Chapter Summaries

Lian Youming refined his Witnessing Art and discussed Wang Wu’s saber insights with Shen San while the clinic’s group prepared for the coming battle. As the Battle Date approached, they trained together and Lian Youming gained a crowd of admirers through his therapeutic massage, until the White Lotus Sect Master arrived at the clinic disguised as a young woman.

• Lian Youming practiced the Witnessing Art at sunrise, and Shen San explained that Wang Wu’s manuscript passed on an aspiration to surpass the past.
• Shen San reported that five cattle had been taken into the northern district to replenish the old monster, and Yang Shuang estimated that only about ten days remained.
• Lian Youming, Yang Shuang, A Xing, and Shen San played mahjong and exchanged combat techniques to prepare for the coming battle.
• Lian Youming treated patients at the clinic with martial arts-enhanced massage, drawing a crowd of grateful elderly customers.
• A gray-haired woman and a disguised young woman entered the clinic, and Lian Youming and Yang Shuang recognized the girl as the White Lotus Sect Master.

The White Lotus Sect Master arrived at the clinic and offered to help Boss Chen in the coming battle, proposing that the fight settle old grudges. After the northern district set a death match for three days later, Lian Youming tested the heavy chain-linked hammers he had ordered and smashed a crater into the courtyard.

• The White Lotus Sect Master came to the clinic with Miss Hua and offered to join forces against their common enemy, while Yang Shuang reluctantly accepted her help despite their blood feud.
• Lian Youming cooked Northeastern food for the group, and the White Lotus Sect Master joined them for dinner while quietly watching him.
• Two Baji Sect disciples delivered news that the northern district had issued a challenge for a fight to the death in three days, along with the iron hammers Lian Youming had ordered.
• Lian Youming tested the two forty-jin hammers linked by a Refined Steel Chain, but lost control of the weapon and smashed the courtyard bricks into a crater.

With the battle approaching, Lian Youming recognized the White Lotus Sect Master as Xiao Li, the girl he had met on Changbai Mountain, and taught Yang Shuang Coiling Silk Force. After allies gathered at the clinic, Lian Youming put on his Iron Mask and set out with Yang Qing, Zhu Wu, and the Green Gang disciples for the battlefield in the Walled City.

• Lian Youming recognized the White Lotus Sect Master as the girl Xiao Li he had met on Changbai Mountain.
• Lian Youming decided to teach Yang Shuang Coiling Silk Force and guided her through its principles for over three hours.
• Eight martial artists gathered at the clinic to lend their fists, and the Eight Trigrams Sect woman warned Lian Youming that Japanese experts might attack with guns.
• After fireworks marked midnight, the eight martial artists and A Xing left the clinic; Lian Youming and Yang Shuang waited for the Green Gang disciples to arrive.
• Yang Qing and Zhu Wu joined Lian Youming, who put on his Iron Mask and led the group toward the Walled City battlefield.

Lian Youming led the Green Gang into the battle between the South and North District factions, where he slaughtered waves of enemies with his chained iron hammers. As Red Hair and two martial artists attacked him together, he released one hammer and sent it spinning toward her, which she blocked with a corpse.

• Lian Youming and the Green Gang arrived at the boundary street as the South and North District factions prepared to fight.
• When dawn broke, both sides charged, and the street erupted into a bloody melee.
• Lian Youming held back the Green Gang disciples, then attacked the North District's advancing men with his iron hammers, killing and injuring many.
• Red Hair struck at Lian Youming and whistled for two martial artists to join her attack.
• Lian Youming separated the chain and hurled one hammer at Red Hair, who flicked a corpse into its path.

Lian Youming fought Red Hair and her two accomplices while wielding his heavy hammers, using their attacks to test and strengthen his Taiji Fist. After surviving their smoke-assisted ambush, he killed the woman and the man, leaving Red Hair to face him alone.

• Yang Qing led the Green Gang disciples against the North District thugs as Lian Youming faced Red Hair and her two armed companions.
• Lian Youming used his hammers and circling Taiji Fist movements to fend off their coordinated attacks and drive them back.
• The woman threw smoke bombs, then struck Lian Youming's wrists and ribs while Red Hair and the man attacked from both sides.
• Lian Youming seized the woman, dragged her into a tailor's shop, and tore off both her arms, killing her.
• Lian Youming hurled a hammer into the man and his victim as they emerged from the shop, then crushed the wounded man with another blow.

Hou Youmian fought Red Satin, whose Japanese blade technique pushed him into a deadly close-range exchange. The chapter ended as Hou Youmian’s thrown weapon struck toward Red Satin’s liver.

• Si Dangyang mocked Hou Youmian, then revealed himself as a Transformation boxer.
• Red Satin attacked Hou Youmian with a rapid Japanese blade technique, cutting him several times as Hou Youmian defended with his iron rake.
• Hou Youmian gathered his strength and challenged Red Satin to deliver his fiercest attack.
• Red Satin’s blade broke against Hou Youmian’s counter, and he drew a short blade to attack from close range.
• Hou Youmian narrowly evaded Red Satin’s paired blades, then turned as his iron rake flew toward Red Satin’s liver.

Lian Youming killed Red Hair and turned to face Gan Xuantong, who had killed one of the martial experts supporting the South District. Lian Youming climbed to the rooftop to challenge Gan Xuantong, and the two exchanged formal introductions before their fight began.

• Lian Youming defeated Red Hair and killed her with a hammer, causing many North District fighters to flee.
• Gan Xuantong attacked Lian Youming with a pebble and revealed the corpse of Master Zhao of the Xingyi Sect, whom he had killed.
• Lian Youming removed his twin hammers, killed a North District undercover agent who tried to ambush him, and climbed toward Gan Xuantong.
• Lian Youming and Gan Xuantong confronted each other on the rooftop and discussed their alliance with the Japanese martial sects and Gan Xuantong's injured lower body.
• Lian Youming introduced himself as Liu Wudi and challenged Gan Xuantong, who accepted the duel.

Lian Youming fought Gan Xuantong atop the Walled City rooftop, matching his Taiji techniques and Toad-Fishing Skill despite Gan’s vicious force and lingering injury. After their contest of strength left Lian retreating but encouraged, he taunted Gan and charged back into close combat, where the chapter left them trading unguarded blows.

• Gan Xuantong concealed his attack with a bloodstained handkerchief and struck at Lian Youming, who countered with Taiji Cotton Palm.
• Gan used Ox-Tongue Grass-Curling Force against Lian’s Coiling Silk Force, and the two locked palms in a contest of strength.
• Gan and Lian each used Toad-Fishing Skill to intensify their struggle, while Lian recognized that Gan’s lower-body injury caused him pain when he circulated his qi.
• Lian was forced back several steps but noticed Gan’s weakness, removed his ruined sleeves, and taunted him about the injury.
• Gan demanded that Lian remove his mask, but Lian refused and stepped close to challenge him again.
• Lian and Gan attacked without defending, exchanging fists and palms as the battle resumed in the rain.

Lian Youming fought Gan Xuantong in the torrential rain, but Gan’s Five Phoenixes Cry in Unison let him counter Lian’s defenses and break through his Golden Bell Cover. Gan declared that Lian’s incomplete training had sealed his defeat and death.

• Lian Youming charged Gan Xuantong with Xingyi Crushing Fist, while Gan used Crane-Step Ascending to Heaven to evade and parry his blows.
• Gan Xuantong absorbed Lian Youming’s punch with Toad-Fishing Skill and sent a surge of force back through Lian’s arm.
• Gan used Phoenix-Beak Hand to disrupt Lian’s punch, then seized his throat with Dragon Claw Palm before Lian escaped by locking Gan’s elbow.
• Gan pressed his attack with rapid palm strikes, slipping Phoenix-Beak Hand into the barrage and breaking through Lian’s Golden Bell Cover.
• Gan Xuantong explained that Five Phoenixes Cry in Unison countered external body-hardening arts and said Lian’s incomplete training left him destined to lose and die.

Lian Youming battled Gan Xuantong across a collapsing rooftop, insisting that a martial artist’s spirit and adaptability mattered more than a fixed set of techniques. As they unleashed their final attacks, Lian Youming used Gan Xuantong’s strike to break through his remaining barriers and counterattack, sending them crashing through the building.

• Lian Youming challenged Gan Xuantong’s faith in a few supreme martial arts and said he was certain he could defeat him.
• Gan Xuantong launched Five Phoenixes Cry in Unison, but Lian Youming adapted his sword fingers and freehand techniques to counter the attacks.
• Gan Xuantong’s frenzied assault overwhelmed Lian Youming’s footwork, and their battle destroyed the rooftop until they were forced onto a lone concrete pillar.
• Lian Youming refused to retreat and used the Toad-Fishing Skill as he and Gan Xuantong prepared to land their final blows.
• Gan Xuantong struck Lian Youming’s chest, allowing him to use the impact to break through the barriers in his lower body and reach Great Completion of Hua Jin.
• Lian Youming struck Gan Xuantong’s dantian and wrist, then drove both palms into his chest and sent them crashing through the building’s floors.

Lian Youming defeated Gan Xuantong, who committed suicide after conceding the fight, then entered the North District’s gun-filled warehouse to confront its armed defenders. He emerged with both guns after killing the chief boss and the others inside.

• Lian Youming defeated Gan Xuantong, who admitted defeat and killed himself.
• Miss Hua praised Lian Youming, while she and Ghost Monk fled as he approached.
• Lian Youming found A Xing and the other martial artists pinned down by gunfire from the North District’s warehouse.
• Lian Youming circled above the warehouse, shot the guards, and forced his way inside before the doors closed.
• Lian Youming killed the hidden attackers and fought the chief boss, whose body transformed into massive, rocklike muscle.
• Lian Youming used Taiji Fist and both revolvers to kill the chief boss, then walked out of the warehouse.

After the battle in the warehouse, Lian Youming met Xue Hen, who proposed postponing their duel for half a year, but Lian refused to treat his injuries as an obstacle. They joined Boss Chen and the White Lotus Sect Master at a buried ancestral hall, where a stele’s fearsome inscription left them wondering about the identity of the person who carved it.

• Lian Youming took medicine for a bullet graze, and Yang Shuang explained that the Walled City would burn the North District’s bodies and separate them from the South District’s dead.
• Xue Hen summoned Lian Youming, acknowledged his strength, and offered him half a year to recover before their duel.
• Lian Youming said his attachments and upcoming marriage strengthened his resolve, and he asked to fight Xue Hen at Mount Lu.
• Xue Hen and Lian Youming crossed the Walled City and descended into a collapsed underground ancestral hall, where Boss Chen and the White Lotus Sect Master were waiting.
• Lian Youming and Xue Hen read the stele’s inscription, “Should anyone dare proclaim himself emperor, I shall strike him down!” and Xue Hen wondered if its author was the Number One Under Heaven.

A Qing-era Foresight master named Ma emerged from an ancestral hall and challenged Boss Chen, Xue Hen, the White Lotus Sect Master, and Lian Youming. Ma evaded Lian Youming’s gunfire before Boss Chen engaged him, with Xue Hen and the White Lotus Sect Master joining the fight.

• Ma revealed that he had remained in the ancestral hall for nearly sixty years because a stone tablet bearing the Number One Under Heaven’s words had terrified him.
• Lian Youming identified Ma as a former Qing military official and learned that Ma belonged to the Plain White Banner and had served as Chief Commander of the Shangyu Backup Office.
• Ma declared that he would replenish his vitality with their flesh and blood, and Boss Chen accepted his challenge.
• Lian Youming fired four shots at Ma, but Ma evaded every bullet and rushed toward him.
• Boss Chen intercepted Ma’s attack, beginning their battle, while Xue Hen and the White Lotus Sect Master attacked from either side.
• The White Lotus Sect Master used Chen-Style Taiji Fist’s Taiji Cannon Punch, cracking and sinking the bricks beneath her feet.

Lian Youming used his pistols to disrupt the old monster’s Foresight and help Boss Chen, Xue Hen, and the White Lotus Sect Master break the stalemate. The wounded old monster charged at Lian Youming, who retreated while firing both guns.

• Lian Youming studied the old monster’s ability to anticipate attacks and realized that making him evade the threat of gunfire could disrupt his rhythm.
• Lian Youming circled the fighters with his pistols ready, and his warning gave Xue Hen, the White Lotus Sect Master, and Boss Chen an opening to attack together.
• Xue Hen was knocked backward but recovered, while Lian Youming’s renewed threat of gunfire repeatedly forced the old monster to dodge and exposed him to more attacks.
• The old monster took a cannon punch from the White Lotus Sect Master, escaped the three fighters, and lunged at Lian Youming.
• Lian Youming slid backward and fired both pistols at the charging old monster.

Lian Youming, Boss Chen, Xue Hen, and the White Lotus Sect Master battled the old monster in the rain, gradually wounding him but suffering heavy injuries themselves. As Boss Chen and the old monster fought at close range, Lian Youming moved in, and the old monster turned to kill him.

• Lian Youming used his twin revolvers to shoot at the old monster, who dodged the bullets and blocked Lian Youming’s final shot with his iron bracelets, though the bullet clipped his braid.
• Boss Chen, Xue Hen, and the White Lotus Sect Master attacked the old monster, but he used Bone-Shrinking Skill and Soft-Bone Skill to evade their strikes and counterattack.
• Xue Hen unleashed Lion’s Roar and fought the old monster with Pounding Fist, but the iron bracelets injured him and forced him back.
• The White Lotus Sect Master used Yang Luchan’s force projected through the air, and Boss Chen revealed Wild Bull Power as the old monster burned his vital essence and regained a younger appearance.
• Xue Hen plucked out one of the old monster’s eyes, while the old monster injured him and the White Lotus Sect Master; Lian Youming’s feints and gunfire then drew the old monster’s attention.
• Lian Youming rushed closer despite the danger, and the old monster declared that he would kill him.

Lian Youming risked his life to hold off the old monster while Boss Chen, Xue Hen, and the White Lotus Sect Master attacked. After the monster wounded them and launched one final assault, Lian Youming shot him dead, ending the fight.

• Lian Youming charged the old monster and drew his attention, giving Boss Chen, Xue Hen, and the White Lotus Sect Master time to attack.
• The old monster climbed onto Lian Youming’s back and aimed a killing blow at his neck, but Lian Youming expanded and contracted his body to break free.
• Boss Chen intercepted the old monster’s punch as Lian Youming ducked, and the White Lotus Sect Master broke the monster’s leg while Xue Hen and Boss Chen struck his body.
• The wounded old monster unleashed Three Salutes of the Master, forcing Boss Chen, Xue Hen, and the White Lotus Sect Master to retreat before lunging again at Lian Youming.
• Lian Youming loaded both pistols and shot the airborne old monster, whose body fell riddled with bullets.

After Lian Youming and his allies defeated the North District’s forces, he reflected on the battle and celebrated with his companions. Meanwhile, Kawashima Mai fled the Walled City, only to be confronted by a mysterious Foresight martial artist who killed her and her followers.

• The old monster died after being shot, while Xue Hen fled and the White Lotus Sect Master departed; Boss Chen told Lian Youming that the man who erected the stele had been her father.
• Boss Chen left with the old monster’s corpse, and Lian Youming studied the stele before leaving as the Walled City’s forces swept through the North District.
• Lian Youming played mahjong with Zhu Wu, Yang Shuang, and A Xing, who praised his conduct in battle before winning on his discarded red dragon tile.
• Kawashima Mai escaped with four followers, lamented the losses to her forces, and realized a mysterious figure had joined their group.
• The mysterious figure walked through their thrown weapons and killed Kawashima Mai and her four followers before pursuing experts arrived.

Lian Youming pieced together a theory about the ancient battle that began the Post-Martial Arts Era and decided to travel to improve his strength. Before he left the Walled City, Boss Chen began teaching him the true transmission of Bagua Palm footwork.

• Lian Youming listened as Yang Qing explained the Post-Martial Arts Era and speculated that Northward to Exterminate Demons had been a battle between the Northern and Southern Martial Arts World and the Late Qing Imperial Court’s experts.
• Yang Qing told Lian Youming that five Japanese Grand Boxers had been killed instantly by a fighter even stronger than the one he had defeated.
• Lian Youming told Yang Qing he planned to pause his studies and travel to strengthen himself and investigate his theories.
• Lian Youming and Zhu Wu saw the Walled City bustling again, then visited Boss Chen before leaving.
• Boss Chen recognized Bagua Palm footwork in Lian Youming’s manuscripts and demonstrated its true transmission, Crane-Step Ascending to Heaven.

Boss Chen personally taught Lian Youming Cheng Faction Bagua’s Dragon Claw Palm and Crane-Step Ascending to Heaven, and he quickly began mastering their fundamentals. After returning from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, he found no trace of Yang Lian’s double and learned that his friends had gone elsewhere, then reunited with Wu Jiu at the Baji Martial Arts Hall and headed toward Wuzhou.

• Boss Chen demonstrated Dragon Claw Palm and left seven footprints to teach Lian Youming the foundations of Crane-Step Ascending to Heaven.
• Lian Youming practiced through the night, grasped the footwork and palm techniques, and began turning toward dark jin while Zhu Wu chose an Iron Sand Palm manual.
• After a feast, Lian Youming left the Walled City with Yang Shuang, Zhu Wu, and A Xing, visited Shen San, and bought gifts and goods in Hong Kong.
• Lian Youming returned to Guangzhou and found his home cleaned but unoccupied; he failed to find Yang Lian’s double or Sun Duhe before going to the Baji Martial Arts Hall.
• Wu Jiu recognized that Lian Youming had reached great completion of Hua Jin, and Lian Youming invited him to join the trip to Wuzhou.

Lian Youming returned to Wuzhou and reunited with Yan Lingyun and her family as the wedding preparations began. While tending to Yan Lingyun, he asked about preserving life through martial arts and suspended sleep, and the chapter ended with them settling down together for the night.

• Yan Lingyun spotted a poised woman in black outside Yan Medical Hall while caring for her niece in the bitter cold.
• Lian Youming arrived at the Medical Hall with bags, greeted Yan Lingyun’s family, and reunited with Yan Lingyun.
• Yan Beitong sent his sons to the countryside to prepare the wedding banquet after the family ate together.
• Lian Youming told Yan Lingyun that his bags held her betrothal gifts and massaged the swelling in her legs with Hua Jin.
• Lian Youming asked whether gold needles, internal martial arts, and tortoise breathing could extend someone’s lifespan, and Yan Lingyun explained how controlling vital essence might prolong life during sleep.
• Yan Lingyun said someone who lost no vital essence would be an immortal, then asked Lian Youming to hold her as they went to sleep.