Recaps

Lian Youming prepared his allies for the struggle over the Two Teachings’ legacy, developing a joint attack method and learning that dangerous old-era martial artists were emerging. The chapter ended with his Iron Shirt advancing as his allies realized he might reach the mystic connection realm before thirty.

• Yang Qing reported that Situ Changhen and the others had left, while Ghost Monk explained Changhen’s feud with Situ Wudi’s Line.
• Lian Youming said he would defend his position and unveiled a planned thirteen-person joint attack formation based on the Golden Bell Cover.
• Yang Lian and Yang Qing revealed that they had entered the realm of foresight after learning a technique from Master Liu.
• Yang Qing reported that old-era martial artists in the Northeast were secretly killing wild beasts to replenish their vital essence.
• Hua Linglong revealed that two Heavenly Principle Sect experts were among the Ten Demons and used a Shape-Nourishing Skill to eat people; Lian Youming ordered his allies to prepare and keep the formation secret.
• Lian Youming displayed a breakthrough in his Iron Shirt, and Hua Linglong said he might reach the mystic connection realm before thirty.

Gu Feiyan judged Lian Youming’s decision to establish an Incense Hall and reveal himself, then sent him the Gall-Illuminating Sword as a gesture of support. In the western wilderness, Xue Hen fought Heart Demon, one of the Ten Demons, who demanded what the Eyeless Monk had left behind.

• Gu Feiyan discussed Lian Youming’s bold move with the masters hidden in five coffins and considered the approaching martial upheaval.
• Gu Feiyan ordered a black-clad figure to deliver the Gall-Illuminating Sword to Lian Youming.
• Gu Feiyan learned that Second Miss had left and allowed her to go.
• Xue Hen confronted Heart Demon after the monk followed him for three days and demanded what the Eyeless Monk had left behind.
• Xue Hen and Heart Demon exchanged techniques, with Heart Demon briefly catching Xue Hen by the throat before Xue Hen struck him in the heart.
• Xue Hen strengthened his internal breath and prepared to fight Heart Demon again before continuing south.

Lian Youming broke through the coccyx gate and advanced toward opening the triple burner meridian, then glimpsed a mysterious expert in the Martyrs' Cemetery. Later, he continued training Sun Duhe and recognized that his heart-refining tribulation was likely overcome.

• Lian Youming meditated at the Martyrs' Cemetery after breaking through the coccyx gate, and his inner qi began stirring the eighth barrier of Golden Bell Cover.
• Lian Youming sensed the five qi rising toward the Yellow Court, but stopped when he heard someone sweeping nearby.
• Lian Youming pursued a mysterious figure in a blue Zhongshan Suit but could not catch up, then saluted the unseen senior and left.
• The hidden figure emerged after Lian Youming had gone and praised him as a worthy successor.
• Lian Youming coached Sun Duhe in his horse stance and used the Wisdom Sword to dispel the vision of Sun Duhe as a luminous skeleton, concluding that he had likely overcome his heart-refining tribulation.

Situ Changhen challenged Wu Jiu at the Baji Boxing School, and a rigged fight left Wu Jiu gravely wounded while A Xing was also hurt. At the Green Gang Headquarters, Lian Youming learned that the Gall-Illuminating Sword had arrived from Hong Kong and that Mr. Corpse might still be alive, then prepared to leave for Hong Kong.

• Situ Changhen smashed through the Baji Boxing School's entrance and challenged Wu Jiu, while two old men stood guard outside.
• Wu Jiu fought Situ Changhen, but the two old men distracted him and attacked A Xing as the disciples tried to intervene.
• Situ Changhen slammed Wu Jiu to the ground, and Yang Shuang arrived in time to catch the punch aimed at Wu Jiu's head.
• Lian Youming examined the Gall-Illuminating Sword sent from Hong Kong and concluded that Mr. Corpse might still be alive.
• Zhu Wu reported that Situ Changhen had gravely wounded Wu Jiu and that A Xing was hurt, so Lian Youming prepared to go to Hong Kong.

After Situ Changhen crippled Wu Jiu and injured the Baji Boxing School, Lian Youming set out for Hong Kong to confront him. As Lian arrived at the Situ mansion alone with Yang Qing, Situ Changhen began a plot against Old Madam Situ and summoned the Hongmen hall masters.

• Lian Youming found Wu Jiu unconscious and the Baji Boxing School's disciples injured, then learned Situ Changhen had returned to Hong Kong.
• Lian Youming put on the Green Gang and Hongmen jadeite tokens, told Yan Lingyun he would return by morning, and chose to visit Situ Changhen's stronghold with only Yang Qing.
• At Boss Chen's Medical Hall, Lian Youming heard Shen San's warning that Hong Kong's factions were waiting for the tokens, but he sent a visiting card announcing his arrival.
• Situ Changhen told Helian Rou he planned to oppose Situ Wudi and hinted at his role in the murder of Situ Wudi's parents.
• Old Madam Situ received Lian Youming's visiting card, but Situ Changhen's longtime servant struck her from behind, and Situ Changhen ordered the Hongmen hall masters summoned.

Lian Youming visited the Situ manor to confront Situ Changhen and the Hongmen fighters, killing several attackers as he advanced. As observers watched the fight, Situ Wudi and Gu Feiyan sensed that the White Lotus Sect Master was cultivating Divine Knowledge.

• A Green Gang disciple told Yang Qing and Lian Youming that Situ Changhen had gathered Hongmen hall masters and something had happened to Old Madam Situ.
• Lian Youming entered the Situ manor carrying the Two Teachings tokens while Yang Qing withdrew to watch from the entrance.
• Situ Changhen rallied the gathered fighters, and Lian Youming killed two attackers with swift, devastating blows.
• Lian Youming continued forward, killing several more men who attacked him or harbored murderous intent within seven paces.
• Situ Wudi and Situ Qingqing watched from the rain as Situ Wudi praised Lian Youming's improvement and noticed Gu Feiyan and the White Lotus Sect Master nearby.
• Situ Wudi and Gu Feiyan recognized the White Lotus Sect Master's shifting qi dynamics as Divine Knowledge.

Lian Youming used his accumulated momentum to kill thirty-nine attackers at Situ Changhen’s manor and confronted the hidden expert backing him. As the old man attacked, Lian Youming struck toward the space between his brows.

• Situ Wudi recognized that the White Lotus Sect Master had only begun to comprehend Divine Knowledge and vowed to face him without hesitation.
• Lian Youming gathered the force of Human Extremity as he walked through the rain toward Situ Changhen.
• Situ Changhen offered gold for Lian Youming’s death, and an armed formation attacked with sabers, shields, and grappling claws.
• Lian Youming evaded the attacks and killed thirty-nine men in about a minute, leaving several bodies standing where they fell.
• Lian Youming called out the expert backing Situ Changhen, and a sinister old man appeared and praised his martial skills.
• Lian Youming mocked the old man as a eunuch, then struck toward the space between his brows, sending force rippling through the flagstones, wind, and rain.

Lian Youming defeated a eunuch guardian and gained the upper hand against Situ Changhen, while the White Lotus Sect Master discussed the Three Teachings’ tokens and martial fortune. The confrontation ended with Helian Rou bringing the Old Madam forward and threatening Lian Youming as he tightened his grip on Situ Changhen.

• Lian Youming struck the eunuch guardian with a finger, then killed him with a palm after breaking his hand and defeating his attacks.
• Situ Wudi explained that the eunuch had developed an unusual force of his own, while the White Lotus Sect Master revealed that the Three Teachings’ tokens together read “Number One Under Heaven.”
• Lian Youming evaded Situ Changhen’s attacks and tore his sleeve with a single clash before catching him by the neck.
• Situ Changhen taunted Lian Youming about killing his Third Aunt Grandmother, alarming the gathered hall masters, then struck Lian Youming in the chest before being choked.
• Helian Rou brought the Old Madam into the living room in a wheelchair with explosives strapped to her body and warned Lian Youming not to force her.

Lian Youming faced Situ Changhen and his armed accomplices, who threatened to kill everyone with explosives. He killed them during a sudden blackout, rescued Old Madam Situ, and left the Hongmen hall masters alive as the old woman declared Situ Changhen’s death deserved.

• Situ Changhen revealed that his men and an attendant were wearing explosives, threatening to kill everyone if Lian Youming killed him.
• Lian Youming told Old Madam Situ he would deliver her letter to his master and explained that he wanted Hongmen’s accumulated heritage, not its power.
• The manor went dark, and Lian Youming used the confusion to kill Situ Changhen’s bomb-wearing men and stop the attendant from pulling the fuse.
• Lian Youming severed Situ Changhen’s head, disarmed Helian Rou, and freed Old Madam Situ before the lights came back on.
• Old Madam Situ said Situ Changhen deserved death under Hongmen’s rules for betraying his word, loyalty, masters, and forebears.

After killing Situ Changhen, Lian Youming considered Old Madam Situ’s appeal to lead the martial world and prepared to leave. The Hongmen revealed a hidden heir, a youth under twenty who was already a Foresight Martial Artist, while the old madam judged that Situ Wudi might still have the advantage over Lian Youming.

• Old Madam Situ urged Lian Youming to raise the banner and give the scattered martial world more time to unite, and he agreed to consider it at the Incense Hall meeting.
• A dark-skinned youth retrieved the Gall-Illuminating Sword while Lian Youming observed the Hongmen leaders and prepared to depart.
• Huo Yuntian arrived with two other Foresight Martial Artists, explained that he had been assigned to protect Old Madam Situ, and found Lian Youming at the scene.
• A tall, lean man brought in the captured servant who had attacked Old Madam Situ, and Lian Youming left the hall.
• The youth revealed himself as Old Madam Situ’s relative and took charge of the hall’s affairs after she ordered Situ Changhen’s body burned.
• Huo Yuntian and Helian Rou realized the youth was a Foresight Martial Artist not yet twenty, and Old Madam Situ said Situ Wudi probably had the better chance against Lian Youming.

After Lian Youming killed Situ Changhen, he realized the old madam had used him to test his strength and clear out rivals, while Yang Qing urged him to build his own following. In Shanghai, the White Bone Taoist and a red-haired martial artist recognized Lian Youming’s fighting arts and agreed to travel together as the Three Teachings gathered against him.

• Lian Youming told Yang Qing that the old madam had used his actions to test him and signal goodwill, while intending to hedge between him and Situ Wudi.
• Yang Qing suggested Lian Youming visit the Hongmen Headquarters in Honolulu, but he said he would build a force of his own rather than borrow someone else’s influence.
• Lian Youming and Yang Qing discussed their mother and the Cantonese opera scores she had left them.
• In Shanghai, the White Bone Taoist learned that Lian Youming held the Qing and Hong gang tokens and planned to open an Incense Hall as Old-Era Martial Artists gathered in Four-Nine City.
• A red-haired martial artist recognized Lian Youming’s Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover and Dragon Roaring Iron Shirt, then joined the White Bone Taoist in planning a trip to eliminate their remaining rivals.

Lian Youming sensed a hidden threat and resolved to face it rather than retreat. After confronting a strange man who demonstrated powerful martial arts, he received portraits identifying the Five Elders of the Mountain Guardians, leaving their impending danger clear.

• Lian Youming told Shen San and Yang Qing that he sensed killing intent and insisted he would face the coming threat without involving the old patriarch.
• Lian Youming and Shen San returned to Hong Kong, where Wu Jiu learned that Lian Youming had killed more than forty members of the Situ Family.
• Lian Youming spotted a strange, disguised man in an alley and pursued him to a park pavilion.
• The strange man trapped Lian Youming's sword with his sleeve and struck him with Five Thunder Palm, exploiting his injured five viscera.
• The strange man escaped after warning Lian Youming of disaster and leaving portraits of Eyeless Monk, Mr. Corpse, White Bone Daoist, God of Tai Sui, and One-Eyed Elder—the Five Elders of the Mountain Guardians.

Lian Youming received the Junk King’s letter announcing that he would risk his life fighting a Mystic Connection expert to seek a breakthrough, and he suspected an old enemy or multiple experts were behind the crisis. After spending the day with his family and allies, Lian Youming returned to the Martyrs' Cemetery to seek its master, who finally appeared and addressed him.

• Xu Baishi gave Lian Youming the Junk King’s letter, in which the old man said he would fight a Mystic Connection expert and might not return.
• Lian Youming suspected that multiple Mystic Connection Martial Artists or an old enemy had forced the Junk King to make his decision, then welcomed Xu Baishi’s help with a coordinated fighting technique.
• Lian Youming spent the day with Xu Baishi, Yan Lingyun, his son, and visiting Yan family members while calming his mind through everyday life.
• Xu Baishi left for the Baji Boxing School with a ginseng root for Wu Jiu, and Lian Youming later slipped out to visit the Martyrs' Cemetery.
• After Lian Youming failed to find the master and turned to leave, the master attacked him with a green leaf, and Lian Youming dodged and caught it before the stranger revealed himself.

Lian Youming met a mysterious martial artist surnamed Liu, who explained how the Twenty-One-Eye Dzi Bead could serve as an External Elixir and advised him to nurture flying swords within his body. The next morning, Lian Youming swallowed nine Sword Pellets and successfully spat one into a tree, beginning his new sword technique.

• Lian Youming learned that Liu could not intervene in the crisis in the north and was told to focus on catching up with his master.
• Liu explained that Lian Youming’s Twenty-One-Eye Dzi Bead could store blessings and spiritual power as an External Elixir, replenishing and protecting his spirit.
• Liu advised Lian Youming to use the Gengjin Sword Swallow to nurture flying swords inside his body, then vanished before Lian Youming could finish thanking him.
• Yang Lian prepared more than a dozen Sword Pellets, and Lian Youming swallowed nine of them and used his breath to suspend and circulate them inside his belly.
• Lian Youming spat a Sword Pellet into an old tree, confirming that his new technique worked.

Lian Youming shared his heightened perception with Yan Lingyun and promised to teach her and their son what he knew before facing the danger ahead. Two days later, he gathered the Green Gang’s fighters to test the Combined Attack Technique, while Liu Wudi arrived with a supply of processed fo-ti.

• Lian Youming used the Dzi Bead to let Yan Lingyun experience his heightened perception, and she sensed his love and told him to return even if he lost the overseas reserves.
• Yan Lingyun recalled her master's advice that preparing for defeat and overcoming oneself were essential on the Martial Way, and Lian Youming resolved to fight without regret.
• Two days later, Lian Youming assembled Yang Lian, Yang Qing, the double Youying, Wu Jiu, Yang Shuang, Xu Baishi, Hua Linglong, Ghost Monk, Wang Mazi, Li Zhenguo, A Xing, Zhu Wu, and Liu Wudi at Green Gang Headquarters to test the Combined Attack Technique.
• Liu Wudi presented Lian Youming with a Jade Casket of processed fo-ti and said he had brought his hidden supplies because he had heard the Incense Hall gathering would be dangerous.
• Wu Jiu praised Liu Wudi's fortune, and Lian Youming teased him about secretly using the fo-ti to fuel his rapid progress.

Lian Youming tested thirteen martial artists by having them attack him together, using the exchange to demonstrate how their techniques could be unified. After turning their coordinated assault into a stalemate and then scattering them with a rebounding force, he instructed them to study the momentum and bodily changes so they could combine their strength.

• Lian Youming revealed the vast momentum of Fists Suppress the Mountains and Rivers, which Wu Jiu recognized as Humanity's Torrent and a Grand Momentum of Lian Youming's own.
• Wu Jiu, A Xing, Yang Shuang, Yang Lian, and the others attacked Lian Youming with varied techniques as he remained seated and redirected their strikes.
• Yang Lian told the group to watch one another's attacks and strike in succession, allowing the thirteen to coordinate and press Lian Youming into a stalemate after 147 exchanges.
• Lian Youming rose into their layered attacks and used the thirty-six-armed manifestation to divert their forces and sweep the attackers aside.
• Lian Youming drew their strikes onto his body, then released a rebounding force that sent all thirteen back onto their cushions and told them to study how to combine their force.

Lian Youming taught thirteen people to coordinate their strength through the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover, then considered using White Bone Contemplation to cultivate Divine Mobility. When Xue Hen led him to the tomb of a slain Mountain Guardian, Xue Hen proposed drawing out a Mystic Connection expert, and an unexpected ally appeared.

• Lian Youming used a tiger's roar to help thirteen people grasp the shared force of the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover and left them to practice.
• Lian Youming reflected on Divine Mobility and wondered whether White Bone Contemplation could help him overcome the body's heaviness.
• Lian Youming recognized Xue Hen outside the manor and pursued him through the night into the mountains.
• Xue Hen revealed that he had killed a Tomb Guardian who served the God of Tai Sui and showed Lian Youming the tomb of the One-Eyed Elder, who had attained Mystic Connection.
• Xue Hen proposed using Lian Youming to lure out the hidden expert, then introduced Gong Wuer as another helper.

Lian Youming met Gong Wuer and Xue Hen on a mountain, learned that enemies were gathering in Hong Kong, and heard clues about the secret behind the Demon-Slaying Battle. After they departed, he practiced Divine Mobility through the night and tested his newly empowered movement on the mountain path.

• Gong Wuer demonstrated her ability to foresee falling leaves, and Lian Youming recognized that her mind had become exceptionally pure and her combat methods nearly flawless.
• Lian Youming warned Gong Wuer that the remaining Mountain Guardians and other old-era martial artists might attack, and she said the gathering offered a chance to reach foresight perfection.
• Xue Hen revealed that the Eyeless Monk had left him part of the truth behind the Demon-Slaying Battle, then challenged Gong Wuer to defeat him if she wanted to know more.
• Gong Wuer left for Hong Kong, and Xue Hen told Lian Youming that the God of Tai Sui was a Wudang traitor while White Bone Daoist led the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.
• Lian Youming practiced Distant-Realm Swift-Arrival Contemplation with the Dzi Bead through the night and awakened his body-as-you-will power.
• Lian Youming tested his new movement by traveling several meters in a single step, frightening an old man who mistook him for a ghost.

Lian Youming refined his Divine Mobility and reunited with his family in Guangzhou, but his resolve to cut down the world’s martial masters returned as the Hong Kong crisis gathered force. After hearing that numerous powerful figures had arrived there, he declared that he and the others would leave that night to face them.

• Lian Youming practiced Divine Mobility through meditation and learned to conceal his qi and appear and disappear at will.
• Lian Youming’s parents arrived in Guangzhou, where they reunited with Lian Shuang, Lian Lei, and their grandson.
• Lian Youming reflected on his attachments and renewed his conviction to sever the Martial Way and defeat every master who stood in his path.
• Lian Youming accompanied his parents around Guangzhou and visited Yan's Father and Yan's Mother in Wuzhou while Lian Shuang prepared for college.
• Yang Lian reported that Gan Xuansu, the Lin family, Mangus and two other Ten Demons, Gu Feiyan, and the White Lotus Sect Master had appeared in Hong Kong.
• Lian Youming told the gathered martial artists that they would go to Hong Kong that night and challenged the heroes of the world to face him.

Lian Youming left Guangzhou for Hong Kong to attend the Incense Hall ceremony, preparing for a struggle with the White Lotus Sect, Situ Wudi, and other factions. He arrived at a manor crowded with representatives of the Three Teachings and Nine Streams, openly displaying his tokens as he prepared to face them.

• Lian Youming told Youying to remain in Guangzhou and protect Yan Lingyun and Lian Shuang while he traveled to Hong Kong.
• Lian Youming gave Youying the Dragon-Tiger Contest painting to study as a guide to his joint-attack technique, then left for the Pearl River with Zhu Wu and Wang Mazi.
• On the boat, Lian Youming planned to accept Zhu Wu and Wang Mazi as disciples at the Incense Hall ceremony, anticipating a struggle over the Three Teachings Chief Seat.
• Yang Qing told Lian Youming that overseas Green Gang members, Hongmen hall masters, Heavenly Principle Sect followers, Honolulu experts, Gan Xuansu, and Hokushin Ittō-ryū had arrived in Hong Kong.
• Lian Youming reached a manor crowded with martial artists and displayed his thumb ring and ring; when Yang Qing asked why he had not changed clothes, he asked whether she had a military uniform.

Lian Youming met the martial artists gathered at the Manor and asserted his authority when Lin Keshan tried to seize Hua Linglong. The White Lotus Sect Master and Situ Wudi arrived as the Three Teachings gathered, leaving a confrontation poised to unfold.

• Yang Qing brought Lian Youming a general's dress uniform, then gave him a Zhongshan Suit to wear before the meeting.
• Lian Youming greeted the assembled martial artists, including Rong A Gui, Li Yaochen's disciple, and successors from many martial schools.
• Lin Keshan, the Heavenly Principle Sect Master, ordered Hua Linglong taken away and accused her of betraying the sect.
• Lian Youming threatened Lin Keshan, invoked his authority, and declared that he had taken Hua Linglong as his disciple.
• Lin Keshan bowed to Lian Youming but maintained his defiance, while Lian warned him to lower his head when speaking.
• The White Lotus Sect Master and Situ Wudi arrived, completing the gathering of the Three Teachings.

Lian Youming presided over a gathering of the Three Teachings as the White Lotus Sect Master and Situ Wudi arrived, each bearing a ring tied to the authority of the Chief Seat. Gu Feiyan revealed herself and challenged them for the token, while Gan Xuansu arrived with a force of fighters, setting the stage for a confrontation.

• The White Lotus Sect Master entered, displaying shifting Qi Dynamics that Lian Youming suspected came from a cultivation method based on experiencing others' emotions.
• Situ Wudi and Old Madam Situ arrived, and the invited guests assembled as the White Lotus Sect Master and Situ Wudi took seats opposite Lian Youming.
• Yang Qing told Lian Youming that Muslim experts connected to the Bai family had come from the Middle East.
• Lian Youming called out an apparently disguised woman for hiding despite seeking greater heights, and Gu Feiyan answered from within the hall.
• Gu Feiyan revealed her true face and demanded the token from the White Lotus Sect Master, who challenged her to take it.
• Gan Xuansu arrived with Muslim experts, Japanese Ninjas, and internal Martial Artists, and Gu Feiyan welcomed his offer of an alliance.

Lian Youming accepted the challenge of the Three Teachings and Nine Streams, inviting anyone who wanted the Two Teachings’ resources to fight him on a platform for seven days. When an Indian monk attacked, Lian Youming killed him in a flash, and the gathered enemies moved out as a great battle began.

• Gu Feiyan asked to count her lineage among the Three Teachings, and Lian Youming agreed despite the danger.
• A hidden voice declared that the Two Teachings’ tokens would belong to whoever could claim them, and Lian Youming accepted the challenge.
• Lian Youming invited Gan Xuansu and the Bai family leader to test their skills, then opened a seven-day fighting platform to the Three Teachings and Nine Streams.
• An Indian monk attacked Lian Youming with an iron ball, but Lian Youming deflected it with a drop of tea and a passing swordsman cut the monk’s throat.
• Situ Wudi, the White Lotus Sect Master, Gu Feiyan, Gan Xuansu, and others left the hall as the battle was about to begin.

Lian Youming faced Bai Meng in the Manor’s Martial Arts Arena as the assembled factions watched, and their fight revealed Bai Meng’s formidable blend of Drunken Fist and other styles. The chapter left Bai Meng unable to land a blow as Lian Youming evaded him with effortless footwork.

• Yang Lian sealed the Manor’s entrances and exits with armed Green Gang disciples as Martial Artists gathered around the arena.
• Situ Qingqing and Situ Wudi recognized that Lian Youming had mastered Divine Mobility and discussed the danger he faced from stronger foes.
• Bai Meng entered the arena, demanded a share of the Two Teachings’ legacy, and introduced himself to Lian Youming.
• Bai Meng attacked with Drunken Fist, Hung Fist, Leopard Fist, and Tiger-Crane Double Form while targeting Lian Youming’s tokens.
• Lian Youming planted his feet and evaded Bai Meng’s relentless attacks without lifting them from the ground, leaving Bai Meng visibly shaken.

Lian Youming faced Bai Meng in the arena and countered his deadly Drunken Tiger techniques with superior internal control and throwing skill. He repeatedly slammed Bai Meng into the ground until the European fighter’s bones and sinews buckled, leaving him bloodied and screaming.

• Lian Youming used his advanced Golden Bell Cover to evade Bai Meng’s attacks without moving his body in the usual way.
• Bai Meng unleashed a murderous Drunken Tiger attack, caught both of Lian Youming’s wrists, and tried to twist him through the air.
• Lian Youming resisted Bai Meng’s strength and challenged him to a contest of throwing techniques, locking their fingers together.
• Bai Meng used his hidden boot blades and Drunken Tiger throw to hurl Lian Youming toward the ground, but Lian Youming planted his feet and reversed the throw.
• Lian Youming repeatedly swung and slammed Bai Meng into the arena floor until Bai Meng’s legs failed and his bones and sinews buckled.