Chapter Summaries

Lin Hao used precise fire control to refine a Primordial Qi and Blood Potion across multiple parallel processes, despite the severe strain on his mental energy. Su Mo and Uncle Fu watched in shock, while the name Zhou Mingxuan on Lin Hao’s contestant placard left them guessing about his identity.

• Lin Hao purified ingredients and combined them simultaneously, using separate flames to control different temperatures while refining the potion.
• Lin Hao endured a severe headache from the mental strain but kept his fire control steady as spectators reacted with astonishment.
• Uncle Fu urged Su Mo to watch Lin Hao, and Su Mo froze when he saw Lin Hao’s advanced parallel refining technique.
• Su Mo recognized Lin Hao’s exceptional fire control and claimed he had known Lin Hao was a hidden master all along.
• Uncle Fu noticed that Lin Hao’s placard said Zhou Mingxuan, and Su Mo insisted that masters used false names to keep a low profile.

Lin Hao completed two bottles of Perfect-Grade Primordial Qi and Blood Potion, then left the Six-City Tournament without submitting them for judging. While the proctor and spectators dismissed him as a fraud, Su Mo recognized his skill, and the competition continued with judges rating contestants and recruiters offering contracts.

• Lin Hao finished refining two standard-dose bottles of Perfect-Grade Primordial Qi and Blood Potion, stored them, and left the arena to recover from the pain in his sea of consciousness.
• Spectators assumed Lin Hao had withdrawn, and Su Mo wondered whether he had entered the tournament merely to use its ingredients and equipment.
• The proctor reviewed surveillance footage, identified the contestant as Zhou Mingxuan, and accused him of staging a flashy performance without making a usable potion.
• Spectators accepted the proctor’s explanation, but Su Mo told Uncle Fu that Lin Hao’s flame control proved he was a genuine potion-refining genius.
• At the fourth hour, contestants began submitting their potions for evaluation, and judges, city officials, families, and trading companies entered the arena.
• A Linshui City contestant who scored 6.2 received a one-million annual-salary offer from Wansheng Potion Trading Company, while a contestant who scored 7.6 secured a pharmacist position with Qingyang City’s City Defense General Administration.

Su Mo earned a perfect score by refining two doses of Primordial Qi and Blood Potion, then revealed that withdrawn contestant Lin Hao had demonstrated even greater skill. Testing the small amount of Lin Hao’s leftover potion confirmed it surpassed perfect-grade standards, leaving the arena stunned.

• Su Mo finished refining at the buzzer, and the judges discovered he had used the Double-Quantity Refining Method to produce two doses.
• The judges awarded Su Mo ten points after confirming his potion had 97.26% purity, maximum theoretical qi and blood activity, and no harmful residues.
• Su Mo told the arena that Lin Hao had completed a potion in under half an hour using parallel processes and was the competition’s best refiner despite withdrawing.
• The judges tested the leftover potion at Lin Hao’s station and found 99.99% purity, qi and blood activity 236% above the theoretical maximum, and zero harmful residues.
• The judging panel awarded Lin Hao a perfect score, and the spectators erupted in cheers.

The judging panel investigated the masked contestant who had refined a Beyond-Perfect-Grade Primordial Qi and Blood Potion and learned that the registered contestant, Zhou Mingxuan, denied being there. Su Mo refused to reveal Mr. Lin’s identity and then rejected the proposed championship, insisting the anonymous contestant deserved first place.

• The chief judge checked Zhou Mingxuan’s registration and found that he was a seventeen-year-old apprentice pharmacist with little experience and no notable record.
• When the chief judge called, Zhou Mingxuan first claimed someone had used his lost identification, then briefly claimed credit after hearing the contestant had earned full marks before returning to his denial.
• The proctor recalled that the masked contestant had tried to leave, and a trading company representative speculated that the genius had no interest in the competition’s prestige.
• Su Mo told Uncle Fu not to reveal Mr. Lin’s real name, since they should avoid offending the gifted potion-maker.
• The chief judge proposed naming Su Mo champion, but Su Mo took the microphone and declined, arguing that the anonymous contestant’s potion and ingredient efficiency were superior.

Su Mo yielded the Six-City Young Pharmacists Competition championship to the anonymous contestant, while powerful groups began searching for the masked genius. Lin Hao returned home to learn that Lin Qingqing had been detained over accusations that she abused her authority to secure him a job, and he proposed proving that he met the job requirements.

• Su Mo publicly endorsed the anonymous contestant as champion, and the judges awarded the title to the nameless contestant.
• Representatives from Wansheng Pharmaceuticals, the Qingyang City Lord's Manor, and an established family began efforts to identify the masked pharmacist.
• Lin Hao returned home and learned from Lin Rongshan and Li Xiulan that the Martial Arts Discipline Inspection Bureau had detained Lin Qingqing over the industrial park job arrangement.
• Lin Rongshan explained that Zhang Mao accused Lin Qingqing of pressuring him, while the thirty-thousand-yuan performance bond had become alleged evidence of a bribe.
• Lin Hao rejected his parents' offers to take the blame and suggested that he could undermine the accusation by meeting the recruitment requirements himself.

Lin Hao reassured Lin Rongshan and Li Xiulan that his rapidly rising qi and blood would undermine the accusations against him, and his parents agreed to help clear the matter with the Discipline Bureau. After sleeping through most of the day, Lin Hao checked his system panel and prepared to cultivate with his self-refined Primordial Qi and Blood Potions.

• Lin Hao told Lin Rongshan and Li Xiulan that he expected his qi and blood to reach the Martial Artist Examination threshold, which would weaken Zhang Mao's accusations about his security job.
• Lin Rongshan said he would contact Lin Hao's eldest uncle, and Lin Hao agreed to return home the next morning so his parents could accompany him to the Discipline Bureau.
• Lin Hao returned to his room with a headache from refining potions and eventually fell asleep for nearly eight hours.
• Lin Rongshan and Li Xiulan told Lin Hao they had worried when they could not wake him, and they offered to arrange another Primordial Qi and Blood Potion if he needed one.
• Lin Hao checked his system panel, saw that his mental power had risen to 0.13 and his qi and blood value to 1.72, then picked up one of his Primordial Qi and Blood Potions to resume cultivating.

Lin Hao refined his new Primordial Qi and Blood Potion, endured its overwhelming medicinal power through hours of cultivation, and surpassed Capital Martial University's qualification thresholds. At school, he learned that the anonymous champion of the Six-City Young Pharmacists Competition had drawn the attention of powerful factions, but he chose to focus on the Martial Artist Examination before pursuing a pharmacy career.

• Lin Hao drank three measures of his own Primordial Qi and Blood Potion, then practiced the Basic Eighteen Forms of Qi and Blood for hours to keep its potent medicinal energy from damaging his meridians.
• Lin Hao finished cultivating around one in the morning and saw that his qi and blood had reached 2.23 and his combat power 8.03, both above Capital Martial University's qualification threshold of 2.0.
• Lin Hao cleaned his room, locked away the remaining potion, and fell into a deep sleep.
• Lin Hao heard classmates discuss the anonymous champion who had competed as Zhou Mingxuan at the Six-City Young Pharmacists Competition and impressed Su Mo and the gathered factions.
• Lin Hao considered using his reputation as a pharmacist to help his family and cousin Lin Qing, but decided to prepare for the Martial Artist Examination before joining any faction.

Lin Hao listened as his classmates praised the two martial arts geniuses, knowing both were him, and weighed how to approach Jiang City's factions before revealing his identity. After Shi Tie summoned Lin Hao and four classmates, they realized the school intended to persuade them to skip the Martial Artist Examination and began discussing how much compensation to demand.

• Lin Hao heard classmates discuss the potion expert and the student who killed two Shadow Mimic Spiders, and realized they were both talking about him.
• Lin Hao considered revealing his identity to improve his family's circumstances but decided to plan his relationship with Jiang City's factions first.
• Lin Hao listened to Jiang Chao complain about Xia Zhi and considered asking him to help sell his stronger Primordial Qi and Blood Potion after the examination.
• Mr. Zhou Lie taught combat theory, and Lin Hao understood the lessons through his years of battlefield experience.
• Shi Tie ordered Lin Hao, Jiang Chao, Jiang Lei, Zhao Peng, and Sun Hao to stay behind while the rest of the class went to practical training.
• Jiang Chao explained that the school would likely pressure them to withdraw from the exam, and Jiang Lei, Zhao Peng, and Sun Hao discussed demanding eighty thousand yuan each before turning their attention to Lin Hao.

Lin Hao refused the school’s offer to pay him to withdraw from the Martial Artist Examination, even as the principal pressured him and invoked his cousin’s troubles. The chapter ended with Zou Jianmin and Shi Tie reacting in fear to the killing intent in Lin Hao’s gaze.

• Jiang Lei, Zhao Peng, and Sun Hao proposed demanding money from the school, while Lin Hao declared that he would take the Martial Artist Examination and Jiang Chao backed him up.
• Shi Tie offered the five students thirty thousand each to give up registration, and Jiang Lei, Zhao Peng, and Sun Hao negotiated for eighty thousand.
• Lin Hao and Jiang Chao refused to sign, and Shi Tie insisted that all five students had to withdraw for the school to improve its admission rate.
• Principal Zou Jianmin arrived, agreed to pay the three students eighty thousand each, and offered Lin Hao a hundred thousand to withdraw.
• Lin Hao refused Principal Zou’s offer, and Zou threatened him by bringing up Lin Qing’s arrest by the Discipline Bureau.
• Zou Jianmin tried to intimidate Lin Hao with his martial artist’s aura, but Lin Hao’s cold gaze made Zou and Shi Tie tremble with fear.

Lin Hao resisted pressure from his school to give up the Martial Artist Examination, but Zhao Man used the investigation involving his cousin Lin Qing and his industrial park job to threaten his eligibility. He accepted the school’s decision to dismiss him, leaving his examination plans in jeopardy.

• Lin Hao insisted he would take the Martial Artist Examination despite Zou Jianmin and Shi Tie’s doubts.
• Zhao Man arrived at No. 2 High School, challenged the school’s pledge, and announced that Lin Hao was implicated in a case involving irregular recruitment and bribery.
• Zhao Man claimed Lin Qing had placed all responsibility on Lin Hao, but he confirmed that he had handled the matter himself and questioned Zhao Man’s authority to interrogate him.
• Zhao Man told Lin Hao that his blood qi and combat power would be retested the next morning and argued that his formal employment allowed the school to dismiss him.
• Lin Hao accepted the school’s decision to dismiss him, while Zhao Man, Zou Jianmin, and Shi Tie believed they had won.

After No. 2 High School expelled Lin Hao, he reassured his parents that he would pass the assessment and help clear his cousin Lin Qing’s case. Lin Qing arranged for him to join Jiang City No. 1 High School and take the Martial Artist Examination, leaving him set to test at the assessment center the next day.

• Lin Hao returned home with his expulsion notice, and Lin Rongshan and Li Xiulan expressed anger at the school and Zhao Man.
• Lin Hao told his parents he did not regret protecting Lin Qing and said his blood qi was at least 1.0.
• Lin Rongshan told Lin Hao that Lin Qing had left the Discipline Bureau and was working to resolve his situation.
• Lin Qing called to thank Lin Hao and arranged for him to report to Jiang City No. 1 High School’s senior-year martial arts class the next day.
• Lin Qing said she had also spoken with the martial artist assessment center, where Lin Hao could take his test without anyone using the results against him.

Lin Hao prepared to turn his retest into a chance to earn one-star martial artist certification, while Lin Qing gave up her bid for deputy director and supported his cultivation. He planned to raise his qi and blood before the assessment and saw certification as a way to help his family and disprove the accusations against his cousin.

• Lin Qing reassured Li Xiulan and Lin Rongshan that Zhao Man would stop targeting Lin Hao after she withdrew from the deputy director competition, and she sent him two bottles of Primordial Qi and Blood Potion.
• Lin Hao returned to his room, discarded No. 2 High School's dismissal notice, and set out his cousin's two potions alongside the two he had refined himself.
• Lin Hao studied the one-star martial artist assessment rules and decided he could reach the exceptional qi and blood threshold and pass the combat test against an early-stage one-star demonic beast.
• Lin Hao concluded that earning certification would undermine the improper recruitment accusations against Lin Qing and make No. 2 High School's dismissal of him look foolish.
• Lin Hao checked the benefits for Jiang City one-star martial artists and the Martial Artist Examination prizes, which could provide a home for his family and money for his father's treatment.

Lin Hao trained for nearly twelve hours, raising his qi and blood value to 2.79 and preparing for his One-Star Martial Artist certification. The next morning, he left his parents at home and arrived at the Jiang City Martial Artist Assessment Center, ready for the test.

• Lin Hao drank his self-refined Primordial Qi and Blood Potion measure by measure while practicing the Basic Eighteen Forms of Qi and Blood for more than six hours.
• Lin Hao trained for another five hours that night and saw his qi and blood value rise to 2.79, enough to meet the exceptional qualification threshold.
• Lin Hao considered how his meridian aptitude might limit future progress, then decided to focus on passing the certification before seeking a way to improve it.
• Lin Rongshan and Li Xiulan stayed home while Lin Hao set out for the assessment center, reassured them that he would be fine, and arrived there in just over ten minutes.
• Lin Hao stood outside the Jiang City Martial Artist Assessment Center and recalled the twelve years he had spent struggling in martial education.

Lin Hao arrived at the martial artist assessment center for a blood qi retest and was escorted to the front of the queue by Discipline Bureau officers and West City Branch Bureau deputy director Wei Kun. As he waited for the test, Zhao Man and Wei Kun privately dismissed him as a weak, ungrateful relative of Lin Qing.

• A staff member checked Lin Hao's ID and directed him to Assessment Hall One, where he found a long line of older applicants waiting for blood qi tests.
• Chen Jing introduced himself as the Discipline Bureau lead officer and brought Lin Hao to the front because of his special circumstances; Lin Hao recognized Zhao Man among the officials accompanying them.
• Zhao Man told Lin Hao that the earlier blood qi tester had been miscalibrated and that failing to reach 0.9 would only cost him the security post, but Lin Hao showed little reaction.
• Wei Kun reassured Lin Hao while people in line speculated that the officials were supervising his retest because Lin Qing had arranged his industrial park security job.
• Lin Hao overheard Zhao Man and Wei Kun criticize him and compare Lin Qing's hard-earned strength with Zhao Man's family-backed position; Zhao Man called Lin Hao trash with a blood qi value of 0.3.

Lin Hao took the industrial park security recruitment test despite Zhao Man and Zhou Lie trying to dismiss his combat ability, and his blood qi reading stunned everyone. The chapter ended with Chen Jing and Wei Kun treating him as a major talent while Zhao Man was left speechless and ashamed.

• Zhou Lie tried to skip Lin Hao's combat power test, but Lin Hao insisted on taking it and challenged the officials' reluctance.
• Lin Hao placed his palm on the blood qi machine, which recorded a reading of 2.79.
• The examinees and officials reacted in shock, recognizing Lin Hao as an extraordinary eighteen-year-old martial arts talent.
• Chen Jing checked the machine and apologized to Lin Hao, offering him a place in the Martial Arts General Bureau's reserve talent pool.
• Wei Kun tried to win Lin Hao's favor by praising his cousin Lin Qing, while Lin Hao responded coolly.
• Zhao Man remembered her insults and stood frozen, humiliated by Lin Hao's result.

Lin Hao stunned the Jiang City Martial Artist Examination hall by recording combat power of 9.21 and admitting he had killed the Shadow Mimic Spiders. He rejected Zhou Lie and Zhao Man’s attempts to make amends, then insisted on challenging a one-star demonic beast for special certification.

• Lin Hao struck the combat power testing machine and scored 9.21, shocking the examinees and nearly reaching the two-star martial artist threshold.
• Zhou Lie apologized for wronging Lin Hao, but Lin Hao walked past him without responding.
• Chen Jing praised Lin Hao, and Wei Kun asked whether he had killed the two Shadow Mimic Spiders; Lin Hao confirmed it.
• Wei Kun revealed that Lin Qing had been searching for the spider-killing genius on the city lord’s orders, and Lin Hao realized his cousin had been looking for him.
• Zhao Man invited Lin Hao to a celebration, but Lin Hao rejected her harshly.
• Lin Hao requested special one-star martial artist certification by fighting a one-star demonic beast, and he dismissed everyone’s warnings.

Lin Hao insisted on taking the exceptional one-star martial artist assessment, despite officials warning him about the danger. The chapter ended as Zhou Lie warned that the Wind-Rending Swift Leopard chosen for the test could fight at one-star middle-stage strength.

• Zhao Man accepted Wei Kun's advice to withdraw from competing with Lin Qing for the deputy director position and submit a report.
• Zhou Lie led Lin Hao to the practical combat assessment room, followed by a crowd of candidates.
• Jiang Baichuan urged Lin Hao to delay the assessment, then admitted the center had prepared a Wind-Rending Swift Leopard with vitality of 4.5.
• Zhou Lie warned that the leopard's speed and fighting skills could let it display one-star middle-stage combat power.

Lin Hao accepted an exceptional certification assessment against a Wind-Rending Swift Leopard despite warnings that it was far stronger than expected. He dodged and redirected its first attack, then struck its vulnerable chest and abdomen, leaving the beast badly injured and frightened.

• The candidates objected to the Wind-Rending Swift Leopard’s 4.5 vitality, and Jiang Baichuan urged Lin Hao to postpone the assessment.
• Lin Hao insisted on taking the assessment that day and entered the arena as the Wind-Rending Swift Leopard emerged.
• Lin Hao evaded the leopard’s feint and redirected its momentum with the Blocking Hand Form, sending it into the protective railing.
• Chen Jing and Wei Kun recognized Lin Hao’s combat experience, while Zhao Man’s confidence in watching him faltered.
• The leopard accelerated and launched a multi-directional attack, but Lin Hao avoided its claw wind and punched its vulnerable chest and abdomen.
• The injured Wind-Rending Swift Leopard crashed to the ground, spat bloody froth, and showed fear.

Lin Hao killed the Wind-Rending Swift Leopard in three moves using Mountain-Subduing Basic Fist, stunning the witnesses and earning the officials’ respect. As the assessment center offered him a free meridian aptitude test, Lin Hao worried that his results might be poor.

• Lin Hao evaded the Wind-Rending Swift Leopard’s attacks, struck its vital point, and killed it in three moves.
• Zhou Lie and the other witnesses marveled at Lin Hao’s skill, while Wei Kun urged Zhao Man to contact Lin Qing and repair their relationship with her and Lin Hao.
• Chen Jing apologized to Lin Hao, promised to clear Lin Qing of suspicion, and offered to recommend Lin Hao for individual third-class merit; Wei Kun also promised to handle Lin Qing’s case.
• Zhao Man congratulated Lin Hao, and the examinees crowded around him until Jiang Baichuan and the staff restored order.
• Jiang Baichuan offered Lin Hao a free meridian aptitude test, and Lin Hao worried that his aptitude would be poor.

Lin Hao completed his One-Star Martial Artist certification and received a monthly allowance and a fully furnished home in Jiang City. He shared the news with Jiang Chao and reassured his mother, planning to celebrate with his family that evening.

• Jiang Baichuan postponed Lin Hao's meridian talent test until his blood qi reached 3.0 and personally escorted him through the certification process.
• Lin Hao received his One-Star Martial Artist certificate, badge, a 50,000-yuan monthly allowance, and keys to a 220-square-meter home in River View Luxury Gardens.
• Jiang Chao offered Lin Hao a warehouse administrator job before learning from the certificate photo that Lin Hao had become a One-Star Martial Artist.
• Lin Hao invited Jiang Chao to celebrate with dinner and told him he would call his parents.
• Lin Hao reassured Li Xiulan that the test had cleared up his cousin's matter and promised to bring home food and a surprise for the family.