Chapter Summaries

Lu PingAn fought Eve’s evolving crystal army as it adapted to his Sacred Fire and developed new forms of attack. He repelled successive waves, but Eve escalated to coordinated crystal artillery and troops, leaving him under mounting pressure.

• Eve’s Dimons adapted to Lu PingAn’s Sacred Fire, so he smashed their Shattered Crystal attacks with his fists and tested the flames on the fragments.
• Eve sent twenty fighters, and Lu PingAn summoned a Hua Style Spirit Ghost whose Round Dance destroyed the crystal opponents.
• Eve recognized the Spirit Ghost as a mental-body avatar, while Lu PingAn asked Chris about a past project that might have created one.
• Lu PingAn’s Spirit Ghosts, including the Universe Person and Cat Cat, defeated Eve’s first waves of crystal soldiers at the cost of some mental energy.
• Eve reformed the shattered crystals into War Behemoths and crystal artillery, then deployed coordinated crystal troops that put Lu PingAn under pressure.

Lu PingAn faced Eve’s ever-growing crystal legion and transformed his Decapitation Demon Sword into a living weapon capable of destroying its crystals without allowing them to regenerate. The chapter ended with the blade apparently consuming the souls and spiritual power within the shattered Crystal Men.

• Eve summoned Crystal Soldiers and War Behemoths, while Lu PingAn dodged her corrosive crystal attacks and tried to gauge her limits.
• Lu Mouren explained that Eve’s legion drew on her limited soul, and that overusing it risked turning her into a mindless swarm consciousness.
• As Eve entered her crystal-armored war form, Lu PingAn decided to use his Decapitation Demon Sword.
• Lu PingAn cracked the Demon Sword, quenched it in bone powder and divine life essence, then fused it with his blood, flesh, nerves, and tentacles.
• The newly living sword shattered Crystal Men, whose crystals did not regenerate because their souls and spiritual power had vanished.

Lu PingAn used his newly empowered Abyss Decapitation Sword to destroy Eve’s crystal legions and absorb their souls, directly countering her ability to reassemble them. Eve refused to admit defeat and unleashed her power again, while Lu PingAn’s sword kept devouring the spreading crystals.

• Lu PingAn unleashed the sword’s decapitation trait, cutting down Eve’s crystal legions so they could not rise again.
• The sword absorbed the legions’ remnant souls, and Lu PingAn explained that he had prepared it specifically to counter Eve.
• Lu PingAn revealed that he had used his Life Investor abilities to sustain and empower the sword, raising it to Gold Mid Rank while he held it.
• Eve rejected Lu PingAn’s demand to surrender and distorted the world by spreading Yellow Crystals.
• Lu PingAn split the advancing Crystal Ocean, while the Demon Sword devoured the crystals and Eve evolved again.

Lu PingAn fought through Eve’s crystal defenders to stop her transformation, but Eve emerged in a war form modeled after his own weapons and abilities. He faced her copied blades and armaments as the battle reached a new stage.

• Lu PingAn used the Demon Sword’s Decapitation trait to cut down crystal creatures protecting Eve’s growing crystal egg.
• Eve sent three magically modified Dimons to block Lu PingAn, and he decapitated the beetle-like one while it kept moving after cutting off its own head.
• Lu PingAn summoned Bird and Cat to distract the fly and scorpion Dimons, buying time to reach Eve’s egg.
• Eve emerged from the egg with bone spikes and an eight-armed combat form that copied Lu PingAn’s blades, armor, and weapons.
• Lu PingAn blocked Eve’s slashes and retreated as her regenerated blades and ranged weapons confronted him.

Lu PingAn fought Eve as she rapidly copied his abilities and developed new weapons, techniques, and Crystal Knights. As the battle became a punishing war of attrition, Eve produced increasingly dangerous copies of Lu PingAn, and he could no longer afford to wait.

• Eve adapted her body into multi-armed armor and bone weapons, while Lu PingAn found that his Decapitation Rule could be bypassed by sacrificing a head.
• Eve copied Lu PingAn’s fighting style and used fire, weapon techniques, and a Space Warhorse to keep pace with him.
• Eve matched Lu PingAn’s Tyranny and giant bone sword, while both fighters improved rapidly under the pressure of their clash.
• Eve summoned Crystal Knights, including Dimons and blood-marked dolls resembling Lu PingAn, as the battle turned into a war of attrition.
• Lu PingAn realized he could no longer wait as Eve’s copies grew more dangerous.

Lu PingAn used racial talent replacement to take on Mu Mu’s Ancient Tree Bloodline and grew into a giant flaming treant to counter Eve’s rapid evolution. He drove her back, but she regenerated from the Crystal Ocean, leaving their battle unresolved.

• Lu Mouren sensed that Eve could break through to Rule-level and decided he had to end their fight before she evolved further.
• Lu PingAn replaced his racial trait with Mu Mu’s Ancient Tree Bloodline and swallowed Crystal Leaves to grow into a giant.
• Lu PingAn used his enormous strength to smash through Eve and her Crystal Legion while she turned her crystals into projectiles instead of enlarging herself.
• Lu PingAn activated Little Flame’s Sacred Fire Bloodline and combined it with his giant form to force Eve back with powerful strikes.
• Lu PingAn sent Eve flying into Crystal Shards, but she regenerated from the Crystal Ocean before him.

Lu PingAn fought Eve in a battle of attrition until her attempt to break through to Tier 7 failed and her crystal forces shattered. He spared her and offered to give her back a home.

• Lu PingAn and Eve fought with their monstrous bodies, and Lu PingAn gained the advantage by replenishing his strength while Eve spent her Biomass.
• Eve insisted she was right and attacked more fiercely after Lu PingAn explained that her mother had tried to destroy his city and its million residents.
• Eve admitted that her mother was still her family and began sacrificing herself in pursuit of revenge and a breakthrough.
• Lu PingAn told Eve she could not enter Tier 7 within the next year, then tossed her two gold coins, causing her breakthrough to fail and her crystal creatures to shatter.
• Lu PingAn returned to human form, comforted Eve with a familiar touch, and offered to give her back a home.

After winning the Martial Arts Festival, Lu PingAn received an overwhelming flood of martial fortune and refused to use it for his own advancement, choosing instead to share it with his companions and linked treasures. As the fortune fueled their evolution, the Decapitation Sword awakened and completed its transformation.

• Master of Ceremonies Gan announced Lu PingAn as the festival victor, unleashing the accumulated martial fortune and divine favor upon him.
• Lu PingAn realized the fortune could propel him into higher tiers, but refused to advance because he wanted to preserve his balance and strengthen his Life-pathway foundation.
• Lu PingAn linked Zhi Xi, Little Flame, Ajiu, and Mu Mu to himself, allowing the fortune to accelerate their evolution and advancements.
• Lu PingAn linked the Breathing of All Things and other treasured items to help absorb the excess fortune.
• The Decapitation Sword and its red streamer gained a soul, bones, and flesh, awakening and completing their evolution.

After Lu PingAn won the Thirteen Consecutive Battles, the festival’s Martial Luck helped his demonic pets evolve, with Little Flame reaching Quasi Rule level and Zhi Xi advancing to Rank Four in three professions. Tyrannical Three-Faced then bestowed three Divine Graces, and Lu PingAn stayed to join the celebration before stopping for the Black-Haired Girl.

• Lu PingAn became the God-Chosen Champion, and the Martial Luck gathered around him flowed to his demonic pets.
• Little Flame evolved into a snow-white Neither-Nor Beast, a Quasi-Rule Energy Creature shaped by its Sacred Fire and Firebird's influence.
• Zhi Xi advanced to Rank Four as a Fighter, Runner, and Rider, while Ajiu and Mu Mu also made major progress.
• Tyrannical Three-Faced bestowed Lu PingAn two Gold Low Rank Divine Graces and a Silver Low Rank Martial Luck Time Grace that began fusing into a Silver High Rank fate-type Grace.
• Lu PingAn boarded the ship and decided to stay for the celebration, but stopped when the Black-Haired Girl waited for him.

Lu PingAn reunited Phil and Eve, then offered Phil protection in the Trading Ground as she prepared to revert to Xiao Mu. Phil accepted on the condition that Eve could stay with her, and Lu PingAn proposed formalizing the arrangement in a contract.

• Eve joyfully reunited with Phil while Lu PingAn left them to catch up and handle the crowds after his victory.
• Lu PingAn met the sisters later, and Phil asked what he meant by offering to protect her.
• Lu PingAn explained that Phil would soon revert to Xiao Mu, leaving her vulnerable, and offered to hide her in the Trading Ground.
• Phil agreed to the refuge and asked that Eve be allowed to stay with her.
• Lu PingAn accepted and suggested they sign a contract, adding that the Trading Ground's administrator could help them.

Phil left with Eve to gather information before deciding whether to trust Lu PingAn, while Xiao Mu returned to play games with him. The next morning, Lu PingAn prepared to negotiate the terms of joining the Forest Goddess Church and met with a powerhouse who asked about Kerdales's condition.

• Phil took Eve away to gather firsthand information before making a decision about Lu PingAn's offer.
• Xiao Mu and Eve returned to Lu PingAn's room to play games and eat snacks, and the exhausted Lu PingAn fell asleep while they played.
• Lu PingAn woke the next morning to find the girls asleep on him, left to get breakfast, and promised to bring them clean clothes.
• Lu PingAn gathered food for the girls and reflected that he might be unusually tolerant of them because of their influence.
• Lu PingAn went to meet a representative of the Forest Goddess Church to discuss the terms of his affiliation.
• A powerhouse borrowed a Holy Son's body to meet Lu PingAn and asked about Kerdales's current condition.

Lu PingAn secured Akul’s support and a set of Forest Goddess teachings to help him grow, but found the books difficult to understand. Big Cat suggested that Eve could interpret them, prompting Lu PingAn to tease her about her family.

• Akul praised Lu PingAn’s potential, confirmed that he believed Big Cat was dead, and offered to help him enter the Forest Goddess Church circle without asking for anything in return.
• Lu PingAn agreed to the arrangement and accepted Akul’s offer of knowledge, guidance, and a contact number.
• After Akul left, Lu PingAn befriended the Li Family Brothers and took the books Akul had given him.
• Lu PingAn struggled to understand the specialized language in the books, and Big Cat suggested Eve could help interpret them.
• Lu PingAn threatened to tell Eve about her family, and she angrily shouted his name.

Lu PingAn studied the Forest Goddess Church’s teachings and recognized that Lady Lin’s environmental approach to evolution opposed Big Cat’s pursuit of individual evolution. Big Cat explained their personal conflict and warned Lu PingAn about the dangers of engaging with Lady Lin’s knowledge while he was still weak.

• Lu PingAn read the Forest Goddess Church’s materials and realized they prioritized shaping environments over selectively breeding individuals.
• Lu PingAn concluded that Lady Lin would accept war, pollution, and mass extinction as forms of natural selection, prompting Big Cat to insult her.
• Big Cat revealed that Lady Lin had blessed the destruction of her people as a natural outcome of evolution, which had caused their conflict.
• Lu PingAn understood that Big Cat pursued individual evolution while Lady Lin controlled environments and let them shape potential champions.
• Big Cat explained that Lady Lin’s knowledge could be compatible with Lu PingAn but warned that he might be eliminated or assimilated if he encountered its harsh natural environment while weak.

Lu PingAn learned that his path differed from the Maiden of the Forest’s and awakened the Gardener ability Life Blessed Land, which accelerated the life and recovery of those in its range. On the return journey, he pressed Big Cat about preparing to address the two Girls staying with him, but Big Cat avoided the issue.

• Lu PingAn concluded that he pursued humanity’s evolution, unlike the Maiden of the Forest, and that he could learn from her path without merging with it.
• Lu PingAn awakened Life Blessed Land, an ability that enhanced recovery by consuming life essence.
• Big Cat explained how Life Activation could speed evolution and shorten lifespans, and said Lu PingAn might now be able to create such an area in his Courtyard.
• Lu PingAn asked Big Cat when Chris would be ready to face the situation with the two Girls, but Big Cat claimed not to know what he meant.
• Lu PingAn told Big Cat to prepare before the return journey ended, when the two Girls would have to decide whether to stay or leave.

Lu PingAn introduced White Claw to Phil and Eve, who recognized her as Kerdales and immediately attacked. He explained that Kerdales had died and now existed only as the Courtyard’s AI, leaving the reunited sisters struggling to accept the truth.

• Lu PingAn brought Phil and Eve to meet White Claw, and they recognized her as Kerdales.
• Phil and Eve transformed and attacked Kerdales, but their strikes passed through her phantom because she was already dead.
• Eve continued attacking Kerdales while Phil demanded an explanation from Lu PingAn and refused to speak to Kerdales.
• Lu PingAn explained that Kerdales had died and become the Courtyard’s AI after he inherited her power.
• Kerdales confirmed Lu PingAn’s account, shocking Phil and Eve, and Lu PingAn jokingly called himself their father before they told him to leave.

Lu PingAn arranged for Chris, Eve, Phil, and Cat Cat to fight in the Gymnasium, where the clashes exposed the different sources of Eve’s and Phil’s hatred. After Phil fell asleep and Xiao Mu refused to fight again, Lu PingAn left Chris to care for Xiao Mu and consider rebuilding their relationship.

• Lu PingAn sent Cat Cat to mention the Gymnasium’s Training Mode, provoking Chris and Phil into taking the argument there.
• Chris fought Eve and Phil in the Gymnasium, repeatedly defeating them until Phil fell asleep and Xiao Mu refused to reenter the fight.
• Eve kept challenging Chris, accumulating a large Life Points debt, until Chris refused to continue fighting her.
• Lu PingAn recognized that Eve felt bound by loyalty to Phil, while Phil remained willing to risk her life to destroy Chris.
• Lu PingAn handed the frightened Xiao Mu to Chris and told her to care for the girl, who was also Phil, before leaving to watch the drama from afar.

Lu PingAn persuaded Phil to consider leaving Eve and Xiao Mu in his care, while arranging treatment for Lao Qian that tied the sisters’ futures to his Courtyard. Eve then asked Lu PingAn when they would register as family, provoking Big Cat and startling Phil awake.

• Lu PingAn offered to support Eve and argued that his Courtyard would be safer for her than the Mother Goddess Church.
• Phil considered Eve’s need for guidance and Xiao Mu’s future, then said she would think about Lu PingAn’s offer.
• Lu PingAn learned that Lao Qian’s Internal Demonization could be delayed for up to half a year with treatment and Deferred Payment.
• Lu PingAn joked as Big Cat worked as a cleaner, while Eve happily watched her sister and Big Cat get along.
• Eve asked Lu PingAn when they would register as family, and Big Cat crushed the mop handle as Phil jolted awake.

Lu PingAn calmed Eve’s confession by telling her they could reconsider their feelings when she grew up, then opened his Courtyard Trading Ground aboard the returning cruise ship. He discussed a training partnership with Gan Qianyun, gaining a potential ally as the Courtyard attracted Professionals.

• Lu PingAn told Eve that they could become lovers if she still loved him after growing up, and reassured his companions that her feelings were likely a childhood crush.
• Lu PingAn directed everyone back to work as his Courtyard Trading Ground opened aboard the cruise ship and drew in many Professionals seeking ways to advance.
• Gan Qianyun complained that the Trading Ground had nothing he could use, and Lu PingAn pointed him toward dangerous Rule-level knowledge in the Forbidden Library.
• Gan Qianyun declined to approach the Library’s deepest offering after sensing that its knowledge could make him lose control.
• Gan Qianyun offered to send people for training in the Courtyard, and Lu PingAn agreed to discuss a long-term partnership with him.

Lu PingAn tried to escape the fighting among Eve, Chris, and Phil by spending the morning at a café, where the Li Brothers invited him to join an expedition to Mercury 42. The brothers waited for his advice on whether the dangerous world was suitable, leaving Lu PingAn to consider whether to take part.

• Lu PingAn left the Courtyard to drink coffee because Eve, Chris, and Phil kept fighting and sometimes dragged him into their battles.
• The Li Brothers approached Lu PingAn, who asked them about the Maiden of the Forest’s doctrine and practical abilities before they admitted they were poor students.
• The Li Brothers explained that their True God Church faction faced trouble on Mercury 42, where hostile locals and rival human factions competed for the world.
• The Li Brothers invited Lu PingAn to share his expertise in Otherworld Exploration and advise whether they should join the expedition to Mercury 42.
• Lu PingAn realized the invitation presented him with a crucial choice.

Lu PingAn and the Rebirth Society reviewed their readiness and considered exploring Mercury 42, a resource-rich world dominated by oceans and troubled by war. They planned two months of preparation, including aquatic combat training and intelligence gathering, while keeping other worlds as alternatives.

• Catherine reported that the Society's members and operations were recovering well, but supplies, recruit evaluations, and other tasks meant they needed at least twenty days before departure.
• The Society's core members agreed that Mercury 42 was worth considering despite limited information, since the Forest Goddess Church's invitation offered them a chance to adapt and receive support.
• Lu PingAn warned that Mercury 42 was at war and asked whether the team could handle swimming and aquatic combat.
• Lu PingAn set a tentative departure date two months away, planned adaptation training in one month, and asked Catherine to investigate alternative worlds.
• Guan said the Ark's modifications would be complete within a month and that it could still enter the sea.
• Lu PingAn told the Society to stock up on marine supplies and decided to visit the Forest Goddess Church to obtain more intelligence.