Chapter Summaries

Shi Tiexin seized an opening during the truck’s escape to attempt a Burning Core Breakthrough and advance to Sharp Will. As a furious enemy concealed his real intentions, Shi Tiexin’s core energy ignited, beginning his transformation.

• Ling Xingjian admitted she was a virgin, then shot and killed the Nora Samurai attacking the truck.
• Mad Monk told the mountain ape that the truck would escape, while the Void Spirit army’s commander hid his intentions behind his rage.
• Old Jia and Ling Xingjian believed the truck had shaken off its pursuers, and Shi Tiexin sensed an opportunity to break through.
• Shi Tiexin entered a medical pod and began Burning Core Breakthrough, choosing to seize the chance despite his exhaustion and imperfect preparation.
• Shi Tiexin’s Sharp Will ignited his core energy, and his core body began transforming.

Ling Xingjian and Old Jia were transporting the injured Shi Tiexin when Void Spirit Possession Bodies ambushed their truck. As Ling Xingjian faced the arriving enemies alone, Shi Tiexin remained inside, undergoing a transformation she believed could give humanity a way to fight the Void Spirits.

• Ling Xingjian recognized Shi Tiexin's developing power as martial arts that humans could learn, and celebrated its promise for humanity.
• Possession Bodies burst through the road and overturned the truck, crushing Old Jia's legs and badly wounding him.
• Old Jia refused Ling Xingjian's healing and ordered her to protect the transmitter and confront the enemy while he checked on Shi Tiexin.
• The mountain ape and Mad Monk arrived at the courtyard, followed by the purple-eyed His Majesty.
• Ling Xingjian stood before the wrecked truck with her spear, facing His Majesty, Mad Monk, and the mountain ape alone.

Ling Xingjian stalled Tangben Long’s attack by convincing Mad Monk that Shi Tiexin was undergoing nirvana, turning Mad Monk against Mountain Ape. She fought Tangben Long and struck him in the chest, but he rose again, revealing that the fight was not over.

• Tangben Long ordered Mountain Ape and Mad Monk to attack the vehicle while he fought Ling Xingjian.
• Ling Xingjian told Mad Monk that Shi Tiexin was undergoing nirvana, and the bell from the truck convinced him to protect the vehicle and attack Mountain Ape.
• Tangben Long fought Ling Xingjian, broke her spear, and nearly struck her down.
• Ling Xingjian used the fallen spearhead and its holy light to stun Tangben Long, then stabbed him in the chest with the split spear shaft.
• Ling Xingjian held back instead of pursuing Tangben Long, who rose from the ground and praised her for seeing through his trap.

Ling Xingjian confronted Tangben Long over his claim that serving the void spirits was justice, then chose to resist despite humanity’s weakness. As the sixth bell rang, she invoked Holy Light and turned her severed arm into a hammer to meet his attack.

• Tangben Long asked Ling Xingjian about Holy Light and insisted his actions served justice and the Yamato People.
• Ling Xingjian condemned Tangben Long for spreading suffering and said he was unworthy of Holy Light.
• Tangben Long corrupted the cherry trees with void power, then charged Ling Xingjian while arguing that humanity had to submit to the stronger void spirits.
• Ling Xingjian faced her fear of the Void Mother Nest and reaffirmed that humanity had to rely on itself.
• Ling Xingjian tore off her right arm, spoke the second Sacred Words, and used Holy Light to transform it into a hammer that struck Tangben Long’s katana.

Old Jia crawled through a wrecked truck and killed the mountain ape with Dragon's Roar, but died from his injuries after learning Shi Tiexin's breakthrough had succeeded. Shi Tiexin then emerged as Tangben Long attacked the defeated Ling Xingjian and stopped Tangben Long's katana with his bare hand.

• Old Jia crawled past the medical supplies and Shi Tiexin's sealed chamber toward the scattered firearms, determined to find a weapon powerful enough to help.
• The mountain ape tore Mad Monk in half and charged the heavy truck while Ling Xingjian fought Tangben Long.
• Old Jia fired Dragon's Roar into the mountain ape's head, killing it, and the recoil threw him into the truck's cargo compartment.
• Shi Tiexin emerged from the broken medical chamber, caught Old Jia, and confirmed his breakthrough had succeeded; Old Jia died after sharing his final wishes.
• Tangben Long defeated Ling Xingjian and thrust his katana at her, but Shi Tiexin appeared, caught her, and stopped the blade with his right hand.

Shi Tiexin defeated Tangben Long’s initial attack and exposed the Mad Monk’s delusion before the monk died. Tangben Long then drew in limitless Void energy, but Shi Tiexin remained unharmed and began counting down to kill him.

• Shi Tiexin rescued Ling Xingjian, returned her severed hand, and struck Tangben Long into the cherry blossom grove.
• Shi Tiexin told the Mad Monk he was not a Buddha and that Ling Xingjian had lied; the Mad Monk understood, prayed, and died.
• Shi Tiexin challenged Tangben Long, who transformed and drew in vast amounts of Void energy to strengthen himself.
• Tangben Long unleashed powerful cutting attacks and declared himself invincible beneath the Void Spirit.
• Shi Tiexin dodged Tangben Long’s assault without injury, appeared beside him, and counted, “One.”

Shi Tiexin used the power of his Seven Rings of the Heavenly Bell breakthrough to evade Tangben Long’s attacks and turn the fight against him. Tangben Long tried to target Ling Xingjian, but Shi Tiexin’s illusion made him strike himself, leaving his chest torn open.

• Tangben Long unleashed a barrage of energy blades, but Shi Tiexin explained that Seven Rings of the Heavenly Bell gave him extraordinary Sharp Energy and meridian development.
• Shi Tiexin used Sharp Energy to control Formless Wind and evade Tangben Long’s attacks with ease.
• Tangben Long decided to attack Ling Xingjian, who was too weak to get up beside the heavy truck.
• Tangben Long saw his strike cut Ling Xingjian and the truck in two, but Shi Tiexin revealed that the scene was an illusion.
• Tangben Long discovered that he had struck his own chest, tearing it open.

Shi Tiexin overwhelmed Tangben Long in a close-quarters fight, exploiting his fear and mistakes to unleash a devastating barrage. Tangben Long regenerated from the attack, and Shi Tiexin raised a third finger as the battle continued.

• Shi Tiexin used Sharp Qi, the Fire Tribulation Blade, and Rhetoric to weaken Tangben Long's fighting spirit.
• Tangben Long demanded a real fight, and Shi Tiexin charged into his attacks while Tangben Long held back from fear of striking himself.
• Shi Tiexin outmatched Tangben Long in their melee as Ling Xingjian watched, unable to intervene because of the Void Mother Nest's corrosion.
• Tangben Long called on the Void Spirit, and Shi Tiexin struck through his defenses with a fused attack before battering him across the courtyard.
• Tangben Long regenerated from the rubble and claimed he would win, but Shi Tiexin raised a third finger toward him.

Shi Tiexin killed Tangben Long by turning his own strength against him, but the Possession Body seized the corpse and began gathering Tokyo’s void energy. Ling Xingjian sacrificed her Warhammer as bait, then unleashed holy light from within the Possession Body to strike at its core.

• Shi Tiexin used Sharp Qi to destroy Tangben Long’s brain, killing him and burning the Rift Eyes to ash.
• The Possession Body emerged from beneath the ground, seized Tangben Long’s mutilated body, and began absorbing void energy from Tokyo.
• Ling Xingjian told Shi Tiexin that the Possession Body had to be stopped so it could draw out void energy and save people who were being eroded.
• Ling Xingjian threw her Warhammer into the Possession Body, which absorbed it and rapidly grew into a mass of twisted flesh.
• Ling Xingjian unleashed holy light from herself and the Warhammer, attacking the Possession Body at its core.

Ling Xingjian endured the void spirit’s mental assault and destroyed the Possession Body with the Warhammer’s holy light. She survived but was exhausted, and she and Shi Tiexin set out for the harbor to face the remaining void spirit army.

• The void spirit attacked Ling Xingjian’s mind and tried to persuade her to surrender, while Shi Tiexin could only watch as she suffered.
• Ling Xingjian rejected the void spirit’s arguments and declared that she fought for humanity’s future and the people who would come after her.
• Ling Xingjian recited the Warhammer’s third Sacred Words, unleashed a vast surge of holy light, and destroyed the Possession Body.
• The dying void spirits warned that Harsh Winter was coming, and Ling Xingjian answered with a defiant message before collapsing from the sky.
• Shi Tiexin caught Ling Xingjian, and she told him to take the transmitter and head to the harbor, where the void spirit army remained.

Shi Tiexin reached the harbor with Ling Xingjian as the East Sea Fleet arrived and defeated the pursuing Void Spirits. The battle restored his sealed memories, revealing his identity as Dark Night, a Secret Keeper whose mission was to make Japan serve the red flag; Ling Xingjian then began to slip from his back.

• Shi Tiexin carried the unconscious Ling Xingjian through the harbor’s Void Spirit forces toward the sea.
• Ling Xingjian told Shi Tiexin that their comrades had arrived as planes and warships attacked the Void Spirits.
• The East Sea Fleet identified Shi Tiexin as Comrade Light Arc and took over the battle.
• The fleet’s arrival broke Shi Tiexin’s Heart Guarding Art and restored his memories of becoming the Secret Keeper Dark Night, code 4214.
• Shi Tiexin remembered his mission to rise to power in Japan and lead it toward the red flag, completing Destiny Mission 4: Soul of Freedom.
• Ling Xingjian suddenly went limp and slid down from Shi Tiexin’s back.

After the victory against the Void Spirits, Ling Xingjian revealed that their corruption was consuming her and chose to end her life rather than become their lackey. She gave Shi Tiexin her final Holy Light and died in his arms, leaving him stunned and grieving.

• Shi Tiexin caught the dying Ling Xingjian and used his Interminable Tribulation Force to try to save her.
• Ling Xingjian explained that the operation had captured or identified the Void Spirit lackeys, but the Void Spirit's corruption inside her was worsening despite her Holy Light.
• Shi Tiexin begged Ling Xingjian to let him share the burden by becoming a Super Aptitude User and connecting to the Mind Network.
• Ling Xingjian kissed Shi Tiexin goodbye, told him she could not let him die before her, and urged him to face the future without her.
• Ling Xingjian poured her final Holy Light into Shi Tiexin, then burned away in pale flames and died in his arms.

Shi Tiexin watched Ling Xingjian die, then crossed Worldlines and awoke in his younger self’s world, where he found a version of her who had no memory of their life together. After grieving, he returned to the Main Worldline and woke in a Medical Pod, where his reflexive strike surprised Nurse Shi Yuhui.

• Shi Tiexin desperately tried to revive Ling Xingjian, but she dissolved into sparks and her spirit passed through the gates of heaven, wishing they could reunite in another life.
• Overwhelmed by grief, Shi Tiexin fell into the sea, and the Worldline Atlas carried his consciousness to the dormitory of Fengming First High School.
• Shi Tiexin found a younger Ling Xingjian in a classroom; she did not recognize their shared past, and he fled to his training room to weep.
• Ling Xingjian felt a tear fall and murmured, “Reunite in brilliant sunshine,” then imagined dating Shi Tiexin after they entered university.
• Shi Tiexin lost consciousness in his training room and later awoke in a Medical Pod on the Main Worldline, where he met Nurse Shi Yuhui’s hand with a powerful reflexive strike.

Shi Tiexin recovered in the hospital after his Worldline traversal, replenishing the energy drained by his progress and by sustaining Black Venerable and Scholar Stone. Shi Yuhui tested his unusual state and learned that he could maintain Burning Core Breakthrough spirit energy without actually advancing beyond the Essence Realm.

• Shi Yuhui suppressed the turmoil in Shi Tiexin’s Medical Pod and ordered the nurses to replenish it with the hospital’s best recovery fluid.
• Shi Tiexin absorbed the fluid to restore his depleted body while the Martial Heart Zen Lotus released the Vast Overlord Physique and other improvements.
• Shi Tiexin sent energy to Scholar Stone and Black Venerable, then left the pod after learning they were both out of danger.
• Shi Yuhui observed that Shi Tiexin remained in the Essence Realm but seemed capable of breaking through at any moment.
• Shi Yuhui released Extremely Sharp Energy suppression, but Shi Tiexin calmly declared that he could sustain the spirit energy of Burning Core Breakthrough for a long time.

Shi Tiexin revealed that he had permanently captured the spirit energy needed for Burning Core Breakthrough, and Shi Yuhui realized his potential was extraordinary. After she discovered his Vast Overlord Physique, she guessed his sudden transformation came from Martial Heart Zen, giving Shi Tiexin a convincing explanation for his secrets.

• Black Venerable captured the spirit energy for Burning Core Breakthrough, allowing Shi Tiexin and his incarnations to break through with Sharp Will whenever they were ready.
• Shi Yuhui recognized Shi Tiexin's potential and offered him fifteen percent of her company shares to become her business partner.
• Shi Yuhui sensed Shi Tiexin's unusual vitality, and he told her he had achieved Reverse Innate Transformation and the Vast Overlord Physique.
• Shi Tiexin realized that someone had taken him to the hospital after he crossed Worldlines and slept for three days.
• Shi Yuhui attributed Shi Tiexin's improvements to Martial Heart Zen, and he accepted the explanation as a cover for his Worldline travel and sudden advances.

After Youyou’s death, Shi Tiexin struggled with loneliness and found that the places that once inspired him could no longer help him regain his bearings. He returned to the Liang Group garrison and reviewed his progress, while Black Venerable set out plans to lead Japan and continue fighting the ethereals.

• Shi Tiexin left Shi Yuhui at the hospital and wandered Upper City, but familiar places and people could no longer lift his spirits.
• Shi Tiexin spent the night on his usual rooftop, grieving Youyou and wondering whether Ling Xingjian and Youyou were the same person.
• Shi Tiexin returned to the Liang Group garrison the next day and resolved to put his grief aside and look ahead.
• Shi Tiexin assessed his connections with Scholar Stone and Black Venerable, their shared resources, and the progress of their Destiny Missions.
• Black Venerable told Shi Tiexin that he would unify Japan, then travel to India to fight oppression and the ethereals, ultimately aiming to destroy their true form.

Shi Tiexin strengthened his mental defenses and planned his next steps toward a perfect nine-ring Burning Core Breakthrough. A steward from the Si Family brought him an eye technique as a gift, while Zhuo Wenxi noticed something unusual about him.

• Shi Tiexin and his incarnations divided their priorities, with the main self focusing on cultivation knowledge and their future evolution.
• Shi Tiexin perfected the Heart Guarding Art and gained the Jade-like Heart Guarding attribute, which could shield his thoughts and emotions.
• Shi Tiexin decided he needed to learn how to achieve a perfect nine-ring Burning Core Breakthrough and wondered whom he could ask for advice.
• A steward from the Si Family visited Shi Tiexin and gave him an eye technique as a gift from the family head.
• Zhuo Wenxi saw Shi Tiexin escort the steward out and stopped to scrutinize him in confusion.

Shi Tiexin sought advice on breaking through Sharp Energy and attended Feiteng Education’s presentation on Burning Core Breakthrough in Tumubao. The lecturer began by asking the crowd about their reasons for seeking a breakthrough, while Shi Tiexin listened skeptically.

• Shi Tiexin asked the Liang Tuan butler where he could learn about breaking through Sharp Energy, and the butler explained that companies now offered training courses and Bell of Heavenly Resonance services.
• The butler gave Shi Tiexin an invitation to a Feiteng Education presentation led by a lecturer from Shaluo City.
• Shi Tiexin arrived at the crowded venue and observed that the staff were all Sharp Energy practitioners, which impressed the attendees but seemed ordinary to him.
• Feiteng Education’s lecturer took the stage, and Shi Tiexin sensed that the man had only reached the peak of the Sharp Energy Realm and might have rung the bell at most twice.
• The lecturer asked attendees why they wanted a Burning Core Breakthrough, and they named goals ranging from career advancement and beauty to hair regrowth, weight loss, longevity, and marital dues.

Shi Tiexin attended Feiteng Education’s sharp-qi breakthrough sales presentation and was offered a million-value promotional deal. He asked to see the company’s capabilities, and the lecturer unveiled a demonstration called “Dark Souls.”

• A Feiteng Education lecturer promoted sharp-qi breakthroughs and pitched courses, packages, and materials to the audience.
• The lecturer privately invited Shi Tiexin to discuss a customized breakthrough program and offered him one million to become a promotional ambassador.
• The lecturer explained that Feiteng Education had chosen Shi Tiexin for his fame and local appeal, then tried to probe his mind but was detected.
• Shi Tiexin said he would consider cooperation only after seeing what the company could do.
• The lecturer projected Feiteng Education’s Bell of Heaven breakthrough process demonstration and revealed its other name: “Dark Souls.”

A lecturer explained Burning Core Breakthrough through the game Song of Bell and Fire, where The Destitute represented an ordinary Origin Core attempting to ignite a stable flame. Shi Tiexin defeated Ashen Instructor Iudex Gundyr and successfully ignited the first Sharp Energy flame, completing the breakthrough simulation.

• The lecturer introduced Song of Bell and Fire as a game that visualized the challenges of Burning Core Breakthrough and selected The Destitute to represent an ordinary Origin Core.
• The lecturer explained how the character's action power and crimson spark represented energy control and the need to find a stable place to nurture the spark.
• The lecturer's character ran out of action power and died while fighting Ashen Instructor Iudex Gundyr.
• Shi Tiexin used his memory of the map and precise action power management to reach Gundyr with most of his strength remaining.
• Shi Tiexin defeated Gundyr without being hit and guided The Destitute to Firelink Shrine, where the spark ignited and the first Sharp Energy was born.