Recaps

Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting attended the school recognition assembly for Zuo Xiaoduo, while Zuo Xiaonian joined them in disguise. The assembly began with Director Sun delivering a speech that praised the Former Principal, leaving him trying to satisfy the audience and the camera crew alike.

• Zuo Xiaonian persuaded Mu Yanyan to let her attend in disguise, though she had to make herself look uglier with makeup.
• Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting drew attention from the parents, who envied their looks and their outstanding son, while one chubby boy blamed his shortcomings on genetics.
• The students and parents took their seats, and Zuo Changlu, Wu Yuting, and Zuo Xiaonian sat prominently in the center of the front row.
• He Yuanyue attended the assembly, leaving Director Sun uncomfortable in the central podium seat as Li Changjiang and the vice principals refused to take his place.
• Director Sun praised the Former Principal in his speech, then the cameraman framed the entire venue instead of giving him the close-up he wanted.

At the school ceremony, Principal Li praised Zuo Xiaoduo’s rapid cultivation and announced tuition refunds and a scholarship, while inventing a story about his family’s poverty that left his parents and sister stunned. The chapter ended with the crowd eyeing the obviously wealthy Zuo family as Li continued promoting Second High School.

• Director Sun struggled to finish his speech as the students’ reactions made him fear he was being set up.
• Hu Ruoyun told He Yuanyue she had completed three compressions on the Thorny Road, and He Yuanyue advised her to reach at least six before pushing onward.
• Li Changjiang praised six students for breaking through before finishing the Martial Warrior Class and credited Qin Fangyang for their progress.
• Li Changjiang singled out Zuo Xiaoduo, claiming he had advanced from Martial Warrior to martial master peak in a few days.
• Li Changjiang falsely described Zuo Xiaoduo’s family as destitute, prompting Zuo Changlu, Wu Yuting, and Zuo Xiaonian to react with confusion and anger.
• Li Changjiang announced that the school would refund Zuo Xiaoduo’s Martial Warrior tuition, waive his Martial Master tuition, and award him a scholarship of ten thousand.

Zuo Xiaoduo faced public embarrassment after Li Changjiang praised his supposedly impoverished family, unaware of the truth. With his parents’ calm support, Xiaoduo regained his composure and walked onto the stage to face the mess he had caused.

• Hu Ruoyun grew furious at Li Changjiang for embarrassing Zuo Xiaoduo, while He Yuanyue urged her to consider that Li might not have known the truth.
• Li Changjiang invited Zuo Xiaoduo to accept his award and give a speech, then realized the boy’s wealthy parents were present and understood his mistake.
• Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting stood and applauded their son proudly, showing no embarrassment and reassuring him with their support.
• Zuo Xiaoduo took strength from his parents’ encouragement, straightened up, and walked toward the stage with growing confidence.
• Zuo Xiaoduo went straight up to Li Changjiang.

Zuo Xiaoduo admitted that he had lied about his family being poor to avoid paying tuition, explaining that he wanted to spare his hardworking parents the costs of raising a martial cultivator. He apologized for embarrassing them and took responsibility, leaving his family and the assembled parents moved by his maturity.

• Zuo Xiaoduo told the audience he had lied about his family’s poverty because he was stingy and wanted to save money.
• Zuo Xiaoduo explained how hard his parents worked to support his cultivation and admitted he would have accepted a tuition waiver even knowing his lie was wrong.
• Zuo Xiaoduo apologized to Wu Yuting and Zuo Changlu, saying they should not bear the consequences of his lie.
• Wu Yuting and many mothers were moved to tears, while Zuo Changlu felt proud of Zuo Xiaoduo.
• Zuo Xiaonian recognized Zuo Xiaoduo’s acceptance of responsibility as a transformation from boyhood into manhood.

Zuo Xiaoduo addressed the school assembly, admitted his past struggles and mistakes, and credited his parents’ support for helping him persist until his breakthroughs. He ended by promoting his face-reading skills and claiming they had been taught by Former Principal He.

• Zuo Xiaonian saw Zuo Xiaoduo’s composure onstage and felt he was beginning to resemble their father, Zuo Changlu.
• Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting praised Zuo Xiaoduo for taking responsibility, while Zuo Xiaonian felt proud and resolved to settle the score over his cerebral palsy joke later.
• Zuo Xiaoduo set aside his prepared speech and described repeating the Martial Disciple Class for five years and enduring the pressure with his parents’ support.
• Zuo Xiaoduo said he would keep the refunded tuition, tuition waivers, and scholarships, drawing laughter from the assembly.
• Zuo Xiaoduo claimed that face-reading was his greatest achievement and said Former Principal He had taught him the skill.

At a school assembly, Zuo Xiaoduo claimed He Yuanyue had taught him physiognomy, and her reaction convinced the crowd that he was her successor. After the ceremony, the students trained, Li Chenglong’s progress surprised Qin Fangyang, and Zuo Xiaoduo returned to He Yuanyue’s office.

• Zuo Xiaoduo told the assembly that He Yuanyue had taught him physiognomy, and He Yuanyue’s wry smile was taken as confirmation that he was her successor.
• Zuo Xiaoduo invited people to consult him for a fee, but Li Changjiang cut off his microphone and moved the assembly along.
• Zuo Xiaoduo, Long Yusheng, and the others received their awards, including scholarships for Long Yusheng and the other four students.
• Zuo Changlu and Wu Yuting attended the school banquet, while Qin Fangyang took Zuo Xiaoduo and the other students back for training.
• Qin Fangyang was astonished by Li Chenglong’s rapid progress, and the five students cultivated together using Zuo Xiaoduo’s assistance.
• Zuo Xiaoduo followed Qin Fangyang to He Yuanyue’s office, where He Yuanyue ruefully called him a little monkey.

Zuo Xiaoduo endured a punishing day of training and was mocked by his classmates before his family celebrated the responsibility he had shown. That evening, he went with Zuo Xiaonian to train near Wang Family Town while she prepared to begin a midnight duty shift.

• Sister Lan beat Zuo Xiaoduo during hidden-weapons practice and aura-reading lessons, and He Yuanyue had him examine trees at Second High School.
• Long Yusheng, Wan Lixiu, and the others laughed at Zuo Xiaoduo's swollen appearance after Qin Fangyang carried him out.
• Zuo Xiaoduo returned home and endured a beating from Zuo Changlu, Wu Yuting, and Zuo Xiaonian for the embarrassment he had caused.
• Zuo Changlu praised Zuo Xiaoduo for taking responsibility and bowing to his parents in public, and the family celebrated with a feast.
• Zuo Xiaoduo went out with Zuo Xiaonian to train near Wang Family Town, where she planned to help him practice hidden weapons during her midnight duty.
• Zuo Xiaoduo questioned why Zuo Xiaonian was on duty at an isolated hillside with no signs of human activity nearby.

Zuo Xiaonian explained to Zuo Xiaoduo why martial artists had to keep battles away from ordinary people, then watched over him as he trained while they waited for a suspected Witch Alliance member. Zuo Xiaoduo sensed a fight beginning and hid to observe as Mu Yanyan drove Chen Yuting into the remote woods, accusing him of attacking Qin Fangyang.

• Zuo Xiaonian told Zuo Xiaoduo that martial artists had to avoid harming ordinary people and explained that her master planned to lure a suspected Witch Alliance member to the uninhabited area.
• Zuo Xiaonian left Zuo Xiaoduo to practice, and he repeatedly trained and used Star Soul Jade to recover on his own.
• At two in the morning, Zuo Xiaoduo sensed ominous qi gathering near a village and urged Zuo Xiaonian to wait.
• An explosion announced the fight, and Zuo Xiaonian and Zuo Xiaoduo hid as two combatants approached; Zuo Xiaoduo concealed himself inside a tree with weapons ready.
• Mu Yanyan drove Chen Yuting toward the woods and accused him of wounding Qin Fangyang during an ambush, while Chen Yuting insisted it was a misunderstanding.
• Mu Yanyan tightened her sword assault until Chen Yuting was knocked askew through the air.

Mu Yanyan overwhelmed Chen Yuting and two reinforcements in midair, while Zuo Xiaoduo watched her display the Starry Sky Step and Zuo Xiaonian stood ready below. Mu Yanyan remained confident that none of the three enemies would escape.

• Chen Yuting launched a desperate sword strike at Mu Yanyan, but she knocked him back and pursued him.
• Two attackers ambushed Mu Yanyan, but she used the Starry Sky Step to counter them and drive them toward the ground.
• Chen Yuting rose to rejoin the fight, leaving Mu Yanyan battling all three Infant Transformation experts at once.
• Zuo Xiaoduo admired Mu Yanyan’s technique, while Zuo Xiaonian concealed her aura and watched for danger.
• Mu Yanyan strengthened her advantage until the three enemies could only scramble for a chance to flee.

Mu Yanyan and Zuo Xiaonian fought the Witch Alliance attackers, while a cloaked enemy intervened to engage Mu Yanyan. Zuo Xiaonian kept the three wounded attackers at bay as their strength dwindled.

• Mu Yanyan intensified her sword assault, gravely wounding the three Witch Alliance fighters and piercing Chen Yuting's dantian.
• A black-cloaked figure appeared, clashed with Mu Yanyan, and spread black haze to help the wounded fighters escape.
• Zuo Xiaonian attacked the fleeing men with icy sword light, and they recognized her as the Spirit Thought Heavenly Maiden.
• Chen Yuting and the other two men fought desperately against Zuo Xiaonian, who used a ribbon to deflect their attacks and wear them down.
• The three attackers' remaining strength steadily faded as Zuo Xiaonian maintained her relentless defense and counterattacks.

Zuo Xiaonian broke the man in gray’s Three-Star Chain and killed the last surviving attacker while Mu Yanyan fought their leader. Zuo Xiaoduo revealed that he had hidden inside a hollow tree and stabbed two wounded men, though he did not understand why they died so quickly.

• The man in black sent three tracking streaks of dark light after Zuo Xiaonian, who struggled to defend herself with her short sword.
• Chen Yuting was stabbed from behind and died, and a second wounded cultivator died after a red streak pierced his forehead.
• Zuo Xiaonian broke the Three-Star Chain and killed the last attacker with her flying sword.
• The man in gray exchanged parting words with Mu Yanyan and fled after all three attackers had died.
• Mu Yanyan found the two men beneath the tree dead, and Zuo Xiaoduo emerged from its hollow and explained that he had stabbed them from inside.

Mu Yanyan delivered the three Witch Alliance spies to the Star Shield Bureau, but their strangely decayed corpses made her suspect that Zuo Xiaoduo had concealed something. Jiang Changbin reprimanded an expert for questioning Mu Yanyan over the spoils and defended the importance of letting allies keep their rewards.

• Mu Yanyan praised Zuo Xiaoduo for striking the wounded enemies, gave Zuo Xiaonian pills for her injuries, and left with the three corpses.
• Mu Yanyan realized the corpses were unnaturally light and suspected Zuo Xiaoduo had left something unsaid about his fighting methods.
• At the Star Shield Bureau, Jiang Changbin and the experts noticed that two corpses looked as though they had been dead for days, puzzling Mu Yanyan.
• Jiang Changbin stopped an expert from questioning Mu Yanyan about the spoils and scolded the bureau staff for being shortsighted and greedy.

Zuo Xiaoduo brought Zuo Xiaonian to his room to recover and revealed the two storage rings he had taken from the slain Infant Transformation cultivators. They opened the rings and split the contents, with Zuo Xiaonian claiming most of the cash and valuable items while promising to keep some useful things for him.

• Zuo Xiaoduo secretly took Zuo Xiaonian to his room and asked her to recover before explaining what he wanted.
• Zuo Xiaoduo showed Zuo Xiaonian two storage rings he had taken from the dead cultivators and asked her to open them.
• Zuo Xiaonian opened the first ring, and Zuo Xiaoduo proposed dividing its pills, star soul jade, cash, and Breath Concealment Technique.
• Zuo Xiaonian kept most of the first ring’s cash and selected the high-grade star soul jade, leaving Zuo Xiaoduo disappointed with his share.
• Zuo Xiaonian opened the second ring, gave Zuo Xiaoduo several useful pills and the star soul jade, and claimed its cash and rings for herself.

Zuo Xiaonian took most of Zuo Xiaoduo’s money, leaving him to grumble before he examined Uncle Nan’s Dragon Blood Flying Knife. He discovered that it absorbed power from its victims and fed energy into him, then began cultivating with it and the Flame Sun True Scripture.

• Zuo Xiaonian took Zuo Xiaoduo’s share of the money, leaving him only a thousand, and teased him before leaving.
• Zuo Xiaoduo inspected Uncle Nan’s Dragon Blood Flying Knife and realized it had absorbed the remaining power of the two Infant Transformation cultivators he killed.
• Zuo Xiaoduo recognized the knife as a divine weapon and decided to keep its abilities secret.
• Zuo Xiaoduo held the knife and cultivated with the Flame Sun True Scripture, drawing powerful energy into his meridians.

Zuo Xiaoduo discovered that combining his cultivation with a Dragon Blood Flying Knife and star soul jade greatly increased his efficiency, then reported to Martial Master Class Nineteen with his friends. The chapter ended with Qin Fangyang ordering the forty-eight students to beat them after Long Yusheng kicked down the classroom door.

• Zuo Xiaoduo found that cultivating with the Dragon Blood Flying Knife and star soul jade tripled his progress, then fell asleep while practicing.
• Zuo Xiaoduo, Long Yusheng, and their friends headed to Martial Master Class Nineteen, excited to be assigned to the same class.
• Long Yusheng kicked the classroom door off its frame while announcing the group's arrival and found Qin Fangyang teaching inside.
• Qin Fangyang urged the forty-eight students to teach the new arrivals a lesson, and the class eagerly prepared to attack them.

Zuo Xiaoduo and his classmates fought off a much larger group using Li Chenglong’s Cylinder Formation, while Zuo discovered a new way to exploit his opponents’ vulnerabilities. The fight continued with Qin Fangyang threatening to join in if Zuo used more dirty moves.

• Forty-eight students surrounded Zuo Xiaoduo’s group, and Li Chenglong ordered the others to form the Cylinder Formation.
• Zuo Xiaoduo knocked down several attackers with Dragon Gate Leg crotch kicks, then trapped an opponent’s kick and complained to Qin Fangyang about the unfair rules.
• Zuo Xiaoduo broke free to fight, using his Starry Sky Step, Star-Seizing Palm, and Dragon Gate Leg to knock down attackers and kick several boys in the backside.
• Qin Fangyang warned Zuo Xiaoduo not to strike there, and Zuo pretended not to understand while continuing to kick opponents.
• Qin Fangyang threatened to enter the fight himself if Zuo used another dirty move, so Zuo switched to fighting by the book.

Zuo Xiaoduo led Long Yusheng, Wan Lixiu, Li Changming, Yu Moyan, and Li Chenglong in a desperate fight against Class Nineteen, protecting his teammates while they recovered and rotated through their formation. The group remained surrounded but found confidence in Zuo Xiaoduo’s leadership, while Qin Fangyang watched with satisfaction.

• Class Nineteen broke Li Chenglong’s Cylinder Formation, knocked Long Yusheng down, and beat him until Zuo Xiaoduo charged in and rescued him.
• Zuo Xiaoduo arranged the group into a rotating Three Talents Formation, with Li Chenglong calling out instructions as Class Nineteen attacked again.
• Zuo Xiaoduo held off most of the attacks, giving Long Yusheng time to recover his strength with a pill and Star Soul Jade.
• Long Yusheng recovered and took on more of the pressure, and he and the others called the fight worth it.
• Qin Fangyang watched Zuo Xiaoduo shoulder the burden and felt reassured by the security his leadership gave the others.

Zuo Xiaoduo’s group fought Class Nineteen in a brutal battle that forged trust in Zuo Xiaoduo as their leader. As his exhausted teammates began to falter, Zuo Xiaoduo unleashed the Great Sun Flame Sun, and Qin Fangyang stopped the fight.

• Qin Fangyang let the battle continue as students from both sides fought until they collapsed, while He Yuanyue watched and understood that he was testing the students for a leader.
• With twenty-one students still attacking Zuo Xiaoduo’s group, Zuo Xiaoduo ordered Li Chenglong to relieve Wan Lixiu.
• Seeing his five teammates near collapse, Zuo Xiaoduo roared and used the Great Sun Flame Sun, sending scorching waves of heat through the battlefield.
• Li Chenglong felt his Star Soul Power stir and prepared to fight again, but Qin Fangyang called a halt.

Zuo Xiaoduo stopped the fight between the six newly promoted students and Class Nineteen’s forty-eight veteran students before anyone suffered serious harm. Qin Fangyang praised both sides for their courage, cooperation, comradeship, and restraint, leaving the battered class united under his approval.

• Zuo Xiaoduo ordered both sides to stop when his Flame Sun True Scripture began to pose a danger, and he caught Long Yusheng, Wan Lixiu, and Yu Moyan as they collapsed.
• Zuo Xiaoduo declared that his six had won, and the veteran students accepted the result and admitted they were impressed.
• Qin Fangyang told all fifty-four students to sit and rest, noting that Li Chenglong was in the best condition after Zuo Xiaoduo’s burst of Flame Yang True Qi.
• Qin Fangyang praised the students for helping injured classmates, standing firm against stronger opponents, and avoiding lethal moves against their own classmates.

Qin Fangyang praised Zuo Xiaoduo’s ruthless sparring tactic while teaching the class that battlefield survival mattered more than rules, and the six newcomers were welcomed into Martial Master Class Nineteen. He then told them that, as Martial Masters, they would have to earn cultivation resources through missions.

• Qin Fangyang praised Zuo Xiaoduo’s crotch-kicking technique for real combat, while warning the students to prioritize survival and learn from their defeats.
• The Class Nineteen students reflected on Qin Fangyang’s advice, then welcomed Zuo Xiaoduo and the other five newcomers and joked with them after the fight.
• Sister Lan told He Yuanyue that Qin Fangyang had changed from a cold instructor into a teacher who inspired his students, and He Yuanyue approved of his new approach.
• Zuo Xiaoduo looked for the star soul jade array in his new classroom, but Qin Fangyang said the students would have to earn cultivation resources through missions starting the next day.
• The students began healing their injuries as Qin Fangyang approached with a stack of documents.

Qin Fangyang explained that practical missions carried a high risk of death and gave six new students liability waivers to sign. After the six signed, Zuo Xiaoduo tried to add his insurance details and pitched fortune readings to the class, leaving Qin Fangyang exasperated.

• Qin Fangyang warned the six newcomers that about a hundred students died each year and told them they could refuse to sign and leave the martial path.
• Long Yusheng, Wan Lixiu, and Yu Moyan signed immediately, while Li Changming and Li Chenglong read the waiver carefully before signing.
• Zuo Xiaoduo asked about the yearly death toll, then tried to buy insurance before signing; Qin Fangyang ordered him to sign, and Zuo Xiaoduo added his policy details to the waiver.
• Zuo Xiaoduo told the class he could use fortune-telling to help them avoid danger and offered readings for a thousand yuan.
• Qin Fangyang ordered Zuo Xiaoduo to sit down, but Zuo continued urging the students to consider insurance.

After Qin Fangyang punished Zuo Xiaoduo, Zuo led his group through class sparring to claim the top ranks. The group then studied the school's reward system, and Qin clarified that they could use weapons even before choosing their Life-Bound Weapons.

• Qin Fangyang beat Zuo Xiaoduo for talking back, then gave the class ten minutes to recover before sparring.
• Despite his swollen injuries, Zuo Xiaoduo led Long Yusheng, Yu Moyan, Wan Lixiu, Li Changming, and Li Chenglong into the top six, then took first place in their internal bouts.
• Li Chenglong defeated Li Changming with an unfamiliar flurry of punches, while Yu Moyan worried that Li Chenglong might target him next.
• Zuo Xiaoduo and the others studied the exchange list and learned they could earn contribution points by turning in valuable materials or completing certified work.
• When Zuo Xiaoduo asked how they should handle weapons, Qin Fangyang said they could use weapons but could not yet settle on their Life-Bound Weapons.

Zuo Xiaoduo’s rapid progress with concealed weapons convinced He Yuanyue and Qin Fangyang that he had survived a deadly fight, while He Yuanyue warned that the Witch Alliance was targeting him and that tomorrow’s training expedition lacked adequate protection. Before the expedition, Zuo Xiaoduo was authorized to read the students’ faces and offered his classmates discounted readings, though he charged five hundred each.

• Zuo Xiaoduo’s improved concealed-weapon skills surprised He Yuanyue and Qin Fangyang, who suspected that he had gained experience in a deadly fight the previous night.
• He Yuanyue told Qin Fangyang that the Witch Alliance had repeatedly tried to assassinate Zuo Xiaoduo and warned that the students’ training expedition would be dangerous without stronger protection.
• He Yuanyue instructed Zuo Xiaoduo to read the faces of the students going on the expedition and warn anyone who seemed to be in danger.
• Qin Fangyang announced that Zuo Xiaoduo would offer face readings to the class, and Zuo Xiaoduo set a discounted price of five hundred for each reading.

Qin Fangyang set Zuo Xiaoduo’s face-reading fee at fifty per squad captain, and Zuo examined the captains before their teams left on independent missions. When he saw that Shen Tienan’s entire squad faced signs of certain death, he stopped the readings and warned her that something was seriously wrong.

• Qin Fangyang cut Zuo Xiaoduo’s proposed fee to fifty, prompting eight squad captains to pay for readings.
• Zuo Xiaoduo told Zhao Changjun his squad would face minor injury at most and handed him a slip indicating their direction.
• Zuo Xiaoduo predicted smooth, rewarding trips for Jia Shinan and the fourth squad, and warned Song Zihao that Zhou Xiaoma risked a leg injury.
• Zuo Xiaoduo asked Shen Tienan to gather her entire squad, then saw that all six members showed signs of a death calamity.
• Zuo Xiaoduo told Shen Tienan that something was very wrong.

Zuo Xiaoduo warned Shen Tienan’s team that they faced a death calamity, but she rejected his advice and took back her money. After Bai Bingbing’s team left with his good-fortune prediction, Qin Fangyang asked whether Shen Tienan’s team was in danger.

• Zuo Xiaoduo told Shen Tienan and her teammates to abandon their mission or stay within the designated area to avoid a death calamity.
• Shen Tienan dismissed his warning, reclaimed her fifty Star Origin Coins, and left with her team; Qin Fangyang watched her go without intervening.
• Zuo Xiaoduo assured Bai Bingbing’s all-girl team that they would be safe and gain a lot, then dodged her attempts to hold his hand for a palm reading.
• Bai Bingbing and her teammates teased Zuo Xiaoduo before leaving with his direction note.
• Zuo Xiaoduo told Li Chenglong and the others that their group would face a scare but no danger, then wiped his hand after Bai Bingbing had held it.
• Qin Fangyang asked Zuo Xiaoduo whether he had seen danger for Shen Tienan’s team.