Chapter Summaries

Li Xingkong visited a shooting range with Mike and tried a Desert Eagle for the first time. After the system explained how cultivation could surpass a bullet’s power, Li Xingkong felt more confident about his cultivation.

• Mike introduced Li Xingkong to Tang Bulunsi, the shooting range owner, and Tang offered him guns to try for the price of the bullets.
• Tang gave Li Xingkong a Desert Eagle and taught him how to load and fire it.
• Li Xingkong’s first shot missed, but he adjusted his stance and hit the target with his second shot.
• Li Xingkong asked the system whether cultivators could withstand bullets and whether their spells could match their power.
• The system explained that cultivation energy could greatly exceed a bullet’s power, leaving Li Xingkong more confident in his cultivation.

Li Xingkong finally began Qi Refining by sensing and unlocking the Spiritual Qi particle inside his body. He gained control of it and explored its unusual abilities, but had not yet started using it to refine his body.

• Li Xingkong spent nearly two hours shooting pistols and rifles before returning to his farm at midnight and sleeping soundly.
• The next morning, Li Xingkong asked the system when he could begin Qi Refining, and it explained that he first had to sense and activate the Spiritual Qi inside him.
• Li Xingkong meditated and used his consciousness to search his body until he found an area in his chest that blocked his perception.
• The system told Li Xingkong to form the characters for "system" with his consciousness, and he used them to unlock the Spiritual Qi.
• Li Xingkong controlled the Spiritual Qi with his consciousness, moved it around his body and toward the roof, and considered its potential uses.
• The system grew impatient as Li Xingkong kept experimenting with the Spiritual Qi instead of beginning body refinement.

Li Xingkong learned how the qi sea and meridians would function, then began constructing his qi sea and opening a meridian for the Sun and Moon Qi Refining Method. After half a day, he had completed the qi sea but opened less than half of the meridian and had to rest from mental exhaustion.

• The system explained that the qi sea would store energy and connect the body's meridians, while the digestive system would still have a role in absorbing energy.
• Li Xingkong cleared space inside his body and used Spiritual Qi to build the inner walls of his qi sea, completing most of the construction after about an hour.
• Li Xingkong chose to open a meridian running up his spine to the Baihui acupoint so he could absorb sunlight through exposed parts of his body.
• Li Xingkong spent half a day opening the meridian but managed less than half of it before his mental energy ran low and he stopped to rest.

Li Xingkong completed the Initial Stage of Qi Refining by opening his meridians and inscribing a light-attracting array into the skin on the back of his neck. He activated the array and began drawing light energy into his dantian, where he saw it cascade like a waterfall.

• Li Xingkong woke after sleeping through the night and day, ate a meal, and resumed constructing his meridians.
• Li Xingkong completed opening his meridians and began inscribing a light-attracting array on the back of his neck.
• Li Xingkong tested the array’s modules as he built them, then fused the completed, glowing pattern with his skin.
• Li Xingkong sat in the sunlight, activated the array, and guided the energy it gathered through his meridians into his dantian.
• Li Xingkong watched the energy fall into his dantian like a radiant waterfall and considered how to improve absorption and cultivate his body.

Li Xingkong used his newly constructed meridians to circulate qi through his body and discovered that he could perform superhuman feats, though his unenhanced muscles quickly grew tired. While exploring his body with Spiritual Qi, he learned from the system why Qi Refining took him so much longer than it did for cultivators in other worlds.

• Li Xingkong tried to use his stored qi for strength, but the system explained that he had only constructed one meridian and did not yet know how to circulate the energy.
• Li Xingkong connected his dantian to his stomach, allowing his blood to carry qi throughout his body and greatly increasing his physical strength.
• Li Xingkong lifted himself with one hand on a pillar and with one little finger in a wall, then tested his speed by running across his farm and leaping great distances.
• Li Xingkong returned home exhausted, then used a particle of Spiritual Qi to observe the processes inside his body.
• Li Xingkong asked why Qi Refining took him so long, and the system explained that cultivators elsewhere could follow established methods without understanding how they worked.

After beginning Qi Refining, Li Xingkong prepared to sell his farm and return to the Divine Land, but first decided to settle old scores on Prisoner Continent. He learned that Ellie had left the hotel and gone to a strip club, then headed there by taxi to take revenge.

• Li Xingkong continued cultivating, tempering his bones and strengthening his waist while arranging to sell his farm and ship his belongings home.
• After his farm sold, Li Xingkong returned to the hotel to find the clerk who had nearly trapped him in a honey trap, but learned she had been replaced by a new clerk.
• The new clerk told Li Xingkong that the former clerk, Ellie, had quit after becoming involved with gangsters and was rumored to work at a strip club.
• Li Xingkong checked into the hotel, waited until evening, and took a taxi to the strip club called Beautiful Lady.

Li Xingkong went to Beautiful Lady to find Ellie, but learned she had left the club and was living in a slum on Tree-lined Street. He ran there to test his abilities and arrived as the surroundings began to worsen.

• Li Xingkong entered Beautiful Lady and asked a club worker where Ellie was.
• The woman told Li Xingkong that Ellie no longer worked at the club and offered to reveal where she lived in exchange for money.
• Li Xingkong paid her, and she directed him to a slum on Tree-lined Street, telling him to say someone from Beautiful Lady was looking for Ellie.
• Li Xingkong left the club and ran toward Tree-lined Street, estimating his speed at about twenty kilometers per hour.
• Li Xingkong reached Tree-lined Street and saw that the area was far worse than the neighborhood around the club.

Li Xingkong went to the slums to find Ellie, the woman who had scammed him at a hotel, but the encounter turned into a fight when she mistook him for an enemy. After confronting her about their past, he left her shaken after pointing her own gun at her and pulling the trigger on an empty chamber.

• Li Xingkong entered Bonfire Gang territory looking for Ellie and fought off the thugs who attacked him.
• Ellie shot at Li Xingkong, but he distracted her, leaped over a wall, and tackled her before taking her gun.
• Li Xingkong recognized Ellie as the former hotel receptionist who had scammed him, and she offered to settle their past encounter.
• Seeing how destitute Ellie had become, Li Xingkong chose not to demand compensation and instead pointed her gun at her head.
• Li Xingkong pulled the trigger, but the gun clicked without firing, and Ellie collapsed in shock.

After reflecting on his revenge against Ellie, Li Xingkong realized he disliked using strength to bully the weak and decided to go after the mastermind behind her scheme instead. Ellie named Nature City Councilor Luke Morgan, and Li Xingkong hurried off to confront him.

• Li Xingkong explained to the system that he had disabled Ellie's gun and believed her actions did not deserve death.
• The system helped Li Xingkong recognize that his unease came from using his strength against someone weaker, as the powerful did throughout Prisoner Continent.
• Li Xingkong decided to bypass the hotel gang's lackeys and confront the mastermind behind Ellie's honey trap.
• Li Xingkong returned to the slums, where Ellie warned him against going after the man he had asked about.
• Li Xingkong challenged Ellie to consider why she feared her enemies despite having a gun, and she revealed the man was Nature City Councilor Luke Morgan.
• Ellie warned Li Xingkong not to die, and he hurried off toward Luke Morgan.

Li Xingkong infiltrated the Nature City council building by following a chaotic employee nicknamed Zombie inside. He was assigned to assist Luke Morgan, giving him a chance to get close to the man he wanted revenge on.

• Li Xingkong learned that Luke Morgan controlled much of Nature City’s business and planned to stake him out at the council building.
• Li Xingkong disguised himself and entered the council building by following Zombie, who treated him as a coworker.
• A fat council employee ordered Li Xingkong to assist Luke Morgan when he arrived and gave him a work badge.
• Li Xingkong headed for Luke Morgan’s office while the fat employee admitted he had assigned the job to avoid dealing with Luke himself.

Li Xingkong was assigned to hold an umbrella for Luke Morgan during an outdoor speech, a council gesture that displayed its diminished authority. He waited until Luke arrived and took his place beside him, ready to hear what he would say before acting.

• Li Xingkong entered Luke Morgan's office building, where the strict butler criticized his appearance and ordered him to practice umbrella-holding etiquette.
• A staff member explained that Li Xingkong would represent the council by holding an umbrella over Luke Morgan during his outdoor speech and warned him to leave the city afterward.
• Li Xingkong selected an umbrella and waited for hours as reporters filled the venue.
• Luke Morgan arrived with a crowd of council members, and Li Xingkong opened the umbrella and held it over him.
• Li Xingkong chose to listen to Luke Morgan's speech before making his move.

Li Xingkong interrupted Luke Morgan’s speech and punched him for failing to control his subordinates. He escaped into the crowd in disguise, while the system warned him that leaving the venue would not erase the trouble he had caused.

• Luke Morgan gave a speech blaming Freedom City’s administration and announced that he would take part in council affairs.
• Li Xingkong asked Luke whether bosses were responsible for their subordinates’ mistakes and whether mistakes deserved punishment.
• After Luke agreed, Li Xingkong punched and badly injured his shoulder.
• Li Xingkong fled into the crowd as security tried to contain the venue, and Luke said the matter would be referred to the police.
• Li Xingkong changed his appearance while moving through the crowd, and the system warned him that his escape from the venue would not solve the larger problem.

Li Xingkong tried to leave Freedom City after angering Morgan, but the city was locked down and checkpoints blocked the main roads. He decided to abandon his car and slip out on foot, hoping to avoid being identified through surveillance footage.

• Li Xingkong learned that Freedom City was under lockdown, with police officers and gang members searching for him after his clash with Morgan.
• Li Xingkong drove toward the outskirts and paid gang members at a roadblock to let him pass.
• Li Xingkong reached the city limits and found security forces had set up checkpoints on every road out.
• Li Xingkong explained to the system that surveillance footage and other details could expose his disguise, so he chose to leave the city on foot.
• Li Xingkong gathered food and a sleeping bag and prepared to abandon his car.

Li Xingkong ran from Freedom City toward Nature City, stopping at a remote inn to rest and replenish himself. While eating and drinking, he began tempering the bones near his qi sea using the system’s advanced cultivation knowledge.

• Li Xingkong left Freedom City and ran through the wilderness toward Nature City's airport, checking his phone for directions until he reached a road.
• Li Xingkong stopped at a roadside inn because his legs were exhausted and he needed food and energy.
• Li Xingkong ordered beef and beer from the scarred bald innkeeper, then sat by the window and regulated his body.
• Li Xingkong used Spiritual Qi to begin tempering his spine and bones near his qi sea.
• Li Xingkong relied on the system’s knowledge of cultivation civilizations to guide his bone tempering beyond the methods available to earlier civilizations.

Li Xingkong considered his cultivation and ate with the bald innkeeper while discussing his journey across Prisoner Continent. The meal was interrupted by three thugs searching for him on Lord Morgan’s orders, and they revealed a bounty for his capture.

• Li Xingkong reflected on tempering his spine, his Qi Refining foundation, and the practical techniques he wanted to learn next.
• Li Xingkong shared a meal with the bald innkeeper and said he was hiking across Prisoner Continent from Freedom City.
• Three thugs barged into the inn and intimidated the owner, who confronted them with a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun.
• The lead thug showed the owner a photo of Li Xingkong and said Lord Morgan had offered 200,000 for information about him.

Li Xingkong escaped the inn and continued toward Nature City, but bounty hunters cornered him on the road. He fought back with overwhelming strength, wrecking their vehicles, then searched for his belongings and the cowboy he had pulled from an SUV.

• The inn owner warned Li Xingkong that Luke Morgan had influence across Prisoner Continent and urged him to flee quickly.
• Li Xingkong left for Nature City the next morning and noticed several convoys passing, likely searching for him.
• A group of young bounty hunters circled Li Xingkong, and a cowboy tried to lasso him for the 200,000 bounty.
• Li Xingkong yanked the cowboy through the SUV’s sunroof, then smashed into another vehicle and shattered its windows, leaving its occupants’ fate unclear.
• The remaining SUV fled, but its driver fainted as Li Xingkong chased it, and the passengers jumped out and tumbled onto the road.
• Li Xingkong returned to collect his belongings and wondered where the cowboy had gone.

After wiping out a convoy, Li Xingkong realized that fleeing toward Nature City would not keep him safe in an age of internet searches, and his broken hand made him seek spells he could use without relying on strength. He learned about the Shotgun Spell and asked the system to find him a simpler defensive spell.

• Li Xingkong left the wrecked convoy behind and decided not to pursue the escaped cowboy.
• Li Xingkong concluded that running toward Nature City would not evade pursuit and recognized that his injured hand and vulnerability to bullets limited him.
• Li Xingkong asked the system for a quickly learned ranged attack spell with low mana consumption and a wide area.
• The system recommended the Shotgun Spell, which let Li Xingkong project a handful of pebbles across a broad area with shotgun-like force.
• Li Xingkong asked about defensive magic, and the system explained that maintaining full-body protection would drain too much mana at his current level.
• Li Xingkong requested a stronger protective spell that covered only a small area.

Li Xingkong learned the Shotgun Spell and began constructing Explosive Reactive Armor as a defense against further attacks. After testing the Shotgun Spell in an abandoned building, he found it powerful, efficient, and ready for repeated use.

• The system found Li Xingkong the Explosive Reactive Armor spell, which he planned to shape into a small shield on his arm.
• Li Xingkong left the attack site, found an abandoned roadside building, and began learning the Shotgun Spell.
• Li Xingkong spent nearly two days extending a mana route from the back of his neck to his right hand.
• Li Xingkong completed a working Shotgun Spell structure in his palm and tested it on the abandoned building's furniture and fireplace.
• Li Xingkong found that the spell could hit targets twenty meters away and estimated he could fire it about thirty times before exhausting his mana.

Li Xingkong learned that the Bloody Hand Gang had supplied his location to Luke Morgan’s attackers and was offering a twenty-million bounty for his body. With the system shielding information about his cultivation for half a month, he set off for Freedom City to confront the gang.

• Li Xingkong disabled a convoy of armed attackers, then learned over the walkie-talkie that the Bloody Hand Gang had provided his location and that Luke Morgan wanted him captured or killed.
• The attacker said the Bloody Hand Gang’s core members stayed in Freedom City and that a twenty-million bounty had been placed on Li Xingkong.
• The system explained how conflicts could escalate and cast a spell that limited how information about Li Xingkong’s cultivation could be passed on for half a month.
• Li Xingkong searched the wrecked car, took body armor and a helmet, and started toward Freedom City at high speed.
• After encountering another attack halfway there, Li Xingkong left the car intact and drove for the rest of the journey to conserve his strength.

Li Xingkong staked out the Bloody Hand Gang headquarters while planning a way to make his Shotgun Spell more effective indoors. After using the idea of bouncing rubber bullets to seize a gang member, he demanded to know who led the gang and which floor he was on.

• Li Xingkong found the Bloody Hand Gang headquarters in downtown Freedom City and watched it from a café across the street.
• After a child’s bouncy ball gave him an idea, Li Xingkong decided rubber bullets fired with his Shotgun Spell could ricochet through a room and disable its occupants.
• Li Xingkong spotted a hurried man leaving the headquarters and followed him into a slum.
• Li Xingkong rammed the man’s car, grabbed him by the neck, and carried him to an abandoned construction site.
• Li Xingkong demanded that the man identify the Bloody Hand Gang’s leader and reveal which floor he occupied.