Chapter Summaries

After Endless Food Bag made Zhang Guangmu popular, his fans tried to keep his real name quiet, leaving him baffled by their support. He gained an Ability Point from Hunger's End Diagram and spent it raising his Acting Skill to 2, only for a group member to tease him about joining his own fan club.

• Zhang Guangmu read online praise for his performance in Endless Food Bag and discovered that fans were calling themselves Shou Mu Ren while trying to conceal his real name.
• Zhang Guangmu sensed a new Ability Point and saw Hunger's End Diagram appear in the Book of Acting, which credited the Director's emotional response to his performance.
• Zhang Guangmu concluded that both memorable scenes and the people affected by them contributed to his rewards.
• Zhang Guangmu spent the Ability Point on Acting Skill, raising it from 1 to 2 and improving his expression control and physical performance.
• Li Xiaoxiao teased Zhang Guangmu in the Endless Food Bucket Group by saying she wanted to become a Shou Mu Ren too.

Zhang Guangmu learned more about Mooncake’s immortal mutation while trading jokes with Li Xiaoxiao, then received birthday red envelopes from Chu Fan and Zhao Zhengrong that brought him closer to affording his surgery. He ended by declaring Zhao Zhengrong his big brother and celebrating his growing balance.

• Zhang Guangmu bantered with Li Xiaoxiao, who identified Mooncake as an immortal cat whose body cycled back to its juvenile stage.
• Zhang Guangmu reflected on the popularity he had gained from Endless Food Bag and considered finding another film role.
• Chu Fan sent Zhang Guangmu 44 Dragon Shields for his birthday and said Zhang Guangmu had inspired him to return to acting.
• Zhao Zhengrong sent Zhang Guangmu 88 Dragon Shields, raising his account balance to 182 Dragon Shields.
• Zhang Guangmu celebrated that he was getting closer to affording surgery and declared Zhao Zhengrong his biological big brother.

After his performance in Endless Food Bag earned him a one-star rating, Zhang Guangmu secured a role in a new film through Li Xiaoxiao and set his sights on the Seven Stars ranking. He arrived at the production site and learned Li Xiaoxiao was already one of the current Seven Stars, then suggested he might compete for a place before the year ended.

• Zhang Guangmu learned Director Qian Yiyuan had been arrested for using unreported Super Recovery abilities in Endless Food Bag, while Li Xiaoxiao said he could help Zhang Guangmu get a role in a new film.
• Zhang Guangmu accepted Li Xiaoxiao's offer and joked that he would become the King of Involution by taking roles far more often than other actors.
• Three days later, Zhang Guangmu traveled to the filming site, where Li Xiaoxiao met him and explained that he had accepted a role in the film too.
• Li Xiaoxiao revealed he was a two-star actor ranked sixth among that year's Seven Stars, and Zhang Guangmu asked how long remained until the New Year.
• Li Xiaoxiao realized Zhang Guangmu was considering competing for a Seven Stars place before the year ended and laughed at the idea.

Zhang Guangmu joined Li Xiaoxiao for the filming of Wolf Fortress, hoping the role might help him reach the supernova list and advance his career. Director Sun remained wary of Zhang Guangmu’s unconventional background and suspected his striking performance in Endless Food Bag came from a self-destructive tendency.

• Li Xiaoxiao warned Zhang Guangmu that earning a supernova spot was difficult, while explaining that supernovas received influential roles in The Path of the Great Emperor.
• Li Xiaoxiao tried to encourage Zhang Guangmu indirectly and cautioned him to be careful around the Wolf Fortress cast and director.
• Zhang Guangmu and Li Xiaoxiao arrived at the skyscraper and met Director Sun, whom Zhang Guangmu greeted with an ill-advised joke.
• Li Xiaoxiao smoothed over Zhang Guangmu’s remarks, and Director Sun instructed them to enter their Infiltration Pods.
• After they entered the pods, Director Sun judged Li Xiaoxiao’s skills highly but suspected Zhang Guangmu’s dazzling past performance masked a severe self-destructive tendency.

Director Sun welcomed Yang Chi to star in “Wolf Fortress,” while Zhang Guangmu entered the film as an assassin supporting character. In the Water Prison Trial, Zhang Guangmu endured the cold and watched other contestants fail, leaving him to keep a low profile as viewers began reacting to him.

• Director Sun greeted Yang Chi and planned to use Zhang Guangmu as a foil for the rising actor.
• Yang Chi learned that Li Xiaoxiao had joined “Wolf Fortress” and vowed to prove himself against the supernovas.
• Zhang Guangmu entered the film and discovered that his role had more screen time than his previous one.
• Contestants began giving up in the freezing Water Prison, and Wolf Bone Mask-wearing figures carried away those who failed.
• Zhang Guangmu ignored the Script Hint urging him to condemn the weak and sat quietly in the water to conserve himself.
• White Balls gathered around Zhang Guangmu and debated whether he could survive the trial.

During the Water Prison Trial, Zhang Guangmu endured the cold while planning how to tear up the script and avoid becoming a stepping stone for Wolf Fortress’s protagonist. When Hou Zhengbeng tried to kill him and seize the role, Zhang Guangmu subdued him and recognized the disgraced actor’s treacherous nature.

• Zhang Guangmu reviewed Wolf Fortress’s formulaic script and decided he could not accept being killed as the Big Villain’s Death Warrior.
• As the other trial takers gave up, only Zhang Guangmu and Hou Zhengbeng remained in the Water Prison.
• After White Balls urged Hou Zhengbeng to kill Zhang Guangmu and take his role, Hou Zhengbeng launched a lethal elbow strike from behind.
• Zhang Guangmu dodged the attack, threw Hou Zhengbeng into the water, and locked his throat in a grappling hold.
• Zhang Guangmu refused to release Hou Zhengbeng and recalled that the actor had a history of begging for mercy before attacking from behind.

Zhang Guangmu killed Hou Zhengbeng during the Water Prison Trial and became the only Wolf Rider in his batch. Director Sun considered him useful but viewed him as a minor character, then focused on keeping Yang Chi and Zhu Nanhua on the main plot.

• Zhang Guangmu held Hou Zhengbeng underwater until he stopped breathing, then released his body into the Water Prison.
• The White Balls watching the scene argued over whether Zhang Guangmu’s killing was justified and whether to support him.
• A Wolf Bone Mask wearer freed Zhang Guangmu and congratulated him on becoming the batch’s only Wolf Rider.
• Zhang Guangmu mocked the man’s mask, and the man decided not to provoke him while he seemed unstable.
• Director Sun learned that Zhang Guangmu had killed Hou Zhengbeng and praised the conflict, but ordered his assistants to watch Yang Chi and Zhu Nanhua and prepare Script Hints.

After winning the Water Prison Trial, Zhang Guangmu toured Wolf Fortress and received the powerful Flame Wolf Bai Yue as his partner. He encountered Young Fortress Lord Lin Xuan and learned that Lin Xuan’s supposedly defective wolf possessed an overwhelming Demeanor ability, while Lin Xuan took Zhang Guangmu’s presence as another humiliation.

• Staff members redirected attention and resources toward Yang Chi’s Protagonist Group and Zhu Nanhua’s villain faction.
• Zhang Guangmu toured Wolf Fortress and bonded with the giant Flame Wolf Bai Yue, which he named and fed.
• Zhang Guangmu spotted Lin Xuan with a small, seemingly weak Flame Wolf and recognized it as the protagonist’s powerful Demeanor-based cheat.
• A passerby explained that Lin Xuan’s Wolf Phobia had eased before he chose the defective wolf, leaving others to doubt his ability to inherit the fortress.
• The passerby praised Zhang Guangmu’s Flame Wolf and mocked Lin Xuan, who angrily demanded Zhang Guangmu’s name and vowed to remember the humiliation.

Zhang Guangmu defied the Script Hint and talked Lin Xuan down instead of escalating their confrontation. By claiming he was an orphan with no name, Zhang Guangmu prompted Lin Xuan to tell him to choose one, giving the nameless Extra a chance to become a named supporting character in “Wolf Fortress.”

• A Script Hint urged Zhang Guangmu to look down on Lin Xuan, but Zhang Guangmu ignored it and argued that Lin Xuan had mistaken who insulted him.
• Zhang Guangmu used his association with Bai Yue to confront Lin Xuan, then theatrically repeated Lin Xuan’s grievance until Lin Xuan’s anger eased.
• Lin Xuan threatened the Extra bystander and ordered him to kneel and cut out his tongue, but Zhang Guangmu stepped in and persuaded Lin Xuan to let the matter go.
• When Lin Xuan challenged him, Zhang Guangmu said he was an orphan taken in by the Fort Master who had no name, and joked that insults could make people stronger.
• Lin Xuan asked Zhang Guangmu’s name and told him to give himself one, while the White Balls discussed the scene and Yang Chi’s changed portrayal of Lin Xuan.
• Zhang Guangmu realized Lin Xuan had given him a public opportunity to choose a name and improve his standing in the production.

Zhang Guangmu named himself Tian Guang and unsettled Lin Xuan with his reputation as the Water Prison Trial’s “Companion Slayer.” Director Sun recognized Zhang Guangmu’s talent but remained convinced that Yang Chi would dominate the production, leaving the rivalry unresolved.

• Zhang Guangmu introduced himself as Tian Guang, choosing a modest-sounding name while planning to keep a low profile around Director Sun.
• Lin Xuan realized Zhang Guangmu was the “Companion Slayer” from the Water Prison Trial, then hurried away after Zhang Guangmu mused about killing more people.
• Director Sun praised Zhang Guangmu’s ability to control a conversation but said Yang Chi was the more reliable actor.
• Director Sun claimed that “Wolf Fortress” had been designed for Yang Chi and that Lin Xuan would defeat both Zhang Guangmu and Lin Yan.

Zhang Guangmu settled into his poor quarters in Wolf Fortress and spent a month studying Flame Wolves and the world around him, seeking a way to escape his scripted fate. When a masked figure summoned him to Fort Master Lin Yan, Zhang Guangmu was confident he had found a path to break the deadlock.

• Zhang Guangmu left the bookstore with a pile of books without paying, then returned to his modest residence with Flame Wolf Bai Yue.
• Zhang Guangmu rejected the idea of becoming Fort Master Lin Yan's lackey and chose to observe, learn, and build up his knowledge instead.
• Zhang Guangmu studied books about Flame Wolves, while most of the light-orb viewers lost interest and left his perspective.
• After a month passed, a black-clad figure wearing a Wolf Bone Mask arrived and told Zhang Guangmu that Fort Master Lin Yan wanted to see him.
• Zhang Guangmu closed his book, called Bai Yue over, and confidently followed the masked figure.

Zhang Guangmu finished developing human combat equipment and confronted Wolf Fortress Lord Lin Yan, who ordered him to assassinate Lin Xuan and Red Carbon. He refused the mission, leaving the viewers divided over whether his defiance would get him killed or let him seize control of Wolf Fortress.

• Zhang Guangmu focused on Flame Wolf Bionic Technology after discovering Bai Yue’s combat potential could not grow, and he spent weeks studying and conducting experiments while Lin Xuan rose to prominence and Li Xiaoxiao infiltrated his group.
• Zhang Guangmu completed the first-generation human combat equipment, Unit 01 · Tian Guang, and went with Bai Yue to meet Lin Yan at the Fort Master’s residence.
• Zhang Guangmu examined Lin Yan and his Golden-Necked Flame Wolf without showing deference, prompting Lin Yan to offer him a possible promotion to Flame Wolf Guard in exchange for a mission.
• Zhang Guangmu learned that Lin Yan wanted him to kill Lin Xuan and Red Carbon, then refused, condemning Lin Yan for turning against his own son.
• Lin Yan’s guards and the viewers reacted to Zhang Guangmu’s defiance, while his fans insisted that he had a plan and could defeat the Fort Master.

Zhang Guangmu used his homemade gauntlets to kill Lin Yan’s Flame Wolf Guards and their wolves, revealing that his power came from studying Flame Wolves and crafting tools from their materials. Lin Yan remained protected by his Golden-Necked Flame Wolf as Zhang Guangmu explained that he had uncovered the source of their fire-breathing ability.

• Lin Yan ordered his guards to turn Zhang Guangmu to ash while he waited and reflected on how to eliminate Lin Xuan.
• Zhang Guangmu attacked with his smoking gloves, killing two Flame Wolf Guards and their Flame Wolves while White Moon confronted Lin Yan’s Golden-Necked Flame Wolf.
• Lin Yan realized Zhang Guangmu had attacked and credited his own survival to the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf guarding him.
• Lin Yan demanded Zhang Guangmu’s gauntlets, mistaking them for Divine Artifacts, and tried to signal his wolf to attack.
• Zhang Guangmu said he had made the gauntlets himself and explained that studying, researching, and experimenting with Flame Wolves had taught him how to obtain their power.

Zhang Guangmu used Explosive Stone, Flame Wolf saliva, and a handmade glove to create a Flame Gun, then challenged Lin Yan and his Golden-Necked Flame Wolf. After Lin Yan fled and the wolf fell in battle, Zhang Guangmu offered the dying creature comfort by wishing it happiness in another life.

• Zhang Guangmu demonstrated that his catalyst-powered Explosive Gloves could fire flames hot enough to burn the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf.
• Zhang Guangmu revealed he had hoped to become a Flame Person by transplanting Flame Wolf organs, then declared he would take Lin Yan's place as Wolf Fortress Lord.
• Lin Yan ordered the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf to hold Zhang Guangmu back and fled toward a hidden room.
• Zhang Guangmu and White Moon defeated the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf, which regretted never having a companion like White Moon.
• Zhang Guangmu gently comforted the dying wolf and told it he believed it would find happiness in its next life.

Zhang Guangmu mourned the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf, then pursued Fort Master Lin Yan and used clues from a vase to open the hidden passage where Lin Yan was hiding. After capturing Lin Yan, Zhang Guangmu learned that the secret code reflected the old fort master’s imperial ambitions, leaving the fallen ruler at his mercy.

• The Golden-Necked Flame Wolf licked Zhang Guangmu’s palm and died, while Zhang Guangmu reassured Flame Wolf Bai Yue and reflected on meeting them again in future films.
• The Xiao Bai Group viewers argued over whether Zhang Guangmu’s performance came from his own abilities or the production team’s Script Hints, and some fought until the field controller separated them.
• Zhang Guangmu and Bai Yue pursued the fleeing Fort Master Lin Yan to a dead end and found the hidden Life-Saving Secret Room.
• Zhang Guangmu examined the wear on a vase, worked out its turning sequence, and opened a secret passage beneath the stone bed.
• Zhang Guangmu entered the passage with Bai Yue and confronted Lin Yan, who blamed his downfall on fate and his son Lin Xuan.
• Zhang Guangmu explained how he deduced the code and suggested Lin Yan had once sought to conquer the world and become emperor.

Zhang Guangmu exposed Lin Yan’s fear and secured his cooperation by demanding the position of Vice Fortress Lord. Lin Yan publicly praised Tian Guang’s fabricated military record, and Tian Guang became Vice Fortress Lord with power rivaling Lin Yan’s.

• Lin Yan dismissed Zhang Guangmu’s claim that he had forged Flame Artifacts and cracked the Dark code, then feared that Zhang Guangmu might be the child of Leng Feng and Jin Xi, the couple Lin Yan had killed.
• Zhang Guangmu revealed that his story about his parents and desire for revenge had been a lie, mocking Lin Yan for believing it after doubting his true achievements.
• Zhang Guangmu told Lin Yan he would not kill him yet and demanded that Lin Yan help make him Vice Fortress Lord.
• Lin Yan agreed to cooperate after realizing that Zhang Guangmu held the power while he retained the title and political authority.
• Lin Yan announced Tian Guang’s invented record of undercover service and battlefield heroism, and Tian Guang was promoted to Vice Fortress Lord despite objections.
• The Wolf Fortress’s residents soon recognized that Tian Guang held power and status comparable to Fort Master Lin Yan.

Lin Yan confronted Zhang Guangmu over reforms that threatened Wolf Fortress’s old order, but Zhang Guangmu declared he wanted to empower everyone and bring peace rather than claim the Fort Master position. After rejecting Lin Yan’s advice, Zhang Guangmu sensed that new Usable Ability Points had arrived.

• Lin Yan challenged Zhang Guangmu’s distribution of supplies, bonding of Flame Wolves, and elevation of craftsmen, warning that his actions would ruin Wolf Fortress.
• Zhang Guangmu defended his plans as an effort to destroy the corrupt order and build a peaceful world, then revealed that Flame Artifacts could be mass-produced for everyone.
• Lin Yan questioned why Zhang Guangmu would spread power instead of securing the Fort Master position, and Zhang Guangmu said he had never wanted that position.
• Zhang Guangmu blamed Lin Xuan for revealing the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf King’s death and insisted that his goal was to make everyone powerful enough to protect themselves.
• Lin Yan advised Zhang Guangmu to restrict Flame Artifacts and centralize military power, but Zhang Guangmu rejected the advice and proclaimed that the Wolf Riders’ era should end.
• Zhang Guangmu sensed that new Usable Ability Points had arrived.

Zhang Guangmu earned an ability point from the Reincarnation Diagram and spent it to raise Imperial Body Forging Technique, improving his combat instincts and physical training. As Lin Yan left the hall, someone attacked him with a fireball and called for Tian Guang to face death.

• Zhang Guangmu studied the Reincarnation Diagram, named it, and received one Usable Ability Point for his portrayal of the Wolf Rider.
• Zhang Guangmu decided to improve his personal combat power because the Protagonist Group had developed a Flame Artifact stronger than his own.
• Zhang Guangmu raised Imperial Body Forging Technique from 1 to 2 and gained a deeper understanding of combat and body training.
• Zhang Guangmu practiced Health Preservation Fist and felt energized by the improved effects of Imperial Body Forging Technique.
• Lin Yan regained hope of obtaining a Flame Artifact and left the hall, only to be struck in the face by a black-and-red fireball as an assailant challenged Tian Guang.

Li Xiaoxiao and his Flame Wolf attacked Zhang Guangmu in the main hall, believing the Script Hint that Zhang Guangmu had stolen his Flame Artifact blueprints and was a threat to Wolf Fortress. Zhang Guangmu met Li Xiaoxiao head-on while White Moon fought the other wolf, and their battle erupted into a violent clash.

• Li Xiaoxiao mistakenly blasted Lin Yan with a Big Fireball, setting him ablaze and leaving him apparently dead.
• Li Xiaoxiao arrived with a Flame Wolf and accused Zhang Guangmu of stealing his blueprints and corrupting Wolf Fortress.
• The Control Group’s Script Hint convinced Li Xiaoxiao that Zhang Guangmu was the tumor destroying Wolf Fortress, so he launched an attack.
• Zhang Guangmu charged forward to meet Li Xiaoxiao, while White Moon engaged the Flame Wolf in a separate fight.
• Zhang Guangmu and Li Xiaoxiao clashed amid blazing flames, explosive impacts, and the smell of blood and gunpowder.

Zhang Guangmu defeated Li Xiaoxiao and exposed the misunderstanding that had led Li Xiaoxiao to accuse him of stealing the Flame Artifact blueprints. Li Xiaoxiao accepted blame and asked Zhang Guangmu to kill him, while Director Sun watched from above Wolf Fortress.

• Zhang Guangmu calmly countered Li Xiaoxiao’s flashy attacks and taunted him about his combat rating as the Little White Balls watched and discussed their Pseudo-Transcendent equipment.
• Zhang Guangmu exploited Li Xiaoxiao’s anger to break his fighting rhythm, then struck his chest, subdued him, and removed his Flame Artifact gloves.
• Zhang Guangmu threatened the Flame Wolves with Li Xiaoxiao’s life, prompting Li Xiaoxiao’s wolf to submit and ending the Protagonist Group’s assassination attempt.
• Zhang Guangmu challenged Li Xiaoxiao’s accusation that he had stolen the blueprints, explaining that he had independently designed and made the Flame Artifact.
• Li Xiaoxiao realized he had no design draft to support his claim, admitted his mistake, and asked Zhang Guangmu to kill him.
• Director Sun remained motionless above Wolf Fortress in the form of a golden ball of light.