Chapter Summaries

Uesugi Tetsu won the wagered battle by driving Fūma Kotarō out of the arena, securing the agreement that the Hōjō Clan would not attack Shizuoka Prefecture in the Second Wave. Tamamo’s livestream made Uesugi go viral and brought in enormous gifts, and she told him he had already gone viral as she showed him her balance.

• Uesugi Tetsu charged through Fūma Kotarō’s black radiance and nearly struck him, but Fūma stepped out of the arena to avoid the attack.
• Tamamo’s livestream drew more than ten thousand viewers, and Mangaka Kisaragi sent a Deep Space Boat and a 500,000-coin Deep Space Airship.
• Tamamo ended the livestream after the viewer count reached eighty thousand, but Uesugi Tetsu and the battle already occupied the top three trending searches.
• Hōjō Ujiyasu accepted the wager’s outcome, gave Lord Saionji a Hōjō Clan crest for Uesugi Tetsu, and planned to target a different region in the Second Wave.
• Uesugi Tetsu asked whether he and his companions could move freely, then went to Tamamo when she beckoned him over.
• Tamamo told Uesugi Tetsu that he had gone viral and showed him the large balance from her livestream.

After Tamamo explained that her livestream had earned Deep Space Coins, Uesugi Tetsu accepted most of the proceeds and planned to use the attention and rewards to grow stronger. He investigated why people in Everworld refused to discuss Great Onmyoji Tetsu, ending by questioning a foot soldier for 500 Soul Ash.

• Tamamo explained that her livestream had earned 615,822 Deep Space Coins, which could be exchanged for Soul Essence, and offered the proceeds to Uesugi Tetsu as compensation.
• Uesugi Tetsu accepted the money but gave Tamamo ten percent, then received his share of the Soul Ash and reviewed his skill proficiency gains.
• Uesugi Tetsu decided to focus on improving the Five Thunder Technique and the Flesh Refining stage of the Corona Breathing Technique, while considering future livestreams.
• A Deep Space Online operator boosted Tamamo's stream with tens of millions of views, but she closed it before the traffic could be used; the operator was then told to contact and sign the two streamers.
• Nanjō Emi questioned Chisa about her abilities, while Minamoto Shizuka's elder sister praised Uesugi Tetsu and urged Shizuka to defeat him in the Tokyo Seed Battle.
• Uesugi Tetsu found that people in Everworld avoided discussing Great Onmyoji Tetsu, so he offered a foot soldier 500 Soul Ash and asked whether he knew the name.

Uesugi Tetsu searched for food and useful eyeballs in the City of Disorder, then learned his fame had spread after his battle with the Hōjō Clan. Huijue prepared to join him in Shizuoka, where the district Seed Battle finals were about to begin, and Nanjō Emi sent him the finalized Tokyo seed list.

• Uesugi Tetsu failed to learn about Onmyoji from a foot soldier in the City of Disorder and bought a Rare Petrifying Eye for four Soul Essence.
• Uesugi Tetsu spent about 1,500 Soul Essence on unusual eyeballs for Hundred-Eyed Demon, who began absorbing them through Edo Castle's gacha interface.
• Tamamo showed Uesugi Tetsu a viral headline about his victories, and Huijue told him he would arrive in Shizuoka within a few days.
• Tokugawa Haruhiko discovered that Uesugi Tetsu had become stronger than him, while Kyūkōin Jin planned to bring Uesugi lemon tea at the Tokyo Seed Battle.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Tamamo attended the Shizuoka Prefecture Seed Battle finals, where Uesugi predicted Yagyū would win.
• Nanjō Emi sent Uesugi Tetsu the finalized list of seeded participants from Tokyo's 23 wards.

Uesugi Tetsu watched Yagyū Shion win the Shizuoka Prefecture final and prepared to return to Tokyo for the Seed Battle preliminaries. On the shuttle, he learned Chisa wanted him as her master, then opened the preliminary roster and found a list of famous competitors.

• Uesugi Tetsu predicted Yagyū Shion would beat Kawakami Ryōto, and Yagyū won after steadily wearing down his opponent.
• Uesugi Tetsu revealed his identity to spectators who had been arguing about his strength, silencing them.
• Lord Saionji asked Uesugi Tetsu to give his all in the Seed Battle, and Uesugi said he would return to Tokyo to prepare for the preliminaries.
• Uesugi Tetsu, Tamamo, and Yagyū Shion left for Tokyo, where Uesugi exchanged messages with Nanjō Emi and learned Chisa wanted him as her master.
• Uesugi Tetsu opened the preliminary roster and saw the names Saito Ryuichi, Takizawa Kai, Minamoto Shizuka, Tsuchimikado Ran, and Tokugawa Haruhiko.

Uesugi Tetsu reviewed the Seed Battle’s contestants and rules before returning to the Special Affairs Division, where Huijue examined his Ksitigarbha Shikigami and found that immense vow power was eroding her Willpower. As Huijue took the statue to seek help from major temples, Uesugi learned why Huijue would judge rather than compete, and Ririko encountered a girl looking for him.

• Uesugi Tetsu studied the Seed Battle roster and learned that only forty-two places remained in the 128-person knockout tournament for eastern-region candidates.
• Uesugi Tetsu arrived at the Special Affairs Division with Yagyū Shion and Tamamo, where Huijue descended from an experimental flying craft and greeted him.
• Huijue examined Uesugi Tetsu’s Ksitigarbha statue and warned that its enormous vow power was eroding the sealed Two-Shaku-Sama’s Willpower, so he took it to consult temples and other masters.
• Nanjō Emi explained that Huijue would judge the Seed Battle because he belonged to the previous generation, while Huijue said he still lacked something essential for the Ghost God realm.
• Ririko helped a girl carry documents to Nanjō’s office, and the girl said she was looking for Big Brother Uesugi.

Ririko encouraged Chisa to weigh the sacrifices involved in cultivation, and Chisa asked Uesugi Tetsu for more time before deciding whether to become his student. After three days of training, Uesugi Tetsu arrived at the Tokyo Seed Battle qualifiers and rose above the crowd as his name was announced.

• Ririko met Chisa, who said she was looking for Uesugi Tetsu, and brought her to Nanjō Emi's office.
• Chisa told Ririko she wanted to cultivate under Uesugi Tetsu so she could protect her family, but did not want to be away from them or give up everything else.
• Ririko warned Chisa about the hardships of pursuing strength, and Chisa admitted she had not decided whether she could accept them.
• Chisa told Uesugi Tetsu she needed more time to consider becoming his student, and he agreed to wait for her answer.
• Uesugi Tetsu spent the three days before the qualifiers cultivating at home, then headed to the Seed Battle venue on June 10, 2024.
• Uesugi Tetsu heard his name announced as the Arakawa Ward Seed and rose into the air above the packed crowd.

Uesugi Tetsu arrived at Sky Dome One for the Seed Battle preliminaries and watched the contestants demonstrate their abilities. Seeing Minamoto Shizuka’s swordsmanship brought his Sword Principles to 10%, and he decided to fight at full power in his normal state when his turn came.

• Uesugi Tetsu flew up to Sky Dome One, received his contestant badge, and joined Nanjō Emi and the other gathered figures from the Special Affairs Division.
• Nanjō Emi explained that Sky Dome One was a newly tested weapon of war temporarily serving as the competition venue, and that the government had been sidelined because of its corruption and incompetence.
• Uesugi Tetsu watched Takizawa Kai and the other seeds defeat their puppet opponents with powerful techniques.
• Minamoto Shizuka cut her steel puppet in two with one sword strike, and Uesugi Tetsu gained insight that raised his Sword Principles from 9% to 10%.
• Nanjō Emi explained that preliminary performances determined the seeds’ rankings and elimination-round advantages, while Uesugi Tetsu decided to show his full normal-state strength without revealing everything he could do.

Uesugi Tetsu studied Kitada Kei’s sword principle, watched Akechi Yuya struggle through his match, and defeated the arena puppet with a powerful thunder-infused slash. After considering Huijue’s two methods for restoring the Ksitigami statue, Uesugi trained through a thunderstorm and reached Expert mastery of the Five Thunder Technique.

• Uesugi Tetsu used the Eye of Interpretation to study sword principle drifting through the venue and discovered that he could move it with stellar energy.
• Kitada Kei recognized Uesugi Tetsu as the person who had disturbed his sword principle, while Akechi Yuya arrived and revealed he was Arakawa Ward’s second seed.
• Akechi Yuya struggled to defeat the puppet, then Uesugi Tetsu cut down his own opponent with a thunder-and-stellar-energy-infused slash.
• The preliminary matches ended, and Uesugi Tetsu learned that the official rankings and later schedule would be announced in the coming days.
• Ririko gave Uesugi Tetsu detailed advice about his slash, and he gained more than ten points of Tennen Rishin-ryū proficiency.
• Uesugi Tetsu read Huijue’s two proposed ways to restore the Ksitigami statue, then cultivated through a thunderstorm and reached Expert level in the Five Thunder Technique.

Uesugi Tetsu broke through to the Expert level in the Five Thunder Technique, gained powerful new control over lightning, and dispersed the storm above Tokyo. He then checked the Seed Battle rankings and learned that the next stage would be a brutal 128-contestant challenge tournament with major prizes for the top ten.

• With Nanjō Emi strengthening the lightning and hiding him behind a barrier, Uesugi Tetsu reached the Expert level in the Five Thunder Technique and discovered that he could manipulate lightning and withstand its strikes.
• Uesugi Tetsu tested his new abilities, found that his lightning attacks could continuously kill weaker ghosts, and saw lightning begin to strengthen his qi barrier and form reserve thunderclouds above his qi sea.
• Uesugi Tetsu waved his hand and dispersed the thunderstorm; Nanjō Emi reassured the public that she had brought about the clear weather and told him the preliminary rankings were available.
• Uesugi Tetsu checked the rankings and found Minamoto Shizuka first, Kitada Kei second, Kamo Kiichi third, Tsuchimikado Ran fourth, and himself fifth; Akechi Yuya placed forty-sixth.
• Uesugi Tetsu read that the 128 contestants would each receive three upward challenges, with challenges limited by rank, and that the top ten would receive grand prizes from the Special Affairs Division, Onmyoji clans, dojos, and the Sword Saint.

Uesugi Tetsu studied the Seed Battle rewards and decided he needed to reach the top two for an Aragami-level inheritance and other powerful prizes. He then set out to activate his Unknown Factory Core Map by pursuing the Factory Core in Arakawa Village.

• Uesugi Tetsu read the Seed Battle reward rankings and was tempted by the Aragami-level inheritances, Spider-Cutter, and other top prizes.
• Uesugi Tetsu decided that reaching the top two was his minimum goal, though he recognized that defeating Minamoto Shizuka would be difficult.
• Uesugi Tetsu read agents’ comments about the power of Ghost Gods and Aragami, then found that his ranking fragment had become a durable crystal marked TOP5.
• Uesugi Tetsu returned home, discussed the rewards with Ririko, and went upstairs after claiming he was going to sleep.
• Uesugi Tetsu decided to use his Unknown Factory Core Map and headed toward the factory in Arakawa Village to obtain its Factory Core.

Uesugi Tetsu infiltrated the polluted Arakawa Village factory and discovered that its production lines were devoted mainly to making Part 028. He reached the Factory Core and seized its hidden blue sphere, but the factory alarm sounded as the heat melted him away.

• Uesugi Tetsu found his shrine buried in a sewage channel and concealed it before exploring the devastated Arakawa Village.
• He examined the abandoned Machiya, found its Spirit Grass patch ruined, and approached the Logistical Unit Factory unseen.
• Uesugi Tetsu noticed that most production lines made Part 028, stole a nearly complete piece, and followed a patrol toward the underground core.
• He discovered the Factory Core was a blue sphere inside a vast ball of light and rushed through the extreme heat to grab it.
• The factory alarm rang and a distant divine presence enveloped the factory as the heat melted Uesugi Tetsu and the sphere vanished with him.

Uesugi Tetsu stole a Factory Core, used it to locate the abandoned Karuta Factory III, and planned to explore it later. When he returned home, Ririko awakened after crossing the threshold between life and death, unified her essence, qi, and spirit, and announced she would join the Seed Battle.

• Uesugi Tetsu recovered from being incinerated while stealing the Factory Core and inspected it in Everworld.
• Uesugi Tetsu used the Factory Core to activate his map and chose the abandoned Karuta Factory III, a failed project backed by seven Factory Masters.
• Uesugi Tetsu obtained the factory's location and a ticket for the Tokoyo Train, then returned home to have dinner with Ririko.
• Uesugi Tetsu found Ririko motionless and seemingly without vital signs in the dojo.
• Ririko awakened, explained that she had unified her essence, qi, and spirit after approaching death, and told Uesugi Tetsu she would participate in the Seed Battle.

Ririko survived a dangerous breakthrough with Embrace Dan, decided to enter the Seed Battle again despite the Tokugawa Family’s threat, and offered to teach Uesugi Tetsu the technique. She was registered for the next day’s preliminary round and ended the evening preparing to give Uesugi one-on-one guidance.

• Ririko explained that she had nearly died while using Embrace Dan, which condensed her power into one point and let her force Uesugi Tetsu back with a single finger.
• Ririko said she wanted to enter the Seed Battle to test herself against other fighters, and told Uesugi Tetsu she would face the Tokugawa Family if they came after her.
• Ririko explained that defeat could help her learn, while Uesugi Tetsu accepted that she might bring trouble into his life.
• Ririko ordered a huge meal, then offered to teach Uesugi Tetsu Embrace Dan and described how it could concentrate all his strength into any part of his body.
• Uesugi Tetsu told Nanjō Emi that Ririko wanted to compete, and Nanjō Emi placed her on Arakawa Ward’s list for the next day’s preliminary round.
• After finishing the food, Ririko told Uesugi Tetsu to take off his clothes so she could assess his progress and guide him personally.

Ririko examined Uesugi Tetsu’s immense and unusual powers, taught him Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound, and guided him through his first attempt at Embrace Dan Sit Crotch. After discussing Chisa and agreeing to help her, Uesugi Tetsu entered Everworld and summoned the Tokoyo Train at Kisaragi Station.

• Ririko examined Uesugi Tetsu’s body and discovered his extraordinary reserves of internal power, spiritual energy, lightning, and Lightning Bone.
• Ririko taught Uesugi Tetsu Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound, which he learned after one attempt and found accelerated his body tempering.
• Ririko guided Uesugi Tetsu through Embrace Dan Sit Crotch, but he gained only slight understanding before she grew exhausted and postponed further instruction until the next day.
• Ririko held back what she had wanted to say to Uesugi Tetsu and asked whether he would accept Chisa as a disciple; he said he would help Chisa and leave her choices to her.
• After sleeping, Uesugi Tetsu entered Everworld, removed the security mark from his Train's Round-Trip Ticket, and summoned the Tokoyo Train at Kisaragi Station.

Uesugi Tetsu rode the Tokoyo Train to Karuta Factory III, where he unlocked the abandoned factory and discovered a memory orb. After reading it, he found himself in a bustling Edo-period Hanafuda Market that was still part of Karuta Factory III.

• Uesugi Tetsu boarded the Tokoyo Train with a Passenger Certificate and used his Ghost God-level Six-tailed Fox disguise to calm four frightened college students and warn them when to leave the train.
• Uesugi Tetsu got off at Karuta Factory III, measured the vast black cube, and found the area isolated and nearly devoid of Spiritual Energy.
• Uesugi Tetsu lit and concealed the factory shrine, learning that the special area had no mainline quests, contained at least one Super Epic-quality item, and punished severe destruction by drawing the Factory Masters' attention.
• Uesugi Tetsu found the remains of a Great Blacksmith Sequence Type 2 and read its Fragmented Memory Orb, witnessing the smiths' voyage across the Deep Sea and the Great Smith's repetitive labor at the factory.
• Uesugi Tetsu emerged from the memory to find himself in a crowded Edo-style Hanafuda Market, while his map still identified the location as Karuta Factory III.

Uesugi Tetsu died after refusing a fox-masked woman's invitation inside Karuta Factory III, then resolved to investigate the encounter if he could enter again. He accompanied Ririko to the Seed Battle preliminaries, where she revealed her overwhelming presence, while Tokugawa Haruhiko learned she had entered and began plotting against her.

• Uesugi Tetsu refused the fox-masked woman's invitation three times, died when she told him to leave, and awoke at home with both lives spent.
• Ririko cultivated on the balcony by absorbing the essence of the rising sun, and she explained the principles of the sword to Kaga Kiyomitsu.
• Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko went to the Arakawa Ward preliminaries, where onlookers recognized Uesugi Tetsu and gossiped about Ririko beside him.
• Ririko released her aura in the contestant waiting area and frightened a young man away with Gaze Strike.
• Tokugawa Haruhiko discovered Ririko's name on the preliminary selection list and called someone in his clan to arrange a way to target her.

Tokugawa Haruhiko tried to rally family forces against Tokugawa Ririko, but Tokugawa Ryūji and their great-grandfather stopped him and told him to compete with her in the Eastern Region Seed Battle. Ririko revealed Sword Domain in her preliminary match, while Uesugi Tetsu’s cultivation advanced and Minamoto Shizuka decided to challenge Ririko.

• Tokugawa Haruhiko secretly ordered ninja to go to Tokyo, but Tokugawa Ryūji interrupted the call and warned him not to target Tokugawa Ririko.
• Tokugawa Haruhiko told their great-grandfather that Ririko had joined the Seed Battle under the Special Affairs Division of Arakawa Ward, and the old man decided to wait until the competition ended before visiting her.
• Uesugi Tetsu practiced Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound while waiting, gained Corona Breathing Technique proficiency, and felt thunderous energy merge with his sea of qi.
• Tokugawa Ririko entered her preliminary match without a sword and beheaded the puppet with Sword Domain, stunning observers and making the video spread widely.
• Minamoto Shizuka learned that Tokugawa Ririko had used Sword Domain, recognized her as a swordmaster, and resolved to defeat her to advance her own swordsmanship.

Uesugi Tetsu welcomed Tamamo and Yagyū Shion to his home, where he and Ririko discussed cultivation with Yagyū until Kaga Kiyomitsu began evolving. Meanwhile, Factory Master Z investigated a stolen Factory Core and secretly continued plans to recreate Karuta, leaving Kaga Kiyomitsu’s evolution complete.

• Ririko agreed to let Tamamo and Yagyū Shion stay at Uesugi Tetsu’s home, and the two agents arrived that evening.
• Ririko welcomed the agents and served them dinner; Yagyū Shion sensed her formidable swordsmanship in her presence and in the sword intent infused into the ramen.
• Uesugi Tetsu, Ririko, and Yagyū Shion discussed cultivation for hours while Tamamo watched television.
• Kaga Kiyomitsu began autonomous spiritual evolution after its knowledge, accumulation, and understanding reached their limits.
• Factory Master Z learned that a Factory Core had vanished from the Arakawa Village logistics factory, but concluded the mold and the Karuta Project remained undiscovered and ordered the factory scrapped.
• Kaga Kiyomitsu completed its evolution, and Uesugi Tetsu learned it had gained 2,000 Soul Points from managing the household.

Kaga Kiyomitsu evolved into a more intelligent, vocal spirit and unexpectedly accelerated Uesugi Tetsu’s cultivation through their connection. Uesugi then returned to the restarted Karuta Factory, where he discovered that entering its tournament required wagering Memory Orbs.

• Kaga Kiyomitsu’s Spirit effect evolved, allowing her to speak aloud, think faster, cultivate, and imitate Uesugi Tetsu’s sword techniques.
• Kaga Kiyomitsu merged with Uesugi Tetsu during his cultivation with Ririko, accelerating his qi circulation and improving his training progress.
• Kaga Kiyomitsu nearly revealed Uesugi Tetsu’s past with Imagawa Yoshimoto, so he put her in his storage backpack while Tamamo overheard and teased him.
• Uesugi Tetsu revived at the shrine of Karuta Factory III and found the Great Blacksmith’s remains and Memory Orb restored.
• Uesugi Tetsu entered the repeated Edo-period memory and learned that the Grand Karuta Tournament was underway and could be won through successive matches.
• The fox-masked woman showed Uesugi Tetsu that tournament entry required wagering Memory Orbs, including one belonging to the Nameless Onmyoji of the Astral Path and one belonging to Sword Master Tokugawa Yugoro.

Uesugi Tetsu tried to measure the value of his memories at Hanafuda Market, but the scale overflowed and destroyed the dungeon. Before the darkness consumed him, he read Tokugawa Yūgorō’s Memory Orb, gaining two Ultimate Forms and the first knowledge of the Mingchuan Breathing Technique.

• Uesugi Tetsu watched a Karuta match and realized the contestants secretly used spiritual power, Onmyōjutsu, and sword techniques to hinder each other.
• Uesugi Tetsu touched the memory scale to measure his memories, causing chips to multiply until the scale broke and darkness swallowed Hanafuda Market.
• As the dungeon collapsed, Uesugi Tetsu read Tokugawa Yūgorō’s Memory Orb and witnessed the sword master’s training and mastery of the Mingchuan Breathing Technique.
• Uesugi Tetsu’s Corona Breathing Technique was completed and manifested the Ultimate Forms Abyss of Skin and Mountain of Bone.
• Uesugi Tetsu received a prompt that he had learned part of the Four Extremes Breathing Technique, the Mingchuan Breathing Technique.