Chapter Summaries

Lu PingAn considered traveling to the provincial capital to take the Practitioner Qualification Certificate exam and began arranging his work and training around the possibility. As he prepared for his match with Su Zhizhu, Zhi Xi unexpectedly advanced before he did.

• Lu PingAn asked Xia Qin about the Qualification Certificate, and she advised him to take the exam in the provincial capital for combat experience, opportunities, and career advancement.
• Lu PingAn decided to think for two days and planned to adjust the Trading Ground’s schedule if he left Ancient City; Xia Qin suggested he take Lei Shui Yun along.
• Lu Teacher taught Lu PingAn in the hospital and advised him to train as a Runner and help Su Zhizhu advance into a fighter before their match.
• Lu PingAn trained Su Zhizhu in his Secret Realm while improving his own combat and cooking skills through lessons and practice.
• Zhi Xi completed her advancement, surpassing Lu PingAn’s advancement record.

Lu PingAn and Cat Cat decided to take the Professional Qualification Certificate exam, which would grant formal recognition and could let Lu PingAn take a driver's test early. Lu PingAn doubted his chances on the broad written and psychological tests, but asked Fang Wen to prepare cheating tools.

• Cat Cat eagerly agreed to try the Qualification Certificate exam after Lu PingAn suggested it.
• Xia Qin explained that a Formal License carried significant legal and social responsibility, and that the exam tested more than strength.
• Lu PingAn became interested in taking the exam after learning that the certificate could let him take a driver's license test early.
• Lu PingAn tried studying the extensive Teaching Material but gave up, then learned that the exam included written, psychological, and social ethics tests.
• Lu PingAn asked Fang Wen to prepare an automatic self-writing pencil and controllable gloves for the exam.

Lu PingAn continued developing his professions while Zhi Xi advanced rapidly, and he prepared for his approaching duel with Su Zhizhu. Su Zhizhu offered him a mysterious family heirloom that Life Bank identified as a High Pollutant, and Lu PingAn offered to buy it for 200 points.

• The Trading Ground shut down for maintenance as its holder pursued legalizing trade, while Lu PingAn focused on training for his duel and upcoming exams.
• Zhi Xi rapidly advanced as a Scholar and Fighter, but refused to appear on camera after spectators called her a Living Armor.
• Lu PingAn studied Runner and Rider advancement paths with professional instructors, then declined a Runner cram course that would take a year and a half.
• As the duel neared, Su Zhizhu offered Lu PingAn a black stone tablet from her family to help with his cultivation.
• Life Bank identified the tablet as a Mo Ju Stone, an ordinary item and High Pollutant, and revealed it would buy it for 350 Life Points.
• Lu PingAn offered Su Zhizhu 200 points for the stone.

Premier Song secured unanimous approval from twelve East Continent nations to advance the Nirvana Plan, a sweeping initiative that would reshape supernatural society and open exploration qualifications to the public. As the plan began its second phase, Lu PingAn remained unaware of the changes ahead and celebrated earning 210 points.

• Premier Song watched the global United Conference collapse without agreement after leaders argued over how to divide the plan's benefits.
• Eleven screens lit up for a private meeting of East Continent leaders, where Premier Song said their countries needed to coordinate despite others' secret maneuvers.
• Premier Song presented the Nirvana Plan's next phase, including changes to gods, supernatural pathways, public access to Awakening Potions, and the opening of Explorer qualifications.
• The twelve East Continent nations unanimously approved the plan's second phase, which Premier Song equated with the Thirteenth Pillar Construction Plan.
• Lu PingAn, unaware of the plan's consequences, grinned over receiving 210 points.

Lu PingAn kept the mysterious stele fragment and trained for his upcoming duel with Su Zhizhu, while Zhi Xi decided to become a Rider. On duel day, Lu PingAn found the venue crowded with spectators and bets favoring him.

• Lu PingAn concluded that the stele fragment might conceal a valuable secret, kept it, and found no one who could identify it.
• Lu PingAn trained with the fragment to improve his Rider abilities and planned how to prepare for his coming exam.
• Zhi Xi told Lu PingAn she wanted to become a Rider, and he agreed to help her develop her combat skills.
• Lu PingAn and Zhi Xi trained together as his combat team grew stronger, and he occasionally checked on Su Zhizhu's progress.
• Su Zhizhu left for the duel first, and Lu PingAn later arrived at a crowded venue where spectators were betting on All the way Peace.

Yuan SiPing briefed Ancient City's university leaders on a sweeping education reform, with Gu Da set to lead the first pilot. Director Qian then rushed to the Knight Secret Realm after learning that Lu PingAn was challenging a Tier 4 Silver, arriving to hear people taking bets on the duel.

• Yuan SiPing told the university leaders that new teaching materials, combat training, and professional qualifications would be overhauled, with Gu Da as the first pilot institution.
• Yuan SiPing introduced three young returnees from the Outer Realm who would help train teachers and students.
• Director Qian caught Li DaKe skipping class and learned that students had gathered to watch Lu PingAn challenge a Silver in the Life Secret Realm.
• Director Qian hurried to the Secret Realm with Yuan SiPing and the other guests, fearing Lu PingAn would put himself in danger.
• The group entered the Secret Realm and heard a crowd urging people to bet on Lu PingAn.

Lu PingAn returned to the Old Place Secret Realm and faced Su Zhizhu in a duel, with both fighters unleashing their abilities. The battle began with their attacks slaughtering the spectators, leaving the arena cleared for their fight.

• Lu PingAn entered the Land of Life without trouble and placed twenty thousand on himself to win against Su Zhizhu.
• Lu PingAn teased Su Zhizhu until she lost her composure, then watched as she steadied herself and prepared to fight.
• Su Zhizhu summoned paper beasts and birds that attacked everything nearby, while Lu PingAn activated Redemption.
• The beasts and Redemption attacked the spectators, draining their blood for nourishment and materials until the area around the fighters was cleared.

Lu PingAn countered Su Zhizhu’s paper army with Little Flame’s devastating fire, then provoked her into unleashing a Silver-level attack that warped the battlefield. The chapter ended with Lu PingAn emerging from the flames unharmed, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Su Zhizhu flooded the battlefield with Paper Beasts and numerous lifelike copies, making it difficult for Lu PingAn to locate her real body.
• Lu PingAn sent out Little Flame, whose Thermal Blood Explosion scorched the battlefield and destroyed most of the fragile paper creatures.
• Su Zhizhu was forced out of hiding, and Lu PingAn summoned rain to threaten the paper creatures further and limit her options.
• Lu PingAn mocked Su Zhizhu’s status beside Ba Manzhen, provoking her into treating the sparring match as a fight to the death.
• Su Zhizhu unleashed a Silver-level attack that distorted and rearranged the battlefield, while spectators assumed Lu PingAn had been defeated.
• Lu PingAn emerged from the flames in his Living Armor and calmly praised Su Zhizhu’s attack.

Lu PingAn survived Su Zhizhu’s Silver-Rank Law and used his knowledge of her abilities to seize control of the battlefield. He fortified the Three Ring Forest with demonic plants and traps, leaving Su Zhizhu hidden and the duel unresolved.

• Su Zhizhu used Law: Frog in the Paper to tear apart the battlefield, but Lu PingAn’s Giant Battle Armor remained unscathed.
• Lu PingAn asked Big Cat how to counter the attack and learned that Zhi Xi could resist it because Su Zhizhu had not fully mastered the conceptual ability.
• Su Zhizhu sent paper beasts to buy time while she recovered, and Lu PingAn summoned Little Flame and used Tactic: Sacrifice to wrap it in controlled flames.
• Lu PingAn deployed War Eagle to track movement and filled the Three Ring Forest with mines, tentacles, spikes, and other demonic plants.
• Lu PingAn built a fortress and trenches, then ate Gourmet to stack buffs while waiting for Su Zhizhu to make her next move.

Lu PingAn wore down Su Zhizhu with his armor, beasts, and Gourmet buffs, while spectators recognized his exceptional combat ability. Su Zhizhu launched one final ambush but was impaled by his cavalry lance, leaving Lu PingAn victorious.

• Su Zhizhu assessed Lu PingAn's armor and abilities, realized her support-focused skills could not overcome him head-on, and grew anxious as he appeared to recover by eating Gourmet dishes.
• Lu PingAn calmly ate Tie Zhenmei's food, stacked its buffs, and chatted with Zhi Xi while waiting for Su Zhizhu to act.
• Director Yuan and other spectators praised Lu PingAn's ability and recognized that Su Zhizhu was being steadily cornered.
• Su Zhizhu leaped out from behind Lu PingAn for a final attack, but he impaled her with his cavalry lance.
• Lu PingAn flicked Su Zhizhu's apparent corpse into dry fragments and remarked that a Silver-Rank Professional had been underwhelming.

Lu PingAn defeated Su Zhizhu in their duel, collected his gambling winnings, and drew the attention of officials and onlookers. Xia Qin then told him that team leaders under thirty had to take a new Explorer certification exam.

• Lu PingAn explained that he had fought Su Zhizhu to settle their past conflict, and Director Yuan urged him to take the special Qualification Examination.
• Lu PingAn collected his winnings from the bookmaker, who also gave him a few tens of thousands as compensation.
• Lu PingAn saw Su Zhizhu crying and punching a sandbag at the gym, but decided not to recruit her while she was upset.
• Xia Qin told Lu PingAn that a new rule required team leaders under thirty to take an Explorer Certificate exam.

The Eastern Kingdom announced the Mending the Heavens Plan, requiring Explorers to enter dying worlds and bring back resources to save their own world. After Premier Song revealed the desperate stakes behind the plan, Lu PingAn smiled at the prospect as Cat Cat watched in fear and confusion.

• Officials and church representatives learned that the Eastern Kingdom would pursue the Nirvana Plan, known locally as Mending the Heavens, and issue Explorer Qualifications.
• Authorities and civilian powers cooperated as the promise of vast gains outweighed old conflicts, while people debated whether Explorers were heroes or cosmic pirates.
• Premier Song explained that the world was deteriorating because of the First Batch’s Great Summoning and said humanity had to seek nourishment in the outer domains to survive.
• At the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs auditorium, Lu PingAn, Xia Qin, Cat Cat, and others listened as Premier Song made Mending the Heavens a national policy and announced the first Explorer Certificates.
• Cat Cat clutched Lu PingAn’s clothes in fear and confusion, then saw him smiling at the prospect like a child delighted by a toy.

Lu PingAn provoked Chris by calling her a homeless dog for abandoning her former beliefs and preparing to flee when the Great Summoning began. Chris left without revealing her intentions, while Lu PingAn reflected on the Mending the Heavens Plan and wondered whether she would face danger this time.

• Lu PingAn told Chris that she had been a homeless dog who betrayed her former convictions and fled toward godhood when danger arose.
• Chris showed her anger and warned Lu PingAn that he could not bind a god forever, then left with Fang Wen.
• Lu PingAn explained to Cat Cat and Xia Qin that Chris remained far more dangerous than Fang Wen and that he had provoked her to test her.
• Lu PingAn considered how the pursuit of power and immortality had fueled internal conflict and why the Mending the Heavens Plan aimed to expand into the outer realms.
• Lu PingAn hoped Chris would confront her past and stand with him, though he knew their bond could end in either lifelong cooperation or violence.
• Chris sent Fang Wen away and silently gazed out the window, thinking of Lu PingAn.

As the authorities prepared the first Explorer Qualification examinations, Lu PingAn considered what the certificates would mean and how to qualify for one. He discovered that Gu Da had also added extensive new coursework, especially for him in the Logistics Department.

• Lu PingAn admitted to his clubmates that he had a recommended slot for the two-tier Explorer Qualification examination, and they congratulated him after watching the speech recordings.
• Lu PingAn reasoned that Explorer certificates would let trusted captains lead teams through official routes and draw on government supplies, bases, and reinforcements.
• Lu PingAn studied the likely requirements, concluding that captains needed to be young, strong, reliable, and officially connected.
• Lu PingAn found that Gu Da had distributed new planar-travel textbooks and added required courses across its programs.
• Lu PingAn revealed that he had received seventeen books and eleven extra class periods for the Logistics Department, far more than other students.

Lu PingAn struggled with the expanded curriculum introduced by the education reforms and worried he might fail or be held back. As new opportunities opened for official forces and the world began preparing for exploration, he saw the changing society filled with renewed vitality and hope.

• Lu PingAn reviewed the expanded Teaching Materials and realized the new courses had greatly increased the workload across Gardener, combat, and Logistics professions.
• Lu PingAn worried that his absences and the added material would make him fail, while students across the school protested and struggled to adapt.
• Lu PingAn learned that Ba Manzhen and Su Zhizhu had applied to join the Special Task Force to gain official status and eligibility for the Explorer examination.
• Xia Qin explained that Special Task Force Three had vacant positions and that recruits would sign long-term employment agreements.
• Lu PingAn recognized the recruitment policy as part of the authorities' plan to build official forces and reflected on the hope and vitality brought by the reforms.

Lu PingAn considered how to protect his parents from threats tied to his rising status and planned to ask the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs for help. He welcomed Ba Manzhen and Su Zhizhu as new employees, then learned they had joined because Ba Manzhen expected a major opportunity within the next half year.

• Lu PingAn lamented the Trading Ground's closure, while Big Cat said the Courtyard's future returns would far exceed its current profits.
• Lu PingAn spoke with his parents, who refused to leave their rural home, and considered asking the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs to arrange stronger protection for them.
• Lu PingAn planned to discuss his parents' security after his exams and considered moving them to the Special Task Force family compound or the Courtyard.
• Lu PingAn welcomed Ba Manzhen and Su Zhizhu as employees after the two mercenaries defected to his side.
• Ba Manzhen told Lu PingAn that her information sources pointed to a major opportunity within the next half year, and he asked her to explain.

Su Zhizhu and Ba Manzhen shared information about the upcoming explorer worlds and joined Special Task Force Three, while several team members prepared to take the Qualification Certificate exam. Before leaving for the provincial capital, Lu PingAn completed the first stage of his Ancient Tree Curse and gained a new passive talent, though his reflexes declined.

• Su Zhizhu told Lu PingAn that more than six worlds would open to the First Batch of explorers and offered to share information about a dangerous special world.
• Ba Manzhen recognized that Lu PingAn had held back during their fight, and Su Zhizhu persuaded her not to challenge him to a duel.
• Xia Qin welcomed Su Zhizhu and Ba Manzhen, then revealed that the two had officially joined Special Task Force Three alongside newly approved slots for veteran members Xue En and Cat Cat.
• Several members of Special Task Force Three planned to take the Qualification Certificate exam, while Hua Xuejie and Miss Lu chose not to become official personnel.
• Lu PingAn prepared to leave for the provincial capital and completed the first stage of the Ancient Tree Curse, gaining Ancient Tree Heart while losing some reflexes.

Lu PingAn visited Professor Wen to discuss the effects of his first Self-Curse and the plant transformation abilities he had awakened. Professor Wen confirmed his progress and told him that the demonic plant he had requested was available, giving his second plan a chance to proceed.

• Lu PingAn met Professor Wen in Gu City University's Botanical Garden, where Wen described his work caring for extradimensional demonic plants.
• Professor Wen examined Lu PingAn's plantlike skin and explained that his Forest Spirit Vein made wild demonic plants wary and hostile toward him.
• Lu PingAn showed Professor Wen that Tree Bark had awakened, giving him modest toughness and regeneration, while Plant Gene remained gestating.
• Professor Wen said a professional ability gained through advancement would help Lu PingAn connect with demonic plants.
• Professor Wen told Lu PingAn that the demonic plant he had asked him to find was available, and Lu PingAn asked for advice about the trade and his second plan.

Lu PingAn consulted Professor Wen about his declining reflexes and began planning his Tier 2 Gardener Second Scene. Professor Wen also told him about an impending university merger and asked him to visit the other campus with her.

• Lu PingAn learned that magical plantification would continue to slow his reflexes, and Professor Wen suggested finding a magical plant with high reflexes to form a symbiosis with or attach externally.
• Professor Wen helped Lu PingAn acquire Burrowing Grass and advised him on additional magical plants for designing his Second Scene, the Bonsai Designer.
• Professor Wen revealed that Gu Da would merge with Private Yingwu Biomedical University as part of a reform expected to reduce Ancient City’s six universities to three or four.
• Professor Wen said she had refused to become head of the Plant Department at the other campus but might be assigned projects there, and she invited Lu PingAn to visit with her.

Lu PingAn prepared for a journey as advancement materials grew scarce and expensive, then revealed that the Trading Ground could travel with the group. Big Cat transformed and identified herself as Kerdales, the former demigod who had created the Secluded Courtyard, leaving the Rebirth Merchant Guild stunned by what their mobile secret realm could mean.

• Lu PingAn found that prices for advancement materials and Taboo Items had surged as Professionals rushed to advance, but he chose to focus on strengthening his existing careers.
• Lu PingAn's companions discussed developing overseas and lamented that the immovable Trading Ground would slow their progress.
• Lu PingAn questioned why everyone assumed the Trading Ground could not travel with them and revealed that it could.
• Big Cat explained that the moving secret realm could serve as their own ship and let them carry forbidden goods beyond official channels.
• Big Cat transformed into a radiant aberrant beast, introduced herself as Kerdales, and revealed that the Trading Ground was the Secluded Courtyard she had once ruled as a demigod.