Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “A Frustrating Battle in Zero Gravity”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Ritian repeatedly attacks Ox Head with his newly mastered Little Fireball Technique, but Ox Head easily disperses the fireballs with true qi.
• Frustrated, Zhao Ritian escalates to a Great Fireball Technique and kicks Ox Head through the cabin, destroying sofas and a liquor cabinet.
• Rat Head tries to restrain Zhao Ritian before he can cause further damage, but Zhao’s reckless resistance complicates the fight. Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian intervene to protect him.
• The battle becomes a chaotic struggle among Rat Head and the Three Brothers—Lu Chengwen, Long Aotian, and Zhao Ritian. Rat Head has the strength to defeat them, but he cannot use his full power without puncturing the aircraft.
• Ox Head fights Fulin, Lulin, and Shoulin near the cockpit. Fulin crashes through the cockpit door and knocks out one pilot, while later fighting causes the captain to lose consciousness as well.
• With the pilots incapacitated, the plane begins to dive, tilt, and spin. Fulin struggles to control the aircraft despite having no real flying ability.
• The sudden loss of gravity sends the fighters floating through the cabin. Rat Head, Zhao Ritian, Lu Chengwen, and Long Aotian become tangled together, with their blades wedged into the fuselage.
• The cockpit descends into further chaos as the combatants fight around the pilot while trying not to kill him. Meanwhile, the cabin’s uncontrolled descent terrifies Huo Wenting and the other passengers.
• Rat Head desperately demands that Zhao remove his foot from his face and stop using fire techniques. Zhao refuses, insisting he can survive even if the cabin is burned open.
• Long Aotian restrains Rat Head, while Lu Chengwen proposes that Rat Head and Ox Head abandon the plane in exchange for an end to the pursuit. Rat Head rejects the offer, recognizing that jumping would be suicidal.

Character Developments

• Zhao Ritian is shown as extraordinarily reckless and incapable of recognizing danger. His determination to prove himself turns a manageable battle into a life-threatening disaster.
• Rat Head, normally composed and overwhelmingly powerful, becomes increasingly frustrated and desperate because he must suppress his strength to avoid destroying the plane.
• Lu Chengwen remains cautious and pragmatic, repeatedly trying to restrain Rat Head and negotiate a solution, though he is also dragged into the absurd physical struggle.
• Long Aotian displays his usual confidence and ruthlessness. Rather than retreating, he accepts the possibility of dying together and continues blocking Rat Head.
• Ox Head demonstrates great physical strength, easily disrupting Zhao’s fireballs and overpowering the others, but his battle near the cockpit contributes to the aircraft’s loss of control.
• Fulin, Lulin, and Shoulin act as a coordinated group against Ox Head, though their fighting becomes dangerous once it spills into the cockpit.
• The pilots are helplessly caught in the martial-arts conflict, with their incapacitation turning the fight into an aviation emergency.
• Huo Wenting serves as an observer and victim of the chaos, trapped aboard the spiraling aircraft.

Significant Themes

• Recklessness versus restraint: Zhao Ritian’s impulsiveness contrasts with Rat Head’s need for careful control.
• The absurdity of uncontrolled power: Martial artists who can dominate normal opponents are rendered awkward and vulnerable in the cramped, unstable environment of a plane.
• Mutual dependence among enemies: Although Rat Head is fighting the Three Brothers, all sides must avoid damaging the aircraft and killing everyone aboard.
• Pride and stubbornness: Neither side is willing to surrender, even when survival would logically demand cooperation.
• Comedic disaster: The chapter turns a serious martial battle into slapstick chaos through zero gravity, tangled bodies, ruined furniture, a foot in Rat Head’s nostril, and an out-of-control aircraft.

Character Interactions

• Zhao and Ox Head clash repeatedly, with Zhao’s fireballs failing against Ox Head’s true qi.
• Rat Head attempts to restrain Zhao, while Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian repeatedly interfere to protect their companion.
• Rat Head and Long Aotian engage in a blade duel while arguing over Zhao’s dangerous behavior.
• Lu Chengwen alternates between attacking Rat Head and trying to negotiate with him.
• Zhao’s physical struggle with Rat Head—especially his foot pressed against Rat Head’s face—becomes a major source of humiliation and fury for Rat Head.
• Ox Head’s fight with Fulin, Lulin, and Shoulin spills into the cockpit, incapacitating the pilots and causing the plane to plummet.
• By the end, both factions are physically entangled and forced to confront the possibility that their conflict could kill everyone aboard.

Chapter Summary: “Creative Freefall”

Plot Points and Events

• During a midair battle aboard the failing plane, the emergency alarms sound, oxygen masks deploy, and the aircraft suffers severe turbulence and decompression.
• Rat Head overpowers Lu Chengwen, Long Aotian, and Zhao Ritian, gradually forcing his blade toward Zhao Ritian’s neck. Lu Chengwen opens the emergency hatch, using the sudden suction to eject Rat Head from the plane.
• Zhao Ritian is also pulled outside, but Lu Chengwen secures him with a seat belt while Long Aotian tries to pull him back. Ox Head attacks, knocking Long Aotian out of the cabin and causing the three brothers to form a dangerous human chain outside the hatch.
• Ox Head attempts to drag Lu Chengwen back inside, but Lu Chengwen counters with a grappling technique and pulls Ox Head out. The two narrowly avoid the engine but are struck by the wing and begin falling toward the ground.
• Long Aotian manages to close the emergency hatch, then deliberately dives after Lu Chengwen. Zhao Ritian follows by unfastening himself and jumping after them.
• During the descent, the combatants use their special fire abilities to survive the freezing temperatures and resist the lack of oxygen:
  • Lu Chengwen activates the Yellow Emperor Scarring Fire.
  • Zhao Ritian relies on the Red Emperor Burning Heaven Flame.
  • Long Aotian possesses Xuanyuan White Emperor’s Fire, which produces extreme cold.
• Lu Chengwen continues attacking Ox Head in midair, trying to make him lose his breath. Ox Head kicks him away and changes his body position to increase his speed.
• Zhao Ritian catches up to Rat Head and begins fighting him during the fall. Rat Head expects his greater experience to give him an advantage in holding his breath, but Zhao Ritian’s rigorous training allows him to continue fighting longer.
• When Rat Head begins to weaken from oxygen deprivation, Zhao Ritian uses him as a human “surfboard,” steering their fall toward the sea. Rat Head is left enraged and humiliated.

Character Developments

• Lu Chengwen demonstrates courage and tactical creativity, willingly ejecting himself and Ox Head from the plane to protect the others and prevent further danger to the aircraft.
• Long Aotian shows strong loyalty toward Lu Chengwen, closing the hatch before diving after him despite the enormous risk.
• Zhao Ritian continues to display his absurd confidence and combat endurance. He treats the deadly fall almost playfully, defeating Rat Head through superior stamina and humiliating him afterward.
• Ox Head is revealed to be extraordinarily powerful and physically resilient, but he is shocked by Lu Chengwen’s immunity to the cold and unwillingness to surrender.
• Rat Head becomes increasingly frustrated. His anger toward the three brothers, especially Zhao Ritian, overrides his ability to calmly plan his survival.

Significant Themes

• Brotherhood and loyalty: Long Aotian and Zhao Ritian immediately follow Lu Chengwen into the fall rather than abandoning him.
• Improvisation under extreme danger: Lu Chengwen turns the emergency hatch into a weapon, while Zhao Ritian later turns Rat Head into a makeshift glider.
• Power versus ingenuity: Although Ox Head and Rat Head possess greater experience and strength, the brothers survive through teamwork, unusual abilities, and unconventional tactics.
• Humor amid mortal danger: The terrifying freefall is repeatedly undercut by absurd actions, especially Zhao Ritian’s casual midair beating and use of Rat Head as a surfboard.
• Endurance and willpower: The battle becomes a contest not only of martial strength but also of breath control, cold resistance, and determination.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chengwen, Long Aotian, and Zhao Ritian cooperate to restrain Rat Head, though they struggle against his superior strength.
• Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian work together to keep Zhao Ritian from being sucked entirely out of the plane.
• Ox Head attacks Long Aotian and Lu Chengwen, forcing the brothers into the dangerous fall.
• Lu Chengwen and Ox Head continue their battle while descending, each trying to exploit the other’s weaknesses.
• Zhao Ritian and Rat Head engage in a prolonged midair brawl, ending with Zhao Ritian overpowering and humiliating him.
• Long Aotian and Zhao Ritian independently choose to jump after Lu Chengwen, reinforcing their commitment to the group.

Chapter Summary: “The Landing Method Was a Little Different”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After falling from the aircraft, the fighters descend to a lower altitude where the air becomes warmer and oxygen levels improve.
• Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian continue attacking Ox Head during their fall. Although all three recognize that continuing to fight could kill them, they immediately resume beating him.
• Zhao Ritian falls separately with the severely weakened Rat Head. Unable to resist or control his descent, Rat Head becomes an unwilling “surfboard.” Zhao rides him down a mountain stream, forcing him through rocks and branches before both eventually tumble into a lake.
• Ox Head, unlike Rat Head, has preserved his qi and quickly regains his full combat strength. He battles Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian in midair, using movement techniques to control their descent while continuing to exchange attacks.
• Lu Chengwen activates Ape God Form and fights alongside Long Aotian. Ox Head wounds Lu Chengwen by overpowering his staff and cutting into his shoulder.
• During the fight, Ox Head challenges Lu Chengwen’s loyalty to the Jiang Family, accusing him of foolishly defending people who once mistreated him.
• Lu Chengwen declares that the Jiang Family has become his family: Yuan Shu is carrying his child, Little Monkey and Jiang Xiaohu regard him as a brother, and Grandpa accepts him as family. He questions why Ox Head, who grew up with the Jiang Family, cannot protect them.
• Long Aotian briefly forces Ox Head back with his Dragon-Rolling Slash and insists that he can defeat Ox Head alone, but the battle soon becomes a three-way melee again.
• As they approach the ground, Ox Head uses the Wild Wind Tome to blast Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian away, then stabilizes himself and aims for a sandy landing area.
• Before Ox Head can land safely, Lu Chengwen deliberately crashes into him, disrupting both of their movement techniques. Long Aotian then attacks as well, and the three become entangled, accelerating toward the mountainside and crashing together.

Character Developments

• Lu Chengwen: Demonstrates fierce loyalty and emotional commitment to the Jiang Family. He no longer views them merely as people he serves or protects, but as his true family, even while acknowledging their troubled history with him. His determination is reckless but sincere.
• Long Aotian: Remains arrogant, competitive, and confident in his own strength. He takes pride in fighting Ox Head alone but still cooperates with Lu Chengwen when necessary.
• Ox Head: Reveals both overwhelming combat ability and bitterness toward the Jiang Family. He is practical enough to understand the danger of their aerial battle, yet his resentment and anger keep drawing him back into the fight.
• Zhao Ritian: Displays boldness and absurd confidence by using Rat Head as a makeshift board and trusting him to endure the impact. His unconventional actions turn the dangerous fall into a bizarre form of survival.
• Rat Head: Is reduced to a helpless state by age, oxygen deprivation, and exhaustion. His suffering highlights the physical cost of the fall and contrasts with Zhao Ritian’s energy and recklessness.

Significant Themes

• Chosen family versus betrayal: Lu Chengwen’s defense of the Jiang Family emphasizes that family is defined by emotional bonds and mutual acceptance rather than only blood or past treatment.
• Recklessness and loyalty: The characters repeatedly prioritize fighting, pride, or protecting others over survival, even when they know the fall may kill them.
• Practical survival versus personal grudges: Ox Head repeatedly tries to stop the battle long enough to land safely, while Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian allow rivalry and determination to override caution.
• Comedic absurdity amid danger: Rat Head’s use as a surfboard and the characters’ willingness to continue fighting while falling create a deliberately exaggerated contrast between life-threatening circumstances and ridiculous behavior.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian cooperate against Ox Head despite their usual rivalry.
• Ox Head verbally attacks Lu Chengwen’s loyalty, while Lu Chengwen counters by accusing Ox Head of abandoning the Jiang Family in its time of need.
• Long Aotian challenges Ox Head directly and briefly takes the upper hand, reinforcing his pride and competitive nature.
• Zhao Ritian treats Rat Head as equipment rather than a companion, while Rat Head can do nothing but endure the abuse.
• The chapter ends with Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian effectively sabotaging Ox Head’s safe landing, turning the survival problem back into a final, chaotic collision.

Chapter Summary: “Who Had It Worse”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ox Head releases a final burst of true qi, blasting Lu Chengwen, Long Aotian, and himself in different directions.
• Lu Chengwen lands in a grove, crashing through trees and suffering several broken ribs, but survives the fall.
• Long Aotian lands on a barren mountainside, breaks multiple bones, and rolls down the slope.
• Ox Head falls onto a field of jagged rocks. He activates his Golden Body for protection but is badly injured and covered in wounds.
• Lu Chengwen regains consciousness and searches for the others. He finds Long Aotian at the foot of the mountain, nearly motionless and covered in dried blood.
• Lu Chengwen also finds Zhao Ritian near the lakeshore. Zhao is injured but in better condition than Long Aotian.
• The three regroup, take healing pills, and realize they are stranded on an isolated island.
• Zhao Ritian explains that Rat Head fell into the water with him, struck a rock, and may have drowned.
• Long Aotian advises them to find shelter, avoid making a fire, conserve strength, and recover before confronting Ox Head again.
• Ox Head suddenly appears, horribly wounded but still alive. Long Aotian pretends to be capable of fighting and announces that he will defeat him.
• Ox Head recognizes the bluff and mocks the three, while Long Aotian’s attempt at intimidation becomes increasingly absurd.

Character Developments

• Lu Chengwen demonstrates resilience and compassion. Despite his own injuries, he searches for the others, comforts Long Aotian, rescues Zhao Ritian, and provides healing pills.
• Long Aotian is severely injured but refuses to abandon his proud, domineering persona. He remains strategically minded, recognizing the need for shelter and recovery, then uses an empty-fort tactic to make Ox Head believe he can still fight.
• Zhao Ritian survives a dangerous fall into the water and remains energetic and boastful despite coughing blood. His crude teasing of Long Aotian shows that their rivalry and camaraderie remain intact.
• Ox Head suffers the most visibly devastating injuries, yet retains enough strength and fury to confront the others. His anger grows when he realizes Long Aotian is bluffing.
• Rat Head’s fate becomes uncertain. He may have drowned after being knocked unconscious in the water.

Significant Themes

• Survival and endurance: All three heroes survive an enormous fall and continue moving despite broken bones and severe injuries.
• Comedic rivalry amid danger: The characters respond to life-threatening circumstances with insults, boasting, and competitive banter.
• Appearances versus reality: Long Aotian presents himself as powerful even when he can barely move, relying on deception rather than strength.
• Brotherhood and mutual dependence: Although the three constantly mock one another, they rescue, support, and protect each other.
• Unequal suffering: The chapter humorously compares the characters’ landing spots and injuries, with Ox Head’s brutal impact becoming the apparent worst outcome.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chengwen tenderly cares for Long Aotian, calling him “Senior Disciple Brother” and praising his toughness, while Long Aotian maintains his arrogant attitude.
• Zhao Ritian mocks Long Aotian for being badly injured, but is genuinely relieved and pleased to find him alive.
• The three support one another physically as they climb the slope and plan their next move.
• Long Aotian attempts to shield Lu Chengwen and Zhao Ritian by taking the lead against Ox Head, though his claim that he can fight is clearly a bluff.
• Ox Head ridicules their situation and laughs at Long Aotian’s transparent attempt to appear strong, setting up another confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “No Coincidence Without a Story”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After discovering that Ox Head is badly injured, Lu Chengwen, Long Aotian, and Zhao Ritian prepare to fight him together. Confident from having defeated him before, they jokingly refer to themselves as the “Three Brothers.”
• Their confidence collapses when Dragon Head, Snake Head, the Branch Master, the Strategist, and numerous Sky Net experts appear. The island is revealed to be a hidden Sky Net stronghold.
• Dragon Head orders everyone except Lu Chengwen to be killed, but Lu Chengwen halts the confrontation by offering the twenty billion Dragon Head wants. He demands that the Three Brothers be given a safe place to recover, along with food and alcohol.
• In an underground chamber, the three men eat and drink while imprisoned or confined nearby is Bu Ersun, who begs for food and insults them. They deliberately pretend he does not exist, mocking and humiliating him.
• Dragon Head enters with the Branch Master and Strategist. Bu Ersun immediately betrays Lu Chengwen, claiming that Lu controls more than one hundred billion dollars and offering the money in exchange for his own release.
• Dragon Head explains that their arrival on the island was an apparent coincidence: Sky Net was using the island as a secret base, while the underground chamber had originally been built by Yindian people fleeing a historical massacre.
• The chapter ends with Dragon Head emphasizing the brutality of that massacre and hinting at the deeper historical significance of the location.

Character Developments

• Lu Chengwen remains calm and strategically minded. Rather than fight overwhelming forces, he uses the promise of money to negotiate survival and protect his companions.
• Long Aotian displays confidence and combat readiness but also recognizes the danger once Sky Net’s reinforcements arrive.
• Zhao Ritian remains boastful, reckless, and comic. His taunting of Ox Head and Bu Ersun reflects his impulsive nature, though he still contributes to the group’s morale.
• Dragon Head is established as a calculating and intimidating leader. He controls the situation effortlessly, values the twenty billion, and possesses a reflective interest in the history of the underground palace.
• Bu Ersun is shown as cowardly and self-serving. He quickly abandons any loyalty, betraying Lu Chengwen and the others to save himself.
• Ox Head is frustrated and resentful, particularly toward Zhao Ritian, whom he blames for disrupting his original plan.

Significant Themes

• Coincidence and hidden design: The chapter questions whether the group’s arrival on the island is truly accidental, suggesting that seemingly random events may have larger causes or consequences.
• Survival and negotiation: Strength alone cannot resolve the confrontation; Lu Chengwen survives by recognizing when bargaining is more effective than fighting.
• Betrayal and self-interest: Bu Ersun’s immediate betrayal contrasts with the Three Brothers’ cooperation, highlighting different responses to danger.
• History and violence: Dragon Head’s discussion of the massacre connects the present conflict to the island’s bloody past and introduces a broader theme of concealed historical injustice.
• Humor amid danger: The Three Brothers’ exaggerated confidence, feigned ignorance of Bu Ersun, and casual eating provide comic relief despite their imprisonment and precarious situation.

Important Character Interactions

• The Three Brothers taunt Ox Head before being surrounded by Sky Net forces.
• Dragon Head and Snake Head divide their attention between Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian, treating the group as a controlled threat.
• Lu Chengwen negotiates directly with Dragon Head, using money to turn an imminent battle into a temporary truce.
• Zhao Ritian repeatedly antagonizes Bu Ersun, while Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian join him in pretending Bu Ersun is invisible.
• Bu Ersun begs Dragon Head for mercy and betrays Lu Chengwen by revealing his wealth.
• Dragon Head’s final exchange of gazes with Lu Chengwen establishes a tense, personal confrontation and foreshadows deeper conflict.

Chapter Summary: “Now I’m Screwed”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dragon Head explains the island’s violent history: Yindian people were massacred by conquerors who claimed to champion freedom and democracy, then celebrated their victory and treated human scalps as trophies.
• The revelation angers Long Aotian and Zhao Ritian, while Lu Chengwen remains focused on negotiating their escape.
• Bu Ersun attempts to convince Dragon Head that Lu Chengwen is more valuable because of his immense wealth, but Dragon Head has him beaten for being disruptive and useless.
• Dragon Head threatens to kill Zhao Ritian and torture Lu Chengwen unless Lu reveals where his money is.
• Lu negotiates the release of Zhao Ritian in exchange for information, deliberately choosing him over Bu Ersun.
• After Zhao is freed, Lu bargains further: for two billion dollars, Dragon Head must also release Lu’s Senior Disciple Brother. Lu argues that keeping Huo Wenting alive may also be strategically useful to Dragon Head.
• Dragon Head accepts the deal and releases Zhao Ritian by striking him hard enough to unseal his acupoints. Lu secretly signals Zhao to leave rather than fight.
• When Dragon Head demands the location of the money, Lu claims the bills are hidden in Bu Ersun’s anus.
• Everyone is shocked, especially Bu Ersun, who vehemently denies it. However, the Strategist recalls seeing Bu Ersun repeatedly trying to hide his phone there, making the absurd accusation seem potentially credible.
• Bu Ersun realizes he may actually be subjected to a humiliating search, ending the chapter in panic.

Character Developments

• Lu Chengwen demonstrates calmness, intelligence, and strategic thinking under extreme pressure. He prioritizes Zhao Ritian’s safety, manipulates Dragon Head’s expectations, and appears to create an opportunity for escape through misdirection.
• Zhao Ritian shows loyalty and courage by wanting to stay and fight for Lu, but his impulsiveness and confusion make him easy to manipulate. He ultimately follows Lu’s hidden signal and escapes.
• Bu Ersun becomes increasingly desperate and self-serving. He tries to sell Lu’s value to save himself, insults Zhao, and is humiliated when Lu uses him as the target of a deceptive claim.
• Dragon Head is shown as ruthless, threatening, and willing to use torture, but also practical and open to profitable negotiations.
• The Strategist contributes an observation that unintentionally strengthens Lu’s lie about Bu Ersun hiding the money.

Significant Themes

• Moral hypocrisy and historical violence: Dragon Head’s account contrasts ideals such as freedom and democracy with conquest, massacre, exploitation, and celebratory cruelty.
• Pragmatism versus loyalty: Lu’s decisions appear transactional, but his insistence on freeing Zhao reveals that personal loyalty remains central to him.
• Intelligence under pressure: Lu survives through negotiation, psychological manipulation, and exploiting his enemies’ assumptions rather than physical strength.
• Humiliation and comic reversal: Bu Ersun’s constant betrayal and boasting turn against him when Lu frames him as the hiding place of the money.
• Trust and deception: Dragon Head demands honesty while threatening Lu, but Lu relies on a carefully constructed lie to protect himself and his allies.

Important Character Interactions

• Dragon Head and Lu engage in a tense hostage negotiation, with Lu gradually gaining leverage despite being imprisoned.
• Lu chooses Zhao Ritian’s release over Bu Ersun’s, provoking Bu Ersun’s furious resentment.
• Lu quietly communicates with Zhao through gestures, allowing him to escape without revealing the plan to Dragon Head.
• Lu manipulates Dragon Head by presenting the release of Lu’s Senior Disciple Brother as financially and strategically reasonable.
• The final exchange between Lu, Bu Ersun, Dragon Head, and the Strategist transforms Lu’s desperate bluff into a potentially dangerous situation for Bu Ersun.

Chapter Summary: “Extract or Dig?”

Key plot points and events

• Lu Chengwen claims that the receipts for twenty billion in funds are hidden on Bu Ersun, implying they have been concealed in an extremely humiliating place.
• Bu Ersun desperately denies the accusation and tries to pressure Lu into handing over the receipts, while also flattering Dragon Head and attempting to turn him against Lu.
• Dragon Head, persuaded by the possibility of recovering twenty billion, orders the Branch Master to extract the receipts from Bu Ersun. The Strategist supports the idea, arguing that there is nothing to lose by searching.
• Bu Ersun becomes increasingly panicked, offering to “normally” pass the receipts out instead and accidentally making himself sound suspicious. Long Aotian repeatedly mocks him, leading to a chaotic argument over who should be searched first.
• Dragon Head threatens to kill Long Aotian if the receipts are not found. Lu calmly accepts this and even suggests searching Long Aotian as well, provoking Long Aotian’s outrage.
• While everyone is distracted by the argument, Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian combine their Emperor Fire Seed technique and attempt to escape.
• Dragon Head instantly intercepts them. Their combined attack fails, and he knocks both of them back, leaving them coughing blood.
• The Strategist reveals that he recognized Lu and Long’s plan: they had been stalling while trying to break through their sealed acupoints.
• Dragon Head prepares to kill Long Aotian with his Divine Dragon Sacred Palm, but Zhao Ritian suddenly arrives on mine carts, boasting that he has rescued them at the last moment.

Character developments

• Lu Chengwen remains calm, manipulative, and resourceful. He exploits the others’ greed and Bu Ersun’s fear to create confusion, then uses the distraction to attempt an escape.
• Bu Ersun shifts from threatening Lu to begging Dragon Head for help. His frantic denials and contradictory statements make him appear guilty, even though he insists he has no money.
• Dragon Head is shown to be composed, powerful, and difficult to deceive. He sees through Lu’s escape attempt and effortlessly defeats both Lu and Long Aotian.
• Long Aotian continues to act as Lu’s aggressive but quarrelsome ally. He helps launch the escape but spends much of the chapter trading insults with Bu Ersun.
• The Branch Master follows Dragon Head’s orders but is increasingly impatient and eager to carry out the humiliating search.
• The Strategist demonstrates his ability to analyze situations accurately, recognizing both the practical value of searching Bu Ersun and Lu’s stalling tactic.
• Zhao Ritian makes a dramatic and boastful entrance, presenting himself as the genius who has saved Lu and Long from certain death.

Significant themes

• Deception and psychological manipulation: Lu weaponizes uncertainty and the group’s greed to control the situation.
• Greed overriding reason: The promise of twenty billion causes Dragon Head’s followers to accept an absurd and humiliating possibility without proof.
• Humor amid danger: Threats of torture, execution, and betrayal are turned into farcical arguments over who should be searched.
• Power imbalance: Lu and Long’s cleverness cannot overcome Dragon Head’s overwhelming martial strength, emphasizing the limits of strategy against absolute power.
• Unexpected rescue and reversals: Just as Dragon Head is about to kill Long Aotian, Zhao Ritian’s arrival abruptly changes the balance of the confrontation.

Important character interactions

• Lu and Bu Ersun engage in a battle of intimidation, with Lu remaining composed while Bu Ersun becomes increasingly desperate.
• The Strategist and Dragon Head reinforce each other’s suspicion of Bu Ersun, while the Branch Master prepares to search him.
• Bu Ersun and Long Aotian trade insults and try to redirect suspicion onto each other.
• Lu and Long Aotian cooperate briefly in a coordinated escape attempt, but Dragon Head immediately defeats them.
• Zhao Ritian’s theatrical entrance interrupts Dragon Head’s execution attempt and sets up the next confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “He Really Dared to Do It!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Ritian confronts Dragon Head, Strategist, and the others with two mine carts filled with explosives.
• He threatens to ignite them, explaining that the blast could trigger gas and dust explosions, consume the oxygen, and collapse the entire mountain.
• Long Aotian uses Zhao Ritian’s threat to taunt Dragon Head, while Bu Ersun also mocks him and attempts to escape.
• Dragon Head restrains Bu Ersun, refusing to let him leave.
• The group argues over who should remain behind to keep Dragon Head’s side from pursuing them. Long Aotian volunteers because he is already badly injured, while Lu Chengwen and Zhao Ritian prepare to retreat.
• Strategist correctly points out that the mine entrance does not contain gas, weakening Zhao Ritian’s bluff. However, the explosives could still collapse the tunnel.
• During an argument, Zhao Ritian accidentally lets the torch ignite the fuse. The three men panic and try unsuccessfully to extinguish it.
• Dragon Head blasts them farther into the tunnel and extinguishes the visible flame on the fuse, believing he has prevented the explosion.
• However, Zhao Ritian’s torch lands inside the explosives cart. The cart detonates, sending a shock wave through the mine and forcing everyone deeper underground.
• The Three Brothers reach the end of the tunnel, discovering only a deep vertical shaft with steel cables. Long Aotian and Zhao Ritian grab the cables, while Long Aotian catches Lu Chengwen and helps him descend as flames rush overhead.

Character Developments

• Zhao Ritian unexpectedly demonstrates strategic thinking by exploiting the dangers of the mine, though his recklessness ultimately causes the explosives to detonate accidentally.
• Long Aotian continues acting arrogant and theatrical, but he also shows concern for Lu Chengwen by insisting that Lu must not be left behind and saving him from crashing into the shaft.
• Lu Chengwen remains the practical voice of the group, urging everyone to stop arguing and retreat. He is shocked by Zhao Ritian’s moment of cleverness and later depends on Long Aotian’s help.
• Dragon Head maintains his confidence and combat superiority, easily overpowering the Three Brothers and extinguishing the fuse. His mistake is underestimating the consequences of the torch landing in the explosives.
• Bu Ersun remains spiteful and opportunistic, taunting Dragon Head but being quickly restrained and humiliated.
• Strategist provides a rational assessment of the mine, recognizing that Zhao Ritian’s gas-explosion threat is exaggerated but that the explosives still pose a serious danger.

Significant Themes

• Recklessness versus intelligence: Zhao Ritian’s plan appears clever, but his careless handling of the torch turns a bluff into a real disaster.
• Comic incompetence amid danger: The characters face a life-threatening situation while continuing to bicker, boast, and insult one another.
• Unexpected cooperation: Despite their rivalries, Long Aotian, Zhao Ritian, and Lu Chengwen work together to escape, and Long Aotian protects Lu.
• Overconfidence and miscalculation: Dragon Head’s superior strength allows him to control the confrontation, but his assumption that extinguishing the fuse ended the danger proves disastrously wrong.
• Survival under pressure: The explosion forces enemies and allies alike into the same desperate escape, shifting the conflict from confrontation to immediate survival.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Ritian threatens Dragon Head while Long Aotian amplifies the intimidation by emphasizing that Zhao might truly ignite the explosives.
• Bu Ersun mocks Dragon Head, only to be slapped, seized, and denied an escape.
• Zhao Ritian and Long Aotian trade constant insults, though they coordinate when Lu Chengwen is endangered.
• Lu Chengwen tries to impose practical decisions on the group, while the others keep joking and arguing.
• Dragon Head’s attack temporarily saves everyone from the burning fuse but unintentionally contributes to the final explosion and their plunge into the shaft.

Summary of “Bu Ersun’s Choice”

Key Plot Points and Events

• An explosion destroys the two mine carts loaded with explosives. The Branch Master and Strategist protect themselves with true energy and retreat, while the Dragon Head—standing closest to the blast—is struck by an iron wheel and severely injured.
• The Dragon Head survives by grabbing the edge of the shaft, but the explosion traps everyone in an abandoned vertical transport shaft. The original route out has collapsed, leaving only a rusty steel framework and two deteriorated cables suspended over a bottomless drop.
• The six fighters divide into three battles on the cables:
  • Long Aotian fights the Branch Master.
  • Zhao Ritian fights the Strategist.
  • Lu Chengwen battles the badly wounded Dragon Head.
• Long Aotian and Zhao Ritian have recovered much of their strength after entering the Gateless Realm and receiving time to recover. They are now able to match the Branch Master and Strategist, with Zhao using a massive iron wheel as a weapon.
• Lu Chengwen taunts the injured Dragon Head, provoking his anger. Although the Dragon Head wants Lu dead, his injuries prevent him from quickly defeating him.
• The fighters fail to notice that Bu Ersun has secretly climbed above them and is observing the battle.
• Bu Ersun considers helping Lu Chengwen’s group attack the Sky Net members while the Dragon Head is weakened. Instead, because he resents all six fighters, he decides to eliminate everyone at once.
• Using his Iron Finger Technique, Bu Ersun snaps one of the already-corroded steel cables. The people below suddenly begin falling, and Zhao Ritian curses him for betraying them.

Character Developments and Interactions

• The Dragon Head is shown to be physically powerful and resilient, surviving a direct explosion, but his injuries significantly reduce his fighting ability. His hatred of Lu Chengwen intensifies after Lu mocks his condition.
• Lu Chengwen remains sarcastic and provocative even in extreme danger, using humor to anger the Dragon Head and maintain psychological pressure.
• Long Aotian and Zhao Ritian demonstrate rapid recovery and growing strength after entering the Gateless Realm. Their teamwork and combat ability allow them to hold their own against the Branch Master and Strategist.
• Zhao Ritian fights recklessly and resourcefully, wielding a two-hundred-pound iron wheel against the Strategist. His direct, explosive personality contrasts with the Strategist’s caution.
• Bu Ersun reveals deep resentment toward all the other characters. He views Long Aotian as arrogant, Lu Chengwen as condescending, and Zhao Ritian as an intolerable idiot. Rather than choosing an alliance, he embraces a ruthless strategy to kill everyone.
• The Branch Master and Strategist survive the blast but are forced into a precarious battle while clinging to the unstable shaft structure.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and self-interest: Bu Ersun refuses to side with either faction and chooses to sacrifice everyone for personal revenge.
• Survival under extreme danger: The characters must fight while suspended above an apparently bottomless shaft, with the environment itself becoming a weapon.
• Pride and resentment: Personal insults, arrogance, and long-standing grievances shape Bu Ersun’s decision more than practical survival.
• Unstable alliances: Although the characters temporarily fight in opposing pairs, none of them trust one another, and any cooperation is undermined by hostility.
• Resourcefulness in crisis: The characters improvise with debris, cables, and mine-cart parts as weapons and tools.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Chengwen repeatedly taunts the Dragon Head about being blasted by the explosives, provoking him into a furious attack.
• Long Aotian and the Branch Master clash directly after Long Aotian launches a surprise strike.
• Zhao Ritian uses a shattered mine-cart wheel to pressure the Strategist.
• Bu Ersun watches all three battles from above, weighs the possibility of joining either side, and ultimately cuts the cable beneath them—turning the entire conflict into a potentially fatal fall.

Chapter Summary: “Old Acquaintances”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bu Ersun betrays the group by breaking the steel cables supporting Long Aotian, the Strategist, Dragon Head, Lu Chengwen, Zhao Ritian, and the Branch Master, intending to kill them by making them fall.
• Lu Chengwen uses the Archaic Ape God and his Iron Staff to temporarily anchor the falling group. Several others grab onto it, briefly preventing everyone from plunging into the darkness.
• Before they can resolve their conflict, Dragon Head attacks from above, injuring all five and knocking the Iron Staff loose. The entire group resumes falling.
• Despite the danger, the characters continue fighting in midair. Long Aotian attacks the Strategist, Zhao Ritian mistakes Long Aotian for an enemy, and Dragon Head clashes with Lu Chengwen.
• Zhao Ritian creates a flame for light, despite the Strategist’s warning that the surrounding gas might ignite. As the gas concentration increases, Long Aotian unleashes Xuanyuan White Emperor’s Fire.
• The gas reaches its explosive limit, causing a massive explosion.
• Zhao Ritian awakens in a mysterious underground realm filled with ancient buildings. He revives Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian and discovers that the others also survived.
• Bu Ersun apologizes, claiming he intended only to kill the group so he could join them, not cause the explosion or transport them into the secret realm.
• The group encounters Dragon Statue and Ape Statue, old acquaintances apparently guarding the realm. However, they are revealed to have been sitting around playing cards while wearing paper strips over their faces.
• Dragon Statue and Ape Statue attempt to act like imposing guardians of the “Celestial God’s Forbidden Land,” but Zhao Ritian immediately exposes their act and accuses Ape Statue of cheating at cards.

Character Developments

• Lu Chengwen remains a reluctant mediator, repeatedly trying to stop the others from fighting while also defending himself. His use of the Archaic Ape God shows his resourcefulness under pressure.
• Zhao Ritian is reckless, aggressive, and comically enthusiastic. He attacks Long Aotian in the darkness, recklessly lights a flame near explosive gas, celebrates discovering the secret realm, and immediately confronts Bu Ersun and the statue guardians.
• Long Aotian remains fiercely combative and prideful, fighting even while falling and reacting violently to Zhao Ritian’s mistaken attack.
• The Strategist acts as the most cautious and rational member, warning everyone about the danger of igniting the gas, though his concerns are ignored.
• Dragon Head continues to prioritize combat over cooperation, attacking the group even when they are all in extreme danger.
• Bu Ersun is exposed as a treacherous but incompetent ally. His attempted betrayal accidentally causes the group to reach the secret realm, and he becomes fearful and apologetic afterward.
• Dragon Statue and Ape Statue are introduced as supposedly terrifying guardians, but their lonely card game and exaggerated performance reveal a humorous, unserious side.

Significant Themes

• Chaotic alliances: The characters are technically on the same side but constantly fight, betray, and misunderstand one another.
• Survival amid absurdity: A life-threatening fall and explosive gas become the setting for slapstick arguments and mistaken attacks.
• Pride and stubbornness: None of the fighters is willing to surrender, even when cooperation is clearly necessary.
• False appearances: The statues present themselves as fearsome guardians but are actually bored and playing cards; Bu Ersun’s betrayal also produces an outcome completely different from what he intended.
• Old acquaintances and recurring relationships: The discovery of Dragon Statue and Ape Statue shifts the chapter from deadly danger to comedic reunion, suggesting that familiar figures will play a role in the new secret realm.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chengwen challenges the Branch Master about fighting while they are all hanging from the Iron Staff.
• Dragon Head’s attack injures everyone and forces them back into uncontrolled combat.
• Zhao Ritian repeatedly clashes with Long Aotian, first mistaking him for an enemy and then becoming concerned about him.
• The Strategist warns Zhao Ritian that his flame could ignite the gas, but Zhao Ritian dismisses the danger.
• Zhao Ritian threatens Bu Ersun for betraying them, while Bu Ersun desperately insists that the catastrophe was accidental.
• The group discovers Dragon Statue and Ape Statue playing cards. Their attempt to intimidate the newcomers collapses when Zhao Ritian casually reveals their cheating and treats them as familiar companions rather than divine guardians.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Ritian accuses the Ape and Dragon Statues of cheating at cards after they draw an impossible number of jokers. Their argument establishes the statues’ irreverent, combative personalities.
• The group asks about the secret realm, which supposedly contains enormous benefits and treasures capable of elevating someone to the level of the gods.
• The statues explain that entry is restricted to people with extraordinary talent, noble bloodlines, great opportunities, and heroic qualities. They insult Zhao Ritian, Long Aotian, and Lu Chengwen, declaring them unworthy.
• Bu Ersun attempts to exploit the statues’ description by pretending to be a hidden, exceptional genius whose hardships have prepared him for the opportunity. He confidently demands entry.
• The statues immediately see through his performance, beat and humiliate him, and block all four men from entering.
• Lu Chengwen realizes the secret realm is unusual and prompts the statues to reveal information about its mysterious lord.
• The statues explain that the lord has three defining traits. The first is that he loves games, playfulness, and creativity, while despising stiff, overly serious people.
• The second trait is that the lord resents the Ape God, who defeated him in the past. Consequently, he dislikes anyone associated with apes or monkeys.
• The chapter ends with the group realizing that both Long Aotian and Lu Chengwen may be disadvantaged: Long Aotian is too serious, while Lu Chengwen is connected to the Ape God.

Character Developments

• Zhao Ritian remains impulsive, shameless, and confident, immediately trying to enter the realm despite not knowing the rules. His boldness is repeatedly punished, including when the Ape Statue punches him.
• Long Aotian is shown as proud and serious. He challenges the statues but dislikes their games and mockery, making him a poor match for the realm’s playful lord.
• Lu Chengwen acts more cautiously and strategically. Rather than rushing forward, he observes the situation, identifies the realm’s unusual nature, and skillfully draws information from the statues.
• Bu Ersun displays exaggerated self-confidence and theatrical deception. His attempt to present himself as a hidden prodigy fails completely, leading to comic humiliation.
• The Ape and Dragon Statues behave like quarrelsome gatekeepers. They insult the group, argue with one another, and casually reveal important information despite initially intending to withhold it.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Bu Ersun’s grandiose self-presentation is exposed as empty posturing.
• Arrogance and humiliation: Characters who boast or exaggerate their worth are quickly mocked or punished.
• Bloodline versus individual ability: The Dragon Statue emphasizes noble ancestry, while the Ape Statue’s status as a self-made “mud-legged” figure challenges elitist ideas of inherited worth.
• Compatibility and fate: Entry depends not only on strength or talent but also on whether one’s personality aligns with the secret realm’s lord.
• Playfulness versus rigidity: The realm’s lord values creativity, optimism, and a willingness to play, contrasting with Long Aotian’s severe and disciplined personality.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Ritian repeatedly clashes with both statues through reckless questioning and accusations.
• The statues insult Long Aotian’s Dragon Clan heritage and Lu Chengwen’s connection to the Ape God, while the Ape Statue becomes defensive when the Dragon Statue mocks his origins.
• Bu Ersun tries to move past the others and assumes their opportunity is beneath him, prompting the statues to attack him.
• Lu Chengwen’s calm questioning contrasts with the others’ impulsiveness and leads to the disclosure of the lord’s traits.
• The group collectively realizes that the lord’s personal grudges and preferences may determine who can enter, rather than conventional heroism alone.

Chapter Summary: “Longevity-Draining Gate”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Ritian mocks Long Aotian and Lu Chengwen, believing the mysterious third trait of their enemy will give him an advantage.
• The Ape and Dragon Statues explain the gate’s cost: anyone entering may randomly lose ten years of lifespan. With multiple entrants, the total lifespan exchanged increases, but the losses and gains can be distributed unpredictably among them.
• Lu Chengwen proposes entering one at a time to avoid the risk, but the statues reveal that the gate can only be opened once and must be crossed by the chosen group together.
• Despite the danger, all four men—Zhao Ritian, Lu Chengwen, Long Aotian, and Bu Ersun—decide to enter.
• Before they pass through, the statues warn them not to mention the Ape God and caution them against acting clever toward the mysterious being inside.
• Zhao Ritian, Long Aotian, Bu Ersun, and finally Lu Chengwen cross the ordinary-looking stone gate.
• Inside, the gate miraculously restores them: their exhaustion, injuries, and even broken bones are completely healed.
• The four are separated by several meters and each receives a pillar bearing a symbolic emblem:
  • Long Aotian: dragon
  • Zhao Ritian: tiger
  • Lu Chengwen: monkey
  • Bu Ersun: a pile of excrement
• The Snake God declares that Bu Ersun’s humiliating emblem is intentional and not a mistake.

Character Developments

• Lu Chengwen remains cautious and analytical, attempting to find a way around the gate’s lifespan gamble. After entering, he regains confidence, interpreting his survival and healing as evidence that he may be a “protagonist” or special variable.
• Zhao Ritian continues to act boldly and competitively. He immediately volunteers to enter and jokes about receiving everyone else’s lifespan.
• Long Aotian shows confidence bordering on recklessness, reasoning that since he is already dead, losing lifespan does not frighten him.
• Bu Ersun initially hesitates but ultimately enters out of pride and faith in his luck. His confidence is undercut when he receives the insulting excrement symbol.
• The Ape and Dragon Statues maintain their comedic bickering, revealing information reluctantly while mocking the group.
• The Snake God is established as unpredictable and fond of humiliating or teasing entrants.

Significant Themes

• Risk and fate: The characters must gamble with their lifespans, emphasizing the uncertainty of fortune and the consequences of pursuing mysterious opportunities.
• Luck versus calculation: Lu Chengwen tries to outthink the system, while the others rely on courage, pride, or luck.
• Identity and destiny: Lu Chengwen’s belief that he is a “variable” or protagonist reflects the chapter’s focus on predetermined roles and hidden significance.
• Humor amid danger: The absurd dialogue, lifespan rules, and humiliating symbols contrast with the genuinely dangerous supernatural setting.
• Restoration and transformation: Crossing the gate heals the characters physically, suggesting that the secret realm may alter or test them in ways beyond the stated lifespan cost.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Ritian taunts Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian, while the statues interrupt each other and argue over what information to reveal.
• Lu Chengwen repeatedly challenges the statues’ intelligence, creating a playful verbal exchange.
• The four entrants debate the safest way to cross the gate, briefly uniting around Lu Chengwen’s idea before learning it is impossible.
• Bu Ersun and Lu Chengwen exchange a final look before entering, both encouraging each other not to retreat.
• After the emblems appear, the group laughs at Bu Ersun’s symbol, leaving him shocked and angry while the Snake God calmly insists it is correct.

Chapter Summary: “Snake God’s Splendor”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Snake God reveals the result of the lifespan trial, leaving the four participants anxious about how many years they have gained or lost.
• Zhao Ritian’s pillar shows zero, meaning his lifespan remains unchanged. Lu Chengwen’s pillar also displays zero, which reassures him that he has suffered no loss.
• The remaining uncertainty falls on Long Aotian and Bu Ersun. Their pillars reveal the shocking result: Bu Ersun loses forty years, while Long Aotian gains forty years.
• Bu Ersun protests that the result is unfair, especially after learning that he originally had only one year left to live. Snake God explains that Bu Ersun now owes him thirty-nine years, implying that his lifespan has effectively been borrowed from the future.
• Enraged, Bu Ersun insults Snake God and challenges the fairness of the trial. The Snake God statue shatters, and the actual Snake God emerges, radiating overwhelming power.
• The other three immediately kneel, flatter Snake God, and try to appease him. They even offer him a cigarette, adjust his clothing, praise his appearance, and massage his shoulders.
• Bu Ersun urges them to fight Snake God and divide the treasures, but they abandon their earlier bravado and continue flattering the Ancient War God.
• Snake God approves of their behavior and says he will allow the three flatterers to keep their heads. He singles out Bu Ersun for having “backbone,” causing Bu Ersun to immediately kneel and claim that his insults were only a joke.

Character Developments

• Bu Ersun shifts from mocking and rebellious to terrified and submissive once Snake God physically appears. His anger at losing forty years gives way to desperate self-preservation.
• Long Aotian is unexpectedly rewarded with forty additional years of life. His earlier fear that the secret realm would target him turns into triumphant boasting and renewed confidence.
• Lu Chengwen remains cautious and analytical, calculating the possible lifespan exchanges before the results are revealed. Once Snake God appears, he quickly adopts a diplomatic, flattering attitude.
• Zhao Ritian begins by praying desperately for more life, but after receiving no change, he joins the others in teasing Bu Ersun and flattering Snake God.
• Snake God is established as powerful, eccentric, mocking, and easily amused. He treats the lifespan trial and the participants’ reactions as entertainment rather than as a solemn judgment.

Significant Themes

• Power and survival: The characters’ principles disappear when confronted with overwhelming power, showing that survival takes priority over pride.
• Irony and unequal fortune: Bu Ersun loses forty years while Long Aotian gains exactly forty, turning one person’s disaster into another’s victory.
• Fate and borrowed life: The trial suggests that lifespan can be transferred or borrowed, raising the idea that life is not fully under an individual’s control.
• Humility versus arrogance: Bu Ersun’s defiance collapses instantly, while the supposedly proud Yan Zhao Sect Trio become shameless flatterers when faced with danger.
• Comedy through reversal: The chapter satirizes heroic posturing. The characters loudly present themselves as powerful disciples, yet immediately behave obsequiously before a genuine Ancient War God.

Character Interactions

• Lu Chengwen comforts Zhao Ritian after his zero result and reasons aloud about the possible lifespan distribution.
• Bu Ersun repeatedly mocks Long Aotian’s supposed bad luck, only to become the one punished by the trial.
• Long Aotian celebrates his unexpected gain and joins Zhao Ritian and Lu Chengwen in joking about Bu Ersun’s reduced lifespan.
• The three men collectively tease Bu Ersun, suggesting that they may live to watch him reincarnate repeatedly while repaying his debt.
• After Snake God appears, Lu Chengwen, Zhao Ritian, and Long Aotian cooperate in flattering and serving him, while Bu Ersun condemns their hypocrisy and unsuccessfully tries to rally them into attacking.
• Snake God rewards the trio’s submission but intimidates Bu Ersun into apologizing, ending the chapter with his complete reversal from challenger to frightened supplicant.

Chapter Summary: “Snake God Holds Grudges”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Snake God removes his cloak, which Long Aotian eagerly catches before it touches the ground, beginning another round of exaggerated flattery from Long Aotian, Lu Chengwen, and Zhao Ritian.
• Bu Ersun awkwardly attempts to join in praising Snake God, but Snake God rejects his fawning and insists that he dislikes shallow flattery.
• Snake God declares that people should welcome criticism and honest advice rather than listening only to pleasant words. He condemns self-righteousness, stubbornness, and refusing to learn.
• The Three Brothers—Lu Chengwen, Long Aotian, and Zhao Ritian—enthusiastically applaud and praise Snake God’s wisdom, despite the irony that they are obviously flattering him.
• Zhao Ritian distinguishes himself by openly admitting that Snake God is “putting on an act,” though he frames the criticism respectfully. Snake God approves of his honesty and grants him permission to continue speaking frankly.
• Bu Ersun tries to say that Snake God has flaws, intending to finish with praise, but the others immediately interrupt and accuse him of insulting their senior.
• Snake God acknowledges that everyone has flaws, including himself, but then reveals that he holds grudges.
• He notices that Bu Ersun is not wearing a hat and interprets it as disrespect. He orders the others to beat him, and the Three Brothers eagerly attack him—partly because Bu Ersun previously cut their steel cable.

Character Developments

• Snake God: Presents himself as wise, open-minded, and receptive to criticism, but his final actions reveal a petty and vindictive side. His claim that he “holds grudges” becomes the chapter’s punchline and explains the title.
• Zhao Ritian: Shows unexpected honesty and courage by criticizing Snake God directly. His bluntness earns Snake God’s approval, though he remains aggressive and comically excessive in dealing with Bu Ersun.
• Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian: Continue their shameless flattery, competing to glorify Snake God. Their exaggerated praise demonstrates both their opportunism and their fear of offending someone vastly more powerful.
• Bu Ersun: Struggles to imitate the others’ flattery and becomes the victim of a misunderstanding. His attempt to offer nuanced praise backfires because the others refuse to let him finish speaking.
• The Three Brothers: Act as a united group, enthusiastically reinforcing Snake God’s statements while hypocritically pretending that their own flattery is sincere truth.

Significant Themes

• Honesty versus flattery: Snake God claims that honest criticism is more valuable than praise, while the surrounding characters expose how easily flattery can become absurd and manipulative.
• Hypocrisy and double standards: The Three Brothers praise Snake God constantly but condemn Bu Ersun for saying he has flaws, revealing that their loyalty depends more on pleasing the powerful than on truth.
• Power and submission: Snake God’s overwhelming status causes everyone to compete for his approval. Even casual remarks and clothing choices become matters of life-or-death respect.
• The gap between ideals and behavior: Snake God delivers a speech about wisdom, humility, and accepting criticism, yet immediately punishes Bu Ersun over a trivial offense. The contradiction creates the chapter’s central comedy.
• Grudges and arbitrary authority: Snake God’s personal resentment allows him to turn an insignificant issue—Bu Ersun’s lack of a hat—into justification for violence.

Character Interactions

• Snake God rejects Bu Ersun’s flattery while tolerating and enjoying the more elaborate praise from Lu Chengwen, Long Aotian, and Zhao Ritian.
• Zhao Ritian’s direct criticism creates a rare moment of mutual respect between him and Snake God.
• The Three Brothers unite against Bu Ersun, interrupting his explanation and accusing him of disrespect.
• Snake God briefly appears magnanimous by acknowledging his own flaws, then reverses the impression by ordering Bu Ersun’s beating.
• The attack also allows Zhao Ritian to punish Bu Ersun for an earlier offense: cutting the group’s steel cable.

Chapter Summary: “A Small Trial for All Who Arrived”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bu Ersun’s punishment for tearing apart the steel cable and framing the others is concluded: he loses forty years of lifespan and is brutally beaten by the Three Brothers. He remains resentful but has no allies.
• The group meets the Snake God, an ancient guardian who has waited alone in the secret realm for destined inheritors to arrive. He reveals that the realm once belonged to an ancient feudal territory, though modern memories identify it as an isolated island in Amilika.
• Snake God demonstrates that he can perceive the group’s memories and immediately recognizes their inherited powers and divine artifacts:
  • Zhao Ritian possesses the Emperor Fire Seed, the Red Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, and the Boar God’s Tyrant Body.
  • Long Aotian possesses the White Emperor’s Fire Seed and the powerful “King’s Aura” true qi.
  • Lu Chengwen is revealed to be a descendant of the Ape God and to possess the Yellow Emperor Scarring Fire and one of the Ape God’s divine artifacts.
• Bu Ersun deliberately provokes Snake God by loudly reminding him of his ancient defeat at the hands of the Ape God. Snake God strikes him, causing him to cough up an enormous amount of blood, though he survives.
• Snake God explains that his defeat by the Ape God was not caused by a personal grudge but by a battle between former brothers. He humorously blames the loss on bad luck, illness, poor-fitting shoes, bad air, and a minor earthquake.
• He recalls the Ape God’s terrifying combat ability, especially how his strength and the weight of his staff increased as his anger grew. The Ape God had also defeated the Dragon God after a seven-day battle, humiliating him with a blow to the nose.
• Snake God announces that the four protagonists must undergo individual trials. He will assign each of them an evil opponent; those who succeed may receive his gifts or legacy, while those who fail will die.
• The Branch Master, Strategist, and Dragon Head enter the realm while investigating its strange, ancient Huaxia-style ruins. Snake God orders them to kneel.
• The Dragon Head refuses and attacks Snake God with the Divine Dragon Great Ravaging Palm. Snake God effortlessly repels him with a casual movement of his cloak, sending him crashing into a stone platform and leaving him badly injured.
• Seeing Snake God’s overwhelming power, the Branch Master and Strategist immediately kneel and pay their respects.

Character Developments

• Snake God is established as an ancient, immensely powerful, and sarcastic guardian. Though he is only a primordial-spirit manifestation because his physical body has perished, he remains capable of overwhelming top-level fighters.
• Lu Chengwen is confirmed as the Ape God’s descendant, making his inheritance and connection to the ancient conflict much more significant than he initially admits.
• Zhao Ritian remains bold, curious, and irreverent. He repeatedly jokes about Snake God’s defeat despite the obvious danger, showing both confidence and a lack of restraint.
• Long Aotian presents himself as a noble heir destined to shoulder responsibility for the world, but his confidence is tested by Snake God’s comments and the coming trials.
• Bu Ersun remains spiteful and vindictive, attempting to shift Snake God’s anger toward Lu Chengwen even after already being punished.
• Dragon Head displays arrogance and aggression by challenging Snake God immediately, but his defeat demonstrates the vast gap between them. The Branch Master and Strategist prove more cautious by surrendering at once.

Significant Themes

• Legacy and inherited destiny: The characters’ divine bloodlines, fire seeds, artifacts, and ancestral connections determine why they have been summoned and suggest that ancient conflicts continue through their descendants.
• Humility before true power: Snake God’s effortless defeat of Dragon Head illustrates that reputation and confidence mean little against genuine ancient strength.
• The burden of inheritance: Each protagonist is expected to prove that they are worthy of the powers and legacies passed down to them.
• History and memory: Snake God’s perspective reveals that the group’s modern understanding of geography and history differs greatly from the ancient world he remembers.
• Rivalry mixed with brotherhood: The Ape God and Snake God once fought as brothers rather than enemies, showing that legendary battles may have arisen from competition rather than hatred.
• Trials as judgment: The upcoming tests will determine not only who is powerful, but who is worthy, disciplined, and capable of carrying responsibility.

Character Interactions

• Snake God questions and evaluates Zhao Ritian, Long Aotian, and Lu Chengwen, recognizing their respective inheritances.
• Bu Ersun attempts to manipulate Snake God by insulting the Ape God and exposing Lu Chengwen’s identity, but Snake God punishes Bu Ersun instead.
• Lu Chengwen respectfully asks about the ancient conflict, prompting Snake God to clarify that the Ape God was once his brother and rival.
• Zhao Ritian’s teasing about Snake God’s defeat creates a humorous contrast with Snake God’s irritation and the seriousness of the ancient history.
• Snake God confronts the newly arrived Branch Master, Strategist, and Dragon Head, establishing an immediate hierarchy. Dragon Head resists and is crushed, while the other two submit.
• The chapter ends with the four destined inheritors awaiting dangerous trials and the newly arrived outsiders forced to acknowledge Snake God’s authority.

Chapter Summary: “Mirror Trial Begins”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Dragon and Ape Statues enter Snake God’s chamber to watch the trial, treating it like entertainment. Snake God reluctantly allows them to stay.
• The participants are separated through a manipulation of space and time, each placed in a different but synchronized “mirror” dimension.
• Zhao Ritian finds himself alone with the Sky Net Strategist, who has been convinced that Zhao is the trial’s evil opponent. Both mistakenly believe they are the chosen hero destined to inherit Snake God’s treasure.
• Long Aotian encounters the Dragon Head, who has completely accepted Snake God’s manipulation. The Dragon Head believes he is a divinely selected savior who will inherit the legacy and rescue the world.
• Long Aotian realizes that the participants have been placed into parallel versions of the same trial. Snake God and the statues are likely observing and manipulating multiple groups simultaneously, creating a three-on-three confrontation.
• Lu Chengwen reaches the same conclusion, recognizing that the gods can manipulate space, time, thoughts, and memories. He suspects they understand mortals from a higher-dimensional perspective.
• The Branch Master insists that Snake God has revealed his true identity as the embodiment of justice, despite his history of committing atrocities as a Sky Net leader.
• Lu Chengwen challenges the Branch Master’s self-image and points out that Snake God may be deceiving him. The Branch Master refuses to listen and attacks Lu Chengwen, forcing Lu to prepare for battle.

Character Developments

• Snake God is portrayed as a manipulative and powerful overseer who turns the participants’ desires and beliefs against one another for his amusement or purposes.
• Dragon Statue and Ape Statue behave like childish spectators, enjoying the confusion and conflict rather than taking the trial seriously.
• Zhao Ritian remains straightforward and confused, initially mistaking the statues for the trial’s villains before realizing the Strategist has been assigned that role.
• The Strategist has become convinced that he is a chosen hero. His ambition and desire for power allow Snake God to rewrite his understanding of himself.
• Long Aotian demonstrates superior awareness and skepticism. He quickly recognizes that something is wrong and correctly identifies the trial as a synchronized contest across mirrored dimensions.
• Dragon Head is completely intoxicated by the idea of being a savior. His pride and hunger for recognition make him especially vulnerable to Snake God’s deception.
• Lu Chengwen remains analytical and skeptical. Drawing on his previous deaths and unusual experiences, he understands the dimensional nature of the trial and tries to expose the Branch Master’s delusions.
• Branch Master undergoes the most dramatic psychological shift, abandoning his identity as a criminal and embracing an absurd vision of himself as justice incarnate. When challenged, he responds with violence.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and self-deception: Snake God exploits each person’s desires, causing villains to see themselves as heroes and opponents as evil.
• The danger of unchecked ambition: The Strategist, Dragon Head, and Branch Master all accept the promise of divine power because they crave status, control, or recognition.
• Reality versus perception: The mirrored dimensions blur the distinction between what is truly happening and what the characters believe is happening.
• Higher-dimensional power: The gods’ ability to manipulate space, time, memories, and thoughts places them far above ordinary humans.
• False heroism and moral hypocrisy: The Sky Net figures proclaim themselves champions of justice while ignoring or rationalizing their own crimes.
• Observation as entertainment: The Dragon and Ape Statues treat the trial like a spectacle, emphasizing the gods’ detachment from mortal suffering.

Character Interactions

• The Dragon and Ape Statues tease Snake God and celebrate the trial as entertainment, while Snake God scolds them for their childish behavior.
• Zhao Ritian mistakes the statues for his enemies, then confronts the Strategist, who falsely identifies him as the evil target.
• Long Aotian silently analyzes the Dragon Head’s ecstatic claims, recognizing that the older man has been manipulated.
• Lu Chengwen attempts to reason with the Branch Master, questioning Snake God’s supposed judgment and pointing out the Branch Master’s criminal past.
• The Branch Master rejects Lu’s arguments, declares Lu the embodiment of evil, and attacks him, ending the chapter with their fight about to begin.

Chapter Summary: Justice’s Little Strategist

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Ritian and the Strategist engage in a fierce battle, exchanging dozens of attacks without either gaining a decisive advantage.
• Although the Strategist has deeper cultivation and more accumulated true energy, Zhao Ritian’s extraordinary physique, talent, and unusually powerful energy allow him to fight evenly.
• The Ape and Dragon Statues praise the two fighters’ techniques:
  • Zhao Ritian demonstrates powerful yet skillful control over his energy.
  • The Strategist uses deceptive and intricate moves to offset Zhao Ritian’s natural advantage.
• Both fighters eventually land simultaneous kicks, leaving Zhao Ritian injured but quickly recovering, while the Strategist is badly weakened and struggles to stand.
• Zhao Ritian mocks the Strategist, but the Strategist breaks down emotionally, declaring that he must resist evil and uphold justice even at the cost of his life.
• Believing the Strategist may genuinely be righteous, Zhao Ritian becomes hesitant to fight back. The Strategist exploits this hesitation, chasing and striking him while crying and proclaiming his dedication to justice.
• The statues ridicule both men, especially Zhao Ritian’s inability to understand the situation. They reveal that Snake God has deceived both sides by telling each that the other is evil.
• The statues explain that the Strategist is actually pretending to be righteous. His real goal is to inherit Snake God’s power so he can continue acting recklessly and committing evil while showing off.
• Once Zhao Ritian realizes he has been manipulated and humiliated, his anger erupts. When the Strategist charges again while shouting about justice, Zhao Ritian unleashes a powerful punch, smashing the Strategist’s face.

Character Developments

• Zhao Ritian: Initially confident and boastful, he proves himself a formidable fighter through exceptional talent and protagonist-like luck. However, his simplistic thinking makes him easy to deceive. His exaggerated respect for apparent righteousness causes him to hold back, allowing the Strategist to beat him. After learning the truth, his embarrassment and rage finally restore his fighting spirit.
• The Strategist: Demonstrates superior experience, technique, and cultivation, but cannot overcome Zhao Ritian’s overwhelming innate advantage. He theatrically cries, invokes justice, and presents himself as a heroic defender of humanity. His performance is ultimately exposed as manipulation designed to make Zhao Ritian hesitate.
• Ape Statue and Dragon Statue: Serve as sarcastic observers and commentators. They recognize the absurdity of the fight, mock both combatants, and clarify Snake God’s deception to Zhao Ritian.
• Snake God: Though absent, he drives the conflict by misleading both Zhao Ritian and the Strategist about each other’s identities and motives.

Significant Themes

• Deception and misplaced trust: Both fighters accept Snake God’s claims without judging the other for themselves.
• Appearance versus reality: The Strategist’s dramatic displays of justice conceal selfish and villainous motives.
• Justice as performance: The chapter satirizes exaggerated heroic declarations, showing how moral language can be used as a weapon.
• Talent versus experience: Zhao Ritian’s innate power allows him to challenge someone with deeper cultivation and greater combat experience.
• Absurdity and incompetence: The conflict is comedic because both sides are manipulated, while the statues observe their foolishness with disbelief.
• Humiliation and pride: Zhao Ritian’s greatest motivation is not justice but the realization that he was tricked into being beaten without fighting back.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Ritian and the Strategist begin as evenly matched opponents, but the Strategist gains the psychological advantage by pretending to be an unwavering champion of justice.
• Zhao Ritian repeatedly tries to reason with him and insists that he is also a good person, while the Strategist continues attacking and denouncing him as evil.
• The statues mock Zhao Ritian’s naivety and criticize his lack of judgment.
• After the statues expose the Strategist’s deception, Zhao Ritian turns from hesitation to fury and decisively retaliates, ending the chapter with a devastating punch.

Chapter Summary: “Cunning Villain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Ritian brutally overwhelms the Strategist with punches, kicks, knees, and headbutts after discovering that the Strategist’s heroic, justice-driven persona was an act.
• The Strategist is nearly beaten to death, but activates a hidden formation called “Shelter,” creating a huge semicircular barrier that isolates the battle and prevents outsiders from learning the truth.
• Using the opening created by the formation, the Strategist counterattacks with two unusually shaped weapons known as the Liu Xie Twin Blades. His swift and unpredictable technique repeatedly cuts Zhao Ritian’s wrists, ankles, arms, shoulder, abdomen, back, and neck.
• The Strategist reveals that he entered the Snake God Temple intending to deceive the Snake God by acting like a self-sacrificing savior. He believes this performance will earn him the Snake God’s inheritance and make him the strongest person in the world.
• He claims that Zhao Ritian’s strength is wasted because Zhao is too foolish and lacks the ambition to dominate the world. Zhao counters that true supremacy requires unwavering conviction and commitment to justice.
• The Strategist gains the upper hand with his weapons, mocking Zhao and treating him as a sacrifice for his “trial.”
• When the Strategist’s blade strikes Zhao’s neck, Zhao’s Boar God Tyrant Body activates. His skin becomes completely impervious to the blade, causing it to spark and fly from the Strategist’s hand.
• Zhao immediately retaliates with another powerful punch, sending the Strategist flying once more.

Character Developments

• Zhao Ritian: His anger intensifies after realizing the Strategist manipulated everyone with a false heroic performance. Though reckless and empty-handed, Zhao remains confident in justice and refuses to accept the Strategist’s cynical view of power. His Tyrant Body ultimately gives him a decisive advantage.
• The Strategist: His true personality is exposed as manipulative, arrogant, and power-hungry. He openly admits that his heroic behavior was merely a calculated performance designed to obtain the Snake God’s inheritance. Despite his intelligence and weapon skill, his arrogance leads him to underestimate Zhao’s defensive ability.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: The Strategist’s heroic image is revealed to be an elaborate deception.
• Justice versus ambition: Zhao believes strength comes from conviction and protecting others, while the Strategist sees morality as a tool for gaining power.
• Cunning versus brute force: The Strategist’s traps, formation, and twin-blade technique initially counter Zhao’s straightforward fighting style.
• Overconfidence and deception: The Strategist’s confidence in his own scheme causes him to overlook the possibility that the Snake God may have recognized and manipulated him.
• Innate strength and resilience: Zhao’s Tyrant Body demonstrates that raw physical power, when combined with endurance, can overcome sophisticated tactics.

Character Interactions

• Zhao repeatedly taunts the Strategist by quoting and mocking the heroic ideals the Strategist previously pretended to uphold.
• The Strategist mocks Zhao’s lack of weapons and tries to provoke him into abandoning his defensive strategy.
• Their argument reveals their opposing beliefs: Zhao values justice and conviction, while the Strategist values deception, inheritance, and domination.
• The chapter ends with their conflict still unresolved, but Zhao regains momentum after his body withstands the Strategist’s strongest attack.

Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Ritian fights the Strategist while unarmed, leaving him at a major disadvantage against the Strategist’s twin short blades.
• The Strategist reveals that his earlier attacks were meant to confirm Zhao’s weakness: Zhao usually relies on improvised weapons and has none available in the rocky battlefield.
• He repeatedly mocks Zhao by kicking rocks at him and taunting him to block the blades with his bare arms.
• Zhao relies on the Boar God Tyrant Body, a powerful defensive technique that can momentarily make him nearly impervious to attacks. However, activating it consumes enormous amounts of true qi and cannot be sustained.
• The Strategist’s fast, unpredictable blade techniques gradually overwhelm Zhao, inflicting numerous wounds and repeatedly targeting vital areas such as his throat and chest.
• When the Strategist attempts a lethal attack on Zhao’s artery, Zhao activates the Tyrant Body to survive. During another exchange, he deliberately steps into the Strategist’s attack and uses the technique again.
• Zhao traps the Strategist’s arms, causing the crossed blades to cut both men deeply, then headbutts him. The Strategist is stunned, and his previously precise rhythm begins to collapse.
• Taking advantage of the disruption, Zhao abandons the attempt to match the Strategist’s speed and instead uses close-range grappling, leveraging his superior physical strength and true qi.
• The Strategist tries to escape and restore his preferred distance, but Zhao’s footwork keeps him pinned in close combat. The chapter ends with Zhao trapping the Strategist’s arm and thrusting one of the blades toward his eye.

2. Character Developments

• Zhao Ritian: Initially frustrated and disadvantaged, Zhao demonstrates resilience, tactical thinking, and adaptability. He realizes that trying to fight the Strategist on his opponent’s terms is ineffective, then changes tactics by using grappling and close-range control.
• The Strategist: Begins the fight confident and cruel, exploiting Zhao’s lack of a weapon and relying on superior speed, precision, and psychological taunts. His confidence weakens once Zhao disrupts his rhythm and forces him into a physically demanding grappling battle.
• Zhao’s use of the Tyrant Body becomes more strategic: rather than relying on it continuously, he times brief activations to survive lethal strikes and create openings.

3. Significant Themes

• Adaptability over brute force: Zhao’s eventual advantage comes from changing tactics rather than simply enduring attacks.
• Strengths and weaknesses in combat: The Strategist’s blades and speed dominate at mid-range, while Zhao’s physical power and grappling ability become decisive at close range.
• Resource management: The Tyrant Body is extremely powerful but limited by its heavy true-qi cost, forcing Zhao to use it carefully.
• Psychological warfare and overconfidence: The Strategist’s taunts initially reinforce his control, but his arrogance contributes to his failure to anticipate Zhao’s counterattack.
• Improvisation and intelligence: Despite being mocked as “barehanded,” Zhao proves capable of analyzing the opponent’s style and turning the battlefield and weapons against him.

4. Character Interactions

• The Strategist repeatedly insults Zhao’s lack of a weapon, kicks rocks at him, and challenges him to defend against the twin blades with his arms.
• Zhao responds with anger but refuses to surrender, repeatedly enduring attacks and verbally rejecting the Strategist’s predictions of defeat.
• Their direct clash shifts from a contest of speed and blade technique to a struggle over positioning and physical control.
• After Zhao’s headbutt disrupts the Strategist, Zhao begins seizing his wrists and arms, preventing the Strategist from using his blades effectively.
• The final exchange shows Zhao maintaining the initiative while the Strategist desperately attempts to disengage.

Chapter Summary: “Ritian Was Really Angry”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao Ritian and the Strategist become locked in a deadly contest, each holding a blade aimed at the other’s eye. Neither can withdraw without suffering a serious injury.
• To break the stalemate, Zhao Ritian attacks the Strategist below the belt. The Strategist retaliates, leading to a prolonged and absurd exchange of repeated crotch kicks while they continue struggling with their blades.
• Their distraction causes the Strategist’s formation to collapse unnoticed. The Dragon Statue and Ape Statue watch in disbelief, commenting on the brutality and ridiculousness of the fight.
• The Strategist eventually reaches his limit and shoves Zhao Ritian away. Zhao uses the momentum to kick him in the chest, sending him flying.
• Both men suffer severe pain, but Zhao reveals that he used his Tyrant Body to lessen the impact of the Strategist’s kicks. The Strategist, having endured the attacks without similar protection, is left incapacitated and vomiting blood.
• Snake God descends and criticizes the Strategist for failing to defeat Zhao Ritian. The Strategist attempts to portray himself as an honest and righteous victim of Zhao’s underhanded tactics.
• Snake God mockingly questions how the Strategist can protect justice when his injuries have left him badly crippled, then offers him a strand of Black Tortoise True Qi so he can fight again.
• Enraged by Snake God’s apparent favoritism, Zhao Ritian throws a stone at him and angrily condemns him for failing to distinguish right from wrong.
• Snake God drops his lofty, ceremonial manner and argues with Zhao in ordinary language. Zhao declares that he will kill the Strategist in front of Snake God, who sarcastically challenges him to try.

Character Developments

• Zhao Ritian demonstrates his shamelessness, stubbornness, tactical cunning, and refusal to yield, even while enduring tremendous pain. His use of the Tyrant Body gives him a decisive advantage, and his anger grows when Snake God unfairly supports the Strategist.
• The Strategist proves physically resilient but loses both the contest and his dignity. His self-image as a righteous, composed figure is undercut by his tears, humiliation, complaints, and desperate appeals for justice.
• Snake God is revealed to be far less dignified than his grand entrance suggests. Though he initially acts like a solemn judge, Zhao’s accusations provoke an irritable and vulgar response, exposing his theatrical behavior.
• The Dragon Statue and Ape Statue function as amused observers, emphasizing how bizarre and entertaining the battle has become.

Significant Themes

• Absurdity amid danger: A potentially lethal blade duel degenerates into a slapstick contest, creating comedy without removing the real physical stakes.
• Endurance and stubbornness: Both fighters continue despite unbearable pain, but Zhao’s superior technique and willingness to exploit weakness determine the outcome.
• Justice versus favoritism: The Strategist claims moral righteousness, while Zhao challenges Snake God’s biased judgment and questions who truly deserves to represent justice.
• Appearance versus reality: Snake God’s majestic presentation hides a petty, easily angered personality, while the Strategist’s heroic self-description conflicts with his cowardly and aggrieved behavior.
• Humiliation and pride: The fight becomes a battle of wills and dignity as much as a physical contest; Zhao would rather suffer than submit, while the Strategist’s pride collapses under repeated defeat.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhao and the Strategist engage in a vicious, mutually retaliatory exchange while taunting and bargaining with each other, repeatedly breaking promises to stop.
• The stone statues react with shock and amusement, treating the fighters’ pain as a spectacle.
• The Strategist appeals to Snake God for protection and validation, presenting himself as a righteous victim.
• Snake God initially sides with the Strategist and offers him renewed power, but Zhao openly insults and confronts him.
• The chapter ends with Zhao and Snake God trading angry challenges, setting up another confrontation involving the injured Strategist.