Recaps

Zhang Guangmu forced the princess to order the Blazing Bone Beasts away from S District, temporarily saving the survivors and taking Ye Jie under his supervision. Days later, the humans continued working to secure their survival, while Medical Officer Jiang Ling arrived with a troubling medical report.

• Zhang Guangmu pressured the princess into ordering the Blazing Bone Beast horde to leave S District until her death, and the survivors arranged for Ye Jie to live as Zhang Guangmu’s roommate.
• Zhang Guangmu gave the unconscious Ye Jie Blazing Bone Pill No. 1, and Ye Jie soon regained consciousness.
• Several days later, Zhang Guangmu’s rule had consolidated, while Director Zhou Mo and his staff watched the survivors and doubted Zhang Guangmu could overcome the world’s planned human extinction.
• Zhang Guangmu learned that the princess could not be replaced as king unless she died, and he used the S District Armor Masters’ strength and intensive persuasion to keep her and Ye Jie compliant.
• The princess told Ye Jie that S District’s humans were their friends, while Ye Jie feared that the daily brainwashing was weakening his hatred of Zhang Guangmu.
• Medical Officer Jiang Ling stood before Zhang Guangmu with a medical examination report, her expression shifting between gloom and relief.

After Jiang Ling learned that Zhang Guangmu was terminally ill, he reassured her and explained that Cold Light Armor and the Blazing Bone Beasts shared a linked origin, while outlining his plans to preserve humanity. The chapter ended with Zhang Guangmu killing a shapeshifting creature that had disguised itself as Jiang Ling.

• Jiang Ling told Zhang Guangmu that his illness was terminal and that she could not cure him, then blamed herself for the toxins caused by Blazing Bone Pill No. 1.
• Zhang Guangmu comforted Jiang Ling and explained that Cold Light Armor and the Blazing Bone Beasts were related creations locked in a life-and-death struggle.
• Zhang Guangmu described his reforms and plans for S Zone as he prepared humanity to resist its impending destruction.
• A creature disguised as Jiang Ling entered Zhang Guangmu's room, but he detected it and severed its head.
• The Pretender reattached its head, and Zhang Guangmu cut it in two with his flame-wreathed blade.

Zhang Guangmu killed the Pretender and rushed to help Ye Jie and the Princess, who were under attack from two mutant Blazing Bone Beasts. He killed the Swordsman and faced the Wizard, which claimed his accumulated poison had brought him to the brink of collapse.

• The Pretender revealed its regenerative abilities and its plan to delay Zhang Guangmu while its companions killed the Princess, but Zhang Guangmu cut it into pieces and killed it.
• Zhang Guangmu entered the neighboring room and found Ye Jie, the Princess, and several Cold Light Armored Masters fighting the Swordsman and the Wizard.
• Zhang Guangmu confronted the two challengers, and the Swordsman stepped forward to fight him while the Wizard held back the human reinforcements.
• Zhang Guangmu defeated the Swordsman without drawing his saber, breaking its cervical vertebrae with a punch and a crushing grip.
• The Wizard laughed at the Swordsman's death and told Zhang Guangmu that poison had pushed his body to the verge of collapse.

Zhang Guangmu revealed that he had overcome the Blazing Bone Pill’s toxicity and developed a path beyond the Ultimate stage, then defeated the wizard and secured humanity’s future in Area S. Zhou Mo admitted defeat, and Zhang Guangmu declared the start of a new era as the world of Armored Age: Cold Light solidified.

• The wizard tried to persuade Zhang Guangmu to let it pass, then attacked when he refused to cooperate.
• Zhang Guangmu explained plans to strengthen Area S’s security and lure in and eliminate mutated Blazing Bone Beasts while calmly deflecting the wizard’s fireballs.
• Zhang Guangmu survived the wizard’s black flames, revealed his control over accumulated heavy metals, and described how humanity could surpass the Ultimate stage.
• Zhou Mo admitted that Zhang Guangmu had won their contest, while the wizard realized that its assassination attempt had failed and future attacks would be far harder.
• Zhang Guangmu killed the wizard, emerged to cheers from Area S’s survivors, and declared January 1st, Endless Calendar Year 1, as the beginning of humanity’s new era.
• The Cold Light world solidified, completing Zhang Guangmu’s reversal of the human race’s fate.

Zhang Guangmu returned from Armored Era: Cold Light with Excellent evaluations from all three Super Artificial Intelligences and reunited with the film’s cast and crew. As he prepared for The Path of the Great Emperor, he resolved to strengthen himself and protect the Endless warship’s stability.

• Zhang Guangmu emerged from the Infiltration Pod, learned that viewers had praised Armored Era: Cold Light, and reunited with Director Zhou Mo.
• Zhou Mo passed along messages from Zhu Nanhua and Nalan Yuan, and Zhang Guangmu read Ye Jie's grateful note about his role in saving the film’s ending.
• Luo Zhuan, Jiang Ling, and Wang Shangqing joined Zhang Guangmu, and Wang Shangqing urged him to train before The Path of the Great Emperor.
• Zhang Guangmu decided to use the remaining month to improve his strength and establish himself among this year’s Seven Stars to keep the Endless warship united.

After completing Armored Age: Cold Light, Zhang Guangmu recruited Jiang Ling into the Endless team and arranged for its first team-building event at Luo Zhuan's home. He collected his 292 Dragon Shields in payment and returned home, where Mooncake greeted him and usable ability points arrived.

• Wang Shangqing left the Film Set Building after Zhang Guangmu teased him about meeting again on The Path of the Great Emperor.
• Zhang Guangmu invited Jiang Ling to join the Endless team, and she accepted despite worrying that her medicines might hurt the team.
• Jiang Ling discovered the group was named the Endless Food Bucket Group, pledged to create a universal medicine without toxicity, and agreed to join the team-building event at Luo Zhuan's home.
• Zhang Guangmu received 292 Dragon Shields for completing Armored Age: Cold Light and saw that his account balance was 768 Dragon Shields.
• Zhang Guangmu returned home with food for himself and Mooncake, and usable ability points arrived as Mooncake welcomed him.

Zhang Guangmu gained a Usable Ability Point from the Book of Acting’s Cold Light Watch Diagram and spent it raising Imperial Body Forging Technique to 5. He then saw that his Tian Guang Camp fan group was debating The Path of the Great Emperor and urging Luo Zhuan to persuade him to focus on training before taking another acting role.

• Zhang Guangmu fed Mooncake, then read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea while eating dinner and received a Usable Ability Point from the Book of Acting.
• The Book of Acting showed Zhang Guangmu fighting Blazing Bone Beasts in the Cold Light Watch Diagram and paired the scene with a poetic note.
• Zhang Guangmu spent his point on Imperial Body Forging Technique, strengthening his spleen and increasing his stamina and resilience.
• Zhang Guangmu checked the Tian Guang Camp fan group, grabbed 1.3 Dragon Shields in a flurry of red packets, and read the members’ discussion about The Path of the Great Emperor.
• The fan group members urged Scout Luo Zhuan to persuade Zhang Guangmu to avoid acting roles for now and devote himself to training.

Zhang Guangmu defended his choice to keep filming before The Path of the Great Emperor, convinced that his Book of Acting made frequent productions the best way to build his abilities. Nearly four weeks after Armored Era: Cold Light ended, he announced a new production, The World Knows, and invited his friends to join him.

• Zhang Guangmu watched Tian Guang Camp members argue over whether he should rest before The Path of the Great Emperor, while Luo Zhuan and She Transforms into Wine Wine defended his right to choose his own path.
• Zhang Guangmu explained to himself that his Book of Acting let him gain abilities through successful roles, so he intended to keep taking on films instead of cramming through ordinary training.
• Zhang Guangmu revealed himself in the fan group after Luo Zhuan told the account Changhe Guangmu to change its name, and Luo Zhuan mistook him for an imitator.
• Nearly four weeks later, Chu Fan announced he had completed a thirty-month training camp and planned to spend another month consolidating his marksmanship.
• Zhang Guangmu announced that he had landed a role in The World Knows, could bring a partner, and invited his friends to join the production.
• Li Xiaoxiao questioned Zhang Guangmu's training, while Jiang Ling and Luo Zhuan said they needed to keep training before The Path of the Great Emperor; Tang told Zhang Guangmu her divination had produced a favorable omen.

Zhang Guangmu recruited Tang Lanshan for The World Knows and unexpectedly won the lead role of the examination candidate. As filming began, Tang Kaixuan confronted them and insulted Zhang Guangmu and Tang Lanshan, leaving their rivalry poised to escalate.

• Zhang Guangmu praised Tang Lanshan’s divination and invited her to join The World Knows, and she accepted the role.
• Director Xu Qianqiu cast Zhang Guangmu as the Plot Protagonist, the examination candidate, while Tang Lanshan received her character script.
• Qian Yiyuan messaged Zhang Guangmu from prison, revealed he had spread rumors about his preferences in directors, and sent him seven Dragon Shields.
• Zhang Guangmu noticed Tang Lanshan’s anxiety about her ominous divination but reassured her and respected her reluctance to explain what troubled her.
• Tang Kaixuan confronted Zhang Guangmu and Tang Lanshan outside the production building, calling them an underachiever and a second-rate product.

Tang Lanshan recalled her parents’ rejection and the resolve that had driven her into Subconscious Acting, while Zhang Guangmu confronted the hostile Seven Stars actor Tang Kaixuan. Zhang Guangmu’s blunt psychological attacks enraged Tang Kaixuan, who finally attacked him with intent to kill.

• Tang Lanshan remembered her parents’ abuse, their divorce, and how she had been left to grow up alone, renewing her determination to prove herself as a Subconscious Actor.
• Zhang Guangmu calmly told Tang Kaixuan to move aside, provoking him with a polite but deeply condescending manner that made Tang Lanshan and nearby workers laugh.
• Tang Kaixuan insulted Zhang Guangmu and Tang Lanshan, criticizing Zhang’s leadership and calling them abandoned second-rate products.
• Zhang Guangmu inferred that Tang Kaixuan was desperate for his father’s approval and jealous of Zhang’s talent, while sparing Tang Lanshan the cruelest details of his guess.
• Zhang Guangmu described Tang Kaixuan as an insecure, hardworking actor who lacked talent and sought recognition from his elders, causing Tang Kaixuan to lose control.
• Tang Kaixuan flew into a rage and attacked Zhang Guangmu, trying to kill him.

Zhang Guangmu and Tang Kaixuan clashed before filming “The World Knows,” but Tang Lanshan knocked Tang Kaixuan unconscious with a coin, and a medical robot healed him. After Director Xu Qianqiu arranged a reconciliation, the cast entered their Infiltration Pods, while Li Xiaoxiao arrived to watch the production from a VIP Cabin.

• Tang Kaixuan attacked Zhang Guangmu with a Soft Sword after losing their verbal exchange, but Zhang Guangmu dodged his strikes and mocked his swordsmanship.
• Tang Lanshan struck Tang Kaixuan in the head with a massive alloy coin, and Nurse Bai Meng healed him with a nanomedical beam.
• Xu Qianqiu judged Zhang Guangmu blameless and made Tang Lanshan and Tang Kaixuan agree to reconcile and settle their grudges in “The World Knows.”
• The Order Maintenance squad processed the paperwork, and Zhang Guangmu encouraged Tang Lanshan before the cast entered their Infiltration Pods.
• Li Xiaoxiao arrived to follow the filming from a VIP Cabin, and Xu Qianqiu asked whether he wanted Zhang Guangmu or Tang Kaixuan to win.

Zhang Guangmu entered The World Knows as a poor scholar preparing to travel to the capital for the Imperial Examination, with False Memories establishing his ambition to change his fate. When he spotted eerie eyes outside his window, he invited whatever was watching him inside, even as he resolved to rest and leave Liufeng County the next day.

• Before entering the film, Zhang Guangmu reviewed its seven major plot points and noted the risks of actors disrupting the script.
• Zhang Guangmu infiltrated the world as a Liufeng County scholar determined to reach the capital, pass the Imperial Examination, and make his name known.
• He woke in a cold, drafty mud-brick house and inspected its aged furnishings and the dark surroundings.
• Zhang Guangmu saw a pair of oily-green eyes staring at him from beyond the window, alarming the viewers watching the film.
• Rather than flee, Zhang Guangmu invited the presence outside to come in, then considered the county's recent deaths and planned to sell his property and depart for the capital the next day.

Zhang Guangmu used his false memories and calm performance to defeat a Night Demon, then studied through the night before preparing to face two visitors at his door. Xu Qianqiu saw the possibility of a new kind of subconscious film in Zhang Guangmu’s ideas but resolved to preserve the film’s original direction.

• Zhang Guangmu shut the window on the approaching Night Demon, then opened it again and used a fire striker to destroy the creature.
• Zhang Guangmu explained the Night Demon’s weaknesses and proposed studying demons as useful resources to improve life across the Great Qian Empire.
• Xu Qianqiu considered how Zhang Guangmu might change the film’s worldview, but decided not to alter the story or burden the newcomer.
• Zhang Guangmu read through the night, and the next morning two green-skinned toughs began pounding on his door.
• Zhang Guangmu weighed three risky ways to respond and waited to see what the two visitors would do.

Zhang Guangmu confronted local thugs Miao Zhi and Tang Hua when they demanded a cut of his land sale, then defeated Tang Hua and cowed Miao Zhi. Blood from his injured hand activated the Town Evil Pendant, Zhang Guangmu’s hidden life-saving Golden Finger.

• Miao Zhi demanded a ten-percent fee for handling Zhang Guangmu’s land sale, while Tang Hua blurted out that they also had to pay off the authorities.
• Tang Hua tried to attack Zhang Guangmu after taking offense at his mocking smile, but Zhang Guangmu stopped him with a quick strike.
• When Tang Hua attacked again, Zhang Guangmu dodged and stabbed his lower abdomen with a brush, leaving him writhing on the floor while Miao Zhi lost his nerve.
• Zhang Guangmu declared that he would protect the innocent, then snapped a brush to demonstrate his strength.
• A splinter cut Zhang Guangmu’s palm, and his blood activated the Town Evil Pendant hanging from his belt.

After defeating Tang Hua, Zhang Guangmu recruited Miao Zhi, Tang Hua, and twenty more guards for his journey from Liufeng County to the capital. The First Act ended with Zhang Guangmu and his twenty-two guards setting out in a grand procession.

• Zhang Guangmu defeated Tang Hua and offered him and Miao Zhi work as guards on the road to the capital.
• Tang Hua accepted the offer, while Miao Zhi hesitated until Zhang Guangmu offered his books and invoked the danger from demons.
• Miao Zhi agreed to recruit twenty armed guards, and Zhang Guangmu gave him deeds to land, a house, and farmland as payment.
• Miao Zhi claimed the books, while Tang Hua and the twenty guards divided the deeds among themselves.
• Zhang Guangmu left Liufeng County with Miao Zhi, Tang Hua, and twenty guards, bringing the First Act to a close.

Zhang Guangmu and Miao Zhi’s guards reached Dongmang Town, where Zhang Guangmu realized the town was about to be slaughtered by demons. After spending the evening teaching stories and writing, he sensed the massacre beginning and reacted to the blood in the air.

• Miao Zhi persuaded the group to rest in Dongmang Town, and Zhang Guangmu recognized it as the town destined to become a dead town.
• Zhang Guangmu offered to teach Miao Zhi and the guards from On Demonic Creatures while they stayed in town.
• The young master of You'an Inn mistook Zhang Guangmu for a hidden important figure and gave the group free lodging, food, and tea.
• Zhang Guangmu taught stories about demons and writing, then took a four-hour nap before continuing the lesson.
• At night, the White Ball audience warned that a monster had killed many townspeople, but Zhang Guangmu calmly finished his story and slammed his teacup down after detecting blood in the air.

Zhang Guangmu led the people of the town through attacks by Night Demons and Burning Demons, explaining their weaknesses while his pendant and mysterious protection helped him survive. After he appeared to destroy the Burning Demons, Miao Zhi called him an immortal, and the crowd turned to look at him.

• Zhang Guangmu warned the people that multiple demons were attacking the town and told them to gather around him as residents were killed or turned to ash.
• Zhang Guangmu explained that Night Demons could be blocked with oiled paper or immobilized by keeping them in sight, and the survivors formed watchful groups.
• Zhang Guangmu explained that Burning Demons hunted by sound, but their flames destroyed his book without harming him, while the demons that touched him vanished.
• Zhang Guangmu told everyone to stay silent and keep still, then noticed his Town Evil Pendant vibrating and hid it in his hand.
• Zhang Guangmu drew the Burning Demons toward himself and remained unharmed as their flames flickered out; Miao Zhi called him an immortal, and the crowd looked toward him.

Zhang Guangmu suppressed the demons attacking Dongmang Town and used the survivors’ awe to conceal his plans for the Town Evil Pendant. After he warned the townspeople that the dead would be reborn into wealthy families, he identified several people as threats, and the chapter ended with him waking to find an intruder’s ashes beside his bed.

• Zhang Guangmu collected the immobilized Night Demons and the remaining Burning Demons into the Town Evil Pendant, while the survivors hailed him as an immortal.
• Zhang Guangmu told the townspeople to stop worshiping him, then claimed that everyone killed in the attack would be reborn into wealthy families.
• Zhang Guangmu noticed two strangers and one of his own companions, Miao Zhi, showing suspicious expressions and added them to his blacklist.
• Zhang Guangmu returned to the You'an Inn, placed a Burning Demon beside his bed, and fell asleep without changing his clothes.
• Zhang Guangmu woke in the afternoon to find a human-shaped pile of ashes and a dagger beside his window, while the Little White Balls realized that he had left a Burning Demon to kill the intruder.

Zhang Guangmu killed a Scholar who tried to murder him, then gathered a growing group of followers as he resumed his journey to the capital. Director Xu Qianqiu worried that Zhang Guangmu’s use of the Town Evil Pendant was pushing “The World Knows” beyond the intended plot.

• Viewers debated Zhang Guangmu’s deadly trap, while Zhang Guangmu accepted a Silver Pass from the young master of You'an Inn.
• A Scholar tried to stab Zhang Guangmu, but Zhang Guangmu disarmed him and killed him despite the Script Hint urging restraint.
• Zhang Guangmu sent volunteers to take the Scholar’s body to the mass grave and told those who wanted to travel with him to gather at You'an Inn.
• Zhang Guangmu considered Miao Zhi’s hidden hostility and decided to find an excuse to kill him before he could strike.
• Zhang Guangmu set out for the capital with sixty followers, and Xu Qianqiu realized the Town Evil Pendant and Zhang Guangmu were disrupting his story.

Zhang Guangmu exposed Miao Zhi’s plot to kill him for the supposed healing and immortality powers of his flesh, then had him executed when he attempted to attack. The team continued toward the capital, while Zhang Guangmu dismissed Miao Zhi’s warning that he had already informed Tang Kaixuan.

• Zhang Guangmu decided to purge Miao Zhi from the traveling party after confirming that Miao Zhi wanted him dead.
• Zhang Guangmu tricked Miao Zhi into revealing his murderous intent, and Miao Zhi’s desire to eat immortal flesh for wealth and immortality came to light.
• Zhang Guangmu turned the group against Miao Zhi and challenged him to prove his innocence by killing himself.
• Miao Zhi reached for his saber, but Zhang Guangmu cut off his wrist and ordered an escort to kill him.
• Miao Zhi claimed he had sent word to Tang Kaixuan, but Zhang Guangmu dismissed the threat and resumed the journey.

Xu Qianqiu worried that Zhang Guangmu’s growing interest in demons and human nature would derail the production, but Zhang rejected the Production Team’s attempts to make him postpone his research. He committed to pursuing both the imperial examination and Demonic Studies, ending by declaring that truth, not the sages, would guide him.

• Li Xiaoxiao urged Xu Qianqiu to let Zhang Guangmu grow stronger while the rival factions prepared to clash, but Xu ordered the Film Set staff to guide Zhang, Tang Kaixuan, and Yang Chi along their planned destinies.
• During a rest, Zhang Guangmu wrote “Demonic Studies” and checked his Book of Acting, which showed that his calligraphy had been temporarily raised to level 2.
• The Control Group used Script Hints to argue that Zhang should follow the sages’ teachings and focus on the imperial examination before pursuing Demonic Studies.
• Zhang Guangmu challenged the sages’ authority, rejected postponing his research, and insisted he would become the top scorer while studying demons.
• Zhang Guangmu wrote, “‘Demonic Studies’—All saints are mere shadows; truth is my teacher!”

Xu Qianqiu struggled to keep The World Knows on track as Zhang Guangmu gathered fanatical followers and reached the Thunderstorm Bodhi Temple incident. Zhang Guangmu summoned fog and lightning by chance, then used a failed rain prediction to present Demonic Studies as a path ordinary people could follow.

• Xu Qianqiu decided to salvage the film despite Tang Kaixuan and Yang Chi disrupting their storylines, while Li Xiaoxiao suggested ending filming and making a sequel.
• Zhang Guangmu's growing crowd of believers slowed his journey, and he realized the Fox Demon Offering Fragrance incident had been avoided, leaving the Thunderstorm Bodhi Temple incident ahead.
• Zhang Guangmu called for fog, and thick mist quickly filled the sky, convincing his followers that he was an immortal.
• Zhang Guangmu called for thunder, and lightning struck soon afterward, alarming Xu Qianqiu and astonishing the viewers.
• Zhang Guangmu called for rain, but none fell, so he claimed that studying Demonic Studies could teach people to understand the weather and cultivate like him.

Tang Lanshan arrived at Bodhi Temple after an auspicious divination and met Zhang Guangmu, sharing her plans to leave the marquis's residence and make a name for herself. Zhang Guangmu invited her to see a spectacle, and she found more than a hundred Night Demons gathering above the temple without attacking the crowd.

• Tang Lanshan forced her way into Bodhi Temple, where Zhang Guangmu welcomed her after she demonstrated her coin-based fortune-telling and combat skill.
• Tang Lanshan told Zhang Guangmu she despised the marquis's residence and intended to sever ties with it, while he explained his ambitions to reform the government departments and establish Demonic Studies.
• Tang Lanshan admitted she wanted to make her name resound throughout Great Qian, and Zhang Guangmu invited her to watch a good show.
• Tang Lanshan followed Zhang Guangmu outside and saw more than a hundred Night Demons hovering over the temple while the crowd watched without fear.

Tang Lanshan witnessed Zhang Guangmu destroy a swarm of Night Demons and became convinced that his demon-hunting knowledge and abilities surpassed her own. She chose to follow him toward the capital, while Zhang Guangmu continued testing the Town Evil Pendant’s new offensive and collection functions.

• Tang Lanshan realized Zhang Guangmu’s followers had learned valuable demon-hunting knowledge from him and his teachings in Demonic Studies.
• Tang Lanshan ignored the Control Group’s Script Hint to return to the capital and decided to follow Zhang Guangmu instead.
• Zhang Guangmu destroyed the Night Demons with blue-green flames, astonishing Tang Lanshan and strengthening her admiration for him.
• Tang Lanshan heard the believers recount Zhang Guangmu’s feats of summoning fog and thunder and resolved to serve him.
• Zhang Guangmu used the Town Evil Pendant to collect and release demons, expanding it from a defensive tool into an offensive one.

Zhang Guangmu used the Town Evil Pendant’s abilities to destroy a hundred Night Demons and then met Yang Chi, who had arrived with three hundred soldiers. After Tang Lanshan divined Yang Chi’s imperial destiny, Zhang Guangmu earnestly asked him to become his son, leaving Yang Chi stunned.

• Zhang Guangmu demonstrated how he could capture demon-tainted creatures, release demons, and make Night Demons unleash deadly Meat Grinding Lines.
• After the last Night Demon was eliminated, Zhang Guangmu invited Yang Chi out of the woods, where Yang Chi appeared with three hundred soldiers.
• Yang Chi praised Zhang Guangmu and hoped his recognition would legitimize his plans, but Zhang Guangmu told him he could call him his adoptive father.
• Tang Lanshan divined that Yang Chi had the destiny of a future emperor or a general who would claim the throne.
• Zhang Guangmu told Yang Chi that he resembled him and solemnly asked him to be his son, leaving Yang Chi speechless.