Chapter Summaries

Bai Pu learned that his Spider Demon Tower Shield’s artifact spirit was struggling to devour Emperor Gustav’s remnant soul, and Chi Li explained that demon and monster materials could help it achieve a safer fusion. Bai Pu then joined his team on the trip to West Capital for the National Competition, where Teacher Cai Cai outlined the tournament format and warned that the competition would be fierce.

• Bai Pu used Spirit Energy to examine the Dark Gold Cocoon and saw the Demon Spider Woman’s artifact spirit attacking Emperor Gustav’s fading remnant soul.
• Bai Pu consulted Chi Li, who identified the shield’s artifact spirit, explained that it was suppressing the equipment’s demonic nature, and advised feeding it demon or monster materials.
• Chi Li warned Bai Pu that a perfect fusion might require lord-level demon or monster materials, and offered to search among the High-Level Awakened for them.
• Bai Pu ended the call and joined his team as they prepared to travel to West Capital for the National Competition.
• Teacher Cai Cai explained that thirty-two teams would compete in eight groups, with only each group’s winner advancing to the Top Eight Knockout Stage.
• Teacher Cai Cai cautioned the team that nearly every National Competition opponent was at least as strong as Jiangnan University.

Bai Pu and the Xi Polytechnic team arrived in West Capital for the National Competition and learned about the obstacles facing Jiangnan District’s teams. After West Capital University delayed their access to its Penglai Island training grounds, Bai Pu took the team there to familiarize themselves with the Group Stage venue.

• Teacher Cai Cai explained that Jiangnan University’s weak national standing stemmed from repeated Group Stage failures and the district’s lack of strong training opportunities and family talent.
• Bai Pu reviewed the competition intelligence, judged it outdated, and resumed training his Combat Expertise.
• The Xi Polytechnic team arrived at West Capital University and received an offer to use the affiliated Penglai Island Intersection Lands.
• When Xi Polytechnic’s access card was delayed, the team learned that Sword Gate University had already visited Penglai Island and suspected they were being taken less seriously.
• Teacher Cai Cai obtained the access card, and Bai Pu led the team to Penglai Island to familiarize themselves with the Group Stage venue.

Bai Pu trained on Penglai Island ahead of the Group Stage, where Borderland Swordsman and Sword Gate University's team arrived to size him up. Bai Pu failed to scan Borderland Swordsman's attributes, and the chapter left their promised match for a later round.

• Bai Pu and his teammates entered the Intersection Lands and trained on an unoccupied island.
• Borderland Swordsman arrived with Sword Gate University's team, including Iron Xiong Guan, Lan Feng, and Water Bird.
• Bai Pu recognized Lan Feng from their conflict in Flesh Plague: World of Aberrations, while she still resented him for making her miss a world event.
• Borderland Swordsman taunted Bai Pu and said he would spar only if Bai Pu reached the top eight.
• Bai Pu scanned the team's attributes but could not detect Borderland Swordsman's information, and Borderland Swordsman revealed that detection required priority 8 or higher.

Bai Pu watched the National Competition draw and the opening match, where West Capital University crushed Jiangnan University before the team battle. After West Capital’s tank Wan Ren displayed a powerful rock-based skill, Borderland Swordsman claimed it came from an esoteric art.

• Bai Pu suspected Borderland Swordsman had exceptional perception after the Sword Gate University team departed.
• The draw placed Jiangnan University in Group One with West Capital University and West Liang University in Group Three with Xi Polytechnic University.
• Bai Pu learned Xi Polytechnic’s schedule and received permission to train at least two kilometers from the competition venues.
• Bai Pu watched West Capital University defeat Jiangnan University 56:0 in four solo matches, with Wan Ren overcoming Long Xiang using Rock Armor.
• Borderland Swordsman told Bai Pu that Wan Ren’s skill was an esoteric art and said Jiangnan District had never produced an intermediate Awakened genius who comprehended one.

Bai Pu realized that the level 6 contestants were delaying their advancement to comprehend Mysteries, while West Capital University and Qian Yuan University won their opening matches. Xi Polytechnic took the stage to face West Liang University as Borderland Swordsman seethed over Senior Xuan Pin's taunts.

• Bai Pu deduced that level 6 heroes and Awakened geniuses were tempering their Combat Expertise to comprehend Mysteries before entering Profession Planes.
• West Capital University's team defeated Jiangnan University four rounds to none without sending captain Beacon Fire into battle.
• Qian Yuan University beat East Sea University of Science and Technology four rounds to one, with Hao Tian winning the final round.
• Teacher Cai Cai called Bai Pu and his teammates to prepare for their match, while Borderland Swordsman taunted them.
• Blood Spider and Senior Xuan Pin rebuked Borderland Swordsman, who cursed Xi Polytechnic after they took the stage to face West Liang University.

Xi Polytechnic used Bai Pu’s lineup strategy to avoid West Liang University’s counter to Blood Spider and took an early lead in the solo matches. Bai Pu faced West Liang’s support Tangerine, who conceded before the team battle.

• Bai Pu persuaded Teacher Cai Cai to move Blood Spider to second and himself to third, aiming to save their strength for the team battle.
• Tie Gui used Lasso Strike and a barrage of negative statuses to defeat Xi Polytechnic’s first contestant.
• Blood Spider defeated West Liang’s second contestant by attacking from range and using the terrain to avoid his charges.
• Tangerine conceded immediately when she faced Bai Pu, who examined her support abilities with Nine Chapters.

Xi Polytechnic University tied West Liang University at 28:28 after Jing Xi lost the fourth solo match, forcing the teams into a battle with Jing Xi nearly out of energy. The team battle began with West Liang University rushing Xuanpin to disrupt his ultimate skill, while Bai Pu stepped in to shield him from sniper fire.

• Plain-Faced Man exhausted his trump cards but failed to damage Heart Sword, tying the score at 28:28 and canceling the fifth solo match.
• Jing Xi admitted he had little Battle Qi left, and Bai Pu told him he would not bear the main responsibility if they lost.
• At the start of the team battle, Xuanpin began activating Gate of Nature as West Liang University's five players charged toward him.
• Eagle Eye sniped Xuanpin and disrupted his gathering of natural energy, so Bai Pu moved in front of him and took the next bullet.
• Bai Pu told Xuanpin to stay behind cover and said Blood Spider could target Eagle Eye once the main force arrived as West Liang University's players closed in.

Bai Pu fought Tie Gui and Tangerine while protecting Xuan Pin, resisting their control and poison tactics with his strength and swordsmanship. He seized the advantage in close combat, but Tangerine briefly immobilized him with Chain of the Mind.

• Bai Pu blocked the sniper's shots and broke Tie Gui's Lasso Strike, then faced the West Liang University team as his Blood River Territory clashed with their bone shields.
• Tie Gui attacked Bai Pu with a poison-coated shortsword while Tangerine bound him with Root Binding, giving Tie Gui a chance to inflict one stack of acid corrosion.
• Bai Pu parried Tie Gui's attacks and revealed that he also had Advanced Level 6 weapon expertise, then overpowered Tie Gui with his superior Strength.
• Bai Pu used Lasso Strike to pull Tangerine toward him, but Tie Gui charged and briefly stunned Bai Pu before Bai Pu knocked Tangerine down and wounded Tie Gui.
• Bai Pu pressed his attack on Tie Gui, but Tangerine used Chain of the Mind to immobilize him for just over a second.

Tie Gui activated Bear King Transformation and fought Bai Pu while the battle turned against his team. He called on Captain and Tangerine to change the outcome as Tangerine prepared an attack to disrupt Xuanpin’s Gate of Nature.

• Tie Gui attacked Bai Pu with Bear King Transformation, but Blood Spider’s crossbow bolts deflected his sword while she was being pursued by Heart Sword.
• Heart Sword was blasted back by a blood-colored Sword Qi, losing his shields and suffering a powerful slow, until Steel Heart’s Parasitic Spores let him resume chasing Blood Spider.
• Tie Gui recognized that his team was losing ground as Steel Heart absorbed Eagle Eye’s shots and Xuanpin summoned reinforcements through the Gate of Nature.
• Tie Gui used Bear Strength to boost his power and clashed with Bai Pu, urging Captain and Tangerine to help.
• Tangerine prepared a wide-area growth attack intended to interrupt Xuanpin’s casting and stop a powerful Natural Partner from emerging.

Bai Pu used his Bloodwing Cloak and enhanced swordsmanship to interrupt Citrus’s spell and kill her, allowing Xuánpìn to summon Dryad Eirendella. Bai Pu then overwhelmed Tie Gui while Xuánpìn’s summons defeated West Liang University’s remaining fighters, forcing Tie Gui to surrender.

• Bai Pu boosted his Agility and fused with the Blood Mist Butcher’s Gene Fragment, then used superior swordsmanship to knock Tie Gui down.
• Bai Pu flew past a sniper’s shot and broke Citrus’s group-control spell before killing her with Severing; the sparring contract teleported her out of combat.
• Xuánpìn summoned Dryad Eirendella after Citrus was removed, but realized Bai Pu’s strength had made her unnecessary.
• Tie Gui repeatedly charged Bai Pu, who threw him down each time and suppressed him with the Blood River Territory until Tie Gui’s Health Points ran out.
• Xuánpìn ordered his summoned creatures to eliminate West Liang University’s remaining members, and Tie Gui surrendered rather than be killed.

Xi Polytechnic University defeated West Liang University as Steel Heart’s performance impressed the crowd and drew the attention of Beacon Fire and Hao Tian. A mysterious summons reached several competitors, but Bai Pu received none, leaving Borderland Swordsman to taunt him as they awaited their next matches.

• Xi Polytechnic University beat West Liang University 58–28, and spectators praised Steel Heart’s strong performance.
• Beacon Fire and Hao Tian discussed how Steel Heart had overcome Tie Gui and agreed his combat skills were stronger than they had expected.
• Beacon Fire and Hao Tian both received a mysterious summons for a week later and wondered how it would affect the Championship Tournament.
• Teacher Cai Cai celebrated the team’s victory, while Borderland Swordsman mocked Bai Pu and revealed that he had also been summoned.
• Bai Pu said nothing about receiving no summons and entered his Gene Mindscape to train, prompting Borderland Swordsman to conclude that his taunts had gotten to him.

After Xi Polytechnic secured a Top Eight spot, the competition was postponed because the Spirit Realm Will summoned talented intermediate Awakeners, leaving Bai Pu to wonder why he was not chosen. While training in seclusion, he arranged to buy a high-level demon king’s heart, then encountered Shasha Divine Envoy, who had been searching for him for several Earth Days.

• Xi Polytechnic won three straight Group Stage matches, and the organizers postponed the Top Eight Knockout Stage after key competitors were summoned by the Spirit Realm Will.
• Reports named Borderland Swordsman, Hao Tian, Qian Shu, Chong Yang, and several West Capital University students among those summoned, while people speculated about why Bai Pu had not been selected.
• Lan Feng teased Blood Spider about Bai Pu hiding in the Intersection Lands, and Blood Spider said he was training on Penglai Island.
• Bai Pu trained Wind Riding Slash, reflected on his lack of a summons, and rested after exhausting his Blood Battle Qi.
• Chi Li offered Bai Pu a high-level demon king’s heart for 200,000 Spirit Energy Points, and Bai Pu arranged to meet the seller at Cloud Top Palace.
• As Bai Pu entered the Space Channel, Shasha Divine Envoy appeared and told him she had searched for him for several Earth Days.

Shasha Divine Envoy asked Bai Pu to retrieve a holy artifact from the dangerous Original Sin World, a hidden Matrix Plane. Bai Pu negotiated a conditional exchange with her, but she refused to involve the Spirit Realm Will in formalizing it.

• Shasha Divine Envoy offered Bai Pu the chance to become a Chosen early if he brought back a holy artifact from Original Sin World.
• Shasha explained that the contaminated Matrix Plane was as dangerous as a High-Level Spirit Realm and restricted entry to Awakened level 6 or below.
• Bai Pu learned that other Divine Envoys were sending Reserve Chosen to compete for holy artifacts, and that some had received their status through High-Level Chosen ancestors.
• Bai Pu asked what reward he would receive and challenged Shasha for withholding instructions on how to charge the Rune Inscription Tablet; she explained that it required pure blood condensed by his heart.
• Bai Pu agreed to try to retrieve a holy artifact in exchange for compensation for the C-rank Golden Item, the Fate Revelation Book, and Shasha's guidance, or one future task if he failed.
• Shasha agreed to guarantee the exchange in the name of the Spotless One but refused to let the Spirit Realm Will notarize it.

Bai Pu obtained the Seed of Suffering and returned to the real world, where he avoided telling Blood Spider about the Divine Envoy and declined to invite her as his teammate. He traveled to Cloud Top Palace to meet Mount Tai Sect, who offered him the Azure Scale Demon King's Heart and asked to witness Bai Pu advance Golden Equipment to Dark Gold.

• Bai Pu took the Seed of Suffering from Shasha Divine Envoy and returned to the gymnasium's underground passage exit.
• Bai Pu met Blood Spider, kept quiet about the Divine Envoy, and told her his anchor could carry another person, though he had no suitable teammate in mind.
• Bai Pu entered Cloud Top Palace after paying 5,000 Spirit Energy Points and meditated while waiting for his meeting.
• Chi Li introduced Bai Pu to Mount Tai Sect, a contender for the Strength King Title.
• Mount Tai Sect showed Bai Pu the Azure Scale Demon King's Heart and asked to watch him advance Golden Equipment to Dark Gold.

Bai Pu used the Azure Scale Demon King's Heart to advance the Dark Gold Cocoon, allowing the Demon Spider Woman to devour Gustav's remnant soul and transform the shield into Lord-level Dark Gold equipment. After Chi Li and Mount Tai Sect left, Bai Pu received a message from Wushan Goddess asking to meet at Cloud Top Palace.

• Bai Pu paid 200,000 Spirit Energy Points for the Azure Scale Demon King's Heart and used its blood essence and flesh to nourish the Dark Gold Cocoon.
• The Demon Spider Woman gained strength from the Demon King's Blood Essence, overpowered Gustav's remnant soul, and devoured it.
• The Dark Gold Cocoon transformed into the Demon Spider Queen's Vigil, a Lord-level Dark Gold shield with three skills and an artifact spirit's approval that halved its attribute requirement.
• Chi Li and Mount Tai Sect departed after the transaction, while Bai Pu stayed at Cloud Top Palace to practice.
• Wushan Goddess messaged Bai Pu to say she had arrived at Cloud Top Palace and ask whether they could meet.

At Cloud Top Palace, Bai Pu explained to the Wushan Goddess why he avoided permanent teammates and had not invited Qing Yun on the dangerous Original Sin World trip. The Wushan Goddess confirmed that Qing Yun wanted to go, gave Bai Pu a skill book, and entrusted him with a powerful item for Blood Spider to use if needed.

• Bai Pu told the Wushan Goddess that he avoided close partnerships because he feared teammates depending on him and being hurt or disappointed, and that he could not guarantee Qing Yun's safety in the Original Sin World.
• The Wushan Goddess said she had already asked Qing Yun, who was willing to pay any price to catch up to Bai Pu, and agreed to treat the opportunity as a transaction.
• The Wushan Goddess gave Bai Pu a three-star Skin of Steel skill book, which had a 77% chance of being comprehended.
• The Wushan Goddess gave Bai Pu a Leopard's Grace scroll for Blood Spider, an A-rank silver item that could greatly boost allied movement and Agility in an emergency.

Bai Pu returned to West Capital University, learned the three-star skill Skin of Steel, and prepared to enter Original Sin World with Blood Spider. They arrived there without a matching stage, leaving Bai Pu wondering who else would be in the world and hoping to meet Mo Shate again.

• Bai Pu gave Blood Spider the Leopard's Grace item, then she submitted conscription applications for both of them, sparking rumors that Bai Pu had faked his conscription.
• Borderland Swordsman and Lan Feng challenged Blood Spider's claim, but she refused to explain herself or entertain them.
• Bai Pu comprehended Skin of Steel, learned that taking hits could build its proficiency, and asked Li Ling to obtain materials for its alchemical ointment.
• Li Ling used her network to gather the ointment ingredients, and Bai Pu refined them before preparing to enter Original Sin World with Blood Spider.
• Bai Pu gripped the Seed of Suffering while holding Blood Spider's hand, and the Anchor transported them into Original Sin World.
• Bai Pu and Blood Spider arrived without a matching stage, and Bai Pu wondered whether he would encounter Mo Shate again.

Bai Pu and Blood Spider entered the Original Sin World and were assigned a Main Quest that forced them to hunt members of the Thorn Church. After witnessing the Church’s followers inflict suffering on themselves in the name of the Thorn Holy Mother, they ruled out joining its faction.

• Bai Pu and Blood Spider paid Spirit Energy Points to understand the local language and noticed the world’s unusual entry prompts.
• The Spirit Realm Will assigned them a seven-day quest to kill ten Thorn Zealots, three Thorn Holy Warriors, and one Thorn Father, prompting Bai Pu to suspect it was restricting their faction choice.
• Bai Pu and Blood Spider followed a woodcutter who whipped his own legs into a village where a priest preached the Thorn Holy Mother’s doctrine of suffering.
• Bai Pu and Blood Spider watched the villagers injure themselves in pursuit of divine favor and dismissed the Thorn Church as a faction they would not join.

Bai Pu and Blood Spider faced a hostile Thorn Church crowd by pretending to be devout believers who embraced suffering. Bai Pu’s apparent healing convinced Thorn Father that he had received Divine Grace, and Thorn Father invited him to the church to seek greater favor.

• Thorn Father incited the townsfolk to attack Bai Pu and Blood Spider, so Bai Pu claimed they followed the Holy Mother and demonstrated their devotion.
• Bai Pu endured Blood Spider’s blows with a wooden stick, increasing Thorn Father’s favorability and earning an offer of the spiked Admonishment Rod.
• Thorn Father ordered Blood Spider to test Bai Pu with the Admonishment Rod while church members watched.
• Bai Pu used Skin of Steel and Blood River Douqi to recover visibly from the beating, leading the crowd to declare that he had received Divine Grace.
• Thorn Father called Bai Pu a potential God-Favored One and invited him to return to the Thorn Church for the Holy Thorn Strip.

Bai Pu and Blood Spider traveled with a Thorn Church missionary team to Mulan City, where Bai Pu gathered information while Blood Spider helped him train Skin of Steel. Lan Feng, the Borderland Swordsman, the Overlord, and Chen Ge then ambushed the team, and Bai Pu held back as the fight began.

• Bai Pu disguised himself and Blood Spider as natives and used a fabricated backstory to earn Thorn Father Arius's trust and learn about the Thorn Church's presence in the Twisted Woodland.
• Blood Spider used the Admonishment Rod to lash Bai Pu while applying ointment, raising his Skin of Steel proficiency and further convincing Arius they were not spies.
• Blood Spider sensed that the missionary team included ten level 7 Thorn Zealots, three level 7 Reinforced Elite Thorn Holy Warriors, and level 7 Warrior Arius.
• Lan Feng's Frost Bloom Arrow slowed the missionary team, and the Borderland Swordsman attacked and wounded a Thorn Zealot.
• Chen Ge summoned vines and treants while the Overlord charged Arius, and Bai Pu recognized the attackers but told Blood Spider to stay out of the fight for now.