Chapter Summaries

Fang Cheng negotiated his entry into the Special Search Team, securing a medical role with flexible hours and Shi Chengyi’s help investigating the Guangwu Gate shooting case. After Shi arranged his recruitment procedures, Fang Cheng celebrated with his family, hiding that he had failed his East Capital Law School interview.

• Fang Cheng asked to avoid factional disputes, work as a doctor on flexible hours, and receive Shi Chengyi’s assistance if he found clues about the Guangwu Gate shooting case; Shi agreed to all three conditions.
• Shi Chengyi arranged for Fang Cheng to become a Special Traditional Medical Expert at the sanatorium, and instructed Wei Zheng to handle his registration and prepare exam materials for the final round on the 5th of next month.
• Li Zhenhua returned with tea, and Fang Cheng guided him to a narrow victory over Shi Chengyi in chess before Shi Chengyi and Wei Zheng left.
• Fang Cheng told his family that he had agreed to take part in the Special Search Team’s final round, and they celebrated his opportunity to join.
• When Li Biyun asked whether the job would conflict with his law-school application, Fang Cheng said he had failed the East Capital Law School interview and concealed the truth about his background-check difficulties.

Fang Cheng joined the Special Search Team, while Shi Chengyi explained that Fang’s growing strength could influence the Martial Artists without being drawn into factional struggles. The chapter ended at a mysterious tower, where a red-haired man asked whether his lord had emerged from seclusion.

• Fang Cheng considered the benefits of joining the Special Search Team and returned to celebrate with Li Zhenhua and Li Biyun.
• Wei Zheng questioned Shi Chengyi about Fang Cheng’s wish to work in the Medical Team rather than fight the Technological Reformation Faction.
• Shi Chengyi told Wei Zheng that Fang Cheng’s growing power could become a symbol and deterrent for Martial Artists even if Fang avoided political struggles.
• Wei Zheng accepted Shi Chengyi’s reasoning and anticipated that Fang Cheng would eventually change the Special Search Team and the balance of power.
• A red-haired man approached a towering black structure and asked the white-robed guard whether his lord had come out of seclusion.

Claude and the man in white argued over Black Shark’s failure in Eastern Capital and whether Fang Shijie had survived, but the lord’s overwhelming power interrupted them. Meanwhile, Fang Cheng completed his Special Search Team exam paperwork and planned to prepare for the upcoming tests.

• The man in white accused Claude of disgracing Utopia by failing to capture the target and disrupting its plans in Eastern Capital.
• Claude claimed that Fang Shijie had faked his death and was now working with the Special Search Team, but the man in white doubted his evidence.
• The lord’s immense willpower descended from the Skyscraper Giant Tower, forcing Claude and the man in white to stop fighting and bow.
• Claude left for Eastern Capital to take charge, while the man in white warned that the lord would decide the target’s fate after his seclusion.
• Fang Cheng completed his exam paperwork at the Special Search Team headquarters, received past exam materials from Wei Zheng, and decided to study for the upcoming tests.

Fang Cheng tested whether he could use supersonic speed, airflow, and the lake’s surface to simulate flight. He skimmed across YuLong Lake for several kilometers before losing speed and crashing into the water.

• Fang Cheng abandoned the lakeside road for a muddy shore after remembering that his full-speed runs had damaged the pavement.
• Fang Cheng sprinted across the mudflat, broke the sound barrier, and stepped onto the lake without sinking.
• Fang Cheng spread his arms and used the high-speed airflow for lift, gliding and tapping the water to keep moving.
• Fang Cheng crossed several kilometers of YuLong Lake before air resistance drained his speed and the lift failed.
• Fang Cheng lost his balance, rolled across the water, and crashed into the lake.

Fang Cheng tested his developing flight technique by crossing five kilometers over YuLong Lake, then went to the Special Search Team Headquarters to collect his admission ticket and review the final-round procedures. He learned that the fitness test on the third day would take place in the Western Mountains.

• Fang Cheng crossed YuLong Lake by running across its surface, reasoned that he could adapt the technique to the air, and returned to shore to prepare for the exam.
• Fang Cheng met Ma Donghe outside the Special Search Team Headquarters, where Ma Donghe greeted several candidates and described the competition with students from the Special Police School.
• Wei Zheng gave Fang Cheng his documents and admission ticket, with Fang Cheng listed under Wei Zheng as recommender to avoid drawing attention to his teacher.
• Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe reviewed the three-day exam schedule: written tests on the first day, interviews on the second, and a fitness test on the third.
• Wei Zheng reassured Ma Donghe about the written test and explained that the final fitness test would be held in the Western Mountains.

Fang Cheng learned that the Special Search Team had moved its physical fitness assessment to the dangerous West Mountain military restricted zone, where Director Ling Shaofeng appeared to be pursuing a secret operation. After preparing for the exams and returning home, Fang Cheng focused on a change in his Inner Scenery World caused by suppressing the Evil Spirit Mask.

• Fang Cheng, Ma Donghe, and Wei Zheng learned that the physical fitness test would be a cross-country survival assessment in West Mountain, and Wei Zheng warned that Ling Shaofeng's decision was likely connected to secret activity there.
• A gaunt man eavesdropped on their conversation before slipping away, while Fang Cheng noticed several seasoned, military-trained candidates, including a crew-cut young man who met his gaze.
• Fang Cheng returned home and reassured Li Biyun and Li Zhenhua that his exam preparations were in order.
• Fang Cheng recalled visiting Jinshui Fish Market to plan security for his secret base with Lin Chuqiao, then training combat skills and eating heavily before going home.
• Fang Cheng dismissed the need to cram for the written test, sat in meditation, and focused on the subtle changes in his Inner Scenery World since suppressing the Evil Spirit Mask.

Fang Cheng discovered that the Evil Spirit Mask’s Feast of Slaughter had seeded his Inner Scenery World with primitive life, and he used its energy to spread life across the land. He then resolved to invade Fire Dragon’s subconscious and claim him as a loyal follower.

• Fang Cheng explored his Inner Scenery World and sensed that the Blood Moon and the mask were linked to a subtle change.
• Fang Cheng found microorganisms in the river and realized the Evil Spirit Mask’s Feast of Slaughter had poured Life Energy into his Inner Scenery World.
• Fang Cheng released the mask’s stored energy as life-filled rain, spreading microorganisms across the island and imagining how the world might evolve.
• Fang Cheng examined the consciousness Coordinates of his followers and decided to remove the marks left by the higher-dimensional beings who had granted them abilities.
• Fang Cheng chose Fire Dragon as his first target and resolved to invade his weakened Subconscious Mind and seize ownership of him.

Fang Cheng fought the higher-dimensional being that had branded Fire Dragon’s soul and pulled him into the Inner Scenery World. Fire Dragon pledged loyalty to Fang Cheng and revealed his real name, disguise, and personal grudge, asking for shelter so he could settle it.

• Fang Cheng attacked the gray barrier around Fire Dragon’s consciousness with Solar Mental Network, provoking a colossal demonic presence to descend.
• Fang Cheng called on Fire Dragon to accept his help, and Fire Dragon struggled to call Fang Cheng’s name as the demon’s flames intensified.
• Fang Cheng used Heart of Steel to shield Fire Dragon and bring his consciousness into the Inner Scenery World.
• Fang Cheng explained that Fire Dragon was safe in his world and asked him to formally join the Illumination Society.
• Fire Dragon knelt and pledged loyalty to Fang Cheng, then disclosed that his real name was Shanks and his appearance was disguised.
• Shanks said he had fled Eastern Europe for Xia Country and joined the Blood Thorn Mercenary Group to settle a personal grudge, offering his life and soul in exchange for Fang Cheng’s shelter.

Shanks recounted how Utopia destroyed his family and swore loyalty to Fang Cheng, who promised to protect him and make his enemies his own. After Shanks left the Inner Scenery World, Fang Cheng saw Shanks’s star settle close to his own on the dome.

• Shanks told Fang Cheng that a man in a gray trench coat and Shanks’s transformed older brother were responsible for slaughtering his family, including his sister Emily.
• Shanks revealed that his brother’s burned diary named Utopia, described its goal of destroying the old order, and identified Eastern Capital as one of its important bases.
• Shanks explained that he had joined the Blood Thorn Mercenary Group to investigate Utopia’s suspected ties to the Xia Country military, but Fang Cheng’s destruction of the group had severed that connection.
• Fang Cheng declared that Utopia and Shanks’s other enemies were now his enemies, and Shanks pledged to serve him as his one and only lord.
• Fang Cheng told Shanks to give the Masked Man’s Swiss bank account details to the Professor, then sent the injured Shanks back to rest.
• After Shanks left, Fang Cheng saw Shanks’s star move to a bright position near his own in the Inner Scenery World’s dome.

Fang Cheng examined how his Solar Mental Network had pulled Shanks into its core while the Old Gods’ influence continued to tug at Shanks, Lin Chuqiao, and the professor. After realizing the Heart of Steel effect had helped him repel a higher-dimensional attack, Fang Cheng went to sleep before his written exam, while Shanks awoke injured and resolved to rely on the Illumination Society.

• Fang Cheng saw that Shanks’s consciousness had moved into the Solar Mental Network’s core, but Shanks, Lin Chuqiao, and the professor were still being pulled outward by their Old God imprints.
• Fang Cheng concluded that controlling the Aberrants’ souls would require a prolonged contest against the Old Gods and left his Inner Scenery World.
• Fang Cheng received Focus and Visualization experience, then recognized that Heart of Steel had sharply boosted his willpower during the clash with the higher-dimensional consciousness.
• Fang Cheng prepared for the Special Search Team’s written test and went to sleep.
• Shanks woke in a basement, realized his encounter with Fang Cheng had been real, and murmured the name of the Illumination Society.

Plot Points and Events

• Shanks reflects on his past and his newfound loyalty to the president.
• He experiences a mysterious warm current that improves his condition and eases his chronic mental illness.
• The Red-haired Man senses a disturbance in his bloodline and vows to find White Owl.
• At the Special Police Academy, Fang Cheng takes the Administrative Professional Ability Test, impressing the proctor with his speed and accuracy.

Character Developments

• Shanks: Realizes the president's power and decides to dedicate himself to him, feeling a new sense of purpose and hope.
• Fang Cheng: Demonstrates his intelligence and quick thinking during the test, further showcasing his potential as a leader.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty and Dedication: Shanks' newfound loyalty to the president and his willingness to dedicate himself to the cause.
• Power and Influence: The president's power and influence are further emphasized, contrasting with the Red-haired Man's desire to challenge him.
• Intelligence and Strategic Thinking: Fang Cheng's ability to quickly understand and answer complex questions highlights his intelligence and strategic thinking.

Character Interactions

• Shanks and the President: Though not physically present, the president's influence on Shanks is evident, leading to his newfound dedication.
• Fang Cheng and the Proctor: The proctor notices Fang Cheng's impressive test-taking skills, showing approval and surprise.

Fang Cheng finished the Special Search Team’s written aptitude test early and met Ma Donghe outside, where they discussed the upcoming field test and psychological assessment. They ate together before the afternoon exams, with Fang Cheng left considering the unusual interview and its potential psychological trials.

• Fang Cheng completed and handed in his written test well before the exam ended.
• Fang Cheng met Ma Donghe outside, and Ma Donghe admitted he had guessed at answers while Fang Cheng concealed how thoroughly he had prepared.
• Ma Donghe warned Fang Cheng that the Western Mountains field test might involve Mutated Beasts and described the frightening Abyss Echo psychological test from his preliminary round.
• Ma Donghe cautioned Fang Cheng not to react violently to illusions during the interview, and Fang Cheng wondered what unusual methods the Special Search Team used.
• Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe left the campus, ate at a restaurant in South Luoguo Alley, and prepared for the afternoon language exams and the next day’s interview.

Fang Cheng waited for his Special Search Team interview and watched the intimidating process unsettle the other examinees. After Ma Donghe was called in, Fang Cheng entered Room Six and faced an examiner beside an eerie bronze bell.

• Fang Cheng observed that clerical applicants had short interviews while special-duty candidates endured longer, more harrowing examinations.
• Ma Donghe told Hou Peng that the psychological assessment tested whether applicants stayed calm and behaved like good people.
• A staff member called Ma Donghe into Room Three, and he entered despite his nervousness.
• Fang Cheng calmed himself by circulating his True Qi, and Hou Peng sensed his overwhelming presence and moved away.
• A staff member called Fang Cheng into Room Six, where he found a shadowed examiner and a bronze bell with human-face patterns.

Fang Cheng impressed interviewers Chen Bingzhong and the young examiner with his composure and answers during the Special Search Team medical-post interview. He entered the Ancient Bronze Bell’s illusionary test, earning an A for the dream-entry stage as Chen Bingzhong prepared to assess him deeper in the illusion.

• Fang Cheng faced Chen Bingzhong’s probing questions about his motives, battlefield priorities, obeying questionable orders, and confronting a criminal family member, answering with measured pragmatism and resolve.
• Chen Bingzhong, who had been asked by Shi Chengyi to look after Fang Cheng within the rules, judged his interview performance excellent and began the Subconscious Stress Resistance Test.
• The young examiner fitted Fang Cheng with a sensor helmet, and Chen Bingzhong struck the Ancient Bronze Bell to draw Fang Cheng’s consciousness into an illusion.
• Fang Cheng concealed his extraordinary mental resistance by pretending to struggle before allowing himself to fall into the dream.
• The young examiner praised Fang Cheng’s ten-second resistance and stable vital signs, and Chen Bingzhong recorded an A grade for the dream-entry stage before watching for what Fang Cheng would reveal in the illusion.

Fang Cheng woke in the body of a weak teenager and spent the day with a family and school life that felt both familiar and strangely unreal. After spotting a disturbing figure by the river and revealing an unexpected gift for mathematics, he discovered that the rain outside his home was black.

• Fang Cheng woke in a frail teenage body and joined his mother, father, and younger brother Xiao Rui for breakfast before leaving for school.
• On his way along the river, Fang Cheng glimpsed a twisted black silhouette beneath a bridge, but it vanished when he looked again.
• Zhou Ming invited Fang Cheng to join the Supernatural Phenomena Research Society, but Fang Cheng refused as they hurried to class.
• When his math teacher called on him, Fang Cheng suddenly solved a difficult geometry problem with uncanny clarity, astonishing the class and teacher.
• That night, Fang Cheng noticed the rain on his hand was murky and gelatinous, then found an ink-black stain and a foul odor on the tissue after wiping it.

Fang Cheng encountered a grotesque attack in the bell’s apparent illusory realm and injured his grandfather before the scene returned to normal. As he remained under examination, Chen Bingzhong revealed that the realm was an incomplete world created by a powerful Sealed Object, not a false illusion.

• Fang Cheng developed a painful, dark-red swelling on his hand after touching foul-smelling black paper, then found his house unnaturally silent and stinking of decay.
• Fang Cheng discovered a figure resembling his grandfather in the living room, but it turned to reveal a monstrous face and attacked him.
• Fang Cheng struck the attacker with a toy car and kicked it away, only for the lights to return and reveal that he had injured his ordinary, frail grandfather.
• Fang Cheng’s parents called for an ambulance while he questioned whether the monster had ever been real.
• At Special Search Team Headquarters, an examiner reported Fang Cheng’s brainwave spike to Chen Bingzhong, who explained that the test realm drew consciousness into a world formed by the Sealed Object.

Chen Bingzhong reflected on the Black Rain World and suspected Ling Shaofeng was using the examinees to search for something, while Fang Cheng emerged from a frightening night convinced he was not imagining the monsters. After Zhou Ming described Mimic Memory Bodies and invited him to investigate an abandoned water plant, Fang Cheng agreed, hoping to uncover the truth.

• Chen Bingzhong recalled how the Black Rain World erased outsiders’ memories and suppressed their powers, and wondered why Ling Shaofeng was subjecting examinees to its dangers.
• Chen Bingzhong monitored examinee No. 263’s readings and noted that less than a day had passed inside the Black Rain World despite only seven minutes passing outside.
• Fang Cheng left the hospital troubled by his parents’ accusations and glimpsed a fleeting black shadow that convinced him he was not crazy.
• Fang Cheng asked Zhou Ming about humanlike monsters, and Zhou Ming explained that Mimic Memory Bodies could imitate people and were difficult to fight.
• Zhou Ming invited Fang Cheng to join the Supernatural Research Society’s trip to an abandoned water plant where black shadows and a foul smell had been reported, and Fang Cheng agreed.

Fang Cheng and the Supernatural Research Society searched the abandoned Pingjiang Water Supply plant, where a false alarm revealed that the detector was reacting to the old pumps. After Li Dazhuang vanished, the group began searching for him, while Fang Cheng suspected that only certain people could perceive supernatural phenomena like Black Rain.

• Wang Lan led Fang Cheng, Zhou Ming, Lin Xue, and Li Dazhuang into the abandoned water plant and split them into two search groups.
• While exploring with Zhou Ming, Fang Cheng learned that Zhou Ming's uncle had encountered a shadow during a night watch and had also seen Black Rain.
• Wang Lan's group spotted a supposed ghost in the pump room, but Fang Cheng identified it as hanging canvas and explained that the water pumps' magnets had triggered the detector.
• Fang Cheng noticed Li Dazhuang was missing, and the group hurried off to search for him.

Fang Cheng and the Supernatural Research Society encountered possessed monsters in the Water Plant, where the talisman water failed and the escape route proved to be an illusion. Surrounded by shadows, Fang Cheng awakened a powerful battle instinct and discovered that his fists could destroy them.

• Fang Cheng warned the group that Li Dazhuang seemed possessed, but Zhou Ming approached him and was infected by the black liquid.
• Wang Lan and Fang Cheng tried to drive off Li Dazhuang and Zhou Ming with talisman water, but the two monsters attacked, and Wang Lan fled with Lin Xue while Fang Cheng followed.
• Lin Xue fell and was seized by the monsters, while Wang Lan was enveloped by a shadow at the Water Plant gate; Fang Cheng realized the apparent exit was an illusion and remained trapped inside.
• Twisted shadows surrounded Fang Cheng as he collapsed from exhaustion, then his rage unlocked a surge of power and put him into a battle state.
• Fang Cheng charged the shadows and struck one with his fist, destroying it and discovering that the creatures could be killed by his blows.

Fang Cheng awakened a fierce golden power in the water plant and used it to drive off the black shadows and free Wang Lan and the other possessed club members. After the monster warned that the Holy Lord would target him, Fang Cheng continued searching for his classmates.

• Fang Cheng fought the black shadows with instinctive martial skill, and his golden heat weakened and frightened them.
• Fang Cheng unleashed a roar that melted the remaining shadows and realized his power could help save his possessed classmates.
• Fang Cheng subdued the possessed Wang Lan, whose possessing shadow warned that the Holy Lord would target him before fleeing his body.
• Wang Lan recovered, and Fang Cheng told her he had found a way to deal with the shadows.
• Fang Cheng found Zhou Ming, Li Dazhuang, and Lin Xue and beat the shadows out of their bodies without seriously injuring them.