Chapter Summaries

Jianping fought through the Eerie Tide while trying to reach the peak of his Slaughter Dao, then faced a mysterious blade-handed Eerie Monster that could help him master his force. At the No. 2 Slaughter Ground, the students struggled against the overwhelming tide and the failing robots, believing the attack was a brutal trial arranged by Yu Qingnian as they waited for reinforcements.

• Li Chen declined treatment and wondered how Jianping was faring while Su Zhe recovered nearby.
• Su Xian attacked the Eerie Monsters with ice magic as Jianping fought among them with the Demon Blade and heard his Inner Demon urge him to kill.
• Jianping sensed that his force was close to full mastery and met a humanoid, blade-handed Eerie Monster whose aura seemed to be at the Withered Sea Realm.
• Ji Shao and Su Xian continued fighting elsewhere as the students at the No. 2 Slaughter Ground faced too many Eerie Monsters and insufficient robot firepower.
• The students suspected Yu Qingnian had arranged the assault as a trial and believed reinforcements would arrive if they held out long enough.

Gu Cheng released the students from the Slaughter Arenas as the Eerie Tide weakened and cult forces gathered outside Ruined City. Yu Qingnian fought the cultists until the Second Seat arrived to hold him off, allowing the cult to pursue the Child of Destiny.

• Gu Cheng noticed the humanoid Eerie Monsters had withdrawn and let the students leave the Slaughter Arenas while the cult gathered outside Ruined City.
• Lin Hua asked Li Chen to tell Jianping that he would challenge him when they returned to the academy, and Su Zhe woke as the battle ended.
• Yu Qingnian used Divine Punishment against the cult forces, prompting the Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Seats to consider retreating.
• The Second Seat appeared and offered to hold off the Ninth Sequence while the other Seats hurried to retrieve the Child of Destiny.

Yu Qingnian confronted Wuchen as Li Chen learned that powerful cultists had come for him and fled toward the Slaughter Arena. Gu Cheng and Wei Laoda arrived to protect Li Chen as the cultists closed in.

• Yu Qingnian and Wuchen exchanged taunts before launching powerful attacks against each other.
• Li Chen and Su Zhe witnessed Yu Qingnian's battle, and Li Chen spotted three masked figures watching him.
• Li Chen sent Su Zhe to find Jianping and recognized the familiar pull of the strange box inside the cultists' possession.
• The Ninth Seat and Seventh Seat identified Li Chen as the Child of Destiny, while the three cultists broke through the Ruined City's barrier and pursued him.
• Li Chen retreated toward the Slaughter Arena, but Gu Cheng and Wei Laoda arrived and stood between him and the cultists.

Yu Qingnian battled Wuchen over the human history that had driven Wuchen into a cult, while Gu Cheng and Wei Laoda prepared to fight three Calamity Realm cultists inside Ruined City. The city activated its defenses and began draining the intruders’ energy, leaving Ninth Seat aware that something was wrong.

• Wuchen accused Yu Qingnian of being an executioner because humans had forced his talented brother to guard a pass, where he died, and said he had lost faith in humanity.
• Yu Qingnian recalled that Wuchen’s brother had sent him inland before his death, then struck Wuchen with a pillar of golden lightning.
• Wuchen used the Forbidden Demon Eye to absorb the attack, but Yu Qingnian’s lightning overwhelmed his red energy.
• Inside Ruined City, Wei Laoda volunteered to fight the cultist smoking opium while Gu Cheng took on the other two.
• Gu Cheng analyzed the three cultists’ abilities and activated Ruined City’s combat mode, ordering the city to maximize energy absorption.
• Ninth Seat felt the energy within his body rapidly draining as Ruined City’s defenses took effect.

Gu Cheng revealed that Ruined City was a hidden mechanical fortress and activated its defenses against the cultists. As the Ninth and Seventh Seats struggled under the city’s escalating gravity, the Ninth Seat summoned an army of stolen souls, and Gu Cheng began targeting the cultists with radio waves.

• The Fifth Seat struck Wei Laoda into the ground, but Wei Laoda survived and suspected the attack had been staged for Li Chen and Gu Cheng to witness.
• Gu Cheng told Li Chen that Ruined Pass had never fallen, then merged with the ground and revealed the city’s hidden weapons.
• Gu Cheng activated a gravity field that exempted Prison Token holders, forcing the Ninth and Seventh Seats to retreat and leaving them struggling under the pressure.
• The Ninth Seat summoned gray figures made from stolen souls and declared them immortal.
• Gu Cheng ordered radio-wave mode to lock onto the cultists, while Wei Laoda prepared to fight another Calamity Realm opponent.

Li Chen learned from the Fifth Seat that the cults sought him as the Child of Destiny, who could lead them to the Forbidden Door. After the Fifth Seat urged him not to join a cult, Li Chen refused to choose between the cults and humanity.

• A masked man called the Fifth Seat appeared beside Li Chen and identified him as the Child of Destiny.
• The Fifth Seat explained that Pandora's Box had located Li Chen and that the cults wanted to capture him.
• The Fifth Seat revealed that he had gone undercover in a cult and used black mist to conceal their conversation.
• The Fifth Seat described the Godless Cult and the God-Binding Cult, explaining that the Child of Destiny could find the Forbidden Door.
• The Fifth Seat warned Li Chen that his arrival heralded troubled times and asked him not to join a cult.
• Li Chen said he could not choose either the cults or humanity, and the Fifth Seat accepted his decision.

The Fifth Seat warned Li Chen that the Evil Gods were humanity’s greatest enemies before leaving Ruined City. As the Seventh Seat tried to escape, Wei Laoda’s sacrifices empowered him, but the Seventh Seat unleashed the Fate-Playing Skeleton and began burning the city with green flames.

• The Fifth Seat told Li Chen that he had a long road ahead and that the Evil Gods, not the cultists, were humanity’s greatest enemies, then flew out of the city.
• Gu Cheng reflected on Elder Gu’s decision to sacrifice the Snake Lord and wondered who was guarding Canghai Pass.
• Wei Laoda cut off his own ear with his Demon Blade, gained a burst of power, and struck the Seventh Seat while fighting to defend Ruined City.
• The Seventh Seat, near exhaustion, tried to flee, but Wei Laoda pursued him and attacked with a red slash.
• The Seventh Seat used the Fate-Playing Skeleton, setting cult members ablaze with green flames and forcing the Ninth Seat to retreat.
• Gu Cheng recognized the missing Forbidden Object and urged Yu Qingnian to finish the fight before Ruined City burned down.

The cult's invasion ended after Yu Qingnian destroyed the Fate-Playing Skeleton and drove off the attackers. Li Chen learned that the cult had likely targeted him as the Child of Destiny and began questioning what Evil Gods were and whether gods existed in the world.

• Gu Cheng warned Wei Laoda to retreat, while Yu Qingnian forced Wuchen and the Seventh Seat's forces to withdraw.
• Yu Qingnian struck the Fate-Playing Skeleton with golden lightning, extinguishing its flames and destroying the Forbidden Object.
• Gu Cheng told Li Chen that the Fifth Seat had called him the Child of Destiny and mentioned an Evil God, then postponed their discussion until evening.
• Li Chen reunited with Su Zhe, Jianping, and Su Xian, who invited him to return with them and eat roasted meat.
• Gu Cheng repaired Wei Laoda and told Li Chen that the cult had probably come for him, explaining that Evil Gods were believed to be behind the black fog but had never been seen.
• Li Chen asked whether gods existed, and Gu Cheng's explanation left the question open.

Li Chen learned about the Wasteland Realm and humanity’s hope of reaching the God Realm, then entered the Black Mist to question the masked man about whether he was an Evil God. The masked man removed his mask and revealed a face resembling an older, white version of Li Chen, but left his true nature unanswered.

• Yu Qingnian told Li Chen that he had reached the Wasteland Realm, and Gu Cheng explained that humans might one day reach the God Realm and fight back.
• Li Chen worried that the cult would target him again and decided he needed to grow stronger.
• Gu Cheng offered to protect Li Chen and invited him to stay as a helper, while Yu Qingnian also promised to protect him.
• Li Chen entered the Black Mist and walked through the Forbidden Door to meet the masked man.
• The masked man removed his mask, revealed a weathered white face like Li Chen’s, and said that Li Chen represented humanity while he represented another side.

The masked man told Li Chen that the seven doors within him each contained Authority Power, which represented a chance to become a god, and urged him to grow stronger quickly. After a month of training in Ruined City, Li Chen and his classmates prepared to leave and gathered for a farewell party.

• The masked man explained that gods were defined by perspective and that the doors inside Li Chen were sealing things, with each of the seven doors requiring a scattered key to open.
• The masked man revealed that Authority Power lay behind each door, offered a chance to become a god, and was why God Realm experts no longer appeared among humanity.
• The masked man warned Li Chen to raise his strength quickly because he did not have much time left, then sent him back to the balcony.
• After a month of fighting Eerie Monsters in the Slaughter Arena, the Special Class students reached the Looking River Realm, though tensions remained over those who had fled during the Eerie Tide.
• Li Chen, Su Zhe, and Jianping headed to Ruined Square for a farewell party, where Su Zhe worried about his unpaid weapon-shop debt and Luo Lin greeted Li Chen.

Li Chen received the Dark Demon Blade from Gu Cheng as a farewell gift before leaving Ruined City. As he headed to the party with his classmates, he wondered whether he could absorb the forbidden substance fused into the weapon.

• Li Chen told Gu Cheng he would leave the next day and declined to stay at the pass, while Gu Cheng arranged for him to collect the dark matter.
• Gu Cheng fired a black blade from the pass wall, and Li Chen warned Su Zhe, Jianping, and Luo Lin to move back before pulling the Demon Blade from the ground.
• Li Chen recognized the blade as the Dark Demon Blade he and Gu Cheng had developed, and Gu Cheng gave it to him as a farewell gift and a chance to test it.
• Su Zhe and Jianping compared Li Chen's black Demon Blade with Jianping's red one, while Luo Lin recognized its powerful aura.
• Li Chen left for the party with his classmates, wondered whether he could absorb the forbidden substance in the Demon Blade, and arrived at Ruined Square, where a steel arena had been built.

Li Chen discussed transferring his Academy Tournament qualification to Su Xian, who explained that family obligations and a personal challenge drove him to seek it. The chapter ended with Ji Shao overhearing Su Xian complain about her and threatening to burn him again.

• Su Zhe admired the feast while Li Chen and Jianping realized Instructor Yu had arranged a sparring arena for them.
• Su Xian and A Jin arrived, and Su Xian made clear that they wanted Li Chen's Academy Tournament team qualification.
• Li Chen asked Su Xian what he could offer, but Su Xian admitted he had little to trade and struggled to explain why he needed the qualification.
• Su Xian told Li Chen that his family expected him to compete and that he had to challenge someone at the Imperial Capital Academy.
• Su Xian said he and Ji Shao could not form a team because they clashed, then Ji Shao overheard him and threatened to burn him.

Li Chen mediated a dispute between Su Xian and Ji Shao over the Academy Tournament qualification, then learned why Jianping wanted to compete. After Yu Qingnian proposed that they form one team, Li Chen agreed to let them all join, leaving the group set to pursue their goals together.

• Ji Shao attacked Su Xian after accusing him of ruining her reputation, but Su Xian blocked her spell and Li Chen urged them to cooperate.
• Jianping told Li Chen he wanted to enter the team competition so he could reach the Path of the Kings and challenge its champions’ projections.
• Su Xian explained that teams winning the Academy Tournament could challenge projections of the strongest competitors from past tournaments.
• Yu Qingnian suggested that Li Chen, Su Xian, Ji Shao, and Jianping join the same team.
• Li Chen agreed to let everyone join the tournament because the qualification was in his hands.

Yu Qingnian prepared the students to return to the mainland and opened an arena for ranking challenges, where Ji Shao fought Su Xian. Watching from a rooftop, Gu Cheng and Yu Qingnian discussed unrest at the other passes and the mainland's failure to support them.

• Yu Qingnian told the Academy Tournament team to rely on their strength, and Li Chen said the remaining members would emerge naturally.
• The students gathered for a celebration, and Li Chen watched fireworks as he reflected on the approaching New Year.
• Yu Qingnian announced their return to the mainland and opened an arena where students could challenge one another for ranking changes.
• Ji Shao entered the arena and attacked Su Xian, beginning a fight between the third- and first-ranked students.
• Gu Cheng told Yu Qingnian that a video from the Special Affairs Bureau had angered powerhouses at other passes.
• Gu Cheng and Yu Qingnian recalled that the mainland had sent neither reinforcements nor supplies during the cult invasion and Eerie Tide.

Gu Cheng and Yu Qingnian reflected on their burdens guarding the pass and on Lan Feng’s absence, while students gathered for arena fights. Jianping and Lin Hua began their rematch, their weapons clashing as Li Chen explained how training had strengthened them both.

• Gu Cheng told Yu Qingnian that the pass must not fall and that humanity might need to learn about the world beyond it if its defenders could no longer hold it.
• Yu Qingnian asked where Lan Feng was, and Gu Cheng said she had run away from home; the two men reflected on their past and their inability to escape their responsibilities.
• Su Xian and Ji Shao called off their arena fight, with Ji Shao promising to challenge him again at the academy.
• Lin Hua challenged Jianping to settle their earlier contest, and Su Zhe urged Jianping to avenge the kick he had received at the Slaughter Arena.
• Jianping and Lin Hua charged at each other, and their weapons collided with enough force to surprise Su Zhe.
• Li Chen explained that both fighters had trained among Eerie Monsters and that Lin Hua had taken up a spear to compensate for the limits of his ability.

Jianping defeated Lin Hua in a fierce spear-and-sword match at the arena, and the festivities continued into the evening. Later, Li Chen absorbed Gu Cheng’s Demon Blade into his body and named it Vermilion before preparing to leave the checkpoint the next day.

• Lin Hua covered the arena in flowers and launched a final blazing spear attack, but Jianping countered with a powerful slash and won.
• Di Li checked on Lin Hua as he stood motionless with his spear raised, then took him home after he passed out.
• The students applauded, and more challengers took the arena while Li Chen watched and Su Zhe won a bruising fight.
• Li Chen wrapped forbidden substance around the Demon Blade and absorbed it into his arm, causing its mark to appear on the back of his hand.
• Li Chen tested his control of the blade, named it Vermilion, and reflected that he would leave the checkpoint the next day.

Li Chen and the other students left Ruined City after a month at Ruined Pass, while Gu Cheng tried to contact Canghai Pass about the Slaughterers he had sent there. On the journey back to Canglan Academy, Yu Qingnian explained the likely format of the Academy Tournament and hinted that he had prepared a surprise for the returning students.

• Li Chen used his power to float Su Zhe's luggage and told Jianping that his Demon Blade was stored inside his body.
• Yu Qingnian and the students departed Ruined City aboard the Silver Flashes, and Gu Cheng learned that Yu had left.
• Gu Cheng tried to contact Canghai Pass about the hundred Slaughterers but received no answer, so he decided to ask Elder Gu what was happening.
• Yu Qingnian told Li Chen and Su Xian that the Academy Tournament would likely involve a points contest followed by an arena competition.
• Li Chen anticipated challenges from students at Canglan Academy, while Yu Qingnian hinted that he had prepared a gift for them.

Li Chen and the others returned to Canglan Academy after a month away, only to be met by students demanding challenges at the gates. Yu Qingnian ordered the group to escape through the smog with Teleportation Talismans, while Li Chen and Su Xian took to the sky.

• Cang Lao and the dean discussed the returning students, Canglan's Academy Tournament gamble, and Cang Lao's search for someone to inherit his mantle.
• Li Chen, Su Zhe, Jianping, and the others arrived at Canglan Academy, where students gathered at the gates to challenge the returning ranked students.
• A student challenged Su Xian for the top ranking, but A Jin stepped forward, while the crowd shouted more challenges and Su Zhe nearly drew his hammer.
• Li Chen summoned a giant hammer of energy, and Yu Qingnian arrived and confirmed they could use Forbidden Objects outside the academy.
• Yu Qingnian had Yun Che cover the area in smog and ordered the students to return using their Teleportation Talismans; Li Chen gave his talisman to Su Zhe and flew away as Su Xian rose into the air.

Li Chen learned that Su Zhe wanted to join the Academy Tournament, and Yu Qingnian urged Su Zhe to pursue his own strength rather than live in Li Chen’s shadow. Su Zhe set himself a seven-day deadline to reach the Withered Sea Realm, while Yu Qingnian agreed to put him on the roster if he succeeded and prepared for the tournament’s wider conflict.

• Li Chen told Su Zhe he could join the Academy Tournament team if he reached the Withered Sea Realm, pointing out that his current combat abilities fell short.
• Yu Qingnian encouraged Su Zhe to build his own reputation and fight for his convictions instead of relying on his father’s legacy.
• Su Zhe resolved to reach the Withered Sea Realm within one week and asked Li Chen to save him a spot on the team.
• Yu Qingnian told Li Chen that Su Zhe’s growing ability had far greater potential than Get Stronger by Eating alone, and agreed to add him to the roster if he met his goal.
• Faluo told Yu Qingnian that the Imperial Capital had chosen seven powerful holy sons and holy daughters for the Academy Tournament, and Yu Qingnian said his students were ready to face them.

Li Chen and Su Xian struggled to recruit teammates for the Academy Tournament as they discussed the Imperial Capital’s powerful holy sons and maidens. A challenger named Qi Hong wagered 2,000 Study Points against Li Chen, setting up a fight for the next day.

• Li Chen and Su Xian watched Jianping defeat another challenger and lamented that they still needed two teammates for the Academy Tournament.
• Su Xian explained that A Jin had refused to participate because the Imperial Capital’s holy sons and maidens were backed by powerful families, and revealed that one holy son came from his own family.
• Li Chen said they would compete with whoever they had and treat the team tournament like an individual contest if they could not find more suitable teammates.
• Li Chen received a wager challenge from Qi Hong, who had risen to rank 21 and offered 2,000 Study Points to the winner.
• Li Chen noted that the fight would take place the next day, when Su Zhe should emerge from seclusion, and that Qi Hong had reached the Withered Sea Realm first.