Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei explained why he avoided registering as an Ability Warrior and revealed his Wind Attribute control to Teng Wenli, who agreed to help him find books and told him about a Black Market near Greenwater City. Qu Jianlei bought a birthday gift for Teng Wenli’s daughter and visited a Fair-Price Store with Sophia, while learning that Papong’s Black Market might be protected by Supremes.

• Qu Jianlei told Teng Wenli that he wanted to read mechanical and medical books but feared officials would pry into the unusual opportunity behind his awakening.
• Qu Jianlei demonstrated his Wind Attribute by lifting and steadily spinning a wooden chair, and Teng Wenli judged him to be at least Rank B.
• Teng Wenli agreed to ask around about library access and told Qu Jianlei that Papong’s Black Market opened on odd-numbered nights and had many fakes.
• Qu Jianlei contacted Sophia, bought small accessories for Teng Wenli’s daughter’s fifteenth birthday, and declined Sophia’s request to join him at the banquet.
• Sophia warned Qu Jianlei that powerful figures, possibly Supremes, secretly backed Papong’s Black Market and urged him not to cause trouble.
• Sophia took Qu Jianlei to a Fair-Price Store, where he learned that schools brought prospective Modified Warriors to browse cultivation resources.

Qu Jianlei visited Greenwater City's low-price resource store, where a dispute over his Rank A status escalated after the receptionist and a middle-aged Ability Warrior treated him as a troublemaker. He refused to let the accusation go and challenged the man to a deadly fight, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Qu Jianlei and Sophia examined the store's resources, and Natasha dismissed Qu Jianlei's question about Rank A Crystals by saying he was not qualified to see them.
• Sophia provoked Natasha, and Qu Jianlei hinted that he was far stronger than the peak Rank C receptionist without revealing his rank.
• A middle-aged man arrived to collect Rank A resources, and Natasha told him Qu Jianlei had caused trouble.
• Qu Jianlei revealed two Rank A Crystals and sarcastically claimed he had robbed them, prompting the man to back down after realizing Qu Jianlei was Rank A.
• Qu Jianlei challenged the middle-aged man to a Life and Death Battle, and Natasha explained the dispute while the man accused Qu Jianlei of clinging to a trivial matter.

Qu Jianlei left a confrontation with Two-Headed Snake after making the A-rank warrior back down, and Sophia became convinced that Qu Jianlei was a powerful A-rank. Sophia then drove Qu Jianlei to Papong’s Black Market, where they surveyed the area before planning to disguise themselves.

• Two-Headed Snake asked Qu Jianlei how they could settle their dispute, but Qu Jianlei insulted him and walked away with Sophia.
• Two-Headed Snake warned Natasha that Qu Jianlei was dangerous, while Sophia later told Rose that Panda was a formidable A-rank.
• Sophia and Rose discussed recruiting Qu Jianlei and the lack of A-rank resources available to support their efforts.
• Sophia offered to drive Qu Jianlei to Papong’s Black Market, saying she had spread rumors that might attract sellers.
• Sophia showed Qu Jianlei the Black Market beneath a bridge at the Muddy Water River junction and explained why they needed disguises and how limited city security was.

Sophia took Qu Jianlei to the Black Market in cosplay, where he violently dealt with a child and Awl after they approached him. The market’s guards chose not to intervene, and Qu Jianlei continued browsing before pausing at an unfamiliar item beside a light truck.

• Sophia and Qu Jianlei chose costumes, dressed as the Two-Headed Man and Yellow Twin Stars, and walked toward the Black Market.
• A child charged at them, and Qu Jianlei grabbed the child by the hair and threw him into the Muddy Water River.
• Awl challenged Qu Jianlei and stabbed at him, but Qu Jianlei dislocated Awl’s joints and threw him into the river too.
• Tattooed Arm Second Brother and the others decided not to defend Awl, while vendors and bystanders recognized Qu Jianlei as dangerous.
• Qu Jianlei browsed the Black Market’s stalls and stopped beside a light truck to ask what an unfamiliar item was.

Qu Jianlei and Sophia explored the Black Market, where Qu Jianlei spotted fake mutated beast meat and adulterated Ability Rice. He refused a small offer from a boy selling genuine Ability Rice, who continued following them as Qu Jianlei stopped to inspect another stall.

• Qu Jianlei used his spiritual perception to discover that the first truck's supposed mutated beast meat was ordinary meat, and later judged another seller's meat to contain barely any energy.
• Qu Jianlei inspected a stall selling Ability Rice, found it was mostly ordinary rice with a little genuine rice mixed in, and left without buying any.
• A merchant learned that Qu Jianlei had thrown Awl into the river, so she decided not to confront him over leaving her stall.
• A small boy approached Qu Jianlei and offered Ability Rice at a higher price, but Qu Jianlei refused because the boy had only about fifty Silver Coins' worth.
• The boy continued following Qu Jianlei and Sophia, while Qu Jianlei crouched to inspect the goods at another stall.

Qu Jianlei tried to bargain with a stall owner over medals and strange exploration items, hoping to buy an object that held personal meaning for him. The owner exposed that object as fake and kept it back, leaving Qu Jianlei to sharply lower his offer for the remaining goods.

• Qu Jianlei examined the stall’s alien-world items and medals, and he and the fat middle-aged man probed each other’s knowledge and motives.
• Qu Jianlei offered to buy both piles of goods, and after haggling with the stall owner, agreed to pay six thousand Silver Coins.
• Qu Jianlei identified more than twenty manufactured items as dodgy, while pretending not to recognize some other fakes.
• The fat middle-aged man picked up the palm-sized object Qu Jianlei wanted and declared it dodgy, revealing he had no intention of selling it.
• Qu Jianlei accused the stall owner of breaking their understanding and lowered his offer for everything else to two hundred and forty Silver Coins.

Qu Jianlei recognized a corroded Taiji Bagua Diagram at a Black Market stall but left without buying it when the seller demanded information about it. He and Sophia then visited the market’s upper floor, where Qu Jianlei bought rare Crystals and Qi Recovery Pills before asking about Ability Rice.

• Qu Jianlei offered the fat seller far less than his asking price for a bundle that included the Taiji Bagua Diagram, but refused to explain the diagram when the seller offered to pay for the information.
• Qu Jianlei left the stall, and the fat seller intimidated Rotten Finger before packing up and departing in the opposite direction.
• Qu Jianlei and Sophia entered the Black Market’s second floor, where Qu Jianlei inspected the prices of Rank B and Rank A Crystals.
• Qu Jianlei verified his funds and bought ten Rank B Crystals, two Rank A Crystals, and some Qi Recovery Pills for more than five hundred thousand Silver Coins.
• Qu Jianlei asked the receptionist whether the market sold Ability Rice, and the receptionist said the market did not trade in prohibited goods because Crystals had civilian distribution channels.

Qu Jianlei and Sophia left the Black Market after learning that genuine Ability Rice was scarce and expensive, then bought a bag from the child who had followed them. Qu Jianlei sensed that the rice was losing energy and confronted the frightened child.

• The receptionist explained that Ability Rice was tightly controlled and offered to connect Qu Jianlei with a supplier, but he refused to arrange a future meeting.
• Qu Jianlei and Sophia left the Black Market, and Sophia noticed the child following them from a distance.
• The child warned Sophia that Awl’s group had killed people, then agreed to sell them Ability Rice.
• The child retrieved one of two hidden bags from the bushes and sold its contents to Sophia for fifty Silver Coin.
• Qu Jianlei sensed that the Ability Rice’s energy was leaking away, and the child turned pale when he pointed out that something was wrong.

Qu Jianlei bought old Ability Rice from a child in the Black Market and discovered that it helped repair his injuries. Teng Wenli arranged for him to work temporarily as a librarian in the Old District, where he could read books during his free time.

• Qu Jianlei bought the child's remaining bag of four-year-old Ability Rice after learning that the boy's family needed money for his mother's treatment.
• Qu Jianlei found that cooking and eating Ability Rice gently nourished his body and helped repair injuries from Zalifu Star.
• Teng Wenli visited Qu Jianlei, shared a meal of Ability Rice, and explained that old rice could be mixed with ordinary rice for children.
• Teng Wenli arranged for Qu Jianlei to read at the Old District library as a temporary administrator, provided he paid a refundable deposit.

Qu Jianlei settled into his temporary librarian job at the Old Town District Library and spent his quiet shifts devouring books. When an alarm sounded in the Rare Books Building, he activated the main building’s defenses, but an attacker’s blast shook the library.

• Teng Wenli helped Qu Jianlei secure a temporary librarian position, and Qu Jianlei completed his hiring procedures at the Old Town District Library.
• Qu Jianlei began work under Dave, learned the library’s routines, and used his free time to study its catalog and collection.
• A professor from Green Water Academy arrived during the lunch closure, and Qu Jianlei let her in after checking her high-access library card and directing her to the materials she needed.
• Qu Jianlei spent the next days reading through stacks of books while keeping up with his duties.
• An alarm rang in the Rare Books Building, and Qu Jianlei activated the main building’s intermediate defenses as an A-rank attacker confronted someone inside.
• A heavy boom shook the ground twice after Qu Jianlei activated the defenses.

Qu Jianlei guarded the library's Main Building Gate and fought Zheng Yan, a Rank B Fire Attribute warrior who tried to enter after his ally was chased from the Rare Books Building. Zheng Yan drew a dagger and struck back, leaving their fight unresolved.

• Qu Jianlei sensed a Rank A fleeing the Rare Books Building as Old Lady Jia pursued, while Zheng Yan attacked the building from outside.
• Unable to damage the Rare Books Building, Zheng Yan charged toward the Main Building Gate, intending to set the library on fire.
• Qu Jianlei stopped Zheng Yan at the gate, deflected his fireball, and refused to let him pass.
• Zheng Yan used Magma Eruption, but Qu Jianlei closed in and staggered him with a kick, then struck him with elbows and threw him to the ground.
• After Qu Jianlei continued battering him, Zheng Yan drew a short dagger and thrust it toward his opponent.

Qu Jianlei secretly used Mental Influence and close-combat skills to defeat Zheng Yan at the library, then concealed his role as officials investigated the attack and a burglary of the Top Secret Archive. When Zheng Yan was brought back to identify the scene, he described Qu Jianlei as a Modified Warrior, prompting Dave to ask why Qu Jianlei had registered as an ordinary person.

• Qu Jianlei used Mental Influence to throw off Zheng Yan's attacks, beat him, and slipped away as library staff arrived.
• Qu Jianlei helped at the Rare Books Building while investigators examined the library, and he later left work without staying overtime.
• The next day, Qu Jianlei learned that the Top Secret Archive had been burglarized and wondered if his bad-luck aura was involved.
• The City Garrison brought Zheng Yan to identify locations, and he claimed he had not attacked Qu Jianlei despite being assaulted by the temporary librarian.
• Dave told Qu Jianlei that the director wanted to know why he had registered his identity as an ordinary person.

Qu Jianlei discussed his low-paid library job with Kadani as investigators failed to find the thief who stole a rare book. He later bought crystals, Ability Rice, and a forged array-formation book at a distant Black Market, then sensed an unusual presence outside his home that vanished when he investigated.

• Kadani questioned Qu Jianlei about his work and offered him a bonus, while a City Library representative tried to recruit him.
• After two days without leads, rumors spread that a rare book had been stolen and had drawn the attention of Greenwater City's upper ranks.
• Rose and Sophia invited Qu Jianlei to a distant Black Market, where he bought two Rank A Crystals, fifty jin of Ability Rice, and an old book about array formations.
• Qu Jianlei drove the sisters home, gave them a guide fee, and later sent Teng Wenli one jin of Ability Rice without accepting payment.
• Qu Jianlei sensed an unusual presence outside his room, but it disappeared when he went to investigate.

Qu Jianlei ignored repeated Mental Strength probes at his villa, then spoke with Zi Jiuxian at the library, where she urged him to study mechanical engineering at Green Water Academy. The chapter left him receiving Rose’s message about a potential Ability Rice deal and suspecting that the visitors he had been expecting had finally arrived.

• Qu Jianlei noticed someone probing his villa, pretended not to react to a second probe, and stayed alert through the night.
• Zi Jiuxian praised Qu Jianlei’s reading and mechanical talent, then invited him to study mechanical engineering at Green Water Academy.
• Qu Jianlei rejected Zi Jiuxian’s offer and warned her not to ask about his origins.
• Zi Jiuxian offered to arrange his studies on another planet, and Qu Jianlei dismissed the idea for the time being.
• Rose contacted Qu Jianlei to propose a deal with someone holding a large quantity of Ability Rice, and he suspected the expected visitors had arrived.

Qu Jianlei realized Rose was being coerced into arranging a meeting, but he refused to follow his opponents’ timetable and chose the meeting place himself. After insisting the deal happen that day, he watched two vehicles arrive at the clearing with armed men.

• Qu Jianlei suspected Rose had contacted him under pressure, while Rose was held by a man and woman who demanded that she arrange a meeting with Panda.
• Sophia told Qu Jianlei that Rose was trying to sell Ability Rice, and Qu Jianlei delayed the deal while pretending to negotiate over credit and interest.
• Qu Jianlei took the afternoon off, chose a clearing on the outskirts, and told Rose that the transaction would happen there.
• When Rose said the timing was unsuitable, Qu Jianlei refused to change the location and said he would not entertain them another day.
• Rose eventually told Qu Jianlei the seller was coming, and two Off-road Vehicles arrived before nightfall with four armed men stepping out of the first vehicle.

Qu Jianlei confronted a group that had come to force him into cooperation, and revealed that he was stronger and more versatile than they expected. The encounter ended with him evading Hilton’s Gravity Field and showing interest in the fight.

• A Rank B man demanded that Qu Jianlei cooperate, threatened to break his legs, and revealed the group’s connection to the theft at the Rare Books Building.
• Qu Jianlei cut the man’s thighs with Wind Blades and warned the armed men not to move.
• Hilton, a Rank A Earth Attribute Warrior, emerged, and Qu Jianlei recognized him as the fat man who had sold the Taiji Bagua Diagram at the Black Market.
• Hilton tried to learn who stood behind Qu Jianlei, then attacked him with a Gravity Field while speaking.
• Qu Jianlei escaped the spell’s range using the Earth Element, leaving Hilton stunned and Qu Jianlei delighted by the challenge.

Qu Jianlei confronted Hilton and a dark-skinned Wood Attribute Rank A after they used Rose as leverage, and he threatened to expose their techniques and track their organization. He began negotiating compensation for his silence, demanding Ability Rice, information about the stolen ancient book, Rank A Crystals, and an item held by Hilton’s brother.

• Qu Jianlei evaded Hilton’s Gravity Field and the Wood Attribute Rank A’s attacks, then recognized the latter as the thief who had entered the Rare Books Building.
• The dark-skinned man threatened Rose, but Qu Jianlei warned that he would avenge her and hunt down the organization’s members through assassinations and by informing the authorities and Old Lady Jia.
• Hilton threatened to expose Qu Jianlei’s hidden cultivation, while Qu Jianlei countered that their Rank A use of Gravity Field would draw unwanted attention to their research.
• The dark-skinned man offered to negotiate for Qu Jianlei’s silence and ordered Hilton to stop interrupting.
• Qu Jianlei demanded ten thousand jin of New Rice and asked what the organization had taken from the Rare Books Building; the dark-skinned man revealed it was an ancient book.
• Qu Jianlei added around ten Rank A Crystals and an item held by Hilton’s brother to his demands.

Qu Jianlei abandoned his request for the Gravity Field spell model and demanded the group fulfill his first three requests, including handing over the antique. When they refused to give it up, he killed Jin and left, forcing the group to weigh the danger of challenging him against the risk of revealing what they knew about the library.

• Qu Jianlei dropped his request for the Gravity Field model and insisted that the group honor his first three demands without bargaining.
• When the dark-skinned man refused to give him the antique, Qu Jianlei killed the injured B-rank man Jin with a lightning strike and departed.
• Hilton and the dark-skinned man concluded that Qu Jianlei could use spells from two Attributes and might have powerful backing, so they warned the others against seeking revenge.
• The C-rank woman knocked Rose unconscious and questioned whether a Supreme might be needed to kill Qu Jianlei, but Hilton warned her not to gamble with the organization's interests.
• Hilton feared Qu Jianlei had gone to spread information about them, while Qu Jianlei privately reflected that he had no one to leave a fallback with and wondered why they wanted the library.

Qu Jianlei tried to make sense of the Rare Books Building theft while Old Lady Jia confronted him about his forged identity and urged him to study at Green Water Academy. Later, Sophia reported that Rose had arranged a large amount of Ability Rice for him, and Qu Jianlei called the Wristwatch that Rose had apparently handed to someone else.

• Qu Jianlei returned home after the theft and spent the night waiting for news of Rose, but nothing happened.
• Old Lady Jia questioned Qu Jianlei about why he came to the library, revealed she knew he had a forged identity, and advised him to leave for Green Water Academy.
• Professor Zi Jiuxian visited the library, but Qu Jianlei dismissed her and denied that Old Lady Jia had said anything about her.
• Sophia told Qu Jianlei that Rose had contacted her and negotiated a large amount of Ability Rice for him, asking him to prepare the money.
• Qu Jianlei called Rose's Wristwatch, and a man answered, leaving Sophia stunned that her sister had given it to him.

Qu Jianlei negotiated a new cooperation with the organization that had taken Rose, while refusing to claim a Supreme stood behind him. After Rose reunited with Sophia, the sisters discussed Qu Jianlei’s abilities and wondered whether he had All Attributes.

• Qu Jianlei rejected the organization’s offer to sell him Ability Rice as compensation, but considered its proposal to study ancient items together.
• Qu Jianlei told the dark-skinned man that no Supreme stood behind him and arranged for the two of them to discuss cooperation in person.
• Sophia accused Qu Jianlei of keeping her sister’s capture from her, then insisted on going with him to see Rose.
• Qu Jianlei met the dark-skinned man and Hilton at his villa, where Rose reunited with Sophia and the Rank A Warriors discussed cooperation privately.
• Rose told Sophia that Qu Jianlei had killed a Rank B Warrior and could use Wind Attribute and Electromagnetic Art, leading Sophia to suspect he was a Supreme.
• Rose said Qu Jianlei was more likely to have All Attributes.