Chapter Summaries

As Imperial Capital students chased Jiang Xiao's group, Ying Xi realized Yuan Qinghua's team was not among the people ahead and called off part of the pursuit. Liu Yang used his team's Shadow Summon and his Gold Quality Inseparable as Shadow to ambush the remaining pursuers, while Li Weiyi's group regrouped with the rescued Xiong Chumo.

• Ying Xi spotted that the Southern Yue team was missing, and he and two allied teams stopped chasing Jiang Xiao's group while two teams kept pursuing them.
• Liu Yang summoned shadows throughout the corridor and used Inseparable as Shadow to move among them, striking down the remaining pursuers.
• Liu Yang threatened a wounded medical-system student and mocked the students who had kept chasing him.
• Li Weiyi set Xiong Chumo down after carrying her to safety, and she thanked him and introduced herself.
• Jiang Xiao broke the awkward silence by giving Li Weiyi the false name Shou Tao Hui.

Jiang Xiaopi learned that Xiong Chumo’s parrot had chosen him for his healing aura, and he formed an alliance with the Cainan and Jinmen teams. The three teams descended to the second underground level to hunt monsters and earn points as the competition shifted into a more aggressive battle.

• Xiong Chumo asked the Beijiang team to ally with Cainan, and Jiang Xiaopi questioned her about the Yellow-Green Parrot perched on his head.
• Xiong Chumo secretly explained that the parrot sought Medical Star Warriors and had chosen Jiang Xiaopi, while her team hoped an alliance would help them reach the knockout stage and stay safe.
• The Guardian Legion treated and carried away the injured contestants, while Liu Yang teased Jiang Xiaopi about flirting with Xiong Chumo.
• Jiang Xiaopi’s group heard distant fighting and decided to head to the next level instead of pursuing the Imperial Capital teams.
• Cai Yao and Zhang Qin Zhou helped the Beijiang, Cainan, and Jinmen teams agree to work together, and the three teams entered the second underground level to earn points.

Han Jiangxue’s alliance defeated an Ancient Martial Army through coordinated attacks by Liu Yang, Shen Xing, and Xia Yan, then agreed on a rotating system for leading encounters and claiming Star Pearls. As the teams continued through the tomb, Zhang Qin Zhou asked how they would divide any special weapons they found.

• Han Jiangxue coordinated the three teams’ attack, using Lightning Chains to paralyze the Ancient Martial Army while Liu Yang, Xia Yan, and Shen Xing charged in.
• Liu Yang and Shen Xing helped wipe out the soldiers, while Xia Yan held off the wounded Ancient Martial General and Jiang Xiao’s Blessings let her strike its heart and sever its head.
• Cai Yao proposed that the three teams take turns leading and keep the Star Pearls from encounters they led, and the teams agreed except for battles against Golden BOSS alliances.
• Zhang Qin Zhou led the teams onward and asked whether they would also take turns claiming special weapons.

The three teams found the floor’s treasure chest after Jiang Xiao and Han Jiangxue overwhelmed an Ancient Martial Army squad with Silence and Chain Lightning. They discovered an Ancient Martial Soul guarding the chest and its special weapon, and Cai Yao asked Jiang Xiao how long his Silence Domain lasted.

• Jiang Xiao and Han Jiangxue helped the North River Team defeat a nine-member Ancient Martial Army squad with Silence and Chain Lightning.
• The teams followed Zhang Qin Zhou to the treasure chest near the entrance to the second floor.
• Jiang Xiao and the others spotted an Ancient Martial Soul, its eight unusual soldiers, and a modern magic staff behind a carved stone wall.
• Xiong Chumo asked Jiang Xiao for Silence support, and Cai Yao proposed taking turns using the skill.
• Cai Yao said her Silence lasted ten seconds, and Jiang Xiao admitted that his Silence Domain also lasted ten seconds, prompting Xiong Chumo to blush and Xia Yan to grit her teeth.

Cainan Province’s team fought the pursuing Ancient Martial soldiers in the tomb corridor, using flower-based Star Skills to defend, restore focus, and recover Star Power. Han Jiangxue’s lightning accidentally struck Shen Xing, while the soldiers regenerated their limbs and advanced behind bone shields.

• Shen Xing warned the team that the Ancient Martial soldiers had found them, and Xiong Chumo directed Jiang Xiao to use Silence while the others prepared their attacks.
• Xiong Chumo’s teammate blocked the Plague Arrows with a red rose shield that absorbed them, while Xiong Chumo used flower vines to sharpen the team’s focus.
• Han Jiangxue’s Chain Lightning struck Shen Xing before hitting the soldiers, and Xiong Chumo pulled Shen Xing back as Cai Yao and Qi Yan attacked.
• Qi Yan’s Wind Blades wounded the Ancient Martial soldiers, but their missing limbs regrew as bone, making them difficult to kill without destroying their heads.
• Xiong Chumo used blue flowers to restore the team’s Star Power, but the soldiers developed bone shields and advanced toward them.

Han Jiangxue organized the team to break through the Ancient Martial soldiers’ Bone Wall and pursue the hidden Ancient Martial Soul. As the group faced new traps and Jiang Xiao silenced the target, he prepared to take the lead in the coming fight.

• Han Jiangxue devised a plan to use Li Weiyi’s Flame Split to break the Bone Wall while the Shield Warriors protected Cai Yao and Jiang Xiao as they searched for the Ancient Martial Soul.
• Han Jiangxue used Shattered Space to weaken the Bone Wall, and Li Weiyi blasted the Ancient Martial soldiers away with Flame Split.
• Han Jiangxue, Xia Yan, Liu Yang, and the Cainan Shield Warrior charged through the opening, followed by Jiang Xiao, Cai Yao, Zhang Qin Zhou, and He Fan.
• The Ancient Martial soldiers formed a Bone Prison that trapped He Fan, while Zhang Qin Zhou identified the Ancient Martial Soul’s hiding place.
• Jiang Xiao cast Voice of Silence toward the Ancient Martial Soul, absorbed a Gold Quality Fallen Shadow Witch’s Star Pearl, and readied his giant blade.

Jiang Xiao and the allied teams fought through the Ancient Martial Poison Bows’ poisonous fog, with the Cainan shield warrior’s Lily Flower Shield healing the poisoned fighters. Han Jiangxue, Xia Yan, and Liu Yang helped finish the battle, and Jiang Xiao learned the shield warrior’s name was Bai Yipeng.

• The Ancient Martial Poison Bows filled the corridor with Poisonous Fog, leaving Jiang Xiao and the others dizzy and struggling to advance.
• Cai Yao and Jiang Xiao used Silence against the enemies, while Jiang Xiao cast Blessing on himself and linked Light of Reversal to the Ancient Martial Soul.
• The Cainan shield warrior changed his Rose Flower Shield into a Lily Flower Shield, whose fragrance healed the poisoned contestants.
• Jiang Xiao charged with the shield warrior, killed an Ancient Martial Poison Bow, and gained a skill point as his Xia Family Blade Art improved.
• Han Jiangxue dragged the Ancient Martial Soul into Shattered Space, while Xia Yan and Liu Yang attacked the remaining Poison Bows, and the alliance celebrated its victory.
• Jiang Xiao thanked the Cainan shield warrior, who introduced himself as Bai Yipeng.

After the allied students defeated Ancient Martial Soul’s squad, Han Jiangxue gave the Cainan team the Star Pearls and proposed keeping the alliance stable through clear rules. The Jinmen team decided to accept this distribution for now, claim the next floor’s weapons, and then leave the alliance.

• The students collected the Star Pearls and rested together in Ancient Martial Soul’s former refuge.
• Han Jiangxue brought out Ancient Martial Soul’s corpse and said the squad’s Star Pearls belonged to the Cainan team under the existing rules.
• Xiong Chumo proposed distributing future rewards according to contribution, while Han Jiangxue argued that rules and the alliance’s safeguards mattered for everyone’s survival.
• Liu Yang and Cai Yao recognized that Jiangbin No. 1 High School’s strength and Han Jiangxue’s command had put the Jinmen team in a subordinate position.
• Cai Yao proposed giving this round’s Star Pearls to Cainan, claiming the next floor’s weapons for Jinmen, and then leaving the alliance; Liu Yang agreed.

After the allied teams defeated the Ancient Martial Soul and Ancient Martial Archer General guarding the Level 4 treasure chest, Cai Yao announced that Tianjin would leave the alliance and gave the others the Archer General's Star Pearl. Han Jiangxue watched them depart, understanding that they were determined either to rank near the top or be eliminated.

• The three teams battled through the Ancient Martial Army on Underground Level 4, earning 190 points each before finding the treasure chest room.
• The alliance narrowly defeated the squad led by Ancient Martial Soul and Ancient Martial Archer General.
• Cai Yao said Tianjin would leave the alliance and gave the Ancient Martial Archer General's Star Pearl to the others as a parting gift.
• Cai Yao winked at Jiang Xiao, and the Tianjin team left while the remaining eight watched them go.
• Han Jiangxue linked arms with Jiang Xiao and recognized that Tianjin would either lose members or rank near the top.

Jiang Xiao discovered that his Abundant Star Power skill had improved while he and his teammates rested on the fourth level of the Ancient Imperial Tomb. As the group struggled to find the passage down, Xiong Chumo’s returning Yellow-Green Parrot revealed it could speak and began calling Jiang Xiao “Big Brother” and Xiong Chumo “Mommy.”

• Jiang Xiao noticed that Abundant Star Power had reached Silver Quality Lv. 2 and wondered how the skill could be trained or further improved.
• Xia Yan told Jiang Xiao that she had hoped to reach the top eight, but the team was still lost on the fourth level and could not find the entrance below.
• Xiong Chumo’s Yellow-Green Parrot returned safely, then flew to Jiang Xiao and ate a piece of his biscuit.
• Xiong Chumo explained that the bird’s facing direction indicated the way to the next level.
• The Yellow-Green Parrot spoke, calling Jiang Xiao “Big Brother” and Xiong Chumo “Mommy,” and Jiang Xiao demanded that it call him “Daddy.”

Jiang Xiao and his team reached the fifth underground level of the Ancient Imperial Tomb and discovered eerie carvings depicting Ancient Martial Souls. After they passed a mysterious Cloaked Figure carving in a corridor, he revealed a bloody scene of a four-person team being killed by an Ancient Martial Soul, then followed them.

• Jiang Xiao and his companions found a carved stone door leading to the fifth underground level, where Guardian Legion soldiers warned them not to risk their lives for showmanship.
• The team saw that the Guardian Legion base was covered in portraits of Ancient Martial Souls and sent Xiong Chumo's Yellow-Green Parrot ahead to search for a treasure chest.
• The team heard hammering in a corridor and found a Cloaked Figure carving into the wall; the rhythm of his chisel and hammer made their hearts race, so they hurried past him.
• After the team left, the Cloaked Figure's wind revealed intricate carvings showing an Ancient Martial Soul killing a four-person human team with a Stone Chisel and Stone Hammer.
• The Cloaked Figure's wind destroyed the carvings, and he picked up his tools and followed the team.

Han Jiangxue's squad was ambushed in the Ancient Imperial Tomb, but after Jiang Xiao silenced the attackers, a strange soldier intervened despite their protests. The soldier charged them for a request for assistance and took their spoils, then warned Han Jiangxue not to question him.

• Han Jiangxue calmed the group with Jiang Xiao's Bell Chime and led them down the right-hand passage through the tomb maze.
• Ancient Martial archers ambushed the squad with ice and explosive fire arrows, and Jiang Xiao silenced them while Han Jiangxue counterattacked.
• Li Weiyi spotted a camouflaged soldier rushing toward the attackers, and Xia Yan repeatedly told him the group did not need help.
• The soldier defeated the Ancient Martial squad, but his intervention cost both teams a request for assistance and their battle spoils.
• Han Jiangxue accused the soldier of forcing assistance on them, and he warned her that she had no right to question his judgment.

After an unfamiliar rescue soldier interrupted the teams’ fight, Jiang Xiao appealed to the referee, and Han Jiangxue ordered everyone to move on without discussing the incident. The Yellow-Green Parrot led them onward, while a cloaked figure confronted a soldier at the fifth-floor hall.

• Jiang Xiao pulled Xia Yan back, appealed to the referee over the rescue soldier’s intervention, and agreed that the organizers should review the incident after the competition.
• Jiang Xiao mocked the unfamiliar soldier, then led his team away in the direction Li Weiyi indicated.
• Han Jiangxue ordered the team not to mention the incident again until the competition ended.
• The Yellow-Green Parrot imitated the sound of a treasure chest opening and pointed the team toward another route, which Han Jiangxue followed.
• At the fifth-floor hall, a cloaked figure ignored a camouflage-clad soldier’s order to leave, drew a Stone Hammer and Stone Chisel, and advanced as the soldier retreated.

Li Weiyi and his teammates were ambushed by Ancient Martial forces on the fifth underground level, then fled when a mysterious Cloaked Figure appeared. The Cloaked Figure killed the pursuing soldiers and another rescuer, leaving the team to escape as his stone-carved predictions continued to come true.

• Li Weiyi spotted an Ancient Martial Soul and an Ancient Martial Archer General guarding a bloody room with twenty-three soldiers.
• The Ancient Martial Archer General detected the team and fired Consecration Arrows, forcing Li Weiyi, Jiang Xiao, Han Jiangxue, and the others to retreat under fire.
• A mysterious figure emerged, and Han Jiangxue led the group away while the Ancient Martial Army pursued them through the corridor.
• The Cloaked Figure revealed that he had pinned a camouflaged soldier to the wall with a Stone Chisel and said the soldier had interfered with his competition.
• The Cloaked Figure blocked the corridor and caused the Ancient Martial soldiers’ joints to grow into bones, engulfing the rescuer fighting them.
• Jiang Xiao’s team escaped as the Cloaked Figure watched them go, and another scene carved on the wall began to unfold.

North River and Cainan’s teams joined forces to fight through the final day of the competition, then returned to Earth and verified their scores. Hai Tianqing told Jiang Xiao and the others that the organizers had promised them special consideration after reviewing his appeal.

• North River and Cainan’s teams slaughtered fifteen Ancient Martial squads during their final day underground, while Jiang Xiao gained a skill point and upgraded several Star Skills.
• After the seventy-two-hour limit expired, Jiang Xiao and Xiong Chumo exchanged Ancient Martial General Star Pearls for Archer General Star Pearls, and the Guardian Legion escorted both teams out.
• Back on Earth, the students verified their scores and returned to their hotel with Hai Tianqing, who assured them that the organizers had not rigged the competition.
• Hai Tianqing revealed that his appeal had been reviewed and that the organizers would give the teams special consideration, warning them to be careful about what they said.

After sleeping through most of the day, Jiang Xiao watched the National High School League standings and learned that Jiangbin No. 1 High School had reached the semifinals in eighth place. He celebrated the achievement and reflected on the Ancient Martial Archer General Star Pearls and the teams' scores.

• Jiang Xiao woke to a flood of messages, then turned on the television while Li Weiyi watched with him.
• Jiang Xiao considered how he might use the eleven Ancient Martial Archer General Star Pearls he had traded for, while weighing whether to spend his Star Slots on archery skills.
• The broadcast showed Nanyue Great Bay Middle School in first, Thirty-Second High School of Imperial Capital in second, and Hai Su Normal University High School in third.
• Jiang Xiao noticed gray points in several teams' scores and realized they likely came from stolen Star Pearls or weapons.
• Jiang Xiao saw that North River Jiangbin No. 1 High School had placed eighth and advanced to the semifinals, prompting him to celebrate the team's breakthrough.

After North River’s team reached the National Competition quarterfinals, Jiang Xiao celebrated their success while the team prepared for the next round. Han Jiangxue proposed climbing Mount Hua that night to look at the Milky Way, leaving the others stunned and excited.

• Jiang Xiao replied to congratulatory messages, celebrated his growing Weibo following, and posted a boastful update marking 263 days of liking Little Jiang Xue.
• Xia Yan and Han Jiangxue saw Jiang Xiao’s post, and Han Jiangxue smiled at his note while Xia Yan wondered how he had counted the days so precisely.
• Hai Tianqing took the team to lunch, where he told them that the Cloaked Figure had appeared briefly in footage from other teams and was officially described as military staff at the Ancient Imperial Tomb.
• Hai Tianqing reminded the team to focus on the quarterfinals, and Jiang Xiao asked whether their historic achievement would earn them Gold or Platinum Quality Star Pearls.
• Han Jiangxue said she wanted to climb Mount Hua that night to look at the Milky Way, astonishing and thrilling the others.

Han Jiangxue sought a secluded place on Mount Hua to break through to the Star River Stage, while Jiang Xiao and Hai Tianqing watched and discussed her talent and future support. As her breakthrough began beneath the stars, she reached toward the sky, poised to enter a new realm.

• Han Jiangxue led Jiang Xiao, Xia Yan, Li Weiyi, and Hai Tianqing up Mount Hua, then flew with Jiang Xiao to a remote peak for her breakthrough.
• Xia Yan complained about being left behind, while Hai Tianqing followed Han Jiangxue and Jiang Xiao, leaving Xia Yan and Li Weiyi together.
• Jiang Xiao asked Hai Tianqing about the Star River Stage and urged him to seek practical Star Pearls for Han Jiangxue.
• Han Jiangxue used Mother Gao's Star Pearl, and its power surged across the mountain as her breakthrough began.
• Han Jiangxue opened her eyes beneath the stars and raised her hand toward the sky.

Han Jiangxue advanced to the Star River Stage, revealing a major gap in strength between herself and the rest of the team. After watching the sunrise at Mount Hua, the team received Star Pearls and praise from Beijiang officials for their record-breaking performance.

• Han Jiangxue returned from her breakthrough, and her increased strength accidentally hurt Jiang Xiao when she hugged him.
• Hai Tianqing reassured Han Jiangxue that she would adjust to her new strength before the semifinals, while Jiang Xiao pretended he was fine.
• The team gathered on Mount Hua, absorbed Star Power through the night, and watched the sunrise together.
• Beijiang representatives arrived in Chang'an City to congratulate the team and give them Star Pearls for breaking a thirty-five-year record.
• The officials arranged interviews and other obligations for after the College Entrance Examination, while Jiang Xiao focused on the team's gifts.

The Beijiang team examined the Star Pearls awarded after Han Jiangxue’s Star Power breakthrough, with most of the rewards intended to strengthen her. Jiang Xiao considered the team’s new Star Skills and discovered Han Jiangxue had received lightning and fire Star Pearls, including several support skills.

• Hai Tianqing explained that Han Jiangxue received more Star Pearls because she had room to absorb eight more Star Skills and needed them to improve the team’s chances.
• Xia Yan received three Fallen Shadow Master Star Pearls containing summoning skills, while Li Weiyi received three Fallen Shadow Warrior Star Pearls with offensive and defensive abilities.
• Jiang Xiao received three Fallen Shadow Witch Star Pearls that Hai Tianqing had requested for Han Jiangxue, though Jiang Xiao had also used her as a pretext to secure them for himself.
• Jiang Xiao learned that Han Jiangxue’s rewards instead included three lightning-type and three fire-type Star Pearls, with the fire Pearls containing defensive, detection, and distancing support skills.