Chapter Summaries

Chu Fei broke through the Second Limit by completing his Thought Model and activating the Matter Wave Program, becoming a Semi-Awakened. As his body began awakening beyond its natural limits, he faced the danger of mutation.

• Chu Fei completed his Advanced Computational Unit and tested its extraordinary calculation speed, then concealed his true ability by keeping his reported score near 580.
• Chu Fei constructed and activated the Matter Wave Program, which increased his energy consumption and sent faint pulses through his body.
• Chu Fei officially became a Semi-Awakened as his Matter Waves began awakening his cells and genes.
• Chu Fei realized that his body's newly awakened potential could lead to either powerful changes or dangerous mutation.

Chu Fei used his cultivation theory and tools to push through the awakening trial, then spent the day cultivating and broke through 7.8. After learning that Sun Xiangqing planned to share his hunting successes, Chu Fei agreed to share his own wilderness experience as well.

• Chu Fei focused his Observer Effect with clear goals and theory while his Thought Model, Energy Management Module, and Wisdom Dewdrop supported his cultivation.
• Chu Fei cultivated in repeated cycles, consuming all eight buckets of Meat Porridge by early evening and spending about 30,000 yuan on the supplies.
• Chu Fei encountered Sun Xiangqing, who reacted sourly when Chu Fei said he had established an Advanced Computational Unit.
• Guo Xuan told Chu Fei that Sun Xiangqing had earned over 400,000 yuan from two hunts with the Greedy Wolf Team and planned to share his experience that night.
• Guo Xuan inferred that Chu Fei had broken through 7.8 when he saw the eight empty insulated containers, and Chu Fei confirmed it.
• Chu Fei exchanged the containers at the cafeteria, then agreed to join Sun Xiangqing in sharing his wilderness hunting experience.

Chu Fei shared his wilderness hunting experience to redirect attention from his extraordinary gains, then faced the academy’s mandatory physical examination alongside his classmates. His results showed a dramatic improvement, leaving the room stunned and setting up the consequences of his new performance.

• Chu Fei told the students that inexperienced hunters could earn money by acting as bait, then let Guo Xuan share cultivation advice.
• Chu Fei learned that the second-year class had split into investment groups and asked Liu Tingyun to teach him practical combat if he qualified for additional investment.
• At the mandatory examination, Miao Siyuan’s Potential Index fell slightly, and Zhou Haiyi declared him eliminated.
• Zeng Guangyao’s small improvement came with a sharp rise in Aberration, so Zhou Haiyi advised him to stop cultivating and recuperate.
• Sun Xiangqing improved significantly and lowered his Aberration Index, then watched Chu Fei’s turn with confidence.
• Chu Fei’s results showed his Potential Index rising from 7.7832 to 7.8373 and his Aberration Index reaching 0.01‰, stunning Sun Xiangqing and Guo Xuan while Liu Tingyun watched sharply.

Chu Fei’s exceptionally low Aberration Index prompted Zhou Haiyi and Liu Tingyun to discuss how role models and stories could shape cultivation, and Chu Fei arranged to exchange his additional investment for Liu Tingyun’s personal combat instruction. At the Thought Model benchmark, the other new breakthroughs scored poorly, while Liu Tingyun secretly advised Chu Fei to keep his own score low as he stepped up to be tested.

• Zhou Haiyi explained that Chu Fei’s low Aberration Index suggested steady cultivation and asked him to share his methods; Chu Fei credited plentiful resources and Liu Tingyun as a visualization role model.
• Liu Tingyun discussed using carefully crafted statues and stories to teach students, and Chu Fei realized that representations of perfection and their stories could guide the Observer Effect.
• Chu Fei offered his expected investment subsidy as tuition for Liu Tingyun’s private instruction, and Liu Tingyun agreed after recognizing his strategic intent.
• Zhou Haiyi gathered the four recent Second Limit breakthroughs for Thought Model benchmarking; Ma Wenhua scored 369, Zhou Yang scored 231, and Hong Xiuyun scored 188 operations per second.
• Liu Tingyun privately told Chu Fei to keep his benchmark score between 280 and 290, and Chu Fei agreed to follow her advice.
• Chu Fei approached the testing device as Feng Yuan watched him with a sinister gaze.

Chu Fei concealed his true Thought Test score while Liu Tingyun warned him about dangers at Dawn Academy and agreed to teach him from the basics. After witnessing Zeng Guangyao’s catastrophic collapse, Chu Fei grew more cautious about cultivation, and Cao Liwen invited him to a cultivation exchange meeting in Flying Tiger City.

• Chu Fei faked a Thought Test score of 287, and Liu Tingyun covered for him by scolding him in front of Zhou Haiyi and the Greedy Wolf Team.
• Liu Tingyun told Chu Fei that gifted students sponsored by the Greedy Wolf Team and Dawnbreak Team had died under unclear circumstances, then agreed to teach him from the basics.
• After a week of lessons with Liu Tingyun, Chu Fei heard that Zeng Guangyao had lost control and saw him undergo a fatal genetic collapse.
• Huang Gang’s team burned the contaminated ground, and Zhou Haiyi made the students eat dinner before they helped clear the site.
• Cao Liwen asked why Chu Fei had stopped attending tutoring, accepted his claimed score of 587, and invited him to a cultivation exchange meeting in Flying Tiger City.
• Chu Fei thanked Cao Liwen and went to seek Liu Tingyun’s opinion about the meeting.

Chu Fei learned virtual thread technology from Liu Tingyun and spent the night adding it to his Thought Model, then rebuilt Perception of Wind and adapted as his senses sharpened. By morning, his computing power had increased by about twenty-three percent, leaving him better prepared for the Cultivation Exchange the next day.

• Chu Fei visited Liu Tingyun, who explained virtual thread technology and warned that Cao Liwen might be taking him to the exchange as a specimen of his research.
• Liu Tingyun told Chu Fei about past exchange meetings and urged him to use his firsthand cultivation experience to benefit from the event.
• Chu Fei went to the Virtual Center, mastered a basic virtual thread simulation, and returned to his dormitory to construct the model.
• After building the basic virtual thread logic, Chu Fei gained about twenty percent more computing power and used it to rebuild his Perception of Wind framework.
• Chu Fei meditated through the night, then tested his Thought Model in the morning and recorded a top score of 2,876 times per second, about twenty-three percent above his previous result.

Chu Fei accompanied Cao Liwen to Flying Tiger City's Cultivation Exchange Conference, where Cao planned to present his theory that will equaled greed. The chapter ended when Li Jinyou challenged Cao's student Chu Fei to a fight to the death.

• Chu Fei told Cao Liwen that he had gained insight into cultivation and agreed to help him win an award at the conference.
• Chu Fei reunited with Li Honggang, Lu Hong, and Zhang Xuan, learned they were nearing the First Limit, and arranged to help them with cultivation on Friday.
• Cao Liwen took Chu Fei through Flying Tiger City and explained why Dawn Academy recruited more promising students from outside the city.
• At the exhibition hall, Chu Fei greeted Huang Gang, Zhao Hongyue, and the Dawn Team, who were displaying seven Two-headed Wolf cubs for auction.
• Cao Liwen introduced Chu Fei to Li Jinyou, who proposed that their students compete in a fight to the death.

Chu Fei faced a proposed life-and-death training match against Zhang Zhaoyang, but negotiated it into a wager after measuring their Potential Indexes. Zhao Hongyue backed Chu Fei’s victory with an eight-hundred-thousand-yuan Two-headed Wolf cub, leaving Li Jinyou to decide whether Golden Dragon Academy would match the stakes.

• Li Jinyou and Fang Hua urged Chu Fei to fight Zhang Zhaoyang, but Chu Fei and Cao Liwen objected to the unfair matchup.
• Chu Fei traded provocations with Zhang Zhaoyang, and Fang Hua proposed a wager based on how long Chu Fei could withstand Zhang’s attacks.
• Tests showed Chu Fei’s Potential Index was 7.84 and Zhang Zhaoyang’s was 7.91; Fang Hua set twenty seconds as the draw threshold.
• Chu Fei asked to bet on himself, then returned with Zhao Hongyue, who offered a Two-headed Wolf cub valued at eight hundred thousand yuan on his victory.
• Zhao Hongyue told Li Jinyou that Golden Dragon Academy had to put up at least eight hundred and ten thousand yuan to qualify for the challenge.

Chu Fei fought Zhang Zhaoyang in a public test after both academies placed bets, and defeated him with a single devastating punch. Zhang Zhaoyang’s brain was preserved with a Life-Preserving Needle, leaving his future recovery and possible augmentation uncertain.

• Li Jinyou brought proof of an eight-hundred-thousand wager, then persuaded Fang Hua to open betting before the fight.
• Chu Fei and Zhang Zhaoyang charged at each other, but Chu Fei exploited Zhang Zhaoyang’s hesitation and crushed his chest with a punch.
• Li Jinyou demanded a life for a life, while Cao Liwen and Huang Gang defended Chu Fei and warned Li Jinyou not to attack.
• Fang Hua used a Life-Preserving Needle to preserve Zhang Zhaoyang’s brain for seven days after Li Jinyou agreed to save him.
• Zhao Hongyue explained that Zhang Zhaoyang might be rebuilt as a fully augmented warrior, though he might not retain his sense of self.

After Chu Fei’s victory over Zhang Zhaoyang, he shared his winnings with the Dawn Team and attended an afternoon exchange of cultivation research, learning from the senior Semi-Awakened. At the buffet afterward, he spoke with Zhao Yuanhao until Miss Yuan arrived with a message from Wu Yong.

• Fang Hua warned the angry bettors not to blame Chu Fei, and most calmed down when they saw the Flying Tiger Team insignias.
• Chu Fei shared his more than 2.4 million in winnings with the Dawn Team, then joined Cao Liwen for afternoon discussions with the teachers.
• Chu Fei declined to explain his fist technique, saying he needed Dawn Academy’s authorization, and quietly absorbed the experts’ discussions.
• Cao Liwen presented his view that greed could be tamed and sublimated into willpower, while Fang Hua described how neglecting cultivation had ruined her chance to break through.
• Fang Tengyu discussed using combat to test cultivation, and the exchange meeting ended with a buffet for teachers and students.
• Chu Fei spoke with Zhao Yuanhao at the buffet before Miss Yuan told him that Wu Yong wanted to see him.

Chu Fei learned that Principal Wu Yong had chosen him to help Yuan Mingyuan in the Dimensional Space, then made money at the auction and spent much of it on potions, weapons, and survival gear. He returned to Dawn Academy with Cao Liwen after discovering that exploring the exhibition could help him accumulate Wisdom Dewdrop.

• Yuan Mingyuan told Chu Fei that Wu Yong had praised his performance and that he would join her mission in the Dimensional Space, though his strength at 7.8 was below the level usually needed to gain much there.
• Chu Fei watched the auction with Zhao Hongyue, where the Two-headed Wolf cubs sold for more than nine million in total and brought his share, bet winnings included, to about 1.2 million.
• Zhao Hongyue explained how Awakened used specially made cold weapons, and Chu Fei saw an Atomic Array saber sell for eight million.
• Chu Fei bought Supernatural Potion, Psionic Potion, cold weapons, body armor, and wilderness supplies at the exhibition.
• Chu Fei explored the exhibition, learned about its technologies and materials, accumulated three drops of Wisdom Dewdrop, and returned to Dawn Academy with Cao Liwen.

Chu Fei invested most of his money in mutant beast meat, then planned a cultivation and combat regimen to prepare for Winter Solstice Day. After discussing academy missions with Sun Xiangqing, he began improving Perception of Wind and laid out a month of training.

• Chu Fei reserved 400,000 and split the remaining four million between the Dawn Team and the Greedy Wolf Team to preorder mutant beast meat at discounted prices.
• Chu Fei asked Liu Tingyun to prioritize supplying him with brain marrow and blood, then discussed cultivation with her.
• Chu Fei decided to raise his cultivation close to 8.0 before Winter Solstice Day and use academy missions to gain combat experience.
• Sun Xiangqing explained academy missions to Chu Fei and asked him for personal instruction, so Chu Fei beat him in a training bout.
• Chu Fei told Li Honggang, Lu Hong, and Zhang Xuan he would answer their questions the next night, then went to the Virtual Center to study Perception of Wind.
• Chu Fei planned to strengthen Perception of Wind and seek combat training from Liu Tingyun and Cao Liwen, while the Wisdom Tree Seed showed little visible change.

Chu Fei tested the results of his month-long closed-door training by using Perception of Wind to map the terrain and track distant targets. His experiments ended when Huang Gang spoke to him from below the mountain while dragging a corpse.

• Chu Fei stood at the cliff and watched someone jump from the opposite cliff, then decided to test his cultivation.
• Chu Fei used two Advanced Computational Units to create a three-dimensional dot-matrix map within a hundred-meter radius and distinguish stone, soil, and trees by their sound quality.
• Chu Fei switched Perception of Wind to a fan-shaped scan, which reached two hundred meters at a thirty-degree angle, and found he could scan a full circle in six minutes.
• Chu Fei used sound to lock onto a moving target as far as three hundred and forty meters away.
• Huang Gang spoke to Chu Fei while dragging a corpse behind him, explaining that he had seen Chu Fei in the remaining daylight.

Chu Fei tested the range and precision of Perception of Wind, then honed advanced whip techniques with four old men and continued his rapid cultivation. The next morning, Liu Tingyun arrived early with Sun Xiangqing, Geng Wenhao, and others carrying cold weapons, ready to begin the rescheduled activities.

• Chu Fei used infrasound to detect a convoy from more than ten kilometers away and ultrasound to scan nearby objects with high precision.
• Chu Fei tested Perception of Wind's speed and energy use, confirming its value for tracking opponents in close combat.
• Chu Fei paid the four old men ten thousand yuan for further lessons and learned whip techniques that could curve around obstacles and pierce steel.
• The first old man praised Chu Fei's progress, demonstrated the techniques, and told him that only continued practice remained.
• Chu Fei carried four buckets of Meat Porridge back to his dormitory, then woke to find his body transforming and practiced Tai Chi Quan the next morning.
• Liu Tingyun arrived to move the afternoon arrangements to the morning, and Sun Xiangqing, Geng Wenhao, and others approached carrying baskets of cold weapons.

Chu Fei challenged Liu Tingyun to sharpen his combat skills, and their spar escalated from hand-to-hand fighting to an exchange of weapons. Liu Tingyun controlled the fight until Chu Fei nearly struck a lethal blow with a whip, leaving the spectators stunned by his ability as a newly advanced Semi-Awakened.

• Sun Xiangqing introduced Chu Fei and Liu Tingyun's spar as a challenge, while Chu Fei clarified that he had come to learn from her.
• Chu Fei charged Liu Tingyun, who used her eagle-like vision and golden scales to counter his attacks and kick him away.
• Chu Fei and Liu Tingyun exchanged blows as she gradually increased her strength, while Chu Fei struggled to overcome her defenses.
• Chu Fei switched to a dagger, prompting Liu Tingyun to take up weapons, and the pair fought with a succession of cold weapons.
• While Liu Tingyun knocked Chu Fei into the air with an iron staff, he snapped a whip at her and cut her earlobe before thanking her for holding back.
• The spectators realized Chu Fei's whip had nearly killed Liu Tingyun and marveled at how formidable he was despite being a recently advanced Semi-Awakened.

After Liu Tingyun acknowledged Chu Fei’s fighting skill, she urged him to gain wilderness experience and take an academy mission. Chu Fei delayed voluntary testing until the mandatory examination in four weeks, then headed to Dawn Academy’s mission office.

• Liu Tingyun praised Chu Fei’s battle performance but warned that he lacked real-world experience, and Chu Fei agreed to take an academy mission.
• Liu Tingyun revealed to the spectators that Chu Fei had earned five million from a wilderness hunt, then urged him to test his Potential Index that weekend.
• Chu Fei postponed testing until the mandatory examination, explaining that his expected improvement could push his score past 7.9 and strain the Greedy Wolf Team’s cash flow.
• Liu Tingyun asked whether three million would be enough, and Chu Fei told her they should discuss it after the next physical examination.
• Chu Fei tested his thought speed at 5,677 times per second, concluded he would likely pass 7.9 by the next examination, and went to the academy’s mission office.

Chu Fei accepted a mission to hunt mutant beasts in the Underground World and prepared to descend. Before leaving, he learned that Dawn Team had suffered deaths in a clash with a team from Dawn City and promised to help plan a careful retaliation after he returned.

• Chu Fei accepted a long-term Underground World hunting mission from Zhang Suanpan and packed his supplies for the trip.
• At Dawn Team, Chu Fei found three dead members and more than a dozen injured; Xia Hui and Huang Gang told him a Dawn City team had attacked them and stolen their prey.
• Chu Fei agreed to help Dawn Team retaliate, but urged Huang Gang to wait until he returned in half a month to a month and prepare thoroughly.
• Huang Gang sent Xia Hui to escort Chu Fei to the Underground World entrance and bring cigarettes for the elevator supervisor.
• Wu Dayu welcomed Chu Fei at elevators 7 and 8, collected the required fees, and explained that the elevators operated in pairs to save energy.

Chu Fei arrived at the Underground World and paid Qiu Fugui to guide him through its facilities and dangers. After learning about the resources and mutated creatures below Flying Tiger City, he realized the Underground World was far more dangerous than he had expected.

• Chu Fei descended 1,107 meters by elevator and met Qiu Fugui, whom he paid to show him around.
• Qiu Fugui explained that the Underground World supplied rare minerals, medicinal fungi, Spirit Fruit, and other resources, and that mutated creatures entered through deliberately maintained openings.
• Qiu Fugui led Chu Fei to the Dawn Special Forces' base and, after Chu Fei paid him five hundred yuan, offered a detailed personal guide.
• In the exhibition hall, Qiu Fugui described the poisonous, spine-firing Spine Rat and then introduced Chu Fei to other mutated creatures and plants.
• Chu Fei learned that the Underground World's dangers far exceeded what he had heard and concluded that a guide was necessary in unfamiliar places.

Chu Fei used money and gifts to learn how the Underground World worked, join the Dawn Special Forces, and secure a place in Mine Shaft 316. On his first trip into the mine, he sensed an ambush and cut off a Mutated Lizard's tongue before Ma Dalong killed it.

• Chu Fei paid Qiu Fugui to explain local dangers and customs, then met Lai Wenchao at the registration office.
• Chu Fei gave Lai Wenchao cigarettes and chose Mine Shaft 316 after learning about its Mutated Lizards and wages.
• Chu Fei paid Ma Dalong five hundred yuan and accompanied him into Mine Shaft 316.
• Chu Fei sensed an approaching creature, drew his Mountain-Cleaving Saber, and cut off its tongue as it attacked.
• Ma Dalong shot the creature in the head and was astonished that Chu Fei had reacted faster than he had.

Chu Fei joined Ma Dalong’s underground mining team, learned the mine’s safety procedures, and killed a group of Mutated Lizards that had attacked two miners. He told Ma Dalong that the lizards were too weak to prepare him for the Dimensional Space on Winter Solstice Day.

• Chu Fei inspected a slain Mutated Lizard as Ma Dalong explained its value and the team’s share of the proceeds.
• Ma Dalong introduced Chu Fei to the miners and guided him through the mine’s shift handover and safety checks.
• After a scream sounded from the mine shafts, Chu Fei rushed to the right tunnel and killed several Mutated Lizards attacking two miners.
• Chu Fei noticed a newly broken opening behind the toilet pit, and Ma Dalong wondered whether the lizards’ route into the mine had been deliberate.
• Chu Fei told Ma Dalong that the Mutated Lizards were too weak to train him for the Dimensional Space on Winter Solstice Day.