Chapter Summaries

Lu PingAn’s actions triggered a major mutation in Xikou County’s Secret Realm, forcing hundreds of Professionals out as monsters grew stronger. Still inside, he encountered a divine envoy and prepared to face it rather than flee.

• Hundreds of Professionals emerged early from the Secret Realm and blamed Lu PingAn after his name topped the leaderboards with a 12% Historical Distortion Factor.
• The displaced Professionals traded reports of monsters suddenly growing stronger and concluded that a powerful outsider had provoked the Secret Realm’s rampage.
• Lu PingAn found that alienized Fish Monsters had become stronger, berserk, and able to use innate abilities.
• Big Cat explained the traits of several Shaklai Fishman mutations as Lu PingAn described a creature combining Eight Arms, Long Serpent, and Giant Body.
• Big Cat identified the creature as a divine envoy sent by the infant and warned Lu PingAn that it could fight at Tier 5 or higher.
• Lu PingAn said he had a plan, while Big Cat urged him to run.

As the evil god's fury transformed the West Mouth Area into a polluted battlefield, Lu PingAn tried to escape a relentless giant beast. He warned other boats to flee, but they ignored him and were destroyed, earning him the names "Teammate Killer" and "Grim Reaper Train."

• The evil god's will rewrote the West Mouth Area, filling it with toxic water and air and driving many Tier 1s to retreat.
• Lu PingAn hid beneath a Demonized Amazon Water Lily while Big Cat estimated the giant beast would find him again soon.
• The giant beast attacked, and Lu PingAn used explosions, Battlefield Intuition, and a Jetski to evade it and escape.
• Lu PingAn warned several boats that the beast was coming, but their crews dismissed him and were soon killed by it.
• As more groups ignored Lu PingAn's warnings and turned into light, he became known as the "Teammate Killer" and "Grim Reaper Train."

Lu PingAn explained the divine envoy’s overwhelming mutations, then chose to lure his pursuers toward the front lines rather than flee the Secret Realm. With Guan Xinxian carrying him through the ruins, they headed for the beleaguered Riverside Defense Line, where their arrival could either help the defenders or hasten their defeat.

• Big Cat warned Lu PingAn that the giant lizard, a Tier 7 divine envoy suppressed by the Secret Realm, possessed powerful combat mutations and could wield Tier 5 or 6 strength.
• Lu PingAn endured relentless pursuit from evolved monsters attracted by his evil-god blessing, despite being only a Tier 1 Professional in the upgraded Secret Realm.
• Lu PingAn revealed that he had asked for help reaching the front lines, where a Tier 6 Professional was holding back the flood and the defenders faced a rapidly worsening battle.
• Guan Xinxian arrived, grabbed Lu PingAn, and used Meteor Pinball to propel them through the ruins while avoiding the pursuing monsters.
• Lu PingAn and Guan Xinxian headed toward the front lines, hoping their arrival would turn the battle around even as Lu PingAn admitted it might make matters worse.

Lu PingAn arranged for Cat Cat to meet him at the front line as Ancient City’s defenses weakened and a looming storm threatened to force a confrontation. He planned to witness high-level combat and test his ability against a powerful opponent, leaving open whether he would attempt an assassination.

• Lu PingAn called Cat Cat and ordered her to rendezvous at the front line, using her debt to persuade her after she protested.
• Lu PingAn told Guan Xinxian that he saw the coming conflict as a chance to witness high-end combat, while Big Cat warned him that he could die.
• Lu PingAn reasoned that the cultists’ unusual approach meant they were using a more reliable way to draw him out, and he refused to leave everything to the Keepers.
• Lu PingAn explained that Cat Cat’s presence could help her survive future battles and would also repay Lei Huo Ren with a favor.
• Lu PingAn asked Chris whether he could assassinate a human sixth-rank, but reconsidered when Chris’s answer sounded suspicious.

Fishman bombardment and mass withdrawals brought the human front line close to collapse, so the veterans went to ask Zhou Suyin to intervene. Before she could act, a monster-and-Fishman horde charged toward the defenders, chasing a flying figure that Cat Cat recognized as a bastard.

• Lightning-wielding Fishmen bombarded the human positions from the Dock Barracks as their technicians upgraded war equipment.
• Veteran teams withdrew one after another, weakening the defenses and spreading panic along the front line.
• Veterans decided to ask Zhou Suyin to use her strength to restore morale before the battle line collapsed.
• As Zhou Suyin headed toward the stage, a huge horde of monsters and Fishmen charged toward the defenders after a flying figure.
• Cat Cat arrived and angrily identified the figure overhead as a bastard.

Lu PingAn and Guan Xinxian flew into the fishman docks, where Lu PingAn’s curse turned the defenders and their beasts into a vast pursuing horde. As the horde approached the human position, an Eight Arms monster appeared on the horizon, prompting the Old Woman to recognize it as a Rule-level Demonic Creature.

• Guan Xinxian agreed to steer toward the docks after Lu PingAn asked to provoke a larger conflict.
• Lu PingAn’s curse disrupted the fishman camp’s defenses, letting him and Guan Xinxian fly through its fire without being shot down.
• Guan Xinxian offered to trade for the blessing, and Lu PingAn agreed while warning him about its risks and transformation.
• Lu PingAn learned that Guan Xinxian had once been a twelve-year-old survivor who had lost his family, and he gave Guan Xinxian the complete information about the curse.
• The pair broke into the shipyard and the sea-beast taming area, swelling their pursuing monster horde by several dozen times.
• The enormous horde charged toward the human position as another train appeared on the horizon with an Eight Arms monster, which the Old Woman identified as a Rule-level Demonic Creature.

Zhou Suyin recognized a false divine envoy as an unusually dangerous mutant and summoned powerful elemental spirits to stop it. The envoy shattered her Black Tortoise in an instant, leaving Lu PingAn and the others facing its incredible speed and sword strikes.

• Zhou Suyin judged the approaching divine envoy to be a perfect mutant with divinity rather than a true Rule-level creature, but warned that its close-range attacks could wipe everyone out.
• Zhou Suyin sang and danced to summon a giant water Kun, a cloud-and-mist Peng, and the contracted spirits Giant Eagle and Wrathful Flood Dragon.
• Zhou Suyin fused the spirits with the summoned elements, creating Black Tortoise (False) and Qing Niao (False) to confront the envoy.
• Lu PingAn watched the battle and reconsidered the strength of high-level Professionals.
• The envoy shattered Black Tortoise (False) with a series of sword strikes too fast for the observers to see, prompting a warning not to let it get close.

Lu PingAn watched Ms. Zhou’s defenses fail against the fishman Sword Saint, then learned that she planned to awaken the city’s spirits through her Spirit Praying Dance. As trainees fled and Lu PingAn’s distortion factor climbed, the chaos inside and outside the Secret Realm intensified.

• The fishman Sword Saint cut through the Black Tortoise and Wind Spirits with ordinary sword swings, then tore apart the human front line.
• Ms. Zhou began another Spirit Praying Dance to communicate with the city and mobilize its spirits.
• Lu PingAn asked Big Cat about Ms. Zhou’s repeated dance and learned that it was a Profession Skill that gathered unconscious spirits into a communicable great soul.
• Lu PingAn recorded Big Cat’s explanations and received more Forbidden Knowledge as his system notifications continued.
• Outside the Secret Realm, observers saw Lu PingAn’s distortion factor reach twenty-two percent and blamed him for pushing events toward loss of control.

As the Secret Realm collapsed, Lu PingAn studied the battle between Ms. Zhou’s City Spirit and the Fishman Sword Saint, learning how High-Level Professionals depended on their abilities’ conditions and vessels. A gigantic green hand emerged from the void, crushed Ms. Zhou and the Rock Giant, and forced Big Cat to warn Lu PingAn that it was a Son of Evil God as darkness swallowed the world.

• The Secret Realm began collapsing under the pressure of the battle, and many Professionals fled while Lu PingAn kept recording the fight.
• Ms. Zhou summoned the City Spirit as a Rock Giant, whose power and regeneration came from the city and the spirits of its dead.
• Big Cat explained to Lu PingAn how Scholar and contract-based Professionals relied on conditions, vessels, and control of the battlefield.
• The Fishman Sword Saint transformed and shattered the Rock Giant, but Ms. Zhou’s summon continued to regenerate.
• A huge green hand emerged from the void, crushed Ms. Zhou and the Rock Giant, and reached toward Lu PingAn and Big Cat.
• Big Cat identified the hand as a Son of Evil God and urged Lu PingAn to run as the world fell into darkness.

After the Secret Realm collapsed, Lu PingAn found himself at the Hand of Redemption’s altar, surrounded by belongings left by its victims, before he was returned to the angry survivors outside. He claimed an Item of Redemption and a silver-rank book about constructing Historical Secret Realms, then asked Xia Qin whether the victims’ graves and belongings from their previous run were still there.

• Lu PingAn woke in the Secret Realm’s strange core, recognized the Hand of Redemption’s altar, and noticed the victims’ belongings scattered around it.
• The collapsing Secret Realm sent Lu PingAn back to the entrance, where furious Professionals searched for him over the short, disastrous run.
• Lu PingAn chose an Item of Redemption and received a silver-rank Forbidden Knowledge book titled Manual for Using and Constructing Historical Secret Realms.
• Lu PingAn and Big Cat realized the book might let them create or exploit Historical Secret Realms, and Lu PingAn asked Sister Xia Qin whether the previous run’s graves and belongings remained.

After clearing the fourth-tier Secret Realm with an SS evaluation, Lu PingAn chose a blessing and a random item while asking Xia Qin to investigate the Hand of Redemption’s book. He escaped the crowd searching for top-ranked participants and reunited with Guan Xinxian to discuss their gains.

• Lu PingAn told Xia Qin the Secret Realm had ended and shared information from the Hand of Redemption’s book for Special Task Force Three to investigate.
• Lu PingAn received an SS evaluation and selected a Hand of Redemption blessing and a random item from his rewards.
• Lu PingAn hid his rewards from the blood-eyed men searching the area for participants.
• Guan Xinxian approached Lu PingAn in disguise, and Lu PingAn took him away from the crowd to talk.

Xia Qin discovered that someone had taken the dead members of her team’s belongings and desecrated the graves of Keepers across the area, prompting her to summon support. Meanwhile, Lu PingAn copied Silver Codex knowledge into his notebook during the ride back, leaving his companions wondering how long he could keep going.

• Xia Qin learned from Old Jiang that Lei Huo Ren had taken the belongings of her four dead teammates four days earlier.
• Lei Huo Ren told Xia Qin that the graves of the team members and every Keeper in the neighboring area had been dug up, while guards were buried beneath Mother Tree placards.
• Xia Qin called Lei Huo Ren back to headquarters and asked him to gather the young people so they could respond to the provocation.
• Lu PingAn used Spirit Sight to decipher and copy Silver Codex knowledge about a ritual involving the dead and the Source of God into his notebook.
• After copying for more than two hours in the disaster relief vehicle, Lu PingAn stopped when his notebook filled up and wondered whether he was advancing as a scholar.

Lu PingAn completed his Scholar job change after filling his Silver Codex with Forbidden Knowledge, then gained a powerful reading ability and turned his notebook into a Quasi-Polluted Item. He resumed copying the contaminated tome with ease, leaving the people in the vehicle amazed at how far he had advanced.

• Lu PingAn finished copying the missing pages of Forbidden Knowledge and completed his Scholar job change.
• Lu PingAn learned that the Scholar profession drew on human will and divided his Forbidden Knowledge into basic skills and specialized knowledge categories.
• Lu PingAn advanced Reading (Forbidden) to level five and gained the permanent Well-Read passive, which improved his reading, memory, comprehension, and resistance to contamination.
• Lu PingAn's bound Contamination Notes became a Quasi-Polluted Item capable of storing contaminated knowledge.
• Lu PingAn began copying again without stopping, and the onlookers realized why so many people hated him.

Lu PingAn learned about possible paths to become a Bonsai Designer and chose the hidden Gardener in the Palm path introduced by Senior Brother Guan. He sought its advancement requirements, hoping to gain Tier 3 combat power before the coming conflict.

• Lu PingAn told Senior Brother Guan how his Silver Low Rank poison had harmed the false god behind the giant hand, and Guan warned him that sneaking into enemy territory alone was reckless.
• Senior Brother Guan explained that the orthodox Lord of Castro Courtyard and the blacklisted Life Weaver could provide Bonsai Designer paths, while Big Cat described the Life Weaver as powerful but foolish.
• Senior Brother Guan introduced the hidden Gardener in the Palm path offered by Immortal in the Pavilion, explaining its artistic requirements and high potential ceiling.
• Lu PingAn chose the Gardener in the Palm path and asked Senior Brother Guan for its advancement ritual and requirements.
• Lu PingAn resolved to advance quickly and create a Tier 3 magic plant so he could matter in the battle he expected to come.

Lu PingAn learned that an approaching ritual threatened his life, so he sought a fast path to Tier 2 advancement. By examining the requirements for Bonsai Creation, he discovered that the Combat Gardener path demanded extensive skills, abilities, and a themed artistic ritual, leaving him with much to prepare and little time.

• Lu PingAn declined Xia Qin's suggestion that he leave town and said he would rather face the danger at the scene.
• Lu PingAn explained that the hostile ritual depended on a planetary alignment and required time to prepare, but he needed to advance quickly.
• Lu PingAn studied the vague Tier 2 requirements and used the Bonsai Creation ability's usage conditions to infer what advancement might demand.
• Lu PingAn discovered that Bonsai Creation required several high-level profession skills, multiple Black Iron abilities, spatial perception, and mid-rank mental power.
• Senior Brother Guan explained that the advancement ritual involved creating a magical-plant-themed work of art for recognition by the Immortal in the Pavilion, astonishing Lu PingAn.

Kerdales Chris spent the day maintaining Lu PingAn’s residence and tending his magical plants before relaxing with entertainment he had brought her. After falling asleep, she dreamed of her former divine realm and watched her body reward a fish-headed traitor, then woke unsettled but soon forgot the dream.

• Kerdales cleaned the hotel atop Life Bank headquarters and maintained the magical plants, using her half-cat form to work efficiently.
• Lu PingAn gave Kerdales a box of videotapes and CDs, then resumed working on his book after she interrupted his slacking.
• Kerdales dozed off while chatting with Lu PingAn and dreamed of her former divine realm, where her body listened to a fish-headed envoy and rewarded him.
• Kerdales woke frightened by the dream, then laughed at the comedy playing on her laptop and forgot her unease.

Lu PingAn learned that a dangerous cultist known as the fishhead was the regional bishop appointed by Kerdales, while Big Cat knew almost nothing useful about him. As Lu PingAn prepared to advance as a Gardener, awakening Life Sharing unexpectedly strengthened his All Weapon Proficiency, and he began to reconsider the value of supposedly useless abilities.

• Big Cat revealed that the fishhead was her regional bishop, but she had forgotten his name, abilities, and hideout, so Lu PingAn asked Xia Qin to investigate him.
• Xia Qin warned Lu PingAn that the Sophist could use Face Changing, and Big Cat explained the dangers of his Sophistry ability and the possibility that rival cultists might undermine one another.
• After a brief nap, Lu PingAn planned his Tier 2 Gardener advancement and reviewed his weak grasp of grafting and other Gardener skills.
• Lu PingAn awakened the Life Sharing curse technique, which unexpectedly enhanced the Life Resonance trait of his All Weapon Proficiency.
• Senior Brother Guan explained practical uses for Life Sharing, prompting Lu PingAn to recognize that he needed an expert guide to Gardener abilities.

Lu PingAn traded with Guan Xinxian for a rare Mount Sumeru Fusang Tree seed and practical Gardener knowledge, then arranged to exchange an Upper Brass Pollution Item for a suitable pot to make his own bonsai. He also began looking into potions to learn Spirit Energy Emission.

• Lu PingAn received Guan Xinxian's Mount Sumeru Fusang Tree seed and private cultivation notes in their trade.
• Guan Xinxian explained practical uses for low-level Gardener abilities, shared club contacts, and described ways to learn Spirit Energy Emission.
• Lu PingAn asked a Senior Sister who dealt in potions about prices and stock for useful Spirit Energy Emission potions.
• Lu PingAn offered Min An's Worn Goggles to Guan Xinxian in exchange for help obtaining a Tier 3 bonsai pot and Gardener items and information.

Lu PingAn considered his stalled investment in the Fusang Tree seed and the obstacles to advancement, then learned that Lei Huo Ren and the vice-captain had reached Tier 3 as the Special Task Force's investigation faltered. After accepting help from Senior Brother Guan and hearing calls for help through a Bronze Blessing, Lu PingAn headed for the Knight Secret Realm, determined to reach Tier 2 within a week.

• Lu PingAn stored the unresponsive Fusang Tree seed and reflected on how inspiration and contamination could hold Professionals back from advancement.
• Lu PingAn read that Lei Huo Ren and the vice-captain had reached Tier 3 and learned that the Special Task Force had failed to capture the rescued Sophist and had named Jia Yi a top-level wanted criminal.
• Big Cat explained that several cultists might be involved in the street of rotten flesh, while Lu PingAn heard mundane cries for help through his Bronze Blessing and helped a cat down from a tree.
• Lu PingAn asked Senior Brother Guan to help him train his Gardener, Drawing, and Scholar skills, and Guan agreed.
• Lu PingAn met Miss Lu Lu in the Ancient City, collected potions, and went to the Knight Secret Realm, declaring he would reach Tier 2 within a week.

Lu PingAn followed the ritual for a Crimson Blood Potion and awakened Spirit Energy Emission, then tested Big Cat’s method of improving his spirit energy indirectly through physical enhancements. After using the Sharp Eye Potion following combat, he gained slightly improved vision and reflexes, and prepared to spend more on further potions.

• Lu PingAn followed the sun-facing ritual and drank the Crimson Blood Potion, which awakened his Spirit Energy Emission skill.
• Big Cat explained that Lu PingAn could strengthen his spirit energy indirectly by improving his body and reactions, while warning against directly boosting spirit energy on an unstable foundation.
• Lu PingAn entered the Knight Secret Realm, easily fought his way to the fifteenth floor, and stopped while his body was still fired up.
• Lu PingAn drank the Sharp Eye Potion after combat and slightly improved his vision and Black Iron Low Rank reflexes.
• Lu PingAn concluded that Big Cat’s unconventional method worked and anticipated spending more money on potions.