Chapter Summaries

Lu PingAn examined Adam’s damaged Abyss Decapitation Sword and learned about its deadly abilities and demands. He decided to pair it with Hanna’s Shroud, which responded eagerly to the sword.

• Big Cat explained that the Abyss Decapitation Sword was a soul-bearing weapon whose original master, Adam, had died, leaving it severely damaged.
• Lu PingAn assessed the sword’s decapitation, soul-absorption, and battlefield abilities, along with its demand for sacrifices and the danger it posed to its master.
• Lu PingAn concluded that his Life Bank could make him immune to the sword’s instant-death effects.
• Big Cat explained that Hanna’s Shroud could supply a Taboo Item with a stronger soul and pass on some of a heroic soul’s traits.
• Lu PingAn took out Hanna’s Shroud, sensed its eagerness to combine with the Abyss Decapitation Sword, and approved of its response.

Lu PingAn tested his new Rule-level greatsword and realized its killing impulse could make him dangerous, so he refused a supply of death-row inmates to feed it. He then recruited unaffiliated Outland Visitors for the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs with brutal efficiency, earning the authorities’ trust and greater freedom of action.

• Lu PingAn accidentally killed everyone in a drug-making basement after his greatsword magnified his killing intent, and he decided to starve the weapon for a while.
• Director Fang offered Lu PingAn death-row inmates to satisfy the weapon’s cost, but Lu PingAn refused because the arrangement could make others distrust him.
• Lu PingAn completed a rent-and-utilities persuasion mission by beating the target, then persuaded him to join the temporary Special Task Force.
• The Bureau of Anomalous Affairs’ temporary worker plan assigned Lu PingAn to recruit unaffiliated Law Decree-level Professionals, and he used threats and beatings to recruit nearly ten people in one day.
• Lu PingAn’s recruitment results reassured his superiors, who rewarded him with greater freedom of action.

Lu PingAn received two official appointments that gave him broad freedom and drew him into a political contest between authorities. He rejected the standard career paths and chose to join the Temporary Security Brigade, planning to build influence among its powerful recruits.

• Lu PingAn was reassigned as First Squad Brigade Commander and appointed a Division Chief-level inspector, while Xia Qin explained that the promotion reflected officials’ efforts to win him over.
• Lu PingAn received a concurrent post in the History and East Country Spirit Compilation Group, giving him another official affiliation and room to avoid orders from either side.
• Lu PingAn recognized that the appointments made him a prize in a contest between local authorities, but decided to accept the opportunities while building his strength and independence.
• Lu PingAn asked Xia Qin about becoming Vice Captain of the Temporary Security Brigade and learned that the temporary post was available, though its benefits were uncertain.
• Lu PingAn chose the brigade over the standard official career paths, intending to build ties with its Law Decree-level recruits by beating down anyone who resisted him.

After returning home, Lu PingAn helped establish the Temporary Brigade as a useful force, built influence through the Trading Ground, and strengthened himself through repeated combat. With his preparations complete, he set out for Changping leading a squad of Law Decree-level Professionals.

• Lu PingAn returned to work after only a few days off and recognized that Outland Visitors would become an increasingly important part of the new society.
• Lu PingAn sparred with Temporary Brigade powerhouses, earned their recognition, and replaced several after assessing them.
• Lu PingAn's Forbidden Library and Trading Ground benefited from the Brigade's members and attracted official Professionals seeking resources to advance.
• The Bureau of Anomalous Affairs increasingly deployed the Temporary Brigade against Outland criminals and riots as Lu PingAn trained and accumulated strength.
• Lu PingAn prepared to go to Changping, and the Temporary Brigade assigned him a squad of Law Decree-level Professionals to accompany him.

Lu PingAn visited Changping City’s Alien Management Bureau and saw how the city handled its large Outlander population before joining his alma mater’s group for the Temporary Explorer Qualification exam. He began discussing the exam with the teachers leading the candidates, only to learn that its format and contents were still unclear.

• Lu PingAn registered his group at the Alien Management Bureau and collected Law Decree-level badges for its powerful Professionals.
• Lu PingAn learned that Changping City’s Outlanders received equal pay for equal work, while his group’s bureaucrats considered the policy’s implications for Ancient City.
• Lu PingAn split from the group; Xia Qin went to find her mentor, Cat Cat sought her brother Lei Huo Ren, and Lu PingAn took charge of candidates preparing for the Temporary Explorer Qualification exam.
• Lu PingAn met the five teachers leading the exam group and went with them to eat and discuss the situation.
• Lu PingAn discovered that neither the exam’s contents nor its format had been determined for the candidates.

Lu PingAn advised the school on the upcoming Temporary License exam, drawing on his exploration experience and predicting that it would prioritize leadership and independent operation over combat strength. He became interested in recruiting promising candidates for his own sub-teams, then received an invitation from the Alien Management Bureau to serve as an examiner and exam escort.

• Lu PingAn explained why the exam should not simply repeat the demanding First Batch standards, especially the test of pollution resistance.
• He reasoned that the exam would focus on leadership, judgment, and the ability to operate independently, while requiring candidates to be at least second-rank.
• Lu PingAn proposed using Temporary License holders as sub-team leaders attached to Formal Explorers, increasing the number of squads and improving exploration efficiency.
• He asked the mentors about the candidates and identified promising young craftsmen, geography and feng shui specialists, and people with rare abilities.
• Lu PingAn said he would train the candidates further, but a call informed him that the Alien Management Bureau wanted him to serve as an examiner and exam escort.

After arriving in Changping Province, Lu PingAn was overwhelmed by invitations and obligations but prioritized visiting Kun Siqi to learn the Secret Keepers' Four Arts. Their sparring shocked the Sword Saint, who discovered that Lu PingAn had displayed advanced movements despite never learning the Four Skills.

• The Examination Committee invited Lu PingAn to serve as an examiner or accompanying examiner, and he agreed to review the materials.
• Xia Qin arranged for Lu PingAn to visit her teacher, Kun Siqi, while classmates and acquaintances filled his schedule with invitations and requests.
• Lu PingAn asked Catherine to organize his commitments and reserve a full daytime block for visiting the Sword Saint.
• Lu PingAn asked Kun Siqi to teach him the Four Skills, and Kun Siqi agreed to teach him alongside Xia Qin.
• Kun Siqi sparred with Lu PingAn and was astonished by his combat ability, then learned that Lu PingAn had never begun studying the Four Skills.

The Sword Saint taught Lu PingAn and Xia Qin the Eye and the Hand, two combat skills that let Law Decree-level Professionals optimize and sustain their abilities. Lu PingAn then asked the Sword Saint to help him choose which ability to develop for these techniques.

• The Sword Saint explained how the Eye shortened the activation time and reduced the cost of professional abilities.
• The Sword Saint demonstrated the Hand by binding a petrification ability to his finger and turning a blade to stone.
• The Sword Saint explained how the Eye and Hand worked together to optimize and apply abilities in combat.
• Lu PingAn presented the Sword Saint with three possible abilities and asked for help choosing one.

Kun Ba explained the risks and advantages of Binding Hand techniques, then assessed Lu PingAn’s unusual choices and Xia Qin’s rapid progress. After recognizing Lu PingAn’s connection to the Xue Family, Kun Ba urged Xia Qin to find a new team.

• Kun Ba demonstrated the power of high-level combat skills and explained that Binding Hand users needed strong resistance to endure their own abilities.
• Kun Ba gave Xia Qin two Forbidden Weapons, bringing her collection to six and allowing her to advance toward Tier 4 under his tutelage.
• Lu PingAn asked Kun Ba for advice on three unconventional Binding Hand abilities, beginning with Physical Exhaustion, which he said he could resist completely.
• Lu PingAn demonstrated his control over four kinds of flame and explained that Blazing Binding Hand could help with his Armed Internal Combustion Engine.
• Lu PingAn said an expert in his team used Misfortune Technique and came from a family that practiced it; Kun Ba suspected the expert was a Xue and urged Xia Qin to find a new team.

Lu PingAn discussed his plans to learn abilities for prolonged combat and chose Physical Exhaustion as his first priority. He struggled to master the entanglement technique needed to sustain the ability, and trouble soon arrived.

• Lu PingAn told Kun Ba that he had copied the idea for Misfortune Technique from Xue En and explained how it could support a drawn-out fight.
• Kun Ba offered Lu PingAn a Weapon Master inheritance, but Lu PingAn decided to postpone Misfortune Technique and prioritize Physical Exhaustion.
• Kun Ba warned that fire abilities were unsuitable for the examination venue and said they would be involved in the upcoming examination.
• Lu PingAn recalled Big Cat's advice that he needed to master Physical Exhaustion before analyzing its advanced abilities, Decay Ray and Stamina Drain.
• Lu PingAn practiced maintaining and extending the ability's effect, but it repeatedly exploded and he made little progress.
• The Sword Saint advised Lu PingAn to practice visualization, but trouble arrived before he could spend much more time training.

Lu PingAn practiced shaping negative life energy while Kun Ba assessed his and Xia Qin’s progress. At the Alien Management Bureau, Lu PingAn warned candidates that their temporary Qualification Examination would be deadly, and fewer than half chose to sign up.

• Lu PingAn repeatedly failed to shape negative life energy into threads as he traveled to meet Kun Ba, while onlookers wondered how he could touch it safely.
• Kun Ba was impressed by Lu PingAn’s rapid progress but criticized Xia Qin’s slower attempts to use Turning Stone into Iron.
• Lu PingAn reassured Xia Qin that she could improve with enough points and practice.
• At the Alien Management Bureau, Lu PingAn reviewed the examination’s death waiver and warned that the death rate would likely exceed 10%.
• Fewer than forty of roughly eighty candidates signed the agreement, and Lu PingAn rejected three who lacked basic abilities.
• Lu PingAn recognized that the examination would take place in Abyss Purgatory.

Lu PingAn learned that the upcoming trial would be a survival competition in an Abyssified secret realm, where candidates would face hostile Abyss creatures after the guardian withdrew. The organizing committee invited him to participate, and he chose to become a proctor after hearing the compensation included a quota for True Word.

• Lu PingAn learned that the trial would take place in an Abyssified secret realm in Ancient City, where candidates would have to survive among Abyss creatures.
• Lu PingAn judged the trial's stated mortality rate to be an underestimate and agreed that weak candidates should be eliminated before they endangered others.
• The organizing committee asked Lu PingAn whether he wanted to serve as an examiner or a proctor, explaining that proctors could pose as dangerous monsters or covertly test teams.
• Lu PingAn chose to be a proctor, then asked whether the work was paid.
• The committee offered gifts and compensation, including rare Professional intelligence, special materials, Brass Grade Taboo Items, and a quota for True Word, which caught Lu PingAn's attention.

Lu PingAn learned that True Words borrowed divine authority and could wield powerful effects, but their use depended on strict conditions and the user's strength. He realized the competition would also let powerful figures judge candidates for True Word slots, and he grew eager to compete.

• Big Cat explained to Lu PingAn how True Words borrowed a deity's authority through fixed phrases and depended on the user and location.
• Lu PingAn learned that True Words imposed heavy burdens, required access to their source, and were often held by high-ranking church members.
• Big Cat said several Rule-level and Quasi Rule-level figures planned to pass down True Words before leaving their posts.
• Lu PingAn recalled Kun Ba's parting words and wondered whether he might also be seeking or offering True Words.
• Big Cat explained that candidates would earn True Words through their performance and conduct, and Lu PingAn welcomed the competition.

Lu PingAn continued learning Binding Hand from Kun Ba while Xia Qin advanced to fourth rank and kept training despite being outpaced by others. He gave Xia Qin new boots to congratulate her and thank her for supporting the team.

• Kun Ba praised Xia Qin for reaching fourth rank but teased her because she had made no progress with Binding Hand.
• Lu PingAn completed stable thread-drawing and made his first failed attempt at Binding Hand.
• Xia Qin planned to spend the next two months practicing the techniques and adjusting Binding Hand for her Sun Pattern talent ability.
• Lu PingAn gave Xia Qin a pair of boots as a gift for her advancement and thanked her for everything she had done.
• Xia Qin smiled, then knocked Lu PingAn on the head when he teased her.

Lu PingAn brutally tested the trainees and judged most of them unfit to take the Explorer License exam. After several withdrew, he offered the remaining students a confidential hell-training program to improve their chances of survival.

• Lu PingAn used War Machine and powerful fire attacks to overwhelm the trainees in a simulated battle, then criticized their combat skills and warned them that real Abyss Demon Monsters would kill them.
• Lu PingAn urged most trainees to withdraw and singled out several to have their exam eligibility revoked.
• Teacher Li explained that the school and students had rushed toward real combat and the Explorer License, while Lu PingAn argued that the recruits were not ready for the front lines.
• After speaking with the instructors, Lu PingAn returned to find that seventeen students had stayed, removed two more, and offered the remaining fifteen confidential hell training.

Lu PingAn attended the Games’ opening ceremony as Ancient City’s representative, where regional rivalries turned the event into a petty proxy war between Ancient City and Changping. He realized that many competitors had singled him out as a target, and the chapter ended with him refusing another invitation to fight.

• Lu PingAn wore a modified Special Task Force uniform and stood with Ancient City’s delegation at the opening ceremony.
• He watched the delegations and reflected on the escalating clashes between Ancient City and Changping at the expo.
• The Games added an under-thirty exhibition match as a proxy contest between the cities’ younger generations.
• Competitors repeatedly threatened Lu PingAn, and he began answering them with a sign displaying a raised middle finger.
• Lu PingAn declined another invitation to fight and realized he had become a target for many competitors.

Lu PingAn secretly assessed examinees during the televised Survival Competition Exhibition Match, manipulating teams to expose their poor judgment and combat skills. After two groups were wiped out, he encountered someone who recognized him as “Little Lu.”

• Lu PingAn entered the crimson, eroded realm disguised as a second-rank college student and approached an examinee who was still standing.
• Lu PingAn used a fake forum strategy to persuade the examinee to gather a team, while secretly judging the recruits’ intelligence and teamwork.
• Lu PingAn watched the six-person team split over suspicions of infiltrators, then marked them down for failing to stay united or make a clear decision.
• Lu PingAn triggered a monster attack with a pheromone capsule, and the team was wiped out within minutes after injured members used Holy Water to drive the monsters away.
• Lu PingAn followed another group through a second wipeout and approached a third group, where someone recognized him as Little Lu.

Lu PingAn encountered fellow Gu Da candidates and judged their preparation inadequate, while two powerful acquaintances fled rather than join his team. As the local monsters attacked, the real survival trial began and Lu PingAn left the candidates to face the danger.

• Lu PingAn recognized Fang LingGuo among the candidates, and she nervously greeted him while trying to hide how badly his training had affected her.
• Lu PingAn inspected the candidates’ poor condition and decided they were unprepared for the foreign realm’s harsh environment.
• Cat Cat defeated a Corpse Demon, but fled after Lu PingAn called out to her, leaving his offer to recruit her unanswered.
• Lu PingAn judged Cat Cat’s quick escape a sign of good instincts, while she hurried away to keep her family safe from him.
• After the guardian left, the local residents attacked, and Lu PingAn told the frightened candidates that the safe early-elimination period was over.

Lu PingAn observed examinees fight off a demon horde in Shallow Hell while evaluating their abilities and teamwork. After the Lantern Bearer called for a retreat, the group relocated as the long night continued.

• Bat Demons, Horn Demons, and Flame Hounds emerged through the subterranean flames and attacked the examinees.
• A young examinee used a large-area weakening ability to keep the front line from collapsing under the Horn Demons' charge.
• The examinees held off the Flame Hounds and Bat Demons, and Lu PingAn shot down a Bat Demon while assessing the fighters.
• The Lantern Bearer urged the group to relocate, and the examinees defeated the first wave before leaving without harvesting materials.
• The Lantern Bearer claimed another demon group was approaching, and Lu PingAn followed the relocation while continuing to observe the team.

Lu PingAn watched the candidates face a powerful monster force, then revealed his giant form and defeated the Berserk Horned Demon. Meanwhile, Huang Yushan and other powerful figures monitored the exam, whose outcome could affect the balance guarding the realm.

• Lu PingAn assessed the candidates and recognized that surviving the exam would not be enough to qualify as a squad leader.
• Lu Feng ordered the team to retreat when a Berserk Horned Demon and its forces overwhelmed them, while Fan Zheng used a weakening ability to bind the monster.
• After escaping, Fang LingGuo learned that Lu PingAn had been caught by the monsters.
• Lu PingAn identified the Berserk Horned Demon as a threat on the level of Tier 4, transformed into a giant, and crushed it before turning toward the remaining horde.
• Huang Yushan and other powerful figures watched the exam broadcast and discussed how the candidates’ performance could affect the defensive balance between realms.
• Lu PingAn continued fighting the monsters and retrieved the candidates.