more guidance, Zhao Er was offered the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art, which could complement his Five Poisons Art but required enduring extreme pain.

• Zhao Er arrived at the deserted place and asked the old man to assess his bone structure, recommend a weapon, and help him choose a manual.
• The old man accepted Zhao Er’s Iron Token, judged his physique average, and explained which body types suited different weapons.
• Zhao Er paid the old man half a tael of silver, and the old man squeezed his bones while describing how physique affected weapon choices.
• Unsatisfied with the brief assessment, Zhao Er offered the old man five taels of silver for more advice.
• The old man brought out the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art and Eight Methods of the Classic Twin Halberds, recommending the Golden Armor Art as a compatible but painfully difficult companion to Zhao Er’s Five Poisons Art.

Zhao Er bought the first three turns of the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art from Dian Zhang and learned that County Town's Twelfth-Month Grand Examination was less than half a year away. He inspected the manual and discovered that its body-tempering methods required striking himself with metal-filled sandbags.

• Dian Zhang offered Zhao Er the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art for sixty taels and the Eight Methods of the Classic Twin Halberds for ten, explaining that Zhao Er's token reduced the combined price to fifty taels.
• Dian Zhang explained that only the first three turns of the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art were sold in County Town and told Zhao Er about the upcoming Twelfth-Month Grand Examination.
• Zhao Er spent forty-five taels on the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art and asked the old man his name; Dian Zhang introduced himself and mentioned his favorite liquor.
• Zhao Er suspected Dian Zhang had sold him his family's martial arts, then examined the manual and learned its first three levels were the Iron Armor Body, Copper Armor Body, and Silver Armor Body.

Zhao Er mastered the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art’s first threshold almost instantly, impressing Dian Zhang and earning a promise of a great opportunity if he reached its third layer by year’s end. He returned to the Ning Family to ask about obtaining Iron Dregs as cheap material for cultivation.

• Zhao Er tried to fuse the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art but found no compatible art, then circulated it and formed an iron-like armor over his skin.
• Dian Zhang tested Zhao Er’s body, was stunned by how quickly he had crossed the art’s threshold, and promised him a great opportunity if he reached the third layer before the end of the year.
• Zhao Er accepted Dian Zhang’s challenge and left the Martial Pavilion.
• Zhao Er returned to the Ning Family, where Zhao Da and Ning Mu asked whether he needed money for the manual.
• Zhao Er asked how the family disposed of the waste from its smithy, and Ning Mu explained that the unusable residue was called Iron Dregs.

Zhao Er learned about the Grand Exam and the four powers competing to train its candidates, then returned to the village with Iron Dregs for cultivating the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art. He was determined to prepare for the exam and seize the opportunity Dian Zhang had described.

• Ning Mu agreed to send Iron Dregs from the Ning Family Smithy to Zhao Er’s home and arranged for him to meet the workers.
• Ning Mu explained that the Grand Exam selected martial artists for the prefecture government and Clear Source Sect, while rewarding the top candidates and their factions.
• Zhao Da described the strength required to enter, and Ning Mu said the Qian Family, Green Mountain Merchant Association, Martial Arts Hall Alliance, and Red Tiger Gang were preparing candidates.
• Ning Mu advised Zhao Er to join a faction if he reached Bone Tempering before the exam so he could gain protection and cultivation resources.
• Ning Mu arranged a cart carrying two sacks of Iron Dregs, and Zhao Er rode it back to the village.
• Zhao Er took a sack into the Side Room and prepared to cultivate the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art.

Zhao Er endured the painful cultivation of the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art and found that it progressed too slowly to satisfy him, making earning money his priority. After four days of training and trapping centipedes in the Clear Radiance Mountains, he heard that the protection-money collectors had returned.

• Zhao Er cultivated the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art using Iron Dregs, easing its pain by first practicing the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Body.
• Zhao Er's settlement showed gains of five points in the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Body and two points in the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art, so he decided to prioritize making money.
• Zhao Er joined his parents and Zhao Shan for a meal after finishing his cultivation.
• Over the next four days, Zhao Er trained daily, increased his centipede traps from three to six, and caught a half-grown wild boar but no large stag.
• Zhao Shan ran to Zhao Er and warned him that the people collecting protection money had arrived again.

Zhao Er prepared for the protection collectors, confident that his recent cultivation had strengthened him enough to fight them. At the village ancestral hall, collector Yang extorted the villagers and threatened Zhao Damin over protection money for a child who had died.

• Zhao Er checked his cultivation progress and led Zhao Shan out of the house to watch the protection collectors.
• Yang demanded protection money from Zhao Family Village residents and kicked Zhao Changde after he paid.
• Two gang underlings discussed Yang’s harsh collection tactics and said the gang was using him to help identify the person who killed Li San.
• Yang insisted Zhao Damin pay for six family members despite his third child’s death, and mocked him for refusing to dig up the child’s body.
• When Zhao Damin said he had not brought enough money, Yang raised his club to strike him.

Zhao Er revealed his martial prowess when he stopped Yang from beating Zhao Damin, then injured Yang and told the Longwind Gang members he would visit their headquarters in three days. Though he reassured his family, Zhao Er left for town in the middle of the night to scout the gang and seek a chance to ambush its leader.

• Yang tried to strike Zhao Damin, but Zhao Er blocked the club with his arm and revealed he had become a martial artist.
• Zhao Er broke Yang’s thigh with the club and ordered the other Longwind Gang members to collect only the money owed before reporting his name and planned visit to their leader.
• Zhao Er told the village chief that the villagers still had to pay the county’s protection money, then returned home to train.
• Zhao Er’s parents worried about his planned visit to the Longwind Gang, but he gave them little explanation.
• Zhao Er slipped out of the house at midnight and headed to town to scout the Longwind Gang Leader and look for an opportunity to ambush him.

Zhao Er followed the Longwind Gang Leader from a celebratory banquet and discovered him secretly digging up a fresh grave. The chapter ended as the gang leader reached to open the coffin, calling to the beauty inside to help him break through to the bone tempering realm.

• Zhao Er watched the Longwind Gang Leader send carts of copper coins to the town's money house before riding toward County Town with a wooden box.
• Zhao Er returned that evening and followed the Longwind Gang Leader after he left the banquet alone.
• The Longwind Gang Leader avoided the residential area and headed into the woods, where Zhao Er heard digging.
• Zhao Er found the Longwind Gang Leader digging up a fresh grave surrounded by candles.
• The Longwind Gang Leader struck the coffin, discarded his shovel, and reached for the lid while addressing the beauty inside.

Zhao Er ambushed Longwind Gang Leader Luo Yu at a graveyard, but Luo Yu’s hardened body and yin-poison palm strike initially seemed to give him the advantage. Zhao Er revealed that his own poison had taken effect, then broke through Luo Yu’s weakened defenses and struck his exposed chest and organs.

• Zhao Er watched Luo Yu open a coffin and begin practicing an unorthodox martial art that used a corpse’s yin energy.
• Zhao Er distracted Luo Yu with a thrown stone, then attacked him from behind with a billhook.
• Luo Yu’s body resisted Zhao Er’s billhook and kick, and his palm strike sent Zhao Er flying while inflicting yin poison.
• Luo Yu waited for the yin poison to take effect, but Zhao Er revealed he was waiting for his own poison to work.
• Zhao Er saw Luo Yu’s chest turn dark red, rushed in, slashed open his chest, and struck his internal organs with three forceful palm blows.

Zhao Er killed the Longwind Gang Leader, collected his spoils, and learned that the Yin Body Art cultivated through yin energy rather than the gruesome practice he had feared. He began fusing it with the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art and ended the chapter by tasting an unfamiliar pill.

• Zhao Er defeated Luo Yu with the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art and poison, then searched his clothes and found a manual, a money pouch, and two bottles of pills.
• Zhao Er reburied the woman in the coffin, carried Luo Yu's corpse out of the woods, and received assassination rewards that included two skill points and increased Poison Resistance.
• Zhao Er dumped Luo Yu's corpse near the Longwind Gang headquarters and hurried home to inspect the Yin Body Art manual.
• Zhao Er learned how the Yin Body Art absorbed yin energy and discovered that the Longwind Gang Leader's corpse-related behavior was unrelated to the art.
• Zhao Er spent four skill points to fuse the Yin Body Art with the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art, a process that would take six days.
• Zhao Er counted fifty taels of silver, sniffed a pill from one of the bottles, and swallowed it.

Zhao Er dealt with an unexpected aphrodisiac before learning that the Longwind Gang had come to Zhao Family Village. Gao Du offered to wipe away past grudges and recruit Zhao Er, leaving the gang’s new leader and their relationship unresolved.

• Zhao Er mistakenly swallowed an aphrodisiac, spent the night cultivating the five poisons returning to origin body, then took a genuine cultivation pill the next morning.
• Zhao Shan told Zhao Er that Longwind Gang members were approaching the village, and Zhao Er went to meet them as Zhao Dazhu and villagers followed.
• The village chief identified the smiling leader of the visitors as Gao Du, the Longwind Gang’s deputy leader.
• Gao Du brought the badly injured Yang, said he had been punished and expelled, and announced that the gang would collect only eighty percent of Zhao Family Village’s protection fees.
• Gao Du said the previous leader had met with an accident, declared himself the new leader, and offered Zhao Er a deputy position or a recommendation to the Red Tiger Gang.

Zhao Er settled the Longwind Gang’s relationship with Zhao Family Village, then traveled to County Town to buy a halberd manual. After learning Zhao Er cultivated with painful, free Iron Dregs, Dian Zhang offered him a path to more advanced techniques and considered trying the method himself.

• Zhao Er declined to join the Longwind Gang, and Gao Du promised that the gang would no longer harass Zhao Family Village.
• Zhao Er accepted Gao Du’s gifts and told Zhao Dazhu to distribute them among the villagers.
• Zhao Er went to County Town to buy the Dian Clan Eight Methods of Twin Halberds, explaining to Dian Zhang that he used Iron Dregs to cultivate the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art.
• Dian Zhang reacted with shock to Zhao Er’s account of enduring the pain and called him ruthless.
• Dian Zhang gave Zhao Er the Basic Halberd Art and promised a more advanced manual once Zhao Er mastered it, then wondered whether to try Iron Dregs himself.

Zhao Er practiced the Dian Clan Eight Methods of Twin Halberds, then spent six days training and earning money in the mountains. He discovered that the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art and Yin Body Art had fused into the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art, whose new cultivation method he was eager to test.

• Zhao Er bought pain-relieving poisonous herbs and a pair of heavy Twin Iron Halberds, then studied the Dian Clan Eight Methods of Twin Halberds.
• Zhao Er gained basic proficiency in the Twin Halberd Art and practiced through the day, exhausting himself before cultivating late into the night.
• Zhao Er realized that his Blood Condensation Pills would soon run out, so he took baskets made by Zhang Xuan'e and went into the mountains to earn money.
• Six days later, Zhao Er checked his panel and saw that the Nine-Turn Golden Armor Art and Yin Body Art had fused into the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art.
• Zhao Er learned that the fused art could absorb nearby metal and yin energy through circulation alone, and he prepared to test it.

Zhao Er cultivated the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art with yin qi, which fused and purified the toxins in his body and increased his cultivation speed. He discovered that his new toxin could kill a tree, then continued training as his need for Iron Dregs grew.

• Zhao Er cultivated on a sack of Iron Dregs and endured the art’s ice-like pain until ingested poisons eased it.
• Yin qi catalyzed the fusion of Zhao Er’s toxins, and his skin turned gray-black as the cultivation became easier.
• Zhao Er’s panel showed increased gains in the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Body and the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art, and the Iron Dregs beneath him crumbled into powder.
• Zhao Er tested his new toxin on a tree, leaving a faintly chilling palm mark that caused the tree to wither over the next two days.
• Zhao Er chopped down the dying tree and trained more diligently, while his consumption of Iron Dregs began to outpace deliveries.
• Zhao Er sat in the Side Room and drew yin qi from underground and nearby metal into his body.

Zhao Er completed the first turn of the Nine-Turn Golden Body Art, strengthening his body enough to withstand a strike from his Iron Halberd. With yin energy running low at home, he went deeper into the Clear Radiance Mountains, where he caught a wild boar and met the White Marten again.

• Zhao Er completed Iron Body, and the gray-black transformation faded when he withdrew his power.
• Zhao Er realized his iron dregs and the yin energy around his home were running low, and considered seeking a new cultivation site.
• Zhao Er practiced his Halberd Art, gathered centipedes from his traps, and headed to check his animal traps in the Clear Radiance Mountains.
• Zhao Er found a wild boar caught in his trap and killed it with his Iron Halberd as the other boar and piglets fled.
• The White Marten appeared carrying a small black snake and offered it to Zhao Er, then ate it when he declined.

Zhao Er followed White Marten deeper into the mountains after it urged him to come along. At a lakeside clearing, he found White Marten fighting a huge black snake and realized why the small animal had sought his help.

• Zhao Er finished resetting the boar trap and prepared to leave with the dead boar, but White Marten stopped him and signaled for him to follow.
• Zhao Er set down the boar and followed White Marten through the mountains, avoiding dangers along the way.
• After nearly an hour, White Marten led Zhao Er to shrubs at the edge of a clearing and rushed ahead.
• Zhao Er crept through the shrubs and saw White Marten battling a huge black snake beside a lake.

Zhao Er ambushed a Variant Beast black snake while the White Marten distracted it, then fought through its venom to kill it. He and the White Marten remained beside the dead snake as the venomous smoke began to clear.

• Zhao Er watched the White Marten battle the black snake and realized the snake was a Variant Beast with valuable materials.
• Zhao Er coated himself in yin qi to lower his body temperature, then crept behind a tree while the White Marten distracted the snake.
• The White Marten charged, and Zhao Er leaped out and struck the black snake's head and vital area with his Twin Iron Halberds.
• The black snake sprayed corrosive venom, but Zhao Er clamped onto its body and repeatedly hacked at its wound with his remaining Iron Halberd.
• Zhao Er stopped attacking when the snake's coils weakened, and he saw the White Marten sitting on the black snake's head as the smoke dissipated.

After killing the Blackwater Strange Serpent, Zhao Er absorbed its poison and received settlement rewards that strengthened his techniques. He realized the White Marten had used him to obtain the poisonous fruit, but agreed they could cooperate and take separate spoils.

• Zhao Er practiced the Five Poisons Returning to Origin Body, absorbing the serpent’s poison and making rapid progress.
• The settlement panel rewarded Zhao Er for killing the Variant Beast, raising his skills and Poison Resistance.
• The White Marten ate the black fruit and a small snake, and Zhao Er realized it had wanted the Spirit Plant guarded by the serpent.
• Zhao Er claimed the Black Viper, released his centipedes, and searched for his damaged Iron Halberds to extract the serpent’s blood essence.
• Zhao Er invited the White Marten to return with him, and it perched on his shoulder, showing that it welcomed their cooperation.

Zhao Er returned to the village with the Black Viper, a variant beast, and took it to County Town to find a buyer through Ning Mu. Ning Mu identified it as a Blackwater Strange Serpent and explained its valuable hide and connection to Blackwater Fruit.

• Zhao Er came home with the Black Viper, told his parents to borrow a donkey cart, and kept the serpent’s Poison Gland for his cultivation.
• Zhao Er transported the serpent to County Town and chose to ask Ning Mu to help find a buyer, offering her twenty percent of the sale price.
• Ning Mu confirmed that the dead serpent was a variant beast, while Zhao Da examined Zhao Er’s damaged Twin Iron Halberds and praised his strength.
• Zhao Er described the Blackwater Strange Serpent’s strength and venom, and Ning Mu consulted a book identifying its blackwater venom, protective hide, and association with Blackwater Fruit.

Ning Mu arranged to sell the Blackwater Strange Serpent to the Sun Family, and Sun Yuanying came to inspect it. Zhao Er watched in shock as Sun Yuanying pierced the serpent's tough hide with two fingers.

• Ning Mu explained the value of the Blackwater Strange Serpent and proposed selling it to the wealthy Sun Family rather than inviting competing factions to bid.
• Zhao Er agreed to let Ning Mu handle the sale and pursue a connection with the Sun Family.
• Zhao Er recounted the hunt to Zhao Da while keeping White Marten's role vague.
• Ning Mu returned with Sun Yuanying, the Sun Family's young martial genius, to inspect the serpent.
• Sun Yuanying pierced the Blackwater Strange Serpent's hide with two fingers, astonishing Zhao Er.