Chapter Summaries

After cutting ties with Mu Yu over her unpaid loans, Wang Chen agreed to a contract-backed match against one of Zhang Zhaocheng’s classmates. He arrived at the martial arts hall confident in the psychic energy he had retained from his former life, where Zhang’s chosen fighter prepared to face him.

• Gao Jing learned that Wang Chen and Mu Yu had fallen out, then sent Wang Chen ten thousand Star Yuan to support his plans for a higher academy.
• Zhang Zhaocheng confronted Wang Chen over Mu Yu’s debt, and Wang Chen challenged him to repay it himself if he disagreed.
• Zhang proposed a match against one of his classmates, wagering that a win would erase Mu Yu’s debt, and Wang Chen insisted they formalize the agreement.
• Back in his dormitory, Wang Chen used psychic energy to lift a book and trained to strengthen his control over the power he had retained after transmigrating.
• At the martial arts hall, Zhang Zhaocheng introduced a handsome senior named Chen, who agreed to fight Wang Chen.

Wang Chen faced Chen Yuxuan in a duel arranged by Zhang Zhaocheng and defeated him with a single sword. He left Zhang Zhaocheng stunned and demanded payment for the Star Credits wager.

• Chen Yuxuan arrived to back Zhang Zhaocheng and challenged Wang Chen, boasting that he would win if Wang Chen survived three moves.
• Wang Chen formally saluted Chen Yuxuan as Mu Yu and Zhang Zhaocheng watched from the crowd.
• Chen Yuxuan's opening strike missed when Wang Chen narrowly evaded it.
• Wang Chen countered so quickly that he placed his sword at Chen Yuxuan's throat, forcing Chen Yuxuan to concede.
• Zhang Zhaocheng and Mu Yu stood speechless as Chen Yuxuan left, and Wang Chen demanded 28,609 Star Credits from Zhang Zhaocheng.

After defeating Chen Yuxuan, Wang Chen secured a 500,000 Star Yuan reward if he entered one of the Seven Great Imperial Academies and received the money owed by Zhang Zhaocheng. He then left Azure Star with the other examinees, and their transport ship passed through the Azure Gate toward the Advanced Martial Arts Test.

• Videos of Chen Yuxuan's defeat by Wang Chen spread through Changhai Third Middle School's forum, damaging Chen Yuxuan's reputation while many doubted Wang Chen's victory.
• Wang Chen asked whether the academy would reward him for entering one of the Seven Great Imperial Academies, and the principal promised him 500,000 Star Yuan if he succeeded.
• Zhang Zhaocheng transferred Wang Chen 28,609.50 Star Yuan, then left Third Middle School without taking the Advanced Martial Arts Test or saying goodbye to Mu Yu.
• On July 5, Holy Light Calendar 617, Wang Chen boarded a transport ship with Third Middle School's third-year students and traveled from Azure Star to an orbital space station.
• Wang Chen and the other examinees boarded a larger transport ship, arrived at the Azure Gate, and made a spatial jump through it.

Wang Chen and the other examinees traveled through a stargate to FT1205 for a five-day Advanced Martial Arts Test hunting mutated creatures. After some examinees withdrew, Wang Chen landed safely on the planet and set out to find a campsite before nightfall.

• Wang Chen experienced a spatial leap, and his transport ship joined a fleet that traveled to FT1205.
• The examinees learned they had to survive alone for five days and hunt mutated creatures, while several withdrew from the test.
• Wang Chen boarded a shuttle with the remaining examinees and descended through FT1205's atmosphere.
• Wang Chen landed in the Gobi Desert, checked his gear, and headed out alone under surveillance.
• Wang Chen saw that nightfall was three hours away and began searching for a safe campsite.

Wang Chen crossed the desert on an Ecological Experiment Star, discovered how to hunt burrowing mutant worms, and built a mountain cave as his base for the five-day examination. After dinner, he heard something approaching in the darkness and went outside to investigate.

• Wang Chen ran toward a mountain range and sensed something following him across the empty desert.
• Wang Chen killed a mutant worm that burst from beneath the sand, then avoided its corrosive fluid.
• Wang Chen used vibrations to lure and kill two more worms as he continued toward the mountains.
• Wang Chen found a concealed spot halfway up the slope and dug a cave to use as his base for the next five days.
• After eating dinner and drinking self-heating coffee, Wang Chen heard rustling nearby, extinguished his light, and slipped outside.

Wang Chen killed a crippled Gray Armored Beetle and discovered its meat could strengthen his body. After turning off his armor’s surveillance camera, he tested the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma and found he could cultivate it in this world.

• Wang Chen watched a swarm of Gray Armored Beetles pass, then attacked a limping straggler.
• Wang Chen exploited the beetle’s injured leg and beheaded it with his longsword.
• Wang Chen harvested the beetle’s edible meat and blade limbs, then cooked and ate several pounds of meat.
• Wang Chen felt the meat boost his blood and qi, so he shut off his armor’s surveillance camera and went outside to test the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma.
• Wang Chen successfully cultivated the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma despite the lack of spiritual energy.

Wang Chen resumed cultivating the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma and decided to combine psychic power with body tempering as his path to strength. While searching for food on FT1205, he found a Gray Armored Beetle nest, killed fifteen beetles at its entrance, and discovered that the remaining creatures had surrounded him through another exit.

• Wang Chen used the energy from Gray Armored Beetle meat to resume cultivating the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma and felt his physique strengthen.
• Wang Chen slept through the night storm, then went out the next morning to search the mountains for more food.
• Wang Chen found a concealed cave with fresh claw marks and suspected it was a Gray Armored Beetle nest.
• Wang Chen used smoke and a concussion grenade to drive a Gray Armored Beetle out, then ambushed and killed it.
• Wang Chen baited beetles toward the entrance and killed fifteen of them with his longsword.
• Wang Chen realized the beetles had stopped emerging and discovered they had surrounded him through another exit.

Wang Chen used his psionic power and swordsmanship to break through a swarm of Gray Armored Beetles and slaughter them. In orbit, Captain Zhou Jun watched the examination and noticed Wang Chen’s performance among the otherwise disappointing examinees.

• Wang Chen faced dozens of Gray Armored Beetles that closed in around him in a coordinated formation.
• Wang Chen empowered his longsword with psionic power, killed one beetle, and tore open a gap in the encirclement.
• Wang Chen fought through the beetles, cutting down their heads and limbs as they counterattacked in numbers.
• Captain Zhou Jun watched the examinees’ live footage aboard a New Sea-class Frigate and complained that Azure Star’s new generation was unimpressive.
• Zhou Jun switched the holographic feed and focused on an examinee whose performance surprised him.

Zhou Jun watched Lu Yuan’s battle footage, recognized his unusual combat potential, and marked him as a priority candidate. On the ground, Wang Chen fought off Gray Armored Beetles, then gathered their remains and trained until his Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma reached its first level.

• Zhou Jun examined Lu Yuan’s file, judged him a promising chosen warrior, and placed a priority mark on him.
• Wang Chen slew nearly half the Gray Armored Beetles before a Large Gray Armored Beetle appeared and then retreated.
• A High-Energy Ion Cannon from the escort ship struck and destroyed the retreating beetle.
• Wang Chen collected beetle meat and blade limbs, returned to his shelter, and ate and trained.
• Two days later, Wang Chen broke through to the Copper Skin realm, the first level of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma.

After the Advanced Martial Arts Test, Wang Chen returned to Azure Star Cluster with Gray Armored Beetle meat and resumed cultivating the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma. He discovered that buying more Mutated Creature meat would be costly, leaving his next step in cultivation dependent on finding an affordable supply.

• Wang Chen sealed his cave, traveled to the assembly point, and returned to the transport ship with the other examinees.
• When classmates mistook Wang Chen’s spotless armor for cowardice, he revealed Gray Armored Beetle meat and ate it, silencing them.
• An invigilating teacher reminded Wang Chen to report his spoils, then left after he thanked the teacher.
• Wang Chen returned to his dormitory, rested, and used the meat he had brought back to cultivate the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma.
• After eating all his Gray Armored Beetle meat, Wang Chen searched Star Sea Network stores and found the meat prohibitively expensive.

Wang Chen discovered how costly mutated creature meat was and began looking for ways to fund his cultivation. After receiving a total score of 371 on the Imperial Advanced Martial Arts Test, he considered second-tier academies, but a meeting with Major Commander Zhou Jun left him facing a question about the Seven Great Imperial Academies.

• Wang Chen learned that Gray Armored Beetle meat cost 3,800 Star Yuan per kilogram and decided to seek a long-term source of income for his cultivation.
• Wang Chen received his test results: 72 academic points, 289 martial test points, 10 additional points, and 371 points total.
• Wang Chen found that his score fell short of the Seven Great Imperial Academies’ admission requirements and began comparing other higher academies.
• Zhou Jun, Major Commander of the Fifth Fleet’s Azure Star Cluster Garrison Legion, invited Wang Chen to meet at the Blue Right Café.
• Zhou Jun told Wang Chen that his martial test score seemed low, then asked whether he wanted to enter one of the Seven Great Imperial Academies.

Zhou Jun offered Wang Chen a commissioned training contract and a recommendation slot at the First Imperial Higher Military Academy, and Wang Chen agreed to join the Azure Star Cluster Garrison Legion after changing his name. After meeting Zhou Jun, Wang Chen received a recruitment request from Tianfang Group.

• Zhou Jun offered Wang Chen a recommendation slot at First Military Academy in exchange for joining the Azure Star Cluster Garrison Legion and serving for fifteen years after graduation.
• Wang Chen accepted the offer, explaining that the academy’s resources would help him grow stronger before military service.
• Wang Chen told Zhou Jun he planned to change his surname and name after turning eighteen, then sign the contract with his new identity certification.
• Zhou Jun answered Wang Chen’s questions about First Military Academy and offered to help him with future problems.
• A representative from Tianfang Group contacted Wang Chen and asked to meet with him.

After ranking third in the Azure Star Cluster martial arts test, Wang Chen rejected corporate offers and accepted sponsored training with the Azure Star Cluster Garrison Legion. He spent his summer vacation training and earning money in the Star Sea Arena, building his savings to several hundred thousand Star Yuan.

• Tianfang Group and other corporations contacted Wang Chen with offers, but he turned them down because he had agreed to join the Azure Star Cluster Garrison Legion.
• Wang Chen received his new identity documents and signed a sponsored training contract with Zhou Jun, becoming a reserve serviceman with a recommendation slot at the First Imperial Higher Military Academy.
• Wang Chen chose the Mecha Combat Department, and Zhou Jun gave him a new personal terminal as a coming-of-age gift.
• During summer vacation, Wang Chen trained his body, psionic energy, and swordsmanship by day and entered the Star Sea Arena at night to earn Star Yuan.
• After a month of arena challenges, Wang Chen had several hundred thousand Star Yuan in savings, despite spending a considerable amount on Mutated Creature Products.

Wang Chen advanced his Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma and continued earning money and training his mental strength in the Star Sea Arena. After quickly defeating an opponent in a rainforest match, he received a named challenge with ten times the usual wager.

• Wang Chen broke through to the Jade Bone realm and raised his Physique.
• Wang Chen entered the Star Sea Arena, where his Gold-rank record and 50,000 followers drew an audience.
• Wang Chen detected a hidden opponent in the rainforest and killed him with a single sword strike.
• Wang Chen won 1,000 Star Yuan and applied for another wager match.
• ID:GR003889 issued Wang Chen a named challenge with ten times the wagers.

Wang Chen accepted GR003889’s revenge challenge, defeated her, and continued earning money in wagered matches until it was time to leave for the First Imperial Higher Military Academy. During his voyage aboard the Far Star, an emergency alert appeared after his connection to the Star Sea Network suddenly broke.

• Wang Chen accepted GR003889’s challenge for a wager of 10,000 Star Yuan and defeated her with a single sword strike.
• Wang Chen kept playing wagered matches, then packed his belongings and left the academy dormitory for Azure Star Spaceport.
• Wang Chen boarded the Far Star, traveling first class toward Taiwu Star to attend the First Imperial Higher Military Academy.
• Wang Chen sampled the Far Star’s restaurants and entertainment, won several thousand Star Yuan at the casino, and stopped gambling.
• On the ninth day of the voyage, Wang Chen’s Star Sea Network connection broke while he was in the Star Sea Arena, and an emergency alert appeared.

Wang Chen discovered that pirates had seized control of the Far Star and killed the first pirate who entered his cabin. With another pirate approaching, he prepared to fight again.

• The Far Star announced and then canceled a Level One emergency, but Wang Chen sensed the danger remained.
• Wang Chen found his cabin locked and his communications blocked, then armed himself with a longsword.
• A pirate entered, recognized Wang Chen as a Garrison Army recruit, and threatened him.
• Wang Chen empowered his longsword with Second Ring Psionic Energy and decapitated the pirate, but the sword shattered.
• Wang Chen tried to use the pirate's assault rifle but could not pass its biometric lock, so he took the pirate's sword instead.
• When another pirate came looking for Justin, Wang Chen sprang at him and swung for his legs.

Wang Chen fought his way through the Far Star liner, killed several pirates, and took one pirate’s combat armor. As reinforcements closed in from both ends of the corridor, he faced a dangerous confrontation.

• Wang Chen killed two pirates in the corridor with a sword and learned that escaping by lifeboat would leave him vulnerable to the pirates’ warship.
• Wang Chen dismissed a pirate’s announcement that the Black Sea Resistance Army had hijacked the liner and promised to keep passengers safe.
• Wang Chen tricked a pirate with a Black Thorn Fruit, disarmed him, and killed him with a psionically empowered punch.
• Wang Chen dragged the pirate’s body into a cabin, found its occupant dead, and removed the pirate’s combat armor.
• Wang Chen shut off the pirate’s communications after someone recognized that he was not Jackal, then heard reinforcements approaching from both sides.

Wang Chen fought his way through converging pirate squads, then escaped their ranged fire and search by abandoning his armor and crawling into the cruise ship’s ventilation ducts. He remained on the run, using the ducts to find another route through the ship.

• Wang Chen activated his armor’s maximum-power mode and charged into a pirate squad, killing seven warriors in close combat.
• Wang Chen evaded a second squad’s particle-beam fire, discarded his damaged Military Sword, and drew another.
• Wang Chen sensed a Ghost Drone and broke into a cabin just before it exploded in the corridor.
• Wang Chen fled upstairs, removed his armor in a safety passage, and hid overhead while pirates searched the stairs.
• Wang Chen climbed into a ventilation duct and cut through its grilles until he found a suitable exit.

Wang Chen emerged from hiding after Imperial forces retook the Distant Star and returned to his cabin, where two Imperial Security Bureau investigators arrived to question him. The female investigator began by showing him surveillance footage.

• Wang Chen destroyed the kitchen’s concealed cameras and hid among crates in the cold storage room, using tortoise-breath hibernation to evade a pirate searching for him.
• Wang Chen woke after communications returned and learned that the Third Fleet had defeated the pirates and restored order aboard the Distant Star.
• Wang Chen returned to his cabin and reflected that his strength was too weak to protect himself from the dangers of the interstellar age.
• Two Special Investigators from the Imperial Security Bureau Golden Lion Star Cluster Branch visited Wang Chen to ask about the pirate attack.
• The female Special Investigator projected surveillance footage for Wang Chen to see.

Imperial Security Bureau investigators questioned Wang Chen about how he had killed the pirates and learned that he had awakened a Special Ability he called spiritual power. Wang Chen refused Zhao Qianxi’s recruitment offer and was left under investigation, with an Imperial commendation expected.

• The Special Investigators showed Wang Chen footage of him slaughtering the pirates and reviewed his background and achievements.
• The middle-aged Special Investigator questioned Wang Chen about how he had pierced the pirates’ armor, and Wang Chen said he had awakened spiritual power on planet FT1205.
• Wang Chen described spiritual power’s effects and side effects while withholding its most important secret.
• Zhao Qianxi invited Wang Chen to join the Imperial Security Bureau, but he declined because he had signed with the Azure Star Cluster Garrison and planned to study at the First Military Academy.
• The investigators told Wang Chen to remain reachable during the investigation, and Zhao Qianxi said the Empire would record his merit and likely commend him.