Chapter Summaries

After taking Lin Chichi and Elifia as disciples, He Ao discovered that his courtyard had become an anomalous place that strengthened martial arts comprehension and even its walls. He began their first early-morning lesson with an introductory fist technique, then prepared to teach them Qi Induction.

• He Ao sensed that taking disciples had caused a lasting change in the courtyard, and he bought the property after noticing its unusual effects.
• He Ao tested the courtyard wall and found that its stones had become much harder as the changes continued to deepen.
• Lin Chichi and Elifia discussed Elifia's possible royal ancestry, He Ao's guidance, and the stories surrounding him at the Research Institute.
• Elifia woke Lin Chichi before dawn, and the two hurried into the courtyard for their first lesson with He Ao.
• He Ao taught them five introductory fist movements, and the courtyard's influence helped Lin Chichi keep pace as she learned.
• After correcting their practice, He Ao stopped the lesson and announced that he would teach them Qi Induction.

He Ao explained the differences between martial arts and the Talent Sequence, then guided Lin Chichi and Elifia through their first Qi Induction. As the girls succeeded, He Ao reached an epiphany that brought him close to B-rank, but he still lacked the final opportunity to break through.

• He Ao explained that martial arts refined natural energy into personal power while Talent Sequence power came with risks, and he warned Lin Chichi against seeking shortcuts.
• He Ao introduced the Energy Circuit and used the Introductory Fist Technique to help Elifia recognize her own pathways.
• He Ao corrected Lin Chichi's movements until she calmed down, then guided both girls through their first Qi Induction at dawn.
• Lin Chichi and Elifia successfully circulated energy through their bodies while He Ao absorbed dawn energy and gained an epiphany that brought him to the threshold of B-rank.
• He Ao praised the girls, ended the lesson, and ordered them to practice the Introductory Fist Technique at least twenty times each day or face five hundred extra repetitions.

Lin Chichi traveled to World Tree Ika Headquarters, where she reunited with Song Xiao and reflected on how He Ao had changed her life and helped save Ika. Elsewhere, He Ao recognized that teaching martial arts gave him a special ability, while the Youth continued fishing in Central Land.

• Lin Chichi messaged Hao Yi about He Ao’s remarkable martial arts teaching and described how his instruction helped her understand and practice.
• Lin Chichi arrived at World Tree Ika Headquarters and met Song Xiao, who explained how she had joined the evacuation effort and later helped maintain Order in Rodan.
• Song Xiao praised He Ao for organizing the evacuation, and Lin Chichi agreed that his actions had saved many lives.
• Lin Chichi told Song Xiao she no longer needed a guard, then attributed her new cheerfulness to having gotten close to the sun.
• In Newland City State, He Ao realized that teaching martial arts gave him a passive ability that improved his students’ comprehension and eased cultivation.
• In Central Land, the Youth cast his empty fishing hook farther into the river as a little boy arrived and began fishing nearby.

Zhang Anxia reviewed He Ao’s rapid rise and warned that the fugitive Rain Demon might have reached Central Land. That night, He Ao and a young boy practiced patience while fishing in the rain, and He Ao finally lifted a heavily weighted line as dawn broke.

• Zhang Anxia and a woman discussed He Ao’s achievements and the Research Institute’s warning that Rain Demon might have entered Central Land.
• He Ao and a boy fished quietly on opposite stretches of the riverbank as the boy’s grandfather helped him learn patience.
• As rain swept over the river, the boy took the rod and watched the float without swinging it.
• He Ao stopped lifting his rod and listened to the wind and rain as an illusory Old Man appeared beside him.
• At dawn, He Ao raised his hand and pulled a heavily weighted fishing line from the water.

He Ao broke through the final barrier of his divine consciousness, killed Rain Demon from afar, and returned to the sanatorium to share a meal with his companions. As the chapter ended, the Life Simulation Game matched him with a new character: Mayor Lynn.

• He Ao completed his divine-consciousness breakthrough in the rain and sent a leaf fragment flying into the clouds with tremendous force.
• Rain Demon threatened Zhang Anxia, a teacher, and the children at a school, but an emerald strike pierced and killed him before he could attack.
• Zhang Anxia and the staff rescued the hostages, while he and a woman in white found an ordinary leaf fragment and watched the rain clouds disperse.
• He Ao returned to the sanatorium with fish and hosted a meal for Li Cheng, Hao Yi, Goya, Lin Chichi, Elifia, Yan Yue, Jie An, and the staff.
• A television report described the widespread rosy clouds, and He Ao saw Yang De's reply and an old photograph of himself fishing with his grandfather.
• After returning to his hotel, He Ao watched the countdown reach zero and received his new game character, Mayor Lynn.

After years of political struggle, the protagonist narrowly became Ilan City’s mayor and began challenging the consortiums, which retaliated with sanctions, impeachment, and an attack. Badly wounded and surrounded after ordering his guards to withdraw, he faced his attackers alone before catching an electromagnetic shell and emerging through the flames.

• The protagonist became Ilan City’s mayor and began investigating consortium taxes and pushing for medical and wage protections, provoking widespread protests.
• The Nord Financial Consortium-led alliance sanctioned Ilan City, and the protagonist sought support in Rock City and Dawn City before returning amid vicious media attacks and an impeachment process.
• The protagonist learned that the southern district’s City Defense Army commander might attempt a coup and was attacked while returning from a speech.
• The protagonist’s security captain and vice captain helped him escape, but attackers surrounded him, claimed they had kidnapped his daughter, and demanded his surrender.
• The protagonist ordered his security detail to withdraw, caught an electromagnetic shell with Hyperthymesia, and emerged from the explosion as the attackers stared in shock.

He Ao defeated the attackers who had ambushed Lynn, including their Brawny Man leader, despite his body nearing collapse. After the Mayor's Guard found him and caught him as he stumbled, he recognized a young guard who recalled that Lynn had once treated his grandmother without charge.

• He Ao dodged the gunfire and fought the Brawny Man, whose strength exceeded an ordinary B-rank.
• He Ao caught the false daughter, exposed her mechanical body, and used her syringe to weaken the Brawny Man before striking his Energy Convergence Point.
• The Brawny Man mutated into a monster, but He Ao cut open its heart and destroyed its power source, then killed the remaining attackers.
• The Mayor's Guard returned to find the attackers dead, and He Ao collapsed from his injuries as they rushed to support him.
• He Ao asked a young guard whether they had met before, and the guard reminded him that Lynn had cured his grandmother without taking payment.

After surviving an attack on the Mayor's convoy, He Ao checked on Sena and Linna, recovered his equipment, and learned that the South City Commander might act that night. He rejected Farn's plan to return to the Mayor's Residence and ordered the group to fly to the South City Defense Army Command Center.

• He Ao asked Sena about his grandmother's health and praised the young guard for his service.
• The Vice Captain reported that Farn had broken through the encirclement and contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Municipal Police Department.
• He Ao borrowed Sena's Smart Bracelet, called Linna, and warned her to stay at Dawn University.
• He Ao flipped his burning ten-ton mayoral car upright, opened its trunk, and retrieved a silver Smart Bracelet and his belongings.
• Farn arrived and urged He Ao to return to the Mayor's Residence or flee by private plane, warning that the South City Commander might act that night.
• He Ao finished assembling his Brass Cane and ordered Farn to take them to the South City Defense Army Command Center.

He Ao refused to flee Ilan City and flew with Farn toward General Kovi’s stronghold in South City. Surrounded by Seraph Mechs and Dragon Rider Fighters, he opened the Floating Fighter’s door and demanded to see the South City commander.

• He Ao ordered Sena and the other guards to investigate the attackers while Farn accompanied him to South City.
• The Mayor’s Guard stayed behind to secure the scene and search for evidence that might help He Ao when he returned.
• During the flight, He Ao removed shrapnel, treated his wounds, and changed into a gray suit while Farn piloted the Floating Fighter.
• A force of Seraph Mechs and Dragon Rider Fighters surrounded the Floating Fighter as it approached South City.
• He Ao stood in the open doorway and introduced himself as Lynn, Ilan City’s mayor, demanding that the South City commander come to see him.

He Ao met General Kovi at the South City Defense Army Command Center as Kovi prepared an operation against the Mayor’s Residence. In the rain, He Ao appealed to Kovi’s past and his own record as a doctor, leaving Kovi’s decision—and the threat of a coup—unresolved.

• He Ao entered the South City defenses with Kovi after Farn warned that the general’s forces could leave them with no chance to survive.
• At the Command Center, He Ao saw military preparations aimed at the Mayor’s Residence, while Kovi called them an exercise.
• Kovi told He Ao that corporate pressure and rising unrest had pushed his subordinates toward action against the City Cabinet.
• He Ao recalled Kovi’s family’s hardships, including his parents’ lost jobs and his father’s mining accident, as the two walked to a garden overlooking Saint Ilan District.
• In the rain, Kovi questioned whether He Ao’s flames could withstand threats inside and beyond the city, and He Ao urged him to trust the doctor who had offered free consultations in Ningweisi District.

He Ao met Kewei during a failed coup and secured the general’s public support, then departed through the City Defense Army’s formation. Kewei ordered Lieka stopped after learning he had stolen a Seraph Mech, but He Ao’s Floating Fighter signal vanished, and He Ao later asked Farn whether he had wronged him.

• Kewei and He Ao discussed their assumptions about one another, and Kewei acknowledged that many City Defense Army soldiers might have sided with He Ao if he had gone to the Mayor’s Residence.
• He Ao and Kewei publicly praised each other before Farn and the officers, confirming Kewei’s support for Mayor Lynn and silencing an officer who tried to challenge him.
• After He Ao left, Kewei told his officers that Lynn was gravely wounded and defended his choice to ally with him; the officers realized Lynn’s capabilities exceeded their assessment.
• The officers discovered Lieka had taken a Seraph Mech, and Kewei ordered the First Mecha Squad to protect He Ao’s Floating Fighter and kill Lieka, but they could not locate its signal.
• He Ao opened the cabin doors, exchanged salutes with the Mecha and Dragon Rider Fighters, and asked Farn whether he had done anything to wrong him.

He Ao exposed Farn’s betrayal, killed him, and learned that he had been working with lobbying consultant Li Weisi. Badly injured and pursued by a stolen Seraph Mech, He Ao used Eve to pilot the Floating Fighter and prepared to confront the attacker.

• He Ao revealed that he had marked Farn and discovered him secretly sending information about his condition to a third party.
• Farn admitted betraying He Ao and attacked him with a dagger, but He Ao stopped the blade and killed him.
• He Ao learned through the mark that Farn had contacted Li Weisi, a lobbying company’s chief consultant who had previously tried to buy Lynn’s cooperation.
• He Ao connected his wristband to Eve and had her take control of the Floating Fighter, whereupon the radar detected an approaching Seraph Mech.
• The South City Command Center warned He Ao that a defecting officer had stolen the Mech, and He Ao ordered Eve to leave downtown and let it approach.

Lieka pursued Mayor Lynn’s Floating Fighter and repeatedly tried to destroy it, but He Ao killed Lieka by throwing a dagger through the Seraph Mech. After He Ao warned the arriving Mechas of stealth-camouflaged missiles, the squad prepared an interception while Eve analyzed the approaching threat.

• Lieka chased the unarmed Floating Fighter, intending to kill Mayor Lynn and escape through North City, but the pilot dodged his first two cannon shots.
• Lieka closed in and fired a barrage to force the Floating Fighter upward, then aimed his main cannon at the apparently trapped craft.
• He Ao stood at the open hatch and threw a dagger through the Seraph Mech, killing Lieka and triggering the Mech’s explosion.
• Eight Seraph Mechs arrived, and their squad began contacting Mr. Lynn before He Ao reported the positions of incoming missiles.
• The squad detected stealth-camouflaged High-Energy Guided Missiles and activated its automatic air defense system to intercept them.
• Eve explained that she had identified the missiles by analyzing unusual radar signals and calculated interception positions.

He Ao used the Floating Fighter as bait to draw a salvo of black missiles away from the Mecha Squad, then directed the squad's manual fire to destroy them. After surviving the explosions, he told the squad he was safe and set course for the Mayor's Residence.

• He Ao released the Floating Fighter's engine power lock and overclocked the engine to evade missiles targeting him.
• He Ao drew the missiles downward while sending Eve's interception data to the Mecha Squad and ordering its pilots to switch to Full Manual Mode.
• He Ao used a low flight over the streets to create an opening, and the Mecha Squad fired beams that destroyed most of the missiles.
• He Ao sent updated coordinates and coordinated a second volley that intercepted the remaining missiles as he flew beneath them and climbed away.
• The Mecha Squad feared He Ao had been hit, but he emerged from the fire cloud alive and confirmed that all missiles had been intercepted.
• He Ao declined an escort to the South City Command Center and said he needed to return to the Mayor's Residence.

Kewei learned that Mayor Lynn had saved First Mecha Squad and decided to support him, sending forces to protect the Mayor's Residence as Lynn returned there. He Ao arrived at the residence and learned that the Vice Mayor had called.

• Kewei heard how the mayor piloted a Floating Fighter to lure and help intercept the missiles threatening First Mecha Squad.
• Kewei rejected keeping the incident secret and ordered reconnaissance support near the Mayor's Residence, First Mecha Squad to guard Mayor Lynn, and Second Mecha Squad to station at the East City Gate.
• Lynn returned to the Mayor's Residence beneath the protection of eight Seraph Mechs as reporters and citizens watched.
• He Ao entered the residence and told Lynn's Chief of Staff to wait until morning before responding to reporters.
• Lynn's Chief of Staff told He Ao that the Vice Mayor had called.

After surviving an assassination attempt, He Ao reassured Vice Mayor Lant and secretly asked him to keep their call private before seeking treatment for his severe wounds. Meanwhile, the attackers’ allies debated whether Lynn was truly injured and suspected the Mayor’s Residence no longer trusted Lant.

• He Ao told the Mayor's Residence staff that he would give a livestreamed speech the next morning and that they should make no response before then.
• He Ao told Vice Mayor Lant that he believed Lant had not arranged the attack, then asked him not to reveal that they had spoken.
• He Ao entered the medical room and showed Doctor Dess wounds so severe that bone was visible; Dess began treating him.
• A refined man questioned Suspenders Man about the failed attack and learned that Lynn had refused calls and visitors, including Vice Mayor Lant.

A struggling intern photographed Mayor Lynn’s return and posted an image of him approaching the palace, while Li Weisi discussed how the assassination attempt could divide Lynn’s coalition and undermine his reforms. Li Weisi’s conversation was interrupted by federal investigators pounding on his door.

• A young reporter failed to find an exclusive assassination story and received a warning from her boss about her internship.
• After reviewing her photo of an Old Man approaching the palace through jasmine flowers, the reporter added a hidden watermark and posted it on a forum.
• Li Weisi explained that the assassination plot aimed to drive a wedge between Mayor Lynn and Vice Mayor Lant, regardless of who eventually became mayor.
• Li Weisi told the Suspenders Man to continue efforts to discredit Lynn’s reforms before the mayor’s livestreamed speech.
• Li Weisi began explaining why Farn could not expose him, but Federal Bureau of Investigation agents pounded on the door.

Tucker and the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Li Weisi using a Federal Taxation Bureau investigation and search warrant, after bluffing him into revealing his connection to the mayoral assassination. Meanwhile, He Ao rested in the hospital and checked his personal attributes.

• Li Weisi reassured Suspenders Man that he was safe, but armed officers broke into his villa before he could hide his equipment.
• Sena confronted Li Weisi, while Tucker restrained him and challenged his claims that the officers lacked legal authority.
• Tucker revealed that the arrest concerned alleged tax evasion, showed Li Weisi the search warrant, and took him into custody.
• Tucker told Sena that the Federal Taxation Bureau had already been investigating Li Weisi's taxes, following Mr. Lynn's plan.
• He Ao recovered in the hospital, sensed his body's healing, and looked toward the Personal Attributes interface.

After advancing his martial arts, He Ao learned to project his divine sense and handled the cabinet’s reaction to his assassination, including the flight of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Meanwhile, reporter Ini discovered a lead connecting the mayor’s mechs to an aircraft in the Nevis District and arranged to interview the witness.

• He Ao completed his B-rank martial arts advancement with energy from the blood-nourishing jade pendant and gained the ability to project his divine sense and control objects remotely.
• He Ao learned that the Minister of Internal Affairs had fled with his family and ordered the deputy minister appointed acting minister.
• He Ao received Christos’s warning that the Ives Space Systems mercenary group had passed near Dawn City and headed southwest toward Ives City.
• Ini worried about losing her internship and, after checking her popular forum post, contacted a user who recognized the mayor’s mechs in the Nevis District.
• Ini identified the witness’s mention of a police hover fighter as a lead, offered to interview him, and arranged to meet on Yellow Larch Street.

Inie left in the rain to pursue a work-related lead while He Ao, recovered from his injuries, went to confront Li Weisi before the suspect could be released on bail. The chapter ended with He Ao’s intense stare silencing Li Weisi in the van.

• Inie quietly left Liss’s apartment with her camera and umbrella after receiving a work-related message.
• He Ao left the hospital and asked Tucker whether the suspect had arrived, while Sena and Tucker explained that Li Weisi’s expected bail could soon force his release.
• Tucker and Sena described Li Weisi’s legal protections and the difficulty of finding evidence against him, though Tucker suggested bail restrictions could limit his movements.
• He Ao entered the Federal Bureau of Investigation van, where Li Weisi challenged his authority and taunted him about surviving the assassination.
• He Ao fixed Li Weisi with a menacing stare, causing Li Weisi’s smile to stiffen and leaving him unable to speak.