Chapter Summaries

Chen Jue explored the mountains near Wazhai, practicing the Eaves-Walking and Wall-Scaling Skill as he traveled nearly fifty kilometers in the morning. He spotted rock cabbage growing on a cliff and began climbing toward it.

• Chen Jue practiced the Eaves-Walking and Wall-Scaling Skill on a morning run to town and raised it to Level 1 on the return trip.
• Chen Jue packed supplies and trekked northwest from Wazhai through abandoned villages and dense forest.
• Chen Jue reached a stream near noon after traveling nearly fifty kilometers, checked his map, and rested while reviewing his improved skill and attributes.
• Chen Jue continued deeper into the mountains in search of medicinal herbs but found no valuable ingredients.
• Chen Jue spotted rock cabbage on a sheer cliff, left his backpack below, and sprang up the rock face to climb toward the flowers.

Chen Jue climbed a sheer cliff to collect bergenia and perfected his Wudang Golden Needle Finger Skill, gaining the Golden Needle Iron Fingers status. After discovering he could pierce the rock with his fingers, he used them to descend safely and marveled at their toughness.

• Chen Jue caught tiny cracks in the cliff with his trained fingers and climbed about a hundred meters to pick a bergenia plant.
• Chen Jue found that climbing had nearly raised his Wudang Golden Needle Finger Skill to its next level, then spent 0.02 free attribute points to perfect it.
• Chen Jue gained the Golden Needle Iron Fingers status, which increased his fingers' grip, protection, penetration, and recovery.
• Chen Jue punched deep holes into the rock with his fingers and used them as holds to climb down.
• Chen Jue slid down the lower cliff with his fingers braced against the rock, then found they had suffered no damage despite the heat and friction.

After a grueling trek through the mountains, Chen Jue perfected his Eaves-Walking and Wall-Scaling Skill and discovered that his hardened nails bent his clippers. The next morning, he began learning another Wudang movement technique and set out for a more ambitious mountain expedition, hiding his house key on the roof before leaving.

• Chen Jue returned to Wazhai after traversing the mountains, ate a large meal, and bought sturdier outdoor clothes and hiking boots.
• Chen Jue perfected his Eaves-Walking and Wall-Scaling Skill, gaining the [Light as a Swallow] effect.
• Chen Jue found that his hardened fingernails bent his nail clippers, then went to bed after reading martial arts manuals and Daoist scriptures.
• The next morning, Chen Jue began practicing the Flower-Piercing and Butterfly-Chasing Skill and packed extra supplies for a longer trip into the mountains.
• Chen Jue hid the key to Wang Biao's old family home on the roof with a high leap before setting out.

While training in the mountains near Wazhai, Chen Jue saw a mysterious young woman with a black kite and tried to identify her unusual footwork. He later learned she was a Derung woman, but the encounter ended before he could speak with her.

• Chen Jue practiced the Flower-Piercing and Butterfly-Chasing Skill while traveling through the mountains and rested beside a tributary of the Dulong River.
• A black kite landed on the shoulder of a basket-carrying girl across the river, and she released it before vanishing into the forest with swift, unfamiliar movements.
• Chen Jue searched along the river for a way across but could not catch up to the girl, so he returned to Wazhai and continued practicing.
• At a local restaurant, Chen Jue asked the owner about the girl's clothes and facial markings, and the owner identified her as a Derung woman.
• Chen Jue searched online and learned about the Derung, their traditional clothing and facial tattoos, and their beliefs in spirits and nature.

Chen Jue followed the river deeper into the mountains, perfected Flower-Piercing and Butterfly-Chasing Skill, and camped beside an emerald river. After training by his campfire, he noticed a pair of enormous green eyes watching him from the forest.

• Chen Jue practiced Tiger Claw Skill in his room, reaching Level 1 before going to sleep.
• Chen Jue retraced his route into the mountains, crossed the river, and followed faint footprints and herb-gathering traces left by the girl with the basket.
• Chen Jue perfected Flower-Piercing and Butterfly-Chasing Skill and awakened [Butterflies Frolic Among Flowers], improving his reactions and visual tracking.
• Chen Jue decided to camp by the river, caught two fish, and roasted them over a fire.
• Chen Jue trained Tiger Claw Skill and Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield beside the campfire, then saw a pair of huge green eyes in the forest.

Chen Jue encountered a rare wild tiger after his tiger-roar training drew it to the riverbank, and he repeatedly dodged its attacks before finally catching and throwing it. He left the tiger defeated but alive on a pile of pebbles.

• Chen Jue spotted an endangered Indochinese Tiger and approached it instead of fleeing, hoping to get close to the big cat.
• The tiger charged Chen Jue three times, but he used his movement skills to evade each pounce until it grew exhausted.
• Chen Jue turned toward the bonfire to fetch leftover fish for the tiger, but it launched another attack at his back.
• Chen Jue caught the tiger's paws with his hardened hands, absorbed its remaining strength, and threw it several meters onto the pebbles.

Chen Jue subdued a wild tiger by repeatedly redirecting its attacks, then shared food and warmth with it beside his campfire. As the tiger rested and rumbled, Chen Jue recognized the vibration as the tiger-leopard thunder sound and began imitating it.

• Chen Jue repeatedly threw the tiger aside until it exhausted itself after six attacks.
• Chen Jue fed the panting tiger grilled fish heads and briefly stroked its head, though it still gave him warning roars.
• When the tiger tried to retreat, Chen Jue blocked its path, and it returned to the campfire to rest.
• Chen Jue shared compressed biscuits with the tiger as they warmed themselves beside the fire.
• Chen Jue observed the tiger's body vibrating as it rumbled and began imitating what he recognized as the tiger-leopard thunder sound.

Chen Jue practiced Tiger Form arts beside a wild tiger and brought Tiger Claw Skill and Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield to perfection. His breakthroughs strengthened his body and granted new statuses, while the tiger submitted to him as its leader.

• Chen Jue imitated the wild tiger’s breathing and movements, using its thunderous purrs to refine his Tiger Form arts.
• Tiger Claw Skill reached perfection, awakening the killing move [Black Tiger Rips Out the Heart], which Chen Jue demonstrated by tearing chunks from a stone.
• The wild tiger watched Chen Jue’s display of strength and lowered itself in submission, treating him as its leader.
• Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield reached perfection when Chen Jue unleashed a powerful roar that startled the tiger.
• Chen Jue consumed his remaining food and supplements to recover, and his attributes and health index increased.
• Chen Jue’s Attribute Panel revealed the new statuses [Tiger Roars in the Mountains] and [Golden Bell Shield Body], while [Tiger Roar??] remained inactive.

After perfecting Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, Chen Jue gained several bonuses and found that a wild tigress had become attached to him. He brought her to Brother Biao's old house in Wazhai, then went to town for supplies, where he unexpectedly ran into Wang Biao.

• Chen Jue examined his new [Golden Bell Shield Body] bonus and considered learning other Golden Bell Shield variants, but decided to rest for the night.
• The tigress grew docile, slept beside Chen Jue, and followed him through the forest when he tried to return to Wazhai.
• Chen Jue accepted that the tigress would not leave and secretly led her into Brother Biao's old house, where he fed her and shut her inside.
• Chen Jue ran to town, ate, and bought beef, pork bones, a backpack, compressed biscuits, and energy drinks.
• Wang Biao encountered Chen Jue on the road back to Wazhai and questioned him about his purchases and tired appearance.

Chen Jue reunited with his college roommate Wang Biao, advised him on opening a local specialties shop, and offered him fifty thousand yuan. When Wang Biao arrived at his old family home, he discovered the wild tiger sleeping inside and panicked.

• Wang Biao drove to meet Chen Jue and explained that he wanted to open a local specialties shop to support his growing family.
• Chen Jue advised Wang Biao to focus on affordable mountain produce and offered to invest fifty thousand yuan.
• Chen Jue warned Wang Biao to stay calm before they entered the old house, but did not reveal what was inside.
• Wang Biao saw the wild tiger sleeping on his old bed, collapsed in fright, and urged Chen Jue to flee.

Chen Jue reassured Wang Biao that the tiger in his house was tame, then let him pet her and lent him money to open a shop. That evening, Chen Jue returned the tiger to the mountains and reunited with Wang Biao for dinner, reflecting on their friendship and the hardships of ordinary life.

• Chen Jue stopped Wang Biao from fleeing and explained that the tiger was docile and had followed him home from the mountains.
• Wang Biao cautiously entered the courtyard, petted the tiger, and watched Chen Jue feed her the meat he had bought.
• Chen Jue gave Wang Biao fifty thousand yuan to help him open a shop, and Wang Biao wrote him an IOU.
• At dusk, Chen Jue led the tiger deep into the mountains and sent her back into the forest.
• Chen Jue reunited with Wang Biao in Wazhai, and they shared dinner and drinks while Chen Jue reflected on life and their friendship.

After reconnecting with Wang Biao and visiting Gongshan, Chen Jue heard a local legend about a Born Mountain Lord and returned to Wazhai to resume training. He learned three hard-body arts and reached Level 1 in each, leaving his strength, constitution, agility, and health index improved.

• Chen Jue carried the drunken Wang Biao back to Wazhai, and they set out the next morning for Gongshan scenic area.
• On the drive, Wang Biao told Chen Jue a Derung legend about a Born Mountain Lord who could communicate with mountain gods and wild beasts, reminding Chen Jue of the girl he had seen in the mountains.
• Chen Jue and Wang Biao toured Gongshan before Wang Biao drove back to Baoshan and Chen Jue returned to Wazhai.
• Chen Jue studied and practiced Dragon Roar Iron Shirt, Shaolin Golden Bell Shield, and Iron-Armed Golden Bell Shield, raising all three to Level 1.
• The training increased Chen Jue's strength and constitution by 0.9 each, his agility by 0.3, and his health index to 140%.

Chen Jue explored the remote mountains while training Night-Walking Skill, where he befriended a troop of capped langurs and witnessed a black bear raid a wild bees’ nest. The bear fled through the valley with bees chasing her, dropping most of her honeycomb near Chen Jue.

• Chen Jue calmed the excess energy from his hard-body training through Daoist Internal Alchemy, then practiced Supreme Ultimate Fist and headed into the mountains.
• Chen Jue trained Night-Walking Skill as he crossed the forest, found that someone had cleaned up his old campfire site, and continued into a remote valley.
• Chen Jue observed a troop of capped langurs, shared a piece of compressed biscuit with one, and accepted a wild fruit in exchange.
• Chen Jue spotted a wild bees’ nest and began preparing to leave the valley rather than camp nearby.
• Chen Jue watched an adult female black bear tear down the bees’ nest and flee from the angry bees, dropping most of her honeycomb close to where he was hiding.

Chen Jue killed the wild bees with his Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, collected their honey, and followed the black bear to her hidden den, where he discovered she had two cubs. He spent the night in a tree above the family, unaware that a research camera recorded him, and woke to observe the mother bear rubbing against a tree.

• Chen Jue used [Tiger Roars in the Mountains] to kill the attacking wild bees and destroy the larvae and eggs in the fallen honeycomb.
• Chen Jue collected the wild honey and comb, then followed the fleeing black bear several kilometers to her concealed den.
• Chen Jue discovered the black bear was caring for two cubs, gave her the honeycomb, and climbed a tree to spend the night nearby.
• Chen Jue practiced Macrocosmic and Microcosmic Orbits Circulation, then slept in the tree while a hidden Gongshan Nature Reserve camera recorded him and the bears.
• Chen Jue woke at daybreak and watched the mother bear rub her back against the tree roots, studying her movements as a model for Bear Form.

Chen Jue followed the Dulong River, recognized China Serows and stump-tailed macaques, and met the basket-carrying girl again. She introduced herself as Yun Xiaomei and revealed an extraordinary bond with the mountain animals, leaving Chen Jue suspecting she was a Born Mountain Lord.

• Chen Jue followed the river downstream and recognized the movements of the China Serows as the source of the basket-carrying girl's unusual footwork.
• Chen Jue leaped across the river and landed silently near a troop of stump-tailed macaques, which crowded around him.
• Yun Xiaomei appeared and warned Chen Jue not to touch the flower wreath she had made for a monkey's birthday.
• Chen Jue introduced himself to Yun Xiaomei, who said the animals had told her about his kindness to them.
• Yun Xiaomei fed and cuddled the macaques, and Chen Jue realized she could communicate with the animals and might be a Born Mountain Lord.

Chen Jue met Yun Xiaomei, a nineteen-year-old Born Mountain Lord who learned extraordinary movement and breathing techniques by observing animals. As they walked through the mountains, he asked about her experience gathering potent medicinal herbs and learned she had made a few traditional qi-and-blood tonics from wild herbs.

• Chen Jue asked Yun Xiaomei whether she could understand animal speech, and she explained that she was born with forty teeth and had never practiced martial arts.
• Chen Jue demonstrated his Flower-Piercing and Butterfly-Chasing Skill, and Yun Xiaomei recognized its butterfly-like movements.
• Yun Xiaomei told Chen Jue she had learned from monkeys, a tiger, a bear, a turtle, and a serow, prompting him to praise her as a grandmaster of Xingyi Fist.
• Chen Jue asked Yun Xiaomei about gathering medicinal herbs, and she said she had collected lingzhi and prepared a few batches of qi-and-blood medicine for village elders using wild herbs.

Chen Jue ordered ten bottles of Yun Xiaomei's family-made Golden Dew and followed her to meet a huge, centuries-old mountain turtle. After seeing Yun Xiaomei's natural martial arts talent, he shared training materials with her, and they exchanged contact information before parting.

• Chen Jue asked Yun Xiaomei to make ten bottles of Golden Dew, agreeing to pay over eighty thousand yuan and wait at least a month.
• Yun Xiaomei led Chen Jue to a waterfall pool, where she fed him a black mountain turtle she called Grandpa Turtle and said it was over two hundred years old.
• Chen Jue fed the turtle and watched it dart across the water back into its cave, recognizing the turtle's speed as an example of the principles behind Turtle Form.
• On their walk out of the forest, Chen Jue taught Yun Xiaomei Elixir Method and boxing practices, and she quickly blended them with her Turtle-Form Embryonic Breathing.
• Chen Jue and Yun Xiaomei exchanged WeChat details, and he sent her martial arts materials and transferred payment for the Golden Dew.

After parting from Yun Xiaomei, Chen Jue returned to Wazhai and reflected on her abilities and his own cultivation. He began practicing Dragon Roar Iron Shirt, realizing that its “dragon roar” meant vibrating the spine and bones to transform the marrow.

• Chen Jue and Yun Xiaomei parted at a mountain-trail fork, and he took a tour bus back toward Wazhai.
• On the bus, Chen Jue estimated Yun Xiaomei’s physical abilities and considered whether he could combine what he had learned to create new martial arts.
• Chen Jue ate in town, noticed his teeth loosening as his marrow training progressed, and decided to try dragon cries alongside tiger roars.
• After bathing and resting at the old house, Chen Jue returned to town for dinner and practiced Night-Walking Skill on his way back.
• Chen Jue practiced Dragon Roar Iron Shirt on the mountain summit and realized that its dragon roar referred to vibrating the spine and bones, not imitating a mythical creature.

Chen Jue advanced his Dragon Roar Iron Shirt and traveled into the mountains to meet Yun Xiaomei. When two adult elephants attacked as she tried to rescue their injured calf, Chen Jue threw both adults into the river and carried the calf to safety.

• Chen Jue practiced the Dragon Roar Iron Shirt until it reached Lv2, then rested and prepared for the effects of its future mastery.
• Chen Jue contacted Yun Xiaomei, packed extra notoginseng oral solution, and ran through the mountains to find her.
• Chen Jue heard distressed elephant calls and found Yun Xiaomei trying to help a calf with a wooden spike stuck in its foot while two adults attacked her.
• Chen Jue used his strength and hardening arts to lift and throw the bull elephant into the river, then took the cow elephant's charge and threw her in as well.
• Chen Jue carried the injured calf away from the riverbank, and Yun Xiaomei removed the spike and treated its wound with medicinal herbs.

Chen Jue and Yun Xiaomei calmed a family of wild elephants after Chen threw the two adults into a river and Yun treated their injured calf. At lunch, Yun gave Chen a bottle of Golden Dew, whose fragrance immediately stirred his qi and blood and sharpened his mind.

• Yun Xiaomei treated the baby elephant and used Beast Language to calm its parents after Chen Jue hurled them into the river.
• Chen Jue regulated his overstrained body while Yun Xiaomei reunited the bandaged calf with its parents.
• Yun Xiaomei explained that the elephant family had migrated from beyond the border and had mistaken her for a threat to their calf.
• Chen Jue and Yun Xiaomei ate lunch by the river, where Yun gave him a bottle of Golden Dew from her grandmother.
• Chen Jue opened the bamboo tube and found that the Golden Dew's herbal fragrance stirred his qi and blood and cleared his mind.