Chapter Summaries

Fang Cheng fought Li Chengjun and his pursuers aboard a fishing boat, using True Qi to kill Ke Ziping and the Pursuer Captain and break their coordinated assault. At the Training Camp Base, the wounded watched his battle on the Truth Stone Tablet as Zheng Hongxin and Luo Lie paused their fight.

• Fang Cheng charged onto the fishing boat and killed four pursuers while Li Chengjun restrained him with a psychic force field.
• Jushi, Ke Ziping, and the Pursuer Captain teamed up against Fang Cheng as Mermaids swarmed onto the boat.
• Fang Cheng kicked Jushi back, then fired a mouthful of True Qi through Ke Ziping's threads and pierced his heart.
• Fang Cheng's roar disrupted the fight, and he killed the Pursuer Captain with a punch before turning his attention to Li Chengjun.
• At the Training Camp Base, Zheng Hongxin and Luo Lie exchanged powerful blows and both suffered serious injuries.
• The wounded Truth Society members saw Fang Cheng's battle on the Truth Stone Tablet, drawing the attention of Zheng Hongxin and Luo Lie.

Fang Cheng fought Li Chengjun aboard a fishing boat, overcame his psychic defenses, and then slaughtered the remaining pursuers. Feng Kehai and the Truth Society members hid in the cabin, waiting for their President, when a sudden explosion rocked the boat.

• Chen Jiandong saw flames and gunfire on the sea and ran toward the Training Camp Base as the Truth Society members panicked and prayed.
• Fang Cheng advanced against Li Chengjun's crushing force field and hurled a powerful punch that cracked Li Chengjun's Psychic Wall and blasted him onto another ship.
• Li Chengjun, badly injured, ordered the pursuers to fire, but Fang Cheng evaded the bullets and killed the remaining eleven pursuers with a dagger.
• Feng Kehai and the Truth Society members hid in the cabin and discussed whether Fang Cheng might attack them while Feng Kehai said their President would arrive soon.
• A loud explosion struck the fishing boat, sending flames and fragments across the deck and shaking the vessel violently.

Li Chengjun and the surviving hunters fled the burning fishing boat, believing they had escaped Fang Cheng, but mysterious blows breached their ship and forced them into the sea. The mermaids surrounded the survivors in their oceanic home turf as Fang Cheng watched from nearby.

• Li Chengjun injected Blue Liquid and considered how to continue the mission, assuming Fang Cheng might still be alive.
• Repeated blows struck the bottom of the fleeing ship, so Li Chengjun ordered Tang Dayuan to head for port and sent hunters to inspect the hull.
• The engine-room team reported an unpluggable leak, and the ship flooded, capsized, and threw everyone into the sea.
• Mermaids surrounded the hunters in the water, where their firearms were useless and the monsters could pull them underwater.
• Fang Cheng surfaced near the wreck and fixed his gaze on the survivors.

Fang Cheng escaped the battle at sea after punching through the Truth Society’s boat, then swam away to recover his true qi. Nearby, Lin Chuqiao and Pan Wendi found glowing Ancient Remains jumping onto their yacht and suspected Fang Cheng was responsible.

• Fang Cheng used his enhanced strength to punch through the ship’s steel hull, escaped into the sea, and assessed his injuries and depleted true qi.
• Fang Cheng spotted Water Police enforcement boats approaching the damaged Truth Society fishing boat and swam away to find a quiet place to cultivate.
• Lin Chuqiao prepared to dive near the Seafloor Rift for treasure while Pan Wendi urged her to wait until the storm passed.
• Lin Chuqiao and Pan Wendi watched the police boats from their darkened yacht as two glowing bones automatically leapt onto the deck.
• Lin Chuqiao suspected Fang Cheng had sent the Ancient Remains, while Fang Cheng dived toward the abyss.

Fang Cheng cultivated with the glowing Ancient Remains in a secluded underwater cave while the Truth Society proclaimed him its God Child. The enemy retreated from the cavern, and Fang Cheng emerged from meditation with his True Qi replenished but his Spirituality Fire mysteriously changed.

• Fang Cheng settled into a deep-sea cave and used the glowing bones collected by the Mermaids to cultivate.
• Feng Kehai announced that the Masked Man was the Truth Society's God Child, calming the surviving salvage workers and the sacrificial personnel.
• Zheng Hongxin bluffed that the God Child would return, prompting the injured Luo Lie to abandon the Truth Stone Tablet and retreat with his surviving team.
• Chen Jiandong returned to the cavern, and Zheng Hongxin told him to spread the news and be wary of his grandfather.
• Fang Cheng finished meditating after the tide ebbed, finding his Dantian's True Qi replenished and his Spirituality Fire changed.

Fang Cheng emerged from deep-sea training after strange voices disrupted his Meditation, reflected on his new abilities, and returned to town at dawn. At a welding shop, he unexpectedly met Lin Chuqiao and Pan Wendi while waiting for custom lead boxes.

• During Meditation in the Seafloor Rift, Fang Cheng heard overlapping voices and saw fleeting figures, so he left the cave and surfaced.
• Fang Cheng watched the harbor Lighthouse and considered how his Spirituality Fire might guide him through the Subconscious Mind’s darkness.
• As he rested in the waves until dawn, Fang Cheng reviewed his training gains, including his improved attributes, new skills, and Qi Gong, and resolved to conserve True Qi.
• Fang Cheng returned to town during the ongoing Sea Festival and went to Xinglong Welding Shop to collect custom lead boxes for storing irradiated bones.
• Lin Chuqiao and Pan Wendi arrived to ask about their ordered boxes, and they greeted Fang Cheng with surprise at the coincidence.

After the Sea Festival, Fang Cheng and the others returned from Yong'an Island to the Eastern Capital while the Truth Society dealt with its captives and salvaged relics. Fang Cheng arrived home on January 24, just in time for his maternal grandfather’s surgery the next day.

• Zheng Hongxin reassured Chen Jiandong that Chen Hui would die peacefully and said the Truth Society would soon depend on Chen Jiandong to maintain it.
• Feng Kehai delivered the Salvage Team’s inventory, and Zheng Hongxin ordered the Ancient Remains preserved and the captives saved for a blood sacrifice at the next Sea Festival.
• Zheng Hongxin told Feng Kehai that the girl who damaged the Truth Stone Tablet had been acknowledged by it, hinting at a connection to an old acquaintance and the Masked Man.
• Fang Cheng, Lin Chuqiao, and Pan Wendi sailed away from Yong'an Island, while Luo Lie brooded over his team’s losses and how to explain the failed mission to the Board of Directors.
• Fang Cheng returned to his apartment in the Eastern Capital, found Wen Xin and Zhou Xiumei absent, and remembered that his maternal grandfather’s surgery was scheduled for January 25.

Fang Cheng stayed at Ren'an Hospital while his maternal grandfather recovered from surgery, then meditated in the ICU waiting area and entered Samadhi for the first time. During meditation, he sensed a mysterious Bronze Gate opening amid terrifying cries, and later noticed soldiers guarding the brightly lit Rehabilitation Center before someone spoke behind him.

• Fang Cheng and Li Biyun learned that Fang Cheng's maternal grandfather's surgery had gone smoothly, though he needed ICU observation for bleeding and infection risks.
• Li Biyun told Fang Cheng that his uncle Li Dingjian had transferred two hundred thousand to help pay for the surgery, but she worried the money came from illegal activity.
• Fang Cheng persuaded Li Biyun to go home and rest, then meditated in the crowded ICU waiting area and gained three points of Meditation EXP after reaching Entering Samadhi.
• Fang Cheng heard horrifying cries during meditation and saw a mysterious Bronze Gate open, releasing black mist, before he came out of the state.
• Fang Cheng checked his grandfather's condition and noticed soldiers guarding the brightly lit Rehabilitation Center across the road, when a voice behind him asked, "Strange, isn't it?"

Fang Cheng learned from a security guard that patients from the West Mountain Explosion Incident had been confined in Ren'an Hospital’s heavily guarded Rehabilitation Center after a frightening event. He heard a mournful howl from the building, then returned home and checked that a metal box under his bed remained locked.

• Fang Cheng spoke with a security uncle, who recognized him and explained that the Rehabilitation Center housed patients rescued from the West Mountain Explosion Incident.
• The security uncle described a patient’s terrifying cries, a blood-covered nurse fleeing a ward, and people in black carrying a bloodied iron cage away before the army sealed the building.
• Fang Cheng heard a faint howl from the guarded Rehabilitation Center and suspected it was connected to the strange sound he had sensed during meditation.
• Fang Cheng exercised, ate, and waited at Ren'an Hospital while his maternal grandfather remained in the ICU; Li Biyun later told him to go home.
• Fang Cheng returned to the Sleeve Building and checked the locked metal box and canvas travel bag under his bed.

After returning from Yong'an Island, Fang Cheng learned that Wen Xin had fallen into an unexplained coma and went to Jiangbei Hospital to see her. Unable to help her with True Qi, he suspected her condition was psychological and offered to ask a friend to examine her.

• Fang Cheng sorted through the items he had brought back from Yong'an Island and called Ma Donghe, who told him Wen Xin was hospitalized.
• Fang Cheng arrived at Jiangbei Hospital and learned Wen Xin had fainted while helping at the shop two days earlier and had not awakened despite normal test results.
• Fang Cheng examined Wen Xin and tried to send Life Energy into her, but stopped when her body trembled in pain.
• Fang Cheng told Wen Hui Yi and the others that Wen Xin's condition might be psychological and offered to bring a friend who knew about psychiatric treatment.

Lin Chuqiao examined Wen Xin and believed her coma came from overusing her awakened abilities, then took her to a secluded room at her home to attempt treatment. On the way, she told Fang Cheng that the Black Rain had caused comas, violent changes, and bodily mutations across the Eastern Capital.

• Lin Chuqiao examined Wen Xin at Jiangbei Hospital and said she needed a quiet environment to try to awaken her consciousness.
• Fang Cheng agreed to take Wen Xin to Lin Chuqiao's residence, and he carried her out of the hospital while the others waited behind.
• Lin Chuqiao told Fang Cheng that Wen Xin was likely an Ability User who had overused her abilities and suffered mental depletion.
• Lin Chuqiao explained that the Black Rain had caused people in the Eastern Capital to fall into comas, change drastically after waking, and sometimes mutate.
• Lin Chuqiao brought Fang Cheng and Wen Xin to a dark room filled with Blessing Bells, candles, talismans, and black crosses.

Lin Chuqiao tried to awaken Wen Xin’s Self-Awareness by entering her subconscious, but struggled to connect with her. Fang Cheng took her place and reached a desolate, frozen world, where he spotted Wen Xin’s faint consciousness and a lone figure that walked away from him.

• Lin Chuqiao prepared her Meditation Room and began trying to enter Wen Xin’s Deep Subconscious while Fang Cheng stood guard.
• Lin Chuqiao sensed Wen Xin’s Self-Awareness but failed to establish a connection, so she planned to rest before trying again.
• Fang Cheng offered to take her place, and Lin Chuqiao guided him through entering samadhi and searching for Wen Xin’s consciousness.
• Fang Cheng entered Wen Xin’s Subconscious World, a dark and frozen landscape beneath a cracked Blood Sky.
• Fang Cheng spotted a faint white light and a small figure he recognized as Wen Xin, but she did not answer and walked farther away.

Fang Cheng entered Wen Xin’s Subconscious World and guided her out of a dreamlike mental torment, then brought her back to Lin Chuqiao’s home. As they left for the hospital, he realized his Spirituality Fire might let him guide others as a Waymark and sensed an unusual connection with Wen Xin.

• Wen Xin walked across a blood-red Ice Field, torn between a mother’s call and a familiar voice calling her name.
• Fang Cheng’s light appeared in Wen Xin’s dream, and she followed it until she woke in the Meditation Room and recognized him.
• Fang Cheng told Lin Chuqiao that he had entered Wen Xin’s Subconscious World, while Wen Xin admitted she had used her ability to pray for her mother’s recovery.
• Wen Xin asked Fang Cheng not to tell their mother about her ability, and he agreed while warning her not to use it casually.
• As Fang Cheng and Wen Xin left for the hospital, he gained Meditation Experience and considered using his Spirituality Fire to guide people lost in negative mental influences.
• Fang Cheng silently called Wen Xin’s name and she heard him, suggesting their consciousnesses had formed a connection.

After returning from the Meditation Trip, Fang Cheng intensified his rooftop training and used Qi Gong to recover from the strain of adapting to land after prolonged deep-sea training. He reviewed his skill progress and planned to focus on advancing Squats, Handstand Push-Ups, and Tai Chi while considering how to fuse other skills with Qi Gong.

• Fang Cheng completed an intense morning workout, using Standing Meditation and his Breathing Technique to aid recovery and adapt to the effects of decompression sickness.
• Fang Cheng practiced his Combat Skills and Qi Gong, which increased his Qi Gong experience and left him feeling refreshed.
• Fang Cheng checked his skill panel and noted the experience gains he had made during his time on Yong'an Island and through recent battles.
• Fang Cheng considered leveling Bone Setting, Acupoint Striking, and Tui Na before fusing them with Qi Gong to gain a special effect.
• Fang Cheng decided to focus his next training on Squats, Handstand Push-Ups, and Tai Chi.

Fang Cheng returned to the Global Elite Fighting Club and was offered a high-paying role as its image spokesperson, though he planned to review the contract before accepting. After training and searching for suitable fitness equipment, he received repeated calls from an unfamiliar number.

• Fang Cheng returned from leave and Manager Li told him Chairman Shen wanted him to become the club's image spokesperson for 60,000 yuan a month.
• Fang Cheng decided to consider the offer after reviewing the formal contract and then resumed working as a sparring partner.
• Fang Cheng finished training, gained Muay Thai experience, and planned to buy better equipment for his physical training.
• Fang Cheng left a sporting goods store without finding suitable equipment and considered having specialized gear made at a blacksmith shop.
• Fang Cheng ignored a call from an unfamiliar number, but the same number called again moments later.

Fang Cheng bought New Year goods and fitness equipment, then heard a report about a strange violent illness spreading through Eastern Capital. When he got home, he found an eerie postcard covered in bizarre symbols on the floor.

• Li Dingjian called Fang Cheng, asked about his maternal grandfather’s surgery, and said he would return in a few days with a surprise.
• Fang Cheng shopped for clothes, snacks, and other New Year goods, then ordered ten Barbell Plates for delivery.
• A taxi driver told Fang Cheng about recent violent incidents and bragged about subduing a man with kung fu.
• The radio reported that an unknown illness had affected several hundred people in Eastern Capital and caused mania, great strength, and violent attacks.
• Fang Cheng noticed Zhou Xiumei and her grandmother eating dinner alone, then found a strange, coldly gleaming postcard in his entrance hall.

Fang Cheng used the strange characters on the postcards as a voice password and entered a spiritual space to contact their sender. In a church, a bloodied man praying over a massacre sensed the connection and fixed his attention on it.

• Fang Cheng recognized the smiley face on the second postcard as resembling the killer from the hotel massacre and decided to contact the sender.
• Fang Cheng used meditation and the postcard’s strange characters to enter the spiritual space and approach a carved gate.
• Fang Cheng recited the voice password, and two points of light drew together and merged.
• A man knelt in a church among the bodies of more than a dozen victims and accused the god on the cross of failing to prevent him from becoming a monster.
• The man vowed to continue judging the god’s immoral believers, then sensed the connection and spotted something like prey.

Fang Cheng met the Smiling Devil in the Voice Chat Room and learned that the strange figure had encountered him during the Red Tiger Gang killings. Fang Cheng escaped by unleashing light that shattered the room, while the Smiling Devil discovered that injuries from the Spiritual Space could affect reality.

• Fang Cheng greeted the Smiling Devil, who explained that he had sent three invitations to meet a kindred spirit.
• The Smiling Devil asked Fang Cheng how he controlled his condition, and Fang Cheng claimed that meditation on himself helped him avoid relapsing.
• The Smiling Devil mistook Fang Cheng's answer for evidence that he had schizophrenia and mentioned Fang Cheng's killing of two hundred people.
• The Smiling Devil revealed that the Red Tiger Gang members had been his planned prey before Fang Cheng killed them.
• Fang Cheng unleashed light that shattered the Voice Chat Room and returned to reality, while the Smiling Devil noticed a burn mark on his palm.

Fang Cheng reached Grandmaster-level Squats and used the reward to raise his Strength and Agility, transforming his body before settling into a larger, more powerful form. After cleaning up and considering his next attribute breakthrough, he received a call from Ma Donghe.

• Fang Cheng completed his weighted morning training and advanced Squats to Grandmaster Level, earning 12 Free Attributes.
• Fang Cheng spent 6 attributes on Strength, breaking the 40-point threshold and undergoing a painful transformation that greatly enlarged his muscles.
• Fang Cheng ate his food stockpile, then spent the remaining 6 attributes on Agility, shrinking his muscles somewhat and increasing his height and speed.
• Fang Cheng assessed his still-oversized body and the progress of his other skills, then cleaned his home and considered how to explain his changed appearance.
• Fang Cheng decided to order breakfast, but Ma Donghe called him first.

After pushing his body past its limits, Fang Cheng replenished himself with food and Qi Gong, then called Zhou Xiumei for help finding clothes that fit. She brought him clothes and a Peace Talisman while warning that their building was haunted, and the chapter ended with Fang Cheng spotting neighbors burning joss paper below.

• Fang Cheng realized his recent breakthrough had consumed some of his True Qi and that further growth required replenishing his body with nutrients and energy.
• Fang Cheng ate several meals, practiced Qi Gong, and comprehended a new way to operate the Breathing Technique that eased the strain on his body.
• Fang Cheng found that his enlarged physique had left him with no wearable clothes, so he called Zhou Xiumei to ask for help.
• Zhou Xiumei brought Fang Cheng clothes that fit and a Peace Talisman, then told him that He Yao had gone mad, attacked his wife and a Taoist priest, and died after jumping from the eighth floor, but his body had vanished.
• Fang Cheng accepted the talisman and the clothes, then noticed neighbors burning joss paper downstairs that night.