Chapter Summaries

He Ao killed Mano at the research institute, forced Director Reed to sign a compensation agreement and hand over surveillance footage, then escaped the institute’s retaliation plans. After recovering in an alley, He Ao planned to use Reed’s attempts to kill him to find a suitable Talent Sequence and investigate the Fountain of Youth, before heading home after work.

• He Ao used spiritual awareness to pierce Mano’s defenses with a broken knife, killed him, and took his short sword and Smart Bracelet.
• He Ao confronted Reed at the research institute and negotiated compensation, surveillance footage, and an agreement that neither side would pursue the incident publicly.
• After He Ao left, Reed ordered disguised followers to track him and planned to have him killed, while the Limen City police arrived too late to intercept him.
• He Ao shook off his pursuers and rested in an alley, reasoning that the agreement blocked Reed from using local authorities against him.
• He Ao decided to use Reed as bait for assassins and possible Talent Sequences, then hailed a taxi to go home.

He Ao learned that Reed had hired Black Shadow to kill him, then used Thought Alteration to stop Reed from taking his daughter hostage. When He Ao reached home, Annie was missing from her brightly lit room.

• He Ao examined the Character Card system and decided to save his Exchange Star for a critical moment.
• He Ao sensed Reed’s hostile thoughts, listened in on Reed hiring Black Shadow to kill him, and used Thought Alteration to dissuade Reed from abducting Annie.
• He Ao grew exhausted from using Super Memory through Pet’s weak body and slept during the taxi ride home.
• He Ao arrived home late, found Annie’s prepared dinner in the refrigerator, and went to check on her.
• He Ao opened Annie’s bedroom door and found the room lit and her desk set up, but her chair was empty.

He Ao searched for his missing daughter Annie and tracked her to a late-night convenience store, where she was working. When a robber threatened Annie, He Ao confronted him and left the gunman bleeding on the floor.

• He Ao called Annie repeatedly, contacted her school counselor and former classmates, and learned she might be near her school at night.
• He Ao reached Annie by phone, but she hung up before telling him where she was; Eve then located her near Devons Avenue.
• Annie worked alone at a Trinity Convenience Store while worrying over missed calls, and a hooded Black Shadow bought a meal before leaving.
• A robber entered the store, forced Annie to open the register, and threatened to take her with him.
• He Ao arrived and confronted the robber, who aimed his gun at him and pulled the trigger.
• He Ao answered with a violent strike that sprayed the robber with blood and told him that people like him went to hell.

He Ao rescued Annie from an armed convenience-store robbery and took her home, where he revealed that his temporary job had earned 150,000 Federal currency. At their apartment door, he reassured Annie that his work was lawful, but his gesture told her to stand behind him before he opened it.

• He Ao killed the robber threatening him by throwing a bath towel over the man and stabbing him, then freed Annie from the second robber.
• Annie told He Ao she had worked at the convenience store for a month, and he learned she had been trying to earn money to help with expenses.
• The police investigated the robbery and let He Ao leave, while the manager gave Annie a Comfort Bonus and approved her resignation.
• On the way home, He Ao advised Annie to quit her dangerous night shift, and she asked whether she should transfer to a public high school to save money.
• He Ao told Annie his temporary job had earned 150,000 Federal currency, surprising her and lifting her spirits.
• At their apartment door, He Ao asked whether Annie was scared by the killing; after she answered, he signaled for her to stand behind him and said his work was lawful.

He Ao killed the C-rank assassin who attacked him at home, then discovered a strange, powerful substance in the assassin’s test tube. After Annie helped clean up, He Ao examined the substance and made it churn violently.

• He Ao sensed an intruder inside his home and fought a C-rank attacker who could conceal himself in shadows and hide his thoughts.
• He Ao outmaneuvered the assassin, struck his Energy Convergence Point, and killed him before he could use the liquid in his test tube.
• Annie entered the darkened living room, discovered the body, and helped He Ao clean up while he recovered from exhausting himself.
• He Ao examined the test tube with his spiritual awareness, causing the power inside it to churn and the liquid to boil.

He Ao discovered that Black Shadow’s blood and a mysterious test-tube liquid contained unusual qi, then tested Annie’s martial arts talent and taught her how to cultivate. While researching the Fountain of Youth, he found a local legend warning that those granted eternal life might not remain human.

• He Ao sensed that the test-tube liquid contained unusually active qi mixed with other extraordinary materials, and wondered whether it was connected to the institute’s experiments and the Fountain of Youth.
• Annie struggled to clean Black Shadow’s blood, whose green fluorescence affected her thoughts, so He Ao took over and moved her away from it.
• He Ao tested Annie’s martial arts talent with spiritual sense, forcibly widened her internal pathways, and guided her through her first breathing exercises.
• He Ao decided Annie should cultivate martial arts rather than pursue a Talent Sequence, and planned to teach her the Body Tempering Art.
• He Ao searched local accounts of the Fountain of Youth and found a travel post claiming Limen City stood atop it, with its waters granting eternal life that might make a person no longer human.

He Ao discovered Black Shadow’s hidden explosives and test tubes, then fled Limen City with Annie as Reed mobilized to intercept them at the airport. After avoiding the airport by traveling through the wilderness, He Ao and Annie were confronted by their treacherous driver, and a gunshot rang out.

• He Ao traced Black Shadow’s footprints to a hidden bomb, disarmed it, and recovered two boxes containing unstable test tubes.
• He Ao checked nearby floors for further traps, then told Annie they were leaving Limen City and took Black Shadow’s corpse with them.
• Reed realized Black Shadow was dead and ordered an assault team to inspect airport passengers after learning He Ao had bought airship tickets.
• He Ao and Annie traveled through the wilderness instead of going to the airport, and He Ao encouraged Annie as she described how hard she had worked to support them.
• Their driver stopped on a blocked wilderness road, drew a pistol, and threatened to kill He Ao and sell Annie; He Ao warned him to be careful, and a gunshot sounded.

He Ao and Annie were caught in a battle between the Sand Wave Gang convoy and Wilderness Wanderers after He Ao killed the convoy leader. When the gang’s deputy ordered He Ao and Annie killed, one gang member tried to assault Annie, and He Ao stabbed him in the throat.

• He Ao killed a raincoat-wearing man as the convoy started moving, and Wilderness Wanderers surrounded the trucks.
• The convoy leader identified the Sand Wave Gang and tried to negotiate, but He Ao shot him dead, triggering a firefight.
• The Sand Wave Gang used heavy weapons to hold off the Wilderness Wanderers, while the deputy suspected He Ao of being a spy and ordered him and Annie killed.
• Three gang members approached He Ao’s truck, and their leader threatened Annie and pressed a submachine gun against He Ao.
• He Ao stabbed the young gang member through the throat.

He Ao and Annie escaped the convoy attack, but He Ao killed the deputy leader when he tried to betray them. After finding a safe road and reading Roger’s messages about Talent Sequence formulas, He Ao stopped near a town because it was too quiet.

• He Ao defended the truck from gang members while the Wilderness Wanderers breached the convoy, then escaped with Annie in an off-road vehicle driven by the deputy leader.
• The deputy leader tried to kill He Ao, but He Ao disarmed and stabbed him, then kicked him out and took control of the vehicle.
• He Ao returned to the caravan road, explained that it could lead them toward the Wilderness Wanderers Camp, and let Annie rest as they drove through the rain.
• He Ao read Roger’s messages about Talent Sequence formulas, including recipes for Spectator, Mercenary, and Assassin, and learned that Roger could not yet find a C-class formula for Shadow.
• Annie spotted a town ahead, but He Ao stopped the vehicle and said it was too quiet.

He Ao drove Annie through a town overrun by Ghost Mushroom, resisting its hunger-inducing temptation and escaping the infected colony. He considered how the mushrooms had spread and noticed two headlights approaching in the darkness.

• He Ao accelerated toward the silent town after spotting figures moving among its buildings.
• Annie became entranced by the Ghost Mushrooms on the road, so He Ao ordered her to close her eyes and use the breathing technique he had taught her.
• He Ao rammed through the mushroom-controlled bodies while Annie repeatedly tried to take control of the vehicle, and they eventually escaped the colony.
• He Ao identified the organism as Ghost Mushroom and reasoned that its rapid spread, growing temptation, and coordinated corpses suggested it might have intelligence.
• He Ao decided to seek supplies and a place to communicate, then spotted two car headlights ahead.

He Ao rescued Annie after a sniper from the Merk Family ambushed their vehicle, then captured the sniper’s driver and learned that Man-Eating Mushrooms had devastated the wilderness. He considered what might explain the mushrooms’ differing behavior and asked the captive where to find the Andawei Family.

• He Ao hid Annie from the approaching sniper, used Black Shadow’s body as a decoy, and escaped the vehicle with her before returning fire from the roadside bushes.
• He Ao killed Youth, captured the young driver, and learned that they belonged to the Merk Family and had been observing the Man-Eating Mushrooms.
• The driver told He Ao that the mushrooms had destroyed several settlements and the largest Wilderness Wanderers Camp, and that the High Priest believed the survivors should migrate south.
• He Ao considered why Ghost Mushroom near Dawn City seemed less aggressive than those near Limen City, but concluded that he lacked enough clues to explain the difference.
• The driver explained that he and Anke had circled the mushroom field’s edge, though their route was dangerous, and He Ao brought Annie back into the vehicle.
• He Ao asked the driver where to find the Andawei Family, and the young man reacted with surprise.

He Ao brought the captive Merk Family youth to the Andawei Family stronghold, seeking temporary shelter and the Fountain of Youth. After resting through the night, he was told the Clan Leader wanted to see him.

• He Ao forced the Merk Family youth to guide him through the Ghost Mushroom region to the Andawei Family’s new stronghold.
• He Ao introduced himself to the sentries as someone fleeing disaster and said he was looking for the Fountain of Youth.
• The Andawei Family welcomed He Ao and Annie into the stronghold and gave them a well-equipped tent after learning of his fight with the Merk Family.
• Annie urged He Ao to rest, then kept watch while he slept and covered him with a blanket.
• After waking and sending Annie back to bed, He Ao drank coffee until the middle-aged man arrived and said the Clan Leader wanted to see him.

He Ao visited the Andawei Family’s camp to learn about its legend of the Fountain of Youth, but the family’s Old Man offered only a cryptic account. During a tour, He Ao discovered the camp’s school, factories, and advanced hospital, where he recognized an old doctor as a Transcendent.

• He Ao met the Andawei Family’s Old Man, who said the Fountain of Youth could grant immortality, though the immortal might not remain human.
• He Ao toured the camp with a middle-aged guide and saw its factories, organized school, and residential district.
• He Ao asked to enter the family’s central white building, and the Clan Leader granted permission to visit the hospital.
• The guide explained the hospital’s outpatient, inpatient, and research floors as He Ao and Annie looked around.
• He Ao used his divine sense on an old doctor making rounds and found white energy circulating in the doctor’s body, identifying him as a Transcendent.

He Ao and Annie discovered a Ghost Mushroom in the Andawei Family hospital and realized the family’s researchers were unaffected by its temptation. Meanwhile, Reed ordered Zadi to send an experimental squad into the wilderness to search for Pete, and He Ao offered to share a way to deal with the mushrooms.

• Bald Man broke into Pete’s empty home, but its camera-triggered alarm led Limen City police to catch him and charge him with burglary.
• Reed told Zadi to bail Bald Man out, then assigned him a newly transferred mercenary battalion and ordered him to search the wilderness using five C-Ⅶ Enhancement Drugs.
• He Ao noticed the Andawei Family’s doctors and medical staff had unusually light hair and gained permission to inspect the hospital’s third floor.
• He Ao and Annie felt the Ghost Mushroom’s temptation and found a specimen in a glass bottle labeled as the Clan Leader’s experiment.
• He Ao observed that the hospital staff were unaffected by the mushroom despite being living people, then offered to tell the Clan Leader what he knew and how to deal with it.

He Ao gathered materials and strengthened himself while staying with the Andawei Family, then suspected the Merk Family might be cooperating with the corporation’s hunters. The chapter left him preparing for trouble as dark clouds gathered over the wilderness.

• He Ao learned that the Merk Family had grown powerful after its High Priest advanced to C-Rank and was preparing to attack the Andawei Family.
• Five youths from the corporation arrived at the Merk Family camp and asked its High Priest to help find Pete, whom they intended to execute.
• The Merk Family High Priest directed the corporation’s squad toward the Andawei Family and persuaded them to join his planned attack.
• He Ao used the materials he requested to make and drink the Spectator, Mercenary, and Assassin potions, strengthening his body.
• He Ao warned Annie to pack, explaining that the Merk Family might be working with the people hunting them in the city.
• He Ao stepped outside as dark clouds gathered in the distance.

He Ao agreed to help the Andawei Family destroy the Ghost Mushrooms in exchange for the truth about the Fountain of Youth. Before they could begin, the Merk Family attacked under High Priest Kajia, and He Ao offered to face him.

• The old clan leader explained that the Ghost Mushrooms had unusual cells and might be experimental creations, while He Ao proposed burning them despite the danger of their alluring scent.
• He Ao agreed to enter the Ghost Mushrooms’ core area and light the fire if the Andawei Family aimed a Plasma Cannon at him in case he succumbed to temptation.
• He Ao demanded the truth about the Fountain of Youth, but the old clan leader warned that He Ao’s body was too weak to withstand its dangers.
• A teenage messenger reported that the Merk Family had attacked with five Mecha and that Jila had been severely injured in an ambush.
• The old clan leader identified Kajia as the Merk Family’s Rain Master, and He Ao drew his Short Sword and offered to take on the High Priest.

He Ao accepted the Andawei Family clan leader’s offer of a C-Rank Shadow Talent Sequence formula and moved to attack Kajia, who was sheltered behind a mecha squad. After luring the mechas away, He Ao appeared inside Kajia’s vehicle and confronted him.

• He Ao asked the old clan leader for a C-Rank Shadow Talent Sequence formula and help making Kajia’s Talent Sequence into a secret medicine, and the clan leader agreed.
• He Ao left Annie with the old clan leader, then surveyed the battle and found Kajia protected by two Three-Headed Dog mechas and three Meng Hu Type 3 mechas.
• He Ao attacked the Merk Family fighters near Kajia’s vehicle, drew the mecha squad away, and led its members into pursuit.
• Kajia boasted that the Merk Family would become the wilderness’s strongest family, and He Ao’s calm voice asked, “Is that so?”

He Ao defeated Kajia and stopped his attempt to summon the Ruler of Sky and Nature, but Reed’s five transformed fighters appeared to attack him. He prepared to face them alone, suspecting their unnatural strength was part of the research institute’s human experiments.

• He Ao exploited the Cerberus Mechas’ vulnerable cannons and power transmissions, lured the squad away from the crowd, and caused the mechas to explode.
• He Ao found Kajia in an armored car, killed a guard, and pursued Kajia after he fled toward the forest.
• Kajia used disposable vines and a gale to hinder He Ao, but He Ao caught and killed him before he could complete his invocation to the Ruler of Sky and Nature.
• He Ao sensed a new attack and dodged an armored car thrown by a three-meter crimson giant, who arrived with four other crimson fighters.
• He Ao recognized the five fighters as likely members of the Mecha Squad, suspected Reed had forcibly enhanced them, and prepared to fight as they leaped at him.

He Ao defeated the Little Giant and the remaining members of the combat squad despite the strain of his abilities. He carried Kajia’s body toward the Andawei Family’s camp, while a boy who wanted to bury the High Priest followed him and asked about Dawn City.

• He Ao used Stealth and Mental Interference to kill the squad’s most injured member, then struck down the Vice Captain and two more teammates.
• He Ao used the completed combat model to predict the Little Giant’s movements and destroy the energy convergence point beneath his right chest, killing him.
• With Super Memory’s power fading, He Ao walked to Kajia’s corpse and found a little boy trying to drag it away to bury the High Priest.
• The boy explained that Kajia had caused his parents’ deaths but had ensured his family did not go hungry; He Ao closed Kajia’s eyes and carried his body toward the Andawei Family’s camp.
• The boy followed He Ao, who told him he could go to Dawn City with his grandmother, a place where they would not have to go hungry.

After carrying Kajia’s corpse back to the Andawei Family camp, He Ao recovered in a sealed room where the old Clan Leader showed him water from the Fountain of Youth. The Clan Leader began recounting the family’s ancient history, and the murals revealed that their ancestors had found the spring after a disaster and migration.

• He Ao collapsed after entering the camp with Kajia’s corpse, and he asked the family not to hurt the little boy who had followed him.
• The old Clan Leader took He Ao to a sealed metal room, where warmth from the Fountain of Youth’s liquid restored him as he slept.
• He Ao examined the springwater and sensed that it possessed a faint soul and released energy contained by the room.
• The old Clan Leader explained that the family’s ancestors arrived on the land one or two thousand years earlier and recorded their history in murals.
• He Ao studied murals depicting a plague, a massive earthquake, and the ancestors’ migration to a new settlement.
• The old Clan Leader identified the spring shown in the seventh mural as the Fountain of Youth.