Chapter Summaries

Zhang Guangmu led the Cold Light Armored Masters in fighting the Cold Flame Beasts flooding S District. He blocked the passage to stop reinforcements, leaving the invaders trapped inside the base and facing him.

• Zhang Guangmu charged into the burning S District and rallied more Cold Light Armored Masters to fight the Cold Flame Beasts.
• Zhang Guangmu ordered the group to clear the beasts near the passage and block it, and the warriors followed despite losses among their families.
• Zhang Guangmu absorbed the lessons of Saber Technique 1 in battle and entered a Flow state, killing the beasts in his path.
• Zhang Guangmu struck the passage with golden-blue Cold Flame, temporarily blocking the route between S District and the surface.
• The trapped Cold Flame Beasts hesitated before Zhang Guangmu, who joked that he would kill them until they became endangered protected animals.

Zhang Guangmu led the counterattack through S District and wiped out nearly all the Blazing Bone Beasts, despite severe damage from taking Blazing Bone Pill No. 1. He confronted Ye Jie over abandoning humanity, and Ye Jie summoned a spear and challenged him, convinced Zhang Guangmu was exhausted.

• Zhang Guangmu organized the armored masters and fought his way through S District, killing Blazing Bone Beasts with growing ease.
• Zhang Guangmu learned from the viewers that Ye Jie had stayed out of the battle, then cleared nearly all the remaining beasts while the other survivors dealt with stragglers.
• The female registrar reported that Luo Zhuan had died trying to protect a little girl, and Zhang Guangmu lamented that he should not have died.
• Medical Officer Jiang Ling warned Zhang Guangmu that Blazing Bone Pill No. 1 had caused irreversible damage and that taking more than one pill in a week could kill him.
• Zhang Guangmu confronted Ye Jie about abandoning humanity, and Ye Jie summoned a black-and-red spear and demanded to know what Zhang Guangmu knew.

Zhang Guangmu deduced that the princess's power was corrupting Ye Jie, who refused to help humanity and tried to leave S District. The two fought at Ultimate Cold Light Armor strength, and Ye Jie succumbed to demonic madness and launched his strongest attack to kill Zhang Guangmu.

• Zhang Guangmu told Ye Jie that the diary and his behavior suggested the princess's power was changing his mind after each battle.
• Ye Jie erupted in anger, admitted he could not defeat all the Blazing Bone Beasts, and demanded to leave S District with the princess.
• Zhang Guangmu wounded Ye Jie's cheek and declared them enemies because Ye Jie had sided with the Blazing Bone Beasts.
• Ye Jie activated his full combat state, and he and Zhang Guangmu fought fiercely with a spear and Tang Saber as the survivors watched.
• Ye Jie lost his reason, threatened to slaughter everyone in S District, and unleashed his strongest killing move against Zhang Guangmu.

Zhang Guangmu defeated Ye Jie, exposed the Princess as a Blazing Bone Beast, and beheaded Ye Jie before the Princess preserved his body. Zhang Guangmu ordered Jiang Ling to lead research into mutated Blazing Bone Beasts and began forcing the Princess to cooperate, leaving Director Zhou Mo—or the world’s Heavenly Dao—as his final opponent.

• Ye Jie launched his ultimate thrust at Zhang Guangmu, but Zhang Guangmu split the attack, crippled him, and revealed that the Princess was a mutated Blazing Bone Beast.
• Zhang Guangmu explained that he opposed Ye Jie’s betrayal of humanity, then crippled him further and beheaded him when he continued threatening to kill Zhang Guangmu.
• The Princess reconnected Ye Jie’s severed head to his body, and Zhang Guangmu ordered Jiang Ling to form a research team studying mutated Blazing Bone Beasts.
• Zhang Guangmu demanded that the Princess cooperate, while she protested that the Blazing Bone Beasts would choose a new king if she died.
• Zhang Guangmu recognized that the Princess had fallen in love with Ye Jie and concluded that defeating the world’s Heavenly Dao remained his final challenge.

Zhang Guangmu exposed the princess’s ability to summon Blazing Bone Beasts and forced it to cooperate by threatening Ye Jie and the S-Zone survivors. The princess ordered the attacking horde to withdraw, temporarily averting the survivors’ annihilation.

• The princess agreed to cooperate to protect A-Jie, but Zhang Guangmu accused it of hiding its ability to summon Blazing Bone Beasts and linked it to past attacks.
• Zhang Guangmu rejected the princess’s demands for food and treatment, threatened Ye Jie, and forced the princess to reveal that it could control Ye Jie’s body.
• A Blazing Bone Beast horde invaded the S-Zone, and Zhang Guangmu held Ye Jie while cutting down the attackers with his Blue Jade Tang Saber.
• Zhang Guangmu threatened to kill the princess and Ye Jie if any S-Zone resident died, forcing the princess to order the Blazing Bone Beasts to stop attacking and retreat.

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.