Recaps

Zhang Guangmu advanced Imperial Body Forging Technique to level 20, gaining extraordinary memory and sharper judgment. Meanwhile, Emperor Li Xuanji’s generous incentives and promise of government posts drew people across the Empire into Subconscious Films, ushering in a mass frenzy ahead of The Path of the Great Emperor.

• Zhang Guangmu used the Book of Acting to interpret a review about negotiating with Li Xuanji, then added its ability point to Imperial Body Forging Technique.
• Zhang Guangmu reached Imperial Body Forging Technique 20 and found that his physique, memory, judgment, and composure had greatly improved.
• Zhang Guangmu read the Subconscious General Bureau’s report and learned that this year’s participants in The Path of the Great Emperor would receive ten times the usual pay.
• Zhang Guangmu and Mooncake decided to enter The Path of the Great Emperor after learning that Li Xuanji would compete in person.
• Li Xuanji promised that high-performing Subconscious Actors could enter the imperial court as officials, with the best potentially governing a commandery.
• People from across the Empire rushed into the Subconscious Film Industry to qualify for the competition, beginning the Deep Dive Era.

On his eighteenth birthday, Zhang Guangmu celebrated with the Endless warship crew as Cao Guan arrived after being pardoned and released from prison. The gathering ended with news that Zhang Guangmu had risen to thirty-sixth on the Fantasy Dragon General Ranking, leaving Cao Guan stunned by how much had changed while he was imprisoned.

• Zhang Guangmu reflected that this year's Seven Stars had extraordinary fortune and that his Bright Moon title would guarantee him a supernatural talent in May's The Path of the Great Emperor.
• At Zhang Guangmu's birthday gathering, Luo Zhuan drank and felt relieved that his captain had turned eighteen, easing his anxiety about the Endless warship's future.
• Cao Guan arrived with a roast-meat birthday cake and revealed that he had been pardoned and released that morning along with other Directors.
• Cao Guan joined the Endless warship's celebration, met Jiang Ling, and toasted her as a genius after learning she was a new member.
• Tang Lanshan announced that Zhang Guangmu had climbed to thirty-sixth on the Fantasy Dragon General Ranking, leaving Cao Guan shocked by the ranking and wondering how long he had been in prison.

Zhang Guangmu celebrated his birthday with his companions, received a flood of generous red packets, and reflected on his rising ranking and connections. As Spring Festival approached, the final Seven Stars list and the identities of the seven Children of Destiny remained uncertain.

• Zhang Guangmu saw that his Fantasy Dragon General Ranking had risen from eighty-eighth to thirty-sixth place, bringing the ten-thousand-Dragon-Shield milestone reward closer.
• Zhang Guangmu asked Cao Guan about Director Qian, and Cao Guan explained that Qian Yiyuan had refused the pardon so he could keep writing and directing from prison.
• Zhang Guangmu returned home with Mooncake and received birthday red packets from friends and colleagues, totaling more than nine hundred Dragon Shields.
• Zhang Guangmu noted that Ling Xu had held onto the provisional Seven Stars list with help from his good deed in The Birth of a Thespian and support from fans.
• Zhang Guangmu checked the calendar and saw that Spring Festival was approaching, when the seven Children of Destiny would be revealed.

Zhang Guangmu learned that Yang Chi had deliberately disfigured himself and taken an unorthodox path after being haunted by his defeat and by Zhang Guangmu’s rise. They agreed they would welcome working together again, and the story moved to the Spring Festival, when the year’s Seven Stars list was finalized.

• Zhang Guangmu searched for Yang Chi after receiving his 30 Dragon Shields red envelope and found that Yang Chi had disfigured himself.
• Yang Chi told Zhang Guangmu that he had burned his face and broken his nose to keep his promise to teach Zhang Guangmu a lesson, and that he had chosen an unorthodox path.
• Yang Chi explained that his defeat and later inability to compete with Zhang Guangmu had driven him to dwell on how their past encounters might have gone differently.
• Zhang Guangmu reassured Yang Chi, and Yang Chi said he was extremely willing to collaborate with him again; Zhang Guangmu replied that he was looking forward to it.
• On February 23, the Spring Festival, the year’s Seven Stars list was finalized as people watched for a chance to enter The Path of the Great Emperor.

Zhang Guangmu and the Endless Food Bucket Group watched the countdown to the Xuanlong Empire’s Seven Stars list as Li Xiaoxiao warned them about his formidable brother Li Yan and Zhang assessed the fiercely competitive rookies. With the list still pending, Zhang received an offer for a film titled “King Yama’s Perspective.”

• Zhang Guangmu opened a video conference so the Endless Food Bucket Group could watch the final Seven Stars list together.
• Li Xiaoxiao described how Li Yan had spent nearly two hundred years training in a Subconscious Training Camp and warned everyone not to underestimate him.
• Zhang considered Li Yan and the other ambitious rookies, including Ling Xu, strong contenders for the Seven Stars.
• With thirty minutes left before the list was finalized, Zhang received an offer for a film called “King Yama’s Perspective.”

Zhang Guangmu accepted the film King Yama's Perspective and learned that the Seven Stars list had been finalized. He rallied the Endless warship team to prepare for the coming interstellar battlefield.

• Zhang Guangmu accepted the film King Yama's Perspective, which Cao Guan had written and Takada Mokasai was directing, after seeing its cast included Long Xiaofan, Yang Chi, Luo Zhuan, and Jiang Ling.
• Zhang Guangmu considered Long Xiaofan a worthy opponent and prepared to act in the film without first reading its script details.
• Mooncake urged Zhang Guangmu to check the finalized Seven Stars list, which named Li Yan, Matt Morgan, Fang Yi, Alexander Stuart, Shirley Einstein, Ling Xu, and Shiina Hayate.
• Zhang Guangmu told Zhao Zhengrong, Li Xiaoxiao, Chu Fan, Tang Lanshan, Luo Zhuan, and Jiang Ling to prepare to crush their rivals on the approaching interstellar battlefield.
• Jiang Ling pledged to develop universal medicine, Luo Zhuan promised to scout for danger, and Li Xiaoxiao declared she would act as the team's Sword Holder.

Tang Lanshan revealed her plan to use divination-backed investments to make the Endless warship wealthy, while the team pledged to protect and support Zhang Guangmu. More than two months before “The Path of the Great Emperor” began, Zhang Guangmu arrived at a production building and reunited with Yang Chi.

• Tang Lanshan promised that the team would be free from poverty by using her occult skills to guide business and investment ventures.
• Zhao Zhengrong vowed to protect everyone, and Chu Fan reaffirmed his goal of becoming the Xuanlong Empire’s strongest Gun God.
• The Endless warship’s members held an enthusiastic oath-taking rally, though “The Path of the Great Emperor” was still more than two months away.
• Zhang Guangmu arrived at a production building carrying a portable Infiltration Pod and met Yang Chi, whose appearance had become frightening.
• Zhang Guangmu greeted Yang Chi as the Young Fortress Lord, and Yang Chi was pleased that Zhang Guangmu treated him cordially.

Zhang Guangmu spoke with Yang Chi, who had rebuilt his confidence after his disfigurement and admired Zhang Guangmu as a kindred spirit. After reading Luo Zhuan’s report about Long Xiaofan, Zhang Guangmu concluded that Earth’s environment had changed and that Long Xiaofan was likely among the first people to awaken supernatural powers.

• Yang Chi told Zhang Guangmu he had been reborn and embraced both light and darkness, while Mooncake leapt from the Infiltration Pod to defend Zhang Guangmu.
• Zhang Guangmu corrected Yang Chi when he called Mooncake a pet, then discussed Yang Chi’s interest in Nietzsche and encouraged him to show what he could do.
• Yang Chi went to the lounge to rest, and Zhang Guangmu learned from the receptionist that Jiang Ling and Luo Zhuan had entered their Infiltration Pods more than an hour earlier.
• Zhang Guangmu read Luo Zhuan’s note describing Long Xiaofan as withdrawn, cold, arrogant, and indifferent to everyone around him.
• Zhang Guangmu connected reports of supernatural side effects with changes in online censorship and concluded that a few people had awakened weak supernatural powers; he suspected Long Xiaofan was one of the Original Awakened Ones, while Yang Chi remained ordinary.

Zhang Guangmu tested his strength against Long Xiaofan, a newly awakened ice-wielding Transcendent, and easily overwhelmed him. He then discovered that his past achievement-based powers from the Subconscious Film World could be inherited in reality once his Carrying Capacity was high enough, leaving him confident he could eventually reach the Ultimate Tier.

• Long Xiaofan questioned Zhang Guangmu's lack of detectable supernatural power and identified Mooncake as the source of the powerful energy he sensed.
• Zhang Guangmu challenged Long Xiaofan to a test, and Long Xiaofan formed an Ice Crystal Shield to defend himself.
• Zhang Guangmu shattered the shield and sent Long Xiaofan flying with a light shake, leaving him bruised and astonished by Zhang Guangmu's strength.
• Zhang Guangmu checked his Book of Acting and found an achievement note stating that his former Transcendent realms and powers could be inherited in reality when his Carrying Capacity reached the required level.
• Zhang Guangmu reviewed his achievement ranks and concluded that he could eventually reach the Ultimate Tier, with at least the Transcendent Ninth Realm guaranteed.

After growing stronger, Zhang Guangmu reflected on Mooncake’s possible Supernatural Power and prepared to enter the Infiltration Pod. Director Takada Mokasai praised his past performance and said she would treat him fairly while directing King Yama's Perspective.

• Zhang Guangmu concluded that his investment in the Imperial Body Forging Technique would help him meet the ability-point requirements for transcending.
• Long Xiaofan assumed Zhang Guangmu had become even stronger, challenged him to prove himself in the Subconscious Film World, and entered his Infiltration Pod.
• Zhang Guangmu questioned whether Mooncake’s immense appetite came from her awakened Supernatural Power, then teased her until she smacked him.
• Takada Mokasai approached Zhang Guangmu and praised his performance in Martial Way Diary, hoping he would bring much of that strength to King Yama's Perspective.
• Takada Mokasai acknowledged Zhang Guangmu’s prejudice toward people from Yingzhou but promised to keep her personal feelings out of her Script Prompt Disguised Inner Voice.

Director Takada Mokasai asked Zhang Guangmu to give his all in King Yama's Perspective, while secretly hoping Long Xiaofan would outshine him. Zhang Guangmu entered the film world as a student at God Seat University and unlocked the eerily silent boys' dormitory, where many people had died.

• Takada Mokasai explained that she would pressure Zhang Guangmu and Long Xiaofan, and urged Zhang Guangmu to recreate his success in Martial Way Diary.
• Zhang Guangmu realized Takada's interest in Martial Way Diary stemmed from his character having killed Shiina Hayate, an Yingzhou member of the Seven Stars.
• Zhang Guangmu promised not to hold back, and Takada Mokasai left reassured that he would keep his word.
• Zhang Guangmu entered the Infiltration Pod with Mooncake and successfully infiltrated King Yama's Perspective.
• Zhang Guangmu awoke outside a locked dormitory at God Seat University at 1:30 a.m., sensed blood and learned through his False Memory that many people had died inside.
• Zhang Guangmu unlocked the dormitory door and walked in.

Zhang Guangmu discovered that his subordinates had killed the assassins who infiltrated his dormitory, then fully absorbed the memories of his three identities in Yingzhou. The chapter ended as he stepped back into the dark corridor and faced figures watching him with glowing green eyes.

• Zhang Guangmu reached Room 414 and found his three roommates dead in blood-soaked beds.
• Zhang Guangmu used a hidden phone to speak with Luo Zhuan, who reported that the assassins and armed enemies had been eliminated and the Tian Gong Group leader captured.
• Zhang Guangmu ordered Luo Zhuan to bring out their people and restore the dormitory building's utilities and network.
• Zhang Guangmu realized that his public identity was a transfer student, while his secret identities were Xuanxian Group leader Xuanxian and a director and honorary vice principal of God Seat University.
• Zhang Guangmu finished absorbing the memories tied to his identities and returned to the corridor, where green-eyed figures watched him.

Zhang Guangmu asserted his villainous authority over the captured Tian Gong Group leader, Sanzaki Tenkyu, while learning that the region was merging with the underworld. Sanzaki warned that by dawn it would become the Underworld Domain, where Zhang Guangmu’s power might not save him.

• Zhang Guangmu observed the Xuanxian Group’s members and the terrified students in the dormitory corridor, reflecting on his genuine villain role.
• Xuanxian Group members brought the captured Sanzaki Tenkyu before Zhang Guangmu after the Tian Gong Group’s failed attempt to seize territory.
• Zhang Guangmu restrained Sanzaki and ordered him to kneel and kowtow, while the twin escorts slammed his head against the floor.
• Zhang Guangmu discussed the Xuanxian Group’s internal affairs with Luo Zhuan and learned that the group had already arranged compensation for its dead and injured members.
• Sanzaki Tenkyu warned Zhang Guangmu that the region was merging with the underworld and would become the Underworld Domain by dawn.

Zhang Guangmu ordered Sanzaki Tenkyu taken to the basement for interrogation and carefully guarded the escort against a rescue attempt. After Sanzaki Tenkyu's supporters surrendered and he broke under torture, he revealed what he knew about the Underworld Domain and the Netherworld.

• Zhang Guangmu praised Sanzaki Tenkyu before ordering him taken to the basement and put on the rack.
• Zhang Guangmu assigned Luo Zhuan and the twin brothers to escort Sanzaki Tenkyu, with twenty armed elites providing protection.
• Sanzaki Tenkyu cursed Zhang Guangmu as Luo Zhuan struck him and dragged him away.
• Luo Zhuan reported that Sanzaki Tenkyu's supporters surrendered when they saw the armed escort, leaving no additional casualties.
• The interrogators broke Sanzaki Tenkyu in under two minutes, and he revealed everything he knew about the Underworld Domain and the Netherworld.

After Sanzaki Tenkyu revealed that Hino Yujie and the Yama Cult were behind claims about the Underworld and the Netherworld, Zhang Guangmu learned that the New Hino Group planned to ambush him. Director Takada Mokasai abruptly moved Zhang Guangmu to a showdown, where Hino Yujie declared he would avenge his father.

• Zhang Guangmu's subordinates killed Sanzaki Tenkyu in the corpse-burning furnace after torturing him for intelligence.
• Sanzaki Tenkyu identified his sworn elder brother Hino Yujie as a New Hino Group ally of the Tian Gong Group and a source of information about the Underworld and Netherworld, with a mysterious evil cult behind him.
• Zhang Guangmu told Luo Zhuan to handle follow-up tasks, find Jiang Ling, and meet him in the cafeteria around four.
• Director Takada Mokasai suddenly shifted Zhang Guangmu and his followers outside the cafeteria, where over three hundred New Hino Group members faced them with machetes.
• Hino Yujie announced that he would avenge his father and defeat Zhang Guangmu, believing his rested forces and righteous cause guaranteed victory.

Zhang Guangmu provoked Hino Yujie into firing at the Xuanxian Group, then evaded a barrage of bullets as he walked toward him. Hino emptied his magazine without hitting Zhang, leaving him exposed to Zhang's approach.

• Zhang Guangmu mocked Hino Yujie as a coward and ridiculed the men of Kanagawa, prompting the Xuanxian Group members to join in.
• Hino Yujie lost his temper, drew a pistol, and ordered his men to kill the Xuanxian Group.
• Hino fired at Zhang Guangmu, but Zhang dodged the shot; a second shot missed Zhang and killed an Xuanxian Group member behind him.
• Zhang told the Xuanxian Group to move aside and face Hino's men while he dealt with their leader.
• Zhang removed his glasses and taunted Hino into firing repeatedly, then walked toward him while evading every bullet until Hino emptied his magazine.

Zhang Guangmu dodged Hino Yujie's gunfire, defeated and captured him, and forced the New Hino Group to surrender. Hino Yujie urged Luo Zhuan to help him kill Zhang Guangmu, but Luo Zhuan stayed motionless at Zhang Guangmu's side.

• Zhang Guangmu advanced through Hino Yujie's bullets without being hit, causing the New Hino Group to lose formation and retreat.
• Zhang Guangmu punched Hino Yujie to his knees and captured him, then demanded that the New Hino Group surrender and join the Xuanxian Group.
• The New Hino Group surrendered, while Zhang Guangmu kept Hino Yujie alive because he wanted to learn about the Underworld Domain and Netherworld.
• Hino Yujie insisted that he would resurrect through the Yama Cult and urged Luo Zhuan to kill Zhang Guangmu with him.
• Luo Zhuan remained still beside Zhang Guangmu and did not respond to Hino Yujie's plea.

Hino Yujie’s attempt to turn Luo Zhuan against Zhang Guangmu failed when Luo Zhuan declared his loyalty to the Xuanxian Group Leader. Zhang Guangmu recognized Luo Zhuan’s betrayal as a personal trial shaped by his painful past and chose to let him face it, confident he could still save him if necessary.

• Hino Yujie confronted Luo Zhuan for betraying the Anti-Xuanxian Alliance, but Luo Zhuan denounced him and praised Zhang Guangmu as the one who could improve the world.
• Hino Yujie reminded Luo Zhuan that Zhang Guangmu had killed his own leader, Hino Nagasaki, and condemned the Xuanxian Group as a corrupt offshoot of the Hino Group.
• Zhang Guangmu reflected on how Luo Zhuan’s real childhood resembled the history Director Takada Mokasai had built into this trial, including his father’s betrayal, decline, and suicide.
• Zhang Guangmu recognized the confrontation as Luo Zhuan’s personal trial and decided he could not resolve it for him.
• Zhang Guangmu stopped the Xuanxian Group members from restraining Luo Zhuan and remained confident he could rescue him if he turned against the group.

Luo Zhuan rejected Hino Yujie's accusations and declared his loyalty to Zhang Guangmu. To prove himself, he began performing seppuku, but Zhang Guangmu stopped him after telling him he believed him.

• Luo Zhuan dismissed Hino Yujie's claims about Zhang Guangmu and said he admired fearless heroes more than he hated traitors.
• Hino Yujie tried to stab himself, but Zhang Guangmu dislocated his wrist and stopped him.
• Luo Zhuan knelt before Zhang Guangmu, insisted he had never betrayed him, and announced he would perform seppuku to prove his loyalty.
• Luo Zhuan stabbed himself in the abdomen and began dragging the blade across it.
• Zhang Guangmu gripped the blade's hilt to stop Luo Zhuan and told him, "I believe you."

Zhang Guangmu spared the wounded Luo Zhuan and ordered him to interrogate Hino Yujie before dawn. As dawn approached, Luo Zhuan gave Hino a Jiang Jiang Truth-Telling Pill.

• Luo Zhuan declared that he wanted to atone, but Zhang Guangmu urged him to stay alive and work for him.
• Jiang Ling treated Luo Zhuan's wound, then Zhang Guangmu exposed Otake Chisaki and Cui Jincan as informants and ordered them taken away to be killed.
• Zhang Guangmu assigned Luo Zhuan to pry open Hino Yujie's mouth before dawn, and Luo Zhuan vowed to complete the mission.
• In the basement interrogation room, Hino Yujie endured torture while insisting that he be killed.
• At five thirty-five in the morning, Luo Zhuan gave Hino Yujie a red Jiang Jiang Truth-Telling Pill.

Zhang Guangmu and the Xuanxian Group forced Hino Yujie to reveal the Yama Cult’s plans and its leader, Long Xiaofan. As the sun rose, black streams of air filled the sky, signaling the start of the Netherworld’s merger with the Real World.

• Luo Zhuan gave Hino Yujie Jiang Ling’s Truth-Telling Pill, and its torment quickly broke Hino Yujie’s resistance.
• Jiang Ling offered Hino Yujie the antidote in exchange for information, and he revealed that the Netherworld would merge with the Real World at sunrise in an event he called Underworld Revival.
• Hino Yujie identified Long Xiaofan as the Yama Cult’s leader and the current King Yama, saying he had caused the Netherworld’s manifestation and possessed power comparable to Zhang Guangmu’s.
• Hino Yujie begged to join the Xuanxian Group and disclosed that Long Xiaofan intended to deal with Zhang Guangmu.
• Zhang Guangmu deduced that Long Xiaofan’s King Yama’s Contact Lenses could reveal information about people, including their lifespan, fate, talents, and weaknesses.
• Zhang Guangmu left the dormitory building with Luo Zhuan and Jiang Ling as the sun rose, and they saw black streams of air filling the sky.

Zhang Guangmu and his companions discovered that the Underworld Domain’s black energy could boost physical abilities but carried dangerous side effects. He limited their exposure and ordered the Xuanxian Group to collect and monopolize the energy.

• Luo Zhuan touched the black energy and found that it made him stronger and accelerated his healing, though it filled him with cold and negative emotions.
• Jiang Ling touched the energy and considered using it as a medicinal ingredient to create a new pill.
• Zhang Guangmu tested the energy and judged that more than five strands would make his body collapse, while even lesser amounts brought serious risks.
• Zhang Guangmu warned everyone not to absorb more than three strands each.
• Zhang Guangmu ordered his companions to seize gas tanks and exhaust fans across Xuanxian Group territory to collect the Underworld energy.

Zhang Guangmu recognized Nether Energy as a scarce, valuable resource and ordered the Xuanxian Group to stockpile it, expand its weapons, and focus its resources on research. As he considered Long Xiaofan’s growing influence, Zhang realized that the Underworld Domain and Netherworld Court Long had invented to attract research funding had become real.

• Zhang Guangmu concluded that Nether Energy could become valuable despite its toxicity and ordered Luo Zhuan and Jiang Ling to collect it, stockpile guns and ammunition, and redirect the Xuanxian Group’s resources toward research.
• Luo Zhuan and Jiang Ling left to carry out Zhang Guangmu’s orders, while Zhang watched Nether Energy drift near the dormitory and considered how the story might unfold under Takada Mokasai’s direction.
• Zhang Guangmu learned that Long Xiaofan had used King Yama’s Contact Lenses to predict deaths and horse-racing results, build a cult, and recruit Yakuza leaders.
• Zhang Guangmu realized that the Underworld Domain and Netherworld Court Long Xiaofan had invented to deceive people into funding research had become real through the Nether Energy Derivation phenomenon.

Three years after Nether energy sealed Yingzhou off from the world, Zhang Guangmu had built the Xuanxian Group into a major power and developed Underworld Ox as a safer food source. As ancestor spirits began awakening among the Darlings of Fate, Zhang Guangmu wondered who the term referred to.

• Zhang Guangmu realized that Director Takada Mokasai was turning King Yama's Perspective into more than a modern supernatural battle of wits.
• A narrator described how Nether energy appeared, a black curtain isolated Yingzhou, and three years of war and calamity reshaped the island.
• The narrator explained that the Darlings of Fate had awakened the ability to summon powerful ancestor spirits.
• In Fengdu City, Zhang Guangmu saw how Nether-energy mutations and food shortages had transformed daily life.
• Luo Zhuan gave Zhang Guangmu roast beef from the Xuanxian Group's Underworld Ox and explained that eating it gently strengthened the body.
• Zhang Guangmu considered the phrase Darlings of Fate and decided it was worth investigating.

Three years later, Zhang Guangmu’s Xuanxian Group advanced its research into Nether Energy and ancestral spirits, while a powerful ancestral spirit, Miyamoto Musashi, challenged Zhang Guangmu. The chapter ended with Zhang Guangmu ordering his men to shoot Musashi.

• Luo Zhuan explained how physical training and dietary supplementation could raise a person’s Nether Energy capacity, while Jiang Ling focused on refining Nether Energy pills and Zhang Guangmu remained at Five Qi.
• A flying eagle delivered a report stating that ancestral spirits could be summoned through faith, Wish Power, and Nether Energy, and that even the weakest had Eight Qi-level combat power.
• Luo Zhuan explained that ancestral spirits could not stray far from their summoners and would weaken after their summoners died.
• Zhang Guangmu read that ancestral spirits required great fame, a living blood descendant, and many believers, and realized he already met the fame requirement.
• Miyamoto Musashi appeared with two blades and challenged Zhang Guangmu to establish the name of his Niten Ichi-ryū.
• Zhang Guangmu snapped his fingers and ordered his bodyguards to shoot Miyamoto Musashi.