Chapter Summaries

Ronan completed the paperwork for joining the club while worrying that the conflict over Gear involved powerful forces beyond school clubs and sponsors. During his Nutrient Capsule treatment, Mister Bai warned him not to increase his Soul Power, and Octopus contacted him with new information about a neural-repair specialist.

• Xie Junping handled Ronan’s club paperwork, and Ronan asked whether Gear had valuable assets beyond its location and design.
• Ronan recalled Yan Yongbo’s serious pursuit of Gear and the Mystic Studies Society’s connection to the Justice Cult, and wondered what those powerful groups wanted with the building.
• Mister Bai supervised Ronan’s Nutrient Capsule treatment and warned him against games, Astral Projection, meditation, or anything else that could increase his Soul Power.
• Ronan struggled to fall asleep in the capsule and opened a chat with Octopus, who had been seeking a suitable Pharmacist and contacting Doctor Clay about neural repair.
• Octopus told Ronan that he had new information.

Ronan learned that Doctor Clay would treat his condition, though he would have to endure the Nutrient Capsule until the doctor arrived, and Octopus told him that Bai Xinyan would come first. Meanwhile, Yan Yongbo watched a report speculating about the Deep Blue Walker’s presence in Xia City as the spacecraft carrying the awaited passenger arrived.

• Octopus told Ronan that Doctor Clay had accepted his case, would send a student to collect preliminary data in a week, and would arrive at the end of the month.
• Ronan’s heightened perception of the Nutrient Solution caused him pain, and he complained to Octopus about staying in the Nutrient Capsule.
• Octopus revealed that Doctor Clay’s student was Bai Xinyan, Mister Bai’s daughter and a renowned pharmacist, and warned Ronan not to use her family connection to get close to her.
• At Xia City Airport, Yan Yongbo and Hu Yuli watched a news program speculate that Deep Blue Walkers had been stationed near or inside the city.
• The arriving spacecraft entered the airport, and Hu Yuli and the others stood up while Yan Yongbo continued watching the projection.

After the failed operation in Xia City sparked a political and public-relations crisis for Quantum Corporation, Supervisor Bai arrived and questioned Yan Yongbo about Jack’s knowledge of the Secret Cults. She pressed for details about the investigation just as Yan Yongbo admitted that its leads were still being pursued.

• Hu Yuli told Yan Yongbo to cut Quantum Corporation’s segment from Star Alliance News Agency’s program as the Deep Blue Walkers incident spread and Xia City’s government and military ended their cooperation with the corporation.
• Yan Yongbo and Hu Yuli met Supervisor Bai as she arrived in Xia City, and she said she had encountered a Three-Headed Eagle attack on the way.
• Supervisor Bai declined to rest and explained that the laboratory had assigned her to investigate links between the Soul Order and Earth’s Secret Cults.
• Yan Yongbo said Jack had admitted knowing cult contacts, including a senior member, but that the investigation was still following up on leads because Jack was dead.
• Supervisor Bai spun her sunglasses around her finger and demanded more specific information.

Yan Yongbo reported that the search for Jack’s data had found nothing and that the Ability User Association still held Test Subject c2834. Supervisor Bai took control of his Deep Blue Walker squads and told him his failure came from choosing his own side, leaving Yan Yongbo stunned as she departed.

• Yan Yongbo reported that investigators had found no trace of Jack’s data and that the likely target was among auction spoils, while Test Subject c2834 remained in the Association’s custody.
• Supervisor Bai said she would take over Yan Yongbo’s measures and used headquarters and laboratory orders to transfer his command of four Deep Blue Walker squads to herself.
• Yan Yongbo grew furious, but Hu Yuli tried to calm the confrontation as Supervisor Bai prepared to leave.
• Supervisor Bai told Yan Yongbo that his failure stemmed from choosing the excavation assignment and his own side, then offered to restore the squads if he cooperated.
• Supervisor Bai left through the VIP passageway, and Yan Yongbo remained stunned while Hu Yuli expressed relief that he was nearing retirement.

Ronan went out with Mo Peng despite his worsening symptoms after a Demon Rune’s growth destabilized the balance between his body and soul. A broadcast about the Deep Blue Walker prompted him to consider bodily modification as a way to strengthen his body, and he arrived at Frost River Reality with Mo Peng.

• After Morun’s Demon Rune swallowed another creature, the resulting boost worsened Ronan’s imbalance, forcing him to use Astral Projection and the Soul-Hosting Machine Core to return to his body.
• On the low-altitude bus, Ronan listened to an expert explain that a Deep Blue Walker’s equipment supported the Burner while the person’s autonomous consciousness set the upper limit of their abilities.
• Ronan concluded that improving his physical endurance could raise his abilities’ lower limit and considered bodily modification.
• Mo Peng and Ronan got off in downtown Xia City and headed to Frost River Reality.
• A group of teenage boys and girls called out to Mo Peng and Ronan from a nearby cold-drink shop.

Ronan joined the Mo Family and Mo Cheng’s gaming team for a social gathering that also served as Mo Qiu’s blind date. The evening took an awkward turn when Ronan recognized Chen Xiaolin, Xue Lei’s girlfriend, whom he had frightened at the Shuiyi Bluestone Hotel.

• Ronan and Mo Peng arrived at the crowded Frozen Star People shop and joined the Mo Family gathering led by Mo Cheng.
• Mo Han and Mo Peng learned that Mo Qiu had come to meet a Zhi Xing Institute student on a blind date.
• Mo Cheng said Chen Chen was bringing her younger sister, Chen Xiaolin, and possibly the younger sister’s boyfriend.
• Mo Qiu arrived, greeted the group, and learned that Chen Chen’s party was on its way.
• Ronan recognized Chen Xiaolin when she arrived with Chen Chen, and Chen Xiaolin went pale after their eyes met.

Ronan joined Chen Xiaolan’s group at Frost River Reality, where he ran into Chen Xiaolin and Tian Si and learned that Xue Lei was struggling to reach Chen Xiaolin. The chapter ended with Xue Lei rushing to meet them and Chen Xiaolin turning to look at Ronan.

• Mo Qiu eased the awkward introductions, and Chen Xiaolan welcomed Ronan and offered to look out for him.
• Chen Xiaolin greeted Ronan as a junior, while Mo Peng and Mo Han whispered about the two knowing each other.
• Tian Si and Tian Qi joined the conversation, and Ronan noticed the group’s unresolved tensions around Xue Lei.
• Mo Qiu led everyone into Frost River Reality’s reception hall, where Ronan called Xue Lei and told him Chen Xiaolin was there.
• Xue Lei said Chen Xiaolin would not see him, then rushed toward Frost River Reality after Ronan invited him to meet her.
• Chen Xiaolin turned around and looked at Ronan as he wondered whether Xue Lei would arrive in time.

Ronan and Chen Xiaolin discussed why she had rejected Xue Lei, and she agreed to talk with him so they could settle things directly. The group then learned Ronan had missed the Mystic Studies Society entrance exam, before an intoxicated person grabbed Mo Han.

• Chen Xiaolin told Ronan that she could not accept the dangers of a life like Xue Lei's and did not want to be involved with that world again.
• Ronan encouraged Chen Xiaolin to speak with Xue Lei, and she agreed to meet him and make things clear.
• Tian Si and Mo Peng brought up Ronan's Mystic Studies Society entrance exam, and Tian Qi revealed that Ronan had missed it.
• Tian Qi explained the society's research and funding while Mo Han dismissed it as mysterious posturing.
• An intoxicated person put an arm around Mo Han and pulled her against their chest, frightening her.

Ronan and his companions confronted drunk Mystic Studies Society officer Huang Bingzhen after he grabbed Mo Han, then continued to their Frost River Reality mixer. The chapter left Ronan unable to join highly stimulating games because the system detected that he was undergoing treatment.

• Mo Peng and Mo Tao pulled Huang Bingzhen away from Mo Han, and Tian Si confronted him after he recognized Tian Qi.
• Huang Bingzhen insulted the group and tried to grab Mo Han again, so she kicked him in the shin and he fell.
• Mo Qiu led the group away, while Ronan noticed Liu Tao helping Huang Bingzhen after they rounded the corner.
• At Frost River Reality, the group had their bodies scanned, but Ronan's scan initially failed because his body had changed.
• Ronan's scan eventually passed, and the system warned him to avoid highly stimulating games while undergoing treatment.

Ronan’s medical records restricted him to Frost River Reality’s low-intensity C Zone, but Bai Xinyan contacted him with temporary authorization to enter A Zone and use Frost River Waterway as part of his treatment. The chapter ended with Ronan realizing he might have to repeat the event several times.

• Frost River Reality restricted Ronan’s permissions because his nervous system was under strain, leaving him eligible only for C Zone.
• Mo Peng offered to accompany Ronan, but Ronan urged him to enjoy A Zone with the others while Tian Si and Mo Qiu stayed in C Zone.
• Bai Xinyan called Ronan after reviewing his hospital and Association records, and she suspected his Soul Power had grown and worsened his condition.
• Bai Xinyan told Ronan to go to A Zone and explained that Frost River Waterway was a laboratory program whose equipment could collect diagnostic data.
• Bai Xinyan sent Ronan temporary authorization and told him to endure Frost River Waterway as long as possible, potentially repeating it before she arrived to retrieve the data.

Ronan went to Frost River Reality after Octopus Bro confirmed that Bai Xinyan’s proposed treatment carried manageable risks. At the facility, his authorization failed to register, and an encounter with the drunken Mr. Hu ended when Manager Yin arrived and caught Ronan staring at her.

• Ronan contacted Octopus Bro, who explained the Frost River Reality project and advised him to watch the treatment’s intensity.
• Ronan used the encrypted authorization to reach the third floor and asked the guides for directions to Frost River 3.
• A scanner flagged Ronan as unauthorized, and the guides asked him to leave the restricted area.
• Mr. Hu arrived drunk, recognized Ronan, and tried to grab his goggles.
• Manager Yin came over to handle the situation, and Ronan stared at her in apparent recognition.

Ronan entered Frost River Reality’s VIP area with help from Hu Huaying, who recognized him and vouched for him to manager Yin Le. Ronan recognized Yin Le as the Deputy High Priest of the Blood Flame Order and wondered whether her role at the venue was connected to the sect.

• Madam Yin checked Ronan’s access level, but Hu Huaying recognized him after Ronan removed his goggles and welcomed him as Xie Junping’s close friend.
• Hu Huaying persuaded Yin Le to let Ronan share a VIP room with him, and Ronan watched Yin Le as she left to inspect renovations at Tiandu Water Village.
• The guides scanned Ronan again, unlocked his permissions, issued him new equipment, and helped him put on a Combat Uniform.
• Hu Huaying warned Ronan not to pursue Yin Le, while Ronan realized she was the Deputy High Priest he had seen at a Blood Flame Order sacrificial ceremony.

Ronan struggled to use the VIP Arena’s immersive technology because his psychic perception exposed its illusions, then followed Bai Xinyan’s temporary authorization to a specialized adventure system. He discovered the system was designed for Ability Users and entered a starship simulation so realistic that the boundary between illusion and reality shattered.

• Ronan’s psychic perception saw through the Tactical Helmet’s augmented reality, leaving him unable to experience the VIP Arena’s immersive effects.
• After Hu Huaying and the attendants left, Ronan realized his authorization guidance was still directing him to Frost River 3 and entered the room when it came within signal range.
• Ronan followed virtual guide Nina’s instructions through a detailed scan and learned that his original Tactical Helmet did not meet the adventure requirements.
• Ronan used his all-domain psychic perception to track the lights in the new helmet’s interface, realizing that the guidance was designed for Ability Users.
• The lights converged, and Ronan found himself inside a starship simulation; when he touched its alloy door, the boundary between illusion and reality shattered.

Bai Xinyan reunited with Zhang Yingying on the East Coast of Xia City and demonstrated her ability to freeze the sea. She discussed a promising Scout with Zhang Yingying, then revealed she planned to make him more obedient as part of his treatment.

• Bai Xinyan crossed the Ring Sea Highway on ice crystals and found Zhang Yingying's hiding place by the sea.
• Bai Xinyan froze the surf and reef, causing Zhang Yingying to burst out of the water.
• Bai Xinyan and Zhang Yingying embraced and caught up, and Zhang Yingying asked whether Bai Xinyan had become a transcendental.
• Bai Xinyan said she would meet Boss and attend to other matters while staying in Xia City for over a month.
• Bai Xinyan showed Zhang Yingying data about a promising Scout with nerve damage who had not awakened yet.
• Bai Xinyan said she was strengthening the Scout's obedience during treatment, prompting Zhang Yingying to call her a pervert.

Ronan entered the Frost River Waterway challenge after a failed short-range jump and struggled to adapt to its freezing current. He collapsed before completing the first stage and woke back in the Star Voyage chair, having failed again.

• Ronan entered the Jump Pod and experienced a rough landing in the icy Frost River Waterway.
• Nina told Ronan his Combat Uniform was damaged and urged him to scout the area as he began the challenge.
• Ronan followed the waterway against the current and assessed how the cold affected his nervous system.
• Ronan fell into the water as his body weakened, and a chunk of ice struck his helmet and cracked it.
• Ronan lost consciousness and awoke in the Star Voyage chair after failing the challenge.

Ronan repeatedly failed the Frost River Waterway challenge because he could sense danger but could not process the information or control his body. After losing access when he removed his helmet, he compared it with another helmet and discovered that its chipset used an energy-information pattern related to Babel Tower.

• Ronan reviewed the assessment that his sensory precision was exceptional but his information-processing and bodily control were still instinctive.
• Ronan tried the Frost River Waterway challenge repeatedly but kept failing within the first five hundred meters, then withdrew in frustration.
• Ronan removed his helmet before his two-hour access period ended, causing the system to revoke his temporary access and require him to leave the tactical helmet behind.
• Ronan compared the Frost River 3 helmet with the other helmet and detected a chipset near the crown of the head in the Frost River 3.
• Ronan sensed the chipset's energy-information pattern and recognized it as part of the Babel Tower framework demonstrated by Jack, the Machine Core.

Ronan used his Machine Core to replace the missing chip set in Frost River Reality’s equipment and entered a fully immersive virtual world. The system presented Gestalt as the Prototype Mode, where a voice began explaining the origins of Burners.

• Ronan suspected the Machine Core functions in Frost River Reality were connected to the Apocalypse Laboratory and decided to investigate further.
• Ronan returned to Hu Huaying’s VIP room and used his External Neuron to connect with the chip interface in the Tactical Helmet.
• Ronan became fully immersed in the virtual world and found two activity modes, with Gestalt marked as the Prototype Mode.
• Ronan selected Prototype Mode and heard an explanation of the human body as an inefficient form of burning and the Burner as a new evolutionary structure.

Ronan discovered that the Frozen Star System contained a Burner simulator and learned how the Prototype Format used Inner Energy Reserves. By sensing his body through the External Neuron, he triggered a warm force within himself, while the displayed reserves fell to about one-third.

• Ronan returned to the Frost River Waterway after another failed transmission and noticed that Nina's guidance had changed to mention Inner Energy Reserves.
• Ronan learned that the Prototype Format converted and stored Inner Energy, and that the energy's form affected a Burner's efficiency.
• Ronan waited in the freezing water for a tangible sign of the reserves and Prototype Format, but interference silenced the system prompts.
• Ronan's External Neuron organized signals from his body, allowing him to sense his center of gravity and settle into a stable lotus position on the riverbed.
• Ronan felt a warm force radiate from his lower abdomen as the u-shaped reserve indicator dropped to roughly one-third full.

Ronan used the Prototype Format to regulate his body and endure the freezing current, discovering how it differed from his Self Format. The trial’s second stage began when the passage flooded and a collapsing wall unleashed a powerful whirlpool that knocked him unconscious.

• Ronan let the Prototype Format’s inner energy form a Heat Web that circulated warmth through his body and protected him from the cold.
• Ronan moved through the icy channel, avoiding debris and undercurrents while traveling farther than he had before.
• Ronan realized the Prototype Format was only a simulated projection and had not truly formed as part of his own format.
• As the water rose above his height and the passage threatened to flood completely, Ronan wondered whether he had reached the second stage.
• A section of the rock wall collapsed, sending another torrent into the passage and dragging Ronan into a whirlpool that smashed him against the cliff and knocked him unconscious.

After failing the Frost River Waterway challenge, Ronan studied the system’s analysis and discovered that his Self Format had distorted many nodes in his Prototype Format, though he still ignited it successfully for an unknown reason. Mo Qiu called him downstairs and urged him to go home, and Ronan hurried to meet him before encountering a drunken Hu Huaying at the elevator.

• Ronan recovered from the waterway challenge and read the system’s harsh assessment of his Prototype Format.
• Ronan examined the error map and learned that his Self Format had displaced many Prototype Format nodes before the virtual Format Fire ignited.
• Ronan noticed warmth gathering in his lower abdomen and wondered why he had managed to ignite the distorted Format.
• Ronan concluded that he needed to expand his influence through the Ability User Association and received a tense call from Mo Qiu.
• Ronan left the VIP room after Mo Qiu told him to come to the reception hall and head home early.
• Ronan reached the elevator and saw Hu Huaying stumbling out with several other drunken people.