Chapter Summaries

Lian Youming made it home for New Year's Eve and reunited with his family and the Junk King, who warned him about dangerous fighting tactics and the dangers of flaws in his martial state of mind. After sharing a festive meal with his family, Lian Youming welcomed the New Year.

• Lian Youming rushed home on New Year's Eve after a difficult journey, and Zhao Lanxiang scolded him for being away nearly a month.
• Lian Youming visited the Junk King, who warned him not to use himself as bait, urged him to preserve his body, and taught him passwords for dealing with people seeking old medicine.
• Lian Youming explained Yan Lingyun's trouble, and the Junk King offered old medicine prescriptions and warned him about the risks of romantic attachment to his martial cultivation.
• Lian Youming returned home and invited the Junk King to join the family for New Year's Eve dinner.
• The Junk King teased Lian Youming about having many descendants while the family prepared and ate dumplings, and the radio crackled as the New Year began.

Lian Youming received further martial arts training from the Junk King, then called Yan Lingyun’s family and used a secret brotherhood verse to force the men threatening them to withdraw. He left the family under their protection, warning them that they would answer for any harm.

• Lian Youming greeted his parents and neighbors for New Year before bringing food to the Junk King.
• The Junk King explained the risks of domineering martial arts, told Lian Youming to cultivate his mind, and gave him bogwood hammers and a hollow iron ball for training.
• The Junk King said he planned to move to a Taoist temple on Zhongnan Mountain and asked Lian Youming to call Yan Lingyun.
• Lian Youming called Yan Lingyun’s father, who explained that armed men were demanding the family’s old medicine and wild ginseng and had hidden Yan Lingyun in a secret room.
• Lian Youming spoke to the men’s leader and recited a brotherhood verse that revealed his standing, prompting an elder to promise they would leave and protect Yan Lingyun’s family.

Lian Youming endured the Junk King's punishing training and broke through the Golden Bell Cover before Yan Lingyun arrived at his home under the protection of her brothers. The chapter left Yan Lingyun eating a meal with Lian Youming as her brothers explained how ravenously she had eaten during their journey.

• Lian Youming used a code phrase to keep danger away from Yan Lingyun and invited her to stay with him.
• Lian Youming practiced the Three Talents Posture and the Toad-Fishing Skill, then struggled through nightly iron-ball and mountain-running training ordered by the Junk King.
• After days of grueling practice, Lian Youming broke through the Golden Bell Cover and opened the Liver Meridian.
• Lian Lei warned Lian Youming about a suspicious woman, but Lian Youming recognized the disguised visitor as Yan Lingyun and teased her before inviting her inside.
• Lian Youming cooked a large meal for Yan Lingyun and her two brothers, who described how she had eaten nearly all their food during the four-day train journey.

Lian Youming reunited with Yan Lingyun and learned that she was eager to study medicine and martial arts in Xijing. The Junk King recognized her potential, invited her to Zhongnan Mountain, and assigned Lian Youming as her acupuncture and medicine-making practice subject.

• Yan Guangming and Yan Zhaomei introduced themselves as Yan Lingyun’s brothers and joked about how their family treasured her.
• Yan Lingyun admitted she had missed Lian Youming, especially his cooking, and asked about the prescriptions and his phone call; he told her an extraordinary man thought she had talent.
• Lian Youming offered to take Yan Lingyun to study on Zhongnan Mountain for six months to a year, and she agreed while asking him to bring her food and let her brothers stay nearby.
• Lian Youming brought Yan Lingyun to meet the Junk King, who questioned her about her medical studies and learned she had read several classic texts and experimented with remedies on her brothers.
• The Junk King told Yan Lingyun to practice acupuncture on Lian Youming, teach her medicine-making, and come to Zhongnan Mountain in three days after she analyzed two prescriptions.

Lian Youming’s family welcomed Yan Lingyun and her brother with a lavish dinner, and Yan Lingyun nervously greeted his parents as Mom and Dad before giving them gifts. Later that night, Lian Youming took Yan Lingyun to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, where they shared braised pork and Maotai beneath the moon.

• Zhao Lanxiang and Lian Father discovered Yan Lingyun visiting, and the family prepared a celebratory dinner for her and her relatives.
• Yan Lingyun accidentally greeted Lian Youming’s parents as Mom and Dad, then gave gifts to his family, including an amulet for him.
• Yan Guangming and Lian Father drank together until they were both drunk, while Zhao Lanxiang chatted warmly with Yan Lingyun.
• After midnight, Lian Youming secretly left to practice, but Yan Lingyun insisted on joining him and asked him to carry her.
• Lian Youming climbed the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda with Yan Lingyun, then offered her braised pork and Maotai beneath the moon.

Lian Youming brought the drunken Yan Lingyun home, then received instruction from the Junk King in the Dragon Roaring Iron Shirt and Geng Metal Sword Vapor. He discovered that his hidden Golden Bell Cover scripture described the lost Tiger Roaring art that the Junk King said would pair even better with the sword vapor.

• Lian Youming carried the sleeping Yan Lingyun home after she drunkenly praised his cooking and threatened him with silver needles.
• The Junk King told Lian Youming to preserve his primal yang while practicing the Dragon Roaring Iron Shirt and explained the principles of extraordinary skills.
• The Junk King taught Lian Youming about Geng Metal Sword Vapor, which could kill with an exhalation, and assigned him to extinguish a lamp from five meters away without gathering internal breath.
• The Junk King said the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover had been lost in a catastrophe sixty years earlier and told Lian Youming to practice the Iron Shirt in his Stone Cave.
• Lian Youming compared the Iron Shirt manual with the Golden Bell Cover hidden in a Buddhist scripture and recognized the phrases “Dragon Roars Through the Nine Heavens” and “Tiger Devours the World.”

Lian Youming asked Song Xiehu to find lodging and gather news about the martial world’s hidden forces, then returned home to find Yan Lingyun with a box of gold needles from the mysterious old man. In Cangzhou, a bespectacled stranger defeated Ao Fei’s attack and persuaded him to leave for the Northeast to find someone.

• Lian Youming visited Song Xiehu, secured a small courtyard house for Yan Guangming and his brother, and asked him to watch for news about the Northern Martial World, Xue Hen, and the White Lotus Sect.
• Lian Youming returned home and found Yan Lingyun admiring a box of gold acupuncture needles given to her by the old man.
• Yan Guangming and Yan Zhaomei emerged stiff and twitching after Yan Lingyun accidentally stuck them with needles, and they told Lian Youming they were used to it.
• A mysterious bespectacled man entered the Flower Fist Sect hall and rebuked Ao Fei, who attacked him with Azure Dragon Clawing.
• The stranger repelled Ao Fei with Five Phoenixes Cry in Unison and showed him a golden token connected to the Flower Fist Sect’s founder.
• The stranger convinced Ao Fei to take the Yanqing Sect and Great Sage Sect members to the Northeast, where they would seek someone and eventually confront the Taiji Demon.

Lian Youming helped Junk King establish a mountain retreat and trained while balancing study and visits to Yan Lingyun. A letter from Xie Ruomei warned him of deadly violence in Cangzhou and a possible northward threat, while he continued refining his martial arts.

• Junk King brought Lian Youming and Yan Lingyun to a ruined Taoist temple, revealed a hidden stone chamber, and urged Lian Youming to believe he could become the strongest man under heaven.
• Lian Youming and Yan Lingyun cleaned the temple, and he spent nearly half a month repairing it before returning to his studies and training between the city and the mountains.
• Zhao Lanxiang urged Lian Youming to marry Yan Lingyun, but he focused on preparing for the preliminary exam while Yan Lingyun waited for him at the temple.
• Lao Song delivered a letter from Xie Ruomei reporting that Ao Fei and others had left Cangzhou, a mysterious expert had killed a Hung Fist master, and Xu Tian had killed the Great Sage Fist school's head; she warned Lian Youming to be careful.
• Lian Youming visited Yan Lingyun at the temple, carried her to a cleaned mountain cave, and practiced the Iron Shirt manual with a roaring dragon-and-tiger technique.

Lian Youming mastered the Dragon Roaring Iron Shirt’s air-swallowing method while preparing for his exams, then learned that Yang Shuang was being hunted and that Ao Fei had gone to Tahe. After completing the college entrance examination, he decided to head north and confront Ao Fei.

• Lian Youming practiced the Dragon Roaring Iron Shirt, unleashed dragon cries and tiger roars, and received medicine from Yan Lingyun to help repair his body.
• Lian Youming continued training and studying, celebrated his twentieth birthday, and spent time with Yan Lingyun.
• Zhao Xiaozhi visited Lian Youming and told him she had briefly seen Yang Shuang being pursued, prompting him to consider going to the Northeast.
• Lian Youming passed the preliminary examination, took the college entrance examination, and applied to universities in Liangguang.
• Song Xiehu told Lian Youming that Ao Fei had been located in Tahe and that martial artists from several schools were heading north.
• Lian Youming resolved to go after Ao Fei.

Lian Youming left the mountain after proposing marriage to Yan Lingyun and traveled north to Tahe, where he found martial artists gathering in the Greater Khingan Mountains. At the Logging Camp, he discovered the Pigua Sect leader hiding with two people, including Li Yinhuan.

• Lian Youming told the Junk King he would not wait for guaranteed victory, and the old man urged him to temper himself without offering extra help.
• Lian Youming asked Yan Lingyun to marry him, and she accepted; their kiss was interrupted by the Giant Panda.
• Lian Youming discussed his trip with his parents, packed a bayonet and Yan Lingyun's wound medicine, and set off.
• Lian Youming arrived in Tahe and noticed martial sect disciples and other martial artists watching the station and heading toward the mountains.
• Lian Youming searched the Logging Camp's hidden chamber, then spotted a dark figure carrying two people into an abandoned dormitory.
• Lian Youming recognized the figure as the Pigua Sect leader and saw that one of his captives was Li Yinhuan.

Lian Youming rescued Li Yinhuan and her injured senior brother from Wei Bozhao, then lured Wei into the forest to fight. He overwhelmed Wei with his newly powerful Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover and prepared to finish him off.

• Lian Youming interrupted Wei Bozhao as he threatened Li Yinhuan and her senior brother, then freed Li and told her to escape with the unconscious man.
• Lian Youming and Wei Bozhao left the Logging Camp and raced into the mountain forest to settle their grudge.
• Wei Bozhao attacked with Great Sage Fist, Baji Boxing, and Pigua techniques, knocking Lian Youming back with a series of powerful blows.
• Lian Youming endured Wei Bozhao's assault, roared, and used Tiger Roaring Golden Bell Cover to repel Wei and leave him kneeling with blood at his mouth and nose.
• Lian Youming strode toward the stunned Wei Bozhao and declared that it was time to send him on his way.

Lian Youming defeated and killed Wei Bozhao, then learned about a mysterious collaborator, the White Lotus Sect, and the secret guarded by the Mountain-Guarding Old Man. As martial artists gathered around Wei Bozhao’s corpse, Lian Youming recognized his father’s old comrade among them and slipped away into the Greater Khingan Mountains.

• Lian Youming used Toad-Fishing Skill and a series of strikes to overcome Wei Bozhao, then dislocated his wrist and demanded information.
• Wei Bozhao told Lian Youming that a mysterious man returned from Japan, had ties to the Flower Fist Sect, and carried a Sticky Pole Office token; he also described fighting with the White Lotus Sect over a secret connected to the Mountain-Guarding Old Man.
• Lian Youming killed Wei Bozhao and left him beneath the old tree.
• Li Yinhuan’s master and fighters from several schools arrived, including a black-clad Eagle Claw Kung Fu practitioner whom Lian Youming recognized as his father’s comrade, Uncle Tian.
• Li Yinhuan denied seeing who had defeated Wei Bozhao, and Lian Youming waited until the group carried the body away before heading deeper into the Greater Khingan Mountains.

Lian Youming raced through the forest searching for the Mountain-Guarding Old Man and Yang Shuang, then became entangled with Taiji Gate elders and hostile martial artists. Near dawn, he found Yang Shuang surrounded by six pursuers and approached them using a White Lotus Sect mask and a secret phrase.

• Lian Youming followed signs of fighting through the forest and found a corpse beside a blood-spotted Peking Opera Mask, which he put on.
• Lian Youming watched a battle between the White Lotus Sect and Japanese fighters, then was pursued by two Taiji Gate elders who demanded to know the whereabouts of the White Lotus Sect's Vice Sect Leader and the Mountain-Guarding Old Man.
• Lian Youming provoked the Taiji Gate elders and the hidden White Lotus Sect fighters into fighting, then slipped away while the battle raged.
• Lian Youming followed fresh traces of blood and spotted Yang Shuang fleeing from six pursuers, including Ao Fei and the White Lotus Sect's Vice Sect Leader.
• Lian Youming approached the group despite their warnings and recited a secret White Lotus Sect phrase, causing all six to react.

Lian Youming used Green Gang ancestry and secret greetings to intimidate the martial-world fighters gathered around Yang Shuang, but Xu Tian’s arrival sparked a clash between the factions. When Yang Shuang fled in the confusion, Lian Youming tricked the others and escaped with her.

• Lian Youming answered challenges from the Hongmen and Green Gang, then claimed seniority as a Da-generation Green Gang member and forced the blue-robed elder to withdraw.
• The remaining fighters bowed to Lian Youming, but Xu Tian arrived with a dozen armed martial-world figures and the gathering erupted into a confrontation with the White Lotus Sect.
• Yang Shuang fled toward the grassland, and Lian Youming delayed her pursuers by making them wary of him.
• Lian Youming caught Yang Shuang, whispered to reassure her, then carried her away while the four fighters realized he had deceived them.

Lian Youming carried the badly wounded Yang Shuang to the Hulunbuir Grassland and used Hua Jin to clear the Dark Jin from her injuries. When Ao Fei and two Japanese trackers caught up, Lian Youming and Yang Shuang feigned weakness before attacking, and Lian Youming revealed his identity to face Ao Fei.

• Lian Youming treated Yang Shuang's Iron Sand Palm injury on the grassland, and she recovered enough to warn him that trackers might be following them.
• Yang Shuang told Lian Youming that the Mountain-Guarding Old Man had gone away to protect her after being badly wounded, and Lian Youming promised to stand by her as family.
• Yang Shuang spotted Ao Fei and two Japanese trackers approaching, so Lian Youming carried her away while they pretended she was still gravely injured.
• Lian Youming drew Ao Fei away as the two Japanese men approached Yang Shuang, who gouged out one man's eyes and killed him with a strike to the throat.
• Lian Youming struck at Ao Fei with Tai Chi Hammer, removed his mask, and challenged him to settle their conflict in a fight.

Lian Youming fought Ao Fei across the grassland, using his hua jin and endurance to overcome Ao Fei’s deadly palms and desperate counterattack. He revealed his Dragon Roaring Iron Shirt, broke Ao Fei’s fingers, and tore off both of his arms.

• Lian Youming met Ao Fei in a wrestling contest and recognized his opponent’s mastery of ming jin, dark jin, and hua jin.
• Ao Fei used Bone-Shrinking Skill to escape their lock, struck Lian Youming in the chest, and followed with Iron Sand Palm attacks.
• Lian Youming endured Ao Fei’s powerful palms and targeted the Laogong Acupoints, weakening his opponent before pressing their palms together.
• Ao Fei launched a desperate all-out strike, but Lian Youming held his ground and revealed his Dragon Roaring Iron Shirt.
• Lian Youming trapped Ao Fei’s hands, broke his fingers, and tore off both of his arms.

Lian Youming and Yang Shuang escaped the battle site and hid until nightfall, then met Xu Tian in the mountains. Xu Tian learned Lian Youming’s true identity and agreed to help Yang Shuang search for the Mountain-Guarding Old Man, while Lian Youming and Yang Shuang left to avoid drawing attention.

• Lian Youming killed Ao Fei after tearing off his arms and questioning him about the mysterious man, then reunited with the wounded Yang Shuang.
• Lian Youming and Yang Shuang hid from several groups searching the battle site, and Yang Shuang explained that someone wanted to steal her token linked to Du Xinwu.
• Lian Youming and Yang Shuang traveled through the mountains at night and found Xu Tian’s group camped around fires with Ao Fei’s corpse.
• Lian Youming revealed his face to Xu Tian and convinced him that he was the person Xu Tian had known, while Xu Tian recognized that Lian Youming was trying to protect Yang Shuang.
• Xu Tian agreed to help Yang Shuang search for the Mountain-Guarding Old Man and told Lian Youming that Ruomei was nearby and could now speak through ventriloquism.
• After a call came from the woods, Xu Tian told Lian Youming and Yang Shuang to leave, and they hurried into the darkness.

After escaping the mountains, Lian Youming and Yang Shuang suspected that the Mountain-Guarding Old Man was using himself as bait in a long-laid trap tied to a demon-extermination expedition. With Xu Tian’s support, Lian Youming decided to return alone and find the old man.

• On a timber truck, Yang Shuang told Lian Youming that she had seen an ancient person in a hidden tomb and that her grandmaster had grown corpse-like while enduring the Power-Scattering Tribulation.
• Lian Youming proposed that the Mountain-Guarding Old Man had invented a secret as bait, and Yang Shuang recalled hearing him say “exterminate demons” beside the graves.
• After evading two watchers, Lian Youming and Yang Shuang disguised themselves as beggars and reached Xu Tian’s courtyard, where they reunited with Xu Tian, Xie Ruomei, and Li Yinhuan.
• Lian Youming shared his theory with Xu Tian, who confirmed that Old Yang’s plan was deliberate but urged him to learn more through experience.
• Lian Youming chose to seek out the Mountain-Guarding Old Man alone, and Yang Shuang described the likely area while Xu Tian agreed to act separately.

Lian Youming searched the Greater Khingan Mountains for the Mountain-Guarding Old Man, then learned the old man was preparing for a supreme battle and turned to confront the Eight Banners Nobility’s Gan Xuantong. The chapter ended as Lian Youming faced Zhao Yunzhong in the wilderness, with Zhao launching the first move.

• Lian Youming found Li Shan fleeing Japanese fighters, killed one pursuer, and forced another to retreat before Li Shan explained that he had secretly helped Xu Tian.
• Li Shan told Lian Youming that the Mountain-Guarding Old Man was preparing for a battle and that the White Lotus Sect leader and a collaborator were moving downstream.
• Li Shan revealed that Lian Youming could find the collaborator near the lake, so Lian Youming headed downstream while Li Shan went to notify Xu Tian.
• Lian Youming reached the lake and introduced himself as Liu Wudi, then declared he had come to kill Gan Xuantong, an Eight Banners Noble.
• Lian Youming and Zhao Yunzhong separated from Gan Xuantong and the White Lotus Sect Master, and Zhao began their fight with One Finger Settles the Central Plains.

Lian Youming fought Zhao Yunzhong in a brutal battle across the lakeside and into the lake, matching Hung Fist with Taiji and Xingyi techniques. After Zhao Yunzhong revealed his hard-training skill and Crane Form, Lian Youming stunned him with a tiger roar, but Zhao Yunzhong slipped behind him and launched Hung Fist’s Snake Leads the Crane killing move.

• Lian Youming used Taiji Cloud Hands to dissolve Zhao Yunzhong’s Leopard Fist assault, then answered his force with Continuous Hammer Method and Xingyi Crushing Fist.
• Lian Youming and Zhao Yunzhong traded relentless blows until they fought waist-deep in the lake, both sustaining serious injuries.
• Zhao Yunzhong unleashed a hard-training external skill and attacked with Hung Fist’s Crane Form, injuring Lian Youming’s arm and waist.
• Lian Youming spat blood into Zhao Yunzhong’s eyes and followed with a tiger roar that disrupted his breathing before striking his chest.
• Zhao Yunzhong broke two fingers blocking Lian Youming’s punch, then submerged himself and burst behind him to attack with Snake Leads the Crane.