Recaps

Zhou Yue struggled against the Red Oni in the Illusion Realm until Mu Yawen defeated it on her first try and explained how to read its attacks. Zhong Yi finally beat Yamauchi Shigenori after repeated attempts, leaving Zhou Yue unsure whether his friend was a genius or simply terrible.

• Zhou Yue repeatedly failed to defeat the Red Oni, even after learning to dodge its kicks and counterattack.
• Mu Yawen achieved the first kill of the Red Oni and told Zhou Yue that blocking when its foot left the ground might work.
• Mu Yawen credited Zhong Yi with teaching him that Deflection was the Illusion Realm's core technique, surprising Zhou Yue.
• Zhong Yi completed his fight and revealed that he had been battling Yamauchi Shigenori.
• Zhou Yue realized Zhong Yi had figured out Deflection while fighting a beginner tutorial enemy and questioned whether he was a genius or terrible.

Zhong Yi struggled through Sekiro, learned that his deaths caused Dragonrot, and tried to avoid further harm to the Buddha Carver, only to die again. Chen Yuan defeated the Red Oni after fifty-seven deaths, then triggered a gong alarm near Yamauchi Noriyoshi and was overwhelmed by soldiers.

• Zhong Yi repeatedly failed to defeat the Ashina General, and his resurrections caused the Buddha Carver to suffer Dragonrot.
• Zhong Yi decided to bypass the Ashina General, but missed his grappling hook and died, worsening the Buddha Carver's cough.
• Chen Yuan defeated the Red Oni after fifty-seven deaths, while the danmu mocked his performance and Lu Ze clarified that the Red Oni was not a boss.
• Chen Yuan encountered Yamauchi Noriyoshi and claimed he could defeat him quickly, despite soldiers guarding the area.
• Chen Yuan killed a soldier by surprise, but a sentry sounded a gong, drawing in reinforcements; Yamauchi Noriyoshi trapped Chen Yuan, who died in the mob attack.

In the Sekiro Illusion Realm, Zhong Yi repeatedly failed to defeat the Red Oni while teaching his livestream viewers about its attacks. A bald former thief offered to reveal what happened three years ago in exchange for 50 copper coins, but Zhong Yi had no money and set out to earn some by fighting regular soldiers.

• Zhong Yi landed a Deathblow on the Red Oni, then explained his strategy to his livestream viewers.
• Zhong Yi failed to parry the Red Oni's kicks and was caught by its grab-and-throw attack, then resurrected at the Buddha Carver's temple.
• Zhong Yi reasoned that the Red Oni's fear of fire might offer a shortcut, but he could not work out how to light Kusabimaru.
• A bald man recognized Zhong Yi and offered to tell him what happened three years ago if Zhong Yi lent him 50 copper coins.
• Zhong Yi tried to pay but had no money after dying hundreds of times, so he decided to earn copper by fighting regular soldiers and discovered they could deflect him too.

Zhong Yi learned that the answers to his missing memories lay with Young Master Kurō and the ruined Hirata Estate, where he obtained the Young Lord's Bell. After the Buddha Carver rang it, Zhong Yi awakened in a vision marked “Three Years Ago.”

• A bald thief told Zhong Yi that bandits had raided the Hirata Estate three years earlier and recalled seeing him searching there.
• Zhong Yi paid the thief for information about a flame-shooting prosthetic tool hidden near a feast bonfire in the Hirata Estate ruins.
• At the ruins, a blind old woman mistook Zhong Yi for her son Inosuke and gave him the Young Lord's Bell to offer before a Buddha.
• Zhong Yi returned to the Abandoned Temple, where Emma examined the Buddha Carver's Dragonrot blood and Zhong Yi offered to obtain more samples.
• The Buddha Carver rang the Young Lord's Bell as Zhong Yi knelt before a Buddha, and Zhong Yi awoke in a vision labeled “Three Years Ago.”

Three years in the past, Zhong Yi explored the burning Hirata Estate and suspected the bandit attack concealed a larger scheme. He gathered shinobi tools but died repeatedly, then encountered shield soldiers that frustrated him.

• Zhong Yi activated a Ghost Buddha outside the Hirata Estate and found a dying guard who urged him to save the young lord from the bandits.
• Zhong Yi stealthily defeated the bandits on the bridge and reasoned that ordinary bandits could not have breached the estate's defenses without help.
• Zhong Yi entered the estate, found the Flame Arrow near a campfire, and later collected the Shinobi Axe of the Flying Ape from a Buddhist hall.
• Zhong Yi repeatedly died while exploring, met the bald bandit from the Tiger Gate Steps, and chose not to test whether killing him would affect the future.
• Zhong Yi advanced deeper into the estate and angrily discovered that shield soldiers could negate his character growth with a single block.

Zhong Yi discovered that leveling up in the Sekiro Illusion Realm barely increased his power, so he returned to the present to demonstrate how to beat the Red Oni. Meanwhile, Zhou Qiaoling survived the Red Oni and Great Serpent by luck and stealth, then cautiously entered a city crowded with guards.

• Zhong Yi repeatedly died to Yuan Zhen at the Hirata Estate and suspected the Hirata Household's fall had been planned.
• Zhong Yi reached level 1 after grinding but found that leveling granted only a Skill point, so he learned [Mikiri Counter] and returned to the present-day world.
• Zhou Qiaoling skipped several enemies, died eighteen times to the Red Oni, and eventually defeated him through luck.
• Zhou Qiaoling carefully evaded the Great Serpent, blinded it with the system's guidance, and collected Treasure Chests while fleeing.
• Zhou Qiaoling reached the city and avoided its guards, wary that attacking one would trigger an alarm.

Zhou Qiaoling fell for Lu Ze’s fake treasure bait and was forced into a series of defeats against Gyoubu, while Zhou Yue nearly won before a banana peel caused his death. After giving up on the fight, Zhou Qiaoling tried to leave the Illusion Realm and discovered there was no exit button.

• Zhou Qiaoling spotted a glowing item in a battlefield, jumped down to claim it, and found only a Fistful of Ash before Gyoubu charged out to attack her.
• Zhou Yue parried Gyoubu’s attacks with ease, but a banana peel made him slip and die just as he was close to victory.
• Zhou Qiaoling repeatedly failed to defeat Gyoubu, gave up on Resurrection, and returned to the Ghost Buddha at the Abandoned Temple.
• Zhou Qiaoling decided to apologize to her master and leave the Illusion Realm, but found that the system interface had no Exit button.

Zhou Yue defeated Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa without taking a hit, then explored the Illusion Realm after watching Zhong Yi’s stream. He discovered a warning about a Headless Demon and entered the mountains to investigate.

• Zhou Yue claimed the first kill of Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa on Normal difficulty without taking a hit.
• Zhou Yue teased Zhou Qiaoling, who was trapped in the Illusion Realm by a Barrier until she cleared it.
• Zhou Yue watched Zhong Yi’s stream, where Zhong Yi described using the Flame Vent against the Red Oni and died trying to ambush Yamauchi Noriyoshi.
• Zhou Yue learned that Zhong Yi had visited the Hirata Estate from three years earlier and decided to seek its hidden enemies and shinobi tools.
• Zhou Yue spoke with the bald man at the Tiger Gate Steps, found a shrine warning of a Headless Demon, and headed into the mountains to investigate.

Zhou Yue discovered Headless in a hidden cave and repeatedly died trying to defeat the fear-amplified enemy, eventually taking a break to watch Zhong Yi’s stream. When Zhong Yi defeated the Ashina General, Zhou Yue remembered Lu Ze had given him something to open at that moment.

• Zhou Yue found a purple-glowing Tachi in a cave and discovered it was held by Headless, whose presence triggered a rising [Terror] bar.
• Zhou Yue fought Headless, suffered humiliating deaths, and learned that the purple mist and [Terror] made the battle especially difficult.
• Zhou Yue kept returning to Headless’s cave despite the danmu urging him to stop, but even a grappling attempt ended in another death.
• After a day and night of repeated failures, Zhou Yue considered giving up and opened Zhong Yi’s live stream to relax.
• Zhong Yi defeated the Ashina General, reminding Zhou Yue that Lu Ze had given him an item to open after that victory.

Zhong Yi and Chen Yuan were publicly teased over their progress in Sekiro while Chen Yuan remained confident that Lu Ze would lose the Genichiro bet. The chapter ended with news that Li Moran was on the verge of defeating Genichiro.

• Zhou Yue gave Zhong Yi the brocade pouch Lu Ze had left, which triggered a celebration banner mocking Zhong Yi for taking an entire day to defeat the Ashina General.
• Zhou Yue and Zhong Yi learned that Li Moran was about to beat Genichiro and rushed to watch her live stream.
• Chen Yuan defeated Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa after eighty-eight deaths, and Lu Ze unfurled a banner announcing his tally.
• Chen Yuan argued that he could still win their wager because no one would defeat Genichiro within three days, while he had five days to clear the Illusion Realm.
• Cultivators on the Viewing Terrace announced that Li Moran was only three strikes away from defeating Genichiro.

Li Moran fought Genichiro in the Illusion Realm, deliberately restarting after filling his Posture Bar so she could attempt a no-hit victory. She defeated him without taking damage and drew a flood of viewers and gifts to her livestream.

• Cultivators gathered at Li Moran’s Illusion Realm display and watched her calmly deflect Genichiro’s attacks despite having only a third of her health remaining.
• After filling Genichiro’s Posture Bar, Li Moran put away Kusabimaru and restarted the Illusion Realm, prompting spectators to guess she wanted a no-hit run.
• Li Moran returned to the Reed Field and faced Genichiro again, using the fight to push her swordsmanship beyond its limits.
• Li Moran deflected Genichiro’s full barrage without losing health, filled his Posture Bar, and delivered the deathblow.
• The Illusion Realm announced Li Moran’s first kill of Genichiro Ashina on Normal, and viewers flooded her livestream with praise and gifts.
• Genius Cultivator gifted Li Moran Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin ×10 and joked that she would not have to lose an arm.

Li Moran defeated Genichiro in the Sekiro Illusion Realm, but a cutscene still showed him severing Sekiro’s arm, while the spectators joked that Lu Ze had scripted it and Zhong Yi had jinxed it. Lu Ze defended the Illusion Realm against Chen Yuan’s accusations, and a disturbance in the sect’s forbidden grounds began to stir around Li Moran.

• After Li Moran defeated Genichiro, Genichiro attacked from behind and cut off Sekiro’s left arm, leaving him unconscious.
• Cultivators on the Viewing Terrace praised Li Moran’s swordsmanship and Genichiro’s skill, while Chen Yuan looked grim about losing his wager with Lu Ze.
• Lu Ze reminded Chen Yuan that every enemy could be defeated, and spectators rebuked Chen Yuan’s claim that Li Moran had received secret help.
• Chen Yuan argued that the Illusion Realm had to advance cultivators’ Sword Dao, and Lu Ze turned his gaze toward Li Moran.
• A violent disturbance rose from the Limitless Sword Sect’s forbidden grounds as the air around Li Moran warped and sword cries rang out around her.

Li Moran drew the First Sect Master’s black sword from the Limitless Sword Ruins and awakened the Void-Returning Sword Intent, while Lu Ze won his bet against Chen Yuan. Li Moran thanked Lu Ze, who received and learned her Sword Intent as his reward.

• Li Moran’s insight caused hundreds of swords to fly toward her, alarming the gathered Sword Cultivators and the Limitless Sword Sect’s Elders.
• A battered black sword passed through the seal and hovered before Li Moran, revealing itself to Chen Yuan as the First Sect Master’s weapon.
• Li Moran touched the black sword, which dissolved into her Silver Longsword, and unleashed the Void-Returning Sword Intent, draining the surrounding Artifacts of their power.
• Lu Ze teased Chen Yuan about the illusion, and Chen Yuan returned to the Illusion Tower determined to clear “Sekiro” within five days and protect the Three Tribulations Sword Art.
• Li Moran thanked Lu Ze, and his system awarded him her Void-Returning Sword Intent, which he chose to learn.

News that Li Moran had comprehended the Void-Returning Sword Intent drew more cultivators into Sekiro, pushing its player count past Immortal Abyss Continent Operation and raising Lu Ze’s demonic value. In his live stream, Zhong Yi explained how he planned to exploit Gyoubu’s fear of firecrackers, then hinted that he knew an even safer strategy.

• Rumors spread that Li Moran had earned the Void-Returning Sword Intent by perfecting her sword techniques in Sekiro, prompting skeptical cultivators to join the Illusion Realm.
• Sekiro’s cumulative player count surpassed Immortal Abyss Continent Operation’s peak, and Lu Ze’s demonic value kept rising.
• Zhong Yi told his viewers he had studied Gyoubu and used firecrackers to interrupt the boss’s horse, but Gyoubu quickly punished him for attacking too greedily.
• After dying, Zhong Yi insisted that he had been demonstrating what not to do and teased that he knew a safer way to defeat Gyoubu in one life.

Zhong Yi demonstrated a way to defeat Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa without drawing his sword by using a Fistful of Ash and the battlefield terrain. He tricked Gyoubu’s frenzied horse into charging over a cliff, defeating the Boss and leaving Lu Ze impressed by his ingenuity.

• Zhong Yi announced that he would show viewers how to defeat Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa without using his sword, then ran toward a watchtower as the Boss charged.
• Zhong Yi used a Fistful of Ash to disorient Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa and his horse, then jumped onto a city wall using an invisible Barrier as a foothold.
• Zhong Yi crossed the wall and ran across a rooftop while Gyoubu’s horse searched for him by scent.
• Zhong Yi stopped at the cliff’s edge, and Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa’s frenzied horse charged after him and plunged into the Abyss.
• The game announced Zhong Yi had defeated Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa, and Lu Ze praised Zhong Yi’s ingenuity.

Lu Ze watched Zhou Yue repeatedly die to Headless, then encouraged him to keep trying despite knowing he lacked the items needed to counter Headless. After Zhou Yue died more than one hundred times and saw the new [Noob] death message, he vowed to beat either Headless or Lu Ze.

• Lu Ze left Zhong Yi's livestream and watched Zhou Yue struggle against Headless, whose attacks filled Zhou Yue's [Terror] meter despite his deflections.
• Zhou Yue realized he lacked Divine Confetti and Pacifying Agent, could barely damage Headless, and decided to give up.
• Lu Ze checked Zhou Yue's death count and sent him a gift, claiming he could defeat Headless without countering its mechanics.
• Zhou Yue returned to the Cave and died again, triggering the new [Noob] message after more than one hundred deaths to the same enemy.
• Lu Ze left, satisfied that Zhou Yue would keep fighting for more Demonic Value, while Zhou Yue angrily vowed to beat Headless or Lu Ze.

In Zhong Yi’s livestream, he struggled against Juzou the Drunkard at the Hirata Estate until Inosuke arrived to help, only for Zhong Yi to accidentally strike his ally. An author’s note said the novel’s updates would slow as it continued toward its planned ending.

• Zhong Yi returned to the Hirata Estate, found the dying Owl, and continued searching for Kurō while fighting through the attackers.
• Zhong Yi struggled against Juzou the Drunkard and his many allies, dying repeatedly as he tried to clear the courtyard.
• Inosuke arrived and engaged Juzou, giving Zhong Yi an opening to join the fight.
• Zhong Yi accidentally hit Inosuke with his sword, prompting laughter in the livestream chat.
• The author announced that updates would slow to about one short chapter every two days and outlined plans to finish the story by the end of the year.

Zhong Yi and Inosuke defeated Juzou the Drunkard, and Zhong Yi looted the building he had guarded. After finding Divine Confetti and a Hidden Door, Zhong Yi grew cautious when he encountered an elderly woman describing terrifying apparitions.

• Zhong Yi helped Inosuke defeat Juzou the Drunkard by attacking him from behind.
• Inosuke entered the building, but Zhong Yi found him gone and searched the rooms for loot.
• Zhong Yi discovered Divine Confetti and realized it could help fight Headless, though he decided to tell Zhou Yue later.
• Zhong Yi found Scattered Prayer Beads and a Ghost Buddha, then passed through a Hidden Door expecting a powerful opponent.
• Zhong Yi encountered an elderly woman kneeling in terror and recognized her words as a clue about an illusion.

Zhong Yi recognized the old woman from a future encounter, then found Inosuke badly injured and learned an Illusionist had trapped the area. Armed with Inosuke’s Chirping Seed and Owl’s key, Zhong Yi entered the Underground Buddhist Hall, where he found Kurō wandering through a burning room.

• The old woman begged Zhong Yi to protect the Young Master, and Zhong Yi remembered she had given him a wind chime three years later.
• Zhong Yi found Inosuke collapsed by a doorway, and Inosuke warned him about the illusion before handing him a Chirping Seed and passing out.
• Zhong Yi realized an Illusionist was likely responsible and entered the room, determined to confront Lu Ze.
• Zhong Yi used the key from Owl to unlock the Underground Buddhist Hall.
• Zhong Yi saw Kurō wandering through the burning hall, calling for his father, mother, and Butterfly.

Zhong Yi faced Lady Butterfly after dispelling the illusion on Kurō, while Zhou Yue finally defeated Headless through more than sixteen hundred careful slashes. Zhou Yue went to Zhong Yi’s stream to complain about being kept in the dark about Divine Confetti, only to find Zhong Yi dead and mocked.

• Sekiro dispelled the illusion on Kurō, then stepped forward to protect him as Lady Butterfly arrived.
• Zhong Yi took control of Sekiro and prepared to fight Lady Butterfly with Kusabimaru.
• Zhou Yue killed Headless after landing over sixteen hundred basic slashes without taking a hit and earned the first-kill announcement.
• Zhou Yue discovered that Divine Confetti could have helped him and angrily opened Zhong Yi’s live stream to confront him.
• Zhou Yue saw Zhong Yi’s death screen and heard someone mock him as a little puppy.

Zhong Yi repeatedly fought Lady Butterfly in the Hirata Estate, enduring her attacks and illusions as the livestream mocked his failures. After Zhou Yue enjoyed watching him suffer, Zhou Yue entered the estate himself, confident his practice would help him, but immediately struggled with the grappling hook.

• Zhong Yi lost his temper at Lady Butterfly and challenged her after hours of being mocked.
• Lady Butterfly’s second phase trapped Zhong Yi in illusions, where he saw graves inscribed with “If You Suck, Practice Some More” before she killed him.
• The livestream viewers laughed at Zhong Yi, and Bu Po Bu Li sent 999 barking messages.
• Zhou Yue left after enjoying Zhong Yi’s breakdown and headed to the Hirata Estate, believing his skills had improved after fighting the Headless.
• Zhou Yue tried to use the grappling hook and yelled when he missed.

Zhong Yi defeated Lady Butterfly in the illusion of Hirata Estate, but an unknown attacker stabbed him as the temple collapsed. Kurō saved Sekiro by sharing the Dragon's Heritage, and Zhong Yi returned to the timeline three years later, realizing the pair had been misled into fighting each other.

• Zhong Yi defeated Lady Butterfly and explained his combat strategy to the livestream viewers.
• As the underground temple collapsed, an unknown attacker stabbed Zhong Yi through the chest.
• Kurō lifted a roof beam and gave Sekiro his blood, telling him to live on.
• Zhong Yi awoke at the Dilapidated Temple three years later and inferred that Lady Butterfly and Sekiro had both been deceived.
• Zhong Yi concluded that Kurō's Dragon's Heritage had given Sekiro the power to resurrect without limit.

Li Moran advanced through the Sekiro Illusion Realm with ease, then recognized the Tengu of Ashina as a powerful opponent and attacked him. The old man’s health bar revealed that he was Isshin Ashina.

• Li Moran defeated Headless after dying about a dozen times, then complained to Lu Ze that the Illusion Realm had no worthy opponents.
• Lu Ze reminded Li Moran that every character in the Illusion Realm could be challenged.
• Li Moran entered a manor in Ashina Castle and met the Tengu of Ashina, who recognized Sekiro’s prosthetic arm and invited him to hunt rats.
• Li Moran sensed the Tengu was stronger than Genichiro Ashina and attacked him with Kusabimaru.
• The Tengu deflected Li Moran’s strike, revealing the name and health bar [Isshin Ashina].

Li Moran challenged Isshin Ashina and was swiftly defeated, but she studied his swordsmanship at the Ghost Buddha and tried to imitate his techniques. Lu Ze recognized her attempts at Ashina Style moves and hurried to the Main Server World to prepare for an early login.

• Isshin Ashina easily overwhelmed Li Moran during her first attempt to fight him.
• Li Moran revived at the Ghost Buddha and recalled Isshin Ashina's moves instead of returning to the fight.
• Li Moran practiced imitating Ashina Style's One-Slash, Cross Slash, and Isshin Ashina's One Mind.
• Lu Ze realized Li Moran's talent might let her clear the challenge ahead of schedule and went to the Main Server World to prepare for login.

Lu Ze persuaded the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao to enter the Illusion Realm and challenge Chen Yuan, then redirected it to train against Li Moran. He intended to slow Li Moran’s rapid progress so she would not clear the game before his five-day mission deadline.

• Lu Ze coaxed the bored Fragment of the Heavenly Dao into agreeing to confront Chen Yuan by claiming Chen Yuan had insulted it.
• Lu Ze showed the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao Li Moran fighting Isshin Ashina and suggested it practice against her instead.
• Lu Ze reflected that Li Moran had been copying Ashina Style moves and could clear the game quickly, though she could not reproduce their special effects without the required qi.
• Lu Ze sent the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao to give Li Moran face-to-face instruction, raising the difficulty and protecting his mission reward.