Chapter Summaries

Shi Tiexin fought through the gunmen attacking A Fei and his group, then confronted San Fan to learn where the strange creatures came from. San Fan began smiling like the others before he could answer.

• A Fei ordered his people to fire as Shi Tiexin attacked the enemy line from the shadows, helping reduce the gunmen’s numbers.
• Shi Tiexin used a dead gunman as a shield and killed the remaining enemies at the stairwell while taking repeated bullet impacts through the corpse and armor.
• Shi Tiexin advanced through the building, killed the gunmen controlling the searchlights, and found San Fan trapped beneath an overturned car.
• Shi Tiexin demanded that San Fan explain whether the drugs or something else had caused the creatures, but San Fan began smiling like the Ouyang Brothers and A Hui.

Shi Tiexin finished off San Fan after defeating the attackers, but a new threat emerged when the Black Samurai kidnapped Mai Ba and challenged him to a race against time. Shi Tiexin accepted and sped toward the address sent to him while A Fei prepared to alert the others.

• Shi Tiexin shot San Fan’s car, and the ensuing explosion burned San Fan to death.
• A Fei and the others praised Shi Tiexin for defeating the attackers, but Zhou Nan warned that his body hair was standing on end again.
• The Black Samurai appeared on a giant screen beside the captured Mai Ba and challenged Shi Tiexin to reach an address before Mai Ba bled to death.
• Shi Tiexin accepted the challenge, and the Black Samurai stabbed Mai Ba in the abdomen before sending the address.
• Shi Tiexin raced to his motorcycle and sped off, telling A Fei to send his phone to the group.

Shi Tiexin raced through Tokyo to face the Black Samurai, even as a sudden torrential storm made the roads increasingly dangerous. While others rushed to support him, Xiao Wei’s parents abducted her from the hospital, and Shi Tiexin continued toward the showdown through the blinding rain.

• Shi Tiexin sped away on his motorcycle as Zhou Nan and the skewer vendor watched him go.
• Wang Dafa redirected his convoy toward Shi Tiexin, while A D left Xiao Wei’s hospital bedside to support his Boss.
• After A D departed, Xiao Wei’s parents and their followers stormed the ward and carried her away, preaching about the Savior.
• Sakuragi Kenji watched Shi Tiexin race toward the duel and urged him to win.
• A violent storm drenched the Black Samurai and Mai Ba, accelerating Mai Ba’s bleeding as the crowd doubted Shi Tiexin could arrive.
• Shi Tiexin pressed on through the downpour, struggling to see and breathe as water flooded the road.

Shi Tiexin pushed the Black Venerable Motorcycle beyond its limits to race through the storm toward Mai Ba and the Black Samurai. He reached the old factory as the Black Samurai insisted their duel be fought openly, but the motorcycle’s engine gave out upon arrival.

• Seeing Mai Ba’s worsening condition, Shi Tiexin activated Lightning Flash and drove the Black Venerable Motorcycle at extreme speed through the rain.
• People along the streets shouted support for Black Venerable, while A D and a growing group of riders followed behind with Shi Tiexin’s banner.
• Shi Tiexin reached the old factory in Tokyo’s industrial district, where gunmen guarded the site.
• The Black Samurai rejected the suited man’s warning and insisted that their duel be faced openly, so the gunmen lowered their weapons.
• Shi Tiexin smashed through the factory gates, but the Black Venerable Motorcycle exhausted its power and stopped; he patted it before facing the Black Samurai.

Shi Tiexin and the Black Samurai acknowledged their fair remote street-racing contest before beginning a gunfight in the factory district. Shi Tiexin used his newly perfected shooting technique to gain the upper hand, knocking the Black Samurai backward with a shot to his helmet.

• The Black Samurai had Mai Ba’s wounds bandaged and admitted that Shi Tiexin had beaten him in their street race, earning Shi Tiexin a hundred points of Heavenly Gifted Golden Light.
• The Black Samurai refused to reveal his name and explained that duty to family and nation required them to fight.
• Shi Tiexin perfected Basic Shooting Technique, activating the Gun Sense attribute, while the Black Samurai prepared to use Wujia Swordsmanship.
• Shi Tiexin and the Black Samurai drew guns and exchanged fire, using body armor and cover to withstand their opponents’ shots.
• Shi Tiexin’s improved aim let him hit the Black Samurai’s helmet and knock him backward as a bullet grazed past Shi Tiexin’s ear.

Shi Tiexin fought the Black Samurai, then faced a coordinated New Purge attack while trying to survive and reach Mai Ba. Just as an enemy aimed an RPG at him, the gunner’s head exploded.

• Shi Tiexin shot the Black Samurai twice, leaving him badly injured after he charged in and fired from midair.
• The man in the suit ordered the New Purge fighters to attack Shi Tiexin, and the Tokyo screens went dark.
• Shi Tiexin used a burst of steam to disrupt the gunmen and escaped into machinery, but enemy fire pinned him down.
• As the fighters prepared to launch an RPG at Shi Tiexin’s hiding place, the gunner’s head suddenly exploded.

A mysterious marksman disrupted New Purge’s assault, giving Daxing a chance to counterattack while Shi Tiexin fought his way out of the factory. The suited man tried to flee but was intercepted by the Black Samurai.

• The marksman killed New Purge’s RPG operators and detonated their launchers, throwing the factory battle into chaos before leaving on her motorcycle.
• Wang Dafa ordered Daxing’s convoy to attack, and Shi Tiexin broke through the factory’s iron framework and charged at New Purge’s fighters.
• Shi Tiexin used his pistol to shoot down enemies, then seized a submachine gun and opened the factory gates for Daxing’s assault.
• A D drove a Hummer through the gates, and Shi Tiexin shot the defenders as Daxing poured into the factory.
• The suited man attempted to escape, but the Black Samurai confronted him and stabbed him in the abdomen.

The Black Samurai killed the suited man and rallied New Purge’s survivors, turning the battle against Daxing into a stalemate. After Shi Tiexin stopped him from killing A D, the two fighters shed their armor and charged at each other in the rain.

• The Black Samurai killed the suited man, then charged into Daxing’s forces and inspired New Purge’s survivors to counterattack.
• The Black Samurai advanced toward Wang Dafa, cutting down Daxing’s men as they panicked and retreated.
• A D fired at the Black Samurai, but the Black Samurai shot apart his rifle and aimed at his forehead.
• Shi Tiexin destroyed the Black Samurai’s firearm, challenged him to a duel, and leaped down from the steel framework.
• The Black Samurai removed his armor, and he and Shi Tiexin charged at each other through the rain.

Shi Tiexin defeated the Black Samurai, only to discover that he was Fujiwara Kyoshin, who died after explaining why he had faked his death. Wounded and exhausted, Shi Tiexin then went to Mai Ba, who lay near death.

• Wang Dafa stopped A'cheng from shooting as the Black Samurai and Shi Tiexin charged at each other.
• Shi Tiexin struck the Black Samurai first, then drove the crimson Katana through his chest and killed him.
• Shi Tiexin removed the Tengu Mask and learned from A Fei that the Black Samurai was Fujiwara Kyoshin, who admitted he had faked his death because he could not face Shi Tiexin.
• Fujiwara Kyoshin died in the rain, and Guo Bing urged Shi Tiexin to check on Mai Ba.
• Shi Tiexin found Mai Ba gravely wounded in A D's arms and took his hand as Mai Ba struggled to speak.

After Mai Ba died, Black Sovereign’s standing and faction grew while Wang Dafa gained control in Japan. Beneath the gang’s political upheaval, the Savior Cult forced Xiao Wei to drink a strange substance, and a woman who hacked into a secret computer escaped after uncovering fragments of information.

• Mai Ba revealed his real name was Chen Yuhao, regretted becoming a gambling addict and joining the jianghu, and died in Shi Tiexin’s hand.
• New Purge was wiped out; Black Sovereign was celebrated for killing Fujiwara Kyoshin, while Wang Dafa purged San Fan and A Hui’s associates and promoted A'cheng.
• A Fei, A D, and Guo Bing took over parts of San Fan and A Hui’s businesses, strengthening Black Sovereign’s faction as Wang Dafa temporarily assumed the Japan helmsman’s authority.
• The Savior Cult held a ritual and forcibly poured purple-red fluid from an ancient cup into Xiao Wei, who screamed as her spine crackled.
• A woman in black-and-red leather hacked into a secret computer, glimpsed the words “Compatible Body” and “Egg,” and fled when the data deleted itself and a hidden power began searching for her.
• The woman reached her Safe House and collapsed as the rain stopped and thin mist spread.

After returning to the Main Worldline, Shi Tiexin reflected on the deaths he had witnessed and accepted the value of living in peaceful times. He discovered that his selves across different Worldlines might share stamina, then prepared to continue his trial-work life.

• Situ Zhennan and Shi Tiexin’s trial-work selection results showed more orphans entering legitimate companies and earning higher average incomes.
• Shi Tiexin remembered Mai Ba and Fujiwara Kyoshin’s deaths and considered what it meant to be a Taiping Dog in peaceful times.
• Shi Tiexin noticed that exhaustion from his battles had followed him back to his true body in the Main Worldline.
• Shi Tiexin conjectured that his selves across different Worldlines shared stamina, with each self receiving a portion of the others’ strength.
• Shi Tiexin decided that cultivating Essence Nurturing in each possibility could be worthwhile and returned to his room to prepare for trial work.

Shi Tiexin left the Orphanage and traveled to Upper City, trying to adjust to life without his former power and status. He settled in a cultural park and wrote three hundred business cards for the work he had promised Deputy Director Tao Zhongming.

• Shi Tiexin packed his belongings, including the jade pendant that had given him his name, and left the Orphanage alone.
• Shi Tiexin rode the Sky Rail to Upper City and reminded himself to prepare for a humbler life.
• Shi Tiexin watched the cultural park’s calligraphy practitioners and a clash between residents and square dancers, then judged that the dancers could easily defeat him.
• Shi Tiexin sat beside a flower bed and wrote three hundred business cards, earning three hundred Value Points.

Shi Tiexin searched for cheap housing near First Zhengxue Academy of Earth and Wood but found only filthy, noisy rooms or options far beyond his budget. After deciding to save his money for cultivation, he entered a storefront to sell his mind-art secret manual and was shocked by the city's prices.

• Shi Tiexin ate a large bowl of noodles for five Value Points and then went looking for a cheap place to live.
• Shi Tiexin inspected a filthy, noisy partitioned room but rejected it because it had no bed and was unsuitable for studying.
• Shi Tiexin turned down a basement room near Central Hospital for five hundred and eighty Value Points a month and a shared apartment for three thousand two hundred.
• Shi Tiexin decided to save money for cultivation expenses and a better set of Essence Cultivation Arts rather than spend heavily on lodging.
• Shi Tiexin entered a storefront to sell his mind-art secret manual and saw a Basic Driving Technique listed for five thousand Value Points.

Shi Tiexin explored the Upper City’s costly cultivation manuals and tried to sell his own, but refused the shopkeeper’s low offer. He returned to Bright Group and exchanged his remaining Gang Contribution for a dormitory, grateful for its value.

• Shi Tiexin learned that the shopkeeper’s discounted Driving Technique cost 6666 and contained only one level, then saw an Essence Cultivation Art advertised as twice as fast at an exorbitant price.
• Shi Tiexin offered his second-level Six Fundamental Mind Arts manuals, but the shopkeeper offered only six thousand points, so Shi Tiexin kept them after haggling.
• As the simulated sun set, Shi Tiexin walked through the Upper City and realized how valuable Bright Group’s prices were by comparison.
• Shi Tiexin returned to Bright Group and exchanged his twenty remaining Gang Contribution for a member dormitory with hot water.

Shi Tiexin dreamed that the Hard Qi Technique instructor forced him through punishing training in scorching sand and the ocean. He woke exhausted but fulfilled, only to be kicked awake by someone ordering him to get up.

• Shi Tiexin dreamed that Youyou transformed into the Hard Qi Technique instructor, who beat him while ordering him to use the technique.
• The instructor made Shi Tiexin roll across blazing sand toward the shore, warning him about dehydration and heat damage.
• Shi Tiexin rolled into the sea, where the instructor ordered him to do push-ups against the crashing waves.
• The instructor trained beside Shi Tiexin and pushed him to keep doing push-ups through the night.
• Shi Tiexin woke the next day exhausted, read that enduring hardship could make him Homo erectus, and was kicked by someone telling him to get up.

Shi Tiexin challenged a dormmate who tried to make him do all the chores and discovered the man’s Dazzling Gale Leg was fast but left him vulnerable. After beating him once, Shi Tiexin agreed to a rematch and injured his foot again, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Shi Tiexin refused to accept the skinny man’s demands that he handle the dormitory chores and challenged him to fight.
• The skinny man attacked with his Dazzling Gale Leg, but Shi Tiexin grabbed his foot and broke his ankle with an elbow strike.
• After the secret realm ended, the skinny man demanded a rematch, and Shi Tiexin agreed.
• The skinny man attacked again, but Shi Tiexin made him slip with the bedsheet, caught his foot, and twisted it until its ligaments tore.

Shi Tiexin defeated the skinny man in their final spar and officially began working for the Dazzling Gang. He headed to the personnel department hoping to earn Gang Contribution through motorcycle deliveries, but learned he had no license to ride.

• After the skinny man challenged him to another fight, Shi Tiexin agreed and faced him in the open area.
• Shi Tiexin studied the skinny man’s Dazzling Gale Leg, spotted its rigid patterns, and struck his abdomen to end the fight.
• Shi Tiexin told the skinny man to accept his loss and make the beds, then left to start working for the Dazzling Gang.
• Shi Tiexin went to the personnel department planning to earn Gang Contribution by driving motorcycles.
• The HR manager asked Shi Tiexin whether he had a motorcycle license, and Shi Tiexin realized he did not.

Shi Tiexin learned that Liang Group forbade unlicensed driving and that he was too young to get a driver's license, so Teacher Tang explained that he could use a bicycle for deliveries. Teacher Tang showed him around and explained the gang's rules, leaving Shi Tiexin to arrange his own transportation.

• The HR manager warned Shi Tiexin that Liang Group prohibited unlicensed driving, and Shi Tiexin learned that he was too young to get a driver's license.
• Teacher Tang arrived and told Shi Tiexin that young gang members rode bicycles instead of driving.
• Teacher Tang explained that bicycles had high speed limits under the Space City Ecological Stability Act and that skilled riders could deliver faster than cars or motorcycles.
• The HR manager left Teacher Tang to show Shi Tiexin around, and Teacher Tang pointed out the gang's issued uniforms and busy courtyard.
• Teacher Tang told Shi Tiexin that Liang Group did not provide vehicles because individuals had to bear responsibility for accidents involving their own registered transportation.

Teacher Tang warmly helped Shi Tiexin join Liang Tuan and get ready to deliver food, while Shi Tiexin gradually questioned his own suspicion of him. After Shi Tiexin left, Teacher Tang revealed that his kindness was a ploy and planned to exploit him later.

• Teacher Tang offered to lend Shi Tiexin Gang Contribution so he could buy a bicycle, but Shi Tiexin declined.
• Teacher Tang guided Shi Tiexin to collect his uniform, buy a bicycle, and install and learn the order-taking client.
• Shi Tiexin thanked Teacher Tang and rode out of Liang Tuan's courtyard to begin delivering food.
• After Shi Tiexin disappeared around a corner, Teacher Tang dropped his friendly act and vowed to make him come back begging for help.

Shi Tiexin mapped Upper City while preparing for the midday rush, only to discover that Liangtuan members snatched orders too quickly for him to read. He finally secured his first order and rode toward its pickup point.

• Shi Tiexin rode through Upper City, mapping its roads, restaurants, and residential districts with his Driving Technique.
• As the midday rush began, Shi Tiexin watched orders appear and vanish before he could read or claim them.
• Shi Tiexin realized that his slow hand speed, rather than delivery distance, was keeping him from getting work.
• After five minutes of frantic tapping, Shi Tiexin finally claimed an order with a pickup point in an area he had mapped and a delivery location at a familiar residential district.
• Shi Tiexin set off toward the pickup point to complete his first Liangtuan order.