Chapter Summaries

Wei Sheng took Zhenglong Gambling House’s silver and rewarded the Changyou Teahouse gang, while Snake Eye grew alarmed after a mysterious intruder stole more money and left a warning. Snake Eye set a trap in his bedroom, where a black-clad figure walked into an ambush.

• Wei Sheng gave the teahouse gang one hundred taels from the seized silver, winning their loyalty, and told Ding Ying to wait three days before acting on Chu Dongjiao’s other territory.
• Lan Fei dismissed the threat Wei Sheng posed, while people across the streets debated whether Wei Sheng had support behind him.
• Snake Eye found a dagger and a note marked “Two!” in his bedroom, then learned that another five hundred taels had been stolen from the courtyard.
• Snake Eye blamed Wei Sheng, refused to storm the teahouse, and followed Master Su’s advice to move the gambling-house arrangements into his bedroom as a trap.
• A black-clad figure entered Snake Eye’s bedroom at night and was surrounded by Azure Dragon Hall gang members, Snake Eye, and two other fighters.

Wei Sheng faced Snake Eye and his Azure Dragon Hall gang, using his overwhelming defenses and hidden strength to defeat their fighters and kill the two ascetics. Snake Eye escaped with a broken arm, while Wei Sheng chose not to pursue him so he could avoid exposing himself and provoking a war that might endanger Wei He.

• Snake Eye taunted Wei Sheng as twenty-five gang members and two fifth-refinement ascetics surrounded him, but Wei Sheng dismissed them as the ones surrounded.
• Wei Sheng crushed a saber-wielding gang member's wrist and killed him, then struck down several more attackers until the rest backed away in fear.
• Snake Eye attacked with Snake-Form Fist, but Wei Sheng countered with Ape Emperor Fist and stood firm against the force of the blow.
• The fat and thin ascetics joined Snake Eye, and their coordinated attacks gradually pressured Wei Sheng as he concealed most of his strength.
• Wei Sheng unleashed a far stronger punch, killing the fat ascetic, then killed the thin ascetic before Snake Eye could escape.
• Wei Sheng broke Snake Eye's arm but let him flee, then killed the remaining gang members, took their valuables, and left.

After Wei Sheng defeated Snake Eye’s forces at Cherishing Spring Tower, Zhenglong Gambling House and the rest of Snake Eye’s shops went up for sale, leaving Wei Sheng in control of East Prosperity Street. Wei Sheng gained the Vajra Flesh Refinement Method and Arhat Hand, then spent more than twenty days training his Tiger-Howling Saber Technique with Fire Ox.

• Lan Fei learned that twenty-five Azure Dragon Hall gang members and two fifth-refinement experts had died at Cherishing Spring Tower, while Snake Eye was missing and his shops were being sold.
• Ding Ying opened Zhenglong Gambling House and told Lan Fei that Wei Sheng would let him keep Jingkong Street for five hundred taels a month.
• Wei Sheng reflected on the silver and martial arts he had gained from the fight, including the Vajra Flesh Refinement Method and Arhat Hand.
• Wei Sheng asked Fire Ox to spar with him and repeatedly practiced the Tiger-Howling Saber Technique.
• Wei Sheng spent more than twenty days sparring by day and recovering and practicing the Wild Bull Flesh-Refining Method at night.

After perfecting the Tiger-Howling Saber Technique and gaining the Tiger Baleful Intent trait, Wei Sheng assessed his strength and returned to manage his streets. He ordered his men to demand unpaid protection money from Wind and Cloud Hall, then agreed to attend Lan Fei’s suspicious banquet.

• Wei Sheng completed the Tiger-Howling Saber Technique, gained Tiger Baleful Intent, and decided to pursue flesh refinement perfection.
• Wei Sheng visited Changyou Teahouse and learned that Ding Ying had recruited only fifteen members because rumors portrayed him as weak.
• Wei Sheng ordered Ding Ying to request recruits from Chivalry Hall and collect two thousand taels in overdue protection money from Jingkong Street.
• Ding Ying and Che Zhenzhong warned Wei Sheng that demanding payment from Lan Fei could provoke Wind and Cloud Hall, but Wei Sheng insisted.
• Lan Fei invited Wei Sheng to a banquet at Guest-Welcoming Tower to apologize and pay, and Wei Sheng agreed to attend despite suspecting a trap.

Wei Sheng attended Lan Fei’s reconciliation banquet and discovered that Lan Fei had enlisted Azure Dragon Hall experts and Feng Li Dao to pressure him over the two streets and two thousand taels of silver. When two guests threatened Wei Sheng and Wei He, Wei Sheng killed them instantly and warned the room not to threaten him again.

• Wei Sheng left Che Zhenzhong and Ding Ying outside and followed a Fish-Dragon Gang member to Lan Fei’s private room.
• Wei Sheng found Snake Eye, two Azure Dragon Hall experts, and Wind and Cloud Hall’s newly advanced six refinements expert Feng Li Dao at the banquet.
• Lan Fei demanded two thousand taels of silver in exchange for returning the two streets and settling Azure Dragon Hall’s grievance.
• Wei Sheng refused Lan Fei’s terms and dismissed the four fourth refinement experts as unworthy opponents.
• Two Azure Dragon Hall members threatened Wei Sheng and Wei He, so Wei Sheng moved behind them and killed them with a single strike.
• Wei Sheng wiped the blood from his hands and warned the others not to threaten him again.

Wei Sheng killed Chen Xiong and Snake Eye at the Guest-Welcoming Tower, then confronted Feng Li Dao when he tried to protect Lan Fei. Their clash began as Ding Ying and the gang prepared to storm upstairs, and a figure crashed through a third-floor window.

• Lan Fei and Snake Eye tried to prevent Wei Sheng from leaving, and Chen Xiong attacked him.
• Wei Sheng evaded Chen Xiong's Bear-Fighting Hand and killed him with a palm strike to the neck.
• Wei Sheng killed Snake Eye and attacked Lan Fei, but Feng Li Dao intervened and challenged him.
• Wei Sheng and Feng Li Dao exchanged claims about their strength before Wei Sheng struck again.
• Ding Ying gathered the gang to rescue Wei Sheng, and a figure fell through a third-floor window of the Guest-Welcoming Tower.

Wei Sheng killed Lan Fei and Snake Eye’s group, then defeated Feng Li Dao with one saber strike. At a meeting of the Fish-Dragon Gang’s Four Hall Masters, news of the fight reached Dapeng as Black Tiger challenged him over Wind and Cloud Hall’s conduct.

• Wei Sheng drove Feng Li Dao from the third-floor room and confronted him in the street after killing Lan Fei and the others.
• Feng Li Dao attacked Wei Sheng with Clear Wind Slash, but Wei Sheng drew his saber and wounded him severely with Hungry Tiger Pounces on Its Prey.
• Fire Ox arrived and discovered that Wei Sheng was unharmed and Feng Li Dao had collapsed.
• At the Four Hall Masters’ meeting, Black Tiger objected to Wind and Cloud Hall continuing to manage the Southern District’s establishments, but Dapeng defended his decision.
• A Wind and Cloud Hall disciple reported that Wei Sheng had killed Snake Eye and Lan Fei and severely wounded Feng Li Dao with a single slash.

After Wei Sheng severely wounded Feng Li Dao and killed Lan Fei, Black Tiger claimed him as a rising talent of the Weiyuan Hall. Black Tiger explained the Firewood-Fisher Gang’s ties to the Three Great Households, then prepared to fulfill his promised surprise for Wei Sheng.

• Black Tiger and Master Qin used Lan Fei’s collusion with another gang to challenge Dapeng, then left the Wind and Cloud Restaurant.
• Dapeng erupted in anger over Black Tiger’s public rebuke and demanded that Feng Li Dao be brought to him.
• Black Tiger summoned Wei Sheng and confirmed that he had reached the fifth refinement and minor accomplishment in the Tiger-Howling Saber Technique.
• Black Tiger told Wei Sheng that the Azure Dragon Hall served the Hong Family and that Chu Dongjiao was occupied with a fishing mission.
• Black Tiger said it was time to fulfill his promise to Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng accompanied Black Tiger to the Fish Scale Pavilion, where he was allowed to choose two martial arts to strengthen his foundation. While selecting a Flesh Refinement Method, he spotted a red lotus illustration in the Profound Truth Diary and recognized it.

• Wei Sheng learned that people had nicknamed him Descending Mountain Tiger, and Black Tiger warned him to act cautiously after his victory over Feng Li Dao.
• Black Tiger took Wei Sheng into the Inner City and explained how its districts and powerful families were arranged.
• Black Tiger brought Wei Sheng to the Fish Scale Pavilion, explaining that he could choose two martial arts with the Gang Leader's permission.
• Wei Sheng decided to select one Flesh Refinement Method and one body-hardening martial art to improve his strength and defense.
• Wei Sheng pulled the Profound Truth Diary from the bookcase and recognized the red fire lotus illustrated inside.

Wei Sheng learned that the Hong Family’s Eldest Master had possessed a token containing Red Lotus Killing Intent, then chose the Flesh Palace Flesh Refinement Method and the incomplete Golden Bell Shield. As his territory and training improved, Ding Ying arrived with alarming news.

• Wei Sheng read the Profound Truth Diary and learned that the Red Lotus and White Lotus sects had helped bring down Great Jing, while the Hong Family’s Eldest Master had held a Red Lotus Sect token.
• Wei Sheng chose the Flesh Palace Flesh Refinement Method and the first six levels of the Golden Bell Shield, despite Black Tiger warning that the shield was slow to cultivate and incomplete.
• Wei Sheng regained control of Jingkong Street and restored the Changyou Gang’s territory as the Azure Dragon Hall and Wind and Cloud Hall dealt with their own conflicts.
• Wei Sheng used Golden Body Paste to speed up his Golden Bell Shield training while nearing entry level in the Wild Bull Flesh-Refining Method.
• Ding Ying arrived at Wei Sheng’s home with two frightened gang members and told him that something had happened.

Wei Sheng learned that a contagious White Lotus Cult plague had appeared in Black Mountain and raced to improve his strength as danger closed in. The chapter ended with two Six Refinements practitioners sent to abduct him approaching his residence.

• Ding Ying told Wei Sheng that a gambler infected several Fish-Dragon Gang members with yellow pustules before dying with a blood-red growth on his body, and Wei Sheng ordered the corpse burned and the sick isolated.
• Wei Sheng recognized the symptoms as the White Lotus Cult’s Blood-Flesh Plague and resolved to reach Six Refinements quickly.
• Cai Kun ordered two Six Refinements practitioners to bring Wei Sheng to him secretly so he could obtain a suspected treasure and learn Wei Sheng’s cultivation secret.
• Wei Sheng spent Dao Origin to perfect the Wild Bull Flesh-Refining Method, gaining Mighty Bull Force, reaching mid-Six Refinements, and increasing his strength to ninety-five hundred jin.
• After hearing faint sounds outside his gate, Wei Sheng slipped into the shadows to hide.

Wei Sheng killed two White Lotus Cult assassins who came for him and learned the cult was behind the danger. Jiang Liuchuan invited him to join the White Crane Martial Arts Hall, and Wei Sheng left with Wei He, but they spotted a mysterious figure watching them.

• Wei Sheng surprised the two intruders in his courtyard, killed one with a saber strike, and identified the man’s White Lotus Cult emblem.
• Pang Tao revealed that he was at peak Six Refinements and attacked Wei Sheng, but Wei Sheng destroyed his Blood Python Saber Light and killed him with Tiger-Howling Wind-Rending.
• Wei He came outside, and Jiang Liuchuan appeared, explaining that he had been pursuing the fugitive Sang Qi when he heard Wei Sheng’s saber technique.
• Jiang Liuchuan praised Wei Sheng’s strength and invited him to the White Crane Martial Arts Hall; Wei Sheng accepted and brought Wei He along.
• As they left Black Forest Ward, Jiang Liuchuan and Wei Sheng noticed a white-clad figure with bright eyes watching from a distant pavilion.

Wei Sheng escaped a Bone Refining Realm assassin's pursuit to Weiyuan Hall, where Black Tiger and Jiang Liuchuan drove the attacker away after he injured Wei Sheng. As Wei Sheng recovered, Jiang Liuchuan explained that the man carried a Sacred Lotus Fragment, and Black Tiger asked why the assassin had targeted him.

• Jiang Liuchuan fought the white-clad man while Wei Sheng carried Wei He toward Black Glory Ward, but the attacker broke away and pursued them.
• The white-clad man struck Wei Sheng with Old Mother Thinks of You Palm, but Wei Sheng resisted its illusion and countered with Tiger Baleful Intent before being thrown through walls.
• Black Tiger and Jiang Liuchuan joined forces against the white-clad man, who escaped after unleashing a burst of power that seemed to reach the eleventh refinement.
• Wei He found Wei Sheng alive in the rubble, and Weiyuan Hall's gang members brought him inside to have his broken bones set.
• Black Tiger and Jiang Liuchuan returned and said the attacker had escaped; Jiang explained that a Sacred Lotus Fragment could bewitch the mind, and Black Tiger asked why the man had targeted Wei Sheng.

After learning that a White Lotus Cult agent targeted him because he destroyed a Flesh-and-Blood Gu, Wei Sheng hid his Red Lotus Jade Token and confirmed that he had perfected the Tiger-Howling Saber Technique. Jiang Liuchuan brought him to the White Crane Martial Arts Hall, where Hall Master Fang Heting set an apparently impossible test for accepting him as a personal disciple, and Wei Sheng claimed he had already completed it.

• Wei Sheng told Black Tiger and Jiang Liuchuan that he had ordered a corpse covered in yellow pustules burned, and they identified the growth on its arm as a Flesh-and-Blood Gu planted by the White Lotus Cult.
• Wei Sheng confirmed that he had perfected the Tiger-Howling Saber Technique, and Black Tiger agreed he could join the White Crane Martial Arts Hall as long as he kept his gang duties.
• The next morning, Wei Sheng and Wei He accompanied Jiang Liuchuan into the Inner City and entered the White Crane Martial Arts Hall.
• Jiang Liuchuan introduced Wei Sheng to Hall Master Fang Heting and said Wei Sheng had cultivated the Skin Abyss while still in the skin-refining realm.
• Fang Heting gave Wei Sheng the White Crane Flesh Refinement Method and required him to reach minor attainment within half a month to become his personal disciple.
• After reading the final page of the booklet, Wei Sheng calmly said he was done.

Wei Sheng demonstrated extraordinary mastery of the White Crane arts and was appointed the White Crane Martial Arts Hall’s eighth personal disciple. He settled into a new courtyard and decided to stay low until he grew stronger, while keeping the source of his rapid progress secret.

• Lin Wuyang tested Wei Sheng, but he struck her back and revealed strength beyond her apparent level.
• The hall’s disciples attacked Wei Sheng together, and he fought them off, displaying major mastery of the White Crane Fist and a black protective membrane.
• The hall master recognized Wei Sheng’s Skin Abyss foundation and made him his eighth personal disciple.
• Jiang Liuchuan showed Wei Sheng and his brother their new courtyard and asked how Wei Sheng learned the White Crane Flesh Refinement Method.
• Wei Sheng concealed that Dao Origin had helped him master several flesh refinement methods and resolved to remain in the martial arts hall until he was stronger.

Wei Sheng sought Fang Heting’s advice about the clashing forces from his flesh-refining methods and learned that the Hong Family’s Five-Flower Horse could fuse them. Meanwhile, the injured White Lotus Envoy took refuge with the Hong Family and learned that Wei Sheng was now protected by powerful allies.

• Wei Sheng worried that the five forces in his body could clash and kill him, then went to ask Fang Heting for guidance.
• Fang Heting recognized that Wei Sheng had practiced several flesh-refining methods and warned him to keep it secret from the other disciples.
• Fang Heting told Wei Sheng about the Unity Pill, the Boshan Furnace, and the Five-Flower Horse at the Hong Family as ways to fuse forces.
• The injured White Lotus Envoy sought shelter at the Hong Family, and Hong Chengyuan told him that Wei Sheng had become Fang Heting’s personal disciple.
• Hong Chengyuan warned the White Lotus Envoy that Wei Sheng was protected by the Fish-Dragon Gang and White Crane Martial Arts Hall, while the Envoy asked to borrow the Hong Family’s Five-Flower Horse.

Wei Sheng sought a way to obtain the Five-Flower Horse while investigating the growing White Lotus Cult threat and preparing a gift for Fang Heting. After Wei Sheng heard that the Hong Family’s treasure had been stolen, Fang Heting revealed that he had the Five-Flower Horse and gave it to Wei Sheng.

• Wei Sheng dismissed the idea of sneaking into the Hong Residence and decided to ask Fang Heting for help obtaining the Five-Flower Horse.
• At Weiyuan Hall, Black Tiger ordered his men to investigate cases of yellow pustules, and Shanjia reported that more than a dozen fishermen had gone missing.
• Che Zhenzhong asked Wei Sheng for time off to travel to Sishui Commandery, and Wei Sheng asked him to seek news of his parents there.
• Wei Sheng bought two Silver-Sand Carp for Fang Heting and heard that the Hong Family was searching for a thief who had stolen a precious treasure.
• Fang Heting gave Wei Sheng the Five-Flower Horse, explaining that Hong Chengyuan had lent it to him.

Wei Sheng consumed the Five-Flower Horse and fused five forces into the Divine Palace Flesh-Refining Method, reaching the utmost limit of flesh refinement and gaining the ability to transform his appearance. A Chang then arrived at the White Crane Martial Arts Hall and begged Wei Sheng to rescue his father, whom the Azure Dragon Hall had taken as live bait for Treasure Fish.

• Wei Sheng waited until he had enough Dao Origin Points, perfected the White Crane Flesh Refinement Method, and consumed the Five-Flower Horse to merge his five forces.
• Wei Sheng reached flesh-refinement Perfection, gained twelve thousand five hundred jin of strength, and named his new cultivation method the Divine Palace Flesh-Refining Method.
• Wei Sheng perfected the Form-Transmutation Art and practiced changing his appearance before deciding to focus on the Golden Bell Shield.
• A Chang arrived at the martial arts hall, collapsed, and was brought to the little courtyard by Wei He.
• A Chang clung to Wei Sheng and pleaded with him to save his father, whom the Azure Dragon Hall had taken as live bait for Treasure Fish.

Wei Sheng infiltrated Chu Dongjiao’s hunt for Silver-Sand Carp by disguising himself as Lan Yu, while Chu Dongjiao and Gu Diao turned on one another over the fish. As both men tried to capture the Silver-Sand Carp King, a black-clad Wei Sheng seized it and rescued Chen Dahe, leaving the fish king in his grasp.

• Wei Sheng disguised himself as Lan Yu and persuaded Azure Dragon Hall members to take him to Chu Dongjiao by claiming someone wanted to steal the treasure fish.
• Chu Dongjiao used bound fishermen as living bait, attracting Silver-Sand Carp and catching twenty-five of them in a net.
• Gu Diao arrived with Fish-Dragon Gang members, fought Chu Dongjiao, and both men discovered the Silver-Sand Carp King in the water.
• Gu Diao and Chu Dongjiao agreed to cooperate, using more fishermen as bait so Chu Dongjiao could knock the fish king out of the water for Gu Diao to seize.
• As Gu Diao reached for the fish king, Wei Sheng swept in, rescued Chen Dahe, grabbed the fish by its gills, and landed on the Azure Dragon Hall ship.

Wei Sheng rescued Chen Dahe and two other fishermen, then confronted Azure Dragon Hall’s Chu Dongjiao and Gu Diao for using people as bait. He killed Chu Dongjiao with one punch and gravely wounded Gu Diao, while the Silver-Sand Carp King advanced after eating Chu Dongjiao’s remains.

• Wei Sheng arrived by boat, saved Chen Dahe from the river, and treated his wounds with Golden Body Paste.
• Wei Sheng rescued two more fishermen and learned that Chu Dongjiao and Gu Diao had used people as bait to catch the Silver-Sand Carp King.
• Chu Dongjiao and Gu Diao subdued the fish king, while Chu Dongjiao threatened Wei Sheng and dismissed the fishermen as lowborn bait.
• Wei Sheng struck Chu Dongjiao once, blowing him apart, then wounded Gu Diao as he tried to flee.
• The Silver-Sand Carp King ate Chu Dongjiao’s flesh and blood, grew larger, and advanced beyond Six Refinements.