Laughing in the Jianghu: Dominating the World

Ying Chuan is a teenage muleteer who finds himself transported into the world of *Laughing in the Jianghu*. Penniless, without a sect or martial arts skills, he makes a meager living hauling goods along the ancient Shu Road with only an old mule to his name. Desperate to learn martial arts and become strong, he tries to join the Huashan Sect but is turned away, and cannot afford the tuition at any local martial arts school. His fortunes change when he discovers a set of hidden breathing techniques and qi-circulation paths tucked within an old copy of *Zunsheng Bajian* (Eight Treatises on Nurturing Life). Following these instructions, Ying Chuan finds himself blessed with superhuman strength and the ability to burst forth with internal energy in moments of crisis. During a delivery, bandits ambush him—one swings a ghost-head saber toward his head. Ying Chuan counters with his own blade, snapping the bandit's weapon clean in two. Stunned, the outlaws cry out: "How can this brat be so strong?" "He broke a ghost-head saber—is that some divine weapon?" But one bandit, nursing his split-open palm, realizes the truth: "It’s not brute force, and it’s not a magic blade... he’s using internal energy!" From that day forward, the martial world gains a new legend—a young man who dominates the jianghu through sheer mastery of inner power.