Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into the body of Lu Sui, the Lu family's sickly eldest son, a former forest policeman learned that the family faced a deadly feud and began looking for ways to protect himself. He discovered a mysterious temple with a shrine that recorded his martial arts, methods, and talent, all currently unrecorded.

• Lu Sui regained consciousness in an unfamiliar mansion and realized he had transmigrated after being shot.
• Seven days later, Lu Sui recovered enough to walk with a cane and learned he was in Changle County, where his wealthy family cared for him.
• Lu Sui recalled that the Lu family had a long-running blood feud with the Wind and Sand Saber, whose surviving remnant had mysteriously made him gravely ill.
• Lu Sui entered a strange temple in his mind and saw a tablet listing his martial arts, methods, and talent as unrecorded.
• Lu Sui decided he needed to learn martial arts, or possibly spells, to survive in the dangerous Land Beyond the Pass.

Lu Sui settled into the Lu household and learned that Lu Yulin planned to send him to the family village while investigating the attack on him. Hoping to gain strength and explore the shrine in his consciousness, Lu Sui asked to learn martial arts and was assigned to study the Turtle-Snake Stance with Uncle Wen.

• Lu Sui woke at dinnertime and surveyed the heavily fortified Lu residence, worrying that the world beyond the pass was dangerous.
• Lu Yulin told Lu Sui that Uncle Bing had found leads on the person who plotted against him and suggested sending him to the family village to lie low.
• Lu Sui agreed to his father's plan and asked to learn martial arts, explaining that the attack had made him value his health.
• Lu Yulin told Lu Sui to learn the Turtle-Snake Stance from Uncle Wen while he recovered, and vowed to protect him from the escaped enemy.
• Lu Sui recalled that Uncle Wen had once ventured through Shaqing Pass and hoped the stance would affect the ancient temple and shrine in his consciousness.

After recovering from a six-month illness, Lu Sui began daily leg therapy and went to learn martial arts from Dou Xiaowen. Dou Xiaowen agreed to teach him the Turtle-Snake Stance and explained that its moving and still forms were closely guarded arts.

• Xiaohuan massaged Lu Sui's weakened legs, and he endured the pain while working toward regaining his mobility.
• Lu Sui walked to the outer courtyard to begin martial arts training, mindful of the blade bandits still threatening the Lu Family.
• Lu Sui told Dou Xiaowen that Lu Yulin had instructed him to learn the Turtle-Snake Stance.
• Dou Xiaowen warned that the training would be difficult for Lu Sui in his frail condition, but Lu Sui reassured him that any failure would not be Dou Xiaowen's fault.
• Dou Xiaowen agreed to teach Lu Sui and brought him inside to explain the stance's two guarded forms.

Dou Xiaowen explained martial arts traditions and began teaching Lu Sui the Turtle-Snake Stance’s nurturing method. Lu Sui learned the breathing instructions and saw that his system estimated he needed only four hours to record the stance.

• Dou Xiaowen explained curtain-hanging skills and the difference between apprentices and inner disciples.
• Dou Xiaowen taught Lu Sui that martial training combined four forms—moving, walking, sitting, and lying down—with four methods: nurturing, practicing, fighting, and killing.
• Dou Xiaowen explained that the Turtle-Snake Stance had Turtle-Breathing Tuna and Spirit Snake Circulating Qi, and began teaching Lu Sui the breathing method.
• Lu Sui memorized the breathing instructions after an hour, and his system displayed a four-hour recording time for the Turtle-Snake Stance.

Lu Sui discovered that the ancient temple recorded the Turtle-Snake Stance and let it guide his practice, helping him sense Qi and begin recovering his legs. The next morning, he learned that the stance would stop progressing unless he practiced too.

• Lu Sui checked the ancient temple and found the Turtle-Snake Stance listed under Arts, then saw its shrine reveal that diligence would help him improve.
• The Turtle-Snake Stance guided Lu Sui through breathing practice until he sensed Qi and felt it flow into his legs, making his right leg lift slightly.
• While Lu Sui slept, the stance practiced through the night and completed twenty-seven circuits, strengthening his Qi and improving movement in his toes.
• Lu Sui found that the stance had withdrawn into its shell and his progress had stopped because he had not practiced after waking.
• Lu Sui began his morning breathing practice to restore the stance's progress.

Lu Sui recovered his strength and crossed the threshold in Turtle-Snake Stance after five days of practice, astonishing Dou Xiaowen and Heiwa. He revealed that he had nurtured a substantial wisp of Qi and cured his legs, leaving Dou Xiaowen wondering whether Lu Sui was a rare martial arts prodigy.

• Lu Sui sensed that Turtle-Snake Stance guided his breathing smoothly and concluded that the little turtle's training also benefited him.
• Xiaohuan noticed Lu Sui's improved condition, and he asked her to arrange nourishing meals while explaining that he expected to recover soon.
• Dou Xiaowen trained the men in the outer courtyard and told Heiwa that Turtle-Snake Stance demanded exceptional talent.
• Heiwa and Dou Xiaowen assumed Lu Sui had abandoned training, until Lu Sui entered the courtyard walking without a crutch.
• Lu Sui told Dou Xiaowen that he had grasped the sense of Qi, nurtured it to two fingers thick, and cured his legs in five days.
• Dou Xiaowen was astonished by Lu Sui's progress and wondered if he was a one-in-ten-thousand martial arts prodigy.

Lu Sui amazed Dou Xiaowen with his rapid progress in Turtle-Breathing Tuna and received the original Turtle-Snake Stance manual. Dou Xiaowen told Lu Yulin that Lu Sui was a martial genius, and Lu Yulin proudly accepted that his son took after him.

• Dou Xiaowen checked Lu Sui’s pulse and confirmed that he had reached minor attainment in breath cultivation after five days.
• Dou Xiaowen advised Lu Sui to continue the still exercise, then watched him practice and saw how smoothly he entered meditation and circulated Qi.
• Dou Xiaowen gave Lu Sui the original Turtle-Snake Stance booklet with Qi circulation diagrams and key points.
• Dou Xiaowen hurried to the outer study and told Lu Yulin that Lu Sui had gained an initial grasp of Turtle-Breathing Tuna and could walk without crutches.
• Lu Yulin laughed and declared that Lu Sui’s martial talent showed he took after his father.

Lu Yulin discussed Lu Sui’s martial prospects with Dou Xiaowen while plotting to root out a traitor in the household. Lu Sui gained insight into his breathing manual, recovered enough to train and eat, then learned from Xiaotang that demon disasters haunted the Land Beyond the Pass.

• Lu Yulin asked Dou Xiaowen whether Lu Sui could become a martial grandmaster, then vowed to deal with a traitor in the household before pursuing the last surviving bastard.
• Lu Sui struggled to understand the breathing manual until Turtle-Snake Stance gained insight and transferred its training knowledge to him.
• Lu Sui ate a nourishing meal Xiaotang brought from the concubine’s household, and Turtle-Snake Stance worked harder to guide his breath.
• Lu Sui asked Xiaotang about mounted bandits, and she recounted how a demon disaster had befallen her family after they traveled beyond the pass.
• Xiaotang described seeing a hill-sized black wolf and a weasel that spoke human words.

Lu Sui learned from Xiaotang about the demon calamities beyond the pass and how martial artists’ vigorous Qi and blood could ward off demons. After discovering that circulating Qi warmed his body and quickened his blood, he resolved to practice all five postures of the Qi circulation diagrams.

• Lu Sui coaxed Xiaotang into explaining that disasters and demons had plagued the Land Beyond the Pass, and she described seeing a giant black wolf during a flight from disaster.
• Xiaotang told Lu Sui that weasels could demand people’s fortune and that martial artists with strong Qi and blood could keep ordinary demons away.
• Xiaohuan interrupted them, misunderstood their closeness, and fled after Lu Sui teased her about demons.
• Lu Sui tried sitting cross-legged while circulating Qi and found that the warmth made his blood flow faster.
• Lu Sui recognized Qi and blood as a means of protection and urged the little turtle to practice all five postures with him.

Lu Sui began learning Spirit Snake Circulating Qi from Dou Xiaowen and unexpectedly grasped the stance’s essence almost immediately. His Turtle-Snake Stance gained a Gluttony imprint, which appeared as a greedy little green snake in the ancient temple.

• After recovering his strength, Lu Sui decided his Turtle-Breathing Tuna was ready for the next stage and asked Dou Xiaowen to teach him Spirit Snake Circulating Qi.
• Dou Xiaowen examined Lu Sui’s physique, explained how sinews and bones guided martial training, and put him through a demanding stance exercise with a wooden ball.
• As Lu Sui struggled to hold the stance, he suddenly comprehended Spirit Snake Circulating Qi and adjusted his posture while circulating Qi through his body.
• Dou Xiaowen and Heiwa were astonished that Lu Sui had found the feel of the stance so quickly.
• Lu Sui saw that Turtle-Snake Stance had gained the Gluttony imprint and encountered a small green snake in the ancient temple.

Lu Sui advanced his martial training and learned the stages of the Fleshly Body Realm, while his Turtle-Snake Stance absorbed the medicinal potency of his ointment. As his strength grew, he heard that five cartloads of the Lu Family’s goods had been robbed near West Mountain, leaving Lu Yulin troubled.

• Lu Sui trained his stance, and Dou Xiaowen explained that he had reached the Internal Nourishment stage and needed a proper martial arts school to progress further.
• Dou Xiaowen described the Fetus Embracing stage and his Iron Cloth Shirt, while Lu Sui decided to ask Lu Yulin to help him find a suitable school.
• Lu Sui discovered that the greedy snake within his Turtle-Snake Stance absorbed the medicinal potency of his ointment and eased its burning pain.
• Heiwa continued practicing past mealtime, inspired by Lu Sui’s claim that diligence could make up for a lack of talent.
• By the end of August, Lu Sui had grown stronger, and his Turtle-Snake Stance broke through while he practiced.
• Xiaotang told Lu Sui that five cartloads of the Lu Family’s goods had been robbed on their way to Yongning Prefecture, and Lu Sui grew concerned.

Lu Sui learned that the Dacheng Trading Firm was reeling from a major shipment robbery while he focused on perfecting the Turtle-Snake Stance. After reaching perfection, he chose the Hibernation talent, experienced his Qi merging with his blood, and discovered the steps needed to advance the art into the Panwu Great Strength True Art.

• Lu Sui learned that five cartloads of valuable goods had been stolen, threatening the Dacheng Trading Firm’s reputation and Lu Yulin’s standing.
• Lu Sui trained diligently for several days with breathing exercises, stance practice, and medicinal meals until the Turtle-Snake Stance reached perfection.
• Lu Sui chose the Hibernation talent, which let his breathing exercises continue during sleep at half efficiency.
• Lu Sui felt his Qi merge with his blood and crushed a bronze paperweight with his bare hand.
• The Turtle-Snake Stance revealed that Lu Sui needed to spread Qi and Blood through his limbs, consume a mixture made from an old turtle shell and snake blood, and absorb Calamity Qi to advance into the Panwu Great Strength True Art.

Lu Sui recovered his health and gained his father's support to train in martial arts, while Lu Yulin secretly prepared to recover the stolen goods and deal with a trusted shopkeeper. The chapter ended with Lu Yulin considering whether to send Lu Sui back to the settlement for his safety.

• Lu Sui reflected on the Turtle-Snake Stance’s new potential and decided to build his strength before risking a fight with demons.
• Doctor Lu examined Lu Sui, confirmed his vigorous health, and received silver from Lu Yulin for his past care.
• Lu Yulin promised to enroll Lu Sui at a martial school and asked him to host the trading firm’s managers and their children.
• After Lu Sui left, Lu Yulin revealed that his apparent weariness and white hair were part of a performance, and Duan Fusheng reported that they had located the stolen goods and were closing in on Shopkeeper Luo.
• Lu Yulin said he would wait before deciding whether to send Lu Sui back to the settlement for protection.

Lu Sui received Luo Dongsheng and two other heirs, who told him about several mysterious calamities in the region. After Luo Dongsheng gave him a jade cicada, Lu Sui discovered it carried Calamity Qi.

• Lu Sui read the guest list, learned about Luo Dongsheng's business, and dressed to receive the visitors.
• Luo Dongsheng, Zhao Langyuan, and Xu Xiuxiu visited Lu Sui and discussed the shipment robbery that killed its escorts without leaving external wounds.
• Xu Xiuxiu described a wealthy household wiped out by an uncanny calamity and recent deaths at Zhenyuan Escort Agency.
• Luo Dongsheng gave Lu Sui a consecrated jade cicada, and Lu Sui suspected Luo was trying unusually hard to win his favor.
• Lu Sui opened the brocade box that night and saw a message identifying Calamity Qi on the jade cicada.

Lu Sui kept the jade cicada and its Calamity Qi secret, then visited Dou Xiaowen to ask for more martial arts. While searching Dou Xiaowen’s manuals, he found a rare but incomplete Fragment of the Great Art of Heaven's Sight and Earth's Hearing.

• Lu Sui decided not to report Luo Dongsheng’s suspicious jade cicada and locked it away so he could use its Calamity Qi to transform the Turtle-Snake Stance.
• Lu Sui judged that reaching the condition of Qi and Blood flowing to all four limbs would take another half year, so he resolved to seek additional martial arts from Dou Xiaowen.
• Lu Sui brought Dou Xiaowen top-grade tobacco and explained that he wanted to study different martial arts before enrolling in a martial arts school.
• Dou Xiaowen brought out his collection of manuals and warned Lu Sui against learning too many arts without mastering any.
• Lu Sui rejected several low-grade manuals, then found an incomplete rare manual called Fragment of the Great Art of Heaven's Sight and Earth's Hearing and asked Dou Xiaowen why it was missing pages.

Lu Sui learned about the unusual Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Great Art from Dou Xiaowen and took the incomplete manual despite its dangers. That night, the shrine recorded the art and summoned a six-eared little monkey.

• Dou Xiaowen explained the principles of Internal Nourishment martial arts and described how he defeated a master of the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Great Art through an ambush.
• Dou Xiaowen warned Lu Sui that the manual was incomplete and dangerous, but Lu Sui persuaded him to hand it over.
• Dou Xiaowen told Heiwa that Lu Sui would soon need a sparring partner at the martial arts school, and Heiwa understood the hint.
• That night, Lu Sui saw the shrine record the incomplete art alongside the Turtle-Snake Stance.
• Lu Sui watched the shrine summon a golden-eyed little monkey with six ears.

Lu Sui practiced the Earthly Hearing Chapter, learning to perceive shapes through sound while discovering how easily listening could become an unhealthy obsession. His investigation of a frightened old woman ended with him finding a straw doll bearing his birth details and pierced with needles.

• Lu Sui studied the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Great Art’s difficult requirements and risks, then began training his hearing by listening to his breathing and heartbeat.
• As Lu Sui’s Earthly Hearing improved, he sensed Xiaohuan and Xiaotang sleeping nearby and glimpsed their forms through sound.
• Over the next few days, Lu Sui listened to gossip throughout the estate until a warning from the Turtle-Snake Stance made him realize he was becoming fixated on eavesdropping.
• Lu Sui followed an old woman carrying ginseng soup and heard her mutter that the eldest young master could not enjoy such blessings.
• That night, Lu Sui found a straw doll marked with his birth details and pierced with eight needles.

Lu Sui asked Dou Xiaowen to examine a straw doll hidden in his bedding, and Dou Xiaowen explained how its Nightmare Art could harm him through a blood-and-hair medium. Dou Xiaowen brought out a peachwood axe to serve as Lu Sui’s warding object and began preparing to break the curse.

• Lu Sui visited Dou Xiaowen late at night with Xiaotang and showed him the straw doll found in his bedding.
• Lu Sui explained that Granny Ma was the only visitor from Concubine's courtyard that day and asked Dou Xiaowen to assess the doll discreetly.
• Dou Xiaowen identified the doll as Witchcraft and Gu Art, explaining that it used Lu Sui’s blood and hair to inflict nightmares and weaken him.
• Dou Xiaowen reassured Lu Sui that warding objects and the Suppression Art could counter such attacks, and said the Lu Family’s warding object was especially powerful.
• Dou Xiaowen retrieved a peachwood axe from his golden-thread nanmu chest and told Lu Sui to focus while he used it to anchor his soul and break the curse.

Lu Sui destroyed the straw doll with a peachwood axe, resisting its visions and learning that Granny Ma had cursed him to secure money for her gambling son. Granny Ma suffered the curse’s injuries, and by morning her son and husband were dead.

• Dou Xiaowen used rooster-comb blood to erase the straw doll’s birth characters and warned Lu Sui to strike it three times without losing hold of the axe.
• Lu Sui saw visions of Granny Ma’s suffering and cruelty, but Turtle-Snake Stance helped him resist the doll’s bewitchment as he struck it three times.
• Lu Sui learned that Granny Ma had cursed him so her son could pay gambling debts and buy a wife, then chopped the ruined doll five more times.
• Granny Ma suffered agonizing wounds that mirrored the axe blows, and Second Concubine ordered her to remain overnight and receive a proper burial.
• The elderly serving woman reported that Granny Ma’s son had drowned and her butcher husband had fallen onto his chopping block and cut off his head.

Lu Sui learned that Granny Ma had died after trying to harm him and gained permission from Lu Yulin to access the Lu Family’s resources and leave the residence. Dou Xiaowen then told him a strange tale about Lu Sui’s great-great-grandfather Lu Ping'an, who supposedly obtained three supernatural treasures, though Lu Sui doubted the story.

• Lu Sui ordered a coffin for Granny Ma and told Xiaotang not to worry about his safety, since Uncle Wen would handle the matter.
• Lu Sui visited Dou Xiaowen, who explained that a martial arts injury caused his recurring bouts of freezing Qi and Blood.
• Dou Xiaowen told Lu Sui that Lu Yulin had granted him access to the Lu residence’s storerooms, accounts office, and study, and permission to go out with Master Chai.
• When Lu Sui asked about the family, Dou Xiaowen explained that the Land Beyond the Pass followed rules set by the Five Great Trades and that Lu Yulin led the Yongning Prefecture Merchant Guild.
• Dou Xiaowen recounted how Lu Ping'an, Lu Sui’s great-great-grandfather, supposedly received a Seven-Apertured Exquisite Heart, a ginseng king, and a Treasure-Gathering Basin from a mountain god.
• Lu Sui questioned the tale and doubted that his ancestor had truly possessed such powerful treasures.