Chapter Summaries

Ronan began He Yueyin’s training on Six Ears and the Spirit Wave Network while considering how to balance the lessons with returning to school. After the first session, He Yueyin declined his invitation to dine with his aunt and Xue Lei and left the hospital room.

• Bai Xinyan explained that the Association had formed a closed circle around Ronan and said he could return to school if he completed ten Frost River Reality sessions each morning and evening.
• Bai Xinyan teased Ronan before leaving, and He Yueyin advised him that his obvious wariness encouraged Bai Xinyan to tease him.
• Ronan showered and changed, then studied Six Ears’ communication layers and practiced commonly used functions with He Yueyin.
• He Yueyin ended the lesson when visiting hours began, and Ronan invited her to have a meal with Luo Shuqing and Xue Lei.
• He Yueyin politely declined, greeted Luo Shuqing and Xue Lei outside the room, and left.

Ronan’s worsening cough worried Luo Shuqing, while Xue Lei eased it with a massage and urged him to learn breathing techniques at the Shenyu Dojo. Ronan warmed to the idea of meeting Xiu Shenyu, and Xue Lei enthusiastically invited him.

• Luo Shuqing worried that Ronan had not recovered after nearly half a month of treatment and went to check on Doctor Bai’s place.
• Xue Lei massaged Ronan’s back, easing his cough, then warned that poor breathing could hinder his recovery.
• Xue Lei invited Ronan to the Shenyu Dojo to learn breathing and cultivation techniques.
• Ronan recognized the meaning behind the name Shenyu and explained its connection to Yu the Great and the Nine Tripods.
• Xue Lei introduced his Master, Xiu Shenyu, and urged Ronan to meet him.

Ronan sought Bai Xinyan’s approval to train at Shenyu Dojo so he could gain more freedom while staying within his physical limits. He overheard He Yueyin question Bai’s treatment plan, and the chapter ended with the two women reacting coldly to the dojo’s name.

• Ronan planned to use martial arts training at Shenyu Dojo as a reason to spend time away from home and asked Bai Xinyan for help.
• Ronan used the Star River Picture to observe He Yueyin visiting Bai Xinyan at the hospital.
• He Yueyin challenged Bai Xinyan’s use of Happy Therapy, and Bai defended it as the treatment best suited to Ronan’s condition.
• Ronan reflected that his condition was more serious than the doctors realized because his External Neuron concealed the imbalance between his body and spirit.
• Ronan called Bai Xinyan to request permission for light exercise and named Shenyu Dojo as his intended training site.
• Bai Xinyan and He Yueyin exchanged a cold look when Ronan mentioned Shenyu Dojo.

Ronan arranged for Xue Lei to help him begin gentle exercise, while Bai Xinyan and He Yueyin discussed the dangerous history of Format Theory. The chapter ended with He Yueyin questioning Bai Xinyan’s claim that Quantum Corporation had no interest in a method that could greatly increase Soul Power.

• Bai Xinyan agreed to refer Ronan to Xue Lei for gentle exercise, provided his training was recorded for research.
• Bai Xinyan reassured Luo Shuqing that moderate exercise could aid Ronan’s recovery, and Ronan withdrew his psychic senses after his aunt left.
• He Yueyin confronted Bai Xinyan in the parking garage about her sources and her knowledge of Ronan, the Luo Family, and Format Theory.
• Bai Xinyan drove He Yueyin away from the hospital and explained that Format Theory caused uncontrolled Soul Power growth and killed most of its practitioners.
• Bai Xinyan described Luo Yuandao’s insanity and Luo Zhongheng’s explosive death, and He Yueyin challenged her claim that Quantum Corporation had no interest in the theory.

He Yueyin and Bai Xinyan considered why Quantum Corporation had ignored Ronan and discussed the growing political crisis within the Ability User Association. While Ronan arranged to leave the hospital for dojo practice, he examined his External Neuron and realized its Akashagarbha could no longer contain his growing Soul Power, though he sensed the overflow might be developing into a new form of control.

• Bai Xinyan told He Yueyin that Quantum Corporation had overlooked Ronan despite his potential, and He Yueyin wondered what had kept the corporation from exploiting him.
• Bai Xinyan questioned He Yueyin about the government and military’s involvement in Frost River Reality, then received news that a Justice Cult High Priest had killed the Bay City branch vice president of the Ability User Association.
• Bai Xinyan warned that attacks on Association branches would likely overwhelm its headquarters, while He Yueyin got out near Ren'ai Hospital and looked toward Ronan.
• Ronan secured permission from Auntie to attend a trial practice session at the dojo with Xue Lei’s help.
• Ronan examined his External Neuron and found that its Akashagarbha could no longer contain his steadily increasing Soul Power, which was pressing against his body.
• Ronan considered that the overflowing Soul Power might be becoming more tangible and controllable, and noticed another change in his External Neuron.

Ronan examined the External Neuron’s stalled analysis of the Order Framework and considered how it might help him understand Format Theory and control his growing Soul Power. A new possibility about Grandfather’s madness and the unknown person who gave him the External Neuron left Ronan unable to sleep.

• Ronan saw that the Contemplation Graphic’s analysis progress had risen to 9.99% and remained fixed there.
• Ronan concluded that the External Neuron offered a way to study the Order Framework, and he considered investigating Akashagarbha to address his worsening bodily-soul imbalance.
• Ronan realized Grandfather’s Format Theory might not have solved uncontrolled Soul Power growth and reconsidered the causes of Grandfather’s mental illness.
• Ronan began questioning the motives of the person who had delivered the External Neuron and lay awake, unable to sleep.

Ronan rested at the Treehouse before setting out with Xie Junping to meet Master Xiu at Shenyu Dojo about learning the Breathing Technique. Their trip was interrupted by a speeding truck on campus and an angry call accusing the Xie family of throwing hot tea at someone.

• Ronan woke from a daze in the Treehouse, where he had been wrestling with his grandfather’s strange words.
• Xie Junping arrived and told Ronan about his battles with a muskrat, then offered to drive him to meet Master Xiu.
• Xie Junping drove Ronan across campus, and Ronan warned him to slow down as a heavy box truck raced through an intersection.
• Xie Junping reported the truck to campus security, then he and Ronan switched to his Phantom Flying Car and headed toward He Wu District.
• A caller named Lao Du angrily accused Xie Junping’s family of splashing hot tea in someone’s face.

Xie Junping learned that Du Yong had quit the Mystic Studies Society and tried to take its equipment, while Ronan considered how the Justice Cult’s losses had destabilized its influence in Xia City. Ronan then examined Gestalt and saw Baze newly appear in its Employee Layer.

• Xie Junping spoke with Du Yong, who angrily blamed him for the Security Department impounding his truck and returning its cargo to the Mystic Studies Society.
• Hu Huaying told Xie Junping that Du Yong had resigned as president, quit the society, and tried to take its instruments and materials away.
• Xie Junping decided to return to the Mystic Studies Society, while Ronan continued toward his scheduled meeting in the Phantom Flying Car.
• Ronan considered how the Justice Cult’s losses at Frost River Reality had left its Xia City organization weakened and stirred pressure within the Ability User Association.
• Ronan examined the changed Gestalt interface and saw Baze added to the Employee Layer alongside Ink.

Ronan considered contacting Baze for help with the Mystic Studies Society but decided against using the Order Framework to reach him. He arrived at Shenyu Dojo in Bo Mountain Building and learned that Master Xiu was teaching a children’s class.

• Ronan saw Dark Heavy Chains circling Baze’s image in the Gestalt and recalled how he had saved Baze by imposing a new order on the chaotic elements in his body.
• Ronan considered contacting Baze about the Mystic Studies Society but withdrew his mind without reaching out.
• Ronan arrived at Bo Mountain Mansion in He Wu District and followed Xue Lei to Shenyu Dojo.
• Xue Lei told Ronan that Master Xiu was teaching a children’s class and that they would have to wait before meeting him.
• Xue Lei explained that Master Xiu taught children himself to help them build a foundation, and said the Master had once compared him to his younger self.

Ronan waited alone in Master Xiu’s Mind Fasting Chamber and discovered a strange metal sphere among its carefully arranged furnishings. After he pushed it, the sphere detached from its stand and began floating and spinning.

• Xue Lei brought Ronan to the Mind Fasting Chamber, explained that Master lived there, and left to help a Senior Brother.
• Ronan watched the quiet courtyard, brewed tea, and used his mental perception to inspect the chamber’s organized furnishings.
• Ronan noticed a huge metal sphere resting in a bowl-shaped stand and pushed it to see whether it would move.
• The sphere shifted and spun, revealing glowing painted markings on its surface.
• Ronan saw the sphere separate from its stand and float unsupported while spinning rapidly.

Ronan met Master Xiu to discuss breathing exercises for his cough, but an accident with the already-broken Tai Chi Ball and his awkward attempts to speak made the meeting difficult. Master Xiu explained that his mystical descriptions were meant to motivate students and asked whether Ronan had enough time to practice.

• Ronan discovered the mechanism inside the levitating Tai Chi Ball before Xue Lei arrived with Master Xiu.
• Ronan's bow startled the Tai Chi Ball off its stand, and Xue Lei caught it and found its mechanism was broken.
• Master Xiu offered Ronan tea and said the Tai Chi Ball had already been broken.
• Master Xiu questioned Xue Lei about the mystical breathing advice he had passed on to Ronan, then clarified that he used ornate language to help young students remember.
• Master Xiu told Ronan to begin with practical training and asked whether he had stable, sufficient time to practice.

Ronan considered whether he could fit Master Xiu’s Breathing Technique lessons into his busy routine, while Xue Lei explained the dojo’s impending move. At Ren'ai Hospital, Ronan learned that an Accident Investigation Team had arrived, and Bai Xinyan pressed him about what Master Xiu had told him.

• Master Xiu told Ronan to make a daily schedule and said he needed at least six hours of sleep to begin learning the Breathing Technique.
• Xue Lei explained that the dojo would move because its lease had expired and the renewal rent was too expensive.
• Ronan offered to pay for the damaged Tai Chi Ball, but Xue Lei said he would find a way to repair it.
• Ronan went to Ren'ai Hospital for treatment and study, but He Yueyin was absent because an Accident Investigation Team from Association headquarters had arrived.
• Bai Xinyan asked Ronan what Master Xiu had told him, and Ronan met her gaze without answering.

Ronan and He Yueyin arranged a revised study and treatment schedule that accommodated Master Xiu’s martial arts lessons. During an online lesson inside the treatment capsule, He Yueyin appeared beside Ronan in a wilderness simulation and explained that he would practice using Six Ears’ simulator under controlled conditions.

• Bai Xinyan and Ronan joined He Yueyin’s three-way call, and Ronan explained what Master Xiu had said about arranging his lessons.
• Bai Xinyan confirmed the lessons did not currently interfere with treatment, while He Yueyin proposed moving some general education courses online and postponing mentally demanding subjects.
• He Yueyin and Bai Xinyan coordinated with Association members to create a new timetable, which Ronan planned to show Master Xiu the next day.
• Ronan entered the treatment capsule and connected to the Spirit Wave Network for an online general education lesson.
• He Yueyin appeared beside Ronan in the Wilderness Ten Days simulation and said they would practice with Six Ears’ simulator while limiting strain on his Soul Power.

Ronan began training in the Spirit Wave Network’s Simulator with He Yueyin, learning how the network shared Thought Power and why the advanced level required caution. He Yueyin prepared to assess Ronan’s projected form, leaving him facing a mirror that appeared to show his soul.

• Ronan agreed to enter the Simulator after He Yueyin explained that its increased Soul Power consumption could be controlled.
• Ronan described how Six Ears guided Thought Power to analyze and control energy information, comparing it to a sword wielded by a skilled user.
• He Yueyin explained that the Simulator let users share energy and that most people needed to become architects before accessing it.
• He Yueyin said Ronan would begin with adaptation training and later receive tactical instruction from Rock Blast.
• He Yueyin summoned a mirror at the Wilderness boundary, and Ronan recognized the ghostly tetrahedral shape within it as himself.

Ronan entered the Spirit Wave Network’s simulator level, where He Yueyin taught him how appearances reflected users’ energy-information structures. They explored the ruined town of Blood Rock, and Ronan discovered that its broken stones followed orderly patterns before one passed straight through his fingers.

• Ronan shaped a human figure resembling himself in the virtual mirror, but He Yueyin said he had taken a shortcut because simulator appearances should reflect users’ energy-information structures.
• He Yueyin explained that her Burner nature made her image glow, and Ronan pointed out that he was not Awakened and had not established his Self Logic.
• Ronan followed He Yueyin into the simulator and learned that Blood Rock served as a gathering place for Ability Users to discuss topics and build experimental models.
• He Yueyin said the Logic World’s influence had changed the simulator’s structural rules and destroyed most of Blood Rock’s experimental models.
• Ronan examined a patterned fragment among the ruins, then watched it pass through his fingers and strike the ground.

Ronan discovered that he could no longer maintain a solid body in the Spirit Wave Network’s updated simulator, while He Yueyin introduced the network’s public order to him. Yuan Fei warned that the new version’s stronger interference force could make Ronan’s unstable form collapse, leaving him as a cloud of mist.

• He Yueyin explained that President Ouyang had established the Spirit Wave Network’s order through collective input, with Blood Rock Town serving as a key Central District.
• Yuan Fei emerged from the town’s gathering place, challenged Ronan’s assumptions about centralized control, and introduced himself as a member of the Association Headquarters’ Accident Investigation Team.
• Ronan noticed that rubble passed through his hand and realized his apparently solid body could not reliably support weight.
• Yuan Fei created a mirror and showed Ronan that his distorted appearance came from insufficient ability to interfere with the Material Layer under the updated simulator.
• Yuan Fei asked He Yueyin to seek access to the Spirit Wave Network’s basic architecture, while Ronan’s body dissolved completely into mist.

Ronan struggled to understand his low interference force and what it might mean for Grandfather's Format Theory while He Yueyin and Bai Xinyan withheld their conclusions. After a day of brooding, he went to meet Paper Cut Mister at Gear.

• After Ronan's Simulator session ended, Bai Xinyan told him that his Astral Projection had been mistaken for soul hosting and began his Ability User guidance process.
• Ronan realized that He Yueyin and Bai Xinyan had discussed his low interference force without telling him, and he worried that they saw his condition as dire.
• At school, Ronan waited for a revised schedule that never arrived, then returned alone to the Treehouse and questioned whether Grandfather's Format Theory had unresolved flaws.
• When Paper Cut Mister contacted him, Ronan left the Treehouse and met him outside Gear.

Paper Cut taught Ronan how to use Soul Power to control paper figures, hoping Ronan’s precision-oriented abilities would suit the Control Stream. Despite understanding the technique’s structure, Ronan could not make his paper figure walk, leaving Paper Cut baffled.

• Paper Cut arrived early to teach Ronan the Soul Power Activation Technique, which had been moved up to test Ronan’s low interference ability.
• Paper Cut demonstrated how he animated a paper figure and explained the Animation and Control Streams of Soul Power use.
• Ronan thought of the broken Tai Chi Ball at Shenyu Dojo and considered asking the Association’s repair engineers to handle it.
• Paper Cut guided Ronan through making a paper figure walk, but it managed only three steps before falling over.
• Ronan explained the technique’s resonance lines and underlying structure, leaving Paper Cut unable to understand why Ronan still could not control the figure.

Ronan struggled to understand why his Soul Power and mental perception could affect living beings but not physical objects, then went to Shenyu Dojo to begin learning the Breathing Technique from Xiu Shenyu. He arrived with Xue Lei, who said he would stay as Master Xiu’s assistant and translator, but Xiu Shenyu was absent from the rear courtyard.

• Ronan failed to make a paper figure move with Soul Power and wondered why his abilities could not affect physical materials.
• Bai Xinyan let Ronan finish training without extra exercises and told him to nap before his lesson with Master Xiu.
• Ronan called his aunt to confirm he would stay overnight at the dojo, then practiced forming the Invisible Barrier in Talisman Paper on the bus.
• Ronan sensed a barrier between his consciousness and physical objects but reaffirmed that his perception of living beings was real.
• Ronan arrived at Shenyu Dojo, where Xue Lei greeted him and explained that he served as Master Xiu’s assistant and translator.
• Ronan and Xue Lei entered the rear courtyard, but Xiu Shenyu was nowhere in sight.

Ronan began training with Xiu Shenyu, who taught him breathing techniques and tested his ability to enter a Meditative State. After Ronan briefly experienced Body-Spirit Fusion, Xiu Shenyu moved him toward the next step of cultivation: sensing the body as mountain peaks and energy as flowing water.

• Xiu Shenyu began Ronan's training by teaching him to adjust his breathing and correcting his technique.
• Ronan entered a deep meditative state and briefly experienced his body as cloud vapor, which Xue Lei timed at seven seconds.
• Xue Lei explained Ronan's Meditative State as a process of bodily self-inspection, while Xiu Shenyu told Ronan to remember the breathing rhythm.
• Ronan entered the state again and sensed something tangible within the cloudlike feeling as Xiu Shenyu taught him to imagine the body gathering like mountain peaks and energy stretching like flowing water.