Chapter Summaries

After Xiong Jianyi’s death, Chen Chuan completed his bureau mission, chose Teacher Zheng as his saber instructor, and returned to train. The Gong family discovered that the thing they had smuggled into Central City was missing, while Chen Chuan sensed something foreign inside the Snow Monarch Blade.

• Gong Zhanyi learned that Zuo San had shot Xiong Jianyi and ordered the steward to compensate the Handling Bureau to end its scrutiny of the family.
• Ni Qianqian learned that Chen Chuan had taken powerful drugs during the mission and praised his performance, while the bureau warned her that the drugs might harm him later.
• Chen Chuan confirmed the mission completion, chose Teacher Zheng as his saber instructor, and accepted an address for further cultivation guidance from Ni Qianqian.
• Gong Zhanyi discovered that the thing carried by Xiong Jianyi had disappeared and ordered an investigation into Wei Wusheng of the Heaven's Wrath Gang.
• Chen Chuan activated Teacher Zheng’s teaching simulation and sensed that the Snow Monarch Blade contained something foreign that had appeared when Xiong Jianyi died.

Chen Chuan drew a strange white mist from the Snow Monarch Blade, which appeared to have absorbed it from Xiong Jianyi and grown stronger. He then met Cao Guiqi, the Handling Bureau’s recommended guide to the third limit, while An Cheng and another recruit agreed to compete for opportunities and push Chen Chuan aside.

• Chen Chuan finished Teacher Zheng’s simulated lesson and concluded that combat had strengthened the resonance with his Second Self.
• In a deserted area, Chen Chuan drew shimmering white threads from the Snow Monarch Blade; the blade absorbed them again, and he suspected the substance was tied to Xiong Jianyi and the Gong Clan.
• Chen Chuan decided to visit the teacher Ni Qianqian had recommended and traveled to Mo Tie Mountain.
• An Cheng told another Handling Bureau recruit that Chen Chuan was a competitor, and they agreed to share information and seize opportunities before he could.
• Chen Chuan met Cao Guiqi, who explained that he had agreed to help Chen Chuan reach the third limit because he owed the Handling Bureau a favor.

Chen Chuan received Cao Guiqi’s support to pursue the third limit and went to the Sea Realm Field for Radiant Light exposure. As the painful session continued, Chen Chuan used his Second Self to take on the pain and showed no sign of leaving.

• Cao Guiqi explained that the Handling Bureau could provide Chen Chuan with monthly Radiant Light exposure and Treasure Paste, and offered him a session from Cao Guiqi’s own slot.
• Chen Chuan agreed to go immediately, and he and Cao Guiqi traveled to the heavily guarded Sea Realm Field.
• Chen Chuan refused an injection to block the pain and followed the staff down to an underwater chamber for his session.
• The Radiant Light began to sting and itch Chen Chuan’s body as his mutated tissue stirred, so he transferred the pain and damage to his Second Self.
• After fifteen minutes passed without Chen Chuan asking to leave, the medical staff watched in surprise, though they doubted he could endure the worsening sensations.

Chen Chuan endured his first Radiant Light exposure and learned how to earn more chances for enhancement through the Handling Bureau. On the way back, he was dispatched to respond to an attack near Tao Nest Market and ran toward the scene armed with Cao Guiqi’s pistol and his Snow Monarch Blade.

• Chen Chuan practiced the Righteous Unrestrained Hands during Radiant Light exposure, improving his absorption, and emerged after the hour clear-headed.
• Cao Guiqi offered to transfer his remaining Treasure Paste allotments to Chen Chuan and advised him to earn additional exposure opportunities through strong Handling Bureau evaluations.
• Chen Chuan spotted an explosion near Tao Nest Market and received temporary enforcement authority to respond to the attack.
• Cao Guiqi gave Chen Chuan a Thunderclap pistol, and Chen Chuan left the car to pursue the attackers.
• The Handling Bureau reported four attackers, including two Second Limit Fighters, who were confronting City Patrol Team members at the scene.

Chen Chuan stormed a secondhand market and killed the attackers who had trapped the City Patrol Team, then learned they were part of a larger operation. Back at the academy, he received compensation from the Gong Clan, a Handling Bureau uniform, and upgraded equipment, and considered using the money for a Radiant Light exposure session.

• Chen Chuan arrived at the Tao Nest Market, where armed attackers had pinned down the City Patrol Team, and entered the building alone.
• Chen Chuan killed the attackers and found that the store’s customers and owner had also been killed, while the goods remained untouched.
• Chen Chuan reported the scene to the Handling Bureau, and Ni Qianqian told him other accomplices were being handled and that the attackers had planned a larger operation.
• Ni Qianqian told Chen Chuan the Gong Clan had paid him compensation for its security force firing on him, and that the bureau had sent him equipment at the academy.
• Chen Chuan returned to his dormitory, opened the package containing a Handling Bureau uniform and upgraded World Token, and found ten thousand in his account.

Chen Chuan applied for an academy irradiation session, reviewed footage of the Tao Nest Market bombing, and accepted Tan Zhi’s invitation to a cruise. He began blade training with Teacher Zheng and, after quickly mastering defensive techniques, was paired with Zheng Tongtong for sparring.

• Chen Chuan applied for an irradiation session, learned that the month’s quotas were full, and was charged three thousand yuan to join next month’s queue.
• Chen Chuan watched fringe-news footage of the Tao Nest Market bombing and saw commenters debate his fighting ability and identity.
• Tan Zhi invited Chen Chuan on a one-day cruise, and Chen Chuan agreed to go.
• Chen Chuan visited Teacher Zheng and learned that his blade technique was outclassed despite his solid foundation.
• Chen Chuan mastered Teacher Zheng’s defensive instruction, so Teacher Zheng brought in Zheng Tongtong to spar with him.

Chen Chuan trained with Zheng Tongtong under Teacher Zheng, learning to redirect and dissipate the force of her blade attacks. After a morning of increasingly difficult sparring and a meal of nourishing meat, he prepared to discover his own force in the afternoon.

• Teacher Zheng told Chen Chuan to stand his ground and practice parrying as Zheng Tongtong tested him with a saber strike.
• Chen Chuan adjusted his technique and learned to unload force as Zheng Tongtong delivered more than a thousand consecutive chops.
• Zheng Tongtong varied her attacks and combinations, helping Chen Chuan improve his defenses until Teacher Zheng ended the morning session.
• Teacher Zheng praised Chen Chuan’s foundation and said the afternoon training would focus on force.
• Teacher Zheng and Chen Chuan joined Zheng Tongtong for grilled High Cliff Sheep, which Chen Chuan ate to replenish his strength.
• Teacher Zheng told Chen Chuan to discover the force unique to himself during the afternoon training.

Chen Chuan trained with Zheng Tongtong to handle heavy and fast blades, then joined Tan Zhi for a cruise aboard the Rhino Horn. As they reached the port, Chen Chuan suspected Tan Zhi had not revealed the full reason for the trip’s safety precautions.

• Chen Chuan adapted to Zheng Tongtong’s heavy-blade strikes and then trained to keep pace with her fast, lightweight blade.
• The Handling Bureau sent Chen Chuan a report explaining that indebted mercenaries had attacked a secondhand market, with one squad leader still at large.
• After several days of training, Teacher Zheng gave Chen Chuan a rest day before beginning the next stage.
• Chen Chuan packed his weapons and met Tan Zhi, who drove him to the port for their cruise.
• Tan Zhi warned that the Resistance Organization had infiltrated the Lower District and pointed out the cruise ship Rhino Horn.

Chen Chuan boarded the Rhino Horn Cruise with Tan Zhi and learned that two third-limit fighters were scheduled to fight there the next day. After settling in and meeting Wuyi Academy students Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin, Chen Chuan was invited to spar after dinner.

• Tan Zhi told Chen Chuan about the cruise’s upcoming third-limit match between a Wilderness School fighter and a corporate fighter.
• Chen Chuan noticed that the Gong Clan’s True Treasure remained at Jiyang Port while the Gong Clan continued negotiations with Yuan An Company.
• Chen Chuan and Tan Zhi took a speedboat to the Rhino Horn Cruise, passed its security checks, and went to their cabins.
• Chen Chuan and Tan Zhi headed to the restaurant and ordered food while Tan Zhi contacted Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin.
• Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin joined them, and Pan Xiaode invited Chen Chuan to spar after they ate.

Chen Chuan and his companions left a promotional arena match and were shown a strange creature prepared for the next day’s fight. Meanwhile, Gong Zhanyi searched for Wei Wusheng and the item he carried, and Senior Sun kept a second exhibit secret.

• Chen Chuan, Pan Xiaode, Qi Huixin, and Tan Zhi watched a match featuring a Fighter with a Combat Implant Body, then left when they realized it was mainly a product demonstration.
• Gong Zhanyi ordered his steward to find Wei Wusheng and retrieve an item before the Rhino Horn set sail.
• Senior Sun greeted Tan Zhi and led the four companions to an exhibition hall inside the ship.
• Senior Sun revealed a Crimson Sea Worm that Canglong Company had provided for the next day’s fight, and Chen Chuan sensed that it made his second self slightly insubstantial.
• Pan Xiaode asked about a second covered exhibit, but Senior Sun refused to reveal what it was.

Chen Chuan and his companions toured the Canglong Company’s exhibition hall and enjoyed the cruise ship’s activities before gathering to watch a public underwater match between a Wilderness School Fighter and an implant Fighter. The fight began as Chen Chuan studied the two combatants and the arena’s shifting currents.

• Senior Sun showed Chen Chuan, Pan Xiaode, Qi Hui Xin, and Tan Zhi the exhibition hall, then gave Blue Jade Cards to Chen Chuan, Pan Xiaode, and Qi Hui Xin.
• Tan Zhi took the group to a band performance, and the next day they enjoyed waterboarding and a team fish-chasing event.
• Chen Chuan and his companions returned to the Fighting Deck for the match, where Gong Zhanyi waited anxiously for someone he believed was present.
• A Wilderness School Fighter and an implant Fighter entered the aquarium arena as spectators debated the match’s significance.
• The aquarium filled with water, openings formed in its floor to create unpredictable currents, and the drumbeat announced the start of the fight.

Gao Qiu and Lu Shiqi’s brutal duel was interrupted when Wei Wusheng smashed the aquarium and flooded the arena. With the arena sealed and Many Eyes’ biological field spreading, Wei Wusheng challenged the fighters to continue fighting, declaring that only one person would leave standing.

• Gao Qiu and Lu Shiqi exchanged devastating attacks underwater, each sustaining severe injuries as their duel escalated.
• The arena floor opened and a vortex disrupted the fight, while a huge creature’s sudden appearance gave Lu Shiqi a chance to evade Gao Qiu’s attack.
• Wei Wusheng arrived, passed the security guards, and smashed the aquarium wall with his hammer, unleashing the water into the arena.
• Senior Sun ordered the arena sealed and the spectators’ World Tokens disabled after the breach caused Many Eyes’ biological field to spread.
• Gao Qiu and Lu Shiqi introduced themselves, but Wei Wusheng insisted the fight continue and threatened that only one person would walk out standing.

Wei Wusheng forced the Fighters on the Fighting Deck into a deadly confrontation while a toxin drove the crowd into a frenzy. After defeating Gao Qiu and Lu Shiqi, he faced a blade-carrying figure who approached him.

• Wei Wusheng revealed that he had taken what Xiong Jianyi gave him and declared that he intended to kill everyone present, then gave Gao Qiu and Lu Shiqi five minutes to prepare.
• Senior Sun arranged for the company to blame the chaos on a modified Crimson Sea Worm and sent injected security teams toward the Fighting Deck.
• A manic toxin drove the Fighters into a brawl, and Chen Chuan knocked out Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin while Tan Zhi knocked himself unconscious.
• Wei Wusheng attacked Gao Qiu and Lu Shiqi, slammed Gao Qiu into the platform, and struck Lu Shiqi hard enough to end his ability to fight.
• Wei Wusheng caught a pebble thrown at him and turned to face a figure carrying a blade.

Chen Chuan fought Wei Wusheng aboard the cruise ship and drove him off before security personnel could stop him. Wei Wusheng survived, and his heart's desire continued to demand that he kill Fighters, leaving him intent on hunting those he had seen.

• Wei Wusheng explained that his heart's desire required him to kill Fighters, and Chen Chuan challenged him to a fight.
• Chen Chuan endured Wei Wusheng's attacks, used a force-dissipating technique to withstand Slamming Earth Force, and wounded him with the Snow Monarch Blade.
• Security personnel arrived, and Wei Wusheng escaped their gunfire; Chen Chuan shot him with Thunderclap but did not stop him.
• Senior Sun confirmed that Chen Chuan had stopped Wei Wusheng and promised him compensation after learning the injured Third Limit Fighters were alive.
• Wei Wusheng emerged from the water healed, heard that he had not satisfied his heart's desire, and vowed to kill more Fighters, including those he had seen aboard the ship.

After Wei Wusheng’s attack left casualties aboard the Rhino Horn Cruise, Senior Sun compensated Chen Chuan for his help and investigated the incident’s connection to Canglong’s Many Eyes project. Chen Chuan’s classmates recovered with no memories of the toxin-fueled fight, while Canglong prepared to continue the project and commercialize its applications.

• The medical team reported nine dead and seventeen seriously injured, including Gong Zhanyi, while Senior Sun ordered an investigation into Wei Wusheng and possible inside assistance.
• Senior Sun explained the Crimson Sea Worm toxin to Chen Chuan and offered him three extra monthly hours of Radiant Light irradiation as compensation; Chen Chuan accepted and added Sun Zhiming as a contact.
• Chen Chuan told Senior Sun that Wei Wusheng had spoken of fulfilling his Heart’s Desire, and Senior Sun treated the information as significant.
• Ni Qianqian told Chen Chuan that the Handling Bureau would investigate Wei Wusheng’s attack and asked him to submit a report; Chen Chuan agreed and sent one after returning to his cabin.
• Pan Xiaode, Tan Zhi, and Qi Huixin woke in the infirmary without remembering the toxin-induced fighting, then returned to their cabins with Chen Chuan.
• Senior Sun learned that Many Eyes remained stable, authorized its continued development, and planned to propose market businesses based on the project.

After leaving the Rhino Horn Cruise, Chen Chuan completed a demanding defense-training regimen with Teacher Zheng and improved his ability to handle changing blade forces. The Handling Bureau scheduled his Radiant Light irradiation, and Canglong Company granted him three additional hours of monthly quota.

• Gao Qiu thanked Chen Chuan for saving his life and gave him a fang pendant as an invitation to the Wilderness School.
• Lu Shiqi thanked Chen Chuan on behalf of the Wan Sheng Consortium and gave him a gold card.
• Chen Chuan returned from the cruise, declined Pan Xiaode's request to spar, and went to Teacher Zheng's residence for training.
• Teacher Zheng and Zheng Tongtong trained Chen Chuan to defend against alternating light and heavy blades, changing rhythms, and shifting forces until Teacher Zheng ended the month's lessons.
• The Handling Bureau offered Chen Chuan a choice of time for Radiant Light irradiation, and he scheduled it for the next day.
• Yin Fang informed Chen Chuan that Canglong Company had granted him an extra three hours of monthly Radiant Light quota and mailed the documents.

Chen Chuan arranged to combine his irradiation allotments and completed a four-hour Radiant Light session at the Sea Realm Field. Afterward, he returned to his dormitory and found his mutated tissue improving, while a private exchange between Wu Yi Academy students and Xiao Jing’s group was planned.

• Chen Chuan arranged a combined irradiation booking with Yin Fang and learned his monthly authorization lasted twelve months.
• Cao Guiqi gave Chen Chuan two portions of Treasure Paste and explained that he should wait until his foundation was strong before attempting the third limit.
• Chen Chuan traveled to the Sea Realm Field, took oral protective medicine, and underwent four hours of irradiation.
• Chen Chuan met Xiao Jing and her brother as they left the facility, declined their offer of a ride, and learned they might attend a private exchange with Wu Yi Academy students.
• Chen Chuan returned to his dormitory and found that his mutated tissue continued to improve after the irradiation.

Chen Chuan trained in heavy-blade offense under Teacher Zheng and forced Zheng Tongtong to give ground, passing the stage and preparing for light-blade training. Later, Ni Qianqian brought him to meet Cheng Shang, who invited him to join an exchange tournament between traditional martial lineages and Wu Yi Academy students; Chen Chuan agreed.

• Teacher Zheng taught Chen Chuan offensive force techniques and had him attack Zheng Tongtong with a heavy blade.
• Chen Chuan spent seven days improving his attacks, eventually making Zheng Tongtong take half a step back and passing the training stage.
• Teacher Zheng planned for Chen Chuan to train with light blades and then dual blades before beginning actual combat training.
• Chen Chuan received Gao Ming's telegram saying he had nearly completed his arrangements and expected to travel to Central City near the end of March.
• Ni Qianqian warned Chen Chuan that a fugitive attacker had escaped through Moss Gang channels into the Lower District, then took him to meet Cheng Shang.
• Cheng Shang invited Chen Chuan to participate in an internal sparring exchange between traditional lineages and Wu Yi Academy students, and Chen Chuan accepted.

Chen Chuan agreed to take part in an exchange tournament and learned that Cheng Shang believed his experience in life-and-death battles could give him an edge over the younger fighters. Back at his dormitory, Chen Chuan used Treasure Paste to strengthen his mutated tissue and continued training with Teacher Zheng, who began teaching him a new lesson in offense and defense.

• Chen Chuan agreed to join the exchange tournament, and Ni Qianqian said she would pick him up on the next rest day.
• Cheng Shang urged Chen Chuan to fight seriously and reach the third limit, then told a middle-aged man that Chen Chuan's life-and-death battles set him apart from Liu Yin and the others.
• Chen Chuan used Treasure Paste and practiced Righteous Unrestrained Hands and his Snow Monarch Blade techniques to stimulate and strengthen his body.
• Chen Chuan considered combining Treasure Paste with Radiant Light irradiation and decided to pursue another portion through internal competition.
• Chen Chuan trained with Zheng Tongtong using the Light Blade and then two blades, succeeding after several days at forcing her back.
• On the ninth day, Teacher Zheng stepped onto the training floor and told Chen Chuan to attack him with everything he had so he could learn a new lesson about offense and defense.

Chen Chuan learned from Teacher Zheng how precise defense could turn an opponent’s attack against them, then attended an exchange tournament at a private fighting arena. He defeated Han Kuang with an unexpected Wrestling Embrace technique and chose to continue fighting.

• Teacher Zheng redirected Chen Chuan’s blade and explained how sound fundamentals and positioning could make defense function as offense.
• At the exchange tournament, young disciples discussed Chen Chuan’s background and doubted reports that he had defeated a Third Limit Fighter.
• Ni Qianqian brought Chen Chuan into the venue, where Han Kuang volunteered to fight him first.
• Han Kuang’s opening attack and Small Return Force Method failed to move Chen Chuan, who used the Zhou Yuan Force Method to throw him onto the floor.
• Chen Chuan declined a rest and agreed to continue the exchange tournament.