Chapter Summaries

Lu PingAn watched the Martial Arts Ceremony transform the area around the cruise ship into a rule-based secret realm, identifying how its otherworldization worked and sensing powerful beings beyond the mist. As the world stabilized and the others awoke to the newly formed islands, divine objects began falling and the deadly battles started.

• Lu PingAn saw the ceremony’s altars act as nodes that pulled the surrounding area into another realm, using the dead as part of the Martial God’s ritual.
• Lu PingAn sensed powerful beings watching him and avoided looking directly at the deity shaping the secret realm.
• Lu PingAn observed the world’s new rules being written, including mandatory one-on-one battles and the rule that anyone who left the boundary would lose.
• Lu PingAn noticed a strange golden soul on a nearby ship as the secret realm continued to form.
• The world stabilized, Floating Islands appeared across the sea, and the ship’s passengers awoke to the transformed Other World.
• Glowing objects fell from the sky, marking the start of the deadly battles.

Lu PingAn entered the battlefield feeling fear for the first time, then accepted that he had begun to value his life and returned to combat. He defeated a Shadowstep monk and knocked out a giant lizard beastman with a flaming punch, then headed toward more opponents.

• Lu PingAn caught a Shadowstep monk who ambushed him, slammed him into the deck, and used Rule 2 to keep others from interfering.
• Lu PingAn realized he felt fear because he had developed a desire to live, then steadied himself and resumed his combat state.
• Lu PingAn approached a huge lizard beastman who had seized two contestants and faced its tail sweep with vines extending from his body.
• Lu PingAn combined his vine-covered fist with Sacred Flame and knocked the lizard beastman unconscious.
• Lu PingAn decided to seek out more targets so he could test his Tentacle (Martial) Way.

Lu PingAn entered the fighting festival expecting a contest of human martial artists, but found himself surrounded by beastfolk and monsters. He discovered that his Sacred Fire Vines and Quick Fist made him overwhelmingly powerful, then met Wang Hai, who recognized him beneath his Trench Coat.

• Lu PingAn observed that beastfolk and monsters made up much of the fighting festival’s competitors.
• Lu PingAn used Quick Fist Seventeen Linked Quick Whip to overwhelm an opponent whose Petrification Talent and monk cultivation could not withstand his Sacred Fire Vines.
• Big Cat explained that Lu PingAn’s vines were far stronger than his Tier 2 fighter cultivation suggested, and Lu PingAn realized how powerful he was.
• Lu PingAn continued adjusting to the fights, with too many tentacles to hide beneath his Trench Coat.
• Wang Hai arrived and recognized Lu PingAn, while Lu PingAn tried to explain that his tentacles were not as terrifying as before.

Lu PingAn crushed Fighters in the festival’s safe zone and earned the Ten-Man Slayer Divine Grace, which also strengthened his vines. After searching for Holy Relics, he received word that his allies had found two of the three items he wanted.

• Lu PingAn used his Demon Vine and Fighter techniques to defeat opponents while improving through combat.
• Lu PingAn noticed that the Fighters lacked the ruthless killing intent he had expected and earned the Ten-Man Slayer Divine Grace after his victories.
• Lu PingAn learned that the Divine Grace also enhanced his vines and began searching for Holy Relics.
• Lu PingAn considered how to claim and hold a Holy Relic, then received word that his allies had found two of the three items he wanted.

Eve obtained a Fate Beacon after a massacre, while Lu PingAn watched Qian XiaoMu win ten fights and earn Divine Grace. He treated her injuries, but she remained wary of his tentacles.

• Eve’s subordinates identified the ticket she had seized as a one-use Fate Beacon that could answer questions about the Martial Arts Ceremony.
• Lu PingAn questioned Lao Qian about bringing Qian XiaoMu to the battlefield, then watched her defeat an adult fighter with precise martial arts.
• Qian XiaoMu won ten fights and obtained Divine Grace, impressing Lu PingAn with her streamlined movements and skill.
• Lu PingAn praised Qian XiaoMu, then tried to treat the cut on her face with Deferred Payment; she backed away when she saw his tentacles.
• Lu PingAn split Qian XiaoMu’s pain, injuries, and exhaustion into three portions and healed her temporarily, but she retreated behind Lao Qian.

Lu PingAn fought through a crowded competition for the Divine Grace called “Enter the Void,” while repeatedly encountering strange coincidences and watching Qian XiaoMu win with inexplicable ease. As the field narrowed and the remaining matches grew more intense, Xiao Mu earned her fourth Divine Grace while Lu PingAn still had none.

• Lu PingAn defeated a Wild Wanderer Monk, learned the monk was hunting Liu Zibei, and chose not to reveal what he knew.
• Lu PingAn continued winning as he and Lao Qian discussed why so many fighters were competing for the “Enter the Void” Divine Grace.
• Lu PingAn and Xiao Mu fought through the periodic eliminations, with Xiao Mu defeating stronger opponents through precise, simple punches.
• As weaker competitors were eliminated, Lu PingAn felt unseen spectators watching him and faced increasingly difficult matches.
• Xiao Mu received her fourth Divine Grace and encouraged Lu PingAn to keep trying, while he concealed his frustration.

Lao Qian offered Lu PingAn a valuable martial legacy scroll in exchange for protecting Xiao Mu through the festival. Knowing he was dying, Lao Qian left without saying goodbye but stayed nearby to secretly watch over his granddaughter.

• Lao Qian told Lu PingAn that the second round was a team battle and asked him to take Xiao Mu safely through the festival.
• Lao Qian offered Lu PingAn his handwritten Martial Artist's End Book, and Lu PingAn agreed to protect Xiao Mu.
• Lao Qian explained that Xiao Mu had already learned everything in the book and that its teachings might limit her potential.
• Lao Qian left for the shadows, hiding his Human-faced Sore and choosing not to say goodbye because he was nearing death.
• Lao Qian watched Lu PingAn play with Xiao Mu and decided to stay hidden nearby a little longer.

Lu PingAn honed his techniques through a string of brutal fights, combining regeneration, physical power, Runner abilities, and martial arts into an aggressive close-combat style. After defeating another opponent, he received a new Divine Grace and completed the integration of his tactical system.

• Lu PingAn learned from repeated mistakes in combat, refining his movements while using regeneration and strength to outlast skilled opponents.
• He developed an aggressive fighting style that forced opponents into mistakes and traded injuries to secure victories.
• Lu PingAn integrated his magical plants, flames, Runner abilities, and Xing Yi Quan into explosive attacks, including a strike Big Cat called Locomotive Strike.
• He began hunting opponents by scanning their strengths and weaknesses, then exploited a fighter’s fractured right arm to defeat him.
• After another victory, Lu PingAn received a new Divine Grace and completed the integration of his tactical system.

Lu PingAn collected Divine Graces in the festival preliminaries and learned that the next round would pair contestants, with higher-ranked participants choosing first. Eve chose Lu PingAn, but he refused her, leaving the pairing and its consequences unresolved.

• Lu PingAn obtained four Divine Graces, including the luck-related Lucky Time, while avoiding higher-ranked rewards and placing above the middle with four points.
• The Master of Ceremonies announced the preliminary rankings and displayed the Divine Grace prizes contestants could win.
• Contestants learned that higher-ranked participants would choose teammates for the next round, and each selected person could refuse once.
• Eve refused the first-place contestant, then chose Lu PingAn as her teammate.
• Lu PingAn refused Eve, provoking deadly killing intent.

Lu PingAn chose Qian XiaoMu as his teammate, then discovered that his symbiosis with a mutated magical plant had given him astonishing regeneration. As he prepared for the second round, “Su Xi” gained the nickname “Undying Treant.”

• Lu PingAn chose Qian XiaoMu, drawing accusations from the crowd and worrying that Eve was angry with him.
• Lu PingAn sent Qian XiaoMu to play games and eat while she waited for her grandfather, Lao Qian.
• Lu PingAn realized his wounds, stamina, and mental power had nearly fully recovered through his symbiosis with the Parasitic Tree and a mutated magical plant.
• Lu PingAn prepared for the second round, and spectators began calling “Su Xi” the “Undying Treant.”

Big Cat urged Lu PingAn to advance to Tier 3 and guided him toward the Avatar Dancer profession, a powerful but dangerous Fighter pathway. Lu PingAn acquired it, gaining Kerdales Soul Binding Mimicry Fist and a curse, then realized he could create potent Martial Souls from targets he imitated.

• Big Cat judged Lu PingAn's body and combat abilities improved after training and told him to enter Tier 3 before the coming fight.
• Big Cat recommended the Avatar Dancer profession, whose module had been collected by the Forbidden Library and could be purchased.
• Lu PingAn examined the profession's Mimicry Boxing abilities and accepted the Tier 3 Avatar Dancer profession.
• Lu PingAn gained Kerdales Soul Binding Mimicry Fist and the Soul Binder's Self-Doubt curse, while his Breathing of All Things replaced the profession's Breathing Method.
• Lu PingAn tested Kersh Shapeshifting and recognized its potential to create powerful Martial Souls, then joked about making Kerdales his first one.

Eve used the Fate Beacon to learn that Lu PingAn would become the family member with whom she had the deepest fate entanglement, then flew into a rage when he rejected her and chose Qian XiaoMu. The second round began as a deadly arena trial matching contestants against their most dreaded, strongest, or most fate-bound opponent, leaving Lu PingAn and Big Cat considering surrender.

• Eve asked the Fate Beacon whether the Person in the Mirror would become her most fate-bound family member, and it answered yes before shattering.
• Eve chose Su Xi, but Lu PingAn rejected her; she then chose Qian XiaoMu and erupted in anger.
• Lu PingAn sensed the pressure of the deity overseeing the secret realm and wondered why the next round involved cooperation.
• When the countdown ended, contestants were sent to an arena to face opponents summoned from their fears, strongest past enemies, or deepest fate entanglements.
• Big Cat advised Lu PingAn to give up, and Lu PingAn agreed the trial was too cruel after seeing a martial monk face a woman holding a child.
• Lu PingAn recognized that his own opponent could be a replica of Kerdales and wondered whether they should run.

The second trial forced paired challengers to face their greatest nightmares, and several contestants forfeited rather than risk being overwhelmed. Eve then entered the arena and faced a recreated Kerdales, identified as Phil, her twin older sister and the Princess of Black Chrysanthemum.

• Gu Xinren and his teammate confronted their personal nightmares, but both surrendered when the trial left them vulnerable to a two-on-one fight.
• The Master of Ceremonies explained the pairings and their nightmares, including the martial monk's grief over his lost child and lover.
• Lu PingAn watched other challengers forfeit and decided Eve's result would determine whether he withdrew too.
• Eve entered the arena with a randomly assigned weak teammate after rejecting a proposed partner.
• The trial recreated Kerdales, and Lu PingAn learned it was Phil, Eve's twin older sister and the Princess of Black Chrysanthemum.

Lu PingAn watched the contestants face phantoms of their pasts before his turn brought forth a quasi-god Sacred Beast that shattered under the pressure of its own presence. After receiving another draw, he faced Snake King Di Di Luo Na, and the audience uncovered his identity as a Law Decree-level fighter who had killed three Rule-level beings.

• Eve fought and defeated the phantom of Phil, then left in a foul mood.
• Lu PingAn watched contestants confront frightening figures from their pasts as the trial exposed their true strength.
• A phantom of Su Xi's quasi-god Sacred Beast appeared before Lu PingAn but shattered before it could descend, prompting the Master of Ceremonies to grant him another draw.
• Lu PingAn faced a phantom of Snake King Di Di Luo Na, his strongest opponent from the past.
• The Master of Ceremonies identified Lu PingAn as a Law Decree-level fighter who had killed three Rule-level beings, while Eve stared at him from the audience.

Lu PingAn’s identity and extraordinary achievements were revealed before the Professionals aboard the ship, and his Eye of Truth cowed the crowd. When a restricted replica of Snake King Didiluo Na attacked him, he commanded it to kneel and it obeyed.

• Master of Ceremonies Gan Qianyun introduced Lu PingAn’s record and hinted that he might have faced the Calamity Beast and become a Godslayer.
• Lu PingAn removed his disguise and swept the crowd with his Eye of Truth, making even powerful Professionals feel exposed and silencing their hostility.
• Lu PingAn accepted Gan Qianyun’s warning and realized that his fame meant he could no longer return to an ordinary life.
• The giant beast, a restricted replica of Snake King Didiluo Na, was released and charged at Lu PingAn.
• Lu PingAn told the beast to kneel, and it dropped to its knees.

Lu PingAn used the Abyss True Word and his Demon Vine to devour the weakened Di Di Luo Na replica, then returned to the ship as the other trial participants avoided him. Eve and Xiao Mu watched him with troubled, wavering eyes, while Xiao Mu wondered why her grandfather had not appeared after her victory.

• Lu PingAn invoked the Abyss True Word to subdue Di Di Luo Na and commanded his Demon Vine to consume her.
• Priest Gan confirmed that Lu PingAn had used a combat-type ability, and the broadcast announced his hunt’s completion before switching to Qian XiaoMu and Lao Qian.
• Lu PingAn returned to the moored ship, where the other participants made way for him.
• Eve watched Lu PingAn from a distance, and Big Cat explained that Eve was struggling to face him.
• Xiao Mu followed Lu PingAn and asked why her grandfather had not appeared after she won.

Lu PingAn’s disguise was exposed at the tournament, while he and Big Cat worried about Eve. In the shadows, Phil recognized the fighting technique and considered whether to kill Lu PingAn, leaving his danger unresolved.

• Spectators realized Lu PingAn’s tentacles were part of his fighting-class ability and kept their distance after his disguise was exposed.
• Lu PingAn and Big Cat discussed Eve and worried over how she might react to the truth about Phil.
• Phil revealed that her soul was inside the little girl and that she and Qian XiaoMu were successive iterations of her Demon King nature.
• Phil recalled that Big Cat’s casual promise about attending the festival had drawn her sisters there, then considered killing Su Xi’s brother, Lu PingAn.

After the trials, Lu PingAn comforted Xiao Mu and prepared for the next round, while learning more about the merged Kerdales manifestation and the strengths of Awakened contestants. The contestants received a day to rest, but Lu PingAn’s plans for the night were interrupted by dangers emerging from the shadows.

• Phil realized Lu Mouren had faced Kerdales, whose power had been amplified by the fears of both Phil and Lu PingAn until the secret realm could no longer sustain it.
• Lu PingAn reassured Xiao Mu that he would take her to find her grandpa once things settled down.
• The ritual’s host announced that contestants could rest for a day or withdraw while keeping one Divine Grace.
• Xiao Mu asked to visit Eve, but Lu PingAn warned her not to go because it was dangerous and Eve likely did not want to see her.
• Lu PingAn planned to find more intelligence brokers, meet Wang Hai, and finish the Head Reattachment before resting.
• As night fell, Lu PingAn’s expected quiet intermission gave way to trouble emerging from the shadows.

Lu PingAn discussed the coming round with Wang Hai, then learned Lao Qian had only two months to live because much of his body had become demonic. While Lu PingAn considered whether Big Cat could save him, Xiao Mu stayed inside as shadows gathered outside the house.

• Lu PingAn and Wang Hai agreed to cooperate if the chance arose during the third round, though neither had useful intelligence.
• Lu PingAn confronted Lao Qian about leaving Xiao Mu in his care, and Lao Qian revealed that his condition left him at most two months to live.
• Lu PingAn consulted Big Cat, who said Lao Qian might be saved at a high cost, and asked Lao Qian what he would give up to keep living.
• Xiao Mu decided to stay inside because Lu PingAn had promised her cake, despite wanting to find her younger sister.
• Shadows gathered outside the house and began trying to force open its doors and windows.

After an attack on the little girl, Lu PingAn secured her room and spent the night in the Courtyard preparing for the third round. He strengthened his Two-Headed Snake and equipped himself with new gear, leaving his opponents with little idea of what he could do.

• Lu PingAn returned to find blood and chunks of flesh outside the little girl's room, confirmed she was unharmed, and gave her the desserts he had brought.
• Lu PingAn ordered monsters to kill anything approaching the room, then assigned the club's core members to guard it while he entered the Courtyard.
• Lu PingAn discussed expanding the Two-Headed Snake and decided to use all remaining Di Di Luo Na materials to improve it.
• Lu PingAn drained Di Di Luo Na and Ajiu for fresh materials, then had the Demon Vine absorb potions to enhance its mimicry and store medicine for his fist techniques.
• Lu PingAn put on crimson gloves that blazed with golden flames and looked forward to surprising his opponents in the third round.