Chapter Summaries

Luo Jun entered the trial arena to rescue Golden Edge Witch, only to discover that the intended opponent had been replaced by an Advanced Demon Statue far beyond the weakened challengers’ abilities. With less than three days left before the time limit, Golden Edge Witch shared what she had learned as Luo Jun considered how to defeat it.

• Luo Jun recognized the masked woman as Golden Edge Witch and told her the guild had sent him to rescue her.
• Luo Jun dodged two powerful axe strikes from the golem, gained 620 experience points, and escaped the arena.
• Golden Edge Witch explained that an Advanced Demon Statue had replaced the intended Elementary Golem, making the trial effectively impossible for weakened challengers.
• Golden Edge Witch said she had survived by fleeing the golem and revealed that she was mutating from contamination with less than three days remaining.
• Golden Edge Witch described the statue’s speed, strength, vulnerable joints, and protected energy core, then told Luo Jun about her failed plan to cripple it.

Luo Jun used Golden Edge Witch’s advice to study the Advanced Demon Statue, but his attacks could not pierce its armor and a failed dodge cost him an arm. After midnight restored him, he resumed the challenge and was trapped near the arena’s center until the statue suddenly returned to standby, leaving him alive but the reason unclear.

• Golden Edge Witch told Luo Jun that the deadline was the morning of the day after tomorrow and described the Advanced Demon Statue’s attack patterns; Luo Jun said he had put the mutated Ling Shen out of his misery.
• Luo Jun repeatedly tested the statue’s attacks, dodging with his own skill or the dice, but his counterattacks failed to damage its armor.
• A Great Failure on Luo Jun’s final dice use cost him an arm, and Golden Edge Witch warned that defeating the statue—not merely avoiding it—was the real challenge.
• Luo Jun and Golden Edge Witch discussed perseverance and an orphan she knew; she angrily rebuked him when he speculated that the orphan might be secretly dark-hearted.
• At midnight, Luo Jun’s arm regenerated and his energy returned, so he resumed fighting the statue with a plan to build strength through dice rolls.
• A failed dodge let the statue’s kick fling Luo Jun toward the arena’s center, but after his next dodge succeeded and he injured his ankle, the statue abruptly stopped and returned to standby.

After the Golden Edge Witch saved Luo Jun from the golem, he leveled up and broke through the hundred-point thresholds in Agility and Perception. His enhanced perception revealed the golem’s Vital Energy pathways, and he began looking for a way to disrupt them.

• The Golden Edge Witch entered the arena and interrupted the trial, letting Luo Jun dodge the golem’s attack and earn 968 experience.
• Luo Jun drew seven Attribute Points, leveled up to 24, and endured the transformation as his Agility and Perception rose above 100.
• Luo Jun adapted to his enhanced senses, then returned to the arena to challenge the refreshed golem.
• Luo Jun saw the Vital Energy flowing through the golem and inferred that the glowing core in its chest was a clue to its vital point.
• Luo Jun used the golem’s Vital Energy flow to anticipate its attacks, then searched for a way to disrupt the energy circuit and spotted the top of its head.

Luo Jun broke off one of the Advanced Demon Statue’s horns and escaped its grab, then used the experience he gained to reach level 25. He chose to raise his Luck Level and returned to the Trial Grounds to keep practicing for the final trial.

• Luo Jun tripped the Advanced Demon Statue, then twisted off one of its horns after weakening it with repeated force.
• Luo Jun evaded the statue’s grab and gained experience, then left the arena when the statue reset and the horn vanished.
• Luo Jun entered the arena again, gained enough experience to reach level 25, and chose to draw a new skill.
• Luo Jun’s Luck Level increased to 7, and his attribute draw awarded ten points before the remaining attributes were distributed.
• Luo Jun planned to pass the final round before dawn the day after tomorrow and stepped back into the Trial Grounds to practice.

As the hundred-day limit approached, Luo Jun struggled to find a way to defeat the golem while the other hunters failed to clear the fourth floor. At midnight, his Mission System offered a last-minute mission, but the Golden Edge Witch had collapsed beside him.

• Lion King and the other hunters on the fourth floor failed to damage the Advanced Demon Statue, while Xuanyuan Wuji insisted on trying again.
• Luo Jun practiced using a Broken Horn to disrupt the fifth-floor golem’s Vital Energy circuits but failed to paralyze it.
• Luo Jun reached level twenty-six and waited for a mission prompt as the hundred-day deadline approached.
• At midnight, Luo Jun received and accepted a mission to clear the Outstanding Trial, gaining fifteen uses.
• Luo Jun turned to tell the Golden Edge Witch to wish them luck and saw that she had slumped over the chair, motionless.

Luo Jun battled the Advanced Demon Statue while Golden Edge Witch’s contamination worsened, eventually destroying the statue’s core and completing the fifth-floor trial. He was teleported to an altar room and approached an exquisite box that appeared to hold his clearance reward.

• Luo Jun found black spots and scales spreading across Golden Edge Witch’s neck and rushed to defeat the Advanced Demon Statue before her contamination worsened.
• Luo Jun repeatedly used the Mission System to attempt Paralyze Golem, eventually striking a Vital Energy node and knocking the statue down.
• Luo Jun used the statue’s Great Axe to break its chest armor and, after several failed attempts, destroyed its energy core.
• Luo Jun completed all trials and was promised the Power of Excellence and the Supreme God’s blessing.
• Luo Jun was teleported to an unfamiliar altar room and walked toward the exquisite box before the statue.

Luo Jun uncovered the Trial Grounds’ divine origins, gained a power that refined his Vital Energy, and received the Mythic Breath of Myth before the ruins collapsed. He emerged into a battle at the Huge Pit, rescued the Golden Edge Witch, and killed the White Hair Old Ape as he rode toward Lingyun City.

• Luo Jun studied murals depicting an ancient human civilization, its deity, and the creation of the Outstanding Trial Arena, then absorbed the power hidden in the statue.
• Luo Jun identified the sphere in the box as the Mythic Breath of Myth, learned that a supreme being had fallen, and suspected the monsters’ deity was behind the Firemane Ants and the Polluter.
• Luo Jun escaped the collapsing Trial Grounds and appeared at the bottom of the Huge Pit, where hunters and Clan Troops were fighting Four-Armed Blood Apes.
• Luo Jun killed the charging Dark Hair Giant Ape with one slash and agreed to carry the gravely polluted Golden Edge Witch back to Lingyun City.
• Luo Jun blocked a stone pellet from the White Hair Old Ape, cut through the Blood Apes, killed the fleeing ape, and rode south with its head.

After completing the trial, Luo Jun returned to Lingyun City with the Golden Edge Witch and reported the cave’s secrets to Ling Yi. He negotiated for rewards and asked the guild to provide materials to forge his River-Sinking Stone Hammer and to give him the River-Sinking Stone Sword.

• Luo Jun completed the Outstanding Trial, earned 1,140 chips, and gained 2,150 experience points.
• Luo Jun reached Lingyun City and handed the severely contaminated Golden Edge Witch to Ling Hui for treatment.
• Luo Jun told Ling Yi that Ling Shen had mutated and died, then passed on Ling Shen’s final words.
• Ling Yi offered Luo Jun rewards for rescuing an imperial family member and exploring the cave, and Luo Jun revealed that the cave contained a Trial Grounds.
• Luo Jun told Ling Yi that he alone had cleared all five trial layers and requested guild-funded materials to forge his River-Sinking Stone Hammer into a Legendary-grade Treasure Tool.
• Luo Jun also asked Ling Yi for the River-Sinking Stone Sword that Ling Yao had mentioned.

Luo Jun negotiated with Ling Yi over intelligence about the Polluter who attacked Lingyun City and accepted an Epic Treasure Item as his Guild reward. After leaving the Guild to eat, he ran into Han Xiaoying and Dong Huicheng's team, whom he had rescued earlier.

• Luo Jun offered information about the Polluter who attacked Lingyun City in exchange for a Legendary Treasure Item, but Ling Yi said he could not promise one without consulting the elders.
• Luo Jun agreed to give the Ling Family three months to respond and said he would contact Ling Kai before the end of the year.
• Ling Yi had Huai An deliver Luo Jun's promised reward, and Luo Jun chose the Epic Tomb King's Ash Urn over a motorcycle.
• Luo Jun handed the White Hair Old Ape's head to the Guild, deposited his money, and left to eat at a small restaurant.
• Han Xiaoying recognized Luo Jun, and Dong Huicheng's team gathered around his table while Deng Yuanlong offered to pay for their meal.

Luo Jun heard that the Heavenly Origin Tournament might resume next year and considered whether he could participate, then tested the Ashen Urn’s undead army against his Elemental Constructs. The undead were defeated, and Luo Jun headed back to Lingyun City after studying the battle.

• Dong Huicheng introduced Wu Jian to Luo Jun and celebrated his team’s recent success after Dong Huicheng’s promotion to Elite level.
• Han Xiaoying and Xu Hao told Luo Jun that the Heavenly Origin Tournament might return next year, and Dong Huicheng encouraged him to register.
• Luo Jun returned home and focused on cultivating, hoping to advance his Vital Energy before school started.
• Luo Jun tested the Ashen Urn’s undead army against his Elemental Constructs in a canyon, where the constructs destroyed most of the undead and defeated the Tomb King and Legion Commanders.
• Luo Jun assessed the undead army’s strength, stored the Ashen Urn and Elemental Construct Box, and headed toward Lingyun City.

Luo Jun broke through to the sixth layer of the Body Refinement Realm and realized the Power of Excellence had made his cultivation smoother. Ling Kai then told him that Ling Xin had agreed to give up her chance to use the Divine Smithing Furnace for him.

• After repeated failures, Luo Jun successfully broke through to the sixth layer and reached Level 28.
• Luo Jun found that one circulation of Vital Energy completed the body tempering and wondered whether the Power of Excellence had enabled the smoother breakthrough.
• Luo Jun tested his strength by lifting the 1.8-ton River-Sinking Stone Hammer, then reminded himself to stay cautious after recalling the murals of deities.
• Ling Kai visited Luo Jun late at night and said Ling Xin had agreed to give up her Divine Smithing Furnace opportunity and offer her weapon-forging materials.
• Luo Jun learned that Ling Xin was the Golden Edge Witch's real name and that she was the youngest member of the imperial family.

Luo Jun learned that Ling Xin was the Golden Edge Witch and discovered her exceptional standing in the Ling Family. At a guild meeting, Ling Xin offered her forging opportunity and materials for his hammer, and Luo Jun negotiated for additional supplies and a returning effect before agreeing to leave the hammer blank with the guild.

• Ling Kai told Luo Jun about the Ling Family's Clan Reserve Class and revealed that Ling Xin had become an imperial clan member at fifteen, while her brother Ling Yao had set a faster record.
• Ling Kai explained that Ling Xin's father, Ling Jue, had been killed by an Apostle, and Luo Jun realized Ling Xin was the Golden Edge Witch.
• Ling Kai informed Luo Jun that the guild would meet him to discuss borrowing the Divine Smithing Furnace, and Luo Jun arrived the next morning.
• Ling Yi offered Ling Xin's forging materials and her chance to use the furnace, while Ling Kai and Mister Ou Ye helped Luo Jun request additional materials, including the Dark Hair Giant Ape's spine.
• Luo Jun asked for a hammer that could return after being thrown, and the guild agreed to submit a materials request and complete the forging after he left the hammer blank with them.

Luo Jun received thanks and recruitment offers from people he had saved, while the Ling Family arranged to provide materials for his weapon. Before Luo Jun returned to school, Xuanyuan Wuji brought him another promise token, and Luo Jun revealed that he had a task for him.

• Ling Kai helped negotiate the Ling Family's deal with Luo Jun, and Ling Xin privately considered why Night wanted the hammer forged.
• The Frost Moon Troupe and Lion Mane Troupe visited to thank Luo Jun and recruit him, but he declined because he was leaving for school in Ningdong.
• Father Qin gave Luo Jun a coin carrying his contact information to repay him for saving his life.
• Lu Kui brought a giant crayfish and cooked a meal with Luo Jun in the yard.
• Xuanyuan Wuji gave Luo Jun a pendant promising five tasks, and Luo Jun said he had something simple for Xuanyuan Wuji to do.

After checking out of the Five Star Hotel, Luo Jun read the latest forum debate about Night, whose rescue of the Ling Family’s Clan Troops had convinced many that he was a Peak Expert. The speculation increasingly focused on Night using his mask to disguise his appearance, and the search ended with attention turning to one unidentified big shot.

• Luo Jun checked out and told the boss lady he planned to return during winter break, while Ya Ya asked him to investigate Night’s identity among academy students.
• Luo Jun gave Ya Ya snacks before leaving and read forum reports that Night had saved the Clan Troops after Champion-level troupes failed to resolve the underground ruin crisis.
• Forum users concluded that Night was likely a Peak Expert and ruled out most candidates, including Ling Yao, who was exploring the Wilderness.
• Shapeshifting experts argued that Night could not maintain an unfamiliar human appearance for so long, but forum users suggested his mask might alter his face.
• After examining Night’s activities in Zhendan and eliminating possible identities, the forum users focused on one big shot.

After returning to Donghai City, Luo Jun used Xuanyuan Wuji to convert his Wildlands earnings into cash without exposing his identity. With the money safely deposited, he prepared to head to Ningdong and begin college.

• Luo Jun returned to Donghai City while forum users argued over whether Night was Chen Chi Xiong and whether Night might be more than one person.
• Luo Jun tried to call Master but found his phone switched off, then changed clothes and went to Central Square wearing the Midnight Mask.
• Xuanyuan Wuji met Luo Jun and handed him two suitcases of cash, while insisting he still owed Luo Jun seven favors.
• Luo Jun took precautions to avoid being followed and deposited the five million in cash into his bank account.
• Luo Jun looked at his new balance and set off for Ningdong to begin college.

Luo Jun returned from Lingyun Island to register at Ningdong Explorer Academy, but discovered that the academy had no record of his admission. After sneaking onto the grounds and fighting off guards, he convinced examiner Zheng Hu that he had passed and agreed to cooperate with an investigation.

• Luo Jun arrived at Ningdong Explorer Academy and learned that the gate terminal and office had no record of him.
• Luo Jun climbed over the fence and hurried up the mountain after the gatekeeper refused to let him enter.
• Luo Jun knocked out the first security guards who tried to stop him.
• Luo Jun recognized Zheng Hu and explained that he had passed the entrance exam, citing his performance during Subject Three.
• Zheng Hu gave Luo Jun rare-quality handcuffs, and Luo Jun put them on before the guards searched him and escorted him into the academy.

Luo Jun was held in the academy’s Confinement Room while Song Yi investigated why his student registration had vanished. Their discussion suggested that an academy teacher might be the hidden Master behind Han Yuri’s attack, leaving Luo Jun caught up in the search for a mole.

• Luo Jun waited in the Confinement Room, pretending to be anxious while his Hundred Treasure Box remained sealed.
• Song Yi visited Luo Jun and explained that the dean would convene a teachers’ meeting to investigate his case and the deletion of his registration.
• Song Yi ruled out Luo Jun’s delayed-enrollment application as the cause and said someone inside the academy had deliberately erased his records.
• Luo Jun asked about Han Yuri’s interrogation, and Song Yi described how Han Yuri’s concealed Master had helped release Wu Youde before fleeing the Yuan Cultivation Society’s investigation.
• Luo Jun reasoned that Han Yuri’s Master was likely an academy insider, and Song Yi encouraged him to help expose the suspected mole.

Luo Jun prepared to appeal the deletion of his student record, suspecting the dean had used the incident to launch an internal investigation. At the meeting, Su Manchen presented his case to the academy’s instructors and identified him as the standout student from the entrance examination.

• Song Yi reassured Luo Jun that the academy would investigate the unfair treatment and compensate him.
• Luo Jun considered the academy his best route to exploring other worlds and waited in the Confinement Room for the meeting.
• The academy’s professors and senior lecturers gathered and found Luo Jun handcuffed at the front of the conference room.
• Su Manchen announced that a student’s records had been deliberately erased and said the academy would investigate.
• Su Manchen pointed to Luo Jun and described how he had defeated an Advanced Puppet and counter-killed Wu Youde, prompting the instructors to recognize him.

Luo Jun helped the academy direct its investigation toward the person behind Wu Youde’s escape, while the dean admitted he had deleted Luo Jun’s student records to test him and expose the mole. The academy cleared Luo Jun with a light warning and generous compensation, and Song Yi privately gave him the dean’s Class A Merit Certificate.

• Luo Jun argued that Wu Youde was the only person with a motive to delete his student records, prompting the teachers to suspect that Wu Youde’s hidden ally might be at the academy.
• Teacher Xu connected Wu Youde’s escape to Han Yuri and suggested that someone had directed the inexperienced examinee from behind the scenes.
• The dean announced a thorough investigation of the academy, and the meeting gave Luo Jun an internal warning that would be revoked after a violation-free month, waived his tuition and fees, secured him maximum student aid, and guaranteed him an Otherworld Internship spot.
• Zheng Hu removed Luo Jun’s Shackles and arranged for him to check into the dormitory after the meeting ended.
• Song Yi gave Luo Jun a Class A Merit Certificate from the dean and revealed that the dean had deleted Luo Jun’s records partly to test him and draw out the academy’s mole.

Luo Jun moved into the academy dormitory and learned that Old Yuan had asked the dean to protect him, while Song Yi assured him his student registration would soon be restored. On Lingyun Island, Ling Xin’s contamination resisted purification, and just as Ling Ao ordered her kept there to focus on cultivation, the family learned she had disappeared.

• Song Yi told Luo Jun that Old Yuan had asked the dean to look after him and that his student registration would be restored within a few days.
• Song Yi exchanged contact information with Luo Jun and helped him settle into his dormitory.
• Luo Jun reflected on his progress and looked forward to reaching the seventh level of the Body Refinement Realm.
• Ling Family elders tried to purify Ling Xin, but her bodily mutations resisted their efforts even though the signs of contamination in her mind had vanished.
• The Old Woman told Ling Ao that Ling Xin might have fused with the contamination and could potentially overcome it by reaching the Ascension Realm.
• Ling Ao decided to keep Ling Xin on Lingyun Island and have her focus on cultivation, but a servant rushed in to report that she had disappeared.