Recaps

Guan Tong ended his exchange with the authorities after they refused to answer his question about their plans. The third sense, touch, was eliminated, leaving most people unable to feel or control their bodies, while Guan Tong relied on Shadow to remain functional.

• Guan Tong asked the authorities whether they intended to isolate the nation or unite humanity, but stopped communicating after they told him the question was not his concern.
• At the Countermeasure Research Institute, Gao Liangwei and Zhang Minglu concluded that Shadow would not join the authorities and decided not to contact him again.
• At nine the next morning, the Apocalypse Rules eliminated touch, causing people around the world to collapse and lose awareness of their bodies.
• The Beixing Nation used pre-anesthetized shelter administrators and support robots to care for people incapacitated by the loss of touch.
• Guan Tong briefly lost control of his body, then had Shadow synchronize its sense of touch with him so he could function through the Shadow Armor.

Guan Tong saw how the loss of touch had paralyzed societies and brought the Tulip Federation to dissolution, while reports from shelters revealed mounting deaths. In the Solloma Empire, the King watched a cybernetic implant project begin and questioned whether its mechanized soldiers would still be judged human by Fire Thief.

• Guan Tong read a post describing the Tulip Federation’s civil war, its warlords’ retreat, and the federation’s dissolution after most people lost their ability to fight.
• A man whose sense of touch had been erased sank into darkness and questioned whether his past life had been real before dying in a shelter.
• Shelter administrators reported deaths to the Countermeasure Research Institute as analysts found that illnesses and brain failure were killing people with little possibility of intervention.
• The King of Solloma watched Dr. Hysen’s mechanical arm perform brain implant surgeries on people whose touch had been erased.
• Dr. Hysen described the Iron Will project’s plan to create obedient steel soldiers, and the King asked whether Fire Thief would still consider them human.

As the Tenth Apocalypse Rule ended, the loss of all five senses caused countries across Tianshui Star to collapse, including Andai State. Guan Tong regained his senses and reviewed his gains before Xu Xiaotian called with news of severe casualties at the academy.

• From April 8 to April 14, more than fifty countries dissolved, leaving only just over thirty nations on Tianshui Star.
• Andai State dissolved on April 13, leaving Prince Lado's whereabouts unknown and ending his bounty on Guan Tong.
• On April 15, the Tenth Apocalypse Rule ended, and Guan Tong's five senses returned, though his body was poorly coordinated.
• Guan Tong checked his Terminal Panel and reflected on his increased Mind Power, his understanding of the Fire Thief, and his exchange with the officials.
• Xu Xiaotian called Guan Tong and reported that the academy had suffered its worst casualties since the rules began.

Guan Tong checked in with Xu Xiaotian, Wang Yan, and Shi Jingyi, then prepared for the next rule after finding a new life-detecting item in the Ascension Shop. He lent Shi Jingyi 300,000 Ascension Coins for an ancient qigong manual and left her on his friends list.

• Xu Xiaotian told Guan Tong that the academy might graduate its first cohort in August and that graduates would likely work in Official Departments.
• Guan Tong called Wang Yan, who said she and Chen Na were safe, then tried to reach Shi Jingyi but initially found her unavailable.
• Guan Tong bought twenty Life Detectors after suspecting the Eleventh Rule might involve survival.
• Shi Jingyi called Guan Tong back and learned that he could circulate Mind Power twice and had broken through the Mind Lock using his special item.
• Shi Jingyi asked to borrow 300,000 Ascension Coins to buy an ancient qigong manual, and Guan Tong transferred the money without deleting her from his friends list.

Guan Tong browsed Ascendant discussions about psychological recovery and a planned variety show, then learned that Original Person might negotiate for Shadow’s Fragments. On Lieming Island, Orochi Murasaki defended her decision to give Shadow a Fragment, while Mu Tiancheng threatened to report her to Lord Divine Child.

• Guan Tong read posts about the psychological effects of the Tenth Rule, official counseling efforts, and plans for an Ascendant variety show.
• Guan Tong and Original Person discussed Fragment 5 and the possibility of negotiating for Shadow’s three Fragments, and Original Person promised to contact the people with authority.
• Mu Tiancheng confronted Orochi Murasaki for giving Shadow her Fragment, but she said she had done it to prevent deaths on the island.
• Moon Fate and Mr. Faceless supported Orochi Murasaki, and she questioned whether becoming World First mattered before postponing the discussion.

Prince Lado’s convoy was ambushed by Qikan and a gang led by a hooded man while heading for North Star. The hooded leader killed Lado’s sons after they crossed the border, then planned to pin the attack on Shadow.

• Lado and his sons discussed seeking refuge in North Star and joining the Mind Power Development Academy.
• Explosions destroyed most of Lado’s convoy, and Qikan revealed that he had betrayed Lado to the attackers.
• The bald gang leader demanded Lado’s valuables and Ascension Coins, agreeing to let his sons cross the border first.
• After the sons’ vehicle crossed into North Star, Lado tried to transfer his wealth to them, but the hooded leader remotely blew up the vehicle and filmed Lado’s reaction.
• The gang subdued Lado and took him away to force him to surrender his possessions, while the hooded leader said they would blame the attack on Shadow.

After the Tenth Rule, North Star assessed the massive death toll and discussed refugees and the attack on Prince Rado’s convoy, while Adam offered Shadow two fragments in exchange for a public commission. Guan Tong learned that someone had framed Shadow for the attack and that the King of Solloma wanted their deal made public, leaving him to consider the King’s motives.

• At a meeting on April 20, Gao Liangwei and the analysts reported more than 2.3 million deaths, widespread psychological suffering, and around 300,000 arrivals from abroad, whom they would treat as refugees and disperse.
• A diplomatic representative reported that Prince Rado’s two sons had been killed and Rado had gone missing after an attack in Guanyu County; Zhang Minglu doubted Shadow was responsible and agreed to investigate.
• On Eden Island, Adam told the King of Solloma he no longer wanted to compete for the fragments, and the King offered them to Shadow in return for a favor arranged as a public commission.
• Guan Tong saw a post blaming Shadow for destroying Rado’s convoy and suspected the new account behind it was trying to frame him.
• Guan Tong read messages confirming that Rado had an agreement to enter North Star and that the King of Solloma wanted a public commission in exchange for the two fragments.

Guan Tong accepted the Solloma King's commission and traded a favor for the final two Qimo Star Chronicle fragments. After using the completed chronicle, he learned how the Fire Thief's rules destroyed Qimo Star's civilization and received the title Civilization Observer.

• Guan Tong agreed to the Solloma King's restricted commission and told the Countermeasure Research Institute that he had not attacked Lado and the others.
• Guan Tong accepted the commission using his Shadow account, and the Original Person confirmed the deal after verifying his identity.
• Guan Tong traded with the Original Person and obtained Qimo Star Chronicle fragments 2 and 4, completing the chronicle.
• Guan Tong used the chronicle and saw that the Fire Thief's rules devastated Qimo Star because most of its creatures could not understand them.
• Guan Tong watched the few surviving intelligent creatures leave Qimo Star in a spacecraft and wondered whether humanity could suffer a similar fate.
• Guan Tong received the title Civilization Observer.

After discovering that the Civilization Observer title granted True Sight Eye, Guan Tong shared his interpretation of Qimo Star’s history to urge humanity to unite. Two days before the Eleventh Apocalypse Rule, the world’s thirty-four remaining nations issued the United Humanity Declaration, pledging to cooperate against the rules and protect human civilization.

• Guan Tong learned that the Civilization Observer title let him discern abilities and item effects when his Mind Power exceeded his target’s, and he considered how the title might be upgraded.
• Guan Tong posted his interpretation of the Qimo Star Chronicle on Ascendant's Home, prompting widespread discussion about the Fire Thieves and humanity’s future.
• Governments around the world began negotiating after reading Guan Tong’s post and considering the danger of continued national conflicts and the growing refugee crisis.
• On April 29, leaders of the thirty-four remaining nations announced the United Humanity Declaration, committing to share knowledge and resources, end military hostilities, and establish joint global organizations.

After the United Humanity Declaration established the UHC, Guan Tong watched people celebrate and spoke with Shi Jingyi about the academy and a possible visit to Yong'an. He reflected on unresolved problems but decided to focus on the Eleventh Apocalypse Rule, due in two days.

• People celebrated the United Humanity Declaration, shortened the United Humanity Committee to the UHC, and named the current year the First Year of Unity.
• Guan Tong watched fireworks from Mingdao Mountain with Coal Ball and exchanged celebratory photos with Shi Jingyi.
• Guan Tong and Shi Jingyi discussed the Academy Students' upcoming graduation, possible foreign students, and her offer to teach him Ancient Martial Qigong in person.
• Guan Tong told Shi Jingyi he might visit Yong'an and considered how the UHC could ease travel restrictions.
• Guan Tong thought about the King of Suoloma's request, the false accusations against him, and the kidnapping case before deciding to focus on the Eleventh Apocalypse Rule.

Guan Tong heard the Eleventh Apocalypse Rule, which would escalate Tianshui Star’s earthquakes to Level 10, and searched for hidden rules. Meanwhile, the UHC convened to plan for the approaching disaster, but its members ended with a grim prediction of humanity’s extinction.

• Guan Tong learned that the Eleventh Apocalypse Rule would bring increasingly powerful earthquakes and began searching the Terminal Panel for hidden rules.
• The UHC held its first online meeting on countermeasures, chaired by Beixing Nation representative Gao Liangwei, and discussed the danger of the Level 8, 9, and 10 earthquakes.
• Committee members proposed using aircraft or sturdy shelters, but others explained why those measures might fail amid ground fissures and damaged infrastructure.
• Gao Liangwei said he had contacted the administrator of Ascendant's Home and asked the Solloma representative about the diviner Key of the Moon.
• The Solloma representative revealed Key of the Moon’s prediction that earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear leaks, and mutations would ultimately destroy human civilization.

Guan Tong revealed that Ascendants could use an Earth Vein Pillar to weaken earthquakes by sacrificing Mind Power, and the UHC began preparing for the coming disasters. The chapter ended with Gao Liangwei summoning officials and Zhou Qinfeng to plan the response before the Level 10 Earthquake arrived.

• Guan Tong studied Hidden Rule Eleven and realized that weakening the earthquake could require Ascendants to sacrifice their Mind Power at the dangerous epicenter.
• Guan Tong publicly shared the Earth Vein Pillar intelligence for free, prompting widespread debate about the risks and sacrifices involved.
• The UHC agreed to prepare for both survival and possible failure by shutting down nuclear facilities, arranging evacuations, and backing up Civilization's records, including sending some into space.
• Yingqi Nation requested help relocating its population, and inland nations agreed to assist with resettlement on vacant land.
• Gao Liangwei presented a plan to test Earth Vein Pillars during lower-level earthquakes and use the results to predict the Ascendants and Mind Power needed for later disasters; the representatives approved it.
• Gao Liangwei called departments to a follow-up meeting and asked them to summon Zhou Qinfeng.

As global evacuations began, Yingqi Prime Minister Kurohara allowed people who refused to leave their homeland to stay, while the Solloma Empire agreed to restart its secret Terra colonization plan. Meanwhile, Ascendant's Home users debated how authorities should choose someone to contact the Earth Vein Pillar, and the chapter left the selection undecided.

• Yingqi residents refused to abandon an ancient building, but Prime Minister Kurohara dismissed their objections and ordered officials to evacuate everyone else, letting the holdouts remain by choice.
• Solloma's senators urged the king to restart the Terra Plan, arguing that leaving Tianshui Star might let humanity escape the Apocalypse Rules.
• The King of Solloma approved restarting the Terra Plan but said preparations for the great earthquake remained the immediate priority, and he confirmed that a person would be offered for the Earth Vein Pillar.
• A poll thread on Ascendant's Home asked how to select someone to contact the Earth Vein Pillar, prompting users to argue over capability, sacrifice, drawing lots, government orders, and volunteering.
• Users speculated that the Earth Vein Pillar might only be found after a Level 2 Earthquake and awaited official findings.

Guan Tong studied reports about the Earth Vein Pillars and questioned whether sacrificing Ascendants’ Mind Power was the only way to reduce earthquake damage. Remembering how he had used the Wordless Book’s character “open” to solve Mind Lock, he wondered whether it could crack open a pillar’s shell.

• Soldiers reached a Level 1 earthquake’s epicenter and touched the Earth Vein Pillar, draining their Mind Power Caps until the pillar’s outer shell cracked.
• Analysts estimated that spending 1,000 points of Mind Power reduced an earthquake’s destructive power by about 1%, prompting debate over whom to send to future epicenters.
• Gao Liangwei said the personnel decision would wait until further earthquakes provided more data to verify the model.
• Guan Tong read reports that weapons could not damage Earth Vein Pillars and worried about the dangers faced by those who exhausted their Mind Power.
• Guan Tong recalled the Wordless Book’s character “open” and considered whether it could crack an Earth Vein Pillar’s shell.

Guan Tong prepared a nationwide Shadow Line network so he could reach an Earth Vein Pillar during the next Level 2 earthquake and test whether the Wordless Book could split it open. As the earthquake struck, he listened in on the Seismic Monitoring Bureau to learn its epicenter location.

• Guan Tong planned to use Shadow Lines and Phase Shift to reach an Earth Vein Pillar within minutes of a Level 2 earthquake and test the Wordless Book.
• Guan Tong sent hundreds of Shadow Lines across the nation, focusing on major inland cities while also covering coastal areas.
• Over the next three days, nations relocated populations, expanded shelters, and prepared for stronger earthquakes; Beixing Nation helped transport Yingqi Nation's residents to the former territory of Andai State.
• On the fourth, Guan Tong stayed alert and monitored the Seismic Monitoring Bureau through a Shadow he had placed there.
• Near three in the morning, an alarm announced that an earthquake had been detected, and Guan Tong listened for the epicenter location.

Guan Tong used the [Wordless Book] to crack and eliminate a Level 2 earthquake’s Earth Vein Pillar before the authorities arrived, proving he could reduce the disaster without sacrificing more Mind Power Cap. He returned to Mingdao Mountain and decided to test the method on a Level 3 earthquake, then seek cooperation with the authorities if higher levels required more power.

• Guan Tong used Phase Shift to reach the Earth Vein Pillar near Fengping City before the official team arrived.
• Guan Tong touched the pillar and used the [Wordless Book] to crack its shell, eventually spending 800 Reserve Mind Power to make it collapse and stop the earthquake.
• Guan Tong left as an official helicopter approached, and its team found only a hole where the Earth Vein Pillar had been.
• The authorities concluded that someone had dealt with the Earth Vein Pillar before their arrival.
• Guan Tong considered the high cost of stopping stronger earthquakes and decided to test the method on a Level 3 earthquake before contacting the authorities about cooperation.

Fire Thief cultists prevented Fahuo Nation’s data team from reaching the Earth Vein Pillar, while Beixing Nation reported that an unknown person had already stopped an earthquake before its team arrived. The UHC conference ended with Beixing’s representatives saying they would search for the person who had intervened.

• Black-clad Fire Thief worshippers attacked Fahuo Nation’s data collection captain and delayed the team until the Earth Vein Pillar vanished.
• Fahuo Nation reported the sabotage at the UHC conference, where representatives criticized its failure to prepare for the cultists.
• The Fahuo commissioner said worshipping Fire Thief was legal under the nation’s freedom-of-religion laws, prompting criticism from other representatives.
• Gao Liangwei revealed that an unknown person had caused Beixing Nation’s Earth Vein Pillar to disappear and stopped the earthquake before the data team arrived.
• Mary challenged Gao Liangwei’s account, but he rebuked her for making an unsupported accusation.
• The Yingqi representative urged Beixing Nation to find the person responsible, and Gao Liangwei said the Countermeasure Research Institute would seek their help.

As Fahuo Nation descended into chaos over the Fire Thief Cult, Pierre and other marchers were drawn to guard the Earth Vein Pillar during the Level 3 earthquake, thwarting another data collection attempt. The authorities ordered troops to clear the civilians, and the central square erupted into a bloody gunfight.

• After news spread that cultists had sabotaged Fahuo Nation’s data collection, furious crowds marched, hunted suspected cultists, and sometimes killed them.
• Pierre joined the protests and led a group that beat a suspected cultist to death and burned the cult’s uniforms and books.
• A mysterious voice commanded Pierre and nearby people to guard the central square, and hundreds of marchers followed them there.
• The Level 3 earthquake struck at 12:14 a.m., and the authorities identified the central square as its epicenter.
• Pierre and more than a hundred people blocked the Earth Vein Pillar, declaring it a sacred artifact and preventing the escorted data team from approaching.
• After his superior ordered him to act, the armed commander ordered the soldiers to clear the crowd, and gunfire and bloodshed broke out.

Guan Tong lost access to the earthquake epicenter after authorities encrypted their reports, while the UHC learned that weakening the Level 3 Earth Vein Pillar required far more Mind Power than expected. The chapter ended with Gao Liangwei insisting humanity could survive the coming catastrophe and that Fire Thief had deliberately targeted the UHC.

• Guan Tong realized authorities had encrypted the epicenter coordinates, leaving him unable to test his method until the data became available.
• The collection team damaged only a small piece of the Earth Vein Pillar despite draining the Mind Power Caps of more than forty Ascendants.
• The UHC discussed the deadly Li Lu'an Central Plaza Chaos, and Fahuo's representative blamed an unknown Ascendant who could control minds and had allegedly influenced officials.
• Gao Liangwei presented AI projections showing that weakening a Level 3 Earthquake required vastly more Mind Power than a Level 1 Earthquake.
• Gao Liangwei rejected despair and declared that humanity would prevail against the coming disaster.

Guan Tong arranged with the authorities to provide him with external Mind Power so he could destroy higher-level Earth Vein Pillars, while they prepared a large-scale teleportation test for the Level 4 earthquake. At the epicenter, he began cracking the pillar, and Gao Liangwei ordered the team to transmit Mind Power to him.

• Guan Tong contacted the authorities through Ascendant's Home and explained that he needed an external Mind Power supply to destroy stronger Earth Vein Pillars.
• Gao Liangwei ordered Zhang Minglu to gather Mind Power transmission artifacts and prepare an elite group for a teleportation test.
• On May 10, the authorities detected the Level 4 earthquake and sent its coordinate to Guan Tong.
• An Ascendant used a teleportation artifact to send more than two hundred elite soldiers to the epicenter, then collapsed from exhausting his Mind Power.
• Guan Tong arrived, pressed his hand to the Earth Vein Pillar, and caused cracks to form across it.
• Gao Liangwei ordered the team to use the prepared artifacts to transmit Mind Power to Guan Tong.

Guan Tong used a Mind Power transmission item to convert a crowd’s Mind Power into Cracking Power and destroy the Earth Vein Pillar, greatly reducing the earthquake. After coordinating future disaster relief with the authorities and requesting Mind Power Cap items, he left as Gao Liangwei and Zhang Minglu considered whether his ability could oppose Fire Thief.

• Guan Tong received Mind Power from a rotating group using paired magnets and used the [Wordless Book] to crack apart the Earth Vein Pillar’s shell, weakening the earthquake.
• Gao Liangwei directed Zhang Minglu to establish cooperation with Guan Tong and ensure he helped reduce the destruction of future earthquakes.
• Zhang Minglu spoke with Guan Tong, who agreed to cooperate and requested more transmission items and equipment to keep people steady at stronger earthquake epicenters.
• Guan Tong asked for items that increased his Mind Power Cap, and Zhang Minglu agreed to bring one or two to the next level 5 earthquake.
• Gao Liangwei suggested that Guan Tong’s power might allow him to oppose Fire Thief, and Zhang Minglu began to consider the possibility.

Guan Tong returned to Yunhua before the Level 5 earthquake, then joined the Dragon Soul Squad at the epicenter and helped destroy the Earth Vein Pillar. After the crisis ended, the squad offered to cooperate without pressing him about whether he was Shadow and passed him items from Dr. Zhang.

• Guan Tong explored an abandoned shelter in Yunhua, collected supplies, and returned to Mingdao Mountain to prepare for the earthquake.
• Zhang Minglu reported the Level 5 earthquake's epicenter, and Guan Tong used Phase Shift to reach it.
• Guan Tong met the Dragon Soul Squad, whose members used a yellow bell to stay steady near the Earth Vein Pillar and helped transmit Mind Power.
• Guan Tong used the Positive Pole Magnet and Mind Candy to pour Mind Power into the pillar until it collapsed and the earthquake stopped.
• Silver Fox and Black Shark suspected Guan Tong was Shadow, but Dragon Soul told him the squad wanted cooperation rather than an identity investigation.
• Dragon Soul gave Guan Tong two Mind Power Cap-boosting items from Dr. Zhang.

Jiang Ming recalled the sacrifice that saved him and joined the Action Team to pursue Shadow. Meanwhile, Guan Tong used Dragon Soul’s gifts to raise his Mind Power, successfully wrote on the Wordless Book’s sixth page, and considered the growing earthquake threat and the authorities’ suspicions.

• Over a year earlier, Jiang Ming’s parents secretly sedated themselves so he could obtain Sobering Mint Candies and survive, and he chose to live and seek revenge.
• Jiang Ming learned from Big Sister that Shadow was a man using a disguise, then agreed to join the Action Team to take revenge personally.
• Guan Tong used the Mind Specialization Solvent and Mind Power Growth Patch, raising his Mind Power to 350 with further daily growth to come.
• Guan Tong wrote on the Wordless Book’s sixth page for the first time, but the attempt drained all his Mind Power and left only a tiny black dot.
• Guan Tong considered preparations for the coming Level 6 earthquake and concluded the authorities’ suspicions about Shadow should not disrupt their cooperation.

On May 16, Guan Tong joined the government’s Mind Power Transport Unit to respond to the Level 6 earthquake. After teleporting directly into the cracking epicenter, he saved people from fissures and began using the Earth Vein Pillar to reduce the quake’s damage, revealing that he was Shadow.

• Guan Tong agreed to use the Collective Teleportation Device with the Mind Power Transport Unit so they could reach the earthquake epicenter faster.
• At the staging area, Guan Tong saw Chen Na among the Official Team, while Silver Fox suspected he was Shadow and suggested Chen Na might recognize him.
• Dragon Soul told Guan Tong that the government planned to call in Academy Students from the Level 7 earthquake onward, and confirmed that the Level 6 quake had begun.
• The team teleported to the epicenter, where fissures opened beneath them and several people fell into the cracks.
• Guan Tong summoned Shadow, caught more than ten people with Shadow Tendrils, and moved them onto suspended platforms, though seven or eight people were swallowed by fissures.
• Guan Tong reached the Earth Vein Pillar and asked the team to send him Mind Power so he could reduce the earthquake’s damage.

Guan Tong realized that he could prepare a vast reserve of Mind Power before future earthquakes, potentially letting him destroy higher-level Earth Vein Pillars in time. He requested a direct conversation with Gao Liangwei, who agreed as the chapter ended.

• A Level 6 earthquake struck cities near the epicenter, sending people into quake shelters as Guan Tong and the Ascenders tried to damage the Earth Vein Pillar.
• Guan Tong and the transport unit destroyed less than 80% of the pillar's outer shell before the five-minute limit expired.
• Guan Tong calculated that he could convert transmitted Mind Power into millions of Reserve Mind Power over the seventy-two hours before the next earthquake.
• Guan Tong worried that asking hundreds of thousands of Ascenders to supply him with Mind Power would expose his ability and make him seem dangerous to the authorities.
• Guan Tong told Dragon Soul he wanted to contact the Countermeasure Research Institute's person in charge, and Gao Liangwei agreed to speak with him directly.