Chapter Summaries

After celebrating Shi Tiexin’s marathon victory with Principal Liu’s family, Shi Tiexin envied their happy household and wondered about his own family. Back at school, he found Ling Xingjian waiting at his dorm, sensed that something was troubling her, and took her to a nearby night market.

• At dinner, Shen Yunmeng urged Shi Tiexin to invest his prize money through Donghua Bank while Principal Liu looked after Peipei and Rourou.
• Shi Tiexin watched the lively family antics and felt a sudden pang as he wondered whether he would ever have a happy family of his own.
• The next evening, Shi Tiexin returned to his empty dormitory at Fengming First High School and reflected on how much he envied Principal Liu’s family.
• Ling Xingjian arrived at Shi Tiexin’s dorm, saying she had come to spend time with him, and her stomach growled.
• Shi Tiexin invited Ling Xingjian to get a late-night meal and suspected that something was troubling her.

Shi Tiexin took Ling Xingjian to a lively night market, where they sampled street food and drinks before sharing cheap Old Ice Sticks. The outing left them joking and playfully sparring as they prepared to explore more of the market.

• Shi Tiexin led Ling Xingjian out of school and into Jinling’s bustling night market.
• Shi Tiexin bought a large assortment of street food, insisting that Ling Xingjian eat while he paid.
• Ling Xingjian proposed paying for the games and activities, but Shi Tiexin told her to focus on eating.
• A passing drink splashed them, and Ling Xingjian laughed despite shivering from the cold.
• Ling Xingjian chose two inexpensive Old Ice Sticks over the high-end ice cream and gave one to Shi Tiexin.
• Ling Xingjian mock-attacked Shi Tiexin with an Overlord’s Elbow Strike, but he dodged.

Shi Tiexin and Ling Xingjian played games at a night market, where Ling Xingjian discovered her talent for shooting and Shi Tiexin won her a stuffed rabbit. They headed to a dart stall so Ling Xingjian could win him a gift in return.

• Ling Xingjian and Shi Tiexin spent their night-market winnings on bamboo-ring tossing, where Ling Xingjian gradually improved her aim.
• Ling Xingjian initially missed with an air rifle, then recalled something and revealed a flawless, professional shooting stance, hitting all five remaining balloons.
• Ling Xingjian won a small stuffed doll and challenged Shi Tiexin to shoot; he used a pistol to win the stall owner's large lop-eared rabbit.
• Ling Xingjian accepted the rabbit from Shi Tiexin and decided she should give him something in return.
• Shi Tiexin stopped Ling Xingjian from returning to the first stall and led her to a dart stall, where they eagerly eyed its grand prize.

Shi Tiexin and Ling Xingjian enjoyed the night market before he took her to a quiet park pavilion to set off fireworks. As they watched the fireworks, Shi Tiexin asked whether something was on her mind.

• Ling Xingjian won a plush crab at darts, and Shi Tiexin won a prize with a powerful throw.
• Shi Tiexin and Ling Xingjian explored the night market, where Ling Xingjian said she had never visited one because her family worried about her safety.
• Shi Tiexin offered to take Ling Xingjian to play pool another time and asked whether she wanted to keep going or return to school.
• Ling Xingjian agreed to follow Shi Tiexin to a secluded park pavilion, where they set off fireworks together.
• Shi Tiexin sat beside Ling Xingjian and asked whether she had something on her mind.

Under the stars, Ling Xingjian told Shi Tiexin about her father, a soldier who died during earthquake relief, and the grief and anger she still carried. Shi Tiexin comforted her with a story from the orphanage, then heard a familiar voice from his own forgotten memories and wondered about his parents; Destiny Mission 3 advanced.

• Ling Xingjian asked whether people should live like meteors or preserve themselves, then admitted she was mourning her father on the anniversary of his death.
• Ling Xingjian recalled her father's work as a paratrooper, his death during the 2008 Shu Prefecture earthquake, and the hardship she and her mother faced afterward.
• Shi Tiexin told Ling Xingjian about an orphan whose grandmother died after sending him to look for peach pastries, and said he envied people who had memories of their parents.
• Shi Tiexin told Ling Xingjian that her father's influence lived on in her, and she accepted his comfort without crying.
• Shi Tiexin heard a familiar voice in his memories urging him to raise his fist to the heavens, then wondered who his parents were and whether he could have had an ordinary family in another Worldline.
• Destiny Mission 3 was further completed.

Shi Tiexin sent Ling Xingjian home, then trained with professional cycling coaches as he prepared for Jinling’s cycling competition. Ling Xingjian’s return revealed the painful conflict with her mother, while Shi Tiexin moved on from the provincial team to seek instruction in extreme cycling.

• Shi Tiexin saw Ling Xingjian off on a bus to Zhenjiang after she insisted she could travel safely alone.
• Ling Xingjian returned to her villa and confronted her mother, who planned to send her to America and expected her to marry for money.
• Principal Liu introduced Shi Tiexin to Coach Hu, who began training him for the Jinling Cycling Competition.
• Five days later, Coach Hu admitted he had nothing left to teach Shi Tiexin and asked Principal Liu to take him away before the other athletes lost confidence.
• Principal Liu introduced Shi Tiexin to Xiao Wang, Shanghai’s leading extreme cyclist, and fled after hearing his rapid-fire talk.
• Five days later, Shi Tiexin had transformed Xiao Wang into a buzz-cut student carrying a schoolbag and homework.

Shi Tiexin helped Xiao Wang and his freestyle bicycle team abandon their rebellious attitude, while adapting to the pressure of his newly advanced fourth-layer Physics. He then rode from Shanghai toward Jinling at increasingly incredible speeds, determined to test his limit.

• Principal Liu found Xiao Wang and the other cyclists exercising obediently, and Xiao Wang credited Big Brother Tie with helping them turn over a new leaf.
• Shi Tiexin explained that he had guided the teenagers to balance school and cycling while using up the excess psychic energy from his Physics breakthrough.
• Shi Tiexin told Principal Liu he would return to Jinling and set off on his bicycle as dusk fell.
• Shi Tiexin used his Driving Heart Art to ride faster as the road grew quiet, eventually overtaking trucks and reaching speeds above one hundred kilometers per hour.
• Shi Tiexin realized Wind Rush reduced the air resistance he felt and pushed into the mountains, intent on discovering his ultimate speed.

Shi Tiexin crashed his bicycle while training at high speed, then received a high-end bicycle from Fang Qingjue ahead of the competition. The chapter ended with Fang Qingjue kicking a wary young man after telling Shi Tiexin to win.

• A Porsche driver was frightened when Shi Tiexin sped past on his bicycle and mistook him for a ghost.
• Shi Tiexin skidded off a mountain road and survived the crash by using his techniques to slow his fall through the trees.
• Shi Tiexin continued training on replacement bicycles, enduring repeated breakdowns and practicing repairs as the competition approached.
• A deliveryman brought Shi Tiexin a luxurious bicycle that Fang Qingjue had lent him for the competition.
• Fang Qingjue told Shi Tiexin to win, then kicked the young man standing opposite him.

Shi Tiexin won the Jinling cycling competition and collected 242 Heavenly Gifted Golden Light, bringing his total to 836. He spent the rewards improving his martial arts and Mechanical Modification Technique, while leaving his Thought Qi alone for now.

• Shi Tiexin crossed the finish line first at the Jinling cycling competition, drawing cheers from spectators and attention from reporters.
• Shi Tiexin received 242 Heavenly Gifted Golden Light, raising his total to 836.
• Shi Tiexin raised Star Bullet Legs to Perfect, increasing his Fist Principle attribute to +7.
• Shi Tiexin raised Scattering Hand Exploding Chamber to Profound 99, where it reached its current limit without a higher-level technique.
• Shi Tiexin raised the first layer of Mechanical Modification Technique to Perfect and gained Mechanical Sense +1.

At Fengming First High School’s enrollment ceremony, Zhou Zhengyang delivered a farewell speech before meeting Shi Tiexin, his successor as Eastern Heavenly King. Zhou then left campus and met Gu Xuechao, who was departing for Stanford.

• Fengming First High School held its new-student enrollment ceremony, where students praised Zhou Zhengyang as a top scholar and martial artist.
• Zhou Zhengyang spoke to the students, saying he had missed the Southern Zhili top-scorer title by half a point and urging them to win it for Fengming.
• Shi Tiexin met Zhou Zhengyang and learned that Zhou was nearly nineteen, only two years his senior.
• Zhou Zhengyang left the school and met Gu Xuechao at the gate, where Gu said he was leaving for Stanford.

Zhou Zhengyang and Gu Xuechao shared a cigarette and said goodbye as Gu prepared to leave Donghua to study abroad. After Gu promised he would return, the school ceremony continued with Fang Qingjue taking over as Student Union President.

• Zhou Zhengyang persuaded Gu Xuechao to smoke with him at the school gate, where they talked about Gu leaving to learn the barbarians' superior techniques.
• Zhou Zhengyang pointed out Fang Qingjue among the younger students and praised her, while Gu Xuechao prepared to depart.
• Zhou Zhengyang tossed Gu Xuechao a pack of Soft Donghua cigarettes and called after him to return; Gu raised a thumb from the car and promised himself he would come back.
• Fang Qingjue delivered her inaugural address after receiving the Student Union seal, while Wang Jinquan watched with a twitching mouth.

Wang Jinquan lost his composure when Fang Qingjue and Shi Tiexin drew admiration, then saw angry workers loot his family’s villa and vowed to become a First-class noble. Shi Tiexin learned that Gu Shaoqiu had transferred away, returned to his dorm, and met his new roommate, Shen Xingye, as summer vacation ended.

• Wang Jinquan resented Fang Qingjue’s presence and became unsettled when the crowd cheered for Shi Tiexin at the Student Union transition ceremony.
• Workers demanding unpaid wages surrounded Wang Jinquan and looted his villa after recognizing him as Wang’s son.
• Wang Jinquan found a damaged notebook and vowed to become the richest, noblest, and most powerful First-class noble.
• Zhou Nan told Shi Tiexin that Gu Shaoqiu had transferred away and gave him the boy’s notebook.
• Shi Tiexin returned to the dormitory and met his new roommate, Shen Xingye.

Shi Tiexin prepared for Liang Tuan's unapproved shrimp-catching race, spending heavily on equipment and surveillance while learning about formidable rival Yin Xiaofei. The contest began with Shi Tiexin and Yin Xiaofei facing one another, as Old Tang monitored the competitors remotely.

• Tumubao's competitions were described, along with the Scholar Union's and Supreme Sovereign Hall's authority over Mind Arts and Strength Arts contests and the human history represented by the Three Sovereigns and the Origin Sage.
• Liang Tuan held its shrimp-catching race without a Supreme Sovereign Hall approval number, leaving it an internal competition without public promotion or golden-light rewards.
• Old Tang told Shi Tiexin that Yin Tiancheng, an unusual inner-branch elder and Yin Tiansheng's older brother, would observe the race.
• Shi Tiexin used golden light to raise his Catch Shrimp Basic Driving Technique to Perfect and gained Windlike Speed attributes.
• Shi Tiexin and Old Tang set up remote cameras and audio monitoring as Shi Tiexin prepared to compete against ten contestants.
• Old Tang identified Yin Xiaofei as the main rival, and Shi Tiexin and Yin Xiaofei exchanged a tense stare at the starting area.

Shi Tiexin recognized Yin Xiaofei’s high-end, lightweight racing vehicle and inferred that she had learned the course design in advance, while Yin Xiaofei’s team judged his cheaper vehicle inferior. As the contestants prepared to race, a mysterious observer acknowledged Shi Tiexin’s unusual ability, and the first contestant set off.

• Shi Tiexin and Yin Xiaofei exchanged wary glances, then each asked their team to record and analyze the other’s vehicle.
• Shi Tiexin identified Yin Xiaofei’s components and estimated her vehicle’s weight and value, concluding that she knew the course design in advance.
• Yin Xiaofei’s analysts estimated Shi Tiexin’s vehicle was heavier and less capable than hers, leaving her confident that she would win.
• An Invisible Man reviewed both teams’ information, confirmed Shi Tiexin’s exceptional observational accuracy, and told the Young Master that Shi Tiexin had a chance to win.
• The television host explained the race format and revealed the five checkpoints to viewers, while the Young Master remarked that the competition was rigged against outsiders.
• The host announced that Contestant Number One had set off.

Contestant Number One raced through the city course, stopped for a red light, then forfeited when the first real challenge required him to carry his heavy electric bike up the Twin Helix Building. Contestant Number Two set off in a Fusion Core vehicle, ignored the red light, and turned around after seeing the challenge.

• Contestant Number One sped through the city streets and waited at a red light, prompting the host to joke about his obedience to traffic laws.
• Contestant Number One completed the warm-up route in four minutes and seventeen seconds, then saw that the first stage required climbing the Twin Helix Building’s stairs with his bike.
• Contestant Number One decided the climb was not worth attempting and forfeited the competition.
• Contestant Number Two started in a large electric vehicle with a Fusion Core and ran a red light, earning a fine and point deductions.
• Contestant Number Two saw the Twin Helix Challenge, laughed, and turned around.

Contestants faced the Twin Helix Building’s first trial, where they had to reach the rooftop and touch the Crystal Orb. Number Five posted the fastest time so far, but the next trial’s instructions left him cursing the organizing committee.

• Contestant Number Two attempted to ride his electric bike up the rotating blades, fell repeatedly, and was slowed by the anti-gravity force field.
• Contestant Number Three parked his vehicle, climbed the stairs, and reached the rooftop in 7 minutes and 21 seconds to touch the Crystal Orb.
• After seeing the second trial, Number Three fled downstairs and tricked Number Four into continuing upward by claiming he had lost his wallet.
• Contestant Number Five carried his bicycle up the stairs and set the best first-trial time of 11 minutes and 22 seconds.
• Contestant Number Five saw the virtual arrows for the second trial and cursed the organizing committee.

The second stage of the Sky Layer Speed Race began, with contestants navigating a maze of pipes and equipment above Tumubao. As Yin Xiaofei prepared to start, Shi Tiexin sensed that she had reached the Core Shattering Realm.

• Contestant number two cleared the rooftop jump in his electric vehicle and claimed the second General's Seal.
• Number two overtook number three on the Sky Layer course, and number three crashed into a crossbar.
• Laughing Mad used his bouncing vehicle to pass Laughing Brother, then slipped into a barrel.
• Contestant number eight accelerated across the course with dual engines, drawing Shi Tiexin's attention.
• Yin Xiaofei reached the starting line, and Shi Tiexin sensed that she was in the Core Shattering Realm.

Shi Tiexin considered how he could use body tempering to endure the Core Collapse Realm and watched Yin Xiaofei to judge her strength. Meanwhile, Number Five cleared the second trial and faced the Heaven and Earth Revolve course, leaving his choice unresolved.

• Shi Tiexin reviewed the three realms above the Origin Core and planned to use repeated body-tempering attempts to manage Core Collapse.
• Old Tang told Shi Tiexin that Number Five had cleared the second trial, and Laughing Brother obtained his third General's Seal.
• The host introduced the third trial, Heaven and Earth Revolve, a spiraling track with a Great Loop and no antigravity field beneath it.
• The broadcast explained that falling from the course would end a contestant's competition, then asked what Number Five would choose.

Number Five abandoned the dangerous Great Loop and chose to carry his vehicle down another building, while Laughing Mad fearlessly raced through the loop and advanced to the fourth checkpoint. Shi Tiexin and Old Tang watched Yin Xiaofei’s explosive start as she sped through the city toward the third checkpoint.

• Number Five judged the Great Loop too dangerous and returned to find another stairway down with his vehicle.
• The host confirmed that contestants could choose any route as long as they reached the Crystal Orb and obtained the General’s Seal without using another vehicle.
• Laughing Mad rode his heavy electric bike down the Great Loop, launched through its exit, struck the Crystal Orb, and headed for the fourth checkpoint.
• Old Tang warned Shi Tiexin that the third checkpoint demanded great power, and Shi Tiexin said Yin Xiaofei’s performance would determine their prospects.
• Yin Xiaofei blasted away from the starting line, passed a red light by taking the elevated walkway, and used stair rails to keep up her speed.

Yin Xiaofei set a new speed record reaching the Twin Helix Building and raced up its stairs while the other contestants faced the dangerous Great Loop. Shi Tiexin prepared for his turn as he assessed the different reasons contestants had failed.

• Yin Xiaofei reached the Twin Helix Building in two minutes and four seconds, then carried her bike up its looped staircase.
• Number Three attempted the Great Loop, fell, and was caught by a cable, while his bike shattered on the ground.
• Number Four abandoned the Great Loop and searched for another way down after seeing Number Three fall.
• Shi Tiexin stepped up to the starting line and waited calmly as Old Tang reported the contestants' progress.
• Number Six fell from the Great Loop, and Number Seven cleared it before his wheel exploded and he crashed.
• Shi Tiexin explained that the trial tested strength, balance, Dan Jin, leg techniques, courage, skill, and bike condition.