Chapter Summaries

After discovering that a wounded second-tier wolf demon had slaughtered the White Shark Gang’s Clearwind Town branch, Mo Yun tracked it into the mountains and killed it despite suffering several injuries. He absorbed its energy, gained two black points, and prepared to spend them.

• Mo Yun told Zhao Gang and Huang Shan that the demon had wiped out the White Shark Gang’s Clearwind Town branch, then set off alone to hunt it while they stayed behind to report the deaths and bury the fallen.
• Following the demonic scent through the forest, Mo Yun found the severely wounded wolf demon hiding in a cave.
• Mo Yun ambushed the wolf demon, endured several claw wounds, and killed it with repeated punches to its chest.
• Mo Yun absorbed the wolf demon’s energy, filled the Black Seal twice, and gained two black points.
• Mo Yun sat down and focused on the Virtual Panel, ready to add points.

Mo Yun improved his Tiger-Crouching Force and life value before returning to Clearwind Town with Huang Shan and Zhao Gang. At Sanyuan Village, he discovered Er Ya’s parents had been killed and exposed Er Ya as a demon possessing a little girl’s body, leaving the others stunned as she laughed strangely.

• Mo Yun spent two black points to advance Tiger-Crouching Force and used a white point to raise his life value, sharpening his perception and understanding.
• Mo Yun returned to Clearwind Town and reunited with the relieved Huang Shan and Zhao Gang before they set off for Crouching Tiger Manor the next morning.
• Mo Yun sensed blood near Sanyuan Village, and the village chief told him that Er Ya’s parents had been killed, possibly by a demon.
• Mo Yun, Huang Shan, and Zhao Gang found Er Ya’s parents’ mutilated bodies, and Er Ya ran to them in despair, blaming them for not arriving sooner.
• Mo Yun seized Er Ya by the neck and accused her of being a demon possessing a human child; Er Ya answered with a strange laugh.

Mo Yun was trapped by Painted Skin in an illusion of his former life, where he struggled to distinguish dreams from reality. After his martial cultivation surfaced and he broke free, he killed Painted Skin and returned to the courtyard in Sanyuan Village.

• Painted Skin engulfed the courtyard in black mist and used an illusion to make Mo Yun believe he was back in high school with Lin Ruoshui and Huang Shan.
• Mo Yun lived through a school day in the illusion as memories of Sanyuan Village and his martial life faded from his mind.
• A runaway dump truck triggered Mo Yun's martial power, and he stopped it with a single punch, causing his memories of both worlds to return.
• Painted Skin tried to convince Mo Yun that his cultivation was only a dying fantasy, but he seized her through the illusion.
• Mo Yun struck Painted Skin's head with his White Tiger-backed fist, destroying her and shattering the illusion.
• Mo Yun awoke in the courtyard in Sanyuan Village beside Painted Skin's headless body.

Mo Yun absorbed Painted Skin’s energy and spent his black points to advance Tiger-Crouching Force to mastery, raising his cultivation to peak Bright Force. The chapter ended with him noticing that the breakthrough had filled his White Mark more than halfway, while he resolved to reach Dark Force.

• Mo Yun absorbed Painted Skin’s energy, gained roughly one and a half black points, and reflected on how Tiger’s Roar in the Mountains Intent had broken the demon’s illusion.
• Mo Yun spent three black points to advance Tiger-Crouching Force from minor attainment to mastery.
• Mo Yun experienced the memories of years of training and felt his force energy grow far stronger and refine faster.
• Mo Yun’s cultivation rose from late Bright Strength to peak Bright Force, and he realized he would need a higher-level method to advance beyond Dark Force.
• Mo Yun checked his White Mark and discovered it was more than half full after his breakthrough.

Mo Yun and his companions recovered from the Painted Skin’s illusion after Mo Yun killed the demon, then hurried back to Crouching Tiger Manor, determined to avoid further danger and grow stronger. Commander Li learned they had faced both a first-rank Painted Skin and a second-tier wolf demon, and was stunned that they had survived.

• Mo Yun revived Huang Shan and Zhao Gang after defeating the Painted Skin, and the servants and old village chief thanked him for saving Sanyuan Village.
• Huang Shan explained that Painted Skin flesh was too corrosive and mentally contaminating to eat or use as medicine.
• Mo Yun declined the villagers’ offers of food and gifts, then led his group back toward Crouching Tiger Manor so he could focus on cultivating.
• The group traveled through the night without further incident, while Zhao Gang watched for demons and Mo Yun considered how to fight after his breakthrough.
• Commander Li met them at the manor gates and asked whether they had encountered demons; Zhao Gang told him they had faced a second-tier demon as well as a first-rank one.
• Commander Li was astonished and asked how they had made it back alive.

After returning from the demon hunt, Mo Yun accepted Commander Li’s warning about facing demons unprepared and learned that Zhou Bo had compiled an illustrated Demon Compendium. He rested, trained, and studied the Bone-Strengthening Pill formula, then headed to the Spirit Herb Garden to borrow the book and ask for ingredients to begin refining pills.

• Mo Yun told Commander Li how Han Lie had mortally wounded the Wolf Demon and how Mo Yun had killed it, while keeping the Black-and-White Seal’s role secret.
• Commander Li reprimanded Mo Yun for tracking demons alone, granted the group several days off, and explained that the upcoming large purge required dark force cultivation.
• Commander Li told Mo Yun that Zhou Bo had compiled an illustrated Demon Compendium and that a suitable smaller purge assignment might be available later.
• Mo Yun returned home, practiced the Nameless Fist Technique, and studied the Bone-Strengthening Pill formula before going to sleep.
• Mo Yun trained at North Mountain the next morning, then headed to the Spirit Herb Garden to borrow Zhou Bo’s Demon Compendium and ask for pill ingredients.

Mo Yun visited the Spirit Herb Garden, received Zhou Bo’s Demon-Slaying Record and ingredients for Bone-Strengthening Pills, and was invited to become his disciple. He refused because he could not leave Crouching Tiger Manor, while Zhou Bo turned his attention to Han Tang.

• Mo Yun told Xiao Liu, Tie Zhu, Tang Yin, Luo Shan, and the others about his encounters with demons, prompting them to react to his growing strength and their own martial ambitions.
• Mo Yun found Zhou Bo practicing the Tiger-Crouching Fist and recognized that his slow, unadorned movements showed a realm beyond Mo Yun’s mastery.
• Zhou Bo gave Mo Yun the Demon-Slaying Record and ten sets of ingredients for refining Bone-Strengthening Pills.
• Zhou Bo asked Mo Yun to leave Crouching Tiger Manor with him as his disciple, but Mo Yun declined because he wanted to continue his martial training there.
• Zhou Bo told Mo Yun to seek Pill Dao guidance and ingredients from Liu Niang after he left, then called Han Tang over, while Mo Yun wondered whether Zhou Bo’s surname might actually be Mo.

Mo Yun studied Zhou Bo’s Demon-Slaying Record, examined Han Lie’s Body-Guarding Art, and continued training and refining pills during his leave. On his final day off, he visited the Spirit Herb Garden to have Liu Niang assess his pills, and she was astonished by how quickly he had refined them and by their quality.

• Mo Yun memorized thirty entries from Zhou Bo’s Demon-Slaying Record and decided to study the book daily.
• Mo Yun read Han Lie’s Body-Guarding Art, learned it could strengthen the body from within, and chose to save his black point for reaching dark force.
• Mo Yun spent his four days of leave training, studying, and refining Bone-Strengthening Pills, succeeding after six failed attempts and producing two bottles.
• Mo Yun gained another black point and went to the Spirit Herb Garden to ask Zhou Bo about the pills, but Liu Niang told him Zhou Bo had left with Han Tang as his disciple.
• Mo Yun gave Liu Niang the two bottles of Bone-Strengthening Pills, and she was surprised by his quick success and the pills’ quality.

Mo Yun refined high-quality Bone-Strengthening Pills, sold them to Huang Shan, and registered for the second-class guard selection. He then headed to find Qin Hu for a spar to test his strength against an early dark force martial artist.

• Mo Yun successfully refined Bone-Strengthening Pills, and Liu Niang praised their quality before giving him a Tiger-Strength Pills formula and advice on advancing his pill-refinement skills.
• Mo Yun sold two bottles of Bone-Strengthening Pills to Huang Shan at a discount, and she told him registration had opened for the second-class guard selection.
• Mo Yun and Huang Shan registered for the selection, with the steward reacting in surprise when Mo Yun said he had reached peak bright force.
• Huang Shan predicted that she, Mo Yun, and Zhao Gang would be assigned to a new permanent squad after the incident in Clearwind Town, and she arranged to see Mo Yun the next day.
• Mo Yun went to find Qin Hu for a spar so he could test himself against an early dark force martial artist.

Mo Yun asked Qin Hu to spar after reaching peak bright force, and Qin Hu tested him with his saber. Mo Yun proved unexpectedly resilient against Qin Hu’s dark force, but Qin Hu landed a penetrating strike that left him staggered and bleeding.

• Mo Yun visited Qin Hu and asked him to spar, revealing that he had reached peak bright force.
• Qin Hu agreed to test Mo Yun and charged with a dark-force saber strike, which Mo Yun dodged before counterattacking with Tiger-Crouching Fist.
• Qin Hu launched a fierce saber assault, while Mo Yun dodged and blocked through more than twenty exchanges.
• Qin Hu became alarmed by Mo Yun’s strength, durability, and recovery, then changed his Blade Momentum to exploit an opening.
• Qin Hu struck Mo Yun in the chest with dark force, making him stagger back and bleed.

Mo Yun sparred with Qin Hu and proved capable of challenging an early dark force martial artist despite being at peak bright force. After settling into squad duties and continuing his training, Mo Yun felt the Nameless Fist Technique nearing a breakthrough.

• Mo Yun and Qin Hu fought until Mo Yun called a halt, and Qin Hu realized Mo Yun could likely defeat someone at early dark force.
• Mo Yun reflected on dark force, his own growing strength, and the physical advantages demons possessed.
• Qin Hu told Mo Yun that leaders from major factions had joined a mountain hunt, killed two third-tier demons, and bought the surrounding counties a temporary period of peace.
• Mo Yun formed a four-person squad with Huang Shan, Zhao Gang, and Huang Wenjie, then continued his duties and cultivation.
• Mo Yun memorized the Demon Compendium, began working on Marrow-Washing Pills, and accumulated five black points.
• While practicing the Nameless Fist Technique before dawn, Mo Yun sensed that he was close to a breakthrough.

Mo Yun broke through the Nameless Fist Technique, gained a dramatic increase in strength, and tested its power. His practice was interrupted by a gray-robed elder whose dangerous presence and undetectable cultivation suggested he had surpassed dark force.

• Mo Yun perfected the Nameless Fist Technique, raising his constitution to 15.1 and his defense to 11.6.
• Mo Yun tested his new strength and shattered a bluestone boulder with a punch from a distance.
• Mo Yun saw that his White Mark was eighty percent full and reflected on the greater rarity of internal cultivation methods.
• Mo Yun heard a faint sound in the woods and confronted an elderly man in a plain gray robe.
• Mo Yun sensed that the elder was extremely dangerous but could detect no cultivation aura, leading him to conclude that the man had surpassed dark force.

Mo Yun impressed Lin Yanshan by revealing that he had expanded the Nameless Test Fist into a powerful art, and Lin promised him a surprise once he reached dark force. After Lin vanished, Mo Yun resumed training, expecting to break through soon and considering the upcoming Second-Class Guard selection.

• Lin Yanshan approached Mo Yun and asked whether he had developed the variations in the Nameless Test Fist himself.
• Mo Yun claimed he had expanded the crude test art by drawing on the Tiger-Crouching Fist, and Lin praised him as a Martial Dao prodigy.
• Lin Yanshan revealed his name in his thoughts and reflected on the Tiger-Crouching Fist's origins before telling Mo Yun he would return when Mo Yun reached dark force.
• Lin Yanshan vanished, leaving Mo Yun uncertain whether he was the Village Master.
• Mo Yun resumed practicing, judged that he was only days from finishing tempering his force energy, and thought about the upcoming Second-Class Guard selection.

Mo Yun realized that practicing the Nameless Fist Technique would advance faster than the Tiger-Crouching Fist, while he studied the difficult Marrow-Washing Pill formula and went to the Spirit Herb Garden for ingredients. There, Tang Yin asked about the mysterious techniques Mo Yun had mentioned, and Mo Yun suggested ten-year solitary bamboo as a clue.

• Mo Yun found that mastering the Nameless Fist Technique had deepened his understanding of the Tiger-Crouching Fist, but estimated that perfecting the latter would take two years.
• Mo Yun decided to keep practicing the Nameless Fist Technique and wait to see whether the Village Master would give him a higher-level martial art.
• After seven days of study, Mo Yun understood the Marrow-Washing Pill formula and headed to the Spirit Herb Garden to ask Liu Niang for refining ingredients.
• Xiao Liu was astonished that Mo Yun had already begun studying the Marrow-Washing Pill formula.
• Tang Yin asked Mo Yun about Blue Silver Entanglement and the Invincible Golden Body, and Mo Yun told him to try ten-year solitary bamboo.

Mo Yun gave Xiao Liu martial arts advice, received ingredients and pill formulas from Liu Niang, and spent two days preparing to break through to dark force. At dawn on North Mountain, his force energy reached its limit and began transforming into his first wisp of dark force.

• Tang Yin left to write to his parents after Mo Yun mentioned Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo, while Mo Yun admitted he could not read Zhang Qiang’s fate.
• Mo Yun answered Xiao Liu’s questions about Tiger-Crouching Fist and learned that Luo Shan was taking the Fourth-Class Guard selection examination.
• Mo Yun visited Liu Niang, confirmed he had understood the Marrow-Washing Pill formula, and received ten sets of ingredients and word that Zhou Bo had left him more ingredients and first-tier pill formulas.
• Mo Yun returned to North Mountain and trained for two days, aiming to break through to dark force before the Second-Class Guard selection examination.
• Before dawn, Mo Yun took three pills and practiced until his force energy reached its limit and began transforming into dark force.

Mo Yun broke through to early dark force, discovered its power and the limits of his lone wisp, then set out for the Second-Class Guard Selection. Before he could leave, the mysterious old man he suspected was the Village Master confronted him in shock at his breakthrough.

• Mo Yun compressed his bright force into his dantian, opened a sea of qi, and condensed his first wisp of dark force.
• Mo Yun tested his new strength by touching a boulder with dark force, then shattered it from within with a light tap.
• Mo Yun checked the Virtual Panel and saw his cultivation reach early dark force as his constitution and defense rose sharply.
• Mo Yun discovered his dark force was depleted after one move and realized he needed a higher-level cultivation art.
• Mo Yun headed toward the Manor Guard Administration for the Second-Class Guard Selection, but the mysterious old man appeared and asked if he had already broken through to dark force.

Mo Yun revealed that he had reached Dark Force and major mastery in Tiger-Crouching Force, stunning Lin Yanshan. Lin Yanshan took him toward the Inner Court to teach him the next martial arts and promised to promote him directly to First-Class Guard, but ended by asking whether Mo Yun wanted a wife.

• Lin Yanshan was astonished to learn that Mo Yun had broken through to Dark Force and reached major mastery in Tiger-Crouching Force.
• Mo Yun explained his rapid progress by saying he experienced enlightenment every few days.
• Lin Yanshan told Mo Yun to skip the Second-Class Guard selection and followed by revealing he would promote him to First-Class Guard.
• Mo Yun recognized Lin Yanshan as the Village Master and hurried after him toward the Inner Court.
• Lin Yanshan said he planned to teach Mo Yun the subsequent martial arts, then stopped and asked whether Mo Yun wanted a wife.

Lin Yanshan tried to arrange a marriage between Mo Yun and his daughter, but Mo Yun insisted he only cared about martial arts. He then brought Mo Yun to his residence and returned carrying several old books.

• Lin Yanshan asked Mo Yun whether he wanted a wife and offered to help him start a family, but Mo Yun refused because he wanted to focus on martial arts.
• Lin Yanshan revealed that he wanted to match Mo Yun with his daughter, and Mo Yun rejected the idea without regret.
• Lin Yanshan told Mo Yun that his daughter was away on a long trip, and Mo Yun visibly felt relieved.
• Lin Yanshan brought Mo Yun into a spacious hall, told him to wait, and returned from his study with several old books.

Lin Yanshan taught Mo Yun the stages of dark-force cultivation and gave him the Tiger-Crouching lineage’s manuals, while judging his limit physique exceptionally suited to combat without weapons. Mo Yun left with a Black Iron Token and planned to use his points to rapidly improve his cultivation methods.

• Lin Yanshan gave Mo Yun the Demon-Subduing Scripture and explained the four stages of dark force, from inner nourishment to the peak Divine Spirit Realm.
• Mo Yun realized the mystic energy he had sensed could help him overcome the meridian-opening stage.
• Lin Yanshan gave Mo Yun the Black Tiger Leap movement manual and explained that Tiger-Crouching Fist was the lineage’s sole core combat art.
• Lin Yanshan told Mo Yun that his exceptional limit physique would make his body a better weapon than saber techniques once he reached middle dark force.
• Lin Yanshan gave Mo Yun a Black Iron Token, promised to arrange his promotion to First-Class Guard, and told him to return after studying the manuals.
• Mo Yun left the Main Court eager to spend points on his cultivation methods and perfect the White Mark.

Mo Yun used three black points to advance the Demon-Subduing Scripture, strengthening his dark force and physique, then studied the Black Tiger Leap manual. He ended the chapter wanting to learn more techniques but lacking the black points to do so.

• Mo Yun returned to his courtyard and found that manually practicing the Demon-Subduing Scripture made little progress.
• Mo Yun spent three black points to bring the Demon-Subduing Scripture to first glimpse of the way, increasing his constitution and defense as the technique began refining his dark force automatically.
• Mo Yun noticed that Tiger-Crouching Stance had disappeared from the Virtual Panel and saw that advancing the Demon-Subduing Scripture again would cost five black points.
• Mo Yun noted that his White Mark had reached about eighty-five percent progress and hoped better pills would help him earn black points faster.
• Mo Yun read the Black Tiger Leap manual, which the Virtual Panel recorded, and decided he also wanted to learn it and the Body-Guarding Art.