Chapter Summaries

Ronan explored the Cloud Top World and encountered numerous Rotten-Mouth Apes, leading him to suspect they were hunting Snake Tongue, whom he had accidentally thrown into the clouds. He decided to find her, but while observing an ape, he sensed something coming from the direction of his physical body.

• Ronan fled a Rotten-Mouth Ape and surveyed a vast cloud region where he found many more of the same predators.
• Ronan reasoned that the apes might have entered the region to hunt Snake Tongue, whom he had likely thrown into the clouds ten days earlier.
• Ronan resolved to find Snake Tongue and chose to observe one Rotten-Mouth Ape for clues.
• The ape repeatedly sensed and attacked Ronan, disrupting his surveillance.
• Ronan felt a strange sensation coming from the other side of the void, like the bodily senses of his physical body.

Ronan returned from the Cloud Top World, worried about finding Snake Tongue and trying to identify where the strange cloud region was located. While waiting at home, he practiced refining the Dripping Water Sword’s auxiliary structures, and his two days of seclusion ended at Evening Practice.

• Ronan returned to the normal world at Withered Tree Sandbar, then traveled home and discovered that Mo Han had called to confirm a visit for the following evening.
• Ronan learned from Mo Peng that the gathering had grown because Mo Han was coming, and he complained before deciding he could not Astral Project again until evening.
• Ronan searched public records for the Rotten-Mouth Apes but found no information, then canceled a request to search classified materials because he did not want to reveal the Cloud Top World.
• Ronan Astral Projected and tested adding three auxiliary structures to the transformed Water Condensation Ring, but the External Neuron’s electric light caused the crude structures to collapse.
• Ronan spent hours refining the auxiliary structures, ending his two days of seclusion when Evening Practice began.

Ronan fell asleep during class after staying up to practice and explore the Cloud Top World, then was jolted awake by a sudden impact on his God Wheel. After he and Xue Lei disrupted the lecture and were escorted out, Ronan recognized Tian Si, who later called him and asked how she could thank him.

• Ronan told Xue Lei he had stayed up late, then fell asleep in class despite Xue Lei's warning that it could harm his cultivation.
• A sudden stimulus struck Ronan's God Wheel, making him cry out and slam his knee against the desk as Xue Lei threw himself over him to protect him.
• The lecturer let Ronan and Xue Lei leave for the infirmary instead of scanning their names into the class-hour system, and Ronan recognized teaching assistant Tian Si.
• Tian Si called Ronan after class, and when he offered to treat her to a meal, she asked how she was supposed to thank him.

Ronan invited Tian Si and Tian Qi to join his cousins for dinner, then investigated the Demon Rune’s violent clash and unexplained devouring. After his cultivation showed a sudden boost, he sensed the Demon Rune again and observed the injured Elder Morun meeting with Blood Flame Order leaders.

• Ronan invited Tian Si to dinner with Mo Peng and Mo Han, and she agreed to bring Tian Qi.
• Ronan reasoned that the Demon Rune had fought a powerful enemy and devoured something unlike a Human-Faced Spider avatar, leaving Elder Morun injured.
• Ronan set a reminder to monitor the Demon Rune for further changes, then completed his noon cultivation with Xue Lei.
• Ronan discovered that his Eye Aperture and Mouth and Tongue Aperture were resonating, improving his physical tempering after the Demon Rune’s unexplained devouring.
• Ronan sensed the Demon Rune at Elder Morun’s hideout, where Morun met with six core members and Madam Harold, the Blood Flame Order’s chief priest.

Madam Harold’s Blood Flame Order examined the rapidly developing Demon Rune and Morun’s encounter with a Winged Bloodbat, while Ronan watched through the Demon Rune. The chapter ended as everyone noticed that the creature in Morun’s memories looked different from a normal Winged Bloodbat.

• Madam Harold’s order discussed the Demon Rune’s progress and learned that its Blood Soul Temple had reached 1,755 levels of the Bloodfire Path.
• Ren Hong let Jiang Yuanzhen hear the Demon Rune’s Bloodfire, and Yin Le clarified that an earlier hunt had brought its progress to 1,605 levels.
• Morun shared a replay of his encounter in the Recycling Layer of Shuanghe District, explaining that the Demon Rune had reacted to a Winged Bloodbat.
• Ronan recognized the creature as a target sought by Three Gates Security and tried to identify where the encounter had occurred.
• Morun said the creature differed from wilderness Winged Bloodbats, and the close-up revealed that it looked unusual.

Ronan and the Blood Flame Order examined a Blood Virus from an abnormal Winged Bloodbat and considered whether it could help replace Morun as a herder. Madam Harold assigned Yin Le to take over the herding work while the Order investigated the new organism.

• Ronan watched Morun's memory of Demon Rune defeating a Winged Bloodbat, which then exploded and injured Morun with blood mist.
• Morun revealed a growing mental microorganism from the blood mist, and Madam Harold identified it as a virus-like parasite that might be a new Darkside Species.
• Madam Harold and Morun planned to return to the site and investigate the Blood Virus while its danger and possible uses remained uncertain.
• The Order discussed replacing Morun as herder before the December 21 Establishment Ceremony, but Morun warned that Ren Hong's ritual duties could interfere with the Blood Soul Temple.
• Madam Harold appointed Yin Le as the new herder and ordered Meng Chong to accompany her.

Ronan used Ink to locate the bloodied scene in He Wu District while class kept him from investigating in person. Through Ink’s perspective, he identified the hidden forces gathered there and spotted Haldorf watching from a nearby skyscraper.

• Ronan found a pool of blood on the Spirit Wave Network’s street-view images but stayed in class when his writing instructor assigned an exercise.
• While writing about Xue Lei, Ronan realized he could use his network of connections instead of skipping class and descended into Ink.
• Ronan noticed his recent training had sharpened his perception through Ink and sent Peony coordinates for the scene.
• Peony redirected Three Gates Security’s team to the coordinates, arriving before Haldorf’s group, while Madam Harold kept her distance.
• Ink’s appearance stirred residents and unsettled Black Gang members, and Ronan used the surrounding connections to sense the hidden forces at the scene.
• Ronan expanded Ink’s flight path and spotted Haldorf watching the scene from a skyscraper to the northwest.

Ronan explored how his believer network could serve as an early-warning system, then impulsively contacted the troubled Cat's Eye and arranged to meet her. He left for Gear, where Paper Cut introduced him to the Flying Wheel Arm, a Control Stream combat machine.

• Ronan used Ink and the Life Starry Sky to observe Madam Harold and Peony, then considered expanding his believers into a citywide detection network.
• Ronan noticed Cat's Eye drinking heavily and contacted her directly, startling her; they arranged to meet at Frost River Reality at eight-thirty.
• Ronan realized he had impulsively invited Cat's Eye and worried about what he would say, but Paper Cut called to deliver a combat machine.
• Ronan used Paper Cut's arrival to avoid Xue Lei's proposed Freehand Fighting practice and went with Paper Cut to Gear.
• Paper Cut gave Ronan the Flying Wheel Arm and explained its basic use as Ronan examined its layered, overlapping structure.

Ronan avoided Xue Lei’s Freehand Fighting practice by learning to use a Flying Wheel Arm with Paper Cut, whose guidance helped him test its firing and control modes. As they headed out, Ronan revealed that the evening gathering would include several people, and Paper Cut realized he had not even booked a private room.

• Paper Cut led Ronan and Xue Lei into the forest, where Ronan invited Paper Cut to join an evening gathering with Xue Lei and Cat's Eye.
• Paper Cut corrected Ronan and Xue Lei’s rumor that Cat's Eye had changed tracks because of Ronan, and agreed to attend so he could help them communicate with her.
• Paper Cut taught Ronan how to aim and operate the Flying Wheel Arm, and Ronan’s strong interference force fired and charged its discs.
• Ronan connected the Flying Wheel Arm to a smart device, practiced a guided boomerang shot, and let Xue Lei try it too.
• Tian Si called to say she and Tian Qi would arrive late, and Ronan told Paper Cut that relatives and other guests might join the gathering.
• Paper Cut asked whether Ronan had booked a private room, and Ronan admitted he had not considered it.

Ronan waited with Paper Cut and Xue Lei for Mo Peng and the others at Frost River Reality, where a discussion of talent and Soul Power led Ronan to devise a possible method for helping Zhai Gong. The gathering arrived as a procession of nine people, leaving Ronan startled by the size of the group.

• Ronan booked a medium-sized private room at Frost River Reality after Paper Cut taught him basic hosting etiquette.
• Paper Cut explained that Zhai Gong had helped design the Flying Wheel Arm and now maintained its after-sales service, while Ronan and Xue Lei discussed whether talent limited Zhai Gong's potential.
• Paper Cut described interference force as a way to connect Soul Power with material experience, and Ronan reflected on how Format Theory had helped him develop a two-way connection between mind and matter.
• Ronan formed a Water Condensation Ring above the table and suggested it might give Zhai Gong a stable fulcrum for his work.
• Mo Peng arrived with eight others, and Ronan realized that nine people had come to the crowded iced-drink shop.

Ronan gathered with Mo Peng’s friends at Frost River Reality, where the crowded group’s introductions and teasing revealed several romantic pairings and matchmaking schemes. After Tian Si and Tian Qi arrived, Yue Zheng proposed upgrading them to a Luxury Suite, drawing Mo Peng’s startled reaction.

• Mo Peng introduced Ronan to the group and announced that Ronan would cover everyone’s expenses at Frost River Reality.
• Mo Han introduced Ruan Zihui and Tong Hui as the Gray Gray Combo, while Yue Qin arrived with Turner and Mo Peng explained Yue Zheng’s possible interest in Mo Han and his own matchmaking plan for Ronan.
• Ronan realized the medium private room only had lockers for twelve people, then Tian Si and Tian Qi arrived, bringing the group over capacity.
• Paper Cut arranged shared lockers and called for manual scanning, while Mo Peng and Tian Qi agreed to share a locker.
• Yue Zheng offered to move everyone to an available Luxury Suite in A Zone, and Mo Peng reacted with surprise.

Yue Zheng tried to win over Ronan’s group, but his attempts had little effect, and Tian Si grew closer to Ronan after becoming frightened by Yue Zheng’s behavior. The group moved to the Luxury Suite, where Mo Peng recounted Ronan’s past at the Fu Dong Branch as Yue Zheng received a communication request.

• Ruan Zihui’s joke derailed Yue Zheng’s attempt to pressure the group into upgrading their private room.
• Fan Qu arrived, announced that he had arranged the upgrade, and offered the group refreshments and future help at the venue.
• Tian Si hooked her arm around Ronan’s, and Paper Cut ushered the others out so Ronan could speak with her privately.
• Tian Si asked whether Ronan was angry, and Ronan explained that Yue Zheng had not affected anyone because he could sense the group’s reactions.
• Mo Peng described Ronan’s role in the attack at the Fu Dong Branch after the group entered the Luxury Suite, and Yue Zheng received a communication request.

Yue Zheng tried to use his connections and the Luxury Suite to impress the group, but Mo Han and Mo Peng rallied people to choose activities elsewhere instead. Yue Qin attempted to ease the tension and keep the group together for a dance battle later.

• Fan Qu called Yue Zheng, asked about Tian Si, and offered to bring influential friends over to support him.
• Yue Zheng contacted Lao Su to invite friends and planned a dramatic entrance after Fan Qu's group arrived.
• When Mo Peng urged Ronan and Pomegranate to go to A Zone, Yue Zheng promoted the suite's Reality equipment to keep everyone there.
• Paper Cut suggested going out, but Mo Han proposed Uncanny Valley while Mo Peng chose the Wilderness Battle Zone, splitting the group away from Yue Zheng.
• Yue Qin suggested that everyone go out first and hold a dance battle when they returned, then tried to reconcile with Mo Han.

Ronan explained how Yue Zheng’s attempt to force his way into the group had failed, then considered how interpersonal relationships formed systems. Paper Cut grew concerned that Ronan’s abstract thinking might lead him toward becoming an Extraordinary Species, and the group later headed to A Zone, where Xue Lei suggested playing Wilderness Ten Days.

• Yue Zheng watched Ronan speak with Paper Cut and became furious when Tian Si served them drinks, but Yue Qin dragged him out of the room.
• Ronan described Yue Zheng and Yue Qin’s actions as examples of how people could disrupt or work within a social system, prompting Paper Cut to worry about Ronan’s increasingly detached way of thinking.
• Paper Cut asked Ronan for Yue Zheng and Yue Qin’s names, and Ronan could not remember them.
• Ronan continued discussing systems and the Water Condensation Ring until Paper Cut got him to leave the Luxury Suite and walk around A Zone with Tian Si and Xue Lei.
• Xue Lei used Six Ears’ guidance function successfully, then invited Ronan to play Wilderness Ten Days.

Ronan and Xue Lei won two Hero Seats by using Ronan’s connection to Six Ears and the Spirit Wave Network, then entered a private simulator room to play. Xue Lei chose an unarmored close-quarters fight, leaving Ronan uneasy as their match was about to begin.

• Ronan learned that the Hero Seats were coveted advanced simulators and agreed to try playing with Xue Lei and their friends.
• Ronan and Xue Lei grabbed vacant seats 77 and 91, unlocking the Seat-Snatching Duo achievement; Paper Cut later explained that their success came from an instant-grab advantage using Six Ears and the Spirit Wave Network.
• Tian Si hinted that she wanted to pursue a path like Ronan’s, but she followed Paper Cut without asking directly, while Paper Cut privately wondered whether Ronan could uncover how Ability Users developed their powers.
• Ronan and Xue Lei entered the Hero Zone, created a private room, and received congratulations from friends who heard about their lucky-looking win.
• At Hero Seat 91, Ronan joined Xue Lei in a Fire Hill Life-and-Death Arena scenario, where Xue Lei proposed that they fight unarmored using Freehand Fighting.

Ronan endured Xue Lei’s brutal Freehand Fighting lessons in a public Simulator, but spectators discovered their open practice and demanded they leave. Paper Cut urged them to turn the uproar into a spot-stealing battle, and the chapter ended as thirty-two participants entered a chaotic Infinite Slaughter Environment while spectators watched for a chance to claim their spots.

• Xue Lei forced Ronan through repeated close-range fights and then coached him through basic movements as the Simulator pushed him to exhaustion.
• Ronan and Xue Lei’s practice drew hostile comments after Robbio’s clips and their public battlefield attracted spectators.
• Paper Cut persuaded Xue Lei to abandon basic training and challenge the spectators to a spot-stealing battle.
• Xue Lei selected the public battle mode, and the system matched thirty-two participants into an Infinite Slaughter Environment.
• Spectators across A Zone watched the live battle and prepared to scramble for spots as participants were eliminated.

Yue Zheng was drawn into Ju Maoxun’s plan to challenge Ronan and Xue Lei after they seized Hero Seats, while the two friends entered the Infinite Slaughter Environment as targets for a crowded battlefield. Ronan chose Black Tooth and advanced with Nubi, whose taunt announced their arrival to the opposing players.

• Yue Zheng met Hu Huaying outside the VIP room, then learned from Fan Qu that Ju Ling was a lieutenant colonel with military and political connections.
• Ju Maoxun summoned Yue Zheng back into the VIP room, where Yue Zheng saw that Ronan and Xue Lei had seized Hero Seats and agreed not to interfere with Ju Maoxun teaching them a lesson.
• Ju Maoxun had Fan Qu adjust Yue Zheng’s gear so he could enter a maglev pod, while players in A Zone reacted to the start of the Infinite Slaughter Environment.
• Ronan chose Black Tooth and began moving across the wilderness with Nubi as Xue Lei tried to reach him from seven kilometers away.
• Ronan followed Mo Peng and the others’ suggestion to have Nubi taunt the enemy, and Nubi sprayed a chemical plume into the sky as Black Tooth announced their challenge.

Ronan entered the slaughter battlefield in Black Tooth, appearing to waste ammunition while drawing enemies into a series of kills that revealed his skill. After Xue Lei arrived to support him, Ronan reloaded and left Paper Cut wondering how he had detected a hidden enemy.

• Ronan taunted the battlefield, set up Black Tooth on a hill, and claimed first blood after firing wildly at an approaching opponent.
• Ronan spent ammunition attacking multiple enemies, secured a double kill, then focused fire to earn a triple kill and activate slaughter mode.
• Ronan used Black Tooth’s hand cannon to kill a burrowing giant mole cricket, then survived the Deep Blue Walker’s strike and counterattacked to reach five kills.
• As Ronan’s Fire Eye Platform failed, he signaled Nubi to reload, and Xue Lei arrived after crossing seven kilometers and securing three kills of his own.
• Paper Cut explained that Ronan’s endurance, coordination, and reactions had surpassed normal human limits, then asked how he had spotted the hidden mole cricket; Ronan said it was instinct.

Ronan and Xue Lei dominated the virtual battlefield, then survived a coordinated attack by four Phoenixes and eliminated their opponents. Yue Zheng was exposed as a hidden participant and was thrown out of his maglev pod after the battle overwhelmed him.

• Ronan and Xue Lei worked together as Ronan reached ten kills and thrilled the spectators in A Zone.
• Tian Si and Mo Han realized that Yue Zheng had secretly entered the battlefield, while Mo Peng mocked him for staying silent.
• Ronan abandoned the Fire Eye platform and escaped as a Phoenix Particle Cannon destroyed it, then he and Xue Lei dodged attacks from four Phoenixes.
• Ronan stopped to kill a hidden Deep Blue Walker, then destroyed three Phoenixes with his Electromagnetic Cannon while Xue Lei pursued the last one.
• Xue Lei killed the final Phoenix pilot after Ronan left the game, and the four second-generation heirs quit in anger.
• Yue Zheng emerged from his maglev pod and vomited after Ronan's gunfire had forced him through exhausting evasive maneuvers.

Ju Maoxun tried to use Ju Ling and Chen Weican to advance his plan against Ronan and Tian Si, but Ju Ling ordered him to go to Treading on Frost with Yue Zheng. Meanwhile, Fan Qu faced Xie Junping and Hu Huaying after his premature room reset erased Du Yong’s Magic Array design, and Xie Junping led them toward Nan Zi’s gathering in the same suite.

• Ju Ling agreed to wait for Chen Weican, then told Ju Maoxun to go to Treading on Frost with Yue Zheng before Chen arrived.
• Fan Qu learned that Xie Junping and Hu Huaying were disputing the loss of their VIP-room data after he had initialized Frost 7 early.
• Xie Junping explained that the reset had erased the Magic Array design he and Du Yong had been developing, and Du Yong said Tang Yi would not help.
• Xie Junping contacted Nan Zi, learned he was at Treading on Frost, and invited himself and his companions over.
• Xie Junping ordered Fan Qu to prepare refreshments for Treading on Frost, leaving Fan Qu to realize the gathering involved Ju Maoxun’s target.