Chapter Summaries

Fan Jian discovered a secluded volcanic valley with caves and an ice lake, while Chu Han traveled west toward a Tier 3 Assessment Stone Wall. After encountering soldiers, Chu Han pretended his name was Wang Cai to gain their trust.

• Fan Jian crossed a mountain and found a newly exposed valley filled with caves and a frigid lake.
• Fan Jian admired the valley as a place to live in seclusion, unaware it would later become a secret base designed by Su Xing.
• Chu Han and Wang Cai headed west toward an alternate-dimensional point, though Wang Cai could only sense its direction imprecisely.
• Chu Han came upon a military camp, and the soldiers questioned him after he emerged from dense forest.
• Chu Han claimed he had gotten lost, and the soldiers relaxed because travelers often lost their way amid the overgrown vegetation.
• A soldier judged Chu Han to be an evolver and asked his name, so Chu Han introduced himself as Wang Cai.

Chu Han traveled with a military-led survivor group while pretending to be a foolish man named Chu Wang Cai. At camp, he exposed tension among five Evolvers and revealed that he was a Tier 3 Evolver, claiming that Duan Hong should call him Boss.

• Chu Han gave the soldiers the false name Chu Wang Cai, and Gai Nan welcomed him into the survivor group.
• Gai Nan left Chu Han with five Evolvers, where Duan Hong mocked him and Lu Chuxue offered him food.
• Lu Chuxue introduced herself as a Tier 2 Evolver, and Duan Hong demanded that Chu Han call him Dad because he was also Tier 2.
• Chu Han asked why Duan Hong led the group when he and Lu Chuxue held the same rank, prompting the Evolvers to divide their attention between the two.
• Duan Hong insisted he was the boss and challenged Lu Chuxue, so Chu Han declared that he was Tier 3 and told Duan Hong to call him Boss.

Chu Han revealed that he was a Tier 3 Evolver and continued traveling with Gai Nan’s convoy, while tormenting Duan Hong whenever he tried to target him. After soldiers reported that survivors were vanishing overnight, Gai Nan went to investigate, leaving the cause of the disappearances unresolved.

• Chu Han announced that he was Tier 3 and demonstrated his life force fluctuations, forcing Duan Hong to accept him as the boss.
• Chu Han traveled with the convoy for several days, while Gai Nan repeatedly interrupted Duan Hong’s attempts to deal with him and Chu Han startled Duan Hong at night.
• A soldier told Gai Nan that five people had vanished, including a man who had slept beside his wife the previous night.
• Gai Nan led soldiers to investigate the disappearances, while Duan Hong planned to take his anger out on a soldier and Lu Chuxue watched Chu Han closely.
• Chu Han shared cornbread with Wang Cai and told it that the missing survivors were not his responsibility.
• Duan Hong mocked Chu Han for saving half a piece of cornbread, and Chu Han said he would feed it to a dog rather than give it to him.

Chu Han toyed with Duan Hong and Wang Cai as the group struggled to identify the cause of several disappearances. A nighttime diversion exposed a boy attacking a couple, but Chu Han intervened before the soldiers returned, leaving them confused about what had happened.

• Chu Han provoked Duan Hong with a double meaning, then admitted to Wang Cai that he had used his name to insult him.
• Gai Nan reported that his scouting had found no mutants or other suspicious people, while the group remained on alert over the disappearances.
• At the campsite, a boy’s apparent theft of steamed buns drew the guards away from a family’s tent after a man nearby screamed about stomach pain.
• A soldier realized that the couple had no child, so Gai Nan led the guards back to the tent.
• Chu Han stood over the bruised, blood-vomiting boy as the couple said he had tried to stab them with a dagger.

Chu Han withheld the truth about the boy and couple, leaving himself under suspicion as the group continued traveling. When Gai Nan confronted him and attacked, Chu Han blocked the strike and revealed that Wang Cai was not his real name.

• The little boy accused the couple of trying to steal his steamed bun, but Chu Han claimed he had not seen clearly, leaving the soldiers unable to decide who was lying.
• Gai Nan ordered the couple, the boy, and Chu Han kept under close watch, while Duan Hong used the incident to accuse Chu Han of being a schemer.
• Chu Han told Wang Cai that the couple had acted suspiciously but said he would not involve himself in something that did not concern him.
• The group reorganized and resumed traveling, and Gai Nan privately asked Chu Han to tell him what had happened.
• Gai Nan attacked Chu Han with a short blade and revealed that he was also a Tier 3 Evolver, but Chu Han blocked the strike with his trench spike and said Wang Cai was not his real name.

Chu Han defeated Gai Nan in a quiet knife exchange and revealed that he had not attacked the boy the previous night. Gai Nan left to discuss the revelation with his companions, while Chu Han admitted to Wang Cai that he had changed his mind about telling him.

• Gai Nan attacked Chu Han, but Chu Han disarmed him and held a trench knife to his throat as they walked with the group.
• Chu Han withdrew his knife, and Gai Nan conceded that Chu Han had outmatched him in skill and composure.
• Gai Nan asked who Chu Han was and what had happened the previous night; Chu Han said he had made no move and that the boy had lied.
• Chu Han explained that he had stayed silent the night before because Gai Nan and the others were too upset to assess the situation calmly.
• Gai Nan thanked Chu Han and left to talk with his companions, while Chu Han told Wang Cai he had simply changed his mind about speaking up.

Chu Han took Song Xiao under his wing and learned that a suspicious couple was planning something in the camp. When Lu Chuxue, Duan Hong, the couple, and two soldiers vanished overnight, Song Xiao told Chu Han he had found a clue.

• Song Xiao told Chu Han he had wanted to kill the people Chu Han helped him escape, while Duan Hong insulted them both and Chu Han ignored him.
• Song Xiao sneaked into Chu Han’s tent to report that the couple seemed to be planning something, and Chu Han advised him to make his reports more precise and objective.
• Chu Han told Song Xiao to stay behind and watch the tents as he went to investigate the camp’s commotion.
• The camp discovered that Lu Chuxue, Duan Hong, the couple, and two soldiers had disappeared, and Gai Nan organized a search.
• Song Xiao waved Chu Han over and said he had found something.

Chu Han pursued the people who had fled the camp while Bi Tian escaped from the mutant who had been using him to abduct humans. The mutant caught up with Duan Hong and exposed that he knew Duan Hong’s real identity, leaving Duan Hong stunned.

• Song Xiao told Chu Han that several people had fled along the left side of the main road, and Chu Han advised him to gather and deliver intelligence before setting off alone.
• Bi Tian recalled how the mutant had made him help abduct people, including Duan Hong and Lu Chuxue, and how the mutant had overpowered the Evolvers.
• Bi Tian dragged the woman who had been covering for him into the grass and fled, deciding to eat her rather than remain under the mutant’s control.
• The mutant let Bi Tian run and threatened to chase him after eating, while Duan Hong watched in terror.
• The mutant called Duan Hong by his real name, Duan Hongwei, and asked whether Duan Jiangwei was his cousin.

Chu Han interrupted Duan Hongwei’s plan to infiltrate Duan Jiangwei’s base and killed the mutant who wanted to join forces with him. Duan Hongwei begged for mercy, but Chu Han kicked him away.

• The mutant offered to help Duan Hongwei kill Duan Jiangwei, who had become a lieutenant general and regional overlord.
• Chu Han revealed himself and questioned Duan Hongwei’s claim to be Duan Jiangwei’s cousin; Wang Cai leaped from Chu Han’s pocket and cursed at Duan Hongwei and the mutant.
• While the rabbit’s sudden appearance stunned them, Chu Han attacked the mutant with the Asura Battle Axe and split it in two.
• Duan Hongwei knelt and insulted himself to beg Chu Han for mercy.
• When Duan Hongwei tried to lick the mud from his shoe, Chu Han kicked him five meters away.

Song Xiao directed Gai Nan’s search while Chu Han dealt with Duan Hongwei, choosing to cripple him rather than kill him after realizing he could be useful in uncovering the truth about Lu Chuxue and Duan Jiangwei. Gai Nan and the others arrived to learn that Chu Han had killed a Tier 2 Abomination, and they began to suspect Duan Hongwei was Duan Jiangwei’s missing cousin.

• Song Xiao told Gai Nan to continue searching along the left side of the main road, without revealing Chu Han’s involvement.
• Wang Cai stomped Duan Hongwei, and Chu Han decided not to kill him after reconsidering Lu Chuxue’s connection to Duan Jiangwei.
• Chu Han blinded Duan Hongwei, cut his jaw and severed the tendons in his hands and feet so he could not cause trouble.
• Gai Nan and the others arrived, and Chu Han told them a Tier 2 Abomination had attacked with two spies and that he had crippled Duan Hongwei.
• Gai Nan confirmed that Chu Han had killed the Tier 2 Abomination and crippled Duan Hongwei, prompting someone to ask if Duan Hongwei was Duan Jiangwei’s cousin.

After crippling Duan Hongwei, Chu Han left Gai Nan and secretly changed direction, while the injured Bi Tian crawled toward the alien Chu Han had killed. Two days later, Gai Nan's group reached Duan Family Base, where Duan Jiangwei asked to see his cousin and had Duan Hongwei brought into the hall.

• Gai Nan ordered Duan Hongwei and the other injured people taken for treatment, then told Chu Han to leave and promised to tell Song Xiao to wait at Duan Family Base.
• Chu Han left in one direction, then secretly changed course as Wang Cai questioned him.
• Bi Tian crawled out of the woods and wondered whether eating an alien would turn him into one.
• Two days later, Gai Nan led his group to Duan Family Base, where Duan Jiangwei welcomed them and asked where Duan Hongwei was.
• Duan Jiangwei had the severely injured Duan Hongwei carried into the main hall, leaving Gai Nan fearful of what would happen to Chu Han.

Duan Jiangwei killed Duan Hongwei after learning that Chu Han had captured his parents’ murderer and spared his life. Lu Chuxue drew Chu Han’s portrait, and two travel-worn figures entered the hall.

• Duan Jiangwei asked Lu Chuxue why Wang Cai had tortured Duan Hongwei without killing him, and she explained that he had likely done so deliberately.
• Duan Jiangwei beheaded Duan Hongwei and ordered his corpse hung at the base entrance, revealing that Duan Hongwei had murdered his parents.
• Duan Jiangwei recalled that he had spent years pursuing revenge and owed Chu Han a favor for capturing Duan Hongwei and helping Lu Chuxue survive.
• Lu Chuxue gave Duan Jiangwei a portrait of Chu Han and said he was under twenty; Gai Nan privately rejected the claim that Chu Han was honest.
• Two travel-worn people in military uniforms entered the hall and froze.

He Feng announced that Duan Jiangwei had been promoted to general, then Teng Hao recognized the portrait of Chu Han, revealing that the man who had brought Duan Hongwei to the base was the infamous young general. Duan Jiangwei wondered why Chu Han had spared Duan Hongwei and sent him back alive.

• He Feng presented Duan Jiangwei with a brocade box and announced his promotion to general, startling the people in the hall.
• Teng Hao recognized the portrait as Chu Han, and Gai Nan and Lu Chuxue realized that the man they had known as Wang Cai was the renowned general.
• Duan Jiangwei reconsidered Chu Han's decision to spare Duan Hongwei and suspected that Chu Han had a hidden reason for sending him to the base.

He Feng pursued Chu Han after Gai Nan revealed his apparent route, while Duan Jiangwei suspected Chu Han had used a decoy. Chu Han encountered Lu Bingze and the deaf-mute boy Zeng Tianyi, then followed them into a surprisingly thriving village.

• Gai Nan told He Feng that Chu Han had gone down the main road to the left, and He Feng left with Teng Hao to pursue him.
• Duan Jiangwei suspected Chu Han had deliberately sent He Feng along a false route and realized Chu Han had made him owe two favors.
• Chu Han found Zeng Tianyi outside a village and threw Wang Cai toward him to draw out Lu Bingze, who had been hiding nearby.
• Lu Bingze introduced himself, explained that Zeng Tianyi was deaf and mute, and led the boy and Chu Han toward the village.
• Chu Han saw that the village was densely populated, full of evolvers, and had markets and crude taverns.

Chu Han entered a tavern near the Assessment Stone Wall to observe the survivors, but his order of plain water with bullets made the patrons mock him. Lu Bingze joined him and revealed he had promised Zeng Tianyi that Chu Han would give him the rabbit, leaving Chu Han upset.

• Chu Han entered the tavern and sat down while the patrons speculated about his rank.
• Chu Han paid two bullets for plain water, prompting the proprietress and the patrons to ridicule him.
• Lu Bingze arrived with Zeng Tianyi, ordered dark beer with a Tier 2 Crystal, and sat beside Chu Han.
• Lu Bingze told Chu Han that he had promised Zeng Tianyi the rabbit, making Chu Han's face darken.

Chu Han joined Lu Bingze and more than thirty Evolvers on a journey to the Assessment Stone Wall, despite refusing to pay Lu Bingze’s fee for protection. As the group rested deep in the mountains, a huge number of snakes descended on them.

• Lu Bingze demanded one Tier 2 zombie crystal per person to guide the group to the Assessment Stone Wall, and Chu Han offered him a bullet instead.
• Wang Cai warned Chu Han that a similar magnetic field might indicate more than one Assessment Stone Wall in the area, so Chu Han agreed to follow Lu Bingze.
• The next morning, more than thirty Evolvers set out with Lu Bingze, leaving Zeng Tianyi behind at the inn.
• Chu Han judged that Lu Bingze was only a Tier 2 Enhancer and wondered what ability made him so confident.
• After hours of travel, Lu Bingze called a rest in the mountains, and snakes began rustling overhead in huge numbers.

Chu Han refused to give Lu Bingze a crystal, then killed the venomous snakes Lu Bingze sent after him. He revealed he was only at the peak of Tier 3 and left Lu Bingze and the gathered Evolvers stunned.

• Lu Bingze used his ability to keep the snakes from attacking his group and pressured Chu Han to hand over a crystal.
• Chu Han refused and provoked Lu Bingze by offering him another bullet instead.
• Lu Bingze commanded the snakes to attack Chu Han, but Chu Han slaughtered them with his Asura Battle Axe.
• The Evolvers realized Chu Han was far stronger than they had assumed and wondered why he had come to their remote village.
• Chu Han told the group he was at the peak of Tier 3, then taunted Lu Bingze over the dead snakes.

Chu Han exposed Lu Bingze’s animal-taming limits and forced him to hand over his crystals in exchange for guidance and protection. As the group set out, Chu Han clarified that he had only agreed to protect Lu Bingze and demanded payment from the other Evolvers.

• Chu Han killed Lu Bingze’s tamed snakes, leaving Lu Bingze distressed and without his usual means of protection.
• Lu Bingze offered to guide Chu Han, then clung to his leg and surrendered all seventy of his crystals for protection.
• Chu Han accepted the crystals, and Lu Bingze followed him while regretting that his scheme and guide business had been ruined.
• The other Evolvers followed Chu Han and Lu Bingze, unaware that Lu Bingze had been working with Zhang Bohan and using Zeng Tianyi as part of their scheme.
• Chu Han told the Evolvers he had only agreed to protect Lu Bingze and said they would have to pay him in crystals.

Chu Han extorted crystals from a group of Evolvers in exchange for guiding them to the Assessment Stone Wall, while Bi Tian and his zombie horde headed along the path Chu Han had deliberately misidentified. At the border, He Feng realized Chu Han had not gone abroad but had advanced a Tier at an Assessment Stone Wall, and he turned back to find him.

• Chu Han demanded ten crystals per person for a round trip to the Assessment Stone Wall, and the Evolvers paid or borrowed from one another.
• Chu Han followed Lu Bingze toward the Assessment Stone Wall with the group of drained Evolvers, pleased with the Points he had earned.
• Bi Tian chose the road straight ahead with his zombie horde, unknowingly following the route Chu Han had deliberately hidden from Gai Nan.
• He Feng and Teng Hao reached the border, but He Feng reconsidered after Teng Hao wondered whether Chu Han had gone there for something he needed.
• He Feng checked the map for Assessment Stone Walls and realized Chu Han had advanced from Tier 3 while still ranking first among Tier 2, so he turned back to search for him.

Chu Han found the hidden Assessment Stone Wall beneath the lake and began his third-tier assessment, determined to obtain the Reforging Fragment. At Ye Mo’s estate, Bai Yun’er arrived and learned that Ye Mo had died and He Shang had gone to find Chu Han.

• Chu Han recognized that the visible Assessment Stone Wall was a decoy and entered the fog-covered lake to reach the real wall beneath it.
• Chu Han told Lu Bingze he would return the seventy crystals if Lu Bingze stayed until he came back, then started his third-tier assessment.
• Lu Hongsheng told Su Xing that He Shang had left three days earlier, and Su Xing scolded him for repeatedly bringing it up.
• Bai Yun’er arrived at Ye Mo’s estate and asked about He Shang and Ye Mo; Su Xing told her He Shang had gone to find Chu Han and Ye Mo had died.
• Bai Yun’er asked Su Xing where Xiao Qi and Li Shirong were.